July 2011

July came and went - very quickly! Here is what occured:

The 4th - of July that is!

We spent the 4th of July parading in Melba, eating yummy taco truck food in Melba, napping at home, watersliding, eating, firework watching at grandma Elaine's house. It was a fun family-filled day! Happy Birthday America!

Disneyland

Disneyland deserves it's own post so that will be coming soon but we had a lot of fun!

Jeremy's birthday

Jeremy turned 33 years old on July 12th. I can't believe we are in our 30s. It really doesn't feel any different then our 20s. The only signs of our aging are in a few gray hairs (Jeremy - not me :)), a few eye wrinkles, more sun spots and a few more aches and pains. We celebrated his birthday by going out to Fuddrucker's (his fav) and then heading to his twin brother Jesse's house to have dessert and gifts. It was a fun evening!

 

Books Read

Unbroken by Laura Hildenbrand - AMAZING story!! I'm not even going to give a synopsis due to  the fact that everyone should just read it. It is a historical biography about a young man's life and experience during WWII. One of the best books I've ever read!

The Hunger Games - I read the first book on my way back from California and quickly began the second book, finishing it a few days later. Crazy story - a little futuristic - and I normally hate those kind of books or movies but this was so entertaining and I look forward to the movies coming out next year.

Katie's birthday

My sis turned 29 this year! Wahoo - I can't wait for her to join me in the thirties! We had fun celebrating at my parents house with her best friend JoJo.

Movies

Took my kids to see "Mr. Popper's Penguin's" with aunt tee-tee! It was very cute and the kids enjoyed it.

 

Work

I did spend one day this summer at work - like really at work - like I got paid to be there and - work! Crazy huh? Well, the 4 day work week that is quickly approaching has made many of us teacher folk become a little aggitated and aprehensive about how we are going to fit all of our curriculum in. So - we worked and figured it out and now feel a little better about things.

July was busy and fun!

June 2011

The first month of summer and always my favorite - it's never too hot but pleasant enough that our afternoons can be spent outside and it spells the beginning of a much needed vacation from work (love being a teacher :))

This month:

Books Read:

Lady of Light - another book in the Brides of Culdee Creek series. Such an easy, entertaining read. Just what I need in the summer.



Heaven is for Real: Such a good book - so encouraging and enthralling. Loved every minute of it and look forward to eternity.

Family Activity:

Trip to the cabin with my family - it was in the mid 70s the entire weekend and absolutely beautiful. My dad and Jeremy spent a lot of the weekend with chainsaw in hand attempting to cut up some of the wood from the trees that the power company had to cut down. The kids enjoyed climbing on those fallen trees, as well as taking walks, roasting marshmellows and playing games.

She found a frog in the outhouse (no longer in use) - and wanted to take him home. Sadly, she was unable to :(

Swimming Lessons

I put Addison in swimming lessons a few years back and she did great. However, she still has a real fear of the water and so I decided that this year she NEEDED swimming lesson, especially if we were going to go on vacation and our house was equipped with a pool. So - I enrolled her and Rhett in beginning swimming lessons and I'm SO glad that I did. They both did so well and Addison grew in leaps and bounds and even jumped off the diving board at the end of the two weeks (Rhett did as well but is that a surprise to anyone??). I will definately re-visit Summer Swimmers next year and both Addie and Rhett look forward to going back there. They had tons of fun!

VBS

Addison has forever loved VBS and this year was no different. We ventured all week in Pandamania and enjoyed Chatter's theatre, singing, crafts, games and a water day at the end of the week. I enjoyed my time as a crew leader and had fun with a great crew!

I regret not taking any pictures of VBS this year :( but this is a picture of Addison and her friend Brenna. They dressed up alike for twin day at VBS.

Nook Color

I want one!!! Not just for myself but also for my classroom. I can see how amazing it would be to have as a supplemental tool in my classroom. A few other fellow teacher friends feel the same and so - we are writing a grant. Yikes!! Even saying the words make me nervous. It's been a lot of work so far and we are not nearing it's completion anytime soon. We have until November and we've been told we are great candidates for the grant so we are crossing our fingers. I definately have a new found respect for anyone who has ever written a grant.


Garden

We have a garden again this year! It's pretty fun to see stuff grow because I've never really been good at making anything grow - except maybe my children. This year we planted raspberries, tomatoes, strawberries, onions, cilantro and all different kids of peppers. Our hope is to use the majority of our crop for salsa (raspberries are exempt from the process - and strawberries). It's been fun - with the exception of discovering a new found hatred for robins. So far we've been able to enjoy a few peppers as well as our strawberries - once we fended off the robins with bits of tinfoil.

This is our garden at the beginning of June.

summer reading program at the library

My kids and I enjoy participating in the summer reading program they have at our local library. My kids already enjoy reading so it's not a motivational tool for me but more of a fun outing and the kids get to earn fun prizes if they read for so many minutes and days. It's a great program!

Potty training

Something I loathe but was necessary to complete before day care arrived in August. So we made a potty chart complete with Toy Story stickers and if he completed a line he would get a candybar (his fav). That and that fact that we told him he was a big boy and we were not going to buy him anymore diapers. He cooperated and successfully goes pee in the toilet without hesitation. I was so proud that it only took a few days and he was trained. However, pooping in the toilet is another matter altogether and one that he is not so excited about!

Walking
5:30 am comes at a very dark and dreary time in the morning. Now I'm used to it - I began running at 5:30 every morning - It began a little rough but now I LOVE it. I feel like I lose a huge part of my day if I don't do it and I have time when I get home to do my devotions and shower before Jer and the kids wake up - amazing!!!

Playdates and Sleepovers
Summer would not be complete with a few of these!

puppy playdates - we watched my parents puppy for a weekend and Addison couldn't help dressing her up in build-a-bear clothes.

BFF sleepover - too precious!

Solomon

One of the reasons that Jeremy doesn't like pets is that they end up costing us a lot of money in the end - due to not only food and grooming but also in vet bills. Solomon has proved to be a keeper and therefore we fork out the big bucks when need be to make sure that he has some life left. He has never been a dog that chews on things - weird I know. However, he lack of general dog instincts has cost him his teeth. They have rotted and now are gone. He has a few stragglers left but the pickins are slim. So for $500 we received a dog with no teeth and better breath. Worth it?

MTI Class

I spent a week this summer studying math - sounds exciting huh? The State of Idaho has required all teachers to take this new Math Initiative class. I needed 3 college credits to recertify so I thought that this summer it would be necessary to take it. It was a pretty good class and I am greatful that I was able to take it with some friends - that made the days a bit less daunting. I'm glad I took it though and I feel more knowledgeable in the area of mathematics now - something I never thought I would say.

Softball

Jeremy joined our men's softball team from church for probably the 8th year in a row. I enjoy going to the games (yes - even with my children) and cheering the team on.

That's a quick (well. . . .) synopsis of June



Well . . .

Ummm . . . sheesh! About mid June time went spiraling into the abyss. That and computer issues which come to find out was to blame on a little piece of dirty lint - it's always the little things right?

I have so many blogs that I want to write - a quick June synopsis if I can remember anything, a July briefing as well as many "thoughts" that my mind has been contemplating about certain "things". So - what do I do when I have too many things I want to write about but know that it's going to take a LONG time? I procrastinate and when I find time - like now - I just babble and then go read a book instead.

It's on my "to do" list this week - to get caught up in blogs. Until then . . . . . chapter 17 awaits :)

Time . . . .

Time to blog?  I really don't remember what that is like? Do I even still have a blog? Can't quite remember? It's summer and that should mean plenty of time right? Apparently NOT!! I'm venting about it as well as maybe searching for a little sympathy (not too much however since I'm busy because of the choices I've made - so it's my own darn fault - mostly :))

June:

Math Initiative class for three credits - 5 long days of work and sitting

Jeremy's evening softball games either at 6:30 or 7:45pm

Jeremy working on his dad's new project (a house to remodel and re-sell)

working on keeping the darn birds out of our garden and cherry trees

swim lessons for the kids for 1 hour and 30 min. per day for two weeks

VBS from 9-noon the last week of June

A weekend trip to the cabin with my family

In the process of applying for a technology grant for my classroom

kids participating in the library summer reading program

time with family for Father's Day

Celebrating my sister-in-law's and my nephews birthdays

Taking our dog to countless vet appointments to prepare him to get his teeth cleaned and a few extracted

trying to read my quota of books for the month

Playing with our friends The Pucketts when they came to town for the weekend

potty training Rhett ( exhausting ) but worth it - I think he finally has it down :)

July:

4th of July spent with family (hopefully in Melba)

working in my classroom and preparing for 2nd grade (with kids in tow)

Disneyland for 10 days (whahoooooo!!!!)

Husband, Sister and nephew's birthdays

finding the right day care for Rhett once school starts

August:

Once August hits summer is officially over for me - I being frantically working in my classroom to get prepared for the next school year (yes - I've been teaching for 10 years and still have to prepare 1 to 2 weeks in advance to get ready for the year - and when it begins I never feel 100% ready)

We are hoping to fit in another cabin trip in August

celebrating our 11th year of marriage (it always falls on the first week of school - Boo!)

Celebrating my mom's birthday

Enjoying the excitement that that beginning of each school year brings (there is nothing quite like the excitement of the 1st day of school - I LOVE seeing the eager little faces line up outside my door full of potential and a bright future - I love them from the get go.)

Oh - and don't get me wrong! I feel crazy blessed to have this schedule as well - birthdays to celebrate, family vacations, trips to the cabin (my fav) - all of which lend themselves to tremendous memory building and laughter and for that I wouldn't trade a whole month of lazy days. Ahhhhh - I just made myself feel better!

May 2011

The month of May was difficult for me for a variety of reasons. I was dealing with medical issues which consumed much of my time due to fear and anxiety. I spent most of the month in despair. I was irritated easily with my children, didn't seem to have much joy and I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that my part-time job is no longer available. It was hard - I look back on it and remember how I felt and am so grateful that I no longer feel that way.

So - due to my many "issues" this past month nothing really was accomplished as far as my goals go. New recipes weren't tried, home item wasn't purchased, pounds were not lost (well, maybe 2), etc . . .

I am going to record with I did accomplish though because - Yes - I was still alive and still breathing.

Family Activity: Gardening

We moved our garden this year to a different location in order to grow more food. We put in raspberries, strawberries, onions, tomatoes, hot peppers, cilatro and corn. We are hoping to make salsa with our harvest come late summer, early fall.

FINALLY - cherries on our cherry tree!

Movie: Jane Eyre

I was finally able to make it to see the movie Jane Eyre at the Flicks in Boise. I went with some family and friends and we enjoyed a girls night at Baja Fresh and then at the movies. It was a nice getaway and a great movie!

Books Read:

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate: Na - too evolutionary for me! Didn't even finish it! Darwin was a main character and it just didn't interest me.

Daughter of Joy: I thought this was a very easy read but a very good book. I'm looking forward to finishing the series

Woman of Grace: Book two in the series - loved it! If you enjoy prairie -type Christian romances like Love Comes Softly then you will love these books.

Mother's Day

Words can't express how lucky I feel to be a mother. I am so grateful for the two children that God gave me to raise. I love them immensely and feel that incredible weight of raising them to love God and others daily. It can be overwhelming at times but well worth it! I never knew how deep a mother's love for her children could go - it's unfathomable! Thank you God for Addison Grace and Rhett Douglas - they are my world!

Kindergarten Graduation

Addison graduated from Kindergarten! Wahoo! I can't believe her first year of school is over - she is such a good student (with the only complaint being that she sometimes has difficulty paying attention because she is in lala land, as well as being a little too chatty at times) - who knew? She got the daydreaming from me and the chattiness from her aunt Katie's. I'm excited to see how she is going to do in first grade.

Singing with her classmates

Addison with Mrs. Drescher (her kindergarten teacher)

Addison shouting at Mimi and Bapa and Daddy from her seat!

Receiving her diploma from the superintendent

Addison with Mimi and Bapa!

First Lost Tooth!

In April when I discovered a loose tooth in Addison's mouth she was beyond excited! She worked on that thing and finally in May it decided to come out. She was against any of us pulling it of course - she's a bit dramatic when it comes to pain and blood but I noticed that it was hanging sideways and I told her that it was out she just needed to take it out of her mouth. She didn't believe me at first but with a little prodding she finally tried and it came right out - she was overcome with excitement. She was looking forward to the tooth fairy paying her a visit - she even prayed during her nightly prayers that the tooth fairy would come and be able to find the right house. In the morning she awoke to three dollars under her pillow - the tooth fairy is a bit more generous now than she was when I was a kid.

Soccer Season ends

Addison had her final soccer tournament in May. Her dad had made a bet with her because she hadn't made a goal all year long. So - he said that if she made a goal he would give her $5.00. Well, in her very last game she scored 2 goals so dad had to fork over $10.00. It was pretty funny - and she was SOOO excited!

Summertime Begins

The end of school symbolizes the beginning of summer - hurray! However, since school has ended I think we've had only a few days when the temperature has creeped past 70 degrees. Needless to say it doesn't "feel" like summer. We have taken advantage of the time off though and have spent a day at jumping jungle, going to Jeremy's softball games, working in our garden, going on walks and enjoying slushies from Sonic during their happy hour.

Blue coconut slushies at happy hour! She was so cute because when she got a brain freeze she would say she was having a cheek freeze and Rhett would whine and say that his head was frozen. Too cute!

They wanted to try out their new swimsuits - luckliy it was on a day in the mid 70s so it was not big deal! They are anxiously awaiting the NEXT day that they can go out and run through the sprinklers.

TWINS!! Nope - I took Rhett to our schools' field day and Connor is a boy in my class. You can see that I had a soft spot for Connor all year long - he looks just like Rhett! And it helps that he is a sweet little boy! Just hope Rhett is like that in kindergarten too!

infamous greenbelt pictures!

Throwing rocks in the creek was the least of my worries - I was nervous that my son would jump off of this platform and into the creek - he LOVES water!

Ahh - how I love them!

She's growing up way too fast!

June - you are my favorite! I'm looking forward to feeling good, changing my lifestyle a bit and excited to see where it takes me. I'm looking forward to cabin trips, a trip to my ole hometown for a church anniversary and watching my kids enjoy the summer! Feeling blessed!!