He’s In!

Taylor is, that is!  In the Pre-IB program at Robinson Middle School.  The school he doesn’t want to go to because of the hard work involved but the one where he apparently aced the entrance exam.  We just wanted him to have a choice!  Now comes decision time . . .  (Ken and I are really proud of him; I think he is too, but won’t let on that he is.  He had a huge grin on his face when he saw the acceptance letter!)

A Horrific Ride Home

It’s a Friday afternoon and we’re all looking forward to the weekend. Today’s ride home was unusually annoying. I went the way I usually do and I hadn’t been on the highway long before it came to a stand-still. I then crept along at less than 5 mph with now a steady stream cars in front and behind me. This continued on for quite some time. As soon as I could get off the highway, I did and finally made it to the bank. Ken and I both have direct deposit for both of our checks. I hate going to the bank and our credit union doesn’t have the best hours. It’s also right by Hawker Beechcraft and no matter how I time it, I usually end up in the middle of shift end dismissal and an endless flow of vehicles.

So now I’m lined up in the drive-through bank line. According to the lights above their “roof”, there are only 2 of the 3 lanes open. I position my SUV behind the truck in front of me (yeah! I’m second in line!) and wait. And wait. And wait. There was only one other car in the other lane when I got there and it had already drove off. Hmmm, can I move my SUV over without hitting any poles or the car behind me? Nah, better stay put. The car behind me eventually gave up and drove off. I backed up and tried the other lane. Then other cars came in to the middle “closed” lane and got through!  I’m not kidding you, I was in the line for 20 minutes. If I could, I would have gone in! (The lobby was already closed.) Then their system was down so they couldn’t even put it in my account but reassured me with a slip of paper that it would. It better. I was beyond peeved. It took me nearly 3 times longer than it normally does for me to get home. I’d had a long, hard week and now I’m looking for a new bank – which will be another huge hassle. Ugh. I’m soooo ready for the weekend. . .

My Principal Dropped a Bombshell Today

He’s moving to a middle school principal position for next year for our district.  I’ve heard about 4 years at a school is typical for  most principals but I’m sad that Dave is leaving.  He’s been so encouraging and a great guy to work for as I got my tender teaching feet wet.  I’ll miss him a lot.  We have no clue who’s taking his place yet but we’re having a meeting Monday night about qualities and we’ll get to spend a 1/2 day with the new principal on our next in-service day, April 24th.

Easter Thoughts

Easter is a time to reflect on what Jesus has done for us.  It’s not about bunnies, eggs, candy, or new clothes but the resurrection of our Christ Jesus.  Just think, Jesus died on the cross for YOU and ME!  How AWESOME is that!!!!!!  He’s RISEN!

Here are a few pics from our celebration at my parents’ house.

This is the first picture of all of the cousins together!  From left to right:  Kate (6), Jocelyn (8), Taylor (11) holding Ali (5 months), Wesley (5), Zach (9 on Wednesday!), and Liam (2).

The whole clan!  A little goofy, perhaps, but at least we’re all here!

Cheri, Darren, and Ali in the backyard at Mum and Dad’s prior to the Easter egg hunt.

Our Spring Break in Colorado

On our first day we walked into River Run in an attempt to get an early booking for tubing on the mountain. Unfortunately, even though it was Tuesday, the earliest they could get all 5 of us in was on Friday, our day of departure. On our walk, Ken took a picture of what were his “snow-covered benches” but got stuck on his way out!

The kiddos love to ice skate and Taylor was itching to try out his new hockey stick. Ken rented one as well so they could play together. It was a fabulous day for skating and all 3 boys ended up with burnt faces!

This cut-out thing is in the Village and every time we walk by it, Wesley sticks his face through the bottom bunny face and grins from ear to ear!

We took a hike up the Peru Trail to a mine, something that we had done before in December and really enjoyed. We had the trail nearly to ourselves other than 3 cross country skiers that were finishing up as we were starting and a snowmobiler dragging 2 snowboarders behind. I bribed Wesley saying that if he walked all the way to the mine, he could ride all the way down on the sled. It worked!

On our last day we went snowshoeing, something we hadn’t done before. We were worried that if we went skiing, Wesley would get too tired and we would end up hauling him back with difficulty. He was quite the trooper and completed the two-mile trek without too much whining but with lots of rests. He probably got a much better workout than the rest of us!

We had a blast and are already looking forward to returning in summer for some more hiking and biking!

I’m baaaaack!

Like I’m sure you missed me!  We took the laptop with us to Colorado but we had internet issues and were unable to get on long enough to post anything.  That and I can’t find my camera cord (again) to upload any of the pics I took!  So now that I’m back, up to my eyeballs in dirty laundry, and super, super tired (AND sick w/a yicky cold with lots of drainage and body aches) hopefully I’ll find my cord and upload some stories about our spring break trip to Colorado!

I am sooooooo TIRED!

But I guess that’s okay since it’s now SPRING BREAK!!!  I’ve had some kind of ick that upset my tummy earlier in the week and made me extremely nauseous.  Next it was an extremely sore throat, a bit of a cough, and extreme fatigue.  And now I’m trying to get ready for our trip to Colorado!  All I did yesterday was laundry, or so it seemed.  I did take a nap (a rarity for me) and tidied up a bit and vacuumed and then it was off to Taylor’s soccer game.  Today was church volunteering in the Butterfly classroom (1 year olds), drop Jocelyn off at a birthday party, get Ken’s ice skates sharpened, grocery shop for the trip, drop Buddy off at Grandpaws for boarding, pick up more stuff at Walgreens, gas up the car, and get $ for the trip.  Whew.  And it’s only 7pm and I still have to finish the packing and get the rest our gear together.

I am really, really looking forward to our trip, though.  We’re heading out tomorrow and we’ll be there three days before coming back for Easter weekend at home.  We’re planning on cross-country skiing, ice skating, and tubing with Ken doing his photography and me hitting the outlet shopping center again.  Fun, fun, fun!  I’ll keep you updated with pics, of course!

Week of the Doctor

A few weeks ago it was the “Week of the Teeth” with all three of the children losing teeth. Now it’s the Doctor’s turn. Earlier this week Taylor complained about not being able to hear out of his left ear and it hurting all of the time. Off to the doctor and he’s now on an antibiotic for an ear infection with fluid.

Yesterday Jocelyn came home from school and kept going to the bathroom as well as complaining about how it hurts when she urinates. Off to the lab today and a confirmation of a urinary tract infection. Which wouldn’t be so bad except that she won’t swallow the antibiotic pill. We’ve tried cutting it up into small pieces, mixing it with apple sauce, bribing her, and yet she STILL gags on it. Back to the pharmacy tomorrow for a liquid version. How is it that she can swallow huge chunks of chicken whole (and brags about it) but can’t swallow a pill?!

Tomorrow afternoon Taylor’s heading to the orthodontist. Hopefully his monthly check-up won’t require any meds!

The Stress is ON

Day 1 of our State Reading Assessments started today.  I am confident that I have taught everything I’ve needed to in order for my students to succeed, but is it enough to make a difference for AYP?  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, my students are wearing their achieve bracelets, winner medals, and starting the mornings off with motivational videos and pep talks.  If anything, I know that my students have made significant gains over the year and I know they’re going to try their best.  Who can ask for anything more?

One Big Kid

Taylor started the morning off complaining about not being able to hear out of his left ear this morning and it hurting. Once we ruled out the visible wax, I called the doctor to schedule an appointment since it was likely an ear infection. Well, I was right and his ear is red with lots of fluid behind it. He started his amoxicillin this evening.

If you’ve seen Taylor recently you’ve probably noticed that he’s nearly as tall as I am. I asked about his proportions while we were at the doctor’s since Taylor will be 11 years old this Friday. He weighed in at 113 lbs (dressed) and 61″ tall, putting him in the 96th percentile for his weight and in the 94th percentile for his height. Proportionally, he’s just fine, despite the fact that he thinks he’s fat.  Here’s Taylor snowboarding at the side of the townhouse in Keystone this December.