Hello, Summer

Well, I see that is has been since September that I've updated the ol' blog here. To say a lot has happened is an understatement. there has been so much change within the past few months that I am still reeling a bit from all of it.
In January, I started working at the BCCLC School in Blackfoot as a part time Daycare worker. I get to take Caius with me and hang out with sweet kids two to three times a week. It was a big adjustment for Caius and he didn't do well at all at first, but he got better and eventually settled into the routine. Atrion also got accepted into the first grade there and really flourished. I only work when the teachers work, so I am off for the summer! (More on that in a paragraph, or two). In February, we decided to use my extra income and move into a place in town so we could get used to standing on our own again. We ended up in an apartment right next to the charter school, so it's just a short jaunt to get Atrion to school and me and Caius to the daycare.

Caius with his daycare buddies, eating popcorn on the last day

Some cool things that Atrion accomplished at his school this semester:
~He got his first book order! I have a soft spot for book orders. I guess he was one of the only kids to order any books for two months in a row! I just can't resist. I spent a lot of time browsing through the catalog and he told me which books interested him the most.
~He had one of the highest scores on his tests. He was off the charts in reading and comprehension, and he did really well on his math. However, I asked that he get extra help with his math because I know at home he really struggles with the math homework. So he got put in the math class that has that extra bit of help and focus, which is perfect. His reading group gets to do more advanced books and it sounds like they read a lot of fun stuff. He really loves Flat Stanley and Fly guy now too. At home he is reading bigger chapter books. His favorite is Goosebumps books (just like me when I was young).
~He competed in a spelling bee and was top 5 in his class and top 3 in his grade. Then he got eliminated in the round against the school for capitalizing the word "donut". Which to me is a cheap shot, but I'm not the judge (for good reason because I am incredibly biased).
~Atrion made friends with a boy named Tucker in his class and a boy named Zaya, also in his class as well as next door neighbor. Zaya comes over almost everyday with his two sisters and wants to play with Atrion. It really helped him get settled here since he was missing his Grammy's house so much.
~The last week of school Atrion went on his first big field trip to the Idaho Falls zoo! I was worried about him all day but he had a blast. Then he had a special activity day at school where we had to make a car for him to "drive" to the "drive-in" movie. He had to turn in book reports for the ticket to the show as well as to buy his treats. He needed 6 reports to get all the treats and we did it just in time. He complained about it quite a bit, but he agreed that he needed to read harder books that were more his level (thus a lot longer in length) than the regular first grade level books, so it took him more time to complete it. He did awesome though. His reading skill is definitely a proud point for me. :) When we sat down to make his car we browsed Pinterest for awhile, but there was no competition once he saw a Batmobile. The only problem was that there weren't any "How-to's" on the Batmobile so I just winged it. I am super proud of how it turned out.

Atrion's Batmobile

School got out on the 26th, and on the 27th we drove to Twin Falls right after Cody's League of Legends game group got done. That Saturday, the 28th, Laura and I planned a combined birthday party for Caius and Carter. Since Caius said the only thing he wanted for his birthday was "dinosaurs and blue cake", Laura thought it would be fun if we did a party around the dinosaur theme. If you know anything about my sister Laura, it's that she is an incredible party planner and she goes above and beyond in order to make those days extra special. She has a unique talent to make things fun. I get a little bit of that from her, too, I think but my stuff tends to be more homemade games and decorations. She does the whole Shebang. She rented a huge bounce house that was definitely the hit of the party. We bought little dinosaurs, fossils, and other toys to hide in a tilled up garden box so the kids could dig up the toys and be "Paleontologists". I made a "Pin the horn on the Dinosaur" game and an "Asteroid Toss" game. They got some good prizes after each game. The decorations we dinosaurs, or course, and my mom provided that snacks that were themed that way as well. It was a ton of fun and I am so glad to everyone that helped out.

Caius with his dino prize and uneaten hotdog

Caius was so excited when he opened his presents. He is so spoiled! This picture doesn't portray his true feelings, but we spend a lot of time with this "Bug Catcher" puzzle. It's perfect. Thanks Laura!!

We decided to head home on Sunday because the cold I got on Thursday started to take a turn for the worst and ended up being a sinus infection, that I STILL have. It's terrible, but I am getting better. On the drive home Atrion lost his 2nd tooth on the top, the first one he lost a few days earlier. He has teh cutest little lisp now. It's so endearing. I just love him. 

He let me yank his tooth out and was so happy to get another tooth fairy visit

It's been over a week now since summer vacation began! I am so excited and so loving spending all this time with Cody. We have so many goals, but our first one is to eat healthier and lose some unhealthy weight we started to accumulate over the winter/fall. I cannot do that without his support so I am super happy we are doing it together, with the help of the Diet Doc in Twin Falls. (Thanks Vanessa!) I also plan to exercise more and write more, including blogging. That is if I can stay away from League of Legends long enough.....