I LOVE learning

Today I was subbing for the afternoon in a great 5th grade class.  Last time I was in the same class I learned how to do fraction math from the kids in the class.  I'm super rusty when it comes to fractions and they helped me understand and re-learn for to work with fractions.  Today we were reviewing for a test again and doing more FRACTIONS - what is with that?  Yikes.  Well, again I learned from these smart kids and it was fun learning from them.  Of course, they LOVE being smarter than the teacher!

I LOVE my MOM

This post was really supposed to go up yesterday since it was her birthday but we spent the evening with her and that is more important anyway.
My mom is the greatest mom for me.  Funny how mom's are that way.  She has always been an amazing example to me - in the gospel, of faith, of mothering, in friendship, integrity, charity, long-suffering, kindness, temperance, and so much more.
I LOVE her very much and hope to make her proud and grow up to be like her.

I LOVE ...

I can't think of a title for this post that isn't super long.
It could be "I LOVE that Taylor passed his learners test and after much stress and anxiety I will LOVE having a driver living at home again."

We went on Friday to the DLD for him to take the written test to get his learners permit.  There wasn't school on Friday and luckily we were able to get an appt (didn't know they could do that, that is the only way to go there is with an appt) for Friday morning.  We weren't there too long - long enough for him to take the test twice - he didn't pass the first time but luckily he passed the 2nd time and that is what counts.
Now for all of the practicing - driving out there on real roads. I honestly don't know if I can take it.

I LOVE these friends

These ladies are very dear to me and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! I've posted about them before, many times probably, but I will say it again - they are WONDERFUL friends!  They let me in their "group" when I moved in 6th grade and was in some classes with some of them.  They had all been friends through elementary and had a long history together already.
We try to get together often but it ends up being every couple of months.  We always are together at Christmas time for our annual party that has been going on since we were 12 or 13, so just a few years now.
We met for dinner tonight and had a wonderful time.  We missed a couple of our friends who couldn't make it and hope we see them next time.  We first went to Texas Roadhouse but it was an 80 minute wait there so we went across the parking lot and went to TGIFridays - what a great place to go on Friday night.  We didn't have to wait and it wasn't crowded so we felt comfortable to stay and visit and we were there for almost 3 hours I think.  We laughed so hard we cried when Michelle told us about her son asking her why tampons are as big as candles and the sex ed lesson that came from that question.  We got caught up on each other's lives and remembered great times together growing up.
I'm so grateful that even though we are all busy and don't live as close as we used to, that we can still get together and be best friends.

I LOVE basketball

I'm actually not a huge fan of basketball - I make it to one Jazz game a year and that is thanks to Layton Construction.
But I do LOVE watching basketball when any of my family are playing - out in our back yard or on the churchball court.  Tonight we went and watched Taylor play on the priests team against our old ward.  He played great and had fun with his friends.  I LOVE watching him do well and have fun and see him happy.

I LOVE kids

I have to clarify this statement a bit - I LOVE cute, sweet kids :)
Some kids are difficult to LOVE and can make a Sub's job horrible - that was the case on  Monday when I subbed at the middle school.  I rarely sub at the middle school and there are good reasons for that.
This was a job for Taylor's English teacher.  Normally I wouldn't take a job for one of his teachers thinking he wouldn't like that but awhile ago he specifically told me I should sub for her.  So when a job came up for that teacher EARLY Monday morning I accepted it.
Taylor has English 1st period so it was fun to start the day out with him.  I feel pretty lucky that he is okay with me subbing and for him to be okay that all of his classmates know that I am his mom.  The day actually went really well (especially considering there weren't any real sub plans for the day) except for 3rd period.  What an obnoxious and rude bunch of 8th graders - no respect. That one class alone would make me not want to sub for that teacher again.  And the principal came and asked me during 7th period if I could come back the next day for the same teacher and LUCKILY I had an appt the next day and couldn't, so sad :(
But that is not really what this post is about - it is really about the cute kids that I do encounter when I sub.  Mostly in the younger grades - they love you unconditionally it seems.  I spend one day with a class and they all hug me when I leave :)
Yesterday I was subbing in 1st grade - I wasn't supposed to work because I was going to go to the doctor with my mom, but the secretary at the elementary was desperate and they couldn't get anyone else and school had already started.  So I called my dad and said I couldn't join them at the doctor's and hurried and got dressed and got to the school.  It was for a 1st grade teacher who was sick with the stomach flu - YUCK - and i've subbed in her class several times and she has a really cute little class.
Just before lunch, and this is what melted my heart, this cute little quiet boy comes up to me and says
"You are a good teacher for me" -- Made my day :)

And then towards the end of the day, this sweet girl brings me this letter:

That is what I LOVE about  kids!

PS  I did write her back.

I LOVE to read

I really do LOVE to read.  Its one of my most favorite things to do.  Most of the time I'd rather read a book than watch a movie.  There are a lot of books I LOVE.  I kept a list on this blog for awhile but then started using goodreads.com to keep track of what I've read.  I wish I had a written list of all the books I've read.  Unfortunately I am a compulsive reader and if its a really good book then i tend to read it all day or late into the night and don't do the things I should be doing.  I am grateful that most of my kids have also developed that LOVE of reading. I'm still trying to convert one more to LOVE reading.  Jared and Kamryn both spent several hours over the weekend reading and I LOVE to see that.
A few books just off the top of my head that I LOVE:

• The Giver - just finished it again for book club
• The Snow Child - most recent favorite
• The City of Tranquil Light - one of my all time favorites
• The Help
• Still Alice
• any of the Elephant and piggy books by Mo Willems
• Bruiser
• A Town Like Alice
• The Other Side of the Bridge
• Kindred
• StarGirl
• Unbroken
• The Guernsey and Literary Potato Peel Pie Society
• Elm Creek Quilt series
• The Book Thief
• The Kite Runner
• Goose Girl

Now I think I'm going to go and read :)

I LOVE Football

I LOVE football - I really do!
My dad took me to my first football game when I was probably 10. We went to a Utah game and he explained the game to me and I've loved it ever since.  When I was a freshman in high school our team was awesome and we went all the way to the state championship.  My dad drove me and all my friends in our station wagon up to Rice Stadium for the game and the BENGALS won!  While we were in high school my friends and I went to many games because we were in "LOVE" with some of the players.
Paul and I have watched a lot of football together.  He LOVES it too.  One of our first dates was to a high school football game between our two former high school teams.  We went to a couple of UTES games while we lived at the village - not enough but he was a busy student.  We've been back to some great games over the years.
Our family nights used to be watching Monday Night Football - good thing that went to cable and we don't have cable so at least we can try to have a decent FHE now.
Justin became a huge football fan in his teen years and he really dragged our family down and had us watching a lot of NFL games on Sundays.  Since he's been on his mission we hadn't watched a single Sunday game until a few weeks ago when we started watching the playoffs.  Of course, we were going to watch the SuperBowl and we better be prepared and know something about the teams that were playing. So we've enjoyed watching the playoffs, and today the Superbowl.  Taylor got into it today - he's not much of a fan of watching the whole game but was in for the party part of the Superbowl. He made the dessert and appertizer for the evening.  He and I enjoyed watching the game - and of course the commercials too :)

I LOVE fieldtrips

We went on a little family fieldtrip today - to Paul's current project site.  He is the Project Manager for the new Lone Peak Hospital.  Today was a perfect day to go since it was sunny and not freezing cold like its been lately.  I've been to every project site that Paul has worked on and its always interesting to see the hospital at different points during the building process.  The great thing about this project is that it is here in town as opposed to out of the city/state like most of his other projects.

Paul at his desk in the office trailer on site

The kids with their dad

All decked out in construction gear so we can go on the tour

Paul explaining what part of the hospital we are in
and what work is going on

Kamryn trying her hand at driving a fork-lift

 

Jared taking his turn too

Kamryn looking down the elevator shaft
(and giving her mom a heart attack in the process)

 Jared was quite nervous during the tour and thought it was a freaky/scary place.  Kamryn had no fear and went to the edge of everything!

Makes a handsome little construction worker

Here's Kamryn near the edge of the roof
she was actually right at the edge when I told her to get away from the edge

The kids up on the roof

While we were out for the tour Paul was taking his own pictures
for the weekly report he sends to the owners

We're out on the roof of the hospital which is 4 stories
Paul taking more pictures of the work

Paul inspecting

This is a cool piece of equipment -
temporary heater
It was super hot standing in front of it

Taylor taking his turn on the fork-lift

Jared and Kamryn taking a break 

 It was really cool to see what Paul has been in charge of for almost a year.  It will be cool to go back when it is finished to see it all done before it is open to the public.

A month of Love

Well, its the month of LOVE and thank goodness January is over.  It was way too much winter for me and makes me want to move back to Phoenix.
My goal for this month is to post something EVERY DAY about something or someone that I LOVE.
I'm going to try to put some thought into it and not always do the obvious, although I do plan to include those obvious PEOPLE that I LOVE.

I LOVE my job - my paid job that is.  I am a substitute teacher and for the most part I really do LOVE it.  It's super flexible, I don't have to work if I don't want to, it provides a lot of variety - no 2 days are the same.  I get to work with kindergarteners one day (they are a LOT of work) and then high school kids the next (they are super easy to deal with and fun to talk to).

Blessing Bags

I had an experience last week that has really stayed with me and made me think a lot.

I was driving in to the parking lot at Walmart and noticed this young father.  He appeared with the usual sign made on a piece of cardboard and it said something like "family needs help."  What made me really notice him were the two little boys sitting on the sidewalk with him. They were so cute and were really sitting there so nicely and in the cold.  It was a sunny-ish day and not as cold as some of the days lately.

At first I was kind of mad at that dad for having those boys out there in the cold, and possibly using them to get people to feel sorry for them. But then I changed my thoughts and tried not to judge and just to think of what I could do to help.

While I was in Walmart I looked around for some simple food items I could leave with them - found single serve sliced apples with peanut butter and a bag of soft wheat rolls. Then I bought a subway gift card and when I was leaving the parking lot, stopped and handed the bag to the dad.  He was very grateful, as were the boys.  I thought about them a lot that day and those following.  I'd like to help more but really don't want to give out money.  Then I saw this great idea on Pinterest and it came from this blog.  Perfect.  Something we could do as a family and hopefully would be helpful.  I told Paul about it and he agreed that would be something we could do.

So yesterday Brooke and I went to Costco and got all the items I thought we could put in a ziploc bag.  We decided to stick with mostly food items but I did want to put in some tissues and chapstick.  After church today our family put together several "blessing bags" and had a good family discussion about why we were making these bags.  It was a great sunday activity.  Now we have several bags to put in each of our cars and I am grateful that we can somehow share with others.

our "blessing bag"
we put in gum, chapstick, fruit snacks, capri sun, peanut butter crackers, granola bar, applesauce, trailmix

Personal Progress

Wow - I finally have something to post 

(its been a pretty uneventful January, 

we're just trying to stay warm inside).

Last night I filled in for our Beehive Advisor because her young daughter had her appendics out.  I am the Personal Progress specialist/leader/advisor (whatever you want to call it) so I of course planned an activity to pass off a Value experience.  Thank goodness for Pinterest and the easy way to find an activity on short notice.  I found this great activity that was easy to prep for and most of the experience could be done in one evening.  On Pinterest she suggested the activity go with Divine Nature #6 and it worked out great.

We read all of the scriptures listed with the experience and the girls wrote a divine quality on each pendant/triangle and then we just used a hole punch and threaded the pendants on to curling ribbon.  Now they can hang them in their room to remind them to work on a divine quality for 2 weeks.

Sasha - our only Laurel to show up last night so she joined us
and had fun making one too

Katie

Allison

Mariel

Elizabeth

cute Beehive class with their divine qualities banners

Christmas Eve

We had a great Christmas Eve.

We were all home together 

and it was even snowing most of the day.

Taylor having breakfast

Jared and Kamryn helped make cookies for Santa

Paul getting in a little work in the morning
before going out to do his usual shopping

For many years its been our tradition to go to the mall on Christmas Eve - just for fun.

When we first went when Justin was just 1 the mall was deserted and we were like the only ones there.

The last few years the mall has been packed and its amazing how many are there really shopping.

We had fun looking around and hanging out together.

this year we put the big tree downstairs because we don't have enough room in the living room

so we had the little tree upstairs

on Christmas Eve Jared and Kamryn had fun putting all of the presents

in front of the tree - since they wouldn't fit under the tree

Kamryn and Jared in their new Christmas Eve jammies

Jared and Kamryn wanted to sleep downstairs by the big tree 

so they could wait for Santa

they were asleep in about 5 seconds