Has it been 18 weeks since my last post?

I guess a working Mom's life changes a little when she goes from full time at home to working elsewhere. It is hard. Sometimes I feel like I am doing nothing really good...just several things half way. It took me a while but I am into the swing of things at school. I know what is going on and I think my students are happy and getting a decent 4th grade education! We are getting a new school in a few years so I think I will stay where I am. I have great co-workers and very involved parents.

Kevin is doing a good job at home with the kids. I think that he is relatively happy although I don't think he would mind going back to work. He is riding a lot of horses but has slowed down a little in the winter. The days are shorter and there isn't as much time to ride.

Dixon is doing great in 3rd grade. He is a better reader than most 6th graders but is still working on those math facts. I guess you need to be normal at some things!

Jackson is progressing wonderfully in kindergarten. From where he started out at the begining of the year, he has done wonderfully. I just had parent/teacher conference and Mrs. Parker said that he might not be reading yet but if she needs to survive in the wilderness, she is taking him with her! I am so greatful for a wonderful kindergarten teacher that appreciates his talents and skills outside of the academic world and thinks that he is as wonderful and hilarious as we do!

Kasen is still a wild man. He is talking so much more lately and can actually get his point across. He knows how to throw a great fit, though, if something is not going how he wants it to. He chucks stuff to show his frustration.

See you in 18 weeks!

2 Weeks down...How many more to go?

I have managed to survive the first few weeks of school. Can I be honest here? Teaching is hard. I am enjoying the kids...with only a few exceptions! But there is so much to do. My desk is a nightmare...I lost my vocabulary cards the other day and finally found them under a pile! I am looking forward to the first full {real} week of school to get my schedule down. My us port blew up so I will post pictures of my class as soon as I get it fixed {get a new computer}.

On another note, Kevin is doing a great job at home. He is breaking a few horses to keep his sanity but is pretty much taking care of the house and kids while I am gone and he is doing an awesome job. It is our 10th anniversary this week and I am pretty grateful to have him.

What perfect timing...NOT!

Kevin went to the team branding last Tuesday as a part of the fair festivities before school. I was at back to school night and my Mom comes in and says, "Kevin is in the emergency room" He was riding Dixon's perfectly sweet and gentle horse and he spooked for some reason and threw Kevin. He went to get back on the horse and tune him up and realized that he couldn't grab the reins. Well, he had really dislocated his finger and couldn't get it pulled back in. So, off to the er he went, with Jackson in tow, and 1 week before my insurance kicks in. He is going in the morning for surgery to reattach the tendon to...something! Needless to say, I will be working for a few months to pay off that bill. There goes his lasik!

We have a job...

I went in for an interview on Thursday at Garland Elementary for an undisclosed teaching position. I felt like I did really well. I got home at 1:00 and received a call at 1:15 from the principal letting me know that they all agreed that I was the one for the job. She is not sure exactly what I will be teaching until she has the enrollment all figured out but it will either be 4th grade or a 4th-5th split. Now I am kind of panicking. We all need school clothes, I don't have a room to prepare, or a curriculum to prepare for! Plus, we are going on vacation next weekend so that cuts my time a little shorter. Oh, well. Things will work out. I am excited but sad at the same time. I hadn't planned on working for another few years so I could stay home with Kasen and be involved in the boys classes. Grandma Julie will be tending Kasen if Kevin gets a job, so that makes it a little easier. Now my prayers will change that Kevin gets a job...but not until January!

Family, friends, etc.

Hey, guys. We have been having a pretty busy summer and I couldn't find 2 minutes to blog anything...That's a good excuse, right? Anyway...

We went camping last week and had a great time. Kasen ingested 89 pounds of dirt and the boys had fun fishing and shooting bb guns. Jackson enjoyed chopping off small, maturing, baby trees. Hey people, it's called preventative forestry...right? I did put a stop to it, I promise...eventually! Both of the boys played baseball. Well, Jackson played t-ball and mostly scoped out seagulls to blast. That counts, doesn't it?! Jackson is done but Dixon has one more game and I couldn't be happier...to have it over! Notice Jackson not even looking at the game? That is how he is a majority of the time! Dixon has really improved over the last couple of months. This was his first time playing and he did really good. He got a great hit the other day and was even able to score. Sometimes there aren't many runs made but they have all made great improvements.

Jackson had his 6th birthday on the 7th and it was great fun. He got lots of great gifts including school clothes, shotguns, Man vs. Wild dvd and books, candy, tools, and a hatchet from Pa. Yes...a hatchet! Don't worry, though. He has all ready dulled the edge so much that no damage could possibly be done! I love that kid...he is pretty cool. I am really going to miss him once school starts. I am one lucky mama.

I went with Mom and her school friends to Salt Lake yesterday. We rode the Front Runner down and then shopped at the Gateway. If was really fun.

Kevin is still looking for work but has been keeping busy hauling guts and hauling hay, and irrigating for a neighbor that he has worked with for the past 6 years or so. That has really been a blessing...both for the money and Kevin's sanity! I have enjoyed having him home but I know he is getting restless and would like to be back to work.

So, I've put in my blog time...see ya next month! Just kidding.

My Man's Not Afraid to Bring Home the Bacon

We're still on the job hunt. Kevin has a good lead but is just waiting for all the cards to come together. In the mean time, he got a call from the local slaughter house (Jackson says it swatter!) to haul guts to the dump. He gets a couple of hours of work every day, gets him out of the house, and keeps him in tip-top shape! I am so grateful for a husband who will do just about anything to support his family.


Also, Jackson was sitting at the top of the sidewalk in a stroller. A girl with her husband and baby went driving by and was galking off and wondering why there was an unsupervised baby. She drove into the canal...half way. It's good luck it was only half way because the canal is at maximum capacity. Luckily no one was hurt...except their new suv.

Now I know what a struggling economy means

Up until now, we only really felt the downturn of the economy in the rising prices of fuel and food...up until now. Last week Kevin was laid off from his job at West Liberty Foods after another downsizing in force. It was a big shock...we had no clue it was coming. Right now we are trying to get unemployment, health care, and get all the other loose ends tied. I am so grateful for a healthy food storage room and one less thing to worry about. I have an interview for a first grade teaching position this week. It was a big struggle for me to decide if I should seek employment but am grateful to have a degree to fall back on. I know things will work out, whether I teach or not. This puts a pretty big wrench in my plans and Kevin's ego but we will survive.

We are still here, I promise!

It's been a month since my last confession...I mean post! We are all here, a little worse for the wear, but I think we're on the mend. Kasen was sick for a good 3+ weeks with pneumonia and various infections. Dixon has been sick for a week with stomach junk. He missed school all last week. On Friday, I went with him on his field trip. We went to Willow Park but had to leave before bowling...He was looking kind of green! I think he is feeling better, though. Ball starts on Monday. Jackson is playing t-ball and Dixon is playing machine pitch. He has never played so I hope he is okay and doesn't get too nervous. I have played and practiced with him so he should be fine. I'll let you know how it turns out. There is only 2 1/2 days of school left and then the real fun starts!

Clogging Champion

Dixon's clogging group danced at a competition in Taylorsville this weekend. Mom watched the boys so it was just he and I that went and we had a great time. He and his partner were the cutest ones there. They ended up taking first place in both of their dances. In 2 weeks there will be the Dance Factory review and then we can have a break for the summer.

Here are a few pictures of the pinewood derby. In the first picture, the black car racing into the pillow is Dixon's car. The second picture are the boys in his pack. They are all really excited, obviously!

Sixth File, Sixth Photo

Leslie tagged me. I don't usually post tags. I don't know...there's something about spilling beans that you don't want spilled that really turns me off! My Mom is still trying to get out of me what I was up to my first year of college! I don't know why she's worried. I have always been an upstanding young woman, right?

Here is the picture. My 6th file took me back quite a few years and it was actually the picture that made me post this. I think this is hilarious. Kevin is constantly getting chopped out of important photos! It is for this reason and a few others that I don't want my boys to grow taller than 6'4"! Kevin is constantly being stopped in Walmart, the mall, restaurants, etc. and asked "How tall are you?" I notice people ogling him all the time that are too afraid or embarrassed to ask "the question." He's really quite a freak show...but I love him!

This picture was taken in Las Vegas. We went down there with Kevin's Mom, Julie. I also love this picture of her. She has experienced more than her fare share of trials and has been battling many complications from heart surgery 1 1/2 years ago. Ever since I have known her, she has been so vibrant, spunky, and full of life. She has really taken a turn this year with her health and it makes me really sad to compare then and now. She is such a sweet Grandma to my boys and a very generous person and I really love her for that. I hope that things with her take a positive turn very soon.

Thanks, Leslie, for a walk down memory lane! Now tagging Mom, Leash...anyone elso who has a photo to share.

Dixon Takes the Cake!

Yesterday was Dixon's Pinewood Derby Car race. He designed the shape and Kevin cit it out and Dixon sanded it. So much has been going on the last few weeks that it kind of got put off until the last minute. Yesterday morning I started off painting the car white..thinking I could tape off some stripes and paint it black. Well, I ran out of white paint so I tried painting it red...with poster paint! Not a good idea. It turned pink and smeared off. So, I had off white spray paint...this is the next layer! I taped off stripes, sprayed it black, and the black bled into the white. This is what happens when you don't give yourself enough time to let the paint completely dry! So, I sprayed it all black and then had the brilliant idea to cut some bright yellow craft paper for stripes. That was fine until I tried to seal it with shiny, clear spray. Not a good idea, the black was smearing off and it needed more than 45 minutes to dry, apparently! Kevin was mad that I ruined the car. So, I stormed over to Dad's shop, sanded the whole conglomeration off with his power sander, put one light coat of black spray paint. After all this, Kevin rounded up some brightly colored electrical tape so I made some racing stripes out of that. Dixon put his name on the back with silver letters and chose the number 99 for the hood. When I weighed it on Mom's scale, it was a little light so I hot glued another washer onto the bottom and it weighed 5 ounces exactly.

All that work was worth it, though. Dixon was so excited. I will download some pictures and short video when I get it on here. After he won his pack, he said, "I'm going to be up against a lot of talented cars!" He is so funny. He didn't lose one race and even beat the big kids...he took first in the whole den of about 15 cars.

Beginning to Mend

As I was leaving the hospital this evening, Dad's doctor showed up and said that he should be able to come home tomorrow. The physical therapist will be in in the morning to get Dad walking around the hospital. As soon as he is sure of his footing, he can come home. Dad's turtle shell came in today and he had it on when I got there this morning. He will have to wear it as much as possible for about 6 weeks. We are all glad that he is coming home.

Update on Dad

Hey, everybody. My Mom just called and the surgeon finally made it into the room. He said that the muscles and tendons look good so they are not going to do surgery. If his pain is manageable, he should be able to come home tomorrow. They said that he will have a large brace but he will not have to wear it while sleeping or sitting. I talked to Dad and he sounded so much more optimistic about things. Shane gave him an awesome blessing yesterday in Tremonton and the Bishop came to Ogden and gave him another wonderful blessing. Things are going to work out. It will be a long road for all of us. We are so dependant on him and we will have to learn to do for him. Likewise, it will be difficult for him to let others do for him but we will all be stronger because of this experience. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that his selflessness kept Jackson from being seriously injured and I am looking forward to serving my Father like he has always done for me. So, for the next little while I will gladly be the Pepsi girl!

My Dad's a Hero

Dad, Kevin, and the Boys were riding up on the mountain today. Jackson was lagging behind and was trotting a bit to catch up. Jackson got scared and started screaming and the horse took off on a dead run. Dad ran up to the side of the horse to get the reins or grab Jackson. It was in a really bad part of the mountain because they were in between a wheel line and a barbed wire fence with tons of rocks, boulders, and cement junk. Dad went to grab Jackson and they both ended up off their horses. Jackson was fine but Dad landed with all his force on his lower back on a large boulder. I came up in the truck and were were able to get him to the house and finally to the hospital...after much arguing and finally Evan's expert advise that he get to the hospital immediately. There is no doubt in my mind that if Dad had not done so much to stop Jackson's horse, it would have been Jackson in the hospital.

I am eternally grateful to my Dad for the love and care that he gives to his grandkids each and every day. He is always looking out for them. He will get through this. It is going to be hard and will be a big trial for him to allow his body to heal. We will know in the morning whether surgery will be necessary or a brace and lots of bed rest. Please keep him in your prayers. We love him so much.

Beading Fun...NOT!

I am trying to be a good mother...really I am. Today I took Jackson and Kasen to the doctor for Kasen's 18 month check-up and shots. Jackson had to get his kindergarten shots, also. Afterwards, we decided to check out Hobby Lobby. While there I decided to get him some kind of craft that would help him practice his fine motor skills. We looked up and down the isles and Kackson found an Indian beading loom kit. So, like any smart consumer might to, I looked at the age suggestions to determine whether this would be a good activity for my almost 6-year old child. The box says, "suitable for ages 5 and up." I felt like this would be a good activity for him to bead the small beads, etc. Let me tell you, the Chinese 5 year old must be far superior to American 5 year old because this thing was ridiculous. It took 35 minutes to string 12 strings of thread on the loom and another 20 minutes to put on 22 beads. Jackson was able to put the beads on the needle and I had to do the rest...with difficulty, mind you! I was hoping this would be something Jackson could do without much supervision. I do not need to practice my fine motor skills...but after trying to make a simple beaded bracelet, my confidence is a little shaky. Maybe I need to go back to preschool!

What the hell!

Michael just quit?

We have a blue belt in the house

All is right with the world! In fact, Robin his teacher was talking about some of the things Mr. Lim was concerned about. One of those was the position of the foot, the other was students not making their sounds. Then she proceeded to say that there was one student that was louder than any other student and Mr. Lim was very impressed...that person was Jackson. I couldn't be prouder!

Karate Test Time Again

Jackson and I went to Layton on Saturday for the semi-annual karate test at Mr. Lim's do-jo. (Yes, you have to say it like that!) He is currently a green belt which is the 3rd level and is testing for the blue belt. To the untrained eye, you might think that this child has a muscle control problem or something. But, to those of us who have watched him "karate" for the bast 15 months, it is truly a sight to behold. For the most part, he was able to follow the commands and "offense" at the right times. Mr. Lim threw in jumping kick of some sort which is really out of his league. He can hardly jump...just jump, let alone jump and kick and twirl and block all at the same time. You can really only ask so much of a child! I can really see a difference in his abilities. Some day his coordination and attention span are going to catch up with the skills that are in his head...watch out Chuck Norris.



This is Mr. Lim. He is raking in the dough!

That's My Boy!

It's finally here...

What you ask? The beginning of the end. Today I took Jackson to kindergarten round-up. He will be 6 in July so unless I plan on keeping him home until his mission, he has to go to school. He is a funny child and I love him to pieces. I would not want to change one thing about him, but for right now, he could care less about school. He is much more concerned about the monster buck that lives on the hill behind the house, the rodeo he is planning for this summer, various camping excursions, and the many expos that he wants to attend. Sit him down to practice writing his name and he will say, "I can't do that!" Anyway, we went to kindergarten round-up today for his testing and they said he can come to school. We still have a lot of work to do in the 5 1/2 months before school starts but this is truly the beginning of the end. I hope we all survive...His teacher included!