Texan Brown Updates

Definitely a Monday

2011-09-19T20:02:00.004-05:00

Today was definitely a Monday at school or should I say work. It should have been a relatively laid back Monday since I was giving a test today. However, I remembered early this morning that I forgot to run off the answer sheet for the test. So as soon as I got to my classroom, I sent the copies to the printer. No biggie, except I did not realize that my word file had a blank page after my answer sheet page. Needless to say I ran off 150 blank pages that I had to sort from the answer sheet. ARGH!! And of course, I was my regular self and had a typo on the test but this time the typo was kind of a big one. Opps!! Then during my 2nd period class, one of the fish tank groups decided to do a water change. Not a problem except that they did not screw the hose on to the faucet properly and water was squirting all over the electrical outlets. Not good!!! After they fixed the hose problem, they ran out of time to fill their tanks back up to the proper level. I told them that I would go ahead and fill their tanks so they would not be late for class. The first tank fill-up was taken care of without a problem. The second fill-up did not go so well. I got so busy starting my next class that I forgot about the 2nd tank until one of my students asked me if I was aware that the tank was overflowing. Oh yeah, I definitely felt like Noah. I had a major flood. And by the way school paper towels are not efficient for cleaning up a flood of this magnitude!!!

I love to see the temple

2011-09-06T17:52:00.007-05:00

On Sunday, August 7th, we went with Arielle's family to Temple Square after dinner with Mike's family. We really enjoyed walking around the grounds. The hardest part was trying to keep Em out of all the pools of water. Arielle had fun taking pictures with our camera. Thanks, Arielle!! We actually have some pictures of me now!

Naomi and Kaylee in front of the Christus

Naomi & Kaylee looking at the temple
The girls by a reflection pool

Em in the pool

All three girls

Our family with the temple in front of us

The girls

Berry Picking

2011-09-06T17:31:00.004-05:00

On Saturday the 6th of August, we, along with Arielle, Joel, and Emmalee, took a scenic drive through Payson to find a Berry Patch. We finally found a Raspberry Patch over on West Mountain in Payson. Before finding our berry patch, we stopped at a dollar store to find some berry picking supplies. The website for the berry patch suggested a container that tied around the waist so both hands could be free. We improvised and tied black scarves to some buckets. Naomi and Kaylee really got into picking berries. Em enjoyed picking them and then eating them. We ended up picking 8 lbs of raspberries which Arielle and I turned into raspberry jam. The jam is DELICIOUS!! Now I just need to find another berry patch because I am running out of jam. Only 3 jars left!!

Naomi picking berries
Kaylee picking berries

Joel and Em picking berries

Arielle, David, and the girls picking berries

Em picking berries and eating them ;o)

Our haul of berries

Hogle Zoo

2011-08-31T17:35:00.006-05:00

Another activity while in Utah was visiting the Hogle Zoo. Hogle Zoo had animatronic dinosaurs set up all around the zoo for Zoorasic Park. Kaylee especially liked the one that sprayed water at you. For this outing Stephanie, Jacob, and Eliza came with as well. This was definitely another fun outing.

lft: Naomi and Jacob rt:Kaylee and Emmalee on wooden horses
Naomi, Kaylee, and Emmalee on a tiger

Oh no, look out for that dinosaur

Naomi and Eliza

Arielle, Em, Kaylee, Naomi, David and Joel by the musical elephant

lft to rt: Kaylee, Naomi, Emmalee and Jacob

Kaylee getting sprayed by a dinosaur

Living Planet Aquarium

2011-08-31T17:18:00.002-05:00

One of the excursions Arielle planned for us was the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. We all really enjoyed it especially me! I know that is a no brainer after all I am an Aquatics teacher. :o) But hey if you live in Utah close to Sandy it is well worth it. Here are some pics from that day:

This display allows you to feel the electrical currents of an electric eel. I only lasted a couple seconds. Kaylee kept her fingers on for a couple of minutes.
Naomi, Kaylee, and Emmalee sitting in a canoe in the Amazon exhibit

Emmalee trying to pet a sting ray

Emmalee, Kaylee, and Naomi looking at some jellies

The girls and a frog (maybe if they kiss it, it will turn into a prince)

Visiting with Family in Utah

2011-08-31T16:56:00.004-05:00

The second leg of our family vacation (and the majority) was spending time with my Utah siblings (Dan, Mike, Arielle) and their families. Arielle and Joel were wonderful in allowing us to stay in their Orem condo while they were finishing out their South Jordan apartment contract. Arielle acted as our event/activity coordinator and planned out an itinerary for things for us to do when we visited. Check out the individual blog posts on those fun activities. Here is some random family pictures including pictures taken at our big family dinner:

Kaylee, Emmalee, and Naomi with Beamer (poor kittyboy)
Naomi reading to Jacob

Sleepover (Em is sharing the sleeping bag with Naomi, and Melanie is kneeling by Kaylee)

Yum breakfast for dinner (Clockwise starting in bottom lft: Em, Naomi, Kaylee, Jacob)

The Swiss Alps of America

2011-08-30T17:20:00.004-05:00

After summer school was finished for me, we decided to take a family road trip. On the 30th of July, we headed out and we pulled back in to Houston on the 16th of August. Our first leg of the trip was to Colorado. My dad's sisters live in Montrose, and I love to visit anytime that I can. (PS: I was born there.) This was David's first time going to Montrose and seeing Colorado. David absolutely loved Colorado and would not mind moving there. One of my favorite places to visit when I go to Montrose is a little resort town about 1 hour south called Ouray. Ouray is nicknamed the Swiss Alps of America. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see why. It is absolutely gorgeous. It was rainy the day we went. So we spent our time browsing the shops. Next time we visit, I want to bring the girls to the natural hot springs that is opened all year round. When I was in college, I actually went swimming in it during Thanksgiving break when it was snowing!!

The girls (if you look closely on the right right above the car there is a waterfall in the mountains)
David and the girls
David and the girls in front of the sign

Sea Center with Grandma and Pop-pop

2011-08-30T16:50:00.006-05:00

The last week in July my parents came for a short visit. On our one exclusive day with just them, we brought them down to the Sea Center in Lake Jackson. (FYI: for those Texans this is a free marine aquarium/fish hatchery/nature exhibit open to the public) Being an Aquatic Science teacher, I love to visit the Sea Center. I love the different aquaria displays that show the different aquatic habitats of Texas. If you get a chance, it is also fun to take a tour of the fishery that supplies a lot of the red fish for fishing here in Texas. They also have a small touch tank to touch various native aquatic animals. Naomi was quite scared of the crabs and was pretty leary of putting her fingers in the water. Don't worry they actually remove one of the claws on the crabs so they don't pinch. Kaylee's favorite part was the stock ponds. She liked buying the fish pellets and feeding them to the fish. She was quite inventive when we ran out of quarters for food. She started picking up stray pellets off the deck and feeding them to the fish.

Pop-pop trying to convince Naomi to touch an anemone
Grandma showing Naomi that the animals in the tank aren't harmful

Kaylee taking pictures (man that camera was an excellent investment)

David and the girls by the statue

The girls feeding the fish in the stock pond

Bringing Big Sis to the Circus

2011-08-30T16:32:00.006-05:00

In July, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to town. We love to go to the circus. When we found out Kaley had never gone to a circus, the girls and I decided to drag her along with us and have a girl day. We all had a blast. We loved going to the pre-show before hand. We got a lot of autographs from the performers, and the girls got to try on circus costumes. Kaylee loved the bouncing acts the best. At the end of the circus, Kaylee said she wants to be in the circus when she grows up.

Kaley and the girls in circus costumes
Kaylee all decked out!
Naomi looking glamorous!

Clowning Around!!What a bunch of clowns!!

4th of July 2011

2011-08-30T16:23:00.004-05:00

Fourth of July this year was pretty low key. In the morning, we dragged Kaley with us to our ward pancake breakfast. After the breakfast, we went and cleaned my classroom for awhile (yuck!!) Later that evening, the Bounds invited us to their house for a BBQ (thanks Bounds). Afterwards, we headed to the local mall to watch fireworks.

The girls in their matching 4th of July outfits Kaylee watching fireworks with Dallin

Naomi ahhing over some fireworks

You Scream, We Scream...

2011-08-30T16:11:00.005-05:00

We all scream for ICE CREAM!!!

The end of June we brought the girls and their big sis (Kaley) to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory in Brenham, Texas. The tour of the factory was fun. However, our favorite part by far was the free ice cream at the end of the tour. My new favorite flavor is Krazy Kookie Dough. It is a cake batter ice cream with multi-colored sugar dough cookie chunks. Yummmy!!! For those of you who have never had Blue Bell Ice Cream, ya'll are missing out.

Naomi, Kaley, and Kaylee by a display of Blue Bell ice cream flavors
All the girls by the old fashioned Ice Cream truck (ps the girls did not like wearing those hats!!)

Quotable Kaylee

2011-06-13T16:33:00.005-05:00

Kaylee in her new nightgown made by Grandma Braithwaite

Kaylee has said some interesting things the past few weeks.

Quote 1: Kaylee fell down in our entry hall. I asked her if she was okay. Her reply, "I hurt my clap bones!"

Quote 2: "Mommy, it's not fair that Naomi gets to be a teenager before I do!!" (I am so going to be in trouble when she gets older.)

Quote 3: After rotating clothes to the next size for the girls. "Mommy, I hit the jackpot on regular clothes. But Naomi hit the jackpot on swimsuits!!" (This was her argument for going to the store and buying a new swimsuit.)

Summer School

2011-06-13T15:57:00.003-05:00

One of the many reasons I went into teaching was that I had the summers off. However, the last two years I have needed to work. Last year, I worked at the zoo which was fun but it was hot and the commute was a bear. So this year, I am trying something new and will be teaching Aquatic Science in summer school. Today was my first day. It was the usual first day today. We were given our class rosters, room keys, etc. And of course the rest of the time was spent getting our classrooms ready. I am extremely blessed and only have 11 students in my class. Tomorrow is my first day with students. I only teach M-Th with Fridays off. I get a short break between semesters (over the 4th of July weekend). And then I will be done the 2nd to last week in July. My summer vacation this year will be the last week in July and the first two weeks in August. I will let you know how things go. Here is crossing my fingers that my 11 students are great students, and I have a blast teaching them!!!

Swim Lessons

2011-06-10T15:56:00.003-05:00

Every summer, I tell David that we need to get the girls swim lessons. And every summer we never get around to it. This year after both girls almost drowned. We decided it was time to stop dragging our feet and get them lessons.

Ok, so now most of you after reading that both girls almost drowned would like the rest of the story. Here is the rest of the story... we were invited to Kaley's (pretty much our surrogate older daughter's) graduation party. The graduation party was a luau theme with swimming for the younger kids in their backyard pool. When I said the girls did not swim, Kaley said it would be no problem since they have a small kid section in the pool. Not really knowing what the kid section would entail, I unfortunately left the water wings at home. The girls were doing pretty well hanging on to the side of the pool or sitting in the shallow kid section. Then Naomi tried to go after a little float not realizing that she was going a little too far, and she started drinking some pool water. We were able to throw her a noodle and she got back to the safe zone. (As a side note, I was dressed up for graduation which I had to get to in a little while. And David was in khakis.) After David dropped me off at graduation, instead of heading home David went back to Kaley's house and the girls continued to play in the pool. Towards the end of graduation, I received two text messages on my phone but could not get them until after graduation ended. After the ceremony finished, I read the texts which were from Kaley. She told me that David's phone did not work because he jumped into the pool fully clothed to rescue Kaylee from drowning. Yes, this time Kaylee got a little to close to the deeper water but instead of drinking a little pool water. She bobbed under a few times. By the time, David met up with me outside the place where graduation was both David and Kaylee were still a little shaky!

Now back to the swim lessons portion of the post. I was able to find someone in our ward who gives swim lessons at another family in our ward's pool. She is only charging me $15 for a half hour lesson for both girls. The girls had their first lesson yesterday and loved it. They will start going on Saturdays. Naomi is already starting to gain confidence in the pool again. Kaylee still likes to cling like a koala to whoever has her but at least she will get in the pool. I will keep you updated throughout the summer on the girls progress with swimming. I am hoping the girls will at least be able to float by themselves by the end of the summer!!

Cheap Entertainment

2011-06-10T15:53:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it is the cheapest things, that provide entertainment.

1st grade Wrap-up

2011-06-10T15:39:00.004-05:00

Another school year has come to a close, and Naomi has now completed the 1st grade. Naomi had a wonderful year in 1st grade. She loved her teacher Mrs. Bray. It is shame that she is retiring because Kaylee will not have the opportunity to have her. Naomi did her very best in the 1st grade spelling bee but got so nervous after every round she finally sat down mid-way through the spelling bee. However, she is determined to get further next year. At her 1st grade awards ceremony, she received certificates for Homework Hero (she did her homework every day), Outstanding Citizenship Award (she never got a mark on her behavior card), Academic Acheivement (straight A's on her 1st grade report card), and 1st place class spelling bee champion. As you can tell, Naomi truly excelled this year. She is reading on a 4th/5th grade reading level and is still excited about learning. The only thing we are trying to work on with her is that it is okay to not get a 100 on her assignments. (Yes, I know the apple does not fall far from the tree!!! )

Naomi and Mrs. Bray
Naomi at her awards ceremony (I tried to take a picture of her getting her awards but she walked away too fast!!!)

Introducing Bumper

2011-06-10T15:18:00.003-05:00

This is a very long overdue post. Here is the story of how Bumper came to our family. All the girls wanted for Christmas this year was a dog!!! Actually, Kaylee also wanted an Ariel salon but did not get it for some very good reasons!! Since we spent Christmas in Illinois with my parents, Santa's helpers went to work finding the perfect dog for us in Illinois. Santa did an awesome job and rescued Bumper from an animal shelter in Southern Illinois. Bumper was a little under the weather and was not ready to be put under the tree for Christmas morning. So instead, Santa put a box under the tree with lots of dog toys, leashes, etc and a personalized card from Bumper to the girls. We actually got to pick him up on Naomi's birthday which is New Year's. Santa's Elves truly found the perfect dog for us. Bumper is a well mannered 3 year old miniature schnauzer, which is the only dog I would even consider having in our home. Since Bumper is older, he was already house trained. He is extremely patient with the girls. The girls absolutely adore him, and he loves them too. In fact, he usually sleeps in one of the girl's beds at night. He even gets quite upset if he gets locked out of the girls' room. David and Bumper have become best buddies. Bumper likes to lay with David on the couch. And yes if David falls asleep on the couch Bumper will choose David over the girls to sleep with. The only flaw that Bumper has according to the girls is that he does not fetch. ;o)

The girls and Bumper the first night

Bumper laying on David's feet (his favorite spot to sleep!)

Bumper after getting groomed

Bumper in one of his many shirts the girls have for him

Spring Dance Recital

2011-05-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

Tonight was the girls Spring Dance Recital. They both had a ballet routine and a tap routine. They both did terrific. They really enjoyed dance this year and can't wait for fall so they can dance again. One of my students actually came and recorded the recital for us. So grandparents be on the lookout of a DVD of the girls recital in the mail.

The girls in their ballet costumes
The girls in their tap costumes (if you can't tell Kaylee is a cat)

Naomi

Kaylee

The girls and Ms. Heidi

Field Day 2011

2011-05-26T21:26:00.003-05:00

Today Naomi had field day at her school. Since it was in the afternoon, I was able to go over and walk around with her. I really enjoyed spending time with Naomi. Here are a few pictures of Naomi doing various field day events.

Sack race
Hurdles

Golf

Stomp (?) race

One of the many things I don't like about teaching...

2011-05-25T17:46:00.003-05:00

...is moving classrooms. After being in the same room for 7 years, my school has decided to relocate my classroom to be near the other teacher that is teaching Aquatics. Normally I enjoy moving because you can weed out things that you no longer use. However, moving a classroom is a totally different story. I am not looking forward to moving 20 fish tanks ranging between 30g- 5g. And then of course is my big monster tank of 150g. I tried to explain my hesitation with the principal but it was a no go. Well, there goes my dream of actually checking out early this year. I will definitely be spending the week after school gets out moving my classroom. I was offered the help of the custodians. If I boxed, they would move. However, knowing the history of breakage with the custodians. I don't trust them with my tanks!!

Our Little Speller Bee

2011-05-25T12:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Naomi's class had a spelling bee. Naomi placed 1st in her class. We are so proud of her. She is such a terrific speller. Every spelling test this year, she has got a 100. Next week some time, her and two of her classmates will compete in a 1st grade spelling bee. Stay tuned for the results!!

Easter 2011

2011-05-19T20:32:00.004-05:00

Better late than never. We really enjoyed Easter as a family this year. It was even more special since David was home this year. (Last year he was still in the hospital.) The girls enjoyed dying eggs with Daddy. I think we had more pink than any other color. The girls loved their Easter baskets and had fun finding the eggs. I bought them matching dresses this year but realized that I don't have a picture of the two of them and their dresses. I will have to take one and post it later. Oh by the way, the NO SPILL egg dying kit does not work. It makes a huge mess. We learned the hard way with it. Next year we are going back to the cheap kits and using our own cups!! Another thing I learned is: Kaylee egg hunts at lightning speed, next year I need to use the flipcam instead!!

David and the girls
Naomi dying an egg

Kaylee and David attempting to dye an egg using the No Spill cup

The girls and their baskets

Naomi with her eggs

Kaylee looking for an egg

Letters to the Tooth Fairy

2011-05-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

Back in the beginning of March, Naomi lost her top two front teeth a week apart from each other. Naomi was so excited to lose these teeth. But I think she was more excited to write a letter to her tooth fairy. When she lost her first one, she wrote a letter to her tooth fairy asking her some questions. For instance what was her name and was she Naomi's personal tooth fairy. In case you were wondering, Naomi's tooth fairy's name is Merry, and she is Naomi's personal fairy but she will visit Kaylee when she starts losing her teeth. Once she lost her second one, she had some harder questions for the fairy. For instance how big she was, etc. Naomi is so excited that her tooth fairy writes back to her. She can't wait to lose another tooth. She is planning on making her tooth fairy clothes to leave the next time. I just love this child.

After she lost the first one

Dress-up

2011-05-17T18:34:00.003-05:00

A week ago, Kaylee asked what my wedding dress looked like and wanted to see it. Once she saw it, she wanted to try it on for a minute. Her are some pictures of Kaylee wearing my wedding dress and veil. (Oh and my sister Arielle's too!)

Budding Photographer

2011-05-17T18:22:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was downloading pictures from the camera and was wondering why it was taking so long to load. When it finally pulled up, I noticed there were close to 300 pictures on my camera. This was a shock because I never keep that many pictures on the camera. It turns out that Kaylee had taken the camera and took over 200 pictures. Some of them were actually pretty good. So her gifts for her birthday from David and I was a kid's digital camera from Fisher Price. She absolutely loves the camera. She has already taken over 100 pictures. Below are some of Kaylee's pictures from my camera.

Kaylee and her new camera (I took this one)
Our dog Bumper

David's shoes

A zuzu pet purse

My polar bear carousel

Kaylee's 5th Birthday

2011-05-17T18:11:00.003-05:00

Wow, I can't believe Kaylee is now 5. Last week was Kaylee's birthday. We decided to have Kaylee's party at the park this year. We invited some families that we knew, and had hamburgers and hot dogs. Then of course we did the cake and presents. Fun was had by all. Kaylee really enjoyed having my dad here for her birthday. He was in town for the week and actually had to leave the party early to catch his flight. Instead of trying to take pictures and video at the same time, I just filmed it with the flipcam and took pictures from it. I think the pictures turned out great. Here is just a sampling of pictures. (Yes, I know the cake is in the box but it was really windy and that is the only way the candle would stay lit!)

Tangled cake (however, all the rest of the decorations were Little Mermaid)
Blowing the candle

Wow my own Zuzu pet

Kaylee loves musical cards

Naomi's First Solo

2011-05-17T17:55:00.004-05:00

The 1st grade classes at Naomi's school do a special Mother's Day program every year. The different classes sing a cute jazzed up nursery rhyme. And then the moms or grandmas go to the child's class for "tea". Naomi's class had a couple of solo parts in their song. And you guessed it Naomi was one of the soloist. Sorry I couldn't share the whole video but here is Naomi's solo. Her jazzed up nursery rhyme was Humpty Dumpty. She is wearing a nurses hat.

A Day Off = Trip to the Zoo

2011-04-26T17:57:00.005-05:00

Last Friday, Naomi and I had the day off of school. Since we have a zoo membership, we headed to the zoo early Friday morning. We did not leave as soon as I would like so we had a hike from our parking spots. But we still enjoyed ourselves. The girls and I brought along Kaley (our babysitter) and Isaac (one of the boys from my church class). I don't know if it is because I have no sons or just Isaac but he has a special place in my heart. Here are few pictures of our day at the zoo:

Kaylee on carousel
Naomi on the carousel

The girls and Isaac by the giraffe

The girls and Isaac by another statue

I love the elephants especially the two babies (Baylor and Tupelo)

Kaylee always has to get a picture with this elephant statue!!

Field Trip to Galveston

2011-04-26T17:44:00.002-05:00

Every year in April sometime, I bring my Aquatic Science classes to Galveston. This year because of increased class sizes, I went 3 times. I was short a chaperone one day so I dragged David along with me. And of course if David and I went, the girls had to come too!!! Naomi was so excited. She did everything the big kids did including filling out the field trip information and specimen records sheets. Kaylee just enjoyed all the attention from the teenagers. She also enjoyed helping find things and playing in the water. When Naomi returned to school the next day, she gave an oral report of the trip with pictures to her class. Her teacher and class LOVED it!! On a side note, her teacher did not even mark her absent! ;o) Here are the pictures that I took of the girls down there! There are plenty more on my student's cameras. My girls were definitely a hit. In fact, I had lots of babysitting offers after this!

Naomi with a marsh periwinkle snail
Kaylee with her periwinkle snail

Naomi shuffling her feet to help scare up animals into the seine net

Kaylee having a ball

Kaylee heading off on her own little adventure!!

Kaylee is Learning Math

2011-04-26T08:13:00.003-05:00

Kaylee has always been and probably will always be my free spirit. She is becoming really head strong and has a problem listening especially to David. Last night David put Kaylee in a 5 minute time out for not listening. Once she got out, she was still not listening so she went back in for another 2 minutes. A little while after she got out, she said came to me and said, "Mommy, I was in time out for 7 minutes. Because I was in for 5 minutes and then for 2 more." My teacher friends all got a kick out of my daughter learning math from time outs. They were joking with me when she goes to kindergarten next year, and she is asked how she learned to add she will tell them she was in time out a lot!!

It Takes Talent...

2011-03-24T20:58:00.005-05:00

I am truly talented or should I say accident prone. Last night while I was driving I jammed my fingernail into my steering wheel. Since I have fake nails over my real ones, my nail could not bend back. I knew it lifted up some but thought if I babied my finger it would be ok. Well, this morning on my way out the door I caught my nail on the front door and immediately had a rather sharp piercing pain in my finger. I did not realize what happened until I got to my car and noticed my nail was crooked and completely pulled out of the nail bed on one side. I drove to work and then went and saw my school nurse. She pretty much told me what I was thinking that my nail was going to have to be removed. She buddy taped it to my middle finger so I wouldn't bang it on anything else while I waited for my doctor's office to open to see if they could take care of it. Turns out my doctor's office could not take care of it so my option was the ER or urgent care. Since my students were doing a lab today, I held off going until my lunchtime because I only have one more class (6th) and conference (7th) afterwards. I also have a helping teacher in that class. One of my good friends has lunch at the same time as me and her conference is 6th so she brought me to the urgent care. After a wonderful shot to numb my finger, I am now nail-less. The doctor says it will take a few months for it to grow back. The urgent care was so fast that my friend made it back to teach her 7th period class. For the next couple of days I get to walk around with a wrapped finger and doped up on pain meds.

Oh, bother...

2011-03-02T20:51:00.004-06:00

Today was an Eeyore kind of day. It all started off when I decided Naomi needed milk to drink this morning. When we got to my school, Naomi had placed the milk jug in the side pouch of her backpack and then laid it by my desk. Little did she know the lid was not on tight enough and so we ended up with milk spilling all over my floor and her backpack. So I had to rush to find a new bag of some sort for school. Luckily one of my good friends (the librarian) had a reusable bag for us to use. Once I obtained the new bag I hurried and moved her essentials to it. We just barely made her bus. Needless to say I started my 1st period of the day just a tad flustered. Things started to smooth out a little until my phone rang towards the end of 1st. I noticed via my email that it was the main number for Naomi's elementary school, which definitely could not be good. When I listened to the voicemail, I found out that in my haste to move things to the temporary bag I forgot to put in her homework. For most children this would not be a problem but for Naomi this was a crisis. To add insult to injury Naomi was doing video announcements this morning and I knew she was red faced and tear streaked. Luckily I can think on my feet and realized I could use the copier in the library and scan her homework to email and then email her homework to her teacher. So I called her teacher left a message and then called the front office. The front office ladies were wonderful and said they would tell Naomi right then. Whew diaster diverted. It would have be nice if my day had gotten better after this but alas things definitely got worse. At the end of my 2nd period, I tripped on my own feet (yes it happens) and one of my shoes broke. Argh!! I wish I could say I had a spare pair of shoes in my room but nope I do not. I even brought my rain boots home a couple weeks ago so I did not even have those. Therefore, I taught the rest of the day shoeless on hard concrete floor. Can you say aching feet? At this point, all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed. Too bad, I had to drive downtown for an interview at the zoo. Just got home a little before 9. I am ready to put this day behind me!!!!

Not Fair

2011-02-17T21:12:00.004-06:00

Why is it that good teachers get punished and bad teachers get rewarded??? All this year, there has been a constant issue with the other teacher who was assigned to teach Aquatics with me. I don't know if it is lack of ability to relate to teenagers or poor teaching style. But the majority of the students that have her as a teacher do not like her. There has been constant complaints by students and parents alike to the adminstration about this. This really should not be my problem but it has become my problem because if the parents complain so much the student will get transferred to my class. At this point, we both teach the same amount of classes but I teach 43 more students than she does. Her biggest class is the same size as my smallest class. And she has 3 classes that only have 15 students. In conclusion, to get back to my title and my opening sentence I feel like I am being punished by being a better teacher. And the unfairness of it all comes to play right now as I am grading. Because 43 more students times each assignment we have to do is exponentially more papers to grade. Ok, now that I got this ranting done back to grades I go.

I Give Up

2011-02-16T21:58:00.003-06:00

Sometimes computers are wonderful. Then there are other days when you just want to do the above. Tonight is one of those nights. First blogger would not let me upload the girls cute dance videos. Now I am trying to diligently get my grades done before the last minute but of course the server for my gradebook is acting up and won't let me input grades. ARGHH!!! Just goes to show you sometimes it doesn't pay to try and be efficient.

Christmas Dance Recital

2011-02-16T19:50:00.006-06:00

The girls started taking dance lessons an hour a week back in September from a sister in our stake in her home. Naomi goes afterschool one day a week. And Kaylee goes during the day on Friday. Both girls learn a little ballet and tap. They both really enjoy dance and love their teacher. In December, each girl had a mini-recital during their last dance class that month. I really wanted to get a video of the girls dancing since neither of our parents live close enough to come watch. So I asked my friend if I could borrow her flip camera. My plan was for me to use the flip for video and David to use the digital for pictures. The plan worked perfectly for Naomi but somehow when it was Kaylee's day the flip camera's batteries were dead. Needless to say, I had to use our old digital to take video clips of Kaylee. Therefore, the video clips are not the greatest and I have very few pictures. Lesson learned: next time bring extra batteries (check to make sure equipment is charged). Here is a picture of Naomi and short video of Kaylee. (Blogger was not being really nice to me and I couldn't upload any longer clips. ARRGH!!! I will try uploading from school some other time.)

FHE Lessons for a Year

2011-01-24T22:31:00.004-06:00

Last year one of my friends emailed me a wonderful packet of FHE lessons for the year that went along with the Primary theme for last year. My family and I really loved them. Today I was thinking about those lessons and wondering if there was one for this years Primary theme. After a quick search on google, I was able to find one for this year. Here is the link for anyone who would like FHE lessons to go along with the Primary theme this year. If you are having trouble downloading it, let me know and I can email the file to you.

A whole lot of sharing

2011-01-11T21:15:00.004-06:00

When your kids are young, you always instill in them the virtue of sharing. Well, I think there should be a caveat on it. No sharing your germs (illnesses)!!! Last week, Naomi wasn't feeling good. I tried keeping her home but she wanted to go to school. However, she kept getting worse and when her eyes started crusting over. I drew the line. I brought her to the doctor last Thursday and she had pink eye in both eyes, double ear infections, and a sinus infection. Poor girl. Then Kaylee started getting sick this weekend so David brought her to the doctor yesterday. Kaylee had the start of ear infections and of course sinus issues plus a cough. I have been feeling a little under the weather myself. But of course being the adult I was trying to tough it out. Well, after staying up almost all last night because my ears hurt so bad, I stayed home and went to the doctor today. And wouldn't you know it. Yes, I have double ear infections as well as a sinus infection. My ears are so bad the doctor wants to see me again on Thursday just to make sure the antibiotics are working. So if anyone would like ear/sinus infections, please feel free to come to our house. It seems like our family likes to share them. PS: Knock on wood David does not have them yet!!!!

All I want for Christmas...

2010-12-22T14:21:00.003-06:00

... is a miracle. I found out right before Christmas break that one of my students is dying from cancer. This is my second year having this student. I taught him as a sophomore and now as a senior. This student's story is quite sad. It is just him and his mom. I am not sure about everything but I know that he works after school to help support his mom (pay bills, buy food, etc.). Evidently, he has been sick for the last six months but did not want his mom to worry so he kept it from his mom. He also knew they did not have health insurance. During Thanksgiving break, he was rushed to the ER and had emergency surgery where they removed some of the masses. However, the cancer had spread throughout his whole body. The doctors are not expecting my student to make it to January. He has been accepted into one of the top Cancer Hospitals in the nation. He started chemo the end of last week. All of his teachers, including me, are praying for a miracle. Christmas is always a season of miracles. I just pray that whatever happens it will be for the best.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2010-12-06T22:05:00.003-06:00

Before I go to bed tonight, I wanted to post one more post. Today's is my mom's birthday. I wanted to take this time to tell my mom how much I love her. She has always been such a big support to me. She is a very talented lady. (Just ask to look at my wedding dress, she made it herself. Including the pattern.) She is so kind and giving. I don't know how many people who would open their home to teenagers after finally becoming empty nesters. She is a terrific grandmother. My girls adore her. And she is my role model. I wish I could be as Christ-like and giving as she is. I know this is an old picture but it is a good one of her and my girls. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Thanksgiving in AZ part 2

2010-12-06T21:40:00.004-06:00

We really enjoyed our trip to Arizona. I am glad that Naomi and I had 3 days off so we could spend 4 quality days in Arizona. We had lots of fun and made some great memories. Some of the fun we had were the girls playing in Grandpa's sandbox. Kaylee making up a interesting way of playing chess. The girls going to Show Low to see all of their cousins. It was their cousin Avery's birthday. She just turned 4. (David and I did not go with them that day. David wanted to rest. And I spent the whole day Saturday grading papers. YUCK!!!) I also got to spend time with my best friend. Too bad, I did not take any pictures of her and I. Shanna, guess I have to come back so we can take some pictures of us. All in all we really enjoyed our time. We left early Sunday morning and drove all day back to Texas. It makes for a long day but our girls are terrific travelers!!! Don't know when we will back that way again. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later!! Here are some pictures of some of our fun:

Kaylee in the sandbox
Naomi in the sandbox

Kaylee playing her interesting version of chess with David

Grandma and the girls with snow in Show Low

Kaylee with Hendrix

Naomi with Hendrix

L to R: Kaylee, Lillian, Avery, and Naomi. (Kaylee, Lillian, and Avery are all 4)

Thanksgiving in AZ

2010-12-06T21:16:00.004-06:00

Since the end of August beginning of September, David and I had been tossing back and forth the idea of going to Safford for Thanksgiving. In David's early feel for who was going to be where for Thanksgiving, we learned that David's sister Lecia was going to travel to Safford for Thanksgiving. Since we thought David's parents were going to be at their place for Thanksgiving, we thought we would surprise his family and show up. We were not sure if we could go but finally we decided to just go for it because David really needed to see his family and I needed a break from the stress at home. However, we got a very startling monkey wrench that Monday night when we found out plans had changed and David's parents were traveling up to Lecia's for Thanksgiving. OH NO!!! Now we did not know if we were going after all and the girls and the car were pretty much packed. Long story short, we had to let the cat out of the bag and tell his parents our plans. His parents kindly rearranged their Thanksgiving plans and decided to stay in Safford so we could come out and visit. So Tuesday right after my last class, we headed off to Arizona. David and I switched off driving throughout the night and we got to Safford early Wednesday morning. We really enjoyed ourselves. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. I made my mom's absolutely scrumptious stuffing. The turkey we brought with us tasted wonderful. (Funny story: David's mom said she would have to buy a turkey. I told her don't worry about it I have a turkey in my freezer outside so we brought it in a cooler with us!!) I made my sweet potato casserole. David's mom made the greenbean casserole. And then of course we had rolls and the relish platter. What a great Thanksgiving!!! And then of course later that night there was the pie.

David helping his Dad stuff the turkey
Sitting down to eat

More eating pictures

Kaylee and her pie (no cool whip for her)

Naomi and her pie (Extra cool whip, please!!!)

Kid Swap

2010-12-06T21:09:00.003-06:00

Last night, I was teasing Kaylee and I told her I was going to ship her off to her Aunt Arielle. Right after I said that I got a text from Arielle. The text read "Emmalee would like to be donated to Aunt Katie." I had to laugh that Arielle and I were trying to give each other our children at the same time. Too bad, we live too far apart away from each other that we can't just automatically swap children for a day. Wouldn't it be nice!?!

Project Clean-up Arizona

2010-12-01T20:59:00.002-06:00

While we were in Arizona, I started to get very congested in my chest. I was talking to my in-laws and I said that the dust in Arizona was getting to me. Kaylee overheard us talking. And she told my mother-in-law that she (grandma) needed to clean-up Arizona so mommy (I) can come back and visit. So Grandma, you better start cleaning up Arizona. P.S. Kaylee says that if you use soap and water, it will clean all of the dust right up!!!

Interesting Phenomenon

2010-11-30T19:38:00.003-06:00

Our car is getting older. And how it is with all older cars it is has its quirks. One of its odd little quirks is quite interesting. Inside our dash, we have two lights. One lights up the left side of the dash with the speedometer. And the other light works the right side. Well, the light on the right side stopped working about a year or so ago. The interesting phenomenon is that everytime we go on a long distance road trip the light magically works again. And then as soon as we pull into our neighborhood at the end of our trip it stops again. Hmm, how does our car know that we are going long distance and when we get back home. I have a strong feeling that the Lord controls that light for us. Maybe the Lord does have a hand in all things.

Christmas Pictures

2010-11-29T22:44:00.002-06:00

While in AZ, David's mom brought the girls to Wal-Mart to get their pictures taken. Click here to see the pictures.

Cousins

2010-11-29T22:04:00.003-06:00

Holidays are a time to be thankful and spend time with family. David and I were able to drive to AZ to visit his family. We had a nice Thanksgiving with just his folks. (I'll blog more on that later.) And then on Saturday David's parents took the girls up to Show Low to see David's sister Lecia and her family. David's sister Shawna was there with hers as well. This is the first time that all 9 cousins have been together. I am glad the girls got to spend some time with their AZ cousins.

Trunk or Treat

2010-11-02T21:11:00.003-05:00

Our girls have never done the traditional trick or treating. Instead, we go to our church's trunk or treat activity, Zoo Boo, and occassionally Mall-o-ween if Halloween is not on a Sunday. This year was a little bit unusual in that the girls went to Trunk or Treat without us. David and I were supposed to go on a date this past Friday night but our babysitter had to cancel but she was free Saturday. So David and I went on our date Saturday night and the girls went with our babysitter to trunk or treat. We have the absolutely best babysitter. Not only did she bring the girls to trunk or treat but she took pictures of them and then brought them home limited them to 2 pieces of candy and had them in bed (asleep) before we got home. (It will be a sad day when she goes off to college next year. She has been babysitting for us since she was a Freshman.)

Ready for the fun

Trunk or Treating (I think the cat has an itch)

Kaylee's loot

Naomi's loot

Matching Jammies

2010-11-02T21:08:00.002-05:00

My mom made all of her granddaughters matching pj's. Naomi and Kaylee love them. Here is a picture of them in their jammies with their cat ears of course!! Thanks, Mom (Grandma).

Oil Ranch

2010-11-02T20:38:00.011-05:00

On October 27th, Naomi's class went on a field trip to the Oil Ranch in Hockley. We asked Naomi who she wanted to go with her and she wanted me to. So I took the day off work and went with her. I had never been to the Oil Ranch but I enjoyed myself so much that I would like to go sometime as a family. Our day was spent filled with lots of fun activities. Naomi got to milk a cow, ride a pony, play in a hayloft, go on a hay ride to feed some cows, rode a miniature train, picked a pumpkin and lots of other cool stuff. I think my favorite was going on the hay ride. Before we got on the wagon for the hay ride each kid was allowed to get three pieces of cow food. Once we got into the pasture, the cows came right up to the wagon and ate the food right off the kid's hands. It was fun to see the kid's faces when they got slobbered by a cow.

Naomi milking a cow

Naomi riding a pony (she was a little unsure at first because of the height issue)

On our way to feed the cows

Feeding the cows

Naomi saying hi to the cows

Naomi in the hay loft

Learning about indians

Naomi with her pumpkin

Naomi's class (of course the sun was too bright and I did not realize that Naomi is behind a green post. arghh!!)

Zoo Boo 2010

2010-11-02T20:20:00.006-05:00

From about October 12-17th, my dad came in town for a business trip. We were able to spend some time with him. One of the things that we were able to do was go to Zoo Boo with him. We love going to Zoo Boo. (Well, at least I do! I love the zoo.) The girls had an enjoyable time seeing the animals and trick or treating at the treat stations spread around the zoo. The girls also liked picking out pumpkins in the pumpkin patch and then decorating them. I let the girls choose what they wanted to be this year. Naomi wanted to be a black cat. And Kaylee wanted to be a PINK princess, of course!!

The girls all ready to go to Zoo Boo

A picture with the rhino (I am so excited to see the real ones once they open them to the public in December)

Finding the perfect pumpkin

Kaylee in the pumpkin patch

Naomi's perfect pumpkin

Cooling off at the end of a long walk around the zoo

David's Birthday

2010-11-02T20:11:00.004-05:00

David's turned 36 this year. His birthday date was kind of cool. It was 10-10-10. It was a quiet birthday this year. We invited Jenny, Shane, and Aurora over for dinner and the party. Since David really is not a fan of cake, we had an ice cream cake. David got a lot of clothes from the girls and I. I think his favorite gifts by far was the small basketball hoop that hangs over a door from his parents and then a calendar from the girls and I that has a basketball hoop attached. The girls were really into David's birthday this year. They decorated the mirror for the party. And Naomi wrote a birthday list of what we needed to buy/do to celebrate David's birthday. It was very cute to see the girls get so excited for their Dad's special day. Here are just two of the pictures from that day.

If you look really close the present right up front Naomi wrapped

Blowing out the candles

Indoor Camp-out

2010-10-21T18:42:00.003-05:00

When Naomi had her sleep-over last month, Kaylee was really bummed. She didn't understand why she could not go too. So I decided, we needed to do something to make staying home without Naomi fun. Kaylee and I decided to have a sleep-over in the family room. Kaylee got really in to it and decided that she wanted a camp out. We set up the girls play tent and found Kaylee's sleeping bag. Kaylee wanted to have a fire outside her tent, but I convinced her that having a fire in the middle of the family room was not a very smart idea. I did, however, buy her some yummy strawberry marshmallows. Kaylee and I had a lot of fun. I think she would not mind Naomi being gone again.

Kaylee eating her marshmallows and watching a movie

Kaylee all set up for her camp-out

Friday Night Lights

2010-10-04T18:28:00.003-05:00

On a Friday (or Saturday) night from September to December, you can usually find our family sitting in the bleachers watching my high school's football game. Since I teach mostly seniors, the majority of my students are on some varsity sport or other. I enjoy going to the football games every week and seeing my students (football players, cheerleaders, brigade members, band, and drill team) show off their talents. And my students love to know that I am there in the stands supporting them. Every week my students ask if I am going to the game that week. A couple weeks ago, I happened to be sitting two rows back from our bench. It was neat to see the smile on my football players faces when the realized that I had come to watch them play. Here are a few pictures of David and the girls from this season.

Kaylee decided that David needed to wear her ears and she needed to wear his hat

Naomi smiling in the stands

Fact or Fiction

2010-10-04T18:19:00.004-05:00

Today on the way home from school, Naomi and I got into a discussion about David and Goliath. Naomi wanted to know if Goliath being a giant was fact or fiction. She asked if Goliath was a real giant or was he just wearing stilts. Boy, this child is always analyzing and pondering the deeper meaning of things.

Naomi's First Sleepover

2010-10-04T11:17:00.003-05:00

This past Friday, Naomi had her first birthday/slumber party. I was a little nervous because this was the first time that she would be spending the night with someone other than family. She did really great!! She did have a little trouble getting to sleep and was a little homesick around 11pm that night. Her mom's friend called me so Naomi could talk to me; however, my phone was on vibrate and I left it by Kaylee's bed. Needless to say I did not hear the phone. Oh well, she ended up falling asleep and was glad she stayed the whole time. I sent a disposable camera with her to take pictures but I have not developed them yet. It will be interesting to see what the pictures look like. Here are some pictures her friend's mom took.

Naomi and her best friend
All ready for sleep

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2010-10-03T19:23:00.004-05:00

Through our ward, we were given free tickets to see the Astro's play on Sept. 11th. This was Naomi's second time going to a baseball game and Kaylee's first. The girls did pretty well. (They prefer football more.) However, we really enjoyed the time spent as a family.

Naomi and Kaylee sitting on a baseball out in front of Minute Maid

The girls and I

David and the girls

Grandparent's Lunch

2010-10-03T19:18:00.002-05:00

Back in beginning of September, Naomi's school had grandparents lunch. Since both sets of Grandparents live out of state, I asked them if they could send letters to Naomi for me to put in her lunchbox. I actually took the day off and went and had lunch with her. She loved reading her letters for lunch. And of course, she loved having her mom come eat lunch with her. Thank you to both sets of grandparents for sending her letters.

Funny Sayings

2010-09-23T18:28:00.005-05:00

Kaylee: Her favorite dance move in ballet is the "souffle"

Naomi: On the way home one day, she told us that there are dust "barnacles" floating in the air that can get stuck in our noses

Kaylee: Naomi was getting ready to mail a letter. David went to get some stamps for her. Kaylee did not want to be left out and wanted stamps too. A couple seconds later, Kaylee came back with one of my scrapbooking stamps and said here is my stamp momma.

Kaylee: I came home from work today and Kaylee was in the process of falling asleep on the couch. I picked her up and brought her with me so she could wake up. Kaylee looked at me and told me she was tired and needed her "beauty sleep".

Kaylee: Tonight at dinner, Kaylee commented "looks good baby!" about the lasagna.

Bedtime Miracle

2010-09-08T20:38:00.004-05:00

My girls have always had difficulty falling asleep. Some said that I just needed a good routine and eventually they would go to sleep at a decent time. However, we had a good routine and they still could not fall asleep. This truly was not a surprise to me because I have the same problem. I have extreme difficulty falling asleep especially during the school year. I don't necessarily suffer from insomnia. Simply my brain just won't shut off. For example: This week I have been suffering from a really bad cold. One would think that being as sick as I am I should have no problem falling asleep. Nope, I was up till 1 am this morning thinking about who knows what but my brain just would not shut off. This past summer the girls stayed with my parents. After the first few weeks of trying to get my girls to bed, my sister-in-law gave my parents something to try. It is an herbal supplement called Nite MGR. And let me tell you it works miracles. My parents used it all summer and told me how easily the girls were going to bed. Since the girls have been home, David and I give it to the girls every night. And it truly is a miracle. The girls are usually asleep between 8/8:30 every evening. What a blessing!!!!! Thank you Mandi and John for telling Mom and Dad about this!!! (Now I am seriously considering taking some myself.)

Phase Change

2010-09-01T20:39:00.004-05:00

The last couple of years, Kaylee has loved the color blue. I don't know if that is because I would put her in blue and Naomi in pink but she loved the color. Over the summer she has changed her preference, she now loves pink. It took me by surprise during one of our phone conversations this summer when I told her I bought something purple for her and pink for Naomi and she started to cry because she wanted the pink one. Everyday this week, she has worn at least one thing pink. Just in case you were wondering, she still loves Little Mermaid!!!

Kids in the Candy Store

2010-08-31T18:13:00.003-05:00

Every year as part of my class, my students get to set up and maintain a fish tank. Every year, I get to play the mean parent and reign my students in from their grandiose ideas for their tanks!! This year is no exception. My students are like kids in a candy store. I have lost track of how many times I have had to say NO!! (i.e. No piranhas, No sea horses, No sharks, No octopus, No electric eel, No lionfish). And then I have students that want a bigger tank than what I have to offer and so they want to bring tanks in from home. I even have some students that are buying their own fish tank to bring to class. I had to put a stop to this because pretty soon I will have nothing but fish tanks in my classroom and no place for my students to sit!!! And then you should see all the things they want to decorate their tank with. Updates will definitely be following of how many tanks I finally end up having, fish they end up buying, and of course pics of the tanks. ;o)

A Trip to the Zoo

2010-08-29T18:53:00.005-05:00

After spending the whole summer at the zoo, I wanted to share my new view of the zoo with David and the girls. So yesterday, we picked up Aurora and headed to the zoo. It was rather hot so we only spent a couple of hours but we really enjoyed ourselves. We got there just in time to see the Sea Lion show. Having watched it 9 times this summer, I thought I would be bored but I loved watching my girls watch the show for the first time. The girls absolutely loved it. Especially when the sea lions did their buoy jump. After the sea lion show, we had to hit all of the girls favorites starting with the aquarium (I wonder why?!?). Then we headed to see the giraffes, the elephants, the cats, and the bears with other animals mixed in. Next was the carousel. Kaylee was so excited to ride the carousel right up until I put her on an animal. Then she went berserk. So Naomi (who is afraid of heights), Kaylee, and I rode around on the bench while Aurora rode one of the animals. Oh well, we had fun. Last stop was the dinosaurs. I really thought Kaylee would enjoy it because every time I called this summer she asked which dinosaurs I had seen. However, Kaylee was not a fan of the dinosaurs. She was so scared her hand was trembling in mine. If I hadn't been holding Kaylee's hand when we got to the T-Rex, she would have run out of the exhibit screaming. Poor girl, I guess dinos are not her thing.

David and the girls on the parasaurolophus. (This is before we saw the dinos in the exhibit)

Kaylee and Aurora in the piranha tunnel (It took Kaylee awhile to decide she wanted to go in it but then she had fun)

Aurora, Naomi, and Kaylee with a Masai giraffe behind them

The girls with the elephant statue

The girls in front of an Andean (Spectacled) Bear (Notice the bear has the right idea he is chilling in his pool!!)

Kaylee wanted a picture of her and the lion fountain

Back in the saddle again

2010-08-24T21:22:00.005-05:00

Yesterday started another year of teaching for me. And it wouldn't be normal if there was not at least one challenge to my first day back. It was a little crazy getting my first period started and then leaving to drop Naomi off and then coming back to end the period. Good thing Naomi's school is so close to mine. But that was nothing compared to a little later on in the day. This year due to my program growing so big and budget cutbacks in our district. I teach 6 out of the 7 periods in our school day. And it so happens that my planning period is the last period of the day. So my only saving grace from teaching 6 periods back to back is my lunch. This year according to the master schedule I was supposed to have A lunch, which is more like brunch since it is at 10 in the morning. But I was ok with that because it would break up my classes. I would teach 3 have lunch and then teach 3 more. So after my 3rd period yesterday, I went into my back room and put my food in the microwave. Then I headed back to the bathroom via my classroom. As I started to walk through my classroom, I noticed that I had students walking into my class. I was quite startled and told them they were a little early that this was my lunch. At which point they corrected me and said that no they had class right now. And sure enough according to their schedule they did. So I pointed them to the seating chart, ran to the bathroom and then came back to start class. While they were doing their first assignment, I had to run and put my lunch back in the fridge. And then I called the scheduling principal to find out when my actual lunch is, which is C lunch. C lunch is definitely not brunch but it makes for a really long day. Basically I now teach 5 classes have a 30 minute lunch and then teach one more class before I have my planning period. Wow, it is only the second day today and I am already exhausted!!!

First Day of First Grade

2010-08-24T21:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Naomi's first day of first grade. She is so excited for school this year. I think she had everything ready to go at least four days before school started. She has a really sweet teacher. And her best friend from last year, Nicole, is in her class again this year. Nicole's mom and I were both relieved to see that they were in the same class again.

On Sunday, we decided to put Naomi's hair in curlers. But alas... that lasted until midnight when she realized that curlers are just too uncomfortable to sleep with. I have to agree with her. I can still remember the difficulty I have had trying to fall asleep with curlers in my hair. (Hmm... is that why you see little old ladies wandering around the stores with curlers in their hair during the daytime?) I was able to get one of my teacher friends to cover the first part of my first period so that I could bring Naomi to her class for her first day. I did a quick drop-off, took a couple quick pictures and left. When she got off the bus in the afternoon, she was all smiles. She loved her first day. Here are the pictures of preparing for and her first day. (It is amazing to compare her first day pictures from this year to her first day pictures from last year!!)

Naomi in her curlers that lasted till midnight
Naomi at her desk

Naomi and in the row behind her, her best friend Nicole

Just another day at Camp Zoofari

2010-07-15T06:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, was quite interesting for me. The heat index was supposed to be around 110 degrees. I don't know if it actually attained that but it sure did feel very hot. Due to the heat, weather, or some unforeseen cause, two of my campers ended up getting bloody noses. Talk about gross. The first happened in the classroom so I just called a principal. I felt bad for the poor kid. It took at least 10 minutes for it to stop bleeding. My second camper's bloody nose happened in the Tropical Bird House and boy this one was a gusher. This time around I had to call a ranger to come administer first aid. And then I got to call housekeeping so they could clean up the blood of the floor. However, I did get a free ride on a golf cart back to the classroom building from this one. On a side note: I don't know what it is about kids but all of my other campers had to come up and look at the other's campers bloody noses. Why?? Oh well, it was just another day at the zoo.

Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Event

2010-07-13T19:24:00.003-05:00

In our morning meeting yesterday, we were told that Target is sponsoring a free day at the zoo this Friday. Target is actually sponsoring an Arts & Wonder Family Event this weekend across the US. Many museums and other venues will be free this weekend. Click on this link and you can see what is free in your area.

Just Can't Get Enough...

2010-07-07T20:36:00.002-05:00

On Monday, one of my past students Dominique texted me and asked what I had been up to. I told her that I have been working at the zoo but this week was my week off. We texted for awhile and I told her that I have learned so much at the zoo that I could give her my own personalized tour of the zoo. She took me up on that offer and we decided to go yesterday. I ended up inviting my niece, Aurora, to come along. And one of my other students, Sam tagged along too. We had a blast!! I guess I must be a cool teacher to have my students want to go to the zoo with me when school is not in session. Here are some pictures of us at the zoo. I know I already have lots of pictures of the zoo already but hey a few more can't hurt. Guess I really need to start scrapbooking them all.

From L to R: Me, Dominique, Sam and Aurora in front

Aurora, Dominique and Sam in the tunnel under the piranhas

Dominique, Sam, and Aurora in front of the Coral Reef tank in Natural Encounters

Aurora, Sam, and Dominique in front of the giraffes

When it rains at the zoo...

2010-07-05T18:03:00.006-05:00

During the summer at the Houston zoo, some of the animals especially the cats like to hide because of the heat. Last Thursday and Friday, Houston got some very heavy rains. During one of the lighter parts of the rain shower, we put ponchos on our campers and headed out into the zoo. And we were rewarded with a special treat. All of the cats were out and active either pacing in their cages or sitting up on top of the rocks. I was really excited to see one of the cougars. The cougars are pretty new to the zoo and I had yet to see them so far. They are pretty hard to find and are usually not down where you can see them. A funny story, I had walked over to the cougar exhibit to see if I could see a cougar. I looked but couldn't see one so I started to walk back to the jaguars when I had this feeling someone was following me. I turned around and there was the female cougar following me right by the glass. When I stopped, she stopped right in front of me. I think she thought I was her lunch. Good thing she was behnid the glass. Here are some pictures of the cats we saw during the rain. (PS: If you live in Houston and are planning a trip to the zoo, I would suggest going when it rains. You will probably need your rain boots and umbrella but you will definitely see a lot of animals and as a bonus there is hardly anyone there!!!)

Cocoy the female jaguar (Usually the jags are hanging out in their cave and they only come out during a keeper chat. Today they were up on top by their waterfall. Pretty amazing!!)
Female cougar (Kind of spooky how she was following me as I walked)

One of the ocelots

Ivy (black spotted leopard)

Our other spotted leopard

Animals at the Zoo

2010-07-05T17:28:00.007-05:00

Being at the Houston zoo five days a week, I get to take pictures of lots of animals and learn their names. Here are a few of the many pictures I have taken so far at the zoo. Please pardon my spelling, I probably misspelled some of the animals names.

Smaug (our komodo dragon eating a goat)

Lou (female tenrec, related to a hedgehog; presentation only not on exhibit)

Kito (one of our male cheetahs) and Taji (our female Anatolian Shepherd)

Pandu our male tiger

Kam Balam (male jaguar)

Cocoy (female jaguar)

Mandi (one of our female mandrills)

Hannah (female binturong; she is only for presentations you will not see her on exhibit)

Baylor (our newest baby elephant; what a cutie I love to watch him play with one of the other elephants Tucker)

One of our Andean aka spectacled bears (Can't remember his name)

Boomer or Bailey (one of our Grizzly Bears; sorry I don't know how to tell them apart yet)

Hana (our female tiger)

Dinos at the zoo

2010-07-05T17:22:00.003-05:00

On Memorial Day, the Houston Zoo opened a special exhibit Dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are animatronics. I don't know how long they will be at the zoo but the campers love to see them. They especially like the one at the end that squirts water at you. I have seen the dino's 3 times so far and I get to see them at least 3 more times. Kaylee wanted me to take pictures of them. So Kaylee here are some pictures of the Dinosaurs at the zoo.

My Job at the Zoo

2010-07-05T16:57:00.005-05:00

Me and one of my camp groups

Well, I have officially completed three weeks of teaching at the zoo. I now have three weeks off and then I will work for another three weeks. Working at the zoo, is a blast. I love teaching different concepts about animals to my campers. And of course, getting to walk around the zoo everyday five times a week is a wonderful perk. I am learning lots of interesting things about the animals that live at the Houston zoo (including their names the keepers call them). So anytime you are in Houston, I would love to give you my personalized tour at the zoo. As a zoo employee, I can actually get a discount on their behind the scenes tours. So I am thinking of signing up my niece Aurora for one. However, it is hard to choose what animal we would like to get up close to the most. I think we are debating between the elephants and the giraffes. For those of you, who are wondering what my day entails here is an overview of what my day is like:

5:30- wake up and get ready

6:30- get in the car and drive to the zoo

7ish- arrive at the zoo; start preparing for the day, and morning meeting

8:45-9:15- check-in campers

9:15-10- teach lesson

10-11ish- Visit animals in the zoo

11ish-Animal handling (T-F, they bring in a special animal for the campers to pet and learn about)

12-1- Lunch time and my break from the campers

1-2:30ish- Craft, Story, and Activity/Games

2:30-3:30- Visit more animals in the zoo

3:45-4:15- Check-out campers

4:30- head home and take a much needed shower :o)

My schedule varies a little each day. Somedays we spend more time out in the zoo than others. And then somedays like last week (Th and F) we spend more time indoors because of the rain. It has been rather hot walking around the zoo. But knock on wood, I have been managing the heat better than I have (meaning no migraines yet!). I try to make sure I drink lots of water which has been helping tremendously. Overall I am having a blast. This ranks as one of my best summer jobs ever. I just wish I could work at the zoo all year long. :o)

Over the river, and through the woods...

2010-07-05T16:32:00.006-05:00

...to Grandmother's house we go. (And Pop-pop's too of course!!)

All plugged in and ready to go!
On the road!

When I was offered the job at the zoo this summer, one of the big questions was who was going to take care of the girls. At the time, David was still in the hospital and we did not know if he would be up to the challenge of taking care of the girls if he came home. After some serious pondering, I took my parents up on their offer for the girls to spend the summer with them. So on June 4th, the girls left with my parents to spend the summer with them up in Illinois. Then on June 7th, David left to spend the summer with his parents in Arizona. Talk about an empty nest for me. I really miss David and the girls. However, this time away from them is giving me some much needed time to heal. I talk to the girls and David every night on the phone. The girls are really enjoying their time with Grandma and Pop-pop. They love catching fireflies at night with them. Grandma takes them quite regularly to the library. I have lost count of how many chapter books Naomi has already finished this summer. She is getting to be quite a reader! Kaylee had a request for me to send her mermaids among other things to her but then couldn't understand why they didn't show up overnight. They are enjoying getting to know their cousins (my brother John's kids). And they think it is neat to meet people who knew their mommy when she was younger. Kaylee's Sunbeam teacher was actually in young women's with me. And of course lots of people in my parent's ward have told the girls that they look just like me!!

Naomi's Kindergarten Graduation

2010-06-26T19:35:00.003-05:00

Naomi had her Kindergarten Recognition Program (aka Graduation) on June 2nd. Each child's name was called and their teacher shared the child's favorite subject, kindergarten experience, and what they wanted to be when the grow up. Naomi's favorite subject was reading. Her favorite kindergarten experience was going to Dewberry Farm. And when she grows up, she wants to be an aquatics scientist just like her mom. (Ok, so I cried when they said that!!) Just a side note: I did not cry on Naomi's first day of school but I cried buckets during her graduation. I can't believe my little girl is growing up!

Naomi getting her certificates (My camera did not get a really good shot. I'll have to see if my mom's pictures are better.)

Naomi and her teacher Mrs. Miller

(PS: I made the reading apron her teacher is wearing. Naomi wanted to give her teacher a unique/special gift. And you know how I love to sew. Her teacher loved the apron.)

What to Do When the Lights Go Out

2010-06-26T19:18:00.004-05:00

One very stormy and rainy Friday night in May, David and I decided to go on a date. As we were heading to the movie after our dinner, we got a text from the babysitter saying that our house had lost electricty. What luck?! So instead of a movie we headed back home. The storm was still pretty bad when we got home so our babysitters hung around until the weather and roads cleared up. The only problem was we had to figure out how to entertain the little girls with no electricity (oh yes and no AC). The girls found lots of fun things to do. They made shadow puppets on the wall with the flashlights. And then we built a tent in the family room with a bunch of quilts. Oh and to cool ourselves off, since it was so hot we had ice cream. We also played games in our tent. All of the girls (including the babysitters had a lot of fun)!!

Eating ice cream in the tent
Naomi and the babysitters (Kaley and Maddie)

Kaylee made her own little tent on the side just for her.

Kaylee Turned 4

2010-06-26T19:10:00.003-05:00

Wow, what a crazy last few months. Life has been so busy I got behind on blogging. Kaylee turned 4 on May 12th. When I asked Kaylee what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she said she wanted strawberry cake. I told her that was not a dinner but a dessert. Finally she said she wanted PB&J sandwhiches for her birthday dinner. What an easy child to please!!! Her birthday was a simple affair this year just David, Naomi and I but it was still special. The theme was Mermaids again. I wonder how much longer she will be on this kick. Here are a couple of pictures from that night.

Kaylee and her Strawberry Cake. Yummy!!
Naomi and Kaylee (matching outfits were courtesy of Grandma Brown)

Scripture Stories

2010-05-02T13:22:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago, I bought the Book of Mormon scripture stories on DVD for the girls. We really love this DVD. It is not animated but it shows each picture from the scripture stories book and a narrator reads the verse that goes along with that chapter. This was a really good investment because it kept the girls interest better than David and I reading to them from the book. Now that Naomi is reading, she really wants to read the scriptures by herself. When I was up at the Distribution center, I found the collection of Scripture Stories on DVD and as bonus it has an interactive CD-ROM of the Book of Mormon that goes with it. I absolutely love the CD-ROM. It has two ways to use it. You can either have it read to you or the child can read it by themselves. The really cool part is that if the child is reading it by themselves and they come across a word they don't know they can click on the word and a voice pronounces it for them. Naomi loves this. She loves being able to sit at my computer and read the Book of Mormon all by herself. I really think that this set is a great investment and the best part is that it only cost $7.25. Wow, what a good deal!!! You can buy it from the distribution center or if you can't get to one you can visit the distribution center online. This is what it looks like. Enjoy!

Cooking with Friends

2010-05-02T13:19:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, Naomi had her friend Nicole over for a playdate. The girls were starting to get bored so I had them help me make chocolate chip cookies. They had a blast. Here are some pictures of the girls making the cookies.

Golfing with Kaylee

2010-05-01T12:47:00.007-05:00

Today Naomi went over to her friend Nicole's house for a playdate. Kaylee was pretty bummed because she was not invited this time. To cheer her up, I decided to have a mommy/daughter day with her. After dropping Naomi off, we first went to the library to check out some books. Then we went to Mary Jo Peckham park and played miniature golf (which is free to the public). Kaylee and I had a blast playing golf. It was so cute to watch her. She would hit the ball at the starting spot and then wherever it stopped she would pick it up and bring it the hole and hit it in. Here is some cute videos I took with my phone of her playing golf.

You Ate What...

2010-04-23T18:20:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I sent the girls and Aurora outside to get in the car so I could go pick up Jenny. When I got outside, the girls quickly ran from the front bushes to the car. I noticed that all the girls were chewing something. I started to panic because our bushes have holly berries on them. I told the girls that what they were eating was poisonous and they could get very sick. Aurora said she knows all about plants and no they are not. I told her that the berries are extremely poisonous. At which point she told me that they were not eating the berries but some flowers. This made me panic even more because I had no clue what flower they were eating. I told Aurora to get in the car since she is in the middle and then had Naomi show me what they were eating. Poor Naomi was already starting to worry and said her stomach was starting to hurt. And to top it off she could not remember the flowers that they ate. At this point, I was already running late to pick up Jenny so I got her in the car and headed to get Jenny. I called Jenny on the way and told her what had happened and that she needed to come back to my house so Aurora could show me the flower. We got back to my house and we identified the flower as probably belonging to a clover and as far as we could tell it was not poisonous. The funny/interesting thing about all of this was the different reactions of the three girls. Aurora the whole time was professing that the flower was not poisonous. Naomi was in tears and thought yesterday was her last day on Earth and that she was going to die. And then there was Kaylee who was pretty much oblivious and could care less about the whole situation. Needless to say both older girls now know that they should not eat anything in nature without asking an adult first!!!!

Kindergarten Program

2010-04-22T16:36:00.003-05:00

Naomi's school had their Kindergarten program this past Tuesday on April 20th. The program was called a parachute program. I had borrowed some flipcameras from the technology department of our district to use with my students in Galveston that day. Since I had a flipcamera, I was able to video her program. Here is some video clips of her program for her grandparents, aunts and uncles. Hope everyone else enjoys them too.

I can do it myself...

2010-04-16T10:10:00.003-05:00

Kaylee has become quite independent at the age of 3 1/2. If she is hungry, she will just help herself to a snack. Last night, Kaylee must have been hungry and since everyone was asleep she helped herself to a midnight snack. This morning I could tell she made herself a snack because there was a bag of hot dog buns and an opened jar of strawberry jelly on the breakfast table. I was puzzled when I found a wet towel in the sink with jelly all over it and a washcloth also with jelly on it. The floor right in front of the fridge was also sticky. Something had happened but I did not know what. Then Naomi complained that she stepped on some glass right about the time that I also stepped on some glass. By this time, I was really puzzled and decided to look in the trash cupboard. And there in the trashcan was a broken jar of grape jelly. Kaylee must have broken the first jelly jar on the floor. And instead of telling anyone decided to clean it up all on her own. And did a pretty good job of it for a 3 year old. I am just surprised she did not cut herself. What am I going to do with her when she is older if she is already this independent now?

Miracle

2010-04-07T23:04:00.002-05:00

Miracles really do happen!! After trial and error and four medication changes, the doctor finally found the medication combination that works. David was given a new drug last Wednesday the 31st called Geodon. In just one day, the medicine had started to work. On Friday, the nurses commented on the dramatic difference they saw in him. I went to see him that day and I could tell he had improved. He has steadily improved since then. When I talked to his doctor yesterday, the doctor said David was ready to come home. So yes a miracle has happened and David is now home!!! I am so thankful that the doctor was able to find the right combination and I finally have my husband back. I am also very thankful for Heavenly Father. I truly know that His hand has been in all of this. I know He was with David as David struggled through his illness and his alternate reality. He was with the doctor as the doctor tried to find the right combination to bring David back to reality. And He was definitely with me and provided me the strength and comfort to survive this very difficult time. I also want to thank everyone in my ward and many of my friends for the help they gave to me during this time and for their prayers. I also want to thank both of our families for their words of encouragement. I know it was hard on both sets of parents that they could not be here to help during this time but their words of encouragement, prayers, and fasting was wonderful. I know David is still on the road to recovery but I am hoping and praying that we will have another good 7 years before another episode occurs.

Things that drive me crazy...

2010-04-07T16:33:00.002-05:00

EASTER GRASS!!!! (Need I say more)

Just for Grins...

2010-04-06T20:27:00.002-05:00

Naomi reminds me not to forget to give her her asteroid medicine. :o) (In case you were wondering, she means the steroids for the ant bites.)

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-05T10:26:00.005-05:00

The girls and I enjoyed Easter this year. The Easter bunny brought some really neat stuff for the girls. The girls had an egg hunt in the house which they liked. Jenny, Shane, and Aurora came over for dinner that evening. The only thing missing was David. The girls and I sure did miss him. Hopefully, he will be home soon.

The girls and their baskets
Naomi hunting for easter eggs

Kaylee hunting for eggs

Naomi's eggs

Kaylee's eggs (poor girl her basket broke and she was losing them as fast as she was putting them in her basket!)

Looking for Bluebonnets

2010-04-05T10:20:00.003-05:00

Saturday afternoon, the girls and I headed to Brenham to find bluebonnets. Our first stop we found a field of yellow flowers. Our second one, pretty much ended our hunt for bluebonnets. I placed poor Naomi right on top of a fire ant hill. OUCH!!! We made one more stop and took a few pictures by the flowers at Bluebelle and then headed home. Poor Naomi. (As a side note, the fire ant bites were so bad that I spent last night and this morning till 2am in the ER having them looked at. They gave Naomi some steroids and they seem to be doing a little better.)

Field of yellow flowers
Can you see that she is in pain?

How cute!!!

Dying Easter Eggs

2010-04-05T10:17:00.003-05:00

Even without David, we still tried to make Easter fun this year. Here are a few pics of the girls and our egg dying adventure.

Kaylee and her eggs

Naomi posing with her eggs

Life Lesson

2010-04-05T10:11:00.002-05:00

Naomi learned the hard way, why you don't make a necklace out of silly putty!!! Even though, peanut butter did work for the most part we still decided to.... (see below)!

Silly putty in the hair
Peanut butter in the hair to take out the silly putty

New hair cut!! Totally cute!!!!

Girls just wanna be girls

2010-03-30T22:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, the girls and I stayed home and took a mental health day. The girls decided to do manicures and pedicures courtesy of Naomi. Pictures to follow soon. All our nails were colorful and stylish. Then Naomi wanted to do a makeover on herself so she borrowed some of my makeup. Hmm, we learned that if you are blind in one eye it is hard to put eyeshadow on your good eye when you close it. :o) Afterwards Naomi informed me that she does not want toys anymore for birthday and Christmas, all she wants is makeup. Arghh, my little girl is growing up way too fast!!!!

I Got the Job!!!!!!

2010-03-25T13:04:00.002-05:00

I got a call from the Zoo today during one of my classes and they offered me the job. I am so excited!!! I can't wait for this summer to start now. I have a mandatory meeting on May 25th and the first day I can start working is June 1st. I will have to wait until the following week since I will be giving final exams that week. They are sending me my welcome email next Monday so I will know more about my job then. This is going to be fun. My students have already asked if I can get them in free to the Zoo. :o)

How Can I Help...

2010-03-23T18:20:00.003-05:00

You never know how many friends you truly have until a crisis happens. I truly did not realize I had so many friends here in Texas. I have had so many people offer to help once they heard about David's condition. I am truly thankful for everyone who has called and offered help and showed concern for David and I. It is such a comfort to me to know that I have so many people willing to help me right now. One question that has been repeated by so many has been, "How can I help?" I don't know if it is my pride or feeling that I am being selfish or greedy or me thinking that my problem is not that serious to ask for others help. So I usually don't tell people what I need. But since many have asked, here are some things that have gone through my mind:
1. The occasional dinner meal. (I only have 1 day left in my sick bank so I can't take time off work right now. After working all day long, coming home and having to make dinner is the last thing I want to do. And yet I feel petty saying this because there are so many single moms out there that do this every day on a regular basis.)
2. Someone to drive with me when I go see David. (I feel selfish mentioning this one too. But after a visit with him, I am so drained all I want to do is cry.)
3. Time for myself. (Visiting David and taking care of the girls gets so draining that I really need some time to myself that I can just veg and escape reality even for a few minutes.)
4. Oh yes, and help with the girls. (I really don't need to mention this one because I have already had so many people offer to watch the girls.)

In the hospital again

2010-03-23T10:07:00.002-05:00

Last week was a very emotionally challenging week. The medication adjustments that David's doctor tried last week did not work fast enough so on Friday I had to have him admitted to the hospital again. Because I knew he would not go willingly to the hospital this time, I had to go downtown and fill out paperwork to get the court involved and have deputies pick him up and transport him to the hospital. That truly was one of the hardest things I had to do. However, it was necessary because he needs to be in the hospital so that he can get well again. I hope once the medication starts working he will realize why he is back in the hospital.

Prayers Needed

2010-03-18T10:13:00.002-05:00

I would love to say that David's bipolar is doing better. However, the medicine the Dr. prescribed in the hospital is not working. David is in full blown mania again and it is looking very likely that I will have to him admitted to a psych hospital again. His mania this time is much worse. He cycles between being very angry and aggressive to just having lots of energy and feeling like he is on top of the world. I am very concerned for David and have been praying for him constantly. I would appreciate all the prayers that I can get at this time for David. I hope the medicine change that his Dr. did will kick in soon but I am not seeing any signs of it yet. I know the Lord is with David and I right now. I have already seen him answer one of my prayers and know that he will continue too.

Best Made Plans...

2010-03-07T17:53:00.002-06:00

On Friday night, I had it all planned. David wanted to go to the Men's Basketball game at the church and I had a scrapbooking crop that I wanted to go to. I realized that we both needed a break so I lined up a babysitter for Friday night. Since we only have 1 car, I arranged for Jenny to drive us to the crop so David could have the car. I packed up all of my scrapbooking stuff (which is a lot might I add) and Jennny and I headed to the crop. We were almost to the place where the crop was being held when I got a call on my cell phone. It was the babysitter. Naomi was throwing up. Bummer, there went my scrapbooking plans. Jenny and I had to turn around and go back home. I was so disappointed. I have not done scrapbooking in so long and I was looking forward to working on some projects. Oh well, maybe next time.

Crossing My Fingers

2010-03-03T13:53:00.003-06:00

In February, I applied for a summer job at the zoo to be a Zoo Camp instructor. Yesterday, I got an email saying that I made it to the interview stage. I am really excited. I am crossing my fingers that the interview goes well. It is a group interview so I hope I can really shine compared to everyone else in the group. I don't usually like to work during the summer because that is my time to spend with the girls. However, when I saw this job opening at the zoo I just could not resist. I think this would be a totally cool job doing something that I love!!! Here's hoping!!!

Our little comedian

2010-02-28T18:19:00.003-06:00

Kaylee is always a barrel of laughs. Earlier this week, we were getting ready to have dinner and I said a very short quippy prayer. David rolled his eyes at it and asked Kaylee to say a better one. In response, Kaylee promptly said, "A Better One." How funny!!

Then last night our poor little girl was sick and threw up all over the place. This morning I asked her how she was doing. She said that she was all better. She just had to push all her throw-ups out but now she had no more throw-ups. Then she added that her throw-ups came out and said, "Crash Landing!" This girl is always good for a laugh!

No need to worry

2010-02-28T18:15:00.002-06:00

Over a year and a half ago when we first found out that Naomi was blind in one eye, I was quite concerned that she would have difficulty learning how to read and write. Well, I had no need to worry. This past week her teacher emailed me and told me that she tested Naomi's reading level and it is an 18. I thought this was pretty good but I was not sure so I asked what it meant. An 18 means that she is reading on a 2nd grade level. Wow, do I have a smart child!!! David and I are so excited about her accomplishments. Now our only challenge is to make sure she does not get bored in school but at the same time not give her too much work and have her hate school.

Happy Birthday Grandma

2010-02-28T18:11:00.003-06:00

Before David's parents left to go back to Arizona, we had a surprise birthday party for his mom. We usually never get to celebrate her birthday with her because of the distance. So it was quite nice to have a small birthday celebration with her before she left. It was not her actual birthday but it was very close. PS: We had a limited supply of birthday candles and decided to make Grandma 8 years old for her party. Hee Hee

Blowing out the candles
Reading the card

Using the yummy lotion

Traveling Handyman...

2010-02-22T18:10:00.005-06:00

...will work for love!!

When David's parents were in town, David's dad kept himself busy by doing repair jobs around our house. One of his big projects was fixing the window in the outside front entryway. One side of the window and the bottom had a major case of wood rot. He did an excellent job in repairing it. Thanks, Dad for all your hard work!!! Below is a series of pictures from start to finish.

Roses, Hearts and Hugs Day

2010-02-12T13:55:00.003-06:00

Twice a year Naomi's elementary school has Roses, Hearts and Hugs day. Roses, Hearts, and Hugs day is where all the teachers/staff have bags up by the front office for students to put notes and other things for their teachers to show their appreciation. I forgot to take pictures of what we gave for the first time. Here is what we did this time around. I got the hang of making chocolate candies so we made more chocolate candies and lollipops and then we stuffed soda bottles with them. I hope her teachers like them.

The candies and lollipops
The finished project