Here is the long awaited update from the last few weeks. The pictures are in random order and I don't want to take the time to switch them around, so there will be some jumpiness.
Labor Day the boys were brought back early so instead of Brian and I going on the date we had planned, those plans were adapted to including the kids and we took a trip out to the Natural Bridge Caverns Wild Life Safari. The boys have gone before, and loved it. This time, though fun, was not as great because it was way too hot and the animals were not very hungry and were staying far back from the road. We did not even see the zebras. I am thinking that since they are adding on and making a new trail to drive through that they have some of the animals in a different part that will not be opened up until Spring 2013. And a big deal - my sisters can vouch for this is Hyrum not screaming like a girl and actually getting near the Ostriches. This ostrich in the petting zoo was loving Kaden and several times buried his head in the bag of food and went to town.
Quinten & Kaden feeding the llama.
Hyrum & I on both our first days of school. Hyrum is in 3rd grade this year. He is enjoying school but is still adjusting to the amount of school work that comes with being older and in 3rd grade. Instead of zipping through his homework in 20 minutes he can still be found sitting at the table 45 minutes after he begins. He has a wonderful teacher this year though and his 2nd grade teacher prepared him well for 3rd grade!
When you ask Kaden what he did at school, the answer he will most likely give you is that "I got to ride the bus!" He LOVES the bus ride home and his bus driver. He will tell you which seat he sits in and which street he lives on so he won't forget to get off and go to someone else's house. I take the boys to school in the morning and they ride the bus home. Kaden rides with just kids in his pre-k class. Because Kaden talks so highly about the bus ride, Quinten is already counting down the years until he gets to ride the school bus too!
Kaden is the good morning paparazzi. I think he got my love for taking pictures.
This was the first day of Pre K for Kaden. Because of my current income he qualifies for the school Pre-K program. He mastered all of his learning objectives for the PPCD program he was in last year. Here is his happy smile because he remembered how much fun it is to get a tray for breakfast at school.
Here is the sad please don't leave here me mom and dad face. Kaden was not happy to be left at school. His teacher let me know that he cried long enough to let us walk out the door than he was happy again.
Brian & I went on a fun date to see a movie outside in the park one night and we had our picture taken and made it into the paper the following Sunday.
Quinten is quite the budding artist. This boy loves coloring, and painting and all things arts and crafts. He has mastered using scissors and loves chopping paper into tiny bits. One of his favorite toys he carries around in the back of his little trike is a paint brush (or two). When he plays, paint brushes have turned into kayak paddles, guns, flags, tent poles, bath toys. He loves painting!
This kid is also still in love with motorcycles. We took the boys bowling to celebrate going back to school and while we waited for an open lane they got to play a few games. Quinten says this is just like our friend Mr Colin's cycle.
At the animal safari in the petting zoo, this goat swiped TinTin's bag of food. He was not very happy about it at all and went back to go get it. The goat of course ate part of the paper and Quinten told him that he "wu-wined" his bag and proceeded to dump all the remaining food out in front of the goat and then came to ask for more. Silly kid.
I have a picture of each of my boys swinging on this swing at my brother's house.
I took the boys up to Austin to my brother's house one weekend and Quinten had one of his life's dreams come true. He got to ride in a tractor! If you really know TinTin, you know that he will run as fast as he can after any kind of tractor. He was thrilled this day because not only did he get to sit in it, he was allowed to help the man drive it and knock down a little outside building. He was in heaven!
So now that the picture update is done here are some more of my thoughts and updates....
I have successfully finished 2 weeks of school. I am taking 14 hours my first semester back in 8 1/2 years. It is a full load. Three of my classes are easier and my forth - anatomy and physiology is more challenging. It is straight up memorization which I am not so great at. I have great teachers though and as long as the boys go to bed on time I am able to study and get my work done. So far I have been able to get a lot done on my kid free weekends and try to get ahead so that my time with the boys doesn't suffer as much. I am hoping to be finished with school in 2 - 2 1/2 years with my bachelors and continue on after that to either become a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. So lots of years of schooling still ahead of me, but I am going to try to push through the summers and finish sooner rather than later. People at school ask if I work as well as go to school, I tell them yes as a single mother to 3 active boys. I have gotten several comments that it might be easier to have a paying job instead. Though that might be easier, it would not be as rewarding and I love that my boys are (right now) cheer leaders for me while I am in school. I am sure there are going to be days when we all hate it and wish it was a few years down the line from now when school is done, but we are already growing closer to together because of team work.
This last week was also another major milestone passed for me. It would have been my 10 year anniversary with Kyle. Here was my facebook status
"I love Fun holidays and traditions. Including new and uncharted (for me) ones. Happy 1/2 a year of freedom to me! Celebrate with me by finding someone you love and telling them! And if you want to eat a treat and go out with your friends feel free to do that too.
Sometimes less really is more!"
I celebrated it with a bunch of people going night tubing. These guys and girl knew the reason for going was to celebrate freedom and it was a fun night, though a bit cold.it was just what I needed. I am at the point where I am ok with being divorced. Some people have told me that I make divorce into this glorified thing. Let me tell you, the better choice would have been for selfishness to be cast aside and vows and covenants to be honored. But because I can only choose the way I act, I am ok with moving on. I am happy with where I am in my life and though there are still many times there uncertainty creeps into my mind, I am happy. I more often than not have a smile on my face and enjoy the fact that I get to do what I want to do when I want to do it. I love having my kids, and as challenging as it is being a single mother, I am not alone in raising them. There are so many wonderful amazing friends and families that have stepped up to the plate in helping me. My boys have positive, uplifting role models and honorary grandparents. I got really sick yesterday and had lots of people call to check on me or drop things by my house. It is nice to be taken care of when I feel like I would rather die!
Hyrum is a great kid. He is growing up so fast these days. He is growing in more ways than just being a giant. He is curious about his body and cares more about the way he looks when he leaves the house. He is still really into legos and nerf guns. He has made quite a few new friends this year at his new school. He reads books left and right and is always asking for more books. He is really interested in history books. His brain can't get enough of it. He talks about girls and we have had the sex talk. He is sometimes too smart for his own good. This school year I hope that as he keeps going to counseling that he will be able to smile more often and accept the fact that Kyle & I will never get back together. He still many a nights will ask me if that will ever happen. He says that life isn't fair. He is right though, life isn't fair but we need to make the best of what is dished up to us. I have tried to let him know that he has more people who love him and in that way he is lucky. He is an amazing big brother and my best helper. The other boys look up to him so much and Hyrum is learning the beauty of younger siblings being your helpers to get job done sooner. Hyrum is also almost done with his wolf in cub scouts. We are working hard to get this finished so he can more on to the next level. He loves scout nights and getting his uniform on and being on time and ready to go.
Kaden has adjusted really well to school. He is so funny. He has decided that he is the owner of the remote control at our house and if we can't find it we know to ask him. He is very sharp and can remember pretty much anything and everything. The one thing he does like to forget is where he takes his glasses off and leaves them. His problem with wearing his glasses is he takes them off when they get dirty instead of just asking for them to be cleaned. Then he doesn't want to remember where his glasses are because he doesn't want to wear dirty glasses. I have started leaving out the spray and the cloth in hopes that he will start cleaning his own, he has gotten a lot better with this. Kade also thinks that he needs to sleep in my bed many a nights. He will lay down in his and several nights I have been startled when I finally crawl into my bed and he is laying diagonal underneath the pillows. Kaden is still a great money saver and is in the stage where he wants to be my helper all the time. I love hearing him sing the songs he sings at school too. He is still my wolf in sheep's clothing. He can change from world's greatest helper to middle brother who is bossy and attacks everyone else really fast.
Quinten is a crazy little fireball. He makes me laugh so much and pretty much always has a smile on his face. He loves the fact that he gets to sleep on the top bunk bed and I love the fact that he will actually stay in bed and go to sleep. That is one change that has been very noticeable since I got the boys back after July. They stay in bed when it is bed time. Quinten has learned the skill of bargaining from Hyrum. He wants to do things to earn prizes or treats. This little boy is a candy-o-holic if he could be. He is still super athletic and coordinated. He can climb, jump, and wrestle with the best of them. He will occasionally get hurt but all I have to do is ask him if he wants to stop playing with the big kids and he will go get right back into it. He loves hot wheels and building with legos. He is hilarious to watch in a nerf gun fight and has not mastered secret keeping yet. All I have to say to him if I want him to tell his brothers something is to ask him to keep a secret and he will run away and go whisper it into their ears. This is currently a nice skill he possesses when it is dinner time and I am wanting everyone to come downstairs.
So I think that is the update on us as a family. We are loving life, but not so much early mornings and going out and finding lots of things to do to keep our days, nights, and weekends busy. We are surviving and thriving and moving forward super fast in these crazy fun life we live.
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