Monthly Archives: August 2008

Audrey’s First Day of Kindergarten

Are we really old enough to have a child going to school? I quickly became aware of the impact when I couldn’t schedule a morning mountain bike ride with friends. Audrey’s school starts around 7.30am which means we have to start her day earlier than she’s used to.

I made pancakes for breakfast and then Jeana took her to school. We went to a Back to School night at the school to meet Audrey’s teacher last Friday night. We really like her and the classroom. Kate was excited to play on the Kitchen toys that Audrey’s teacher had. I walked around the classroom with Audrey and Kate looking at all the pictures and displays on the walls. Audrey looked so ready to jump in and get going with school. We walked by a paper mounted to the wall that had the classroom and cafeteria rules on it. Audrey started reading the page out loud. I’m so proud of her for how well she reads.

I worked from home today so that I could be here when Audrey got home. Jeana and I watched out the windows for the bus to arrive so that we could run out and meet Audrey. Apparently there are multiple buses which service our neighborhood, so we were disappointed when the first bus we saw didn’t have our daughter on board. An hour after school was dismissed, Audrey’s bus arrived. The bus driver told Jeana that they had already been by once, but Audrey didn’t speak up to get off.

Audrey was a bit sad walking home from the bus because she wanted to walk home by herself. Maybe after a few days of figuring out when she’s supposed to get off.

I was full of questions and would have kept asking and probing if Jeana would not have reminded me to not overwhelm Audrey. As the night went on she told us more and more about what happened at school. Some kids got to play on the kitchen toys, some got to spend time on the classroom computer – reading on a site that Audrey has done at home: starfall.com.

Oh I forgot to mention how excited Audrey was when she discovered there was a library at her school! She blurted out, “I can use my library card at school!”

Back to School FHE

Jodi and her family started a fun tradition that we decided to copy this year. Last Monday evening, we had a Back to School dinner followed immediately by a Back to School family home evening. Jeana made a school bus cake for our centerpiece surrounded by erasers. Audrey really loved the school books made of mini chocolate bars and cardstock. Instead of using plates, our dinner of alphabet soup, mixed fruit, and juice box was served on cafeteria trays.

The family home evening was simple. We discussed basic safety issues for Audrey to remember, and finished by everyone getting a father’s blessing (except for Jeana, who just received a normal priesthood blessing). To help get Audrey more familiar and comfortable with her school we drove over and played on the playground toys.

Yellowstone National Park

I know, our vacation was over a month ago, but I still haven’t posted everything I wanted to. I don’t have much to say about all these pictures other than the trip up to Montana was completely worth it for me. My family always went to Yellowstone when I was growing up, which made this trip a little nostalgic. I found it crazy to realize we had driven from the south end of the country (Austin) to north end of the country (Montana).

Our family at Old Faithful Everyone at Old Faithful

Old Faithful Erupting Audrey and Kate at Old Faithful

Jeana, Danielle, and kids at Old Faithful Us at the waterfall

Kate looking at a waterfall Audrey looking at a waterfall

Yellowstone scenery Bison in Yellowstone

Kate and Audrey with Grandma and Grandpa Scott and Kate at a Geyser Stop

Visiting Grandma Gussy

Scott and the girls with Grandma Gussy

Scott and the girls with Grandma Gussy

We made a trip to Idaho for a couple reasons, one of which was to stop and see my grandma in Blackfoot. My aunt Marilyn was when we arrived and spent some time with us. She pulled out a photo album of my grandma’s family and I had fun looking at old pictures with my grandma and asking her about the pictures.

Lagoon

This is the first time I have been to Lagoon since we went on our Senior trip in High School. I spent a lot more time on the kids ride this time than I did when I was 18. We started the day with Wicked, which was awesome. The cork-screw twist has to be my favorite part when you flip up-side down.

Granddaughters

Granddaughters

There were plenty of rides for Audrey and Kate to enjoy and they had plenty of cousins to hang out with on these rides.

Kate and Audrey on the Boat Ride

Kate and Audrey on the Boat Ride

The bumper car experience deserves some mention here. Kate really had no idea what to do. Apparently the rider of the car was supposed to turn the wheel to get the car moving, but that was the last thing in Kate’s mind out there. The operator of the ride had to stop everyone multiple times to ask Kate to sit properly in her car and remind her to turn her wheel. Kate ended up trapping Peter at one point, or I should say that Peter’s car happened to get positioned next to Kate’s stationary car.

Kate in a Bumper Car

Kate in a Bumper Car

Audrey was excited to go on the Dinosaur Drop. This ride lifts you up in the air, rotates, then drops and leaves your stomach up in the air. Kate hated this ride! She wailed and wailed and made me look like the best parent in the world for making her go on the ride.

Scott and Kate Getting Ready to Drop

Scott and Kate Getting Ready to Drop

Jeana and Audrey Waiting for the Dinosaur Drop

Jeana and Audrey Waiting for the Dinosaur Drop

I went on this roller coaster with Audrey and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t designed for anyone older than the age of 10. I wedged myself in on a tight angle and tried to get the bottom side of my legs as close to the seat as possible.

Wedging into the Roller Coaster with Audrey

Wedging into the Roller Coaster with Audrey

Roller Coaster with Audrey

Roller Coaster with Audrey

Audrey came on the Rattlesnake Rapids ride with us and Jeana told her that if she felt scared to just scream like her aunt Gina. We approached a dark corridor and Audrey started screaming with a shrill high pitched sound and her face looked horrified. I had the hardest time not laughing.

Embracing Rattlesnake Rapids

Embracing Rattlesnake Rapids