Goodbye January

It's the last day of January. I thought I would just wrap things up with a few things I forgot or wanted to blog.

The other night Emily was sitting on Nate's lap talking with him. I said "Dad is such a sucker for little girls." We continued talking for a bit and Nate was playing with Emily. I said "Dad's nice." Then Emily responded. . ."Yes, but Dad is not a lollipop." At first Nate and I looked at each other wondering where she got that until we recalled the sucker statement. We had a little giggle.

We always do our family home evening on Sunday nights. Tonight we played a game that Nate used in his primary lesson today. Since Nate is in the Bishopric he had to come in and teach the 5th Sunday Sharing Time for primary. It was really good. He talked about service. He shared how when he was a kid his mom made he and his brothers learn to sing and dance together so they could perform for the old folks. He talked about how he hated it at the time. . . but how it taught him so much about service.

(Can you guess which one is Nate?)

Then he played a game with the kids. They had a spoon hooked onto a dowel. They had to figure out how to eat M and M's with the super long spoon. Of course, the answer, was to serve others by feeding someone else. The kids loved the game and so we played it again for family home evening.

Nate got the idea from a thought book he kept from his mission. The story talks about a man who dreams about hell. He gets there and there are people surrounding a table set with a delicious meal. But the only utensil they have is so long they can't eat. Then he goes to heaven, and sees the same scene, only this time the people are happily enjoying their meal because they are feeding each other. Clever.

So, February will start with me truly getting into my new job. I go to Salt Lake tomorrow for a training meeting. I also get to pick up my laptop. . . hehehe. . . a laptop no one can use but me. Exciting. I am liking this job already. I still have a lot to learn but hopefully within a week I will be going full speed ahead.

I am not sorry to say goodbye to January. It is always a long and cold month. Actually, it went by fairly fast. . . but it was cold and gloomy. Only one more month and then we will start seeing some signs of spring again. I was thinking about it today. Although I hate winter, nothing beats those first moments when the snow melts and everything is reborn. It is a reminder to me of the constancy of the human spirit. How, even when we are beaten down, seemingly to the bottom, rebirth and continued growth are an absolute fact. True life. . . the divine spirits within every one of us, can never be beaten.

My New Job

I am doing all the paperwork and training for my new job this week. . . and I will technically start next week sometime. I must say, it is very exciting and a little intimidating. It is like that every time I change jobs. So, if you are curious about the school here's a link. Utah Virtual Academy.

So far I have trained in Illuminate. . . the online meeting room they use for all meetings and teacher/student lessons. I also learned a little about the reading program they use to help struggling readers. Both are really cool. I will have 16 students in 6th and 7th grade. These students have a regular education teacher. I just do support and enrichment in areas where they are struggling. This is exciting to me when compared to the self contained classrooms I have taught in previously. I had to teach all the subjects in those classrooms plus make accommodations for any differences in the students learning levels, not to mention the major project of behavior management. It was very hard to be successful in academics that way. So, essentially, now I will just give extra support to kids in math and reading. Most of whom will have a learning disorder, autism, or a health impairment that keeps them at home.

I feel very blessed. . . I couldn't have asked for something better. Really, I knew I needed to go back to work. I prayed and prayed things would work out ok for the girls. I never dreamed there would be a teaching job I could do at home. Whenever I think about it I am amazed that this worked out. I just knew 2010 would bring good things to our family. . . and we are just beginning.

Rock a Bye Baby

Here is the earliest possible picture I could have of a baby. I got this because I freaked out when I first found out I was pregnant. Two years ago I had a tubal pregnancy and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. So, I panicked and was super worried I might have another tubal. I won't go into how pathetic I was. My doctor was very kind and pretended that it was normal for me to be so psycho. To make me feel better I got this picture of our baby when it was just a sweet little ball. Hello baby.

At my first official appointment I got to see another view of this beautiful little kid. I couldn't believe what had changed in just a few weeks. Kind of cute, don't you think.

Finally, at 12 weeks I got this picture of our little one. You should have seen that kid moving around during the sonogram. Flailing of the arms and legs. Again, I just couldn't believe the life that was going on in there. It's miraculous. I am thankful. So, keep growing little one.

I know, this baby has a face only a mother could love.

Prayer Changes Things

In our house we have a sign with the simple truth. . . Prayer Changes Things. We have tried to teach our kids that they can pray anytime they need to and Heavenly Father will listen. Well, Ben has really internalized this. Let me give you some examples. One day Ben was playing with Nate's phone, which had a pair of ear buds attached to it. Ben lost the soft little covers off the ear buds which didn't make Nate very happy. Ben was told he could not play anymore video games until the soft covers were found. He looked and looked to no avail. He had lost them somewhere outside in the van. Now, I started feeling a little sorry for him so I thought I would go out and help him. When I walked outside I saw Ben kneeling on the driveway, the palms of his hands together, gazing up into the Heavens, obviously begging Heavenly Father to help him find those soft covers. While he didn't find them, after that Nathan softened and forgave Ben anyway.

This week we went to the mall to play at the play land there. Whenever we go to the mall we bring quarters so each of us can get a little something out of the candy machine. For some reason we just had bad luck that day. Three of our quarters we eaten up by the machine with no reward. Then, I gave Ben and Rachel each another quarter because I felt bad for them and they left those quarters on a table in the eatery. When we went back to get them they were also gone. Finally, with the last of my quarters in their little hands they arrived at the quarter machines. They both decided what they wanted. Then, to my surprise Ben kneeled down in front of the machine and once again began praying. This time that the machine would not steal their last quarters from them.

Now, I have to admit I let a smile escape my lips. After all, we were in the middle of the mall. But, now that I think about it, I am just glad that the kids are learning. Prayer changes things. It really does. You know that expression "On a wing and a prayer". Well, that's how Nate and I have made it through a lot of things. I am just glad that Heavenly Father listens to our incessant pleas. So, I hope Ben keeps praying in malls and on driveways, as long as he is learning that it works.

The BIG 34!

Well, Nate's birthday has come and gone. We really wanted to go sledding, but with no new snowfall and the smog we decided we would save that for later. The girls and I worked on decorations and cake while Nate was at work and Ben was at school. The kids worked very hard on there birthday cards for Dad. When he got home we stood in the doorway and yelled Happy Birthday at him as he walked in. Poor guy. He looked a little beat but he was a good sport and we had fun. The kids were so excited for him to come home. I'll tell you what. . . my kids adore their Dad. No one beats him. I am not even close. All three of them think Dad is #1. I keep trying to tell them they have it all wrong but they are loyal and I will never be able to take over the #1 spot. Really, who am I kidding. Nate is #1 in my book too. Happy Birthday #1!!!

Incredibly Bored!

Sometimes I become incredibly bored. Today. . . was a day I was trying to overcome. Nathan had to work all day. We cleaned the house yesterday so I didn't have to stress about that. I mean, who's kidding. The house got messy again. . .but we did do the deep cleaning so it was easy to put off the rest. This morning I finally figured out how to make my own background for my blog. Now, every month when I make my new header, I will also be making a background to go with. That was fun and something I have wanted to figure out for awhile. Anyway, continuing to fight the boredom I opened the "restaurant" for lunch. This has become a little trick I use to get the girls to play instead of watching tv. I just tell them the restaurant is open and then they immediately want to play house and come to the restaurant. Works like a charm. After lunch was a fun sledding trip. Yes, I braved it alone. Lucky for me, all the kids are old enough to go down and climb back up with their sleds by themselves. I just sat at the top and helped them get started. I didn't sled once. This afternoon I sat on the couch and watched "13 Going on 30". Oh, and I made dinner at the same time, so I was productive. I called Nate 3 times, hoping he would have something entertaining to tell me, but alas, nothing. And now, it is 6:59. I am blogging about my day and I have no idea why anyone would want to read it. The kids are taking a bath and not fighting which is a miracle. Nathan should be walking in the door any minute. I can't wait. What a day.

Summer Dreamin'

I can't help it. When Christmas gets over my dreams turn to summer. I need the sun like the plants do. In the winter I die a slow, slow death. . . maybe a bit dramatic. But, just the same, I need the sun. So, this week, as the haze hung heavily over my house I thought, wouldn't it be lovely to be here

Ok, so I have never been anywhere that looks like this. . . but a girl can dream can't she. Instead, I am here

This isn't really so bad. . . I mean, the kids aren't so bad. And making the snowmen was kind of fun. I sent the kids out to play in the snow hoping for a little peace and quiet. But, when they started building the snowmen I knew they would need help so I told myself I had to have some proof that I wassn't always the boring mom. It was my once a year, token snow time with the kids and I forgot to get a picture of myself there. Dang.

Glorious New Year!

Well, it's a new year. All I can say is it's going to be a good one. I feel it in the air. I have a new perspective to go with this year and I am going to use it well. New Year, come and get me.
My mom and dad babysat and gave the kids a New Years Eve Party so Nate and I had a date at Outback. . . which was excellent until 8pm with everything in the entire city closed down. Good Grief. That left us with nothing to do but return to the kids party. . . which turned out pretty fun. My mom was all set with get ups for the kids and Sparking apple juice to ring in the new year. I swear, that is what my dad is pouring into those cups. HAHAHA. Every time I look at that picture I laugh out loud. It looks like we are trying to raise a new generation of serious party bums.

Anyway, I barely made it to midnight. . . but most the kids were still awake. They were all so cute. The next day we hit the Jr. High for some sledding. I just took pictures. What a bore I am sometimes.



So, this new year is bringing big things to our house. We have a new baby coming July 31st. I still don't know how to feel about it. Emily just barely got out of diapers. Part of me is mourning things I could have done and the other part of me is sure that this baby belongs in our family. Many things are not perfect for this event. . . but the important things are in place. So, come on down little one. We will give you plenty of love if nothing else.