notes

H is a very sweet kid. Often I will find notes on my computer, bed, or handed to me. He loves to write and it is sweet to read his messages. This week I got two letters.

The first said:
Mom I love you SO much!

The second said:
Dear Mom,
I hope you get 100 present

Isn't that just so sweet? He is a very good boy and I am lucky to have him!

Making a list

and checking it twice! I've been busy all week checking things off a list as long as my arm. Some items are school related, some Christmas related, some trip related, and some just related to the everyday duties of a crazy mom. Here are a few things that were on my list:

Make a bow board

Finish grading

Polar Express - lots of photos for this one! Can anyone enlighten me on why my kids feel the need to get their "claws" out for photos?

Finish edits for advisor

Find dog immunization records

H1N1 shot for kids and myself (will mostly have that one checked off)

Christmas cards

Christmas shopping

Wrap presents (H has been kind and helps me with this)

Bank

Post office

Ward party

School party

Find someone to collect mail and water plants

Clean the house - I think this has been on the list at least 3 times - funny

how it always reappears

Finish C's quilt - didn't turn out perfect, but she loves it!

Oil change

Water plants

Make treats for many events

Throw baby shower - this was for a friend who is expecting a girl on Christmas. The photo is of the table setting for the event. Cute if I do say so myself.

Pack - this one is still on the list!

There were some things that weren't on my list, but apparently were necessary. Like C dressing me up - not sure what she was thinking on this one.

Hopefully I finish everything on my list before Sunday!

Fall flashback

So I have a confession to make...I am so happy the semester is over and get to fill my schedule with the things I really want to do, but I miss Fall! The weather, the leaves, the activities (pumpkin picking, baking, etc.) - fall just makes me happy! I found these photos in my phone and I think they show why the season is the best.
A fall view on my walk to the office.Claire visiting mom at school and playing in the leaves. She was jumping in them and having a great time!

I guess I will have to wait out this horrible cold weather so I can see another beautiful fall - in about 9 months.

My son sings!

Some big developments around our house. Used to be that H wouldn't sing in public. He knows how but seems like he was intimidated, embarrassed or just wouldn't sing until he knew all the words. Well he sang in public twice! Once for a church activity, once for a school concert. It was great watching him, especially with his school buddies. Here's the proof! He is in the far left front row in the school one. Sorry it is so small the ones I zoomed in on were all blurry.

reason for the season

Sorry to spoil the Christmas card surprise, but Saturday at a Christmas activity I caught C with a nativity set perfect for kids her age. She even rocked baby Jesus and gave him a kiss. It was so sweet to watch and I was very happy I remembered a camera. This will be a fond memory forever!

my hero

hung doors at my house (you should have heard C scream with joy), put on the doorknobs, put the trim on the fans, helped clean (even C's room), and made dinner for the kids yesterday. Isn't he swell? I really wouldn't be able to do it all without him!

What a wonderful...

...day for a snow day. I had planned on staying home today anyway to finish off a couple of school projects. H helped occupy C and they played for almost 4 hours in the snow. WOW! I finished my school work, got exercise by shoveling the drive and sidewalk, and enjoyed kid time. Look at those smiles.

WARNING...this post contains ranting

I just have to get this off my chest. Did all of you realize that the rates of children born with Down's syndrome are going down. At first this seems very positive right? Well the reasons are upsetting. Apparently with the increase in pregnancy screenings many doctors are recommending abortion, and many individuals are choosing to abort a child when a test shows that they will be born with Down's syndrome. I don't mean to get on my soapbox, but does that mean that people honestly feel a life with a disability is not worth living. The truth is that many of these parents-to-be are just not being given accurate information about the abilities of individuals with this disability. In addition, many people do not realize that these individuals are very capable of growing into very productive members of society. I think it is a shame that our world has come to this and I am mad that doctors would ever recommend abortion for a child because they will have a disability. ARGGGH! I don't think any of these individuals have met Jackson, a boy with Down's syndrome, who was the highest reader in his kindergarten class (he knew how to read before he entered school). Who knows maybe he will someday be a doctor and tell all the other doctors off! What needs to be done is clear. People need more education - to make good decisions and change outlooks outcomes and for those with disabilities.
Thanks for listening, I think I am done - for now.

Milestones

One for me and one for C.
C truly demonstrated that she is a child of the 21st century (soon to be the 21.1 century). Today she learned how to use a mouse with a single click to blow things up on the computer. What is her generation called anyway - GEN - Z? She was initially excited by this task, but grew bored after a while. She was helping a friend with her dissertation study. She is trying to analyze mouse use for small children and how hand eye coordination is related to how they do on the task. The hope is this can be applied to kids with motor challenges in the future. Anyway she got 5 stickers and loved spending time with another adult - who was great at giving attention! It was a pleasure to listen to all that went on from the other room. She is such a crack up (asking for stickers for her brother too, telling about her friends, explaining that her name starts with a C and mine with an S, etc.). What a cool kid to raise.
For me it is official that I passed Comp 1. This happened a little while back, but the end of the semester is here and so I have been preoccupied and not reported it here. J and I celebrated by going on a date! That was wonderful.
Now hopefully I can get everything else done by the Thursday when all my deadlines are here. I am in good shape so far, so as long as nothing crazy happens (I am knocking on wood - consider my history - appendix with John, etc.) I should be good.
I am looking forward to two weeks off. They may be tiring weeks, but it will be a change of pace and time spent with my family! Hooray!

Happy Turkey Lurkey Day

...that's for Farrah. To the rest of you, Happy Thanksgiving!

Prethanksgiving torture

I spent most of the morning today enduring a tingling/numb ear, jaw, and right side of my face. Apparently last time I visited the dentist there was an old filling (my very first) that had partially fallen out and a small cavity had developed in the groove beside where the filling was previously. At first I didn't mind the tingling, but when my ear started to get numb and I had drooling and tongue chewing issues the fun wore off fast.
I just wonder if I have an addiction to pre Thanksgiving torture. Personally I think Thanksgiving is kind of a nasty holiday. If we really were just focusing on giving thanks instead of filling our faces and making our bodies feel nasty maybe I would like it more. So far it just seems like everyone eats, makes messes, and sit in front of the TV. Maybe because of this I have a history of having medical procedures the day before Thanksgiving. First wisdom teeth, then tonsils, now a filling (which was less brutal than the first two by far). I see a trend. Maybe next year I will schedule my tummy tuck just before Thanksgiving :) Oh yeah, no money for that!
By the way mom, whatever happened to one of your sons going into plastic surgery - did they all flake out on you or are you holding out for Benn?

NC

Last week I went to Charlotte, NC for a conference. Here are a few highlights:
First off I stayed in downtown Charlotte and took my first taxi ride (at least that I can remember) to get there. Luckily the taxi driver wasn't a creep! Here is a photo from my hotel room window.

A few other photos downtown - including a couple of cool statues they have around downtown. I really like the one with the baby.

The whole point of going (and submitting almost $900 for reimbursement) was so I could present this lovely poster. It is all about the literature review I have been writing so much about - which I think passed as my comp 1 (I say think only because I am waiting to see if I did enough minor editing for my advisor to pass me).

Other cool conference highlights. I actually got to meet a lot of people - some of whom might actually want to give me a job in a year from now. I also got to participate in a paraeducator special interest group and now I am part of a couple projects related to that - with people I have been reading about for a year. Sort of like meeting a movie star for a new researcher like me. Go ahead and call me a nerd!

I had kind of a weird flight plan to get to Charlotte. I travelled through Detroit. The craziest part of that was walking through a psychedelic tunnel - similar to the one in the original Willy Wonka movie (the part where they are on the boat and Wonka is super creepy).

I really think it is a hazard for those prone to seizures, but it made travel slightly more interesting. I was really excited that I didn't have any travel troubles (last time we had more than our fair share). This time 3 of my 4 flights actually arrived early - WOW!

I have to revisit the cost of this conference. I am not complaining - especially since I didn't have to pay for this out of my pocket, but for those of you who think that professors are rich you might want to perk up. First off you have to understand that professors are obligated to complete lines on their vita (also called a CV similar to a resume) if they want to keep a job. You do this in a number of ways (publishing, presenting at conferences, service, etc.). The irony about this is it is extremely expensive to do many of these activities. Consider the year it took me to write my paper and it isn't even published and has a good likelihood of getting rejected or need another revision. I don't think all things I will get published will take this long, but time is money and that is an expensive line on my vita. Then each conference, $900 is on the low end. It all adds up over the years to a lot of money to keep a job, get promotion and tenure. Good thing I love learning and working or this would be a drag!

just my luck

Wednesday I washed my car. It was beyond due and just grossed me out. So guess what happened Thursday...yep it rained. Just my luck! At least my car doesn't have dirt smear on it. I wasn't expecting it and forgot my umbrella - which made walking around the university a bit wet - can't say my hair needed that. Today it is sunny, and I am feeling nice since I have a week off of school to play catch up before the semester ends. Happy holidays.

Mystery not quite solved

So I am in North Carolina at a conference and I noticed this mascot around the city.

Kind of looks like the creature on C's Halloween cheerleading costume, but I don' think that was a panther - maybe a jaguar instead. Man, I thought I had the mystery solved - kind of weird because the colors are the same, just at different cat.

Kind of strange to have a quiet night to myself. Not sure if I like it or not.

Milestone

I finished the second draft of my comp 1. I turn it in on Monday. Now it is just a waiting game to make sure I passed. I think I will know in 2 weeks. Feels so good to have that in. Now on to all the other work I have waiting. Next week I am off to NC for a conference! That should be a nice change of pace.

tricks

My picture taking skills are going downhill lately (or the kids are becoming less cooperative), but this is what I got for Halloween. H refused to take his coat off, or wear his bandana and eye patch, so it is hard to tell he is a pirate. C is obviously a cheerleader - for an unknown team (we think it is the Jacksonville jaguars - brothers you should be able to identify with all of your sports center knowledge). We had a good time although it could have been warmer. C & H went with a friend - the chicken. C ended up with about twice as much candy as H, mostly because she was shoveling it in her bag. We had 6 trick or treaters, so with their candy and our left over we ended up with almost 4 gallon sized ziplocs full of candy. I think I will be taking some to mutual before we get cavities, sick (well might be too late for this one), or fat. H celebrated his candy consumption by throwing up Sat night! Good times. Hope you had a fun one.

I won

tickets to a performance at my school. It is the Martha Graham Dance company performing Clytemnestra. I am excited even though I really don't know anything about this performance. I am working on a date - J turned me down :( If you want to go with me and are free Thurs. Nov 5th at 7:30pm let me know.

say no to crack

Yet another reason to say no to crack...Today while C and I were waiting for John to come get her at my school we saw a woman sitting on the curb showing excessive crack! After a while C announced (in a rather disgusted voice) "Mom, I don't want to look at her butt anymore!" All I could say is "me either", but I was dying of laughter on the inside. Leave it to kids to be brutally honest! Just so you know I don't think the woman heard, but even if she had...I don't think it is bad for her to know how a young child feels about looking at that!
Now C is casting spells and making swimsuits appear (abracadabra make it appear - then throwing a swimsuit out at us), so it seems as though she has bounced back from her traumatic ordeal!

pumpkin attack!

Yoda struck again. This year I thought I would out smart that crazy dog by putting the pumpkin on the front porch. With the wireless fence system it is hard for him to get there without getting shocked, but that wacky dog snuck to the front porch and attacked the pumpkin! What a crazy dog. Wonder if I will have to try and hide it every year. What a strange thing to attack.

Disability rights

Like many other reasons change comes about in the government, a disability rights movement occurred to bring about change for individuals with disabilities. This is a picture of people who normally used wheelchairs climbing up the steps of the US Capital to speak to Congress about accessibility of buildings and transportation.This was the only way they could gain access to speak to Congress. What resulted is ADA legislation! Next time you think you have obstacles ahead of you that are too big to handle and no way around them. Think again!

youth temple trip

Yesterday I went on the youth temple trip to the DC temple (in Kensington, MD). It was a long day, but great trip. I am pretty impressed with the youth here. Some of them skipped homecoming at their high schools to go to the temple and all of them skipped a big birthday party for the "grandfather" of the ward. It was his 80th birthday and probably his last big part like this (he does them every few years, but his health has been failing). The trip is about 4 hours each way, so we were gone about 13 hours total. My kids missed me and I didn't get homework done, but I feel great and less stressed. Plus the temple was beautiful. Here is a photo as we were driving away.

do you?

pick pepperonis off pizza
sing while playing
have bruises on your head weekly
plug your nose when you poop
beg for snuggles at night
own too many shoes (according to J)
love your brother
scream "AMEN" at the end of prayers
give lots of hugs and kisses
talk about bodily functions (a lot)
have Dora for a best friend

You don't? Well C does!

Do you?

clear the dishwasher without being asked
complain about being cold
love to ride your bike
make sound effects with your mouth (some which resemble bodily functions)
sing songs about booties (not the kinds you wear)

love to color and do other art work

steal tape and staplers from your parents
obsess about recycling
eat veggies so you can have dessert

You don't? Well H does!

plans

We are planning to drive out to AZ during the holidays. If you will be around we would love to see you. I think our trip will cover most of the state so just let us know when we could see you!

Dreamin'

C came to our bed last night which has been happening more often recently. I think it is because she throws the covers off and gets cold in the night, or wets her pullup. I am usually too tired to figure it out at 4 or 5 in the morning. This morning I asked her a few questions when she woke up to try and find out about her night.
S: C did you have a dream last night?
C:Yes with Dora.
S:Oooh, what did you do with Dora?
C: I went in her tummy!
S: (WHAT??) Really, why did you go in her tummy?
C: She is having a baby, and I wanted to see.
S: Oh.
So that is the first. What is going on in this child's head? She went on to describe the size of the baby, and she took her blanket in Dora's tummy to give to the baby. Just for the record I am not having a baby, so this is out of thin air (or maybe from the sitter who is expecting).
Next conversation:
S: Why did you come to my bed last night?
C: There was something in my room...a giant.
S: There was a giant in your room?
C: Yes, a giant bird!
Hum, well I think I can say that this girl has a well developed imagination. Too bad it is affecting my sleep.

Know what's creepy?

Snow before Halloween. I don't know the exact stats, but it has been snowing for at least 24 hours now, and I don't think it is scheduled to stop any time soon. We already have a few inches (would be more if it weren't such a wet snow). I just don't think it is right to have snow before the leaves are done changing. Seriously fall is the best and I am getting ripped off. We were even planning to go pick a pumpkin this weekend and now we have to buy one at the grocery store. Plus I have so much work to do and no reward to look forward to. YUCK! By the way, anyone know if there is a book called Idiots Guide to Writing Grants? I really think I could use it right about now, before my grant writing class kills me!

an email to nana

Just thought this might illustrate how different my kids are. Granted the first message had to be typed out by H, but you get the idea.
A message typed by H:
Nana I got a shot on monday and c.I wont to come visit you.love H
I wrote exactly what C said:
Nana I love you and I am going to kiss you. I am going to hug you and kiss you and love you, and I am going to introduce you to Sydney and Sydney's dad and mom and grandma and grandpa. And some (do you know that one). Mom my flu shot goed? Kiss em and hug em I love you. I gonna come to your house. I gonna lay in your bed (my bed) until tomorrow. And I am gong to watch the nice kind of movie. They will get it. (to Harrison) You poop! I am gonna hug Nana and Sydney. I love to see them. I'm gonna really love her. I'm gonna hug her. Bye bye C

Isn't that so cute!? C really makes me tired sometimes! Notice when she talked to H how she didn't loose her train of thought. Didn't even phase her a bit!

Conference plug

It was an especially good conference weekend. I love hearing all of the speakers and feeling uplifted and reignited. While I watched I made it through all of my ironing, made 4 baby blankets, finished the stitching for the top of C's quilt (still a long way to go on that project), and folded a lot of laundry. I love to be productive! It was super nice that J hooked up the computer to the TV, and with the exception of some minimal Internet problems we were able to watch all of the sessions at home. So nice!

Insect Fair

Saturday morning I took the kids to an insect fair. H was a little camera shy that day, so there aren't many photos of him. Here are a few highlights:

• We went into a butterfly tent with monarch butterflies. H didn't want to touch them, C would but didn't want them on her. I thought it was super cool.
• C and I touched Madagascar hissing cockroaches. H wouldn't get near those suckers. They were huge, but surprisingly smooth!
• Saw a ton of dead bugs (my favorite kind). I think H liked the scorpions best. He talks about them a lot.
• Got face/hand painted. H got a dragonfly on his hand, C got a butterfly on her cheek.
• Raced roaches - H's won! Way to go.
• Made beeswax candles and moth masks.
• Saw a real bee hive (and I didn't scream when bees flew by me). Also bought yummy honey. Also met the honey queen - some kind of pageant winner (only in central PA).
• The kids tried chocolate chirpies (aka chocolate covered crickets). C loved them, H ate one bite and threw them away. I abstained. There were other treats to try with bugs in them, but I graciously I let others have them instead. :) Just a note these items were free, that might tell you about their popularity.
• Brought home a pet caterpillar with instructions of how to tend to it until it becomes a painted lady butterfly. Just what we needed!

This was definitely a day we won't forget. J was disappointed that I didn't eat any bugs (and I am sure he would have tried a few had he been there), but I am perfectly fine that I didn't eat them. Isn't there a name for that - I mean vegetarians get a special name. I think non bug eaters should have a special name too. it was too funny that H wouldn't touch things. He was perfectly content to look instead. Never has been much for interesting textures or creepy things on him. He still touches bugs in the yard with sticks. Smart boy that one!

Should I be concerned?

I've noticed that my posts just aren't as funny anymore. I am not sure what has gotten into me, but I found this photo that is sure to cure anyone who has been longing for a funny post. I am not sure what possess my children to spend their free time in this way, but I just want to know if any of you think I should be concerned. Oh, and sorry about the photo quality, there was no time to grab the camera in a moment like this, so my phone had to do!

date with mom

This week I took C on her very own date. A bunch of people from church met at a local apple farm for a tour, so C and I went. It was a cold day so we bundled up in lots of layers and blankets, but we had a great time. We came home with apples and cider. YUM! I even snapped a few nice photos on my phone - although I only thought to use it after the tour. Notice how she gives the same grin in all three photos. What a cutie.

three cheers

for me! I did it! That paper I have been working on for over a year is finally ready to go to my committee. I printed the copies off today and I will turn it over on Monday. In two weeks I will have their feedback and then I have 3 weeks to revise. So in about 5 weeks from now I will either be done with my Comp 1 or I will be out of the program. Then I can send it off to a journal and have my first publication. That will feel super!

Breathing treatment

C went to the dr today with J. J usually hates going to the dr, but she was coughing so he made an appt. Went in and she is ok, but wheezing. So, we get to use a breathing machine with her for a few days to see if that helps. I got to make some interesting phone calls with insurance to make sure that we went about it so insurance would cover it. Gotta love counting every penny! Think J might have been annoyed by all my questions about the dr visit. Wish I could be 20 places at once! One nice thing is she isn't acting sick, or contagious so we still get to go to the apple farm tomorrow with other kids from church and their parents. Should be a good time, but we'll be bundled up - it is really fall around here now!

A conversation with C

So here is a conversation I had last night with C.
Mom: "C what is your favorite song?"
C: "Temple" (I love to see the temple - a primary song)
M: We sing it and I point out a picture of the Mesa temple on the wall of her bedroom and say "That is where daddy and mommy got married".
C: "Did you wear white slippers?"
M: "Yes" (I am a little perplexed how she knew that).
C: "Did you wear all white?"
M: "Yes" (A little more perplexed)
C: "I bet you looked pretty."
Ahhhh, so sweet. I asked her nursery leader, who is now in YW with me if they talked about this in nursery. No, they sing I love to see the temple, but no business about the white. C is always amazing me with her spunk, questions, and sweetness. What a fun girl to raise. Shouldn't ever be boring around our house!

Oh wow!

I have been wanting to post this for a while, but couldn't until it was official. I was just sustained as the new Young Women's President in our ward today. I have to admit I felt overwhelmed at first, but I have had a few weeks to get used to the idea. The girls are great in our ward and I have a great team of women to work with, so that will help a lot! This will be my first time in YW (except when I was there as a youth - 11 years ago). If anyone has words of wisdom I'd love to hear them. Love you all.

he finally came...

not Santa, no that's not who...the ice cream man! H has been waiting for his arrival all summer, and now that fall is here he worried that he would never actually come down our street. Believe me there were lots of tears over this disappointment. Well worry no more he made it our way today. H raided his piggy bank and got a Spiderman pop for him and Dora pop for C for dessert. They are going to make a mess, but the kids are thrilled. I will post a photo of the event just for you!

the kiddos

H brought home a nice book from school. I guess he was highlighted in class or something because the book was all about him and had illustrations from the entire class about what he shared. He told the kids he has a dog named Master Yoda, a sister, likes to ride a bike, play with his remote control car (got new batteries the day before he shared this mind you), and his favorite animal is a lion. Pretty much knew all of that except the lion part. He says he likes that they roar. Crazy kid. Anyway this sparked in me that I should jot down some of the things the kids like to do at this stage.
H likes:
to ride his bike
to make art
to swing (He just learned to pump. After several failed attempts at teaching the skill, I finally told him to try and hit me while I stood slightly out of range. That worked great, a day later he was doing it perfectly.)
to play with neighbor friends
to play little Lego's (he keeps asking for Lego starwars)
to read
to play sports with dad
superheros, pirates, dinosaurs
cartoons: Scooby doo, superhero kinds, Tom & Jerry, etc.
sweets (what kid doesn't?)
Claire
C likes:
to dress up
to knock on neighbors doors and find people (and dogs) to play with
cartoons: Dora, Diego, Max & Ruby, and pretty much every other Noggin show!
to turn on movies on our mini-dvd player
to make messes
to tell fibs (this week she told me she had a carrot in her ear, and that she hugs squirrels)
to play on the slide
to TALK (NONSTOP)
to look at books
most foods - I think she views apples and candy about equally
Harrison

parent night

Tonight was parent night at school. J stayed home with the kids since they weren't supposed to come, and I went to meet H's teacher and see the school. Because of my short visit the first day of classes (see previous post), I was a little surprised by how small the school is. There is really only one hallway of classes, and the gym which is also the cafeteria. There are maybe 20 rooms in the whole school. I also realized that H is the only kid who is LDS in his school. This is a bit different from last year where we had one other LDS family at his school. At church he finally has one other kid in his grade, but as luck would have it he is in a different primary class, argggh. Anyway, back on topic. The teacher seems great, he is doing well, and has been described as a sweet kid. No real surprise there. The one surprise was that there is only one recess. H had told me this, but I figured he wasn't counting the one after lunch or something. They have on recess in the morning (for only about 15-20 min), and none after lunch. I think this is a bit weird (especially since they only have PE every 6 school days and all you ever hear is about childhood obesity). I have mixed feelings...more time for academics, but really at 6 years you need to run around periodically. Time will tell how this one plays out. Hope your school year is moving along nicely.

Fly trap

We have had lots of flies hanging out in our house. I think it is from the beautiful weather and opened doors, but they just pester us. I have tried the fly swatter, but all the smart ones must be left now. Occasionally one will fly to an open window, but get stuck because there is a screen. When they do this I like to close the window and trap the fly. Not sure I should admit this, but the kids think it is great fun too. What do you for cheap entertainment?

school starts

I know some of you have been in school for almost a month now, but H just started today. He was very excited this morning, and up before I could wake him. Then he spent the rest of the morning trying to get me ready (bringing me shoes, telling me when my bagel was done, etc.). I drove him to the school since he is at a new school this year. We checked out he playground first. When we walked in the front door the hallway was blocked off and guarded by the principal. My first thought was "yeah that is really going to foster parent participation in the education process." We preceded into the cafeteria (the only place left to go unless we wanted to leave the school) where all the kids were being "stored" before the bell rang. I waited since he was a little hesitant, and then his teacher came and things were dandy. Thank heavens he likes her! Who wouldn't though? She has cool pointer sticks to point at the board. Lunch went well. According to H he didn't make any friends, but there are nice kids in his class. This reminds me how different C and H look at the world. Around 2:15 I got a call from the school with confusion about how he was getting home. I had placed a notecard in his bag with information in case he couldn't remember his bus number, our phone numbers, etc. Well I guess this card was taken out of his bag and they thought it was instructions for after school plans. I cleared up confusion, and noted how funny it was that the automatically called mom (even though dad was the first number listed). He came home on the bus, and ran off to greet us. C was very happy to have her playmate back!

2 wheeler

H had a goal to learn to ride his bike without training wheels this summer. He learned to ride C's bike without them (since it took a while to get hers on), but her bike is a bit smaller than his and it took until today for us to finally get his training wheels off. So just in the nick of time (since school starts tomorrow) he did it. He is a real bike rider. Best part is he taught himself. Way to go! Keep posted for back to school photos.

I almost died today!

I was sitting in class enjoying an undergraduate lecture about literacy instruction for kids with disabilities for my assistantship assignment when I looked down and saw this:

I immediately feel ill and wonder is this a nightmare? Where in the world did my diamond go?!?!?!?!?!?!?! In my mind I retraced my day trying to remember the last time I knew it was there. Ok, noticed it when I was putting my ring on after applying lotion this morning, think I saw it later in a meeting this morning. Don't remember after that. Oh no. I have been so many places today (the library, walking around campus, my office, etc.) Then I mouth to a fellow doctoral student in the class, that my diamond is gone! Panic comes over her face too (later she admits to me that she had a nightmare about losing the diamond in her ring the night before.) Do I interrupt the class to ask everyone to look? When a change in pace occurred I got up searched the floor around me, spoke with the professor, and mentioned to some students that if they see a diamond they should let me know (I know that sounds silly, but they all became very concerned when they realized what I was looking for). Then I retraced my steps to the bathroom since I had been there just before class. On the way there I say a little prayer, the kind a child would say when they can't find a favorite toy. When I got to the bathroom, I looked in the sink I washed my hands in. The sink had no drain cover just an empty hole! Oh no! I can't believe it, it probably went down that drain. How will I ever get it back? Ok, now I am really panicking. We can't afford a replacement! How will I tell J? Do we have insurance on this thing? I can't even remember! I start feeling even more ill. I return to the classroom. Others are looking around, I am trying not to cry about all of this (I mean do the undergrad students I supervise really need to see me cry right now?) Then I search around the floor, back where I was sitting when I went to class. I start looking in my bags. I empty my purse and there it is! A sparkling princess cut diamond!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I even be that lucky, that blessed? I can't believe it! I found it! I make an announcement to the class. I go from ill, to happy in .23 seconds. My heart is still racing from all of this and I think....there must be a moral to all of this. What am I to learn from this experience? So here are some of the morals I came up with (in no particular order):

1- Prayer works! I already knew that, but this reaffirms it once again. One of the students even mentioned that she said a prayer for me as well.

2- Insure your jewlery, especially a ring you wear everyday.

3- My marriage has outlasted the workmanship of my ring. I am so lucky to be married to a wonderful husband - who didn't panic when I started sharing this story with him.

4- My diamond is less important than having a house for my kids, food on the table, my health, a wonderful husband, and so on. Perspective! I need that now and again.

5- Good thing I have a friend who is married to a jeweler. Maybe he will fix it for me!

So for now I am sporting the promise ring J gave me before we were engaged. I hope to have my ring back before too long.

Happy 30th

to my handsome hubby. Love you!

Busy week...

but I managed to fit in a little downtime. Today I went to a baptism of a new lady in our ward. It was a wonderful service for a great person! This afternoon I spent a lot of time reading (oh yes, school is definitely in). I also had some time this weekend to plant a few things. Our yard is looking better day by day. Today the kids relaxed, played, and yelled at neighbors houses to try to get friends to come out to play. Well, really that was mostly C. Maybe we should collect telephone numbers or learn to use doorbells! It didn't work for the friends they intended, but they did meet two new friends, ages 6 (a first grader in the neighborhood -WOO HOO) and 4. The kids had a great time. We also discovered this week that we have two LDS neighbors. It is super fun for us to have members so close. There are a few clusters like that around, but mostly we are very spread out. Both are couples without kids, so maybe we can even sick our kids on them and escape (wow I just thought of that super idea). We also had a bday party for the hubby and friend Adam yesterday. J is officially 30 in an hour, so go ahead and call to harass him. In lieu of a cake for him I got him 30 hot wings to celebrate. Luckily we had friends to eat some or he would be very sick right now. We did have cake for Adam, so no one went off the deep end to get sugar. The party was a success, and both boys hopefully feel loved. Thanks to all who came!

Back to school

for me anyway. Sorry no photos of me with my backpack (and laptop, and lunch bag, and purse -man I carry a lot everyday). H starts back after Labor day, so we get to ease back into the busy life a little. Things are going well so far. My brain is adjusting back to the life of constant reading, writing, and thinking. I have spent at last month or so just letting it turn to jello. It was rather nice to do that, but now I pay the price. The kids are doing ok, although they tell me they miss me which can be hard. J is feeling a little domesticated since he is tending to them so much more. It is an adjustment for all of us. Here is to a happy, healthy, and productive school year!

OUR NEW HOUSE

For those of you who have been waiting it is finally here...a post of our new house! I wanted to wait until the rooms were clean, but realized with school starting up that may not happen for months. So with that in mind please ignore our mess! Here are the stats: 3 bed with an office; 2 1/2 bath (well technically the master is a 3/4 since it doesn't have a bathtub, but you get the idea); 2100 sq ft or so; full unfinished walk out basement; oversized garage; 400 sq ft covered deck. There are also some cool green features: bamboo flooring, concrete counters, on demand water heater, hvac with heat pump. Now for the tour.

Front of house

Entry way

Family Room

Dining

Kitchen

Master bedroom/master closet: What I love most about this room is the space. I have my office there, a love seat, and a spacious closet and bathroom!

Master bathroom

C's bedroom

H's bedroom

Kids bath

Office: No photo available at this time...J was shirtless in his office, so he vetoed a photo. I know you are all bummed out - sorry!

Covered deck (the favorite family feature of the house)/View off the deck (which is somewhat covered by the houses, but it is still there!

Garage (notice we can fit our two monster vehicles in!)

Basement

Backyard/Back view of house

That's the tour. Hope you enjoyed it. Super house J built for us. Can't wait until all the little details are complete!

Slightly unrelated: Here is the pile of boxes we have already unpacked in the basement. I can tell you it is bigger than it looks.

This is a plant growing in our backyard - we kind of like it, but I am not sure if it is one that will destroy everything else. Anyone know what it is?

**Sorry about formatting issues, can't seem to get all the words where I want them today! Ughh blogger stinks sometimes.