September in a nutshell

 Well September is flying by.  I literally can not keep up. I have been trying to get the house in order and finish unpacking all while coaching cross country and teaching piano.  It has been a very full month.  October looks to be the same.  This is why I love this time of year.  We have so much to do and no time to cry about our problems, but I also have small break downs because I am stretched beyond my capacity sometimes.  Finding balance in life can be so difficult. 

Nolen wanted to go back to horse riding lessons! I am so glad!  He is much more confident when he is on a horse. 

Edward and I have been mountain biking together every Thursday.  It has been such a challenge for me.  I am trying to get my confidence up and I am learning so much.  I can only imagine how this is helping Edward with his confidence. 

Nolen celebrated his friends birthday by heading up to Santa Fe and watching the Zozobra burn.  He had a blast!! They got to stay up late and eat all the candy they wanted. 

We are deep into cross country season and I am trying to capture as many moments as I can while Nolen is working hard at running faster. 

Nolen is stretching every night so that his muscles will not hurt so much after every run.  He has also joined the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Orchestra this year.  So far, he loves it. 

Edward went to his first mountain bike race with my parents in Flagstaff, Arizona.  He got to spend the weekend with his cousin and he actually enjoyed the race. 

I took the boys to the state fair this year.  It wasn't fun.  I had forgotten to check when the rides open, so we didn't get to ride any rides.  What a bummer. 

As much as Edward complains, he is getting much better at playing the piano.  It is a treat to hear him play every single day. 

We had our first race of the season.  It was tough!  The John Roberts Dam race is always a tough race for the kids.  It is generally longer than their other races and it is through sand and has some hard hills to conquer.  Nolen ran his heart out and beat some of his faster team mates!!

 

Birthday for the best Dad!

 We celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday on Saturday.  He just wanted his truck cleaned out for his birthday present.  Well that was too easy for us.  We pulled his truck up to the garage and shampooed the carpets and cleaned every nook and crannie.  The boys worked hard to get all the stains out of the carpets.  We took my dad out to eat at a Garcia's a Mexican food restaurant near our home.  He loves going out to eat and I haven't allowed my parents to eat out much since they moved here two and a half years ago.  Then Stephen baked a German chocolate cake, so we came home and played games while eating cake.  I sure do love and appreciate my dad.  He does so much for me.  

Happy Birthday, dad!  

I thought I had more Time

 I have often thought that time was infinite.  That I had more time than I could ever use.  Such an untrue thought.  Our time is short.  Time is funny.  It moves fast and slow all at the the same time.  Today, I try to capture time in photos. 

Craig and Blair came for a weekend visit.  We took a little hike down to the river near my house and played some games.  Oh how I wish they would live close to us.  I love spending time with them. 

The boys and I took our last trip of the summer to the wibit in Santa Rosa, NM.  We had a fun morning and stayed just long enough to laugh with friends then headed back just after lunch. 

 Our first week of home school was a success.  We had friends over and went right out to the river to swim and get muddy.  A perfect way to spend a day.

Edward has started mountain bike club with the Goatheads team here in Albuquerque.  It is so fun!  I have started ridding with them on Thursday's and have learned a lot already.  I do not have a lot of confidence in my riding. 

Nolen has started cross country with Cougar Track Club again.  This is our fifth cross country season.  I am really hoping to see Nolen grow as an athlete and find some new friends to connect with while running. 

After a lot of searching, I found the perfect cabinets to put in our living room!  We ordered them from Lowes for nearly half the price of many other places.  The cabinets came two weeks later and we got to work, putting them in and adding a wood countertop.  I think they turned out better than I could have imagined.  I still have two things left to do in order to finish the project, but I am so happy with how they turned out.  They are 12 inches deep and 42 inches high.  I decided to put them wall to wall in order to maximize the unused space in the house.  

I am so grateful my dad and Stephen were willing to help out and get this project out of the boxes and on to the walls. 

The First Day of School!

 That's right world, it's the first day of school for us!

We took three full months off from school.  We needed a huge break.  We were burnt out and tired of struggling through math.  So, I am trying online math for my kids.  Maybe they can learn easily from an online tutor.  We are still doing The Good and the Beautiful language arts curriculum.  

Nolen is starting 5th grade and Edward is starting 7th grade.  

Here's to an amazing year at home.