My Kids are the Bomb!

It's time for school awards again. This quarter Cayben was awarded 4 awards. He got the A/B Honor Roll + Citizenship Award, the Learning Leopard Award (this was given to very few kids and is an award given to kids with the most academic improvement), and two more awards for having an improvement of 10 or more points on the MAP testing for both math and ELA. Cayben has been working really hard in school and it's paying off. Each time his name was called, he would look back at me with a giant smile on his face and a thumbs up! Way to go, Cayben!

Cayben & His Teacher, Ms. Johnson (by the mic) 

I'm super proud of Embrie's accomplishments too. She is learning so much and working so hard. Kindergarten gave out far less awards, but Embrie didn't miss out this time. She was awarded Student of the Month for Self-Discipline. This award is given to just one student per class. Yay, Em!

Embrie & Her Teacher, Ms. Botto

Little Solee is rocking at being a fun-loving toddler and enjoying her time at home with me. We do 15 to 20 minutes of preschool most days because she wants to do school too. She looks forward to going to "big school," and has already told us that she wants a Lalaloopsy lunch box when she goes.

I'm super proud of my kids. They are driven to do their best. I know they will do great things with their lives.

Here's to the 3rd quarter of school, to much learning, and to much improvement.

Oh, and to not leave Shay out on the school update, he finished his first semester of his Nurse Practitioner program with straight A's! Whoo-hoo to my lover!

Cubanapolis

Pack meeting was fun this week! The scouts made cars from boxes and raced them around the church gym. To spice things up a little, we had pit stops after each lap.

Headlight is on and he's ready to race!

On your mark. Get set. GO!

First Pit Stop: Wash the windshield

Second Pit Stop: Change the tires. We had to remove shoes and socks, turn socks inside-out, and replace socks and shoes. Ugh! Why high-tops today?

After the third lap, the scouts stopped for the final pit stop--refueling (drinking water).

Cayben brought the food truck, but didn't actually have any food to serve. It's a good thing the leaders did!

Stop lights are made by yours truly!

A Perfect Monday

It's the last week of Winter Break for our kids. El Nino has treated us well this winter and has given us plenty of pretty white snow to play in, so playing in it we did!

Shay and I started our Monday with an hour long workout sess. (It's the new year. You know...we've got resolutions and stuff.) The kids slept in one final Monday morning.

We brunched at a favorite place, My Favorite Muffin. We used to go there often when the kids were homeschooled because their Monday lunch special is the bomb and muffins are only $1 on Mondays!

Next up was skiing at Mt. Rose. This was by far the best ski day we've ever had with our kiddos. The kids are getting pretty comfortable on skis. I was even able to snow board instead of ski because they don't require my help as much. All of my kids took plenty of runs, but I didn't think Embrie was ever going to stop skiing. She's a skiing fanatic! Eventually the mountain closed, so we had to go on our merry way.

We can't keep this kid from putting snow in her mouth!

We refueled with a lunch/dinner Shay packed for us, and then headed to a nearby mountain to sled. Sledding was a blast, but the setting sun and our grumpy baby let us know it was time to go home and end our perfect day!

Embrie

Shay, Solee, & Cayben

Solee, Cayben, & Shay

Me & Shay

Until next time!

Good Bye 2015

Our final picture of 2015

"It's New Year's Eve, so golden butt-cheeks!" Don't ask. Okay, do.

This little jingle pops into my head every time the words, "New Year's Eve," are spoken. It all started New Year's Eve 2014 when Cayben came into my bedroom bright and early sporting some golden butt-cheeks made by Embrie. This is what commenced:

Anywho, onto our more normal selves. Last night we went to our friends, the Crane's house for some New Year's Eve partying. We ate delicious food and played my favorite game, Scattergories. I'm not sure why I love this game. I'm terrible at it, but it was fun!

We came home kind of early because Shay had to work New Year's morning. Cayben and I stayed up until midnight just to say we did.

Overall 2015 was a good year. 

• My biggest accomplishment was losing 29 pounds! It took a ton of work. It required me working out an hour or more six to seven days per week and weighing and tracking all of my food. I had to eat 800 to 1000 calories per day to see progress, but it was so worth it. My body feels amazing when I fuel it with healthy food and I exercise! It felt good to achieve such a big goal, that has been a goal of mine for many years. I've put on six pounds over the holidays, but I'm feeling optimistic that I can lose it and more weight in 2016. I am starting this year 23 pounds lighter than I started last year. I've got this!

• We bought a house in January 2015 that we absolutely love! I guess that means we love Reno too!

• Cayben chose to be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized March 7 by his dad in Idaho surrounded by family that loves him dearly. 

• Shay and I got two new nieces to add to the count! Maelie Alice Busenbark was born on May 19 and Ellyana Capri Clark was born May 27.

• We got to do a lot of traveling in 2015 as well. We had five trips to Pocatello, Idaho (two of these were for funerals, so bitter-sweet). We got to go to Lompoc, California for two weeks. The kids and I visited the Busenbarks in Rock Springs, Wyoming for a week. We had a Harper family reunion at Cherry Hill Park in Kaysville, Utah followed by a Bullock family reunion at Bear Lake in Utah. We also had a little mini-vacation in South Lake Tahoe.

• 2015 did come with some hardships. Grandpa Roesler passed away March 24. Grandma Bullock passed away May 9. We miss them incredibly and think of them often.

I feel blessed with this life of mine. Every year so far has been good to me. Let's see what 2016 brings!