Derby time 2012

We had a great derby this year. The night before we were informed that the gym floors had been refinished so we relocated to Tuachan high. The boys had a great time and all of the kids were fabulous! No crazy boys running around causing trouble! My kind of derby night, not one dad even got upset! The boys worked a long time on their cars and had so many people asking how they made them. Camden helped cut half of his car but for safety his dad finished. They are already planning next years cars.
Neil's unofficial calling is pine wood derby man...we store the track at our house so he somehow ended up setting it up and running it for all the wards.

Someone is excited! Just weighed in and ready to turn in the car he has worked on for a month! Surprised he doesn't have blisters from all the sanding Neil made him do!







Camden came in first for the Webelos. Woo hoo, two years in a row!

Easton tied with Bear for 3rd overall. He gave the trophy up without being asked! What a nice boy. He was the fastest in the wolf den! On to Expo!

First, second and third overall!

So since I printed them but never sent them!

Totally not surprised with myself, this school year has been so frantic for me. Most of the time I feel like I am just scraping by, so things will change next school year! Here is the Christmas card that I printed and never sent, hope you didn't think I wasn't sending one just to you!

Halloween

For some reason I can't find a picture of Brooke or Camden on Halloween. Brooke wore my old powder puff jersey and Camden was a scientist. Easton was a cowboy and Addie was Smurfette! I loved making this costume. The only drawback? Pleather! It stinks to sew with, sticks to itself and the machine! I made her hat the morning of the school parade, in about 5 minutes. I went in my poodle skirt and letter men jacket. Inside the pocket was a note my bff wrote me in high school. Wow did it bring back memories! We took the preschool class to a nearby clinic and the kids were able to trick or treat in the offices. Aren't my preschoolers darn cute!?

She really did go

I had to teach preschool (two classrooms away from Addie's) on her first day of school. I was so sad to miss out on it. My amazing friend Brandy watched her in the morning and then brought her to school and even took her first day pictures.

Piper is one of Addison's besties. They are trouble, especially when you add in their other bestie, Adilyn



I snuck out of my classroom in time to walk her down to her class and kiss her goodbye. I may have even sneaked a peek when they were outside at recess!

Spoke too soon

Yesterday I bragged about sweet Brooke and then I went to her parent/teacher conference last night. I should have waited until after I went to conferences so I could add all the amazing things they had to say about her. One teacher asked me how in the world I created a Brooke and to give her the secret so she could duplicate it. They all had such great things to say and we were not surprised to hear that she had straight A's! One class she has 112%! Totally not surprised by what I heard, but still thrilled to have heard it!

Brag on Brooke!

Just need to brag about my Brookie! She has had a big couple of months. Today I signed her progress report...all A's (not surprised at all). Brooke finished her personal progress on her birthday. This is a big deal. Basically she had until she was 18 to finish it and she did it only 2 years! Her amazing personal progress leader Lindsay made her a beautiful quilt as a "way to go" gift! go to Lindzsews.blogspot.com to see it! Brooke was inducted into the Junior National Honors Society and is the Vice President of History for the group. They are going to be raising money in the next few months so they can fund Micro Loans for women in 3rd world countries! Brooke had to give a little introduction at the induction ceremony and did a great job! Brooke has been babysitting like crazy and I have the parents tell me all the time what a great job she does. One day she had 3 jobs...8 am, 1 pm and 7 pm! The best part? She saves every penny. I had her get a debit card when we set up the account and she has only used it once in the 3 months since. Brooke was also selected to be a school ambassador. She submitted an application and a group of teachers chose students to represent the school. They do special events for the school like "say no to drugs week". Brooke went to her first stake dance. None of her friends were available or old enough to go so she basically went alone (we did carpool with a neighbor boy, but they didn't hang out). At the dance she found some friends from school and she hung out with them. They noticed a girl all by herself and decided to ask her to hang out with them. They included this girl the entire night. (I keep thinking of the girls parents. We so hope that our kids will have confidence and feel included. I am sure they were praying that night that their girl would find a friend. Brooke hasn't seen the girl since, but I am sure it made a big impact on her) Brooke was recently selected as one of 8 kids in the stake to be interviewed for the stake youth conference video. The stake leaders prayed aobut which kids should be chosen and Brooke was one of them. On a side note, after the youth conference one of the leaders complimented us because Brooke was one of the few girls that was dressed modestly the entire time and they were very impressed by her! Yesterday a friend stopped me and said she just wanted to let me know what a great girl Brooke was. She put on a Halloween dinner for her son and the big group of kids that all hang out. The meal and decorations were so over the top fun! The 3rd course was meatloaf shaped like rats! At this point I guess Brooke asked her how much work she had gone to for the night. Susan couldn't believe a 14 year old had noticed her hard work and had actually mentioned it to her. It wasn't a "thanks for the ride" kind of moment, but a moment where someone noticed your hard work and actually mentioned it. Susan was very impressed! My friend Brandy calls Brooke and old soul. She is so right on. While I was out of town recently Brooke was at a birthday party. At 11 she told her friend she needed to leave to make sure her dad had put the other kids to bed! Sometimes I wish Brooke wouldn't take so much on herself, but I realize this is her. She is so responsible. She is learning to have more fun, but she does it her way, responsibly! That I am very thankful for!

Done taking a nap?

Today is day three of me having hardly any voice. I kind of sound like Phoebe on friends when she is sick, which is perfect because my bff's husband sings "smelly cat" to me everytime he sees me! I am thinking it is allergies because it is my only symptom. It is a little difficult to teach preschoolers with a whisper. Yesterday I told the class I thought my voice was taking a nap since I didn't have time to take one myself. At the end of the day one of my cuties in his little tongue thrust lisp asked me "Is your voice finished napping yet?" That my friends is why I teach!

Just breathe!

I guess because Easton has always had allergies we don't realize how poorly he is breathing. He doesn't get a full blown asthma attack where he is gasping for air, he just is constantly now breathing at full capacity. To help him we are starting a fairly intensive regimen. For 5 days he will: nose spray twice a day, inhaler twice a day and 2 tsp. dose of prednisone once a day. Then if he is going to be doing something outdoors he will do a fast acting inhaler 15-30 minutes before. After 5 days he stops the prednisone and then switches inhalers. He is starting a very high dose *250/50* for two weeks. After the two weeks his dosage gets lowered *100/50*. He continues the nose spray (probably forever) and the fact acting. To top it all off in about two weeks he starts allergy shots, which are kind of a pain in the neck. He goes twice a week to the Dr. to get the shot and then sit around for at least a half hour to make sure he doesn't have a bad reaction. I told Neil last night that I can't wait for him to feel what it is like to breathe at full capacity. Most of the time he is about 70-75%. He has no idea what it is really like to not be wheezy. Most of the time I don't even realize his is wheezy. Like yesterday at the Dr. he was a little wheezy and I had no idea! I guess it is like eye sight...you are use to what you got, then you go to the eye doctor and are given glasses and realize wow I was missing out on so much! This is a long journey we are on, but hopefully one that will help my sweet guy out!

I survived...barely

I survived sending my baby off to kindergarten. I don't know how I made it! Perhaps I have been so crazy busy that I haven't had time to really think about it, because when I do I start crying. I have never had a hard time sending my kids to school. When Brooke went to school Camden was two and Easton was a newborn. I would put her on the bus and then put the boys down for a nap. It was pure bliss! I would scrapbook one page and then I would do chores without helpers. When Camden went to school Easton was in preschool and Addison was a napper. So I again had a little alone time. When Easton went to school Addison napped for a while, but then gave them up. It has been just the two of us for 3 years. I have loved spending so much one on one time with her. We love to giggle together! For the past year I have known that kindergarten was looming in my near future. I couldn't decide what to do....do I send her or not? I changed my mind weekly. Neil didn't, he knew she should go. I told myself she is so little and barely makes the cutoff by a few days. I would then remind myself that she is soooo ready for school. She loves to learn and is very social. Well I bit the bullet and sent her. I won't lie it was hard. The week before I would tear up just talking about it. So to make the transition easier I got a job...at the school...two classrooms down from hers! I am teaching preschool at the elementary school (finally that degree I paid so much for is being put to use!) I had to prep my classroom on the first day of school. Addison went to her friend Piper's house in the morning. Then her amazing mom Brandy brought her to the school at 12:40. She took the first day of school pictures for me (she is my personal photographer since I always forget to take pictures!) Addie came and got me and together we walked to her classroom and found her chair. The teacher said goodbye to the parents and I walked out. I had done it. I had done it without crying in front of my baby and her class. She looked so little sitting in that big chair. She is a tiny thing in this class full of big kids. I hurried back to my class and got busy so I wouldn't think about it. How did it go? Her favorite thing about it was the smart board (this amazing technology that is kind of an overhead projector and computer mixed into one. Like having an enormous I Pad on the wall) Her least favorite thing was recess, it was hot and boring and she had to wait in line for the bathroom. The next day she wouldn't even say goodbye to me, just ran down the hall and headed into class. I guess I should take it as a good sign that she loves her teacher! But can't she miss me a little? The third day she came home and told me she made 4 new friends, but doesn't know their name. She does know what team they are on (the class is divided into teams). Addison loves school. I know I made the right decision, but it still breaks my heart. The short time we had together, just the two of us, is over. It will never be the same. Now I just have other things to look forward to with her (which I am trying to remind myself every time I get a little weepy) For now I will just be content that I am two classrooms away if she ever needs me.