First Day of School

Wednesday August 26th was Ellie and Maeli's first day of school here in Cheyenne. They are going to Davis Elementary. I have heard great things about the school and the teachers. Ellie's 4th grade teacher is Mrs. Wilkinson and Maeli's 2nd grade teacher is Mrs. Telander ( a recent teacher of the year). So far the girls are loving school. Ellie is very excited because all of the fourth graders are going to learn how to play the violin this year. I am excited about this too. Maeli's teacher seems to be a lot of fun, hopefully Maeli will find learning fun this year. So far she tells me recess is her favorite part of each day. We are a disappointed that there is not a bus for the girls to ride, but since I have to take them to school and pick them up each day Maren and Michael have enjoyed playing at the school playground. Each trip to the school we have been spending an extra 30 minutes or so swinging, climbing and sliding. I am very much enjoying spending time with Maren and Michael. They are so fun and they play so cute together. Maren is learning to count and recognize her numbers. Mikey thinks he is pretty big when he can count also. They are all growing up so fast I can hardly believe it.

We are enjoying our ward and getting to know people. Jeff has been working on his tennis skills with any one in the ward he can get to play with him. He is getting better and better. I am now 33 weeks. Only 7 more weeks until my due date. Not that I am counting or anything. Everything is great here in Cheyenne. It is starting to cool off pretty fast. The locals say that once school starts the temperatures start dropping. I think we have some new weather experiences ahead of us. We are hearing lots of crazy stories about the snow, wind, and fog that comes with winter. Not to mention being trapped in Cheyenne due to the interstate being closed in all directions. This is all just another adventure and we are ready to make the BEST of it.

Denver

Last friday we took a little trip to Denver with the kids. We were able to stay at a condo rented by our brother-in-law Kimball's company. It was great to take the kids and get to spend some time as a family. We all went night swimming at the pool when we got there friday evening. Saturday morning Jeff and I went to the temple. It was awesome to get to go to the temple again. It has been a long time for me. I have been missing it a ton. I had never been to the Denver temple so it is always fun to get to go to a new temple. Ellie babysat for us while we went to the temple. She did a fantastic job. She is getting to be so grown up and responsible. We are so proud of her. Maeli was also a great help to Ellie while we were gone to the temple. After the temple we took the kids to P.F. Changs ( my new favorite restaurant). Ellie and Maeli loved it too. The kids had fun trying to use chopsticks. Then we were off to the Denver Aquarium. The aquarium was amazing. We all loved it. Mikey was fascinated by all the fish but the Sharks were his favorites. When a shark would swim by him he would yell "SHARK, SHARK" and jump up and down. He also loved the tigers. One tiger came right up and licked the glass where Mikey's face was pressed against the glass. It was pretty exciting.

Cheyenne

We are finally getting settled here in Cheyenne. It has been a long summer with lots of road trips. I have finished working in Sun Valley and am happy to begin making Cheyenne our new home. School starts next week. I am a little sad. The summer has flown by and I feel as if I missed it. The kids are excited for school. Another new school doesn't intimidate them. They are so strong and resilient.

Jeff's new job is going well. He is working hard and doing a great job. It is so great to be together again as a family. I am so grateful for my family and the opportunity to live with them forever. I love them so much and cannot imagine life without them. We are so incredibly blessed