one week

Bridger has been in 4th grade for one week.  This is his picture for the first day of school.  We had a bit of trouble getting out the door that morning.  School is starting 20 minutes earlier and 8:15 to 8:30 just flew by.  We walked and got to the corner up the hill just as the first bell rang.  It was nice to see a whole bunch of other kids just getting there also.  It has been crazy in the morning dropping him off.  No matter what time I decide to arrive with him the drive-thru is packed.  I love watching the morning ladies go over and "bark" at a mom or dad that do not follow the drop off rules.  He-He!!!!

I have not heard one complaint about school in the first week.  Well....OK in the first couple of days he got moved to a group of desks with boys and one of the boys he doesn't like very well.  To top it off, when they had to partner he had to partner with that boy.  Bridger calls him a "Mindy" (long "i" sound), which is Bridger's word for special needs.  The boy is special needs, by the way.  I reminded him that he would eventually get to move and he will have done his time at the front of the room with those boys.  It may be that I am being a partial parent, but I also think the teacher sees Bridger as someone who can "help" this other kid. Other than that it seems to be going well.

Darin has had a busy week, but it is football season and this is the way it goes.  He has had two games last week and will have two games this week.  He ran a CPR training Monday night.  Last night he had to attend Back to School after football practice.

Bridger and I have been hanging out in the evenings.  We went for a bike ride on Monday night late in the evening.  It was such a great summer night.  As dusk closed there  lightning from a distant rain storm you could see, crickets chirping and it was down to 80 degrees. 

Darin is staying here for Labor Day weekend.  Bridger and I are traveling on Friday to ND for a long weekend with Grammy and Grandpa Roger in Bismarck.  Looking forward to driving our newer vehicle.

new ride

 

Used2008FordExpedition EL4WD 4dr XLT

 

 

Here is my new ride.  I decided to trade in the red Expedition.  I drove to Cheyenne yesterday afternoon and did the deal.  I was half heartedly looking and this one had the best price I had found.  Casper hasn't had very many in stock at the dealerships either. 

Like it so far-it hasn't been quite 12 hours.

Nature Camp

Bridger has been attending Nature Camp here in Casper this week.  Nature Camp is put on by the Wyoming Land Trust and Wyoming Natural Resources.  It is based out of the Science Zone.  I wondered what they would do to keep them busy all week.  But, busy they have been.

The above photos are his "windmill" he made on Tuesday when he went to the Audobon Center and learned about birds and "wind".  There is a light that lights up with the turning of the blades (red spot).

The first day not knowing what to expect I overheard the "secret" adventure was to take them to the State Fair in Douglas.  I was amazed they would take them so far (50miles) from Casper.  I was thinking how awful to travel by old yellow school bus all the way back and forth with open windows and 90 degreee weather.  He enjoyed himself by his description of what he did.  They toured the animal barns.  He helped wash a pig, petted whatever animals they game him.  He wasn't crazy about the pig-it chewed on his shorts.  A baby llama took a liking to his shoe laces. 

Yesterday when I dropped him off I noticed a beautiful white charter bus pulling into the parking lot.  I asked if that was the bus they took them around on-YES!!!!  He gets to travel around in comfort, air conditioning and blinds on their windows.  So much for the old yellow school bus.  They took them to Alcova yesterday and hunted for fossils.  He doesn't remember going there with Jampa/Jami years ago.  They did that in the morning and in the afternoon they went to the Tate Museum (Casper College Geology museum) to learn more about fossils.

Today he is going out to the Fish Hatchery near Bessemer Bend.  I am supposed to pick him up on the Mtn and have a picnic with all the "campers" for the evening.  Tomorrow he is going back up on the Mtn.  Gage has been able to do this with him.  I haven't seen too many other kids that he knows so that is good he knows Gage.  Regardless, he has buddied up with the girl instructors, who, of course, are much older than him.  He is such a little Romeo and doesn't even know it.

Darin is doing his inservice time during the day and then football after school until it gets done (6:30pm).  Official school starts Tuesday.

"Ferb,  I know what we are gonna do today!!!"  (helped ya' a little there with the quote)

Bridger's First Waterski

 Bridger and Uncle Chase getting use to the water temp.

 Getting the skis tips up.

 Holding on in crouched position.

Standing up.

 And skiing.

Just having fun in the tube.

We have had a great visit with Chase.  We headed out to the lake today.  Chase and Bridger both water skied and then went tubing.  It was a fun day on the water.  Bridger got up for the first time on water skies.  He did great and had a blast.  He told us later it was funner than the amusement park in Denver.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Bridger did actually ski on his bum for a while.

"You bastard! You bastard!
I think he's saying go faster."



Hockey Camp

 He got a little sweaty in the final game.

 Hanging out after the game.

 Nice shot.  You can see the puck going by the goalies skate.

 Holding the game puck he earned.

His game puck.  Yes there was only one.

Bridger had a really good hockey camp this week.  He had a lot of fun and learned a lot.  I got out of football early and Ginni got away from work to watch the championship game.  Bridger played an awesome game with a couple of goals.  Ginni had to go back to work and missed the best one.  He got the puck a center ice and was one on one with a defender.  He pushed the puck out around the defender and passed to himself and had open ice to the net  He then again put on a great move to get the goalie going the other way and then took his shot.  Out of all of the kids at camp he earned the game puck.  He was very proud as where we.

Chase made it here today and we have had fun catching up.  We are going to try to get to the lake with him tomorrow.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.   Since you will read this in the morning, Happy Birthday Mom.

"When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back! Get that through your head!"




year ago

 A year ago Bridger was in North Dakota playing with heavy equipment and seeing his ND grandparents.

 Darin was getting ready to have this happen.  This is the same kind of tape you see the athletes in the Olympics wearing for fun or not having had a fun time and actually injury themselves.

 Bridger had actually made it to the public pool and gone off the high dive.

And Bridger made it out to a big equipment fun day with the neighbor boys.

This week has wound down to Friday finally.  Bridger went to hockey camp here in town.  Darin had football practices every day early am.  I went back to work.  A week ago I was lounging in the recliner not wanting to move.  Tonight the Meline girls will be sleeping over.  Chase and company arrive sometime Saturday.  Happy Weekend to everyone.

Firefighter Bridger

 Bridger got assigned to cut a hole in the windshield.

 He got the windshield cut and then was the victim that went through it.

 The guys helped Bridger play with the spreaders.

 I guess Bridger took some pictures in Pinedale on his Ipod.

I found this one also.  "I don't think you should pet strange dogs."

Ginni is doing better.  Still in pain.  Yesterday was a long day for her.  I was in football meetings all day and I think Bridger pestered her a little. So I took Bridger with me to help teach extrication class today.  She is planning on going back to work on Monday but we will see.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.

"I thought you said your dog did not bite!"
"That is not my dog."


We are home.

 Nice colors in the sky over Alcova.

 Mommy is about to be mean.

 He is laughing in this picture but came up with an attitude like a wet cat.

 This was a fire I was on Tuesday.  My crew got this line made.  We are on the north side.  The next picture is looking back in our direction.

They brought in the tankers.  They flew right over us and opened up.  At first I thought we were a little close and might get painted red.

Ginni made it through surgery.  She took a while to wake up and has been pretty miserable since.  We tried to go upstairs to bed but she could not lay down so I suggested the recliners in the movie room.  It was much better.  It is great for Bridger because he put a movie in so he could sit with his Mommy.

In the last blog one of his favorite movies listed is the Shooter not the Shouter.  Mark Wahlberg did not go around shouting at people.

We will keep everyone posted on how Ginni is doing.  Here is a series of quotes from one of her favorite movies.

".so he sees this building on fire and then just outside of town is this reservoir, so what he does is... "

"He takes a plane, he goes over the reservoir, fills it with water, dumps it, puts the fire out. "

"No! He missed. He hit the post office next door. Knocked it on its butt! It took him three tries. The town was awash; the groceries were burnt. It was fire, flood and famine. If he could have managed plague, it would have been the four horsemen of the apocalypse in one PBY. I mean he was unique."