Fall 2011

Fall!

August 22, I started school (teaching at Utah Virtual).  August 27, Emily started 4th grade (at the new Fox Hollow Elementary).  September 7, James started Kindergarten (afternoon).  Emily loves her teacher Mrs. Brown.  We found that Mrs. Brown is from Canada (and Emily has been to Canada!) and that she likes hockey (as do we).  The first day of school, Emily was assigned to take a brown lunch bag with five items that represent her.  She took Bailey, a little stuffed bear, her passport, some earrings she'd made, a picture she drew of a piano, and one other thing we can't remember.  :)

James was nervous about school.  As we were walking to the line, he said "Oh, this is gonna be bad."  When I picked him up afterward, he said "That was fun!"  He mostly likes it and likes to go, with the exception of two times -- once in which he scratched me because he didn't want to go, and another when he cried.  He is doing well now.

This year, I am teaching US History, US Government, and Geography.  This is my 4th year at Utah Virtual, and I still like it.  I love the flexibility and the fact that I work mostly from home.

The weather has been beautiful!  We have taken advantage of it by having cookouts in our back yard with us or with others (Jeff & Rachel Jensen, Zach & Tatiana Campbell, neighbors Russ & Michelle Sitz, Adam & Heather Milner).  Kevin became quite the griller.  We have enjoyed our new backyard furniture.

We have also been biking a lot. Kevin and I take turns going on the Jordan River trail, for an average of 15 miles each time.  We got a hitch and bike rack installed on our CRV last week, which makes it much easier to transport one to four bikes (before that, we would put one bike in the back and only one person could go).  Our first family ride, we went about 8 miles.  The kids did great!