First Day of School 2018

The first day of school arrived! Isaac moved from Garrison school to Baker. He was excited about that. He gets to share a classroom with his sister for a year. Ava was so eager that morning that she was already dressed and ready to go when I went to get them out of bed! Haha
Here's to another year in the classroom! 

Isaac; 3rd grade

Ava; 6th grade

Tick Tock ~ school is on the clock  :)

Last Day of Summer Hike

It's was the last day of summer, as school starts the following day. We decide to take advantage of it with a little hike up Kious Basin. Upon arrival, we had to sit in the 4runner during a fierce rain storm for about a half hour until we decided it was safe enough to venture out. The sun began to peak from the clouds as we made our ascent. The moisture made the colors of the high desert landscape pop out. We had to use caution when climbing the rocks because they were slippery post storm.

At the top, you could see the storm moving East across the valley. This is monsoon season in the Great Basin. Thankfully the rain washed some of the stagnant, smokey air from the valley. At least for today.

Willow decided to go "swimming" with Boomer, the dog Haha

Pot holes in the rocks were filled with fresh rain water. What a refreshing, beautiful sight.

This spot will never get old. It's been a repeat favorite of mine that offers a quick escape and rewarding views. Here's to the last day of summer 2018!

August Daze and Haze

Other summer shenanigans ~ Ava got to go with Bryan to a Bat Blitz on the California/Nevada border for almost a week and sent me some pictures. They caught many species of flying mammals and apparently some fish! Haha
What a fun, educational trip!

Summer growth spurt in progress..... It's amazing how much growth can happen in a few months with all the kids!

Isaac has been a regular at the Farmer's market selling his homemade cookies when we are here on Saturday. I feel like there is always something going on in Baker! I don't even have to leave the house to go anywhere to feel like it's too busy.

Swimming and swimming because it's so hot it helps keep our sanity. This includes the Baker pond too which I don't have pictures of oddly. School may be around the corner, but the temperatures are still in the 90s.

 The clock is about to run out on the summer schedule. We took care of some business before school begins. Bryan and Ava had their eye appointments. Just as we thought, Ava doesn't need glasses anymore! She really wanted to trade them in for braces! Haha
We had a consultation with an Orthodontist. Isaac will get braces in a couple of years when he gets more permanent teeth in. Ava has a problematic tooth and she'll be starting soon. I've never seen someone so excited to get teeth full of metal as Ava.

We have some home projects to complete before the cold season comes. The porch and a couple of windows wore out. The porch/steps are complete. I should have taken a before/after picture. The new windows are on the way. They are for Ava's and Isaac's rooms and will be nice when they are installed.

We are rolling with the punches as the August days get crossed off the calendar; sometimes it feels like a August daze in a smoke-filled haze......

Ayurvedic "Pruess" Day

This summer has been an interesting one. It's been hot, dry and too hazy from all the fires. Many days I'd look outside and I couldn't even see Mt.Wheeler from Baker! UGH. Uninspiring and not motivating at all. Every once in a while we'd have a clear day when we'd get a little rain (finally) or have wind. It would be normal looking for a brief time; then the next day we'd feel like we were in a fog again. I've never seen a summer season with the air quality so continuously bad. We'd have to do things to get out of a funk. Pruess Lake is always a great place for some good vibes, even if the water was so low. The bank of sunflowers made the landscape even more bright and cheery.

We played in the warm water and exercised the dogs. Of course we brought tools to play in the mud. We expected to have some great wet, soggy earth to climb into. As we dug, there was some great clay to mold. Willow and I made a large fish. The bank of the shore was covered with shells to Willow's delight too. It was nice to just sit and watch the kids, dogs, and water.....

The mud hole stew was looking nice and gooey. I feel like the last 3 years we've taken the kids here and we end up with an Ayurvedic Spa Day. Good time to build immune systems before the start of school!

Feral children in the process of living their short childhood......

What makes my 4 year old silliness even cuter? When she's covered with mud!
In the words of Peppa Pig "I love muddy puddles!"

Finding joy in those hazy days  :)