WoW!

These pictures don't really do it justice....but in 8 months, Sahara's teeth have become almost perfectly straightened!

May 2010

January 2011

Algebra...'nuf said :(

Well, class is off to a rocky start. Not only did I somehow test into college algebra when I haven't had any math class since 1988 ( and I think failed!!)...I have to use a graphic calculator and they expect I know how that works! I bought a used one. I found a down loadable manual. 466 pages!!! Even if I read the thing, I wouldn't understand it. I did find an online interactive tutorial...it has helped. And an old friend from high school has offered help too and gave me a website to check out for more help. All the teachers I work with are old school and don't have graphic calculator experience either. So, today, Dawn (the teacher I work with) will have her son come to work and help me out. He's in his Jr. year at Tech. Because the math is all online and interactive as well, I can get all the problems for homework done and done correctly (even if it takes me 30 minutes per problem and I have to do it 17 times!) AND, no matter what the weather is like, if class is not cancelled, I will be there....I hope I can at least make a passing grade. Tests will be another issue all together!!!

Animal cell

One of several projects Sahara has to do is make a model of a cell. The cell part is done but she still needs to do the write up that goes along with it. I think it looks pretty cool because it can close up and open without messing it up.

We should have painted the outside white but had a pale yellow at the house. We still have time to respray it white if we want but colors don't really matter.

Snow Day 2011 :)

Had our first snow day of the season. Not much, but enough for the buses to not be able to get the mountain kids so schools were called off.

We went on our traditional lunch out. Then built a snow dude and had a snow ball war.


Jared gives our guy a face.

Canyon tried snow angels but it was very cold.

Sahara tried to stay as dry and warm as possible...not touching the snow at all.

Our happy little snow dude :)

Sahara, still trying not to get attacked with snow balls.

Sometimes Canyon's hat doesn't co-operate with him very well.

Jared's idea. Our snow dude became a snow dudette.

(By the way, the snow ball war was a tie - I could not keep up with a 16 year old who's in athletics....not until his asthma kicked in and we had to call it quits and go in and chill out with a movie and a wheezing kid)

Back to school

2nd semester started for the kids. I will start later this week. Sahara has so many projects due. One especially is a 6 week project that even her teacher said will be the hardest thing to do in all her high school years. YIKES!

Random Christmas morning pictures :)

Cookies

We completely cheated. I just wanted to get some simple place and bake or slice and bake cookies. We could not find them in 3 different food stores. So I bought bakery made cookies and we decorated them.
really only needed to make some for Santa ( hahaha)

Saharas gifts

Sahara opened her gifts from Jared at his house. She came home with a new Aero hoodie and a scarf :)

Santa....finally!!!

Nothing like waiting till the last minute. We just didn't have it together this year, but finally got to see Santa after going 3 times just to find out he was not there. We have never waited in line either but that's because we go the first week of December. The line was fairly long, but Canyon waited like a trooper. Other parents complained about the line but I just laughed inside. This is small-town USA....they haven't seen a real Santa line! :)

It took about 30 minutes to get up to Santa and Canyon had a good conversation with him.

Yay! Santa!

Christmas came early

As soon as Jared saw presents under the tree with his name on them, he just had to open them. He is such a 4 1/2 year old!!

He got a snuggie (Razorback of course), beanie cap (Razorback of course), wallet, knife, and 20 koolaid packets (his favorite drink)

Hahahaha - I heard his brother, Jordan, spazed out when Sahara brought over a gift for him too.

(note to self - any future gifts to those boys will not be 'in view' until they are to be opened!!!)

MY FINALS ARE DONE!!!

WHOOP! WHOOP! Ok,ok...I only had 2.

I also have 2 goals:

1. get a degree in less then 100 semesters (including summer sessions) - so 1 done, 98 to go!

2. get a degree at least the same year that Sahara does - so I have 6 1/2 years to go!

Busy Busy Busy

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. . .

Canyon went to his wavier Christmas party last night. I thought it would have been bigger, but it actually had the right amount of people there for the size building. They had karaoke and Canyon got himself in line and sang happy birthday. :)

I have 2 finals due tomorrow so I have been busy with them.

I have 90% of the Christmas shopping and wrapping done.

Sahara has semester finals this week.

It seems like the rush is on and everything is happening at once. Christmas is 2 weeks away...maybe by the end of this week I will feel more ready!

That rotting odor

Sahara complained of a sore throat for a couple days and her glands were swollen. Then, the day after Thanksgiving I noticed Sahara had a strange order to her breath and it hit me. I know this smell, it's strep. Luckily we got into the Dr right away and sure enough...Strep. Shes on antibiotics.

Thanksgiving

Our day turned out to be just the three of us. That was just fine. We didn't think this little amount of grocery shopping would amount to much...

But it turns out we have plenty! Leftovers for at least the next 2 days!

Happy Turkey Day (or ham in our case !!)

Dental Update...

Sahara got her first cavity :( She is pretty disappointed because she has had that stuff painted on her teeth twice to prevent cavities and thought she was safe. Supposedly it's pretty little but she will refuse a shot for numbing and is afraid of the gas. Dec 21 will be a hard day for her. Probably harder then when she got her braces.

Canyon has 2 baby teeth that have not fallen out even though the adult teeth came in. At first (and still) the dentist does not see this as a problem...even though one has been in there for over a year now with the adult tooth right behind it. The other one for about 5 months. At the next check up, if there is no progress with them coming out on their own, the dentist will pull them. :(

Christmas 2010 Pictures

We got a late start getting our yearly pictures done. Usually we do it the weekend after Halloween. This year I put it off almost too long to use Fall as our background. A lot of trees have all ready turned brown and the leaves were gone on a bunch. But we managed a few good shots. Here are a few of them.

Heading to the park today...

...in search of a new wavier person for Canyon. Actually met a lady yesterday at the office, she and I and the kids are going to the park today to get to know each other better. She will have to go through training first so it wont be till December until she can work with him. By then, we might be switched over to a different service anyway and have to start interviewing again.

Happy early Christmas!

As an early Christmas present to myself...I found this website (and there are a few out there I guess) that takes your blog and turns it into a hard or soft cover book. I did one for 2008 and one for 2009. I'm excited to do 2010 soon!! They look great and you can customize them in lots of different ways. The only customizing I did was to pick the hard cover, the pictures to put on the front and back, the title, the cover design, the dedication page and to 'make it fit' so the least amount of pages will be created. But you can do tons more.

I love them!! I went to: http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html