Rodeo, Jazz Game, and Beautiful Music

I'm always wanting to update my blog, but there just isn't much going on to write about.  There are always a bunch of crazy topics taking up space in my brain, but it always takes too much effort to write coherently about them.  I feel like I need to write a blog post from time to time that's just my unpolished thoughts on various topics.  I'll just title it "Notes" and not worry if it's nonsensical or needs editing or further thought development, and anyone who reads my blog can know to skip that one.

Lexi, Brittney, her best friend Kylie, and I went to the rodeo Saturday night.  I just love the rodeo.  What's not to love?  Beautiful horses, cowboys, corny jokes, bulls and bucking broncs.  My favorite event is always the barrel racers, followed by the bull riders.   The kids lucked out.  I tried to get a picture of them doing the "Cha-Cha Slide" and discovered my camera batteries were dead.  

Courtney and Curtis got Josh a ticket to a Jazz game for Christmas, and the game was Saturday night.  The three of them went out to dinner and then to the game.

My cute kids

Josh is wearing Courtney's jacket because he was freezing.  

I would have loved to be at the Presidential Inauguration today.  It would have been amazing.  I thought this was so, so lovely.

And of course I loved Kelly Clarkson.

Such beautiful voices and beautiful patriotic songs.  I love this country and everything that it stands for.  Faults and all.

Josh has been working so hard on his multiplication facts.  It doesn't come easy for him, and I feel bad about how frustrated he gets.  I think that school will always be a battle.  He is a builder.  He likes to create and build and he likes things with plans he can follow, and he likes to come up with ways to do things on his own.  He likes nonfiction better than fiction.  His mind works completely differently than any of my other kids.  He has a difficult time memorizing things, or possibly, accessing certain types of things from his memory.

Today was a teacher work day at the end of Term 2.  It's shocking to think that the school year is half over.  I feel like the second half always goes faster than the first, especially once February is over.  Then it just flies.

I made Pineview reservations last week.  I cannot wait for summer and camping, and Pineview with the Chamberlain family is always a highlight.  It's been way too cold around here lately, and the air is nasty.  I'm ready for something different.