Fall = Football & Pumpkin

The temps over here in Wyoming already feel like fall temps in the South. I've been able to pull out my sweaters and boots...Yay! Well for a couple days at a time and then switch back to shorts and flip flops for a couple days... (I thought that crazy kind of weather was unique to South Georgia, but nope).

We are quite busy these days with Matthew's Football Schedule. He is practicing two days a week and has games two days a week. So the little boys and I are spending a lot of time at the park (right next to the practice field). 

Brayden has come up with a game he plays with Trenton..... He named it "Tickle Tackle"....Is that not the cutest thing. Can't wait to remind him of it when he is older. :)

Matthew's Team the Broncos have played 2 games so far, both which they lost. 48-0 game one and 24-0 game two... But Matthew is really improving. He actually threw a couple of guys to the ground (which is quite shocking for him). He is loving football, and we are loving watching him play. Best part, Matt has been able to be at every game and every practice. 

We are spending the weekends watching College Football and NFL, I love football season.

Last weekend we drove to Casper to do some shopping. The boys found these cute aviators at the Gap Outlet on sale for $2... Love a good deal, and they are so cute in them. 

And because it is Fall (well almost) that means pumpkin everything. My boys (all 4) aren't big fans, so I keep trying to sneak it in... with not much success....

I tried this Crockpot Pumpin Oatmeal recipe. None of them liked it. I thought it was okay, but I have yet to find a crockpot oatmeal recipe that doesn't get amazingly hard in the bottom and a pain to clean. 

I also made this Pumpkin French Toast Bake recipe. Everyone ate this one without complaining. I cut it in half, and it turned out great.

I have been eyeballing this Pumpkin Brownies recipe....but I'm really trying to cut down on the sugar I am eating, and I have bad self control... so I haven't made it yet, but I'm sure I will before the season is over. 

So we have been busy. Next week Brayden starts flag and Matthew is jumping back into cub scouts....stay tuned.

Utah Jazz's Ian Clark

Ian Clark a player for the Utah Jazz (Basketball team) came to town to talk with the kiddos and do a small skills camp. My kiddos were super excited, despite us never really paying attention to basketball.  He came and spoke to the kids about the importance of school and working hard.  We love all the back up we can get! They did a small skills camp with the kids and gave out shirts and autographs. Such a fun day!

They numbered off the kids for teams, somehow my two ended up on the same team. They played a few competitive games where the losers had to do pushups... They won once, and I am sure enjoyed the break from pushups.

To homeschool or not to homeschool....

Let me start by saying, I have never had a problem with the education my kids were getting in public, regular school. We choose to homeschool this year out of convenience for our family's new changes. If you would of asked me a year or two ago if I was going to homeschool, I would of probably had some kind of response that equaled.... ummm NO! My kids have had amazing teachers and have done pretty great in school.

last year 2013-2014  K & 4th 

So with traveling and moving frequently it made sense for us to homeschool, and therefore not pull the boys in and out of schools frequently. We started a several weeks ago, and I was prepared for it to be a challenge. Going into this I was thinking Trenton (the 2 year old) would be my biggest challenge. He is one of those into everything, kind of kids. So trying to teach them and keep up with him, without him causing constant distraction, all while in a 38 foot camper would be a challenge. My plan for combatting this would be one- utilizing nap time, and second- doing school at parks and other places outside. Nap time school has worked well for Brayden. He is able to get his school work done quickly and pretty much finish in that amount of time. For Matthew, he requires more time and help with 5th grade work that we are unable to get it done during nap time. As for the park,  have a mentioned Wyoming is WINDY. When I say windy I don't mean a breeze blowing by, I mean like wind throwing your stuff across the yard, or blowing out your propane grill multiple times, while you are trying to cook dinner. (more on that later-sore subject). So the park isn't really an option.  I have also been warned it often snows here in September... yes, September, which is in like a month...AHHHHH. So the thought of not being able to go to the park or get out and about (which we do daily) is kind of terrifying me.  So with the prospect of Matt being able to be here for an extended time and much discussion, we have decided to go ahead and enroll the boys in school here. I am def not giving up on homeschool all together. If our journey leads us to leaving here sooner than expected we will jump right in. But, I would hate to get into the dead of winter here, be stir crazy and then decide to enroll them. The thought of enrolling them in the middle of the year sounds pretty sucky, and I think would put them at a disadvantage.

For the record- homeschooling is tough stuff. It is not easy to be the teacher all day and not be able to be fun mom, doing fun stuff. So I def tip my hat (if I wore one), or applaud the moms and dads out there that do it.

Carbon County Fair

I don't think we have ever been to a legit fair. This little town we are in has their own. The Carbon County Fair and Rodeo was going on all week.

The boys got to pet and see up close a bunch of different animals. My pics are blurry I think because they were moving so fast.

We went back one night for the Rodeo, which was so much fun. The boys and I had never been to one before so it was quite the experience. 

After seeing the Rodeo and "real cowboys" the boys have really gotten into this "Wyoming style". They insisted on getting boots. When returning one day for "kids day" they jumped out of the van and started rubbing dirt and rocks all over their clothes.... When asked why, "because that is how the cowboys looked, all dirty!" boys......

Later in the week we went back for the demolition derby. Again we enjoyed it, although not sure if it was the time of day or what, but Trenton sitting still was quite the challenge.

The boys were beyond thrilled to take some pics together as we left.