Fall is in full swing

The kids enjoying some play time with a box - it takes so little to amuse them eh?L to R: Greg, Sadie, Cody, Jackson
"Sprout"

So, it has been three weeks since my last post and it seems like a lot longer. So much has been going on that I don't know how I could possibly tell it all. We have gotten into the swing of school, and me being gone all day. We spent two weekends in Blackfoot attending the Eastern Idaho State Fair, including going to the demolition derby. (Cody wanted to know what a redneck was, so we went to that so he could see some for himself) ;) This past week and a half we have had kids sick, then Brett came down with it too. I was so happy that I hadn't gotten sick because I can't miss school (seriously, if I miss more than one day they can kick me out of the program), but it finally hit me yesterday while we were up cutting firewood. So I got to have a stomach flu in the forest (not fun) and Brett got to haul wood by himself. I am grateful that it hit me on the weekend though.

It seems like everything that could happen, has happened, since school started. The fuel pump went out on our Suburban, our dryer died, sick family etc. etc. So we fixed the car and finally after three weeks without a dryer, we bought a new one. So the kids took the box out on the front lawn and had a blast. I had to take some pics. The photo of the dog is another one of those things I was talking about. We got notified, this past week, that one of the people that we had sold a puppy to last fall had surrendered it to the animal shelter in Idaho Falls. Since she is papered they contacted us to let us know that we could come and get her if we wanted her. Well, we really don't want another dog, so we contacted another person that we had sold a puppy to, and he wants her, but he lives across the state and is still trying to figure out how to get her. So Brett picked her up on Friday and we temporarily have two dogs. She is really lovable and hasn't been aggressive at all. We called her Sprout before we sold her, so we are calling her that again. Hopefully we won't need to have her here too long because she is all ready getting attached to our family.
As far as school is concerned, I am loving it. Don't get me wrong, it is probably one of the hardest things that I have ever attempted, but it is also really gratifying. It is so nice to sit in class after class and learn things that directly apply to what I want to do. It is also really interesting to note that it is coming really easy for me. I am remembering things without effort and I haven't had to study nearly as much as I expected. I got elected the Dental Hygiene Jr. class president, so that will look good on resumes and scholarship applications. I love the people in my class and I think the next two years are going to fly by. Now, being away from the family like I am is a challenge. Everyday I get up at 5am, leave by 6am (before anyone else is awake) and then am gone for 13 hours almost every day M-T. Fridays I get home earlier so I have made a habit on Fridays of crashing for a 30 minute power nap until the boys get home from school at 3:30. The kids think it is cool to have me working on homework at the same time they are.

So far, this fall has been really crazy, but I know that if we stay strong as a family and stay close to the Lord that all will work out. I wouldn't be able to do this without Brett and the kids taking over so much around our house, I am really thankful for them - Oh, by the way, today is Brett's and my anniversary. 13 years!!! Pitifully enough though, we have been so busy we both totally forgot about it until this morning. I guess that says something about our relationship, we are comfortable enough with each other to say, "Happy Anniversary honey, I totally forgot until just now!" And that is a good thing, of course I will try not to forget any other important days like kids birthdays or Christmas. I would definitely be in trouble then. Hope all is great for all of you. Keep in touch.