Summer is Here!

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YAY! It's summer! We've been busy ;)

My last night of classes was June 17th and I am SO happy they are done. I've been in school since September and I am totally burned out. I earned 18 credits and moved up one level on the payscale which is good, but I'm having a hard time thinking about doing it again. It would be nice to max my salary, but it took a toll on everyone having to be gone twice a week for that long.

I've been busy cleaning and cleaning and cleaning! I also have a few minor repairs to do and a long list of "to-do's" and summer is already looking too short!!

My friend Jennifer moved to Las Vegas last month and we finally got together. It's been about 15 years since we saw each other last and it was great to hang out. We took the kids to the children's library and then McDonalds on the way to the Dinosaur Park and we just had an awesome day.

We also too our first camping adventure with the kids! WHEW! Taking young children camping is quite the undertaking. I remember when camping was a tent, a sleeping bag, and some chips! HA! Now I needed diapers, wipes, bug repellent, sunscreen, medicines (in case anyone got sick), a first aid kit, lots of extra clothes, and so much more. Even the dog got in on the act so I needed bowls, dog food, her leash...well you get the idea. My goodness it's a good thing we have that huge van!

We wanted to camp on Mt. Charleston, but it was too windy so after we spent the afternoon up there we came home, made a new plan and left the next morning for Bryce Canyon and Navajo Lake in Utah. It was BEAUTIFUL and made me more than a little homesick. The trees! The green! The water! We really had fun and only had a few snags. Will was fussy since this was his first night away from home. The new sounds and smells, and the breeze flapping the tent were all a little too much I think. It was FREEZING cold at night, but we came prepared. Will had a very hard time settling in and Jack whined a little, but we got through the night. Of course, Dan and I didn't sleep a wink since we were worried about turning our children into popcicles :(

The morning was wonderful and Dan took a stroll to the water and tried to catch some fish. He says they were all over the place, but he had the wrong lures in his tackle box so he didn't catch anything. Jack gulped down my famous camp eggs and hashbrowns, but later he tossed his cookies all over himself in the back of the van. EW! He told me his tummy hurt, and honestly, the night before I was feeling a little sick too. We think it was the McDonalds lunch on the drive up. Poor Jack...it was really nasty!

Anyway, we got home safely and with no other mishaps. We smelled like campfire smoke, had dirt smudges everywhere, and battled a leaking cooler but it was worth it :)

Gotta run!
Love, Christine

Trip to the Park!

It was beautiful here this moring so I decided to take the kids to the park. Dan was working, so it was up to me to make they had fun! Jackson has been working on his behavior and filled his chart with lots of stickers so he earned the trip. They both seems to have a great time and here are a few pictures of them having fun.

We also went to the Shark Reef the weekend of Will's birthday so there are a few pictures from that too :)