Trail Tuesdays

We are trying to do a little more family hiking this year.  So we have come up with "Trail Tuesdays."  Each Tuesday this summer we are going to try and go on a family hike.  Not sure how many hikes we will actually get in during the summer but we will give it a try.

For our first hike we wanted to start off with something simple and easy.

Silver Lake- June 10th 2014

Beautiful Silver Lake

Me and Afton

Ethan - 12 years old

The group- minus the one taking the picture :)

5 of my very favorite people.

 

Random

Here are a few things we have been up to as a family..........

Our 12 year old son managed to eat
ALL of this on a recent trip to Leatherby's

Jim and his ladies
May 2014

This is how you know you were meant to be friends........
You both wear the same shirt without even planning on matching.

Lizzie and her friend Sarah.
 

You know summer is here when salads are eaten often. 
This is our BLT salad we like to have a lot in the summer.
Spring Mix, Tomatoes, Bacon and Mozzarella cheese= Yum!



Cowgirl/ Cowboy day in Kindergarten

Discovering this.....  Delicious!

Lizzie with her 4th grade county presentation: Summit County. 
 Float, report and poster were all done the day before it was due.   I told Lizzie that evening once everything was finished that we probably shouldn't procrastinate next time.  Her response, "We should procrastinate EVERY time Mom!  Look how awesome it looks!" 
 Probably not one of our finest parenting teaching moments :)

End of year Kindergarten Program. 
 Watch out!  We now have 1st graders in this house.

 

 

Jim and I are going to celebrate our anniversary
 a little late this year and go see this!
  I am very excited!

 

 

New Digs

As of May 1st Jim has a new office.  This move is quite exciting as he will be able to have patients come to his very own clinic instead of him doing home health and going to various houses. 
 Needless to say the last part of April and most of May were very stressful for Jim as he was purchasing an office, moving items to his new office and trying to get it ready for patients.   He has already had his first patient and is of course welcoming more :) 

Nameplate.  Yes, it is a big deal :)

View from the back of the clinic.

Where Jim does some of his magic.

Exercise equipment. 
He will put a flat screen TV on the wall so patients can
 either watch TV or out the window while doing therapy.
 

Rainy Days

A couple weeks ago we had a few days of spring storms. 

 I was able to catch some cute pictures of the girls.

12 years later.....

Today I became part of the paid working world again.

I now work in the office at my daughters school,
Altara Elementary. 

 It was just a little bit over 12 years ago (April 30th 2002) when I called the University of Phoenix and told them I have decided to stay home with my newborn son rather than come back to work.  I have never regretted that phone call. 

I am so grateful I have been able to stay home for this long and be a part of so many little moments of raising our children.  I am very grateful to Jim for providing for our family so I could stay home for the past 12 years to hang out with these 4.

But, with my "babies" starting full day this fall, it is time for a little change.   I am not going back to work for money, or because I have to.  I am going back to work because this is an exciting opportunity I couldn't pass up.   I will work just 17 hours a week.  Just enough to get out into the working world.  I will still have time to help out in classrooms, run errands without kids and hopefully clean my house :)

 

I am extra excited because:
-I will still be here in the mornings to get them ready and off to school.
- Me and the kids will get home from work/ school basically the same time.
- I will still have summers off so I can be home/ play with my kids
- In the fall I will only be working while my kids are at school
- I have a very flexible boss (the principal) who said my kids can come hang out in the office for the 5 or 10 minutes before school starts and after school ends.
-Still get to hang out with the faculty and staff of Altara where I have gotten to know a lot of them very well this year.

I guess selling your soul to the school for a year as PTA President has some benefits :) Just Kidding.

But seriously, I am so grateful for this opportunity.  When the principal came up to me and told me about this job opening I couldn't really think of any cons.  I am super excited.

So for now if you need to find me,
 this is my new working schedule :)

 

Wednesdays- 11 to 3:15

Thursdays- 8 to 3:15

Fridays- 8 to 1:30

 

Black and White

The Annual Black and White Picture

May 2014

 

 

Lizzie- Age 10

 Afton- Age 6

Ethan- Age 12

 

Lilly- Age 6

 

Easter 2014

Our Easter came rather quickly this year considering we get home from our big vacation at about 7:30 the night before.  Luckily the Easter Bunny still found us.

 

The kid's Easter baskets

The 4 kids showing their personalities. 
Sometimes I just resign myself to the fact it is impossible to get a great picture of all 4.

Our 3 beautiful daughters who still let
me buy them matching dresses :)
 

Cute little 6 year olds.

Looking together for eggs.

Lilly with some of her egg hunt treasures.
 You can see in the corner of the picture she got a box of jelly bean shaped bubble gum.
  She really LOVES  gum right now and would not let that box out of her sight all day.
If you look even closer you can tell she also has a piece in her mouth.

Lizzie off to find some eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Two good looking boys. 
They didn't plan on the yellow striped matching look but it looks great.



Lucky kids to call this guy Grandpa.

 

This picture has nothing to do with Easter (besides the fact it was taken on Easter) but it reminds me that I will always have a special place in my heart for dandelions.  My girls love to pick them and give me bouquets of them.  Afton, Lilly and Lizzie made these for me on Easter while they were waiting for their dad to come home from some church meetings.