Substitute Teaching

My interent was down for a few weeks so, I'm behind in my uneventful life. Well, Chris is a state employee and Governor Huntsman decided that all Utah State employees should do a test trial of working 4/10s a week instead of 5/8s a week to see if it will cut down on many costs in our incredibly expensive economy. It's a one year idea. Who's to say whether it becomes permanent or not. I would say not since I don't think our state will end up saving that much dinero. Anyway, Chris and I are both now usually home on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As nice as it is to have so much time together after the first 4 exhausting days, I decided that I should get some kind of a job for Fridays since Chris can stay home with the kids. Waitressing came to mind and then I decided that I'd rather punch out all my teeth with a power drill rather than waitress again! I've done that for 4 years of our 8 1/2 year marriage. I decided to look into substitute teaching. I went down to apply and found out that the training they have just once a year was going to be held just 2 days after I applied. It gave a $5 per work day bonus if you attend. Well, I am all certified now and I had my first teaching experience today. I guess you can't really call it "teaching". I was called in for just one hour today to watch a Senior Class Sports Medicine course while they took a test. They were able to study an additional 1/2 hour at the beginning of class and then had a 1/2 hour to take their test. It was actually quite humorous. I decided that during the test, instead of sitting down behind the desk, I would stay standing in front of the class the whole time just watching the students. I could see a few eyes just dying to creep over to their neighbors, but then they'd look up and see me and their eyes would get big, followed by them focused back down on their own paper. Kinda funny, but all and all it was a great bunch of kids. I had to remind them to be quiet numerous times during study time, but that's not too bad. The real challenge will be this Friday when I take care of a 4th grade class from 8:15-1:30. There are two Elementary schools here in Price. Unfortunately, I will not be at the same school as my daughter. One of these times I'm sure. I'm a little nervous so, wish me luck!

A Few Stories....

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately.....my computer is ancient and having a hard time down loading any pictures. It's over 8 years old. I know, I'm due for a new one. I guess I'll have to wait for Uncle Sam to give us some tax money back next year and then maybe. They're so expensive, but a necessity!

Ginny started 1st grade a week ago and is loving it so far. She loves her teacher and thinks it's way cool that they both have the same first name. She comes home everyday with a new best friend. I guess that's how kids that young are. They recycle eachother over and over so quickly. Asher will start his 3rd year of preschool at the Castle Valley Center for children with special needs again. He'll have the same teacher he had last year and she is fantastic. I hope we see great things from Asher this year. A little speech would be the best! Everyone pray for him that he will one day be able to speak. Watching my almost 5 year old unable to communicate with the world is the most awful thing in the world. It's so scary. Anyway, on to other things...

Lucy is the SCREAMIEST child I have ever encountered and she's mine! Isn't that crazy? I didn't know how ridiculous it was until yesterday. I was trying to talk to my parents on the phone while my kids were playing in the backyard. She would scream over every little thing at the top of her lungs. I was getting extremely angry, but holding my composure because I'm on the phone. Finally she lets out about the 15th blood-curdling scream and it happened. My head all of a sudden just ached and blood started pouring out my nose. That's right....my daughter screamed so loud it made my nose bleed. I now know that if anyone could be capable of actually shattering glass with their voice, it's my sweet Lucy because she can make a nose bleed. Don't get me wrong, I love the stinker, but boy can she scream!!!!

Lastly EEEEewwwww! If any of you can top this for grossest thing ever to be done, please share because this one is hard to top! We took our kids to KFC/A&W for lunch on Friday afternoon. We then ran a few other errands. Chris realizes that he can't find his new work phone....A BLACKBERRY AND WORTH $300!!!!! We back trace our steps and finally come to the conclusion that the last possible place would be in the garbage can at the fast food. OF COURSE someone had taken all the garbage out and put it in the dumpster....just our luck! We got some gloves and then Chris jumped into the dumpster. This is no exaggeration! My poor husband is in a fastfood dumpster! It smells awful!!!! He starts throwing out garbage bags and we start digging. At the bottom of the second bag we had dug through, we found it!!! Halle-freakin'-lujiah! All that nastyness had to have benefited us somehow. To conclude this story, we went straight home and I had a shower. Yuck! Anyone that can top that?

Lastly, I am for sure NOT going to the class reunion. I am sad, but it was my own personal choice. I would love to see everyone, but I already have a trip on Sept. 4th with family that's been planned since last December and I don't want to take my kids on a long journey again just two weeks later. I will be thinking of you all that night and probably tearing up, but once you have kids, you all know how it works...your wants and needs never come first again.

Wow, I just realized how depressing my blog today seems. Seriously, everything is just fine.

Pics from Henderson

My sister Kari is really into photography and thank goodness! She took care of taking some pictures of my kids and I while we were in Henderson back in July since I didn't even get my camera out of my bag....not even ONCE!!!

Asher and I being silly in my parent's pool together. He's always happy around water.

Ginny having a blast hosing people down at the Mission Hills Water Park. What a crack up!

To be honest, this is about 10 minutes after I'd put her clothes on her. My kids can never keep their clothes clean for more than 5 minutes! Oh well. She's still cute.

Ginny posing for my sister one last time before we got in the car to head back to Price.

Sara was the good one here to bring a camera to our girl's night out. Again, I had so much fun with Holly and Sara!

They Drive Me Crazy.....Yet I Love Them!

Let me just give you a preview of what I mean by the title:


GINNY First off, my daughter Ginny absolutely LOVED our trip to Lagoon back at the beginning of the month. She talks about it constantly. The rides, the fun, the food, etc... I guess she was running out of things to talk about relating to it.



This morning: "Mom, how many times did I go to the bathroom while we were at Lagoon?" Why would I remember that?!!!

ASHER Later in the day, I catch Asher in the fridge eating mini M&Ms. I pull him out and shut the fridge door. A few minutes later I catch him in the pantry eating rainbow sprinkles. So, I try to be a good mom and decide to make some caramel apples for him and put those things on them for him. I get out the caramel and start melting it. He can't keep his hands off the caramel. Loves eating it. I get out the different candies he likes for rolling the apples in once they are caramel dipped. He can't keep his hands off the candy. I dip the apples and roll them in the M&Ms and sprinkles. I then let them set for a while. You think he would be thrilled. After it sets, I cut one apple up into slices for him to eat them. What does he do? HE EATS THE APPLE PART AND LEAVES THE CANDY-COATED SKIN!!!!!!!

LUCY Lastly, I don't read very often and this is why... My friend gave me a book to read today called, "A Long Way From Chicago" for book club this month. I was on page 1. Lucy came in the room saying, "book! book!" over and over until I read her "Good Night Moon". I read it once and she wanted me to read it two more times. After that, she said "done". I think, "okay, now back to my book". I then started reading page 2. Lucy came running in the room once again saying, "book! book!" I then had to read "Happy Baby Colors" to her. After we finished that one, I put her down and tried to start reading my book again. She again takes off to where all the books are again. It was then I threw my hands in the air and decided that reading was a bad idea.

If you are wondering, all 3 of these pictures are when they were each 9 months old. That's when they all looked the most alike before they each got older and took on more of their own identities. All crazy kids, but I love 'em!!

Procrastinator

Yep, that would be me! I am a terrible person I feel sometimes. I have done so much since my last entry, but did I take a camera with me on my family's many excursions? Of course!! Does that mean that I actually used it? NO!!!!! Entries are always funner when there are pictures to go with it, but unfortunately, this will be a pictureless update. Sorry! Well, since my last posting, we have been on a few great adventures. First, on July 1, Chris and I and our three children went on a fun family trip to Lagoon in Farmington, UT. We had such a great time! Chris and I loved it and the kids did too. There was something there for everyone. It was one stinken' hot day. Luckily they have a few water rides to accomodate the heat. It's hard walking around an amusement park wearing socks and shoes that are sloshy though. Ginny is becoming quite adventurous and was willing to do more thrilling things. Her favorite ride is a roller coaster called "Spider". It's actually fun and quite crazy! It's a wild roller coaster that is spinning in any which direction while you are on a crazy track. Two thrills in one and Ginny couldn't get enough of it. Anyway, that was fun. Asher and Lucy loved the kid area and especially loved the merry-go-round. It was fun to see those two giggle so much through the day.

Then, the kids and I were off on a Henderson trip from July 7-13. That was a lot of fun because we stayed with my parents and met my sister from Elko, NV there with her 6 children. We spent the whole week in the pool......LITERALLY! It was so hot that water was the only thing constantly on all our minds. My project goal for the week was to get my oldest Ginny to where she could swim on her own. My sister had the same agenda for her daughter that is the same age and by the end of the week, I guess you could say that we had a few little Mermaids (as the girls liked to be called) swimming acrossed that pool. Asher also loved the water, but liked to either pace on the steps or hold onto a float ring while spinning in circles. Lucy liked the water a little. She's such a priss. She likes to dip her feet a bit and then walk around the outside of the pool. She feels she's very brave if she gets her upper legs wet. I can't leave out that I had one girl's night out with my dear highschool friends Holly Hutchings (Bidwell) and Sara Russell (Frehner). We had so much fun munching at Macayos and then after getting kicked out of there for being there too late, we talked for atleast another hour in the parking lot. I guess the city danger was worth our jabber. It was fabulous and I had so much fun. By the end of the week, my brother KC, wife Lynnette and their two boys came up from Flagstaff, AZ and spent the weekend with us. I love being with family. I just wish it could happen more often. We missed Kip, Pamela, and their four children. Of course, I missed my hubbie! He spent that whole week working his tail off driving all over Utah state to different habitat project sights. Thanks for letting me go hun!

Since we've been home, Chris' parents have come to visit, and even his brother Tyler and wife Maren came to Price for a while during their trip to the US from their home in S. Africa! Chris' oldest brother also flew over from Boston, MA. Everyone is so spread out, but I appreciate everyone making the time to see one another. It was fun to see everyone's slides from their big trips. Chris' parents just got back from China and showed us all their slides from that big adventure. They brought me and my girls back some beautiful pearls as well. Nothing to complain about that.

Tomorrow, we are on our way to Ogden, UT to wish Chris' youngest brother Kelly a "Bon Voyage" as he gets ready to prepare for a month in Washington DC with the AF before heading over to do 6 months service in Afghanistan. We are so proud of him and his willingness to serve and also think his newly wife Cassi (as of March) is an amazing supporter as she sees him off and awaits his safe return. So, lots has been going on. Hopefully I'll be better about pictures in the future. Mental note to self....."Take the dang camera and actually use it!"

Summer Fun

Asher's school for people with disabilities have summer programs. They don't do them for preschool age children, but our Ward Bishop is also the Principal at the school and invited Asher and I to go with the school to Hoggle Zoo in Salt Lake City on the bus last week. I also thought Asher deserved a big treat after having to be put to sleep the day before to get 8 cavities in his mouth filled! It's not often that Asher and I have our time together with just the two of us. We had a great time and I learned there that Asher LOVES Apes!


Poor, Poor Zach! May he rest in peace. Ginny wanted to raise tadpoles into frogs. Well, we ordered 3 tadpoles and the first 2 died the first few weeks we had them, but this one (whom Ginny named "Zach") died right before he had completed the entire cycle of becoming a frog. We don't know what happened. He was swimming and crawling around in the morning and by the afternoon he was floating around lifeless. We burried him in the backyard a few days ago.

We spend a lot of time in the backyard this summer. The kids LOVE to sit in their little pool, do slip and slide, jump on a wet trampoline while I spray them, or run through sprinklers. I guess you could say they find water to be very refreshing in this summer heat!

Here is my 1/2 time terror 1/2 time sweetie! Lucy loves to be outside. All day long she'll chase me around the house holding her sandals saying, "outside". If I say "ok", she gets very excited. If I say "no", then she protests as loudly as possible and our day is ruined. You have to love her determination and drive. Even if it hurts my ears sometimes.

Asher, my little fish!! I'm not kidding. There is nothing in this world he loves more than water. I don't know how he survives during the fall and winter because cold water showering him in the summer heat just makes his life complete! A weird twist.... he HATES showers in the house. He only likes to bathe in the home. It's so fun to watch how giggly this kid gets.

My little curly Princess Ginny! Lately she has wanted me to put sponge curlers in her hair after her evening bath. She wakes up with the tightest curls you've ever seen. Luckily they loosen throughout the day, but she just thinks that the curlier her hair is, the prettier. What a cute priss! Her main passion for the summer is riding her big lady bug bike. She truly has mastered riding without training wheels.