Well now, it looks as though this little ol' journal of mine is going to get an update every thirty days or so. At best!
I'm pretty certain that I've spent the past 7 years lamenting how busy things are (cue the violin) and I suppose, if I'm not careful, this could be another one of those posts. However, I feel a little bit different about the busy-ness that I feel right now. Yes I have far too little time for my online journal and it has been WEEKS since I've felt all caught up with anything - but I LOVE the things we are doing. Like, really really love what I do each day.
And that makes all the difference.
I love where I work.
It's hard though. Very hard. Working full time at the High School has been a huge adjustment for me and not for the reasons I'd expected. My job is to help the very students who don't want my help. The walls around some of them are so thick; I have had to accept that (for now) my job might just be to get to know them. Some days I come home feeling like I didn't make a single difference and other days I come home feeling elated that I'd connected with one of them in a valuable way. Perhaps even helped them learn? Of course, I can only help others learn what I actually know myself, which brings me to a whole other dilemma: I don't know High School Curriculum. I don't remember ANY of this stuff!! My brain feels like it is going to explode some days as I've had to quickly re learn what compound sentences and verbs are, what words like onomatopoeia mean and re-aquaint myself with theories I failed to learn 20 years ago, like the Pythagorean theorem.
On a good day I manage to actually connect with a student AND and help them understand something. Those days are so very rewarding and somehow, that's enough to make the juggle of a busy day feel oh so worth it.
On a good day I manage to actually connect with a student AND and help them understand something. Those days are so very rewarding and somehow, that's enough to make the juggle of a busy day feel oh so worth it.
But I digress, all that to say - life is good and every thirty days or so - I may just find a moment to share why:
My boys are all about Stickbots these days. Cheap little figures with suction cups for hands and feet. The kids use them to make still motion movies and have acquired quite the collection. It's not in any way unusual to find a few stuck to my kitchen window or fridge. The movies these kids make have been pretty hilarious!
This past autumn was beautiful. I drove the kids out to waterton a few times to watch the Elk. We always enjoy watching the bulls fight it out and were lucky enough to see some pretty up close!
During one of our Waterton adventures, we hauled Sam's cello out with us for some Piano Guys style photos. Sam has been working hard on learning this instrument and his music teacher was very complimentary one day, exclaiming that Sam has surprised her with his hard work and willingness to practise. I'll admit, it was a little tedious, for the first few months, listening to him pluck away on the strings but he is now able to practise with his bow. It's sounding good!
The kids and I have rekindled our love for Hot Chocolate, enjoying a cup of it (or apple cider) every night before bed. Occasionally, I drive all the way out to Waterton for a cup. Sigh....super cozy;)
Hot Chocolate or not - the drive is always worth it!
The first snowfall is always an exciting time for my family and this year it came on Thanksgiving day! I'll admit, I wasn't feel too thankful as I shoveled a FOOT (literally) of the white stuff before our big dinner. I guess I should have looked at it as a welcome and needed workout before the feast? I'm not even kidding, days after, I was still feeling the ache and so I broke down and bought
I'm back to loving the cozy-ness of it all!
John's brother Ben and sister Rachel (and their fams) drove through the snow to have Thanksgiving dinner with us. It was fun to see them and it gave Jessica a chance to go all out with the table setting. She's a little party hostess, this girl.
Grandpa made the Turkey and the Stuffing, which is a good thing, because he cooks those dishes up better than anybody else;) YUMMY!
Halloween was a lot of fun this year, perhaps because for the first time in years, John was actually able to be home with us, which sure made the juggle of where to be that much easier. John took Abby door to door canvassing for food for the "We scare Hunger"' food drive she was a part of. Sam disappeared for the evening to trick or treat and watch a movie with friends, and I took Nate and Jess around to some of our favorite places. We all made it back home around the same time to discover that all of the candy we'd left out, in bowls, on our front steps had been taken.
(Hopefully not by one trick or treater! haha;)
Jess was, of course an old granny again, but Nate surprised us by wanting to be a Grandpa!
They were the cutest little couple, out walking the streets together that night, hunched over, inching their way along, Jessica still yelling to him to slow down! They tried to be authentic, that's for sure.
Sam dressed up as "Buddy" the Turtle. (FYI: Buddy is a turtle that lives at the Junior High in Mr. Hardy's room.) Sam was very concerned that his costume look chill, effortless and very minimal. In other words, he wanted to be cool and didn't want to make it look as though he really cared.
(He sure stressed about not caring about it;)
Abby knew for weeks prior to Halloween that she wanted to dress up as Bellatrix from Harry Potter. I really didn't know how she would pull that costume off, but she really did. She looked way too old for her own good though and she enjoyed her temporary tattoo (the dark mark) a little too much!
John's default costume whenever we fail to prepare something good for him is- Einstein.
(No one can rock a wig like this quite as well as he can;)
(No one can rock a wig like this quite as well as he can;)
I actually had to dress up this year as well At first I thought I'd go to work dressed as Waldo, but then changed my mind and decided to dress up as a burglar. Then as Halloween neared I decided against that due to the fact that there have been so many break ins in town lately; I figured most wouldn't find my humor funny. Like John, I resorted last minute to my default costume..... a Hippie. A few students asked me if I smoked "weed" and for all I know I could be making a gang sign in this photo, but all in all, it was a fun day.
The end of October is always a fun (and busy) time of year for us.
Volleyball tournaments, ward parties, Halloween, John's birthday AND Nate's birthday - all in one week!!!
Some things to remember about their birthdays this year:
* John was actually home for his big day. (He spent it taking Abby door to door canvassing for food)
* I bought John a snow blower to celebrate his old age. I'm pretty sure this is comparable to him buying me a vacuum for my birthday, but I have no regrets. Best gift ever!
* I was thrilled that this was our "year off" for birthday parties. At least that was the plan. Apparently one day, Nate had his friend Gray over for a play date and the two of them planned a party together, wrote up invitations and handed them out to classmates the next day. I could hardly argue;)
* I throw the WORST birthday parties. I pretty much buy food and crafts and then leave it up to whatever older child is at home (and willing) to oversee and entertain. This year, the duties fell upon Jessica. (God bless her;)
* I'll be forever grateful that these two were born into this world. They're pretty cool!
For example, today I asked Nate to share with me 5 things he can do to be more kind each week.
His fifth sentence/suggestion had me laughing. It read, "I can not fart in church."
Clearly, I'm changing lives here with these kids, one journal entry at a time!
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