I'm a Sucker for the Tag!

tell us this:
fave ice cream: I've always LOVED bubble gum, but I like cookie dough too.

favorite childhood memory: any family vacation. My sisters and I called them "torture tours"! Endless road trips with stops at any tourist trap along the way. Awesome memories!

fave color: Green

love to read? YES! Love to read. I feel LOST without some sort of "reading material" in my grasp.

birthday: Oct. 18th

heels or flip flops? Heels (I guess). I really can't stand the sight of my toes, so flip flops aren't my first shoe of choice. Heels aren't neccessarily my second choice either. I really like cute flats.

my dream car would be: reliable and paid for

top three favorite stores to shop at: Target, IKEA, any crafty/scrapbooky store

one person who you would love to meet(thats alive): Thomas S. Monson

how many kids would you LOVE to have...you know, if you actually had a say in it?
Oh how I'd LOOOOVE to have a say! I think it would be nice to have five total. Maybe two girls and one more boy (to add to our existing 2)

second job? (not first or current, but 2nd): I would LOVE to get paid to be creative. I think that designers for paper lines (scrapbooking) or scrapbooking magazines have a great job. They get paid (and get tons of free stuff) to get their projects finished! How great would THAT be?

favorite school teacher: 1st Grade, Mrs. Fujita

something people would be shocked too know about me: I'm kind of an open book. Nothing shocking here.

and then tell us how you met your hunny....I worked for his mom during my college years and he was on his mish. My friend Melinda was actually "writing" to him during his mission and I thought they would hook up. After he came home, Melinda would hang out with Steve and I would hang out with his friend Bo. After a few months, we just kind of gravitated to one another:)The rest is history!


Okay. I will not be tagging anyone this time (unless you really feel like doing this...GREAT)! I just promised Teresa I'd do this one. Maybe she'll thank me by doing my "Simple Pleasures" tag! (hint:))

It's Official! 12 Signs That Summer Has Begun!

Tag!

List Five Simple Pleasures:

1. Sleeping in because there is no agenda.


2. Just shooting the breeze with old friends, neighbors and family. Steve and I both enjoy this. Some of our favorite times are just sitting outside under a tree chatting with fun people and reminiscing.


3. Being able to devote UNDIVIDED attention to a favorite project, hobby or activity. I hate the feeling of having TOO much on my to do list or having to "multi-task". I feel so at peace when I can put most things to the side and focus on just ONE thing. Even if it is cleaning. I love the feeling of a job well done. Or being with my kids, really LIVING in the moment. I LOVE that!


4. I love it when my husband and kids offer hugs, kisses, massages, back tickles, or to play with my hair! I love that kind of attention!


5. Curling up with a good magazine (or book, but I have been loving the mags lately) and CHOCOLATE!!!!


Okay bloggers! If you are reading this. . .consider yourself TAGGED!!!!!!
P.S. I know who you are! Come on! List your five simple pleasures!

Didn't You Know?

Oh, don't worry if this news is catching you a little off guard. I might not have remembered myself if my two sweet boys (who just so happen to be brothers) hadn't reminded me first thing this morning! AND, lucky for me, I still have a few hours to zip on over to the store to buy the long awaited for "Brother's Day" gifts. I've managed to convince the boys that the actual holiday does not officially begin until noon (seeings how I might have forgotten about this special day just a teensy bit). I guess it makes sense though. With all the hoopla about Mother's Day a few weeks ago and the realization that Father's Day is the next big holiday, the boys were feeling a bit jipped. Conner came up with the "Brother's Day" idea. "We need to have a Brother's Day," he said. Of course, both Steve and I thought it was pretty cute of him to think of such a thing, so we penciled in the day. We wanted it to be after school was out, but before Father's Day. The day after Memorial Day will always make it easy to remember. So, there it is. The birth of a new holiday. One more excuse to take a trip to Adventure Pizza and buy dollar store gifts for the boys. I guess since it IS Brother's Day, I'd better get something for MY brother too!

Lewis' Five!

Well, this was Lewis' big week! I've never seen a kid more stoked for summer than Lewis! He is so ready for a break. Can't say I blame him at all! He is such a planner. He is already trying to plan his "summer schedule." Between play dates, birthdays, made-up holidays (I will do a post on this one, stay tuned) and trips-he's got the summer covered. Not to mention his entrepreneurial work. Sorry family, but be ready to buy some more pipe cleaner bracelets this year at the family reunion! Only this time, he is adding beads! Oh yeah! This is going to be a great summer for our little Lewis. But, back to the list. Here are the top 5 happenings of the week according to Lewis.

5. Pizza Hut- I remember the "Book It" program from when I was a little girl. I remember being so proud to sit around the table at the hut with my family and have my very own personal pan pizza. I think it is great that this program is still going strong today. We made it to Pizza Hut with the boys' "Book It" certificates about four times this year. This past Monday was the last and final time for this school year and it was extra fun for Lewis. Our cool neighbor Carolyn came along to partake of the fun too. Lewis is a pretty picky eater and his absolute favorite food is pizza, so it was a great way to start off the last week of school for him!

4. Star of the Show- Lewis' teacher has an "acting" background and wanted her students to have some fun this last week of school performing some simple plays for the different classrooms. Their class was divided into three groups. One group performed the play "The Billy Goats Gruff," one performed, "Taxi the Turtle" and Lewis' group did the play, "Too Much Noise." I thought it was really neat how the teacher allowed the kids to really do all the work on these plays. They came up with costumes, props and scenery. Really cute. Lewis really surprised me with his acting abilities. He was fabulous at ad- libbing and really got the audience laughing and enjoying themselves. He played an old man that kept pestering his little old wife. He was pretty cute. I was also proud of the fact that he kept the play moving along. He seemed to be the one that knew what the next part was supposed to be if someone forgot their lines or if the group forgot their cues. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained with Lewis' acting debut. It is such a joy to watch your kids be involved in these fun, different experiences and to see how they rise to the occasion. Awesome job Lewis!
3. Water Party- This week it was the second graders' turn to have the fun water party provided by the P.T.O. Lewis really enjoyed the water slides but he actually liked doing the balloon toss with Miss Stauber the best. He won!2. Awards Assembly- Friday was our school's "Celebration of Learning" for grades 1st through 5th. Each grade presented awards and sang a song. Lewis received the "Top Reader" award for his class and the song they sang was "Stand for Something Good." Of course, it was adorable and we couldn't be more proud of our Lewis for another great academic year.1. POKEMON!!! Probably the highlight for Lewis this week was earning back all of his Pokemon cards. He also received a binder with baseball card pockets to store them in as a "graduation" gift from his parents. Also, Miss Maria gave him a Pokemon book which he has had his nose buried inside all weekend. As much as I'd hate to admit it, Pokemon has been an O.K. thing overall. Both boys have learned a lot through those little cards. It is fun to see Steve try to "get into it" with them. I'll catch him quizzing the boys about the various cards and, though I'm not proud, I think it is funny that they know so much Pokemon trivia! And, as buggy as they still are, I am happy that the boys have a fun pass time that interests them.
So, there it is. Lewis' fun Five for the week! We are certainly looking forward to a relaxing and fun summer where our fave five lists can include things like, laying around in the sun, watching movies, playing games, going places and how much revenue Lewis' bracelet business brings in (LOL)! Yep. Exciting times right now. We are ready for a GREAT summer!

Obsession

Okay. Steve and I are COMPLETELY nuts! We were getting a little fed up with our P.M. T.V. show line up (which consists of about 13 channels and includes re-runs, news or documentaries) so, to remedy the situation, we borrowed the Felicity first season box set from our friend Laura. This set was a gift given to her by one of our mutual friends who actually watched Felicity when it aired back in 1998-2002. I saw a few hit and miss episodes back then, but never got real into it (not knowing the whole premise). Anyway, when we saw August Rush and Waitress awhile back, we just LOVED Keri Russell in those movies and so, Tiffany told Laura that she was getting her the Felicity first season for Christmas. Okay, so Laura had never even opened the box come March (she has Tivo and a myriad of channels to choose from, why would she need Felicity? She didn't) so Steve and I grabbed it. We have never looked back! It is sooooooooo good! The plot is so great and the chemistry of the actors, awesome! It really takes ya back to those good ol' college days. Anyway, awhile back we finished the first season and decided to start up a Net Flix account so we could start receiving Season 2. Last night Steve had to stay late for high school graduation. We only had the final episode of season 2 to watch. Well, I could NOT wait for him to get home, so I watched it (even though the final AMERICAN IDOL was on at the same time)! It was such a great episode! I was dying about it! When Steve came home, I was more than happy to watch it AGAIN with him! I know I am crazy! Anyway, I just checked the mail and Season 3 Disc one is here! Steve's gonna have another late night tonight. I am SOOOO tempted to find out what happens next! Man, should I wait for him or just go for it?



P.S. How great is it that I have a husband who loves to watch these types of shows with me? He is awesome!
Obsession Update:
Turns out Steve was just as excited to see the next episode as I was. He called shortly after I finished this post and said he would try to get home on time! We were able to keep our same "9:30" Felicity date. We watched two episodes and can't wait to get back to it tonight!

Can't Live Without. . .

I just have to stop for a second and do a quick post about this life saving product that I cannot live without! Three words: Downy Wrinkle Releaser. It's AWESOME! I bought my first bottle of this stuff after rave reviews from a friend and it has been a staple in our house since. It is perfect for moms like me who are NEVER around when the dryer goes off to quickly put everything away before they wrinkle. I use it almost every morning with the boys t-shirts and quick fixes on pant creases. It has been a life saver to say the least! I LOVE this stuff. If you have not yet tried it, do not hesitate the next time you're at the store. Well, unless you LOVE ironing!

Conner's Five!

Looking back on this week, I realized it was all about Conner! With it being the last week of Kindergarten, each day had a new fun adventure for him. Here are his top five events to remember:
Five: Reading Rewards Party!
I am so proud of Conner and the great little reader he is becoming. When we sit down to family scriptures each night, he can hold his own as good as the rest of us! We are amazed by his skills. Of course, he was encouraged to develop his reading skills all year long with our school reading rewards program. Each month Conner brought home a reading calendar where we kept track of his minutes reading. He had to rack up enough minutes to be able to attend a fun reading party at the end of each month but also, to earn the grand, daddy prize at the end of the year. That prize is the opportunity to put his hand print on the "Reading Hall of Fame" wall in our school. This is really a big deal for the kids. You really have to be diligent in your reading to be able to earn the right to immortalize your hand print forever on the school wall. Conner worked very hard and was able to attend a really fun party and put his hand on the wall. He chose red and he points it out to everyone that walks by it now. He is so proud. I am too.
Four: Happy Un-Birthday Party!
Birthdays are a HUGE deal for the Hispanic culture. I never knew this until this year, but a child's birthday is an important event! When they bring in a "treat to share with the class" for their birthday, it is usually a full out party with cake, ice-cream and balloons! I had to set aside a full hour to celebrate each child's birthday this year! It was crazy. Needless to say, I always feel bad for the summer birthday kids, but this year, I especially wanted them to experience the same excitement that the rest of their classmates did. So, we had the traditional "un-birthday party" that I always do, but I pulled out all the stops this year! We had a TON of summer birthdays to celebrate too, 8 in all! Conner was one of them. We treated each kid like we did any of the other birthdays we celebrated throughout the year. All the kids made birthday cards for each birthday kid and we sang to them. I bought one of those giant cookies that I had sliced into twenty four slices and that was Conner's treat to share. We put the birthday cards into a special bag for each kid that included a pack of Starbursts and a book from their teacher. Toward the end of the day, I let the birthday kids pass out their birthday treats. We had so much junk, cake, ice-cream, punch, cookies etc., etc.! It took a good portion of our day to celebrate these special birthdays but it was a blast! Conner had so much fun and even shared his Starbursts with his friends. Cute kid that Conner!
Three: Kindergarten Water Party!
To be quite honest, I was DREADING this experience. I am not a huge fan of water days. They are a hassle and truthfully, my kids were so wound up about it, I was tempted to keep them inside. They finally simmered down when they saw Mrs. Gardner's class already outside playing. I said, "We will go out in ten minutes if I can see everyone of you acting like first graders!" They obliged and we headed out, but not without a million kids needing help with sunscreen and swimsuits first. It was pretty fun once we got out there. It was CRAZY windy and those kids were just SHIVERING with that freezing water and the wind mixture.
They were loving the huge water slide set up by our P.T.O. as well as the slip n' slide. Conner, of course, was fearless when it came to dare devilish tricks on both the slip n' slide and the other slide, but he has always been that way and so, I couldn't really do much about it. I just prayed that he would be safe and kind of tried to redirect my attention elsewhere. I saw some pretty cute things as I walked around the playground and just enjoyed "hangin'" with the kids. Lots of little girls were spreading out their towels and sunning themselves. One little girl was putting sunscreen on the bottoms of her friend's feet! I said to her, "Wouldn't want her feet to get burned huh?" she said, "No way, she wouldn't be able to walk!" How funny! And because it was so windy, there were some kids letting their towels blow in the wind and get stuck on the fence. They did it over and over again and would stand further and further away each time. Conner saw it going on and turned it into a little contest, of course! So competitive that one! Overall, it ended up being pretty relaxing and even a little fun. I'll try to have a better attitude next year.
Two: "Kindergarten Celebration of Learning!"I know it is traditionally called a "graduation" but I like how this school calls the event the "Kindergarten Celebration of Learning". It has a nice ring to it. Especially because both Mrs. G. and I have one student who will not be able to move forward to first grade next year. A little bit sad, but we were still able to have those kids be involved in our celebration. We did the tried and true, "Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten." We chose some students to do speaking parts, Conner got to do the biggest line, "All we really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be we learned in kindergarten." I can just hear his sweet little voice saying those words and it is adorable! The kids sang some of their favorite songs and recited some nursery rhymes. They also did a cute hula dance that I will be attaching to a post soon. It is so sweet! Anyway, I can't believe these little kindergartners who came to me not knowing a lick of English (some of them) are now moving on to first grade with very good READING and writing skills in place (not to mention speaking! Man I had a chatty class)! Anyway, it has been amazing to watch! Kindergarten is a huge learning year and I am so proud of all the students. I will miss them dearly! Most of all, I will miss being Conner's teacher. I wonder if I can just keep moving up a grade each year?
Here is a picture of us on Dress Rehearsal Day. Conner is third from the left on the front row. It isn't the best picture (it is a little blury), but unfortunately, it is the BEST of the bunch and one of the only photos of our whole event! If you want something done right...
One: Conner wins the RACE!!!!
We have the cutest lunch lady on the planet at our school. She used to be a banquet chef too, so the food aint half bad! But, the best thing about her is how AWESOME she is with the kids. She just loves them to pieces! She has really taken a liking to Conner this year because he gets her jokes and likes to tease her. Well, a while back Conner was bragging about what a fast runner he is (he really is fast, so you can't blame him for wanting to share it with the world)! Mrs. Burch made a deal with him. She challenged him to a race and if he lost, he had to give her one Pokemon card. However; if he WON, she said she'd buy him a whole pack of Pokemon cards! Well, for weeks Conner was just stoked about this race. Every time Conner would see Mrs. Burch she would stop whatever she was doing and start stretching! Conner thought that was hilarious! She'd say, "I'm getting all warmed up for that race! You better be ready!" Well, finally this Friday the two of them went out and had their race. I told Mrs. Burch that I needed her to win because that kid did not need another pack of cards. She said she'd try her best! Well, of course, Conner won! By a long shot! He is fast and sooo fun to watch (one of my favorite things to do is watch him run. It's been great entertainment ever since he was really little). Anyway, he was sooo excited and can't wait for that new pack of cards! Way to go Conner!
So, as you can see, this was definitely the week of Conner! I have a feeling next week will be Lewis' big week since it is his last week. I am looking forward to the summer, but I must admit, I am a little sad to see this school year end. It's been a fun one!

Time to WAKE UP!

Overall I have two of the SWEETEST boys ever, but occasionally, they do engage in behavior that just stops me in my tracks and makes me say, "Are you kiddin' me?" One such experience occurred just barely. Let me back track a little. This week was my last and final week of Kindergarten. A little bitter sweet and completely crazy, hectic. Well, as usual, the night before graduation day, I was up doin' last minute projects. My head finally hit the pillow at around 2:30 a.m.! Needless to say, I had the adrenaline rush to get me through the actual event this morning, but by the time school was out, I was DONE! We made it home by about 2:15 this afternoon and I mentioned to the boys that I needed to get some more sleep. I told them they could go downstairs and either watch a movie or play game cube (something they were completely stoked about!) so that I could go catch up on my ZZzzzZZZzzzs. I set the kids up, offered them snacks and then, without further delay, I washed my face, stripped off my work duds and fell into bed. Fast forward a couple of hours. I woke up to a constant string of doorbell rings and I sluggishly rose from bed to let my boys in (I was about to get mad at them for going outside when I told them to stay downstairs). Well, it was NOT my boys. I was a little shocked to see my neighbor (who lives just below us) standing on my step. She asked me if I knew that my boys had been throwing giant rocks into her backyard?!?!?!?!? (Here goes. . .) "ARE YOU KIDDING ME????" First of all, where are those rug rats and second of all, is this any way to wake up from a nap? I apologized and told my neighbor that I would be handling the situation and that I was grateful no one got hurt and no windows were broken (man those kids are DEAD)! So, I shut the door and I called out to those boys for a good five minutes. They were nowhere (man, those kids are WORSE than dead)! I got dressed and headed outside calling their names. After no luck, I came back in and saw them sitting on the stairs. They looked SOOOO scared! Now, keep in mind, my boys are NOT young anymore. They are generally very decent and amazing little people. It was completely catching me off guard to even be having this conversation with them (well, Conner I have had some conversations like this, but Lewis? No way). I had no idea that either of them could be capable of such a thing. Well, we walked back into the backyard and there was the evidence, right there on the lawn. Twenty or so rocks in various sizes. I handled the situation in three steps. First, they had to clean up the mess. Second they had to walk to our neighbor's house and apologize/offer to clean up their yard. Third, they were to listen to a lecture from me and then wait for their dad to come home to give them their punishment. My lecture was a doozy (heck, I would have been scared to ever even PICK UP a rock ever again after my lecture) it included a wide range of scenarios to scare the livin' daylights out of them; "What if you would have hit our neighbor's little girl? What if you would have hit our neighbor? Do you have enough money in your piggy banks to pay for broken windows?" etc. etc. I also mentioned to Lewis how disappointed I was in him for not realizing that what they were doing was wrong and stopping it. Heck. He is almost EIGHT, the age of accountability. He should be on top of this kind of stuff. Anyway, following the lecture, I had the kids wash up and come sit down for dinner. It was a very solemn mood at the table and Steve had still not come home for dinner, so the boys were still in a state of "unknown." I asked Lewis to offer the blessing on the food. It was the sweetest little prayer I've ever heard. I will try to recall it here: "Dear Kind Heavenly Father, we're so thankful for this day (insert shaky little voice here). Please help us to be good and do what's right (insert sniffles and tears here). Please help us to not ever do what we did ever again. Help us to choose the right. Bless this food, we're so thankful for it. We say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Goodness! (insert mom giving her sweet little boys a hug and kiss right here) those kids were SORRY! So, a few minutes later Steve came home and I dropped the bombshell (he could tell by the long faces something was up before I even said anything). Of course, he flipped out when he heard the details. The punishment he suggested was a little harsh (taking away all Pokemon cards and ripping them up!) But after he simmered down a bit, he decided to take them away and the boys are currently trying to earn them back.
So, there it is. Another lengthy post from a day in our lives! No shortage of excitement around here! Oh, and of course, there is always a lesson to be learned in every situation right? Well, this time, the lesson was for me. No matter HOW old your kids are, you will NEVER be able to take a nap EVER until they are all grown up and move away to college (insert big yawn here).

This Week's Five

This was a crazy week! I was sick on Sunday and Lewis had strep throat on Monday, so he and I stayed home and spent the day visting the doctor and filling prescriptions. By Wednesday, I was still not feeling up to snuff and just crashed after school. I think I just needed the extra rest cause by Friday, I was feeling great! I got tons of stuff done to get ready for the school year's end and I feel a huge weight has been lifted! Looking back on this week, there were a few key things that made it bearable:
Five: Three words. Teacher Appreciation Week. Whoever thought of this idea, BLESS them! It is so wonderful to be told you're appreciated and that what you do matters. Each day there was some fun little surprise or something to look forward to. Breakfast provided for us on Monday. White chocolate popcorn on Tuesday. Thank You cards on Wednesday. Lunch provided on Thursday and yummy desserts and goodies on Friday. The little things sure make a difference. I so appreciated those little gestures our PTO did for us teachers. Makes me want to go out and pat people on the back more often. Encouragement is a powerful thing!
Four: Conner hit a HOME RUN at his baseball game! Of course, he did this at the ONE game I wasn't able to attend (had to stay home with sick little Lewis) but I heard all about it! Way to go buddy!








Three: The Lancome counter at Dillards. Let me explain. I commute thirty minutes to and from work everyday. I gotta find time savers to make my life bearable. One habit I fell into this year was putting my makeup on in the car on the way. Only one problem with this system, I can never do the eyeliner and mascara part very well in the moving car, so sometimes I have to finish those items up in my classroom. Anyway, I finally did what I had been hoping I wouldn't do all year long, that is, I left my makeup bag at school on Friday. The worst part about it is, it didn't dawn on me that it was there until Saturday night when I was trying to get ready for my friend's wedding reception. I spent the entire day Saturday home doing housework and widdling down my nightmare to do list for K- Graduation, so I didn't even think about makeup. Then, around 5:30 I showered, did my hair, went to get dressed and realized my makeup was gone. I searched through all my bathroom drawers and purses and came up with a few products, but I am a tosser, so if I don't currently use it, I don't keep it. Basically all the important stuff is in that bag at school. I got in the car and was ready to head to the store to buy some concealer and foundation when I drove past the mall and remembered Dillard's. I felt soooo silly asking for a "makeover" but the lady was super nice and did a really good job. I promised her I would buy something for helping me out. I didn't realize Lancome Mascara is like $25! But, a promise is a promise and I'm always runnin' out of mascara. So, problem solved thanks to Dillard's. Double bonus, she sent me away with some samples that got me through my Sunday, so it was all good. I did learn a lesson though. I gotta make sure I keep some of my makeup at home just in case I do this again! I am SUCH a dork!
Two: My next door neighbor Carolyn volunteered to teach the lesson for me in Primary. We team teach the CTR 6 kids (Conner is in our class which I LOVE). It was supposed to be my week to teach but she offered to do it as a Mother's Day present to me. I can't think of anything I would appreciate more than to have one less thing on my 'To Do' list! Thanks Carolyn!
One: Mother's Day Moments. I am so happy to be a mom. There's nothing more important I will ever do than protect, nurture and teach my kids. They make me a better person and I have two of the sweetest, cutest boys anyone could ever hope for. My greatest blessing this week was to revel in all the Mother's Day glory. Here is a list of the moments I want to remember about today:

• Waking up to breakfast in bed
• Sitting back and watching my boys sing their little Mother's Day song to me during sacrament meeting. I remember the days when I only dreamed of watching my kids sing to me on Mother's Day! Now I actually get to watch them go up and smile at me so sheepishly as they sing. Its the best. They are precious, precious little dreams come true!
• Watching Lewis be so grown up giving his talk in primary. He actually thought of everything to say all on his own and was so professional about it. He will be a great public speaker someday! A proud parent moment.
• Having the boys shower me with sweet little gifts (wrapped themselves) when we got home from church. My favorite was the little butterfly Lewis constructed at school with a poem on the back that says,

Butterflies are colorful
And perfect in every way.
You are even MORE beautiful.
Have a great Mother's Day!

• Taking a Mother's Day Siesta!
• Waking up to the smell of dinner being cooked by my husband extraordinaire!
• Spending an enjoyable evening visiting with my family.
• Coming home and reflecting on this perfect day!

Happy Mother's Day 2008!

The End of an Era

We are not car people at this house. I never have been and neither has Steve. When I say that, what I mean is, we have never paid much attention to cars or worried about what kind of car we drive. In fact, when I was in college and dating, I actually found myself more attracted to someone who drove a "lesser" of a car (case in point; Steve who drove a Daihatsu Rocky) or who didn't worry about things like rims and spoilers. I guess in my mind, it doesn't make sense that a person is defined by the kind of car they drive or that someone is "cooler" than someone else because their car is "cooler." Anyway, that is one of the reasons it has never bothered me to drive a min van. In fact, the opposite is true. I have LOVED the convenience a mini van affords a growing family. They are designed to make families more comfortable when they travel! I have LOVED that! Maybe that is why Thursday was so bitter sweet for me. It was the end of an era. With all the commuting we are doing (and it doesn't look like it will end anytime soon) Steve had been toying with the idea of downsizing to a sedan for better gas mileage. I know we only have two kids, but those two kids have friends and relatives that need to be toted around from time to time, not to mention all the preschool field trips where it was packed to the brim with happy, comfortable kids. Nope, I did not like the idea of selling the van. To me it was like putting the energy out in to the universe that, no. . .we won't be having any more kids and I will never stay home and run kids to soccer or teach preschool and go on field trips. Making the decision to sell the van was really like unraveling a huge knot of unknown twist and turns about my life. When we first decided to become a VAN family, back in 2002, a lot of people raised their eyebrows. We were still a young family and only had one child with one on the way. Why would we need to "stoop so low" as to buy a van? Well, Steve was in a carpool at the time and that was our main reason for doing it, but once we did, we've never looked back. It is soooo great to slide open those side doors and have your little kiddos right there, easy access, plenty of room to change a diaper, tote all the baby and kid paraphernalia and so on. Vans are great! But, it is the end of an era for us. We are now "sedan" people again. Steve found a GREAT deal on a FSBO Honda Accord that he couldn't pass up. And, to make things even more convenient, one of the teachers at our school was looking to upgrade to a mini van and fell in love with ours. So, it was simple really. A no brainer. I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I didn't even know what the new car looked like until two days after Steve bought it (see, not concerned with cars)! But, we took our first family drive in it yesterday and I gotta say, it is pretty comfortable and really nice. Yes, there is still room to tote our two cute kids and some of their stuff. Still room enough for our new carpool which consists of only one extra adult. And, if we do become soooo blessed to have another baby, the car seat can sit snugly between my two sweet boys who can entertain him/her in our travels. Maybe it won't be so bad? We can always become van people again, someday.


One last photo in front of our Mazda MPV. My only regret is that I look like Frumposaurus Rex in this picture. And our new 2007 Honda Accord. It's the start of something new. . .

On the Table

I only have FIVE more days of school to go! I cannot believe it. I am torn. I am pretty much WORN out and need a good dose of summer relaxing, but I am going to MISS these kids soooooooooooo much! I have never had a group of kids so hungry for love and attention as these. I get about a million hugs (and sometimes KISSES) a day and I might go into withdrawals without my daily dose of being NEEDED so badly. Also, I am going to miss the excitement of our days and the fun that is involved with being a part of the learning environment. The planning and preparing of fun activities for the kids to do is one of the reasons I love teaching. I am also going to miss sharing my favorite stories with the kids. This week, I set up the table twice. We had a fun little "color review" day, so I put out my favorite color stories. We have also been wrapping up our unit on animals, so I set out some of the best (and most entertaining) animal stories that I had on my shelf. Here is what was on the table this week. . .
AMAZING ANIMALS
There are a billion, gazillion stories about animals, but I wanted to choose stories that really got the kids involved. All of these stories create laughing moments but also get the kids talking. "What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?" is a really fun guessing book that also fills you in on some of the crazy facts about how animals can do amazing things. Super cute artwork in that one too. Then, two of my favorite "dog" stories, "Officer Buckle and Gloria" and "Just Dog" remind us why dogs are man's best friend. I love how "Counting Crocodiles" gets the kids counting and then, "Chicks and Salsa", just a very funny story.
COLOR BOOKS
"The Crayon Box that Talked" doubles as a sweet story about "team work" and "A Color of HIs Own" is a good story about being happy with who you are. Also, you can't teach kids about "mixing colors" without "White Rabbit's Color Book." I also LOVE how "My Crayons Talk" introduces kids to the idea that colors can evoke feelings.

Plain Versus Fancy

So, it is done! I solved the blogging dilemma. Actually, with the help of Tom, the computer tech at our school, the dilemma is solved! A few of you mentioned that some people have had problems with their Pyzam stuff. It turned out to be the case with me, even though I didn't want to admit it at first. I deleted the Pyzam background, much to my dismay, I really liked it. But, plain and simple is nice too! So, just for the heads up all you Pyzam users. Blogger and Pyzam don't always click. Maybe in the future I will branch out and try some of those cute "cutest blog on the block" templates, but for now, I'm just sticking to the basic template. I feel much better about investing my time and energy into something that won't disappear and give me a heart attack! Even if it ain't too fancy!

This Week's Five

Five- THE HULA! Gotta say I have enjoyed watching the two kindergarten classes learn their hula dance this week. It is MORE than adorable! I'm going to have to get it on video and post it. I was sort of dreading our end of year program (they are such a pain to put together) but after seeing those kids shake their little booties with the hula hoops, my spirits have lifted! It's gonna be a great show!
Four- SURVIVAL! I am in total survival mode right now (only 10 days of school left)! I don't know how I am going to pull it all together, but I always manage. This week was all about surviving without Steve. Some how we did it, but I always appreciate him more when he gets home. He is a huge force in our house and we just don't function as well without him. While he was away at principals meetings, we managed to get to both baseball games on time and still make it to our Denny's dinner afterward. We also made it to school one day by the skin of our teeth and with zero gas in the tank! It is just so crazy to manage all the little things that Steve is usually here doing without me even realizing it. Yes, somehow we survived and I am so grateful for that.
Three- PARTIES! There were two reasons to celebrate this week. The first was my middle school helpers' idea. They asked me a couple of weeks ago if they could give a little "graduation" party to my class on one of our last Fridays. Of course I agreed. I wasn't expecting them to go as ALL OUT as they did! I thought it was so stinkin' cute that these 12-year-old kids coordinated the event all on their own. Fabion showed up early with plastic cups, bowls and utensils as well as two boxes of Capri Suns and a huge bag of pretzels. Then, later on, Stephanie came with a cake that she had bought and then decorated for the occasion. She even remembered to bring a knife to cut the cake (I always forget little details like that)! Anyway, Fabion passed out pretzels for a snack and then later on, we watched a movie and ate cake. One thing that is soo great about the Hispanic culture (that I didn't know until this year) is that they are soooo generous and thoughtful. When it looked as though we might not have enough pieces of cake for ME to have some AND Fabion and Stephanie, Fabion was totally willing to give up his piece. Of course I declined his offer and he finally ate it after I set it right in front of him, but I was just so impressed with him. He also made sure I had a cup of pretzels on my desk before he packed up the huge bag to take back home. What a stud!
The second reason for celebrating was my friend Laura's birthday. I looked forward to it all week long, knowing that on Friday night, I could toss my busy, crazy week aside and just relax with dinner and a movie with the girls. Good times were had by all and I enjoyed the left overs for lunch the next day! Awesome!
Two- STEVE'S CRAWFISH BOIL! I have to list this because it made Steve so happy to be invited to our friend Thomas' house for some real mac coy Cajun craw fish. I guess Tom ordered ten pounds of live craw fish from Louisiana (where he is from) and invited Steve over to help him eat some. Tom has a HUGE pot that he just threw these squirmy little craw fish in to along with mushrooms, sausage, corn on the cob, potatoes and tons of Cajun spices. . .a real MAN'S meal! Steve brought home some of the left overs but honestly, I think barbecue potato chips are too spicy, so I couldn't do it. Now Steve, on the other hand, he was in heaven!
One- BEAUTIFUL WEATHER! It has been absolutely beautiful weather around these parts lately! I wish it could stay this perfect forever! I love being able to open up the doors and windows and welcome in the fresh air. I also love that my kids can play outside pretty much non-stop because it's neither too cold or too hot! I am grateful for such a fun and relaxing weekend we were able to spend together thanks, in part, to the beautiful weather!

Lewis with his friend, Dakota, enjoying some of the great weather at our school's Spring Carnival.

Stephanie and Fabion provided quite a party for our class!

Steve's weekend delicacy!

Yee Haw and Happy Birthday!

Life Lessons: Part Two (Lewis Edition)

I want to document a little life lesson that happened to our oldest son, Lewis, this week. I am trying to get him to write it in his journal, but in case I am unsuccessful, it will be here on the blog. For a little background into the story, you gotta know a little bit about Lewis' latest obsession. It started the day he received his first Pokemon cards (I guess one of his school friends gave him some). Now, I remember when these annoying little cards started circulating the first year I taught first grade (over ten years ago). They were super buggy then and just as much so now! As a mom, your first wish is that your kids won't take a liking to them, but if they do, your second wish is that they get the obsession out of their systems soon so they can be lost and forgotten. (I am still pulling for that second wish to take effect.) Anyway, about a week after Lewis began his interest in the darn things, he started asking us if he could buy some at the store. We told him he could if he used his own money. Well, I had no idea that they would cost $13 or I might have said no, but a promise is a promise. So, Steve took him to KB Toy Outlet and Lewis bought his first pack. Now an investment like $13 is a pretty big deal for a 7 year old, so of course we had the discussion about how we take care of things if we want them to last. I suggested he not bring them to school and he didn't for the first couple of days, but then he realized, the whole point in having them is to trade them. So, he started taking them to school. Well, a few days went by and all I heard on the way home from school were detailed, minute by minute, accounts of Lewis' trading scenarios. I was overjoyed as a mother knowing that my son was so great at bartering (I might be a tad sarcastic here) and equally impressed that he could pronounce all the cards' names (yep, JUST as buggy as they were ten years ago). Anyway, flash forward a few more days and I went into the gym after school to get Lewis to go home. He was in a heavy conversation with about three other kids. I walked over to him and realized he was upset about something and was asking 'which one of you stole my cards?' Oh great! I thought. Here we go. As soon as Lewis saw me, he came walking toward me with his little lip quivering. "Mom, someone took all my Pokemon cards!" and then the sobbing began. Now, something about Lewis; he does not like to get upset in front of people. Another thing about him; he is the most sincere and honest person I have ever known. He wouldn't hurt a fly and is ALWAYS concerned about how others feel (this would actually make another good post, there are a few examples to go along with this). So, anyway, we immediately walked out of the gym while he proceeded to tell me about what happened. After consoling him a for a bit, I reminded him that it was a big risk to bring his cards to school because not everyone is as honest and caring as he is. Then he asked this question, "Mom, can I buy some more Pokemon cards?" Of course I knew he would ask it, but I still wasn't sure what to say? I finally gave the standard, 'we'll have to see what dad says' reply and the conversation ended. Poor Lewis! He had invested so much into those cards, time and money and sincere love for the things! But, he needed to learn a lesson here too. So, as a compromise, Steve and I decided he could buy one more set, with his own money, Only one teeny problem, he didn't have quite enough unless he skipped out on his tithing. (So now, the plot totally thickens and this little life lesson begins to have a familiar ring to it.) Now, suddenly we were discussing with Lewis the benefits of paying tithing and waiting until after it is paid before we buys things. "We are always blessed when we pay our tithing" Steve said. Well, he was pretty hesitant but finally, Steve got him to make out his tithing envelope and set it aside and see how much he had left. Steve said he would spot him the few dollars that he needed since he was so faithful with paying his tithing. Well, Lewis was ECSTATIC! He thought for SURE that was his blessing for paying his tithing! Well, it gets better. Steve and both boys drove back over to KB Toy Outlet (this time Conner wanted to buy some too, you know that Conner idolizes Lewis and wants to do EVERYTHING he does). Well, when they got back from the store Lewis came running into the house and said mom, "I totally believe in tithing! It works!" then he proceeded to tell me that he and Conner were both able to get a pack of Pokemon cards for half the price because they were buy one get one free! Wow! How fantastic is that? Now, I know this is kind of a funny little story. Pokemon cards? Could the Lord REALLY be looking out for us in such a matter? Well, I say yes! Because, now I know that my son has an experience under his belt that has helped him gain a testimony of tithing. And isn't it all in the little things where our testimonies are based? I think so. I can honestly say that I am glad Lewis had this life lesson as difficult as it was. And my outlook on Pokemon cards (though still grim) has a little different meaning for me now. I know one day they will not mean as much to the boys as they do now, but instead of throwing them out and forgetting this part of our lives ever existed (something I was hoping for the second the obsession started) I'm thinking we will keep them in a little box somewhere, for Lewis to look back on, as a reminder of this great little life lesson.

LOL (Lots of Ladybugs)

This started pretty innocently enough. The kids came in from lunch recess one day and some of them were carrying little containers filled with grass and ladybugs. I thought that it was super nice of whoever was on recess duty to go "out of there way" to help the kids find a way to house their beloved ladybug friends. I let the kids show me their bugs, explain to me where they got them, etc., etc. Then I asked them to put them on a shelf so we could get started with math. Let's just say, we didn't get a whole lot of math accomplished that day. Kids were constantly looking over at their ladybugs and just distracted by them in general. So, I had them put them in their cubbies. EVEN worse. The kids kept worrying about their bugs and kept opening their cubbies to examine them during center time. Finally, the bell rang and I was able to send all those kids and ladybugs home. Phew! Well, a couple more days went by and kids kept coming back from lunch recess, sporting those little containers (that are usually used for the salsa on burrito day) and ladybugs (who is this recess aide that keeps promoting ladybugs as pets?)! So, by about day 3, I was not having it! I told the kids that ladybugs are happier living out on the grass and that I would wait one minute for them to put their ladybug back out on the lawn. I confiscated those blasted containers and told the kids "no more." (Flash forward a few minutes until we're deep into our math lesson. . .) "Mrs. Peterson, why don't you like ladybugs?" one of my kids asked. "I LIKE ladybugs." I said. "I just don't like that I can't teach you anything when they are in the room! All you want to do is look at them. So, I think we should leave them outside and look at them during recess only." Now, you'd think that would be the end, NOPE! Each day I would hear two or three kids say the following phrase, "Mrs. Peterson, ____________ has a ladybug!" To which I would reply, "well, we all know the rule; NO LADYBUGS!" I would have the child put it outside and then turn a card (an ugly consequence to poor behavior). After a few more days of utter and complete disregard of the new "no ladybugs" rule, I thought I would go crazy! Kids were still bringing these bugs in the classroom! Most of the time they could not get it past me (they were too overly concerned with something in their pocket or on their sock, I would end up finding the ladybug or someone else would and rat them out). But after a while, a couple of my "die-hards" started a new trick. They would bring in the bugs and then turn them loose in the classroom so they wouldn't get caught with them. I was seeing ladybugs EVERYWHERE! One would be crawling on the shelf another across my desk, two or three on the rug! Man those ladybugs were driving me nuts!!!! The last straw was probably the time when one of the kids came up to me and said, "Mrs. Peterson, check Kylee's pocket." I said, "Why? Does she have something in there she's not supposed to?" "Yeah. She does!!!" So, I walked over to Kylee who had her hand in her pocket. I asked her to hand over whatever it was she had in there. She pulled her little cupped hand out of her pocket and opened it up onto mine to release a good dozen or so ladybugs! She actually had to wipe her sweaty little hand onto mine to release all of the ones that were sticking to her! Yep. That was the minute I knew for sure we had a problem! I put those ladybugs in a jar. Then I instructed the kids to follow me outside. I told them they had 5 minutes to capture as many ladybugs as they could find (oh you would have thought it was Christmas Morning with all of the squealing that was going on)! We walked around the school to all the best ladybug spots and everyone found at least two or three to add to the ladybug jar. The kids made sure their bugs had plenty of grass to nibble on while they were being held hostage. So, at this point, I wasn't sure what we were going to do with all the bugs? I think my initial thought was to just get the ladybugs OUT of the kids' systems. I thought if I took some time to properly appreciate the ladybug obsession, maybe the kids would be more willing to cooperate with me on the ladybug rule. So far it has worked. We took some pictures of our beloved friends before we let them go (again explaining that they are much better off in the grass and that by them being there, they are keeping the aphids under control . . .blah, blah, blah). So, our ladybug problem seems to be dying down! I'm not so sure I LIKE ladybugs as much as I used to (gotta say, I'm a little tired of them) but they are still super cute and every time I see one, I'm sure I will think of these kids and how they grinned from ear to ear upon finding them in the grass.