On Turning 32

Tomorrow may possibly be the first birthday of mine that I've ever actually had negative feelings about. There is something about turning 32 that sort of scares me! I don't know if "scares" is the right word.....I guess it's just that the older I get, the less I feel connected to my age. I don't know what age I feel in my mind, but to see and feel my body aging is strange. Logically, I know I'm still young in the grand scheme of life. But I'm still adjusting to this decade of my life.

It's cute how much my girls have been looking forward to my birthday. Jordyn keeps talking about how her open house at school is the same day as Mommy's birthday. And Lexi keeps saying she feels bad that she is going on a zoo field trip on my birthday. Tonight I had a really bad headache so at dinner-time, Tucker came over to the couch and picked me up to be funny and carried me to the dinner table. The girls thought this was the FUNNIEST thing they had ever seen, and Lexi said "Dad, I didn't know you could carry a 32 year old!". Ha ha ha

Lately I've just been thinking how strange it is that the older I get, the LESS I feel like I've got a handle on life. I guess with more age and experience comes less naivety? The invicibility of youth disappears and you realize how little control you really have over life. It feels like a big job to show my kids the ropes of life when I feel like I'm still trying to figure them out. It's such an illusion when you're young to think that adults have it all figured out!

All I want for my birthday is SLEEP!! So, we are actually getting away for a night this Friday. My wonderful mom is spending the night with our girls so we can just relax somewhere. And honestly, that is worth more than a million dollars right now!

6th Grade

The Sixth Graders!

Justin, Principal/Superintendant Mannlein, and Frankie

Me, Mr. Mannlein (the best Principal ever) and Mrs. Scomona (my master teacher)

This is my fourth week in 6th grade (I think). I'm so happy to be over the initial week or two. The beginning feels so overwhelming to learn the faces and names of the students and staff....and try to seem like you know what you're doing! It was quite overwhelming, and it was a harder adjustment to do in front of 11/12 year olds. But now that I'm past that point, I'm really enjoying myself.

I leave the house anywhere from 7:30-7:45. Sometimes I'll drop Jordyn and Lexi off at their schools, other times I go straight to my school, depending on the day. My school starts at 8:25 and I love their morning routine. It's a small public charter school, and there is only one class per grade (K-8) so there are around 200 students there. When the bell rings, all students line up outside in a group and we have announcements, birthdays and flag salute all together. It's really a fun, close-knit, youth camp sort of feeling.

Sixth grade has been an obviously huge jump from first grade. At the end of the day in first grade, I was completely exhausted. It is SO constant and takes such non-stop energy to keep them on task and be enthusiastic, that I often felt drained. But the kids were so openly willing to love and the content was not difficult to teach. With 6th grade, I don't end the day as exhausted. But preparing and grading is more difficult because the content is more difficult. So far, I've taught a unit on Earthquakes, teaching a reader's theatre on Ancient China and taught LOTS of algebra. Those are NOT things you can just wing it and pull off a successful lesson......well, maybe if you've been teaching it you can, but when you're me and you haven't learned those things in YEARS, you have to study! So preparing for lessons takes much more time and then grading them is much more tedious. And the kids are very, very pre-teen.....which has to be treated delicately to maintain their trust and cooperation. Tricky.

There are two boys in particular who I've been able to help a lot. The principal had been staying after school with them (which is extremely unusual.....this is a small, old-fashioned GREAT school). But now, since my master teacher (who's name is Stormie....cool name) coaches softball, I stay in the classroom and plan/grade while they catch up on their MANY missing assignments. One of them struggles with motivation, the other struggles more academically. But, in the past few weeks, I've really enjoyed helping them make some strides and can see their confidence grow a bit. Justin, the one who struggles with motivation, is a very handsome young man, but is on the verge of giving up completely. He has little support at home, and has decided to settle for straight F's. When I first started helping him and showing him how he was pulling his grades up, he then started saying "my goal is to get at least D's this year". I kept telling him, "Justin, you can get C's! Tell yourself you will NOT settle for less than C's!". So, today I was happy when I overheard him telling someone he was striving for at least C's.

This week has been interesting....my master teacher's dad had surgery on a tumor in his neck, so she went down to SoCal to be with her family. The staff and I decided I was competent to take over her class while she was gone for three days. Tonight she texted me and said due to complications, she might be gone all week. So it's a great experience to plan the lessons, do the entire days, and grade everything without any help! Today was day two and it's gone fairly well so far.

I've been really tired, but somehow I keep going. I get home around 5 usually, and then it's full speed ahead into family time. Dinner, homework, projects, playing, baths, piano, dance, attempt to pick up the house, laundry (although my piles are Mt. Everest size). By the time I sit down at 8:00 ish, I usually have to prepare for the next day or do homework, and my eyeballs are falling out of my head. So I've had long days, but we're being blessed and sustained through it. Somehow, things are working. Well, 'somehow' isn't totally accurate. Really, I know why it works.........it's partially because Tucker is a great dad and keeps up with the girls very well, my mom has been a weekly help with Peyton and often the other girls, and Lindy has Pey every Tuesday and often has the other girls here & there. It's a definite team effort!

I can't hold my eyes open anymore, so ta ta for now.

She's Too Much

This kid is so dang funny! I mean, really truly funny. She has a natural wit and curiosity that is all her own! She holds her own as the youngest in our family quite well. Actually, she is often found beating up on her older sisters! She keeps us all laughing all the time. Jordyn and Lexi are constantly telling me "Pey is SO funny, Mom!". Yes she is!

Easter 2009

It's been a long time since we've spent Easter with our Utah family. We had a fun celebration with all the cousins who were able to come!

If you turn your head to the right a bit, you can see a bunny made out of bread with lots of fixin's around him! Courtesy of my creative sis in law Annie! We also had a delicious dinner accompanying this bunny, thanks to Jeannine.

This was hilarious. Maren had these HUGE earrings, so I dared her to wear them to dinner and act like she didn't notice they were unusually huge. So my mother in law was like "what in the world is Maren wearing?!" when she walked in. They looked a lot huger in person than this pic shows.

No kidding, 60 seconds before the kids walked outside for the easter egg hunt, it started POURING rain! Needless to say, it was the fastest egg hunt in history!! They were all really wet after only one minute out there!

Cousins getting ready for the traditional egg smashing to begin!

Maren and Tucker go head to head...

And all these three (River 3, Peyton 2, and Brock 2) care about is their thumbs!

******************

We got home to CA really really late on Easter night, so I asked the Easter bunny to come the next day. He was glad to oblige me. Here are the simple baskets we had, with the much-loved bunny foot prints the Easter bunny leaves at our house.

Good morning sleepy head!!!

NKOTB

What a fun "girl's night out" I had last week! My friend of 20+ years, Melinda, came down from the Bay Area to go to the New Kids on the Block concert with me! She was with me when I went last October, and we thought it was a great reason to get together again!

Of course the concert was perfect....loved the music and nostalgia that flows through at a concert like that. Totally reminiscent of days and feelings gone by. But it was even MORE fun to have hours and hours of chatting and connecting time with such a dear friend.

Thanks Melinda!!!! I loved it!!!



While at the concert, we were nearby some other friends from our hometown (who had really posh seats in a suite!) and so we got to reunite for a bit. The funny thing is that in this picture, there are four of us (Shana is the only one missing) who formed a group back in Jr. High to practice a number for the school talent show. We planned to perform "Cover Boy" (with our own revised lyrics to the NKOTB's song Cover Girl". So we gathered our outfits, practiced our dance and my mom even took us to a recording studio to professionally record it! For some reason, we never actually ended up doing the performance, but the memory lives on!

(Rachel, Melinda, Paula, Me and Krista.....Paula was the only one who wasn't involved in "CoverGirl" memory!)

Crazy Busy

I used to get a little perturbed when I'd hear people say "I don't know how you keep up with your blog....I just don't have the time!". It made me feel like they thought I had all the time in the world to sit around and blog.

I now understand. It had nothing to do with the fact that I wasn't busy being a full-time mom of three...because I was very busy....but I WAS able to fit blogging/journaling into my list of "to-do" items.

Not anymore. I have officially superseded busy. I am now turbo-busy, ridiculously-busy and often too-busy.

The good thing is, I'm happy. I don't feel suffocated or miserable. But I just feel like there is no time to breathe. I just want to sit down one night when my kids are in bed and NOT be planning a lesson, or doing homework for my class, or preparing for a test. I just want to mindlessly watch a show or have a conversation on the phone (yes, though I am a self-proclaimed phone hater, I actually WISH I could chat on the phone).

I'm not trying to pull a sympathy card because I chose this and I'm happy about it all. It's all good, and we have a decent plan in motion for our future. It's just that GOOD and EASY aren't always partners. Sometimes GOOD can be HARD AS HELL. Right? Yep.

I want to blog about my adventures in 6th grade so badly because I know I will forget them. But I'm so tired and I'm getting sick and it's 11:10 PM.

But I will say this. 6th grade is less emotionally exhuasting than 1st FOR SURE. I don't have to constantly direct their behavior like the 6 year olds. But the work is harder and more intense and takes much more intellectual prep. Not so much physical prep. These 12 year olds are so great. They are beginning to physically look like mini-adults. But they are really just kids at heart still. They are still so eager to trust and believe and learn from an adult. They aren't rude yet, but it's brewing under the surface.

I wish they knew that I just learned about the earthquake lesson I taught them today....last night!!!! It's all about staying one step ahead of the game, folks. Just one step ahead and you've got 'em fooled that you're on top of it all!

Alyson's Baptism

Our main point for this trip was to go to my niece Alyson's baptism. I'm so glad we were able to be there for her special day. She is such a sweet young lady, and such a special cousin to my girls. I can't believe she's 8!

We were all a bit nervous, anticipating the tension that could potentially be there with such an odd mix of guests (not always predictable when you have ex-husband's around with their families!). But it was actually beautiful, peaceful, and filled with the Spirit. Here are a few pics of the special day.

On the car ride over....poor Alyson was SOOOO nervous! I told her it was just butterflies and she'd feel way better after she was baptized. She came out of the water and soon said "I feel so much better!".






With their permission, I wanted to get this picture of Alyson with Carly, Nicole and Cameron - which is obviously a rare photo to capture. But of all my pics, it was the only one that turned out blurry!!

We love you Alyson Joy!!!!

Meeting Mr. Solomon

I was so happy to spend a little bit of time meeting little Mr. Solomon! Tiffany is a busy mother of two and I was reminded how much work a newborn is just being around her for a short time. You're amazing, Tiff. So glad to meet the sweet little boy!

Perfect Facial

While in UT, my sister-in-law Lyndsy offered me a free facial at her salon. She is a wonderful estitician, and it was too good an offer to turn down! So I ran over there and had the most relaxing 90 minutes I can remember having in a LONG time!

If you are in UT, visit UT or know someone special there.......this is the PERFECT gift (for them, or for yourself!)! Lyndsy does way more than a facial. She is born to do what she does. She includes a shoulder and neck massage, a perfect ambiance and wonderful product. It gets an A++ from me!

Here's the site: Evolve Salon (located in Murray)

You won't be dissapointed!

Coloring Easter Eggs at Maren's

While in UT, we spent an evening at Maren's house. She made us a yummy dinner and then we colored eggs. It's always so fun to get the cousins together and we always leave wishing we could do it more often!

Gam's House

During our trips to UT, we always stay with Tucker's parents. We absolutely love staying there. We feel so at-home and welcomed.....wonderful memories are made each and every time.

Jeannine makes the yummiest bread, and makes like 8 loaves every time we come. This time, she gave each of the grandkids (who were there) their own little loaf to knead!





Tucker taught the kids how to draw the caterpillar and the horse with our Watch Me Draw! art lessons (still need to blog about that, new business). They LOVED it!!



Jordyn and Lexi's beds this trip! They don't care where they sleep.....they're at Gam & Pa's!

Our Mantite Family

Whether on a long or short Utah trip, we can't help but take a pit-stop in Manti to see our "family" the Thurstons! It not too much out of our way, and it's always fun, peaceful and rejuvinating. A few weeks ago, we ventured to UT for my niece Alyson's baptism....so of course we visited Manti for a bit too. (How in the world is it coming up on a YEAR since you guys abandoned us........I mean moved!)

What I'm Doing Instead of What I WANT to be Doing

What I WANT to be doing is updating my blog, relaxing and spending time with my kids.

What I AM doing is studying for yet another California State Test called the RICA exam - or the Reading Instruction Competency Assessment . Sound fun? I paid $165 to take it and, as I'm learning, many people fail the first try. I told my sixth graders (whom I love and will tell you more about later) that they shouldn't moan and groan about taking their tests because at least they aren't PAYING to take it!!

Here is a snapshot of the fun things I'm studying:

1. What is meant by a balanced approach to literacy instruction?

2. What is phonemic awareness? What areas of phonemic awareness may need special attention in the case of bilingual learners?

3. How and when do we teach vocabulary?

4. Define structural analysis. What is its purpose?

5. What are some of the impediments to full comprehension of written text?

6. Describe the components of an effective spelling program.

7. What is the role of performance assessment in a balanced comprehensive approach to literacy instruction?

8. In what ways are instruction in oral language, reading and writing linked?

So maybe tonight, when the test is over, I'll actually catch my blog up on the past couple weeks!

Jordyn is 7!

Can someone please help me understand how I have a SEVEN year old? I mean, really! It doesn't seem possible!

This year, we had a big birthday party for Jordyn and we branched out to invite school friends (the first time). This was a really fun age to have a party for her and she was SOOOO excited about every detail and so were her friends. There were 14 kids here total, but that includes her sisters.

High School Musical was the theme, so here is the cake I made her. The picture makes it look lots better than it was. I need a lot more practice with fondant. But it was fun and she loved it!



The girls picked out red & white bows as they came in (and got to take them home). We also had a face-painting station (which was my first time with that...luckily they weren't picky about how it looked!).

Jordyn's birthday is always such a beautiful time of year! It's so fun that the kids are in and out of the house with perfect weather in the 70's. They loved being monkeys all over the swingset!
(Just so we can remember....Here is who was there- From School: Taylor R., Caitlin, Jennifer, Katie, Michale. From church: Kira, Kamree, Lori and Madison. Family: Lexi, Peyton, Lyric, Paxton, Grandma, Lindy, Grandpa (for a bit) and Mom & Dad). Plus, several parents stayed. We had a house full!)


We had a pinata! But it was this strange kind of pinata that you don't hit. You pull ribbon individually out of the bottom until one kid pulls the "trigger" ribbon and releases the candy. So strange! I personally think it's worth the rist to just let 'em bang on it like tradition calls for!

Grandma and the birthday girl!

Grandpa brought Jordyn mini red carnations. She jumped up from opening presents to greet him with a hug.

Present time! The girls were SOOOO into this part. And it was nice because they all politely sat there and watched....in years past, with little kids, there can be lots of tears and "I want that!". (But don't worry, we had plenty of that between siblings AFTER the party!)

Mommy and Jordyn!

The clean-up crew (thanks Lindy!)

It really was a smooth, easy and fun 2 hour party! Happy Birthday Jordyn! I love you so much. You are such a fun, talented and beautiful girl! I'm so glad to be your mommy!