Mica Mine

There is an old mica mine not far from Grand Junction. Aunt Diana invited us to hike it with her and her grandson and a few others. I had never been there before and found it fascinating. The kids loved it as well!




You can see a vein of mica just behind Nicholas. It is soft and flakes. You can easily pull chunks of it off the wall. Nicholas was the most interested in collecting it. He brought home a small baggie full and treasures it.

Practicing With Estella

Practicing with Estella is colorful.
























(I can't remember now why she had her swimsuit on. I would have thought we were planning on going swimming that afternoon or something, but now that I look closer I see that she had panties underneath. That makes me think she was just wearing her swimsuit for fun, which happens often.)

First Day of School

The boys' first day of school has long since come and gone and it was very good. They started school at Caprock Academy on July 25th. Our decision to have them go there is long and drawn out. Basically, it was the right decision for our family right now and I couldn't be happier. They started so early because they have every Friday off plus an extra week long break in October, I think.

They get to wear uniforms and I LOVE IT!!! They look so sharp every day.





Nicholas was super excited to start Kindergarten. He goes in the afternoon, which has turned out to work great for our family.



I was confused what time we were supposed to be there, so we had to wait quite a while in the heat for everyone else to get there. Caprock is quite a new school and just bought a property for their permanent location. They are still very much under construction and will be for several years. The kids (and parents) all seem very patient of the process, which is very nice to witness.


As soon as the teacher's aid called for the kids, Nicholas jumped right in line and didn't look back. He is enjoying making new friends and tells me about them every day.

Melted Blinds

Estella must attract the sun, because the blinds on her window melted. Her window is right by our front door...a beautiful welcome to our house. They melted a little bit last year and I just tried to pretend that no one could notice from outside (I'm sure they could). Now they are destroyed beyond repair, which means I had to get new blinds for the entire front of the house. If you have seen our house you would agree with me. There are six windows that are all the same size. I didn't want the same thing to happen again, so I got some double cell, cellular shades. They are supposed to be the best for keeping out the heat. I am excited for them to come!!! I bet the neighbors are too :)

New Main Street Splash Pad

The city has been doing some renovations to Main Street. The one I am the most excited about is the small splash pad. The kids and I have gone twice and loved it both times. I think it is very well done. I almost get hypnotized watching the water. I love the way water moves.

Eggs

We eat a lot of eggs. I bought two 18 packs. All but two were smashed. At least only 18 ended up on the driveway. The other 16 landed inside the plastic bag :)