We're still here

I know it's been awhile, but life is like that sometimes. I'll try to recap the last 2 weeks.
The first week of school was great. The kids rode bike to school...I only followed them across the highway, and then they were on their own. They think they don't need me anymore. Brooklyn started basketball. I'm not sure what we've gotten into with this basketball thing. I was thinking 5th grade basketball wouldn't be such a big deal, but she has practice for 1.5 hours after school everyday. Last week she came home with a game schedule and it's crazy! A lot of times there are 2 games a week and 1/2 of them are away. Away in North Dakota means a lot of driving. We're also finding that 5th grade school work is much more intense than 4th grade school work. They have officially graduated from a lot of work sheets, to everything being done out of the book. So, poor kid, she gets home from basketball at 4:30 or 5:00, eats and does homework till 8:00. She's completely pooped. Not to mention that her back pack weighs about 100 pounds with all those books. I'm really not complaining here. She loves basketball, and she loves her teacher, and is so far, having a great year. We're just going through an adjustment period. Starting this week she will get a study hall period, so hopefully some of the homework will be finished up then. She also informed me that she will have the dreaded "maturation lessons" this year. At first I was like "What! You're only in 5th grade!" But then I remember going to the class when I was in 5th grade. She and I have already done a lot of the talking, so it won't be all new to her. She asked if she had to go, since we had already talked. I said yes you have to go. And like the typical 10 year old, she blushed and giggled. I remember sitting in the back of my own "maturation program" with my girl friends and thinking the diagrams were hilariously disgusting. I also remember getting in trouble for laughing and talking. Aside from basketball and school, guitar and dance also start this week. Remember when your kids were babies and you thought it would be easier when they were walking, feeding themselves, talking? It's not easier. I think it gets harder everyday.
Rylee is doing great. Loves here teacher and is still the social butterfly. Phone starts ringing off the hook at 3:30 with "Can Rylee play?" requests. Rylee keeps her room clean, does her homework right away and loves to study for tests. She has her first social studies test this week and she knows her stuff.
I'm busy as usual. I took 2 weeks off from aerobics and painted and decorated my aerobics room. It's so fun! I hate to paint, but I do love color on the walls. Also been overwhelmed with paperwork at work. Blue Cross Blue Shield is beginning a program where they will reimburse their members $20.00 of their fitness center dues if they work out 12 times in a month. What an awesome program, however, for the only employee of a small time gym, it's a ton of work! I'm hoping that after this week I will have all the wrinkles ironed out and it will be smooth sailing. Also, dance started last night. Yes, I know I'm crazy for starting on Labor Day, but I need to have 32 practices in before April 4th, so we're off and running. My littlest girls have the cutest outfits this year. Pink Leo's with Pink Tutu's and silver sequins. I can't wait for them to perform and all the people to go "Awwww" as the walk on the floor. Our first routine with that group is to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and they are so cute! Rylee's age group had 2 boys register. I'm so excited to have boys. I have to credit shows like So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew, because in a town like this, dance is for girls. These 2 boys are going to be great. They have such fun personalities and they really know how to move. With Brooklyn's group, and my oldest group, I'm kind of being the mean dance teacher. They talk so much that it's hard to get things done. So I started this year by putting my foot down. Aside from just learning routines, I'm having them do a lot of conditioning and technique. I had a lot of sweaty and tired girls last night (me included.) The last thing I'm involved in right now is Carrington Healthy Communities Committee. In small towns, everything is run by this committee or that committee and there are only so many people to man these committee's. I have been on various other committee's in the past, but have decided to go with this one, as it tends to be something I'm passionate about. This week, as part of the Healthy Communities, I'm starting a kid fit program at the elementary school. It's an after school program for kids to get some exercise. When the weather is rough up here, there's no going outside. So I'm trying to show these kids other ways to be active.
Ryan is in his element right now. That is to say, hunting season has begun. Not that it ever really ends for him, but Friday was the big kick-off. Here's how Ryans hunting season go...We start late August with the Bo hunt, during which he can shoot one buck and as many doe as he wants, so he never really stops Bo hunting till January. Then it's the dove hunt, the goose hunt, the duck hunt, the pheasant hunt, the chucker hunt, the rifle hunt, the muzzle loader hunt. All this takes us into January. In January we start hunting coyotes. Then it's ice fishing season. Ice fishing takes us into April, where we start the snow goose hunt. After snow geese it time for regular fishing which brings us into late July. In late July we start scouting for deer and hanging tree stands in preparation for the Bo hunt. Beginning of August is the early goose hunt. And then back to the Bo hunt. When the Bo hunt starts, Ryan always says, "I'm going to be hunting a lot the next few weeks. Are you guys going to miss me?" And I reply, "When have you stopped hunting? I don't see a difference." He's also very fond of informing me that he just likes to provide nourishment for his family. He claims that it's really just a lot of work to make sure we are eating well! Ha! We certainly moved the the right state. He did get a buck yesterday. (Good to know we won't starve.) It's not a great picture and when I went to get a better shot, my camera battery was dead. It's not the hugest buck, but it has a very unique rack (or so I'm told.) I wanted to get a better picture of the unique rack, but batteries weren't cooperating.
My FIL, Randy, is coming up this weekend to get in on some of the hunting action, and Ryan can't wait to hunt with his dad. Should be a fun time.
Anyway, that's our story right now. Busy enjoying life. I'll end with a couple pictures of Daddy's girls, getting ready to goose hunt. (It was a glorious night. They went hunting. I ate Mac and Cheese (my favorite) all by myself while I watched reruns of Deadliest Catch. Then I went to the movies with some friends.)