Drivers Education

Yesterday the kids were downstairs watching the Taming of the Shrew with Corey, and while they did that, I was upstairs blogging. I finished a few entries for last week and with that, now I am ALL caught upon the blog. I don't think I've been completely caught up since Nov 2017. I'm going to do my best to write notes and upload the pictures from each day so that I don't get overwhelmingly behind anymore, EVER EVER AGAIN, ha. I probably shouldn't say that. This past week was great though. I read my scriptures, I exercised every day, I got out in nature, I read to the kids and helped them with school work, we worked and cleaned...  it was just a really a good week. I didn't practice the violin as much as I would have liked, so I'll figure out how to fit that next week and will try to keep doing all the other things. After I was done blogging, I joined Corey and the kids downstairs watching the Scarlet Pimpernel (1982 version with Anthony Andrews, which I first watched in 6th grade in Mr. Cooks class on Valentines day before our valentine's dance and I've loved it ever since) so we did that for a little French History lesson ...and cause Wes needed to watch it as part of his attempt to finish English assignments and pass that class. It was fun cause the kids were all really into it, so even though it was getting late, we stayed up and finished it and it was good family bonding. I knew I was going to regret it though cause I had a super early morning today. 

I got up at 5:45 to wake up Wes, but he didn't get up, so I tried again and 6:15 and he got ready and we left at 6:30 for his 7:00 appointment to get his driver's permit. We made this appointment two weeks ago, hoping it would give him time to take the test and pass it and then get to his 8:00 am driver's ed class on time. We had gathered the information he needed last week before he left for high adventure, so it was all ready and in a folder, ready to go. Last night I asked him where the folder was. It took him a few seconds but he found it. Ok, good, we're ready to go. We got up and left this morning, and then when we arrived at the DMV and were opening the car doors I said "You got the folder?" and then he clued in with a look of "uh oh" on his face and I was a bit dumbfounded. HE FORGOT THE FOLDER! He felt bad, but I was at a loss for words and how he could have possibly forgotten it. Like Wes... you knew where we were going, right? We're going to the DMV... and why we were going there... and you knew what you needed, and I reminded you last night... deep breath. SO, what do we do. It's a 25 minute drive back home, so now the whole point of doing this early is messed up. I told him to get in line and see if he could maybe take the test while I ran home to get the papers. I called Corey to ask him if he could meet me half way. I got like 3/4 of the way home before he was able to meet me, cause he was slower getting into the car, because Peter was awake and was tagging along, but it was helpful. We met at Waterford and I was able to turn right around and get back there by 7:30. So then we got in line, turned in his application and showed his birth certificate and stuff and he was taking the test by 7:40. This was the time we should have been done and headed to the car if he was going to arrive at his class on time, so that's not going to happen, but that's ok. He didn't pass the first written test. He took it again right away and we were both praying for him to pass, and he did. I gave him a small lecture on our way out - like forgetting stupid and simple stuff like this... that will get you an F in life! But if you remember the stupid and easy stuff, then you don't have to waste time scrambling back home and you can just get stuff done. Dad and I want you to succeed and will help you as best we can, like we did this morning, but let's just make things easier on all of us and let's remember things and show up prepared! 

After that I took him straight to Skyline. He got to class at 8:40. He missed the whole class last week though, so I'm assuming it's ok he was late cause he's catching up anyway. I had sent the teacher an email though as I sat at the DMV while he took his test. He replied that since there are two class sessions - from 8-10 and 10-12, Wesley could just come to the 10-12 class. He stayed after and worked during that class time, so he was able to catch up a little on the stuff from last week. And then he went on a drive from 12 - 1. He hadn't eaten breakfast this morning before we left, so he was tuckered out and hungry when I picked him up at 1:30. 

So it wasn't a great start to the day today with the DMV appointment, but tomorrow I should be able to get up and exercise before I take him to drivers ed. He has class through the 30th, so that is what my mornings this month will look like. 

Oh, and here's a funny picture from yesterday. After church Peter was ready for lunch, but I didn't want him to get his Sunday clothes dirty, so I stripped him down. (A funny story here where I stripped Lily down, Corey is hilarious!) And I pointed out to the kids how perfectly circle his belly button is. He was standing on the stool waiting for me to get him some more clothes, but he was standing like a perfect little David, so instead we posed him. Corey noticed what I was doing and gave P a usb cord as his sling...

I just realized that I posed him in the mirror image of David. 

Let's fix that...

There we go! haha, Peter is a masterpiece! Here are a few more masterpieces of nature from yeseterday after church. I'll limit my flower pic today to just one - look, it's so yellow!!

Ok, two... so pink!!

Ok, I mean three, I'll stop at three... but there could have been ten!)

So lovely. What else - our violin teacher is out of town today so we didn't have lessons, but did talk with our Mel and Hyrum. Ethan's p-day is tomorrow. 

We went on a bike ride tonight up at Snowbird. We went to explore a bit and see what Snowbird has (we're still newbies to mountain biking)

We parked and rode down and went around, most of it was too tricky for Sophi so we were pretty slow. Then before we had too far to backtrack, I stopped and biked back up to the car and was going to pick them up. But Corey texted that they were going to start heading down the canyon. Sophi was riding down with them but once I caught up to them with the car, Sophi came with me and Corey continued ahead with Abi and they rode all the way home from Snowbird. Impressive! I do think, though, Corey and children, that we need to learn how to had endurance to bike uphill too. We don't need to be able to go all 8+ miles up the canyon, but maybe a few... we shouldn't always be driving up and then coasting home, imho. I didn't get in my ride this morning so I was still itching for more so I biked up a little bit after taking Sophi home, I'll try to get a short ride in tomorrow morning. I'm liking biking more than walks or hiking at the moment, mostly cause it's faster to get back home after biking up.