Totally amazing. The pictures do not even do it justice

Headed out of that I and National Park now. This picture is for Lisa who I was just chatting with.

Breakfast with the boys . A real treat for me. I have them all to myself.

Always have to be like the older brother. Thank goodness right now it's only about blow drying his hair.

Always fun to check out the new things at the Motel.

Park ranger

This was so cool for Hunter. Headed now to the visitor center to pick up a packet so he can earn his junior ranger badge.

Bryce point

Thinking of Dad. Wishing he was here.

Going for a little hike. Even gramma candy made it down even know she was a little frightened of the edge.

Sunset point. A must see

Bryce Canyon

We headed to Bryce Canyon for adventure with gramma candy

Here they come up log Canyon Road. Better get to work

Our red tail hawk friend. Just checking out what we're up to today

We spoke too soon here they come again. At least there's no traffic this time

Can you see our new home

this is a great picture of where the new house will be. You can see the current cabin to the right. And the new house site is the exposed dirt over to the left.

Got them all across the road and headed up the canyon. It was a successful round up.

The kids were sitting in the car on the side of the road with the hazards on while I was chasing cattle. Katie was our photographer today and took most all the pictures. Some had to be through the windshield some were through the window but they were all awesome. Great job Katie

It is funny because I always think that if this were to happen in Wisconsin, I would have to stop and watch. Most people though want to keep right on moving so they insist on driving through the herd of cattle which separates them on to 2 sides and then they're coming up the road on both sides. And Cattle are pretty much all over the place.

Of course, those darn cows pushed through a fence and started to head out into the alfalfa field. So some of them were walking down the road while others were walking into the alfalfa field. It is always exciting because you can never predict which way they will go.

So when you move cattle, everyone has a job. Mine seems to always be standing on the side of the highway, where the speed limit is 65 and most people go 75 and getting them to stop while we push the cattle across the street.

Yes it's true, I can stop traffic.

Getting closer. Here they come

Urban cowboy meets ranch woman. And they lived happily ever after.

Part of the road block

Yes it's true, I am officially a ranch woman.

Live from the tate farms utah ranch and we are rounding up the cattle today. Come on, god help us.
Here they come

So maybe we are not exactly real Cowboys because we use 4 wheelers to round up the cattle, but it works.

Just wanted to snap a picture of our backyard. The picture does not do it justice at all.

Looks like everyone is all gathered up

It's been a long time

Ok, so I feel like since I got my new (and fancy) phone, I have not really taken the time to write anything.  I guess you could say that i am so busy snapping pictures, posting those right away and then exhausted at the end of the day that I do not bother.  Well, there is A LOT to say so I will just have to get started!

So over the past few weeks there has been lots of "discussing".  Things about the house, our immediate future, things farther out, home schooling, how to manage this all  and that sort of thing.

One of our latest big discussions was the decision to NOT to come back to WI to pick up all our stuff before this Spring.  So, let me just clarify, that when we come out here, we do so in quite a simple way.  Everyone gets 1 small tote to pack in and that is it. And that is how we packed ( I guess thinking we would get the rest of all our stuff in Oct.)

I must admit it is easy to put away laundry.....I just drop it into the tote.  But can I just say I have been wearing the same earrings since May!  I packed my diamond wedding ring - I do not know what I was thinking.  I guess I wasn't.  So we all have very little.  But I suppose it is doable.  At least until the snow comes.  But it was silly to make a decision to head back, pick it all up, not really have anywhere to go with it yet because we needed our winter boots.
So we will just shop on ebay for our gear!!

The house is well on its way.  The basement walls are poured and the whole thing is starting to look like a house!  Now,  I do not want to criticize anything or anyone, but there is a - let's just say for the sake of argument - different work ethic here.  For example, people SAY they are going to do something but then do not really actually do it.  That is mostly because they fail to show up when they say they will.  This, of course, all refers to the house build.  I am no expert with running a business or building a house, but come on! you say you will be here to do something and 10 days later you finally show up to actually complete it.

Do they not realize THE FROST IS COMING>

We actually woke up to snow this morning on Mt. Nebo.  Hunter came bounding down like it was Christmas in pure celebration about the snow.  And we had been waiting and watching for several days now expecting it to come any time.  And we were greeted with it this morning.  Well, that certainly has lit a little fire up under my ass about getting things "ready" around here.

It's my 37th birthday tomorrow and instead of my traditional pumpkin patch party I usually have - well, this year, it will be stacking the wood pile.  They all asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and that is actually what I said.  Hey!  It gets cold up here!

Alright - I guess you can start calling us the Ingalls family!

Homeschooling is absolutely WONDERFUL.
So, let me just first say (before I tell you all about how wonderful it is and why) that when August rolled around, we settled in here and the reality of actually "we are not going back" set in, I had a little panic.  And part of that panic was about homeschooling and the self depreciating thoughts about me not being about to do it, failing at it, all that.

I started thinking about traditional education and what I think about it.  Scott and I had lengthy conversations - God, I love him - about all this and we both concluded that what we can gift our children is far better for us and for them than the school down the street.  I mean, I was close People! I was on my way to visit the local school.  (Which I must add here that I have nothing against, but it simply is not for us).

So, I dove it.  head first.

I got an outstanding curriculum that is so user friendly (and of course, Waldorf) and just fell into it.  And it is lovely.

Just today, we started a music block.  I know nothing about music.  It is embarrassing for me to sing because I am SO FLAT....I am referring to my voice here!  But we dusted off Katie's pentatonic flute and sailed away.  I played and it was beautiful.  Katie and I just about both fell over!  She even said, "mom!  I had no idea you could play the flute!"  Ok, so neither did I.

But what I realized was this: A Waldorf education is set up for your child to succeed and believe.  They are introduced to things in a way that nothing other than beauty can flow from it and they are the avenue which is comes through.  So, here I am (at 37 tomorrow!) playing this flute for the first time, high fiving Katie, and grinning ear to ear because - guess what - you cannot NOT play lovely.  And I did and I felt amazing!  I connected at 37!

Scott and I were just talking about what an experience to have at age 8 or 6 or 4.  To do something that is just set up for you to be successful and to believe that you can create something beautiful.  That is a Waldorf education.  And what a great gift to give your kids.

This journey with all three of our kids is so special and I am grateful every day that I am able (and took the risk) and decided to home school.  They will only be a child for such a short time of their lives and here we are, totally a part of it.  There is not a moment that goes by during the school day, that I do not look at each one of them and feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude, of love, of LIFE - Living and sharing life together with them.....really together.

I never thought I would say it, but I HIGHLY recommend homeschooling for everyone!

Here is a simple thing that points toward the rest...

We are in a Math block and studying measurement.  So, who remembers how many feet are in a mile? 5,280.
Here is how Katie remembers:
There are 5 people in my family.
There are 2 adults.
Spiders have 8 legs.  (She was up the night before because of a spider in her room.  They are pretty much moving in.  Better them than mice!)
And she wants 0 in her room.

How great to learn that way - a way that matters to you! Whereas elsewhere I have to wonder if information just gets piled into a big heap of things that were once kinda familiar but really just do not matter to you.  Imagine if they did and you were able to learn in a way where everything you learned mattered to you!  It's awesome.

The dog is still finding deer legs somewhere in the forest.  She brings them back and lays out back and eats them.  Then comes in and stinks up the house with her dead deer indigestion!  The kittens are trouble makers.  I find them in the laundry basket, the shoes tote and climbing just about anything they can get there claws into.  Snorty, the horse, is a sweetie, but needs new shoes.  Those damn chickens are still skinny and peeking at each other....can't we all just get along?  But great eggs.

We are happy and really  -  I love this life we are making.
It IS always something.  Just yesterday we rescued a little dog and tracked down it's owners.  There is always something new and exciting.

I look out onto the mountains and they speak to me.  We all feel calm and that life can unfold gently and we can recognize its unfolding versus rushing past it.  People ask me if I worry about the kids not being "socialized" and at first, my answer was a strong "yes" and now....it's a strong no.

If we chose to value and encourage the very essence of each one of our children, then the rest comes in time.  ALERT....NO READING THE NEXT PART TO CHILDREN.  But the other day we were talking about Santa and St. Nick.  And Katie said that she had started to wonder if we (meaning me and Scott) are actually the ones - that that is something she is wondering about.  So regardless of exposure (total yuck) she is getting to that place all on her own and in her own way.  yes, she will learn the "truth" one day, but it will be her own uncovering.  I don't know why that matters to me but it does - all our kids unfolding naturally, in their won way.  And then we talked about the gift of giving and that perhaps Santa was an easy way to help everyone understand the joy and love that follows giving.

What is childhood after all?  How should our children "land" on this Earth and learn about all the good and beauty and all the rest of it, which is sometimes not so great.  Who best to guide them through this journey, which ultimately is one of self discovery?

The answer?
The ones who love them most!
Feeling good out here in the Utah mountain air.
Our best to all of you!

The road up through the mountains. The colors were absolutely amazing. They want from bright yellow to pink to red to green back to yellow to pink. Totally beautiful. Even 1 of the kids said from the back of the car that it looks like heaven on earth. They too amaze me.

This is what the boys did. Hey, when you gotta go you gotta go.

Nature girl

Katie's began to hike off into the forest while the rest of us look at the water. She seems to be so at peace and 1 with nature. It is really a joy for me to see. I always wonder how the rest of her life will unfold because of her love of nature. She came running back to us saying how much the air smells like autumn.

Is he not the cutest little boy that you have ever seen.

Apparently Katie is to that age where she does not like to smile. I of course was hoping for a Christmas picture.

Hunter and I stood by the stream as it came down the Mountain. I told him that I can remember the days when I use to go camping and my favorite sound was the sound of rushing water. He has been a little high energy lately and it honestly was the only time I have heard him quiet in the past few days. Just standing by that stream.

Utah in the fall

The colors of Utah

We went up north to Payson to a new grocery store because I can hardly stand of the local 1 anymore. We decided to come back over the Mountain. Mount Nebo that is. The colors were amazing and I am not sure how long it would actually take if you drove straight through, because we had to stop several times and get out to investigate all the cool and beautiful things.

Woke up this morning to snow on My. Nebo!

Intense. All that concrete leaking out the sides makes me want to run down there, push it back and remind them who's paying for all that cement OUTSIDE of the forms.

Maybe still not sure. Best to check again.