All in theName of Education.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012.  brought a monumental moment for me.  This is the day that I had five kids enrolled in five different schools.  This is kind of like an eclipse because it is the only year it will happen for a long time, if it ever happens again at all.   Austin is enrolled at Dixie College (for next semester, but I count it because I'm doing a lot of "setting up" for him), Mady started high school as a sophomore in a brand newly built Hurricane High, Cody started middle school in the 8th grade, Dalyon started Intermediate School in the 6th grade, and Cami moved up into the fourth grade at Three Falls Elementary.  I figured I have 26 teachers to visit with and keep track of this year.  Each school starts at a different time and ends staggered as well.  Our days will begin with prayers and scriptures at 7am.  Then Dalyon meets his bus at 7:18 (school starts for him at 7:40 am), then Mady and Cody leave on their bus at 7:45am.  They ride the same bus that delivers them to the different schools.  They both start at 8:10, then I take Cami to school at the elementary school at 8:45, school starts at 9.  The kids will stagger home the same way beginning at 2pm.  I "enjoyed" four different Back To School Nights this year, visiting with every teacher and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all.  The kids were excited to head back to school and have had a great couple of weeks. 

Dalyon in his first hour class, Mrs. Esplins for Reading.  He is excited to be in the 6th grade, but has had a tough time getting used to the moving from class to class and organizing himself with the 7 different teachers.  6th grade is usually a difficult grade to get used to.   He also is not a fan of getting up early in the morning to make the bus by 7:18.  He is very much a night person and I'm sure will get better at it as we go. 

Mady and Cody:

Eating quickly because they took too much time getting ready.  They even
match, not admittedly though (or planned). 

Mady is telling me not to embarrass her in front of the bus stop kids. 
"No more pictures Mom!!" 

They are too big for pictures they say, so I snuck a few as they are getting ready to load the bus.  They will love me later!   This is going to be a busy year for Mady.  She is a member of the Hurricane FFA and is on the Sophomore Volleyball team.  She loves it all and is having a lot of fun!  Cody decided to take a break from football this year and is thinking about trying bull-riding instead.  (Yes, BULL RIDING).  I hope he will play football again next year when he is a freshman. He surprised me and is in two music classes this year.  He is playing his violin in the orchestra, as well as taking a full year of guitar.  It will be good for him.

Cami is ready for the fourth grade.  She is in Mr. Porters class and is really excited.  We have been working all summer on some things to help her learn.  Mrs. Sage Webb, a third grade teacher at Three Falls Elementary,  has been working with her twice a week all summer because Cami tested moderate to severe for dyslexia, which explained completely why she was struggling so much in the previous years.  All of a sudden the world has opened up to her and she is progressing again with the tools Mrs. Webb has given her.  She is really excited to start school and the first spelling test she got 19 out of 20!  We are so proud of her!!  It is going to be a great year!! 

I had hoped that with the kids going back to school I would have more time to do a few things I haven't been able to get to with them home, like blogging or quilting, or maybe just catching up on the housework.  However, I have not been able to get to those things because of my added work schedule.  I have been filling in for our other hygienist, Nicole, at work while she took some time off.  Working four days a week has been great for my pocketbook, and I'm looking forward to going back to two days soon.  I'm grateful for the extra money, because the kids all have needed a little something extra this year and I'm feeling blessed to have the work and the money to pay for all of the added fee's their activities require.  Heavenly Father is sure mindful of our situations and I'm so grateful!! 

I had Austin send me some pictures of what he is learning working on the farm.  He has decided to work through harvest to earn money for his mission as well as get the experience only harvest brings.  He has been driving semi-trucks hauling hay on a 48 ft. trailer, driving grain trucks, doing diesel mechanics, driving tractors plowing fields, baling hay, driving and fixing swathers, fixing and digging out pivot sprinkler systems, learning about the new farming technology and GPS fertilizing systems, and a TON of other stuff.  I think he is getting a better education that he would in the classroom, that is for certain! I'm thankful for Wes and Andrew Beutler (Dougs' cousins) who are keeping Austin busy and teaching him so many things. 

They bale one ton bales that require a backhoe to lift onto the truck.  Austin uses the backhoe to
position the bales so the drivers can load their own trucks.  Recently he started doing it all, positioning
the bales, loading the trucks, and delivering the loads. 

This is a grain truck they use to deliver the harvested grain to the Grain Growers
to sale to the market.  Austin drives this and also runs the tractor that pulls the
grain wagon from the field to the trucks.

This is a truck he has loaded with hay and ready to be delivered. 

This is a daily occurrence.  The pivot gets stuck and can't continue to move so it floods the field.  They have to fill sandbags and place them in the rut to bring the wheel up out of the mud enough to get it to move.  It is quite a task, and Austin says they are having to do it on one pivot nearly every day.  He has been working long hours, especially during the harvest times, sometimes 17 hour days, and he loves every minute of it.  We are glad because he is getting good experience and making some money for his mission.