On the Table

Kevin Henkes CollectionIf you have not yet dabbled in the world of Kevin Henkes, I am telling you now, you're missing out! He has written some of the sweetest, most clever books around! My favorite being Owen (which I could not find on my shelf today for this picture) but I know it's around somewhere. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse was the first of his books that I read and I loved it so much that I was thrilled to discover that he has written so many more (there are more than what I have pictured here, like Sheila Rae the Brave and Owen's Marshmallow Chick). I just love how this author/illustrator captures the absolute essence of being a child and a part of the family unit. His stories have wonderful messages and are packed with great characters that everyone can relate to. I also love how the characters spill over into the different books. In one story, Chester's Way, Chester and Wilson are the main characters and Lily is the new girl in town. Then, in Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, she takes over as the lead. She also stars in "Julius the Baby of the World" which is about Lily becoming a big sister and the trials that come with that. Oh, you just HAVE to read them all! I am not sure which is first, next, last etc. I should find out. It would be a really fun "On the Table" day in our class to read each of the Kevin Henkes books in the order they were written. So fun!

In Real Time

Right NOW. . .


I have a huge zit on my face that one of my students asked me about. . ."Mrs. Peterson, what happened to your face?" Um, you know it's pretty bad when you hear that from a six-year-old.


I have a jar full of lady bugs on my desk.


I have a huge tumbleweed (mustard plant) sitting on the shelf behind my desk (too big to fit ON my desk) a gift from another LOVELY and thoughtful student.


I need to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer and start a new load. . .



I need to finish loading the dishwasher.



I am toying with the idea of having ANOTHER bowl of Rice Krispies before I turn out the lights.



My favorite song is that "Hollywood is Not America" song. . .stuck in my head "put your BLUE jeans back on. . ."



I am feeling guilty for not going with the boys on their "scooter adventure" just barely. No, I really don't have a scooter or bike, but the real reason. . . I am just lazy.



The boys are negotiating the trade of some prize Pokemon cards and sounding a lot like they know what they are talking about. . .how do they learn this stuff?



I can hear the electric shaver doing some hair trimming job in the bathroom but I am afraid to see what Steve's up to. I have caught him trying to shave his own neckline before. . .scary.



All the day's grit and grime is swirling down the drain. . .



I am having to use Steve's lap top because he did a "number" on our desk top. Gonna have to have Geek Squad come over or something!



Lewis came in wearing one of Steve's t-shirts. He thinks it's so cool to wear his dad's clothes to bed (maybe he is trying to tell me there are no clean jammies).



Lewis is asking me what my favorite Pokemon is? (Like I have a favorite Pokemon) "Pikachu" I tell him. He seems satisfied with the answer.



Lewis wants me to say he likes 'Salamence.' "He's my best," he says.



Conner is piling the scriptures in a heap on our bed. He has dubbed himself "scripture monitor" in our house and makes sure we have them ready to go when it's time to read! He's so funny. He even sets them by the door on Sundays so we don't forget to bring them to church. . .LOVE him!



I need to take a break from this post . . .

Okay, I'm back. . .

RIGHT NOW

I just finished watching another Felicity episode with Steve.

Steve is out like a light only seconds after the T.V. is off.

The house is finally quiet (no more giggling boys in their bedroom) and I am ready to say goodbye to this long, long day. (I think I'll sneak that bowl of Rice Krispies first!)

P.S. That was fun doing a post 'in real time.'

Fave Fives

Here are the top five things that stood out to me after looking back on this week.

Five: The garage is finally clean! It took Steve most of Saturday morning to do it and we had a million people stop and ask if we were having a yard sale, but it is done. No. It won't last forever. We still have a "shelf" problem. We have had the "gorgeous garage" guys come over and do a bid, but Steve is still not convinced we need to bring in the big guns. Our great neighbor (and ultra handyman) Greg came over and is trying to talk Steve into installing the same type of system he bought for his garage. Only problem with that idea is I'm pretty sure they would fall right off the wall if we put them up ourselves. So, we're still in limbo, but at least the garage is clean, for now. . .

Four: Out with the old!!! Steve surprised me with a new living room rug this week. In our old town home, where we lived before this house, the carpet was pretty much plush white! Okay, it was barely cream, but it was crazy, insane trying to keep it clean, especially with babies!!! I had a rug made out of the kind of carpet I WISHED we had and set that in our living room area. I loved that rug and it matched our furniture perfectly. It was also the answer to keeping at least THAT section of the room free from white carpet wear and tear. Anyway, we brought it with us to this house and it has been sitting on our wood floor in the living room. For about the last year it has started to look pretty dingy even though I have sent it to be cleaned numerous times (I'm a clean carpet FREAKKKK). Last spring we finished our basement and had leftover carpet that was a great size for a rug. We shoved it into the garage (of course) and it has been sitting there for a year! I noticed it was out of the garage last week (figured Steve was just getting a head start on the cleaning) but really he had sent it out to be made into a rug so we could get rid of the other one. The guy delivered it on Monday and even took our old one away for us. It is a bit smaller than our first rug, but it is so soft and still smells slightly new! What a great surprise.

Three: A Thankful Thursday. Thursday is kind of a crazy day in our family. It is sometimes a day when Steve has to stay late for meetings and both boys have baseball practices. One good thing about this year is that both boys have the same coach, so their practices are back to back. Some days I can sit and watch Conner practice, and catch up on school work, while Lewis plays catch with the coach's son and waits for his practice. Anyway, lately I have had different errands that have needed to be run on Thursdays so I am stuck driving all over town trying to get kids dropped off and picked up and get errands run. It has been a lilttle taxing. I guess that is why this Thursday stood out to me as being so wonderful! Steve had no meetings, so we left together right after school and drove straight to the baseball fields. Steve said, "Why don't you run to the store and I'll stay here with both boys." Well, of course I jumped on that idea! How great was that? Unlimited time to go up and down each aisle and make sure I forgot NOTHING! I also decided to pick up some dinner. I am in LOVE with Harmons new set up and all the great choices of prepared food. I grabbed a couple salads and some chicken tenders and headed back to the fields. It was such a perfect day. When I got to the fields, Conner was off in the distance playing catch with his dad while Lewis was practicing with his team. Even though I see this scenerio a lot at our house, it still makes me all warm and fuzzy to see the boys playing catch with their dad. It is great to know that these boys have such an awesome dad who is willing to drop everything to spend time with them. I walked over to where they were and set out the food on the grass. We had a little "mini" picnic right there on the field. It was so pleasant and I am glad I am blogging it so I don't forget about it (why didn't I snap a picture???)!

Two: A picture is worth a thousand words. . . Speaking of pictures, I have this picture in my camera right now that I can't get out of my head! It is Steve holding the newborn baby of Lewis' teacher. She delivered him at 31 weeks! She was having contractions while at school and finally another teacher drove her to the hospital. There was no way to stop the labor and she delivered this 3 pound 12 ounce, beautiful baby boy that night. He is so precious and actually really perfect for being so early. He is doing great and we went over last Saturday to visit. We had the boys with us and they are not allowed in the NICU so we had to take turns going in to see the baby. I stayed in the hallway with the boys while Steve went in first to see the baby. I sent him with the camera to take pictures and he came back with this one. . .


It has been SOOO long since we have had a newborn baby around, I almost forgot how much Steve LOVES these bran new babies! He is so great with the newborn stage (I get a little freaked out personally. . .they're so fragile) but he is so calm and cool and could just hold those little ones all day! When Cynthia asked if he wanted to hold her baby, she probably wasn't expecting him to say yes (and so enthusiatically, she later told me)! But, this picture, I have looked at it oodles of times this week. It has given me the little push I have needed to do my last and final step with the adoption and to get going on some more medical interventions for me.

One: Time for Us.The highlight for me this week was spending some quality time with Steve on Saturday night. It has been awhile since we have made time to go to the temple, so that was such a relief to be there and feel of the peace within those walls. We had a fun, relaxing dinner afterwards and then headed home to hang with our boys and our neighbors. We are so blessed and I am so grateful for all the things that made my week so wonderful.

On the Table

My favorite part of the school day is definitely the time right after recess and right before lunch. It is our designated, uninterrupted STORY TIME! It lasts about 20 minutes and it is the one time of day where I feel I can sit back, relax and just enjoy the kids, the words, the pictures, the books! I can't tell you how many times I have sat in my chair, turned those pages and have just been completely enthralled in the story, loving that the kids are FINALLY hanging on my every word and completely FOCUSED. I love that as I am reading I can gaze out the window across the room and see our country's flag waving proudly in the breeze atop the nearby hill. It just makes me feel so content and happy to have this time with the kids and to be so blessed to teach where I do. One thing that I started doing, a while back, is putting five or six books on the table by the circle time rug. Then, I choose the "quietest listener" to pick the next book that we read. We usually make it through three or four books before we have to wash up for lunch. It has been fun for me to pick out stories that I want my kids to hear or books that go along with the particular theme we are studying, but sometimes it is fun to let the kids choose the books off the shelves and see what interests them. Lately I have been doing the latter and it has been so fun to see them put their "favorites" back out on the table over and over again! Yes, sometimes I do get a little tired of reading "Miss Nelson is Missing" every single day, (I do a really SCARY 'Miss Viola Swamp' voice, that is a little bit taxing on the throat day in and day out) and so it has ended up that Wednesday has become "Mrs. Peterson's day" to pick what goes on the table. I like picking books that "go together" or that are of the same author. It is fun to discuss similarities and differences in the books. I also like to put seasonal and themed books on the table to get a little more science and social studies under their belts. Mostly, I like to pick books that I LOVE! Kids can tell when you really love a book. I want these kids to leave kindergarten this year with a complete and utter love of stories and reading. A lot of the children that I teach come from very disadvantaged homes. I'm not sure how many of them actually know the concept of a bedtime story. I am their storyteller and by golly, I enjoy it to death! So, here's a glimpse of some of our favorite books that have graced our table in the past and here's what was on the table today!

Favorite Fairy Tales:
We have been "revisiting" some favorite fairy tales as told by James Marshall (the guy who illustrated the beloved Miss Nelson Books my kids love). Turns out, he adds a pretty funny twist to the traditional tales. We also had a fun discussion about that Big Bad Wolf (he lurks in many fairy tales) and then read the funny "The Big Bad Wolf is Good." HILARIOUS!!!

Time to Laugh Books:
On terribly "taxing" school days where we all just seem a little too bogged down with deadlines or testing (or Mrs. Peterson not letting us bring lady bugs into the classroom anymore) these are the books I grab. GUARANTEED giggles and smiling and warm fuzzies after reading any one of these titles. "Save the drama for your llama!"

Lovey Dovey Books:
I love these clever little stories that have a subtle humor to them. They are great for breaking into discussion about the unconditional love parents have for their children.

The Famed Miss Nelson Series:Saul had to make sure they were sitting on the table in the correct order. It goes, "Miss Nelson is Missing," then "Miss Nelson is Back," then "Miss Nelson Has a Field Day."

Well, that was fun getting those out of my brain and onto my blog! I am going to try and do an "On the Table" post each week. Stay tuned, there are so many great books I want to share!

I Have Been Tagged!

As a preface to this awesome post, I would just like to pat myself on the back a little. I won my first ever "blog" giveaway! I am new to blogging, so I wasn't aware that these sort of "giveaway" contests go on, but I have left comments on every contest I have stumbled upon so far. If you would like to see my awesome prize, click the link to Mindi's very fun blog. I really enjoyed her creative way of announcing my claim to fame too.
http://wordtoyourmother-mindi.blogspot.com/

Alright, back to the business at hand. The Tag.I actually really enjoy these kinds of things. I am a bit of a LIST MAKER. I like to keep lists of anything and everything. My brain just sees the words on the list and I get more accomplished I guess. So, here's my first "Tag List" about me, for the blog. . .

-What was I doing 10 years ago?I was newly married and student teaching. I was also applying for my first "real teaching" position and trying to decide what grade I liked best. Ultimately, the lower grades have been the best fit for me. I think so much rides on early childhood development and I enjoy being a part of that important endeavor.

-5 things on my to do list:
1. CLEAN OUT THE GARAGE!!!! It's driving me nuts! If it were up to me, it would all go to the dump. The garage is pretty much the only part of our house I have not yet "figured out." Steve feels the need to save a bunch of junk (building supplies and hodgepodge crap like that) and I can't make heads or tails of it. He, of course, doesn't have the time, (or the want) to get it organized. We have mucked that garage out at least a dozen times since we've lived here and until he just decides he doesn't need all that stuff, it is never going to stay clean.
2. Finish putting together the shelves I ordered for the boys' room. I was so proud of my skills in putting them together, until I got to the shelf that has doors. I can't get them to open all the way! I have attached and re-attached the hinges and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong? I want to do the job COMPLETELY by myself (just so I can say that I did) so I still have some work to do.
3. Read a book for fun. I haven't been in the "reading zone" much this year. Ever since I started this new job and had to quit my beloved book club, I haven't done much. I used to have the goal to read one book per month. I need to start that up again. I love the added dimension book reading gives to my life.
4. Prepare for next month's Kindergarten "Graduation" (I am NOT looking forward to this at all).
5. Watch Meaningless T.V. while doing ENDLESS laundry

-5 snacks I enjoy:
1. popcorn (air popped with real butter and a little salt)
2. cereal (usually Kashi brands or Rice Krispies with banana)
3. toast with peanut butter
4. warm chocolate chip cookies
5. chips and fresh salsa

-5 places I have visited (this list was supposed to be 5 places I have lived, but I've always lived in this same state (YAWN), so I will list some vacation spots I've enjoyed):
1. Banf, Lake Louise (British Columbia)
2. Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota
3. Ensenada, Mexico
4. San Fransisco, CA.
5. Seattle, Washington

-5 jobs I have had:1. Retail: Van Heusen (I had to wear a men's shirt and tie with a skirt)
2. Retail: ZCMI
3. Preschool Teacher Assistant at Montessori Children's House
4. Teacher (grades K and First)
5. Preschool Teacher (My TRUE love)

-5 things you may not know about me:
1. I am a perfectionist and a procrastinator at the same time (I think the two might go hand in hand).
2. I have super anxiety about people being in my house if it is not clean.
3. I am currently watching one episode from "Felicity, Season 1," every night before I fall asleep.
4. We sort of live in the "dark ages" at my house. We do not have caller ID or Tivo and I do not have a cell phone. I used to have a cell phone, but we just got rid of it because I never used it and all my friends and family were just bugged to death that I never charged it.
5. I subscribe to 16 (maybe 17) different magazines! Crazy! They are very diverse, something to tickle any fancy I might have on any given day.

So there I am all summed up; now I tag anyone who looks at my blog. If I can take 10 minutes to do this then anyone can!!

This Week's Five (In Full Color)

I am devoting my five favorite things of the week to some of the things that make my life great, easy, or fun and that maybe I have neglected to mention in the past. These are things that are NOT particularly new occurrences or relevant to this week only, but they are great things that occur in my life each and every week. They deserve to be recognized. It is fun to think back on my week and know that I have so much that makes me smile and it occurs continuously. I am so blessed. Here is this week's "Fave Five" in pictures!

Number Five-
Notes written to me on the white board. This happens two to three times a day. At first, the kids would get mad at me for erasing their messages, but they finally agreed that I needed room to write things too. So, as a compromise, I read what they say, out loud to the class, before I erase. There have been some funny phrases I'll tell you! This one was worthy of a picture. In case you didn't notice (I didn't at first) It doesn't just say, "My teacher is nice," It actually says, "My teacher is 100% nice!" Just F.Y.I, Howard is 100% cute!


Number Four-

How I Survive! In the School District where I work, the Middle School and High School kids do not attend school on Friday. They have SUPER long school days on Monday through Thursday and then Friday is devoted to extracurricular sports and other school events. One thing that the students can choose to participate in is to be a "teacher's aide" at the elementary school on Fridays. Of course, I think this is an absolutely BRILLIANT idea! These kids are such hard workers and so much fun to have in the classroom. My class LOVES them and I enjoy their help sooooooo much! There is always a "to do" list a mile long and I am always afraid I am going to scare them off with all the jobs I give them to do, but they honestly love it and keep coming back. This week in particular, I had given the kids raisins for a snack and a good five or six ended up on the ground and being smashed in to the tile. I told my two girl aides I would love it if they could wipe (dig, scrape whatever) the raisins up for me. They ended up moving all the furniture off of the tile and then swept and mopped the whole thing. Then they put everything back (in a new arrangement) and it looks great! They had so much fun too. The other helper that comes in is one of my student's brothers. His favorite job is setting up the Kindergarten Store. We use a ticket currency system in my class (kids earn the tickets for good behavior etc.) and they buy fun trinkets and treats each Friday from the store. Fabion loves setting up the store and helping the kids buy their stuff. I just feel like so much weight is lifted off of me on Fridays when these great kids step in and make all the hard stuff look so easy!

Number Three-
Friends. I know, not the greatest photo with the sun right over your heads girls, but I had no other photo of Adrienne on my camera, so it will have to do. These are a few of the gals I get to hang with once a month for CANASTA!!! This month, we didn't actually play (we sat on Adrienne's couch and watched American Idol) but the food and the chatting was SUCH good therapy! This week was particularly fun for me, getting to snuggle with new baby Allie and just relax a little. I always look forward to our get togethers and I think you all must too. We seem to find ways to sneak other "girl's nights, park days, shopping trips" into our schedules. I think we are all better moms for it.

Number Two-
My Super, Great Spouse. This is not the best picture either (I seem to only take pictures on "Pajama Days" at school. . .we have had at least three pajama days this year. Go figure?). Anyway, this photo represents something I am so grateful for day in and day out. Being able to work with my husband! When will I ever have THIS opportunity again? It is a once in a lifetime situation that I have enjoyed so much. I love walking around the school and hearing his voice or seeing him busy running the show. I especially love knowing that Steve is just seconds away if I need him. He is extremely fun to work for and I have been blown away by his ability to deal with the enormous stress that is is to principal a school. Indeed, it has been a wonderful blessing to be together at work and our family has benefited from the extra time together.

Number One-

Nate The Great Pancakes! This one is long over due. Steve keeps asking me when I'm going to do a post about our favorite Saturday tradition. Well, here it is! Lewis found this great pancake recipe in one of his Nate the Great books. One morning, Steve decided to try it out with the boys and they were absolutely delicious pancakes! The boys have been preparing our Nate the Great breakfast every Saturday since. Steve is such a patient dad, letting Conner and Lewis do most of the work (including cracking the eggs- Conner's favorite part). I am usually trying to get the mattress off my back while all of this is going on. Conner usually comes in to get me, "Mom, the pann-a-cakes are ready!" "Okay!" I say. . . "Let's Eat!"

Okay. This has ended up to be a truly long post! Thanks for staying with me if you did! It was a fabulous look back on my FAVE FIVE!!! Hope it got you thinking about yours.

My Funny Photographer

I was going through my pictures on my camera, cropping and saving the ones I like, when I came across a series of photos that I did not know were taken this week! My funny little Conner got hold of my camera and snapped away! He used to love to grab the camera and walk around the house taking pictures of things (I have noticed that some of my blogger friends have young photographers at home as well). He hasn't done it in awhile so these recent pics caught me off guard and made me giggle. It makes me laugh to see what pics these young Ansel Adams' find interesting. I love the digital camera age where we can allow our kids to take pictures without fear. This was so taboo when I was a kid. My photos would have been dubbed "a waste of film and money" had I ever gotten the chance to click the camera. Well, it seems Conner is developing quite the eye for a good photo. I noticed he is getting closer to his subjects and told me "the pictures look better by the window". He also found some interesting subjects that were willing and able to stay perfectly posed into whatever position Conner wanted. There were so many photos, I couldn't quite think of a way to share them all, but I didn't want to just erase them. They made me laugh! So, here's a little slide show. Conner helped me pick the best of the bunch. Enjoy!

Conner's Slideshow

Our Impromptu Fun Weekend!

This past weekend, instead of doing (the same ol', same ol') this. . .

We decided it would be more fun to do this. . .













Yeah. We felt a LITTLE bit guilty about not doing this. . .







Or the. . .



But, we got over it quick and were found doing more important things like. . .














Um, yep. That is me doing a line dance at Blue Bunny (so much more fun than mopping the floors)!

We had a BLAST this weekend! Squeezing in as much fun as we possibly could! We're so glad our friends (and old neighbors before they moved) gave us an excuse to throw our "weekend agenda" to the wind! Yes, the house is still a disaster, but it was good to take a break this weekend and actually LIVE life a little!

This Week's Five (and the Negative 5 Bonus)

5. Visitors- The Taylors graced our home with their presence this weekend. We had non-stop fun since the second they got here. I will have to do a post to fully showcase all the fun that was had. Good times!
4. Validation- When I had to take time off of work because of illness this week, my substitute approached my husband after school and said these words, "Your wife is the WOMAN for doing this everyday!" Ahhh. It feels good to be appreciated. Thanks Mrs. C. for braving those kindergartners twice this week!
3. A Great Deal- On the way home from baseball practice we couldn't resist pulling over to check out the "rock stand" hosted by Conner's best bud Curtis and some of his friends. The sign he was holding said $1.00. Unfortunately, all I had was some loose change. Luckily, those kids were wheelers and dealers! We walked away with a good handful of rocks (even scored one that looks like a dog) for no less than about $.63! What a great deal! The best part was the live entertainment (cartwheels) as we pulled away. I hope those kids stay in business, they were too cute!
2. Big Birthday Boy- Steve's 33rd birthday went off without a hitch. Nothing too fancy this year, just three or four days of extended festivities, starting with a fun barbecue with the Peterson's and ending with the traditional birthday breakfast extravaganza.
1. New Birthday Boy- My sister delivered her first child, finally! They have been married for eight years and he is their first. They sure have waited a long time for this little man. He is healthy and perfect. Yea!

Okay, now for the NEGATIVE Fives. . .
This week had a bit of a negative vibe to it. Here are the top 5 reasons (in no particular order):
5. Unnerving-The fact that my sister had some complications after the birth and ended up needing a blood transfusion was pretty much tooo much to swallow. The fact that we could not be there at the hospital with her (she lives in Wyoming) was even more unnerving. So glad all is FINALLY well. Phew.
4. Unsettling- Waking up in the night with the "feel-like-you're-going-to-die" stomach flu. Two days recovery time (but I have already played that tiny violin enough on this blog).
3. Unbelievable- Coming home from school and baseball and hearing several messages from banks saying that someone has tried to commit fraud with one of my checks! WHAT?!!!!
2. Unnecessary- Tossing and turning all night until the banks open the next day to figure out what the deal is.
1. Unfortunately- Having to file a police report and change bank account info. was no fun. This guy is thought to be a real identity theft loon. How did he get my check you ask? That is the even sadder (I know it's not a real word) story. My friend's purse was stolen and the check was written out to her inside her purse. I made the check out for $6 to pay her back for buying me some dinner. The thief tried to cash it for $2, 100!!!!!! Thank heavens for an on the ball bank teller! He suspected it was a "washed" check and kept it. The guy drove off, but not before getting a good amount of video surveillance footage on him and his vehicle. Now my friend and I are working with the police to catch a thief! Oh the fun never ends.

My New Nephew!

Doesn't he look so cozy and peaceful? He had a rough time getting here and his poor mom has quite the birth story to tell, but all is well now. We are all so glad he is here!

Maybe a little too clean. . .

I am one of those moms that makes my kids bathe or shower every night. I am a little "type A" about the kids needing to be clean before they can hop into those snuggly sheets each night, so this is just part of our routine. Well, for the past little while, baths have been for "babies" and showers are the way to go usually. For some reason, the last few nights the boys have wanted to lounge in the jetted tub. Conner used to be scared of those jets (and not so very long ago) but now I guess he has overcome his fear. I came into the bathroom to make sure they had washed their hair and were ready to get out and this is what I found! I could hardly see those boys they were so covered in bubbles. "What did you guys use to make these bubbles"(I asked in fear, hoping it wasn't the expensive shampoo I had just bought for myself)? They told me they used only "three" squirts of their own shampoo. "Those must have been some giant squirts!" I said. There is about a quarter of the bottle left (I just bought it maybe a week ago). "Alright, you boys are going to need to stand up and shower those bubbles off before you can get out, but first, let me take some pictures!"

I Love You Too!

I have had a rotten little stomach bug the past couple of days. I kept the boys home with me today (they have had pretty rotten allergies too) just for some needed rest. I guess Conner felt it neccessary to cheer me up a bit. It worked. He made my day.

In Her Shoes

I remember doing this when I was a little girl. Switching shoes with one of my school friends. What camaraderie! It just seemed so exciting to be walking in someone else's shoes for the day. Everything was a little more exciting. Recess was more fun. Lunch tasted better. Story time wasn't as boring, all because of that different and exciting "new" pair of shoes! I loved watching Fabiola and Alondra share this little connection with each other today. It helped that Fabi's shoes were really quite fabulous (little "mini me" type shoes with an open toe and a bit of a heel). They looked so cute with the little jean shorts Alondra had on. Personally, I think she got the better end of the deal. Alondra's shoes weren't really anything out of the ordinary, just simple white sandles. But of course, that matters not! The fun is in the sharing. Just be sure to switch back before the end of the day. I also remember getting into a little bit of trouble for coming home with the wrong pair of shoes once. . .

He's Here!

I am now the proud owner of a new baby nephew, Grant James Killpack. Born at around 6:00 this evening and weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces and 19 inches long. No pics as of yet, but mama and baby are doing fine. Ahhhh. This one was a long awaited for child. So glad he's finally here!

We are Seriously Blessed!

Wow! I am so proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints today! What a powerful general conference this was. I have never been more inspired and more motivated by the speakers and the spirit of a conference than this one (and that is a BIG statement because there have been some great conferences). I am so impressed with our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I have always loved this man, his talks have always been among my favorite. I enjoyed, so much, getting to learn more about him. I look forward to the direction and strength that he will give our church in the years to come. Did anyone else feel like this conference went by super, duper fast? Especially this Sunday Afternoon Session. When President Monson was announced to be the concluding speaker, Steve and I had to look at the clock. We couldn't believe it was almost over! We have been on the edge of our seats with the wonderful messages that have been given to us this past two days. I've jotted some notes down in one of my notebooks, but I wanted to include one message, that is fresh in my mind, here in this blog. The advice given to mothers by M. Russell Ballard. He said, "Treasure the 'DO IT' a little more and the 'GET IT DONE' a little less." He talked of a woman who had rushed through her life and after her kids were grown and gone, she looked back on an old photograph. The children were ages six, four and one and the photo was taken outside. They had eaten a picnic and had played. She wished she could remember what her kids ate that day. What they had talked about and what they had looked like that night after they had been tucked in bed and were sleeping. She had been in such a hurry to get them bathed and sent to bed, she didn't take time to enjoy them. I gotta say, I could have very well been this woman a few years back. I am so thankful that we have had the trial of not being able to have more children because the biggest blessing that has come from it has been my need to stop and enjoy my kids on a day to day basis. I don't want to look back on my life and feel that I have missed anything and that I can't recall the small and precious things. This is going to sound LAME, but I have to give props to this whole blogging thing. It is a fabulous invention and now that I am realizing how simple it is, I have MADE time in my life for REMEMBERING. Yes, some of my posts are a bit superficial, lighthearted, and fun, but they are as much a part of me as my conviction and dedication to my faith and family. So, those of you out there who have not yet converted to the blogging world yet, you should consider it. I can definitely now say that for me (a pretty busy gal) it has been a good answer to the dilemma of keeping track of it all. So, for today . . .a day I want to remember. . .just for the record; We ate grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, and garlic pita chips for lunch. The boys complained about the ham so I took it off and Steve ate it. We stayed in our jammies the ENTIRE span of the day and we giggled and played in between sessions. In fact, today was the first day that Lewis officially laughed so hard, he cried (a crazy concept for him to understand). We have had a wonderful, relaxing two days of conference and our home is bursting with the left over feelings of the spirit! Can't WAIT until. . .
a) the next month's Ensign comes so I can re-read my fave talks, and
b) October comes so we can enjoy general conference again!
Indeed we are SERIOUSLY blessed!

This Week's Five

NUMBER FIVE- I had a really great Monday (of all days)! Little known fact about me: Pretty much every Monday morning the song "Manic Monday" (by the Bangles) plays through my head as I am getting up to get ready for the day. It is like my internal Monday alarm clock. But, for some reason, this Monday, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the song just did not fit (even though I tried really hard to make it so). By the end of the day, I had such a great time at school I couldn't even believe it was my class (lately they've been a little on the CRAZY side). It ended up being a really relaxing and fun first day back from Spring Break. I even found myself asking the kids, "Why are you all behaving so well and being so awesome?" Their response, "We just really missed you Mrs. P.!" Well, isn't that sweet?

NUMBER FOUR- Howard did NOT have to meet his new teacher. Okay. Let me explain. So, the whole Monday thing must have been a "honeymoon" period the kids were putting me through, because by around lunch time on Tuesday, a HUGE case of Spring Fever broke out in my room. To make a long story short, by the end of the day Tuesday, I was soooo exhausted from the constant talking and down right bad manners that I told the kids I PHYSICALLY wasn't going to be able to keep coming to school to teach them if they could not buck up. Well, Howard (one of my students) showed up at school the next day with two parental figures in tow. He was there about twenty minutes early and I said, "Hi Howard! Why are you here so early?" His reply (which just about floored me. . .) "Oh, I came to meet my new teacher." What? Oh my goodness. I started to giggle and gave him a GIANT hug! He looked up at me so perplexed. "I was kidding Howard! It was a warning to try and show you guys that you had pushed me to my limit!" His parents just laughed and said, "Oh man, he was ALL SORTS of worried this morning!" He had honestly thought that I was going to have to be 'put in a home' (can you just picture what my exact words were. . ."you guys are going to put me in a home!"). Poor Howard. I feel like the most awful person on the planet for putting him through the torment. (Note to self. . .no matter how "lighthearted" or "jokingly" you discuss Spring Fever issues with the students, a five-year-old will always take you literally.) Needless to say, all of the students were pretty relieved to see me at the front of the room and NOT Miss Viola Swamp. What a relief! Definitely one of the top five happenings of the week!

NUMBER THREE- Both boys had a win for their first baseball game of the season! Not that we place importance on winning around here, but it is a plus when it happens. I am proud of the boys for being such contributing members of their teams and for giving it everything they've got! Lewis always seems to find it necessary to slide into his base just as the ball is about to be caught. It is a close call almost every time and one ref actually made a horrible call and said he was out when everyone else on the planet saw that he was safe. I was proud of the way Lewis handled it. He had slid into that base, accrued a slight injury from it, and just sucked it up even when he had been done wrong. He is really an outstanding little boy! So proud of him!

NUMBER TWO- The School Baby Shower. We have four expectant mothers at our school so to celebrate, we had a relaxing and fun after school baby shower which featured the always yummy "better-than-you-know-what" cake of which I helped myself to two servings! I think every work place should have a little party like this EVERYDAY after work. It made the rest of the evening so much more pleasant to have that event to look back on and to not be totally starving when we got home. Conner was so cute wanting to be a part of the games and the conversation. He was so thoughtful about his principal dad who was not able to make it into the party so he made up a little plate of goodies for him. He came over to me and asked if dad likes broccoli. I said yes. I saw him fill a little cup with broccoli and set it in on his dad's desk. My heart melted!

AND NUMBER ONE- Colbie Caillat Concert! I gotta say the highlight for me this week was hanging with my girls at the Colbie Caillat concert at the gorgeous Tuachaun Amphitheatre! It was sooo much fun and she is so amazingly talented. I am boggled by people's ability to write such beautiful and original songs. I mean, there are only so many "notes" yet people keep coming up with all these different and awesome songs! I was blown away by the music and her sweet, soothing voice. A great way to spend an evening! I am also thankful for my thoughtful friend Laura who thinks ahead to get tickets for things like this. Without her, I don't know how often the girlfriends would get together. She is our glue. Thanks Laura for a great girl's night!

I Need "Hairapy"

So, anyone who knows me well knows how frustrated I get with my hair. It is probably my very least favorite thing to do in the whole world. I honestly would rather scrub a hundred toilets than try to get my hair to "go" each morning. So here's the dilemma, I have this new hair cut, but it requires maintenance! UGHHHH! No wash and go with this one. Don't you hate that you feel like you have to buy all the expensive hair care products that your stylist used to try and get everyday to be a "good hair day" at home? 'Maybe I need a better straightening iron? Maybe it'll look better on the "second" day. Maybe it just needs a little more mousse, or hairspray or. . .' and on an on! Before I know it, twenty minutes has drifted away and I still feel like I'm at square one! OR worse, I finally "get it right" only to wake up the next day and realize I gotta start all over again! Oh, I just hate all the decisions, and fussing, and time that is put towards such a ridiculous thing as hair! When is "bald" ever going to be the fashion? Please know that every morning as I am slaving away with this WILD and crazy hair of mine, I am secretly dreaming about the day when I can hire a "live in stylist" to do the dirty work! Who needs maid service? Let me at those toilets! I'll never want for a maid. What would truly be my heart's desire, is to NEVER have to do my hair ever again! Oh! Too bad. I'm pretty sure tomorrow is just around the corner and I'll be back in front of that dang mirror again pleading with my hair for a break!



Okay. So here is the new haircut. A little different than the "rag mop" look I have been sporting lately. Lewis stared at me for a long time and finally said, "Mom, I'm not sure I like your new American Idol hair." Hmm. Which Idol does he think I look like? Click the link below and see if you can figure it out? I'm not sure myself.
http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season7/