Huge News!

All we did was ask for a placement math test to see if we could move Deirdre into Pre-Algebra. Well, we got that and more! Based on her Algebra I test score of 76%, her CORE test scores from last spring, and her IOWA test scores, the school recommended we move D into seventh grade. After much deliberation, we did just that on Thursday, August 28. She spent seven days in sixth grade!

So far, it is working. Based on her ability to finish a Pre-Algebra assignment during class that the rest of the students had been working on for two days, we are pretty confident we made the correct decision. She did the entire assignment in her head too, to the amazement of her classmates. She isn't too happy that she has to show her work in math, but hopefully math will get harder and she will have to show her work.

Soccer begins on Tuesday. We are all quite pleased with her coach. Last year was such a disaster. In Scouts we are trying to finish a bunch of badges, a Bronze project, and bridging requirements before September 30.

Every Saturday in September is devoted to Scouts. After Labor Day weekend, the next Saturday I have that currently isn't full is in October! And, I know that I will be packing D for CIMI on the first Saturday of October. We will have spent the night in SLC on the following Friday to pick her up from CIMI, so that Saturday is shot too. Looks like UEA weekend is currently open—six week from now. :)

We Did It!

Today is our 20th anniversary. We did absolutely nothing!!!! School has started and as usual it's the end of the month.

I remember when we lived in Chicago and raided the laundry jars for money to buy food at the end of August. With Jeff not getting paid from June until the end of September, money was extremely tight. At least now we have credit cards to help us when money is tight. Of course that's probably why money is tight today (as in the present).

We spent our anniversary making decisions about D's future (see above). At least it was family oriented.

I do have sad thoughts about Jane and Rich. This would have been 30 years for them last June. I always thought families were supposed to increase in size, not decrease.

Rich's birthday would be in a week or so—Sept. 5 and Jane's on Sept. 23. I really hate the month of September. Birthdays and death anniversaries abound. On the bright side, my parents will be celebrating 44 years of marriage on Sept. 19. My mother-in-law's birthday and brother-in-law's birthdays are also in September, the 26 and 30 respectively. Hard to believe that Jordan will be 19!

Well here's to hoping for twenty more years.

Gooseberry

We are back from our Gooseberry/Fishlake troop camping experience. We left Monday, Aug. 4 and returned on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The girls and I had fun and now they can bridge up to Cadettes. The other girls will move up too, but they won't have earned the bridging award. The girls rotated through several activities on Monday and Tuesday. I helped with the "Flower Pounding" class where they dyed fabric from pounding on fabric with flower petals taped on. They turned out for the most part much better than anyone can imagine. Sami's was the best and I am horribly jealous :). It rained off and on all of Tuesday, but when it was time for the skits and campfire the rain started coming down heavily so everything was moved to the barn.

This is on our last day outside the cabin the girls slept in. It was a messhall originally when the Forest Rangers lived at Gooseberry during the 20's to 50's.

With Samantha watching, Malynn, Sarah, and Deirdre teach the "Elephant Song" on Tuesday evening in the barn. All three girls had been to Camp Cloud Rim in July and learned it there.

This is the whole group on before everyone left on Wednesday. Deirdre is in the back third from the left; Samantha is in the middle; and Sarah is on the right side with the bright blue jacket.