Gone A-Shootin'

Fall Break is officially here! And it couldn't have come soon enough.

Colt worked hard this week so that he could have Friday off with me. 
He got all of his hours in by Thursday...but it meant going all day from 8:00-7:30. 
He was tired. Good thing I made delicious chili. 
It soothes the weary soul.

That harrowing Thursday called for a relaxing Friday. So:

We slept in.

We went for a run. 

We went to D.I. so I could get some language-centered games for my older students. We bought Tribond, Travel Tribond for Kids, Trivial Pursuit, and Balderdash for 8 bucks, which I am quite excited about. 

That, my friends, is a lot of WH-questions, categorization, and word associations for a very reasonable price.

Then, Colt suggested we go for a drive up Hobblecreek Canyon and go shooting. Probably to compensate for having to watch Runaway Bride with me this morning. 
He needed his requisite daily man activity.

So we went.

We ran into some cows on the way up the canyon.

They thought they owned the road.

Now, we're off to Olive Garden for dinner with my uncle and cousins.

So go on and enjoy your fall break, too!

You deserve it.

Not Cat People

I casually, jokingly suggested to Colton this morning that we should get a cat.

In response, I got a look similar to the one below, and a horrified

"Why?!"

I guess we aren't cat people.

Reminiscing

And Then, We Camped In A Yurt

We took a pretty awesome trip last weekend.

I've been wanting to stay in a yurt ever since I read about them on KSL last year. Bonus: They are super cheap to rent. As in, 60 bucks total.
 So, Colt, me, Jon, and Vanesa drove down to Goblin Valley and stayed in one. 

We're quite adventurous when we aren't watching online television.

Goblin Valley a really cool place. In the dinosaur years (i.e. Jurassic Period), it was underwater. A tidal flat, I think is what it's called. And you can tell. 
The rock formations look like they are from a different world. 

The next morning, we hiked Wildhorse Canyon. I've never hiked in a desert before. We were hiking through really narrow, but beautiful, canyon passages. 
At a few points the passage was blocked with water about knee level, so we had to scale the rocks to get past it. 
It was kind of scary.
I felt like I was going to fall off. 
Colt coached me through it, though. One step at a time.
A good man, that one.

The pictures describe it better than I can.

You can see the water line towards the upper part of the rocks. The reddish part all used to be under water.

 

Monday

1. "Are you the teacher who doesn't know anything??"- Anonymous Preschooler #1

 

Let me explain: During my group lessons, in order to get the little ones to talk and participate, I make mistakes on purpose, I pretend I don't know what things are called, etc. It's supposed to elicit verbal responses from kids who otherwise won't speak.

 Apparently, these tactics have given me a reputation.

 

And in response to a request from me to come out in the hallway to read a story for therapy:

 

2. "Um, I have things to do."-Anonymous Preschooler #2

 

 

Whether you're 25 or 4, Monday's are hard for everyone.

The Great Mouse Debate

There is a mouse in our house.

 

So gross.

 

To be honest, I cannot say with absolute certainty that it is a mouse. I haven't seen it. I've heard it scurrying around behind the oven, seen a small black figure dart across the hallway, and, in one memorable instance, felt something bump into my foot and looked down just in time to see a small dark mass disappear into a crevice between our counter and oven drawer.

 

But I've never looked the little critter square in the eye. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. But we both know...that I know.

 

Husband and I are engaged in a bit of a power struggle right now in regards to how to address this issue.

 Colton wants to buy some mousetraps. The snappy kind. The kind that lead to a painful, squishy death. He doesn't mess around.

 

:(

 

I'm more inclined to experiment with alternative methods. So far, my ideas consist of buying a tiny mouse cage with a door that slams shut when he goes inside (like raccoon traps, but smaller), and releasing him into the wilderness far away from our house. If that doesn't work, I'm also willing to type a "Private Property: KEEP OUT!" sign in tiny, mouse size font and post it behind the oven.

 

Colton disagrees. He doesn't seem to think either of these ideas will get the job done.

 

Even though the thought of a mouse in the house creeps me out, I feel so bad just killing it with no warning.

It doesn't know it's gross and creepy.

It doesn't realize it's not supposed to move in without an invitation and deposit check.

He's just going about his mouse-day, trying to make a modest mouse-living to feed his mouse-family.

 

Do you see what I did there? Modest Mouse? Get it?

It's a band.

 

Also, lets scratch the mouse-family part. I hope he's a bachelor mouse, or that his family lives far, far away.

 

I blame Disney for my inability to think rationally about this.

They have personified so many mice. Micky and Minnie, Stuart Little, The Great Mouse Detective, Ratatouille...they have feelings! Jobs! Families!

 

Sorry babe.

I cannot be the girl that murdered Stuart Little.