Halloween for the Boys (Part 2)

In Nevada, the 30th of October is Nevada Day – it is the day Nevada became a state- and therefore it is a holiday and so the boys had the day off from school.  SO, on Thursday the 29th, they had their Halloween parties and got to dress up.

Kenny was a GOTH Rocker named Darth Diamond.  Kale was a Wizard.

They seemed to like their costumes and were excited to share them with their friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kale’s Costume started out as a girls witches costume that we converted into a wizard’s outfit.  We added dragon charms on the front and the hat and an iron-on decorative cross on the back.  We hortened the sleeves and cut off 8 inches from the bottom.  He looked great!!  He did look a bit “girly” though so we added some dark eye makeup and that did the trick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the shoes.  This is what the costume was based on.  He was a little unsure of the wig, but after we got it on… He was ready to go along with the costume.  We painted his fingernails black and used black eyeliner and lipstick.  He looked great!!!

Halloween for the Boys (Part 1)

Kale’s school had a Halloween Sing-along on the Wednesday before Halloween.  Following are the videos of the songs that they sang. 

Kale's First Class Song - Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Kale's Second Song - 5 Little Skeletons

Kale's Third Song - 5 Little Pumpkins

Kale's Fourth Song - Scarerow Song

You’ll have to forgive us for the poor quality; our good camcorder was not charged and I we had to use the “small” camera.  Also, the room had poor lighting and thus, poor quality pictures.  But you get the gist and should be able to enjoy the songs.

Unemployment for Mom…

I have to admit, I never thought I would be in the position.  I was laid of on September 11, 2009.  The construction department had come to the conclusion of all its current projects and didn’t foresee any of their future projects starting anytime soon, so there was no longer a need for me.  The controller will be able to do all that I was doing plus here own work.

I had the most amazing feeling of peace rush through my body as I was told that I no longer have a job.  Although it was a shock and I did shed a few tears of “fear”, but I knew instantly that Heavenly Father had something planned for me and it would be better all around.

It has been three weeks and I still don’t have a job, but I have received a conditional offer with a private company here in town that is a remarkable offer.  There was a pay raise, amazing benefits, closer commute, stability and company growth… Who could ask for more.  The only drawback is the need to obtain a security clearance from the government. 

It is a mound of paperwork, a personal interview, a polygraph test and then…waiting.  I am scheduled for my personal interview in a few days and hopefully by the end of October, I will be scheduled for the polygraph.  Then we are hoping to hear something before the end of the year so that no later than January, I can be working permanently.

Labor Day Weekend…

  

 

 

We started out in Saint George.  We stayed at a hotel with a pool and the boys swam and swam.  We went four-wheeling.  Kenny even got his own small one and he did great.  Kale banged his head really hard while riding with Mommy (remind anyone of anyone else??).  He hit his head hard and cut open his forehead.  As with all head wounds, it bled and bled.  I think the blood scared Kale more then the pain of the head wound.  We rode for several hours, up sand hills, around mountains, all over and had a great time.

The boys rolled the four-wheeler over Kenny and that scared him, so for a while, he wouldn’t ride with Dad (doesn’t sound like he got that from his mama, with several teeth knocked out, still chose to ride with Dad as often as possible).

On Sunday we went to The St. George Temple.  We visited the Visitor’s Center and the kids enjoyed watching the movies and small short stories about Jesus and the apostles.

This was Kale’s first try at using his “auto” button on his camera and he wasn’t even paying attention.  As usual, he was looking at something more interesting.

Sunday Afternoon we went into Overton and found a room at the Echo Lake Lodge. 

On Monday, we rented a boat and cruised the lake for a few hours.  The boys had a blast playing in the water, cliff diving, and playing in the sand. 

         Kale driving the boat!!!

Kenny trying to stay standing as Daddy races over the water.

 

Kenny and Kale Hanging out at the Beach.

CLIFF JUMPING WAS EVERYONE’S FAVORITE ACTIVITY… (except Kale, who stayed on the shoreline)

Daddy  got hurt on one of the Mussel Shells while climbing on the rock.  He got a great big gash and here we were on the boat without a first aid kit.  We made due with what we had and got the bleeding to stop and then went on having fun.  I think I saw more blood this weekend then I have seen in months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out how deep the “muddy” sand is.  This shows how low the water is.  The water is just under the surface of the sand and so when you step in it, you sink to your knees.  It looked gross and smelled pretty bad too, but as you can see from the pictures, my boys didn’t really care!!

All in All – we had a blast and really enjoyed ourselves.  We need to do this more often.

Happy Birthday to Kenny

Kenny celebrated his 7th birthday on September 10, 2009.  We had a small family celebration for him and then the next weekend, we had a “Three Musketeer” party for him.  It was supposed to be with his two best friends, Bryson and Grant.

An interesting birthday present was received though.  Kenneth was diagnosed with ADD.  We weren’t shocked but a bit skeptical about putting him on medication.  We weren’t sure what to expect or when we would see any results if we would see any at all, but we went ahead and started him on the medication.

Within 1 week, we began to see a totally different Kenny.  He was attentive, polite, willing to help in whatever we asked him to do, completing assignments and tasks.  We has seen an increase in his self confidence, he smiles and laughs more.  He is just a joy to be around and we love being with him now.

In fact, a few days after he had been on the medication we were doing chores and he said to me “Mom, this is so much fun.  Why don’t we do this more often?”

The Boy’s First Day of School (2009)

The boys started school on Monday, August 24, 2009.  The boys were so excited and they couldn’t wait to sport their new duds.  I let them pick there own outfits and get themselves dressed and ready to go.  We made their lunches, packed their bags and headed out the door. 

As I was getting their lunches prepared, they decided to go outside with out telling me.  I got their lunches ready, in their bags and then began looking for them (as I thought they had gone up to their rooms to play).  When I couldn’t find them anywhere, I began to panic.  I went out the front door and couldn’t see them until I walked down the driveway.  There they were, standing next to the men fixing the neighbor’s sewer lines, watching the man in the hole, snake the pipes with a camera.

I guess I am lucky that they were nice guys and didn’t mind hanging out with some crazy little boys.  We took a few pics and loaded into the truck and headed to school.

Kenny is a second grader at Garehime Elementary School.  His teacher’s name is Nicole Waid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenny is standing in line waiting for the bell to ring so that he can head off to class.  They get to play on the playground in the mornings before school starts and then they line up as soon as the bell rings (8:56 am) and wait for the teacher to let them in.

Each year they have a year-long theme that they focus on as a school.  Many of the activities both in and out of the classroom are based on this theme. 

This is a great theme for this year.  I think Kenny will gain a great deal and hopefully his self-esteem will grow and increase as he learns that he can do anything he wants, as long as he’s willing to work for it.

 

Kale attends Seton Academy, across the street from Garehime Elementary.   He is in Room 7 and is so excited to be back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the board outisde his classroom showing all the names of the kids in his class.  He has a pretty good-sized class this year.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Kale, waving good-bye as I left him with his teacher and classmates.  He is really growing up and becoming quite the independent little boy.  We are very proud of him!!

Max has returned...

Max is home finally. We found him on Tuesday after a woman in the next neighborhood saw our flyer and called to tell us that she had found him crossing Durango and took him to her home and called animal control. By the time we got to the shelter, he had been neutered and adopted out. We were lucky however that the people who adopted him were so attached to him that they weren't willing to let us have him back. They were fine with it, they just asked us to reimburse them the fees they had paid. We are so happy that he is home. The mood in our home has gotten much better and there isn't as much moaping going on.

After I picked him up at the shelter, I took him home but had to stop on the way to pick up the boys from school. I left Max in the truck and went in to get Kenny. I was gone for maybe 2 minutes. When I got back I could smell that he had pee'd in the truck but couldn't see where. I got in and as I sat down, I found where he had gone and my rear end was wetter for it.

I took my sweater off and sat on it so I wouldn't get any more wet then I already was. I drove across the street to get Kale and when I got back from that, I fould that Max had puked on my sweater. After some cleaver folding, I was able to get back in the truck and head home without getting puke on me.

After taking Max and the boys in the house and explaining that Max had some surgery earlier that day and that he needed to just lay low, Kenny asked me why he had surgery. I told him that they had taken his manhood and he said "Mom, they didn't take his excitement, did they?" He was so concerned that Max wouldn't want to go play ball and run around in the backyard anymore. I explained to him what it meant to neuter a dog and he felt much better. (My husband didn't, but...)

Anyway, we have been playing and running with him and just enjoying having him back!!