An Afternoon at Silver Lake

A few weeks ago, while scrolling instagram, I saw some posts from Silver Lake, a beautiful spot up in the mountains that was putting on quite the autumnal show. Mr. Boss and I had been up the month before, on an anniversary date, and there were a few signs that fall was coming then, but the pictures I was seeing on ig showed that it had changed a lot. I wanted to see it for myself.

I wasn't sure when I could get up there, but I was feeling desperate. One morning, I shared my feelings with Mr. Boss, and he suggested I go that very day, as soon as the kindergartener was home. So that's what I did! I spent the morning getting myself and the youngest two ready and packing up lunch, so that we could leave as soon as S was off the bus. 

The drive up the canyon was distracting, there was so much color. I wanted to stop so many times, but kept on going until we reached our goal. We had lunch as soon as we arrived, and then started our walk around the lake. I was in heaven, and the kids had a blast, too, climbing on rocks and seeing ducks and fish in the lake. 

We also ended up taking a little detour up one of the more difficult hikes that branches off from the path around the lake. I wanted to show the boys where their dad and I had seen a deer when we were up the month before. We didn't quite make it to where Boss and I had seen the deer, but that was fine because we got to see our own deer! It was pretty awesome. After that, we headed back down to the lakeside path and finished our walk. 

By the end, the kids were done. They had been amazing, walking so much and sitting themselves down from time to time for me to take their picture. Even when their behavior started to deteriorate, I understood and didn't really mind, because of how excellent the general experience had been. 

Now for the pictures:

We got so many comments on her candy corn hat,
which I definitely appreciated!

I shared this one on instagram.
I think it looks like an album cover.
And it's definitely one of my current favorite photos.

The end.

Back to School Feast

Now that school has been in for a month and a half, I want to share about the back to school feast we had this year.

This is an idea I've toyed with for a while that we'd never actually done, but I really wanted to do it this year. Planning was very last minute and I wasn't really sure if I would actually attempt it or not, pretty much until the day before, but I was able to pull together a fun night, and I feel pretty proud of that.

One of the things that I really got stuck on in the planning process was coming up with a theme. I wanted something that would be applicable to our whole family, not just the ones going back to school. (Specifically, something that would be applicable to me with this pregnancy and the upcoming birth that I'm still pretty nervous about most days.)

I had all sorts of ideas, but I started to think that I needed to pull our theme from April's General Conference addresses. I don't know if this is the same for everyone else in the Church, but I feel like there's one particular quote from President Nelson (from this talk) that keeps coming to my attention, in lessons, meetings, and personal study. He said, "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." It felt so right. 

I think the theme was one of the things that held me up the most, like I couldn't do the whole feast without it, so having that chosen made going forward with the rest of the planning went a bit easier after that.

I set our table with a brown packing paper covering, a vase of sunflowers in the center, and two jars full of #2 pencils on either side of the flowers. I also wrote out a few scriptures to go with our theme that we could read and discuss during dinner. And I wrote our theme quote on a full sheet of cardstock with fancy lettering to display at dinner as well as to hang in our home for the year to come.

Because pancakes are kind of the center of basically all of our celebrations, it only felt right to do breakfast for dinner, featuring delicious apple pancakes + syrup. We also had a potato + egg scramble, a rainbow fruit plate, and orange juice. It was all so tasty!

We ate and talked about the year ahead, our theme, and how we can invite the influences of the Spirit as mentioned in the quote. After everyone ate, the pencils came out of the jars and nearly everyone was doodling on our paper table top. As the evening came to a close, the kids were given their backpacks. (Normally I let them pick out their own, but due to some less than awesome circumstances, I did this year's backpack shopping solo.) Inside their packs they found a few pencils, a folder, and a notebook that I had written our theme into the cover of, as well as some ideas of how to invite the influences of the Spirit and a little message from me. 

As with most of our parties and celebrations, there was a lot I wanted to do - specifically decor-wise - that I just couldn't accomplish with our limited budget and my last minute preparations. Things like balloons and twinkly lights and all manner of beautiful ideas from Pinterest. And you can only make it look so nice with mis-matched, dingy old folding and camp chairs. Ha. But, even though it didn't look exactly how I wanted, it was still a lovely evening. I'm really hoping to make this an annual tradition.

First Day of Kindergarten

After a week of kindergarten, I think S and I are in agreement that half-day kinder is a huge tease, and we both wish he could be in school all day. Unfortunately, that's not an option, so we're trying to make the best of it.

These photos from his first day, though, they make me so happy. ❤️

First Day of School

We made it! Summer break has ended and school is back in session. Hallelujah!

And it's not just mom whose excited. The kids were up and dressed before I'd even gotten out of bed. There was time for me to do E's hair in pigtail braids, take lots of photos, and have family prayer.

Of course, not everyone started today, although he's in the group photo, our new little kindergartener won't actually start until Thursday. He can hardly wait!

I wasn't able to get a group shot with all 6 babes, like in years previous, because the two youngest slept until quite a while after the older kiddies had gone. Which, yeah, I'm definitely praying that that continues, can you imagine the quiet, peaceful mornings with kids either gone or sleeping? I could do anything with that time! It's gonna be magical.

back to school.

5th grade, 3rd grade, 2nd grade

Monday, August 21st was the big day, ready or not. Not for me, I was feeling pretty frazzled and unprepared. Even though I knew it was coming, it felt like the first day totally snuck up on me. Our final weekend before school started was pretty busy as I scrambled to make sure we knew where classrooms were, that backpacks were ready, that there were clean clothes to wear and outfits picked out. But we made it! Phew!

The bosslings were a mix of nerves and excitement to start at their new school. They definitely miss their school, teachers, and friends back in Flagstaff, but they were also excited to have a chance to make some new friends.

C is in 5th grade now. Which is weird. But a little less weird since it's not his last year in elementary like it would be in Flag. He's enjoying his new school, but he also really misses his old school.

E is in 3rd grade. She insisted on doing her own hair for the first day, a low ponytail. Where did my baby go? She's already made some friends and is enjoying the different ways her new school does things, like breakfast and lunch. #itsthelittlethings

Z is in 2nd grade. It's crazy that this sweet boy is already in 2nd. I have several vivid memories from 2nd grade, and it is totally blowing my mind that my third child is in 2nd!!

S has started and online, at-home pre-k course. He is loving it so far and has already learned so much in the week and a half he's been doing it.

N thinks that he does computer school, like his big brother. He doesn't, but he'll get to next year.

Quick throw-back:

Here are the bossling's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd first days of school. These five babies of mine have grown so much! Little N was barely a year old in the first pic, now he's a wild and rowdy 3-year-old chatterbox!

Once baby H woke up, we were able to get a first-day shot with all six!

Walking to the bus stop and waiting for it to arrive. Can I just say that I am so happy that the kids will still be riding a bus to school! Hooray for avoiding the dreaded school pick-up line!

Poor N, he was so upset when the bus pulled away without him on it. The shot of the bus driving away around the corner was taken at such a low angle because I shot it while I was squatting down to give him a hug. 😔💔

After that, we hurried home, loaded the little 3 in the van and drove to meet the kiddos at school. We've done this every year that they've been in school and maybe it's cheesy, but I love it. Plus, it gives me peace of mind to make sure they get where they need to be.

They got to play for a bit, and I talked them into one more group photo against a wall of the school before the bell rang. 

The teachers come out to the playgrounds to collect the children to take to class. We got C and Z to their teachers, but E's had already gone inside, so I walked her and another girl from her class to their room. And that was that. Summer's over. 

I guess I'll take my Ninja (that's what he calls himself when he wears that headband. So cute.), Spiderman, and little lady home. I just don't know what we'll do with ourselves now.