Thanksgiving and Isla's Blessing

I got to spend Thanksgiving in Seattle with some of my family...Mom, Dad, Tammy and her family, Natalie and Justin, and Brent and Allison came later.  It was so great!  There was lots of food and games, and I loved it all!  Tammy was so nice to let all of us come take over her house.  Other than my flight being really delayed...and driving back to Pleasant Grove in snowy roads...and arriving home at 2:30 am...and getting 2 1/2 hours of sleep that night...it was pretty perfect! 

I finally got to meet my new niece, Isla.  Holy moly...what a cute baby!  She was blessed on Sunday, and Brent and Allison had asked me to make a dress for her.  It was so fun to make it!

What a cute family!  It was so fun seeing Brent with her.  This little girl is very loved!

 Oh I wish I could have taken her home with me.  Look at that face!  And the dress was a little big on that cute, tiny body, but it worked out pretty great!  Earlier she had on these bright pink shoes. It was adorable.

 I am obviously already the favorite aunt...can't you see it on her face? :)

Two Years Ago...

I can't believe it's been two years since I went through the temple!

Portland Temple

Such a special day.  What an incredible experience to be there together with my parents, all six of my brothers and sisters, three of my in-laws, Grandma Lacey, Aunt Mary Lou.  

I am so grateful for my eternal family!  

I love you so much!!!

This also means that Brent and Allison have been married for two years! 

(They were married the following day).  

 

Look what two years has brought...

 

I love this cute, little thing

And I've never even met her!

3 weeks, Isla!  I get to see you in 3 weeks!  I can't wait!

Coat Update

Remember that super cute coat I ordered from Old Navy?  If you don't remember, scroll down...it was only two posts ago.

Well it came yesterday!  

I was so excited!  

And it's so cute!  

Here's the problem....  

I can't really lift up my arms in it.  

It fits everywhere else, but it's tight through the arms and shoulders.  I was at Old Navy the other day and tried on the next size up (different color), but it was way too big.  

So what's a girl to do?

A.  Buy a bigger coat

B.  Not get the coat

C.  Just pray I don't have to give anyone a hug, drive, or do anything else that requires me to lift up my arms and suffer through it because it's cute.

Decisions. Decisions.

I'm Shannon Lacey, and I approve this message (That's for you, Michelle.)

I knew it...

The other day someone was telling me that he was going to be so excited to have the elections done so he wouldn't have to see the signs or hear about it on the news.  I responded with, "You know they'll talk about the results on Wednesday, and Thursday will start the talk of the 2012 presidential election."

Here's what I found on the MSN homepage today...

I just can't wait to hear about this for the next two years (insert heavy sarcasm)

It's Payday!

I got paid today.  So what did I do?

I ordered this beauty!

Isn't it cute? 

I wanted one in every color, but this one is my favorite.

I can't wait for 5-7 business days from now when it arrives!

I love Halloween!

Seriously, I love all the dressing up that comes with Halloween.  I know it's not for two days, but today is dress-up day at school.  I've already seen some great things.  One of my favorites was a kid dressed up like "facebook".  He had a big poster board that had a giant printout of a facebook page.  Then he cut out a hole for his head to go where the profile picture goes.  It was so funny!

Another favorite may be Rachel's costume (Rachel that I work with).  She dressed up like string cheese.  It's so funny!  I'll have to take pictures today and post them.  It's so fun walking through the halls and seeing what people come up with.  There have already been a lot of dress code violations this morning.  One of my students is wearing a full-body, skin-tight leotard, and is an 80s aerobics instructor.  On the same lines, my T.A. dressed up in an Avatar costume.  It's just a tight, blue leotard.  Oh the things these kids do.

I love it, though.  It's fun to see their personalities come out more.

What did I do this year?  I went back to my Statue of Liberty costume. 

"Who Knew?"--Fears Edition

I haven't been very consistent with this, but I'm continuing my quest to let you into my mind and sharing things you may or may not know about me.  The topic this time: FEARS

I'm a pretty laid-back person, but I'm human, and I have fears.

My "silly" greatest fear (though there's nothing silly about it): When it's dark outside and the blinds on my windows are open.

I'm always scared that I will turn around and someone will be staring at me. It's a lot better now that I live on the 3rd floor.  When I lived on the ground floor or where there was a walkway outside my window, I always had to have the blinds closed as soon as it got dark! 

 Story Time...

Once when I was in high school, I was sleeping and woke up to something outside my window.  I was so scared to look out my window because it was dark outside!  I lived in the middle of nowhere, so the chances of a person standing there were not likely, but a freaky thought.  I thought it was just the wind.  I finally got up the courage to look out the window.  I peaked behind the curtain.  At first I didn't see it, but suddenly I saw movement and saw a big, black bull staring at me!  You better believe I ran upstairs to my mommy :)  Dad was out of town, so Mom and I went out and found where the bull was supposed to go and put it away.  But it was so terrifying to have something outside my window! 

My "serious" greatest fear: That I won't ever get married and have kids. 

I know people say, "Come on Shannon, of course you will get married!"  You can say that all you want, but it's still going to be a fear!

What I just re-listened to...

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, you know me all too well...

"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives."

Spring Break Plans...

 

Hawaii, here I come!

My roommates, along with a couple friends from the ward, are going to Kauai for Spring Break.  

I know it's 6 months away, but a girl can get excited, right?

I can't even tell you how excited I am!

We will be staying here.

Any suggestions on a good place to go to get a countdown for my blog?

I made it!

Dear Fall Break,

Thank you for coming.  I've needed you very much.

Sincerely,

Shannon

I'm going to be a presenter...and I'm kind of nervous!

I may have just done something really scary...

I just agreed to present at a national conference.

Scary!

The National Conference for the 

Association for Career and Technical Education 

is in Las Vegas this year.

Since it's so close, I decided to go!  

(Plus, I get to see my cute niece and nephew!)

Then I made the mistake of telling someone that I was going.  She asked if I would be interested in presenting.  

I've never said the word "NO" so fast.  

Then suddenly she was convincing me that it would be easy and not so scary.

Why can't I tell people "no"?

The good and bad of being sick for 5 days...

Good:
-I've lost 8 pounds since Friday. A friend pointed out a quote from The Devil Wears Prada..."I'm only one stomach flu away from my goal weight."
-Maybe being sick changed my hair color.  I've had so many students ask me today if I colored my hair.  It does look a little more red today.
-All of my sisters and my mom called me within a 24 hour window.  I love my family.
-My roommates were really nice to me. They went to the store for me, and Annie drove me to to my school on Sunday night to get sub plans ready.
-A lot of people brought stuff to me and called/texted me to see how I was doing.  I feel loved
-I got to watch a lot of Lost.
-I read a lot.
-I got to sleep a lot.  I like to sleep.
-I'm on a 3 day work week right now.

Bad:
-I don't like going to the doctor.  I don't really have a primary physician.  I went to the instacare...what a joy.
-I don't like feeling awful.  Especially when I have no control.
-I hate writing sub plans. I'd rather go to school sick than write them (hence the reason I'm here today)
-I missed out on so many great things...Annie's talk at church, mix & mingle, movie night, FHE, etc.
-There are some other details that I sure won't tell you on here. :)
-Not knowing what's wrong with you.  The lab results are supposed to be in tomorrow...so we'll see!  They said it's not the flu, so I'm not contagious or anything.
-I got tired of sugary things...mainly Gatorade/Powerade and things like applesauce.  I know it's important to keep yourself hydrated, but I can only handle so much sugar!  It was heaven when my roommates brought home chicken broth and saltines. Mmm!

Thanks to everyone who has been so nice to me...especially my roommates who have been putting up with me.  You're really nice!!!  I don't ever want you guys to get sick, but I hope I can take as good care of you as you did to me!

Who Knew?" --French Dip Edition

Remember long ago when I said I was going to start sharing random stuff about me once a week?

Well I obviously didn't remember!  Plus school started, and I just don't remember anything when school starts!

So here is your "Who Knew?" for the day...

I love french dip sandwiches!

 

This looks so good!

I could eat one every single day.

When anyone asks where I want to eat, I often suggest Arby's because I know they have delicious french dip sandwiches.  

mmm

Maybe I'll get one on my way home from work today.

I'm an auntie...for the 16th time!

Okay, so she took a little longer than planned, but...

Isla Jean Lacey

Born September 14, 2010

at 4:08am

7 lbs, 11 oz

20.5 inches

They were planning on her coming on Monday (the 13th), but she decided to take her time.

Brent says she's already grounded for making them wait for her.

Congratulations, Brent and Allison!  I'm so excited for you guys!!!

Here she comes!

I'm getting a new niece today!

Brent and Allison headed to the hospital last night to start the inducement process.

I can't wait to meet you,
Baby Isla!

She is already a blessing in my life...she's the only excitement I have for this Monday.

Junior High Joke of the Day!

Did you hear about the silkworms that were in a race?

 It ended in a tie.

Get it?

Last week in class, we were talking about fibers...including the process of making silk from silkworms.

I was so proud of my students who came in this morning and told me this joke.

Happy Birthday to me...a month ago

That is the happy, puffy-eyed face of a girl who just got out of bed on birthday morning! :)

Other than not having power all morning at our house, it was a great day!

It all started off with me being spoiled with presents from my roommates.

And my mom...that hilarious lady called Annie and had her go get one of these for me...

My very own Jacob Black doll!

My wildest wishes have come true!

(Can't you see it on my face?)

Next we went to J-Dawgs in Provo.  My roommates made me wear that awesome headband.  Hey, it got me extra pickles on my dog!

(with Annie and Erin)

Cheryl and Rob know how to handle it

Joleen's sister was in town that weekend.  They blew up an entire bag of balloons!

It was amazing!

We had a fun ward activity that afternoon.

Then we had a party.

26 people came to my 26th birthday party.

How cool is that???

I don't have a picture of everyone, but some of my favorite people in the world were there!

Including (but not limited to)

Joleen (roommate) and Cheryl (former roommate)

and Kristen (former roommate), Amy (didn't want to turn around for the picture), and Carie (BFF)

Thanks to everyone who made it such a fun day!  Especially my amazing roommates!  They know how much I love birthdays, and they didn't let me down at all! :)

Beverly Hills

Today is September 2, 2010.

...

A.K.A.

9-02-10

...

A.K.A.

90210

I don't think I've ever watched that show, but I thought it was pretty cool when I heard that on the radio.  Apparently they're having a 90210 marathon today on tv.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Tessa!

Real Salt Lake

I'm attempting to update on summer events.  Joleen and I got a group of friends together to go to a Real Salt Lake soccer game on the 24th of July.  It was so fun!

We were waiting for the rest of our group to arrive, and it was so hot!  We made friends with the 7-Eleven slurpee girl, and she provided shade with her sign. :)

(L to R: Miss Slurpee, Russ, Paul, Jason, Joleen, Kim)

You can see by the joy on these faces that we all had fun!

So my roommate Joleen has been known to say that she would say yes to anyone who proposed to her during a fireworks show.

Fireworks

+

A ring made out of a cough drop wrapper

=

Paul proposing to Joleen during fireworks

...

complete with mood music of Party in the USA from Miley Cyrus

BOGO

FYI, if you read this post today, the lady from my previous blog post is having a buy one get one free sale through today!  She sent a message and asked if I wanted a free item.  HELLO!  Of course I did!  I didn't get a picture before she took it off her sight, but I got some more cute earrings!

Retail Therapy

I've never been one to shop when stressed.  

I kind of hate the whole shopping thing.  Ask my mom.  Or anyone else who has ever had the misfortune of shopping with me. 

But I've discovered the world of Etsy, and there are some incredibly talented people out there.  Take my friend Sally as an example.

I've had a bit of a rough past couple of days, and I found myself searching through Etsy shops and found these beauties from this talented person...

Aren't they cute?  

I'm in love.  

Maybe it's because they're strategically placed on rocks.  

That always makes me want to buy earings.

The craziness of my life isn't fixed, but knowing my ears will look cute in a few days makes me happier!

Back to School!

Day 1:

Done!

I love 7th grade day.  They're all so lost and scared...and terrifyingly quiet!

I think they should switch this school to only 7th graders.

I could handle that.

School Pictures

Monday is picture day for the teachers.  

Knowing this picture will be in 1300 students' yearbooks is the only thing that will motivate me to wake up that early to fix my hair.

Every year, they give us this huge packet of our pictures.  

I'm pretty sure it's the largest picture package they offer.  

What do I do with these pictures every year?

They're all collecting dust in the cupboard behind my desk.

Though last year I did give one to Cheryl and Rob (my old roommate and her husband)

Oh, and did I mention that they airbrush the teachers' pictures?  

They may not take off a few pounds, 

but those chubby cheeks sure do look flawless!

To-Do Lists

I love to-do lists. 

(or as my roommate Joleen would say, "I love love love them.")

I would be lost without them.

I love that feeling of crossing something off 

(or deleting, as is the case with my school to-do lists)

Item number 13 on my to-do list...

Make my to-do list even longer so I can't actually complete anything on my to-do list

I kid you not...that is actually an item on my to-do list.  

I have to make it interesting somehow!

You know you're a nerdy teacher when...

You get really excited about a worksheet you created.

I'm so proud of it.

I'm attempting to shift from summer mode to school mode.

Mentally, I'm getting there.

Physically, well...how do I teach my body to wake up before 9am?  

Much earlier.  

It might get ugly.

A blog post from Carie

I just realized that Carie had an entire blog post about me for my birthday!  She is too funny.  To learn some fun facts about me from the person who knows me better than I do, click here.

Adventures in Babysitting: Las Vegas Style!

Greetings from Sin City.  I drove down yesterday with my brother Paul and his family, and I'll be here for a week.  I'll be watching their kids during the day while Paul is at work and Amy is at girls camp.

These kids are so stinking cute and funny! We have Aaron (9), Jacob (6), and Anna (3).  It amazes me how many funny comments can come out of these kids' mouthes.  Yesterday in the van, I had been sitting in the back by Anna.  When we stopped to stretch, Paul took a turn in the back.  When he got in, Anna said, "Dad, I don't think you're going to be as fun as Aunt Shannon." :)  They already love me!  They've also started calling me Nanny Shanny. I love it :)

This is going to be good training to get me back into school mode.  Anna woke up at 6:15, crying, because her parents were gone (Paul had left to take Amy to the Stake Center).  Luckily, Aaron is an awesome big brother and took care of her!  I couldn't even pry my eyes open after too many late nights, so I just sat there listening to them play until I could get them open.

Today should be a fun day! We have a fun trip planned to a sprinkler park.  I'll cross my fingers that I don't get lost or get sun burned. :)

5 miles

This morning I ran 5 miles with my roommate Annie.  

Some of you may be thinking, "Big deal, Shannon. I can run 26.2 miles."  Well that really is great!

But I don't think I've ever gone that far without really stopping (we won't count our little excursion into the park...we stopped for a second for a drink).  

It felt so great!  

And I probably could have gone further, but we made it to the car, so we figured we would stop. :)  

I'm pretty sure the Harry Potter shirt I was wearing gave me the magical energy.  After all, it is the day before Harry's birthday!

Stewart Falls

I've wanted to hike up to Stewart Falls all summer.  It's a great hike...not too hard, not too long, and a beautiful view of the Sundance area.  

I've heard too many stories of girls who go hiking alone and go missing, so I had to wait for someone who would go with me.

And the winner was....CARIE!  She had a couple days off work last week, so she came with me!

There were a lot of people on the trail.  There were a lot of kids from Aspen Grove camps and lots of runners from a BYU cross country camp (including a former student...she is one of my all-time favorites, so it was fun to see her!)

Thanks for coming with me, Carie!  It may have been hot that day, but it was worth it!

Quilts

I've been working on a couple of quilts this summer.  One is for a Stake service project.  I don't have a picture of that one yet.  It's cute but simple...6" blocks in yellow, white, and black.  I think I'll just tie it if I ever get around to putting the border on it.

This one was super quick and easy, but I think it's fun!  I'm hoping to get it quilted with the thread that is multi-colored.

This is one that has been in the works for about 2 years.  

I'll be honest...I love it.

When I went to a FACS Summer Conference 2 years ago, I saw a quilt that looked similar to this.  I loved it and wanted it!  Over the next few months, I collected fabric (some from leftover student projects, my own leftovers, and some that I just bought).  

Last summer, I finally started to cut and piece it.  I made the little pinwheel blocks last year.  Then I put it away and forgot about it.  

I was at my friend Heather's the other day, and her amazing and super organized craft room made me want to quilt!  

So I came home and pulled it out again!  I worked on it most of last Friday and finished it Saturday morning.  I also managed to finish a season of Lost in the process :)

Now I just need to take them in and get them quilted.  Then the binding.

What am I doing with these?  Who knows.  I've got a pretty good idea for the first one.  Most say I should keep the second one for myself.  But I don't plan on having a baby anytime soon.  And I told myself that I need to stop keeping everything I make.  I already have a bunch of baby quilts stashed at home from my 4-H days.  Perhaps if I weren't so lazy and made bigger quilts, it wouldn't be so hard to find a use :)

2000 Flushes

My roommates and I are always up for a good experiment to keep us entertained.  We bought one of those things you put into the back of the toilet that cleans it when it flushes.  It was one of the 2000 Flushes kind, so we thought we'd conduct a little experiment...

Does a 2000 Flushes tablet really last for 2000 flushes?

So here's what we did...

Yup, we made a tally after each flush.  It was always fun to see the reaction of guests when they would use our bathroom.  

We gave up after a little over a month.  I came home from Arizona and saw that the little tablet was pretty much gone and our toilet was getting gross (sorry, but it was).

Our conclusion:  It does NOT last for 2000 flushes.  

Maybe in a public restroom where it is used more than 4-6 times a day.

Sweet Summertime!

 I finally got around to taking pictures off my camera.  I figured if I didn't post them right now, I never would.  Here are a few things I've been up to this summer...

I went to the Thanksgiving Point Farm Country with Katie, Katie, and cutie little Lucas.

I went home to Montana for the 4th.  Brent and Allison were also there for the weekend.  Brent successfully survived the evening of fireworks without starting on fire or having a bottle rocket land in his pocket (that would be my dad's story from several years ago)

Sunset from the little swing chair in our backyard.

Our air conditioning didn't work for a few days. It was not very fun!  These pictures say it was 84 degrees (and you can obviously see that Joleen and I were NOT happy about that), but I do believe it made it up to 87 in our house at one point.  Long story, but it works now...and that's all that matters!

I took off this vent cover thingie (good word usage, right?) the other day, and this is what I saw.  I can just imagine the previous people who lived here wondering where their baby spoons and forks had disappeared.  I'm sure the kids had fun putting it through the mysterious gaps in the wall!

I know I haven't posted in a long time, but I've been soooo busy.  

What have I been doing?

• Watching two seasons of Lost.

• Pretending to quilt.

• Sleeping in every morning.

• Reading books.

Okay, so I haven't really been busy at all.  I have no excuse for why I haven't blogged (other than my internet being out for a week...that was a pretty good excuse in my opinion)

So I've decided to do at least one post a week.  These posts will give you a little fact about Shannon that you may or may not know.  

For example....

I can't fall asleep on my back.

I can try and try, but I will try for 3 hours on my back before I finally give in and roll over to my side.

So there you go.  Don't you feel better that you know that little thing about me?

ShicShoppe Giveaway!

Now I know how much some of you LOVE blog giveaways

(*ahem*...Jackie)

So I want to tell you about my pal Sal's giveaway on her blog

 (Sorry, Sally...I couldn't resist the my pal Sal thing...it's been years since I've said that!)

ShicShoppe makes these stinking cute little girl dresses, onesies, jewelry (for we grown-ups too!) 

And I must mention that her models are pretty cute too!

She's working on getting the word out, so she's having a giveaway!

The winner gets an item of choice from ShicShoppe!

I don't necessarily care if I win (see previous post about how I'm not very competitive), but I want to help get the word out!

Go check out Shic Shoppe!

I have to use my car to get flowers

Today I went to get my oil changed.  When I got out to my car, I found this on my dash...

along with some mints.

Who does that?

They sure know how to get a girl to come back!

Why I'm not married...

In the past few months, I have had that most-dreaded question that all singles are faced with throughout their lives.  "Why aren't you married?"  It comes in many varieties, and is usually followed by something along the lines of, "You're so cute! You're such a fun girl!  Those boys are stupid!" etc.

I thought I'd take a few moments to list my Top 10 answers to that question for you in writing.  Because when people ask me to my face, I just put on my biggest/sweetest/fakest smile and say something like, "I just don't know."

The following list is not in any particular order of importance

1. I'm kind of weird. But I don't really want a weird guy.  I just want a guy who will make me laugh, and a guy who will laugh at my oddities but won't embarrass me in public.  That's hard to find.
2. My sisters have all married amazing guys! And my brothers are pretty incredible themselves.  That's a lot of pressure on me!
3. Lots of people take pity on me and try to set me up with anyone male that moves (as opposed to anything male that...doesn't move? Name that movie)  I really appreciate your concern, but a lot of the blind dates I've been on are with shy guys.  When I first meet people, I'm kind of quiet.  Do you think it's a good idea to set up two people who don't talk much?  It just leads to an extremely awkward night!
4. I can stay as late as I want at work and get everything done. I don't feel stressed that I have to come home and feed some guy.
5. Once I do get home, I can do whatever I want. Watch two hours of Gilmore Girls re-runs? You bet!
6. My roommates are too much fun.  Why abandon them?
7. The ratio of girls to guys around here is something like 5:1 (no official study was done to achieve this ratio...just visual observations).  Odds are not in my favor. Which leads to...
8. There are way too many other cuter/skinnier girls around.  Which leads to...
9. I'm not very competitive. If a guy I'm interested in starts showing interest or dating someone else, I don't really fight. I just get over it quickly.  Especially when it's a roommate or good friend who the guy is pursuing.  Part of that reason is because...
10. I'm not super flirty. Excessively flirty girls drive me crazy, and I think they look like idiots and seem fake. I do not want to be one of those girl.

So there you have it.  Does that answer your question? There are probably more, but this is what just came to mind.

So now I have a favor to ask of you...will you please be considerate of your local, friendly singles?  Most of us want to get married and are working on it.  We still have goals and successful lives.  Please don't tell us that we aren't trying hard enough. It hurts our feelings.

Why I love summer break...

It's 11:30pm, and I'm in my pajamas.  

You might be thinking that this is normal, 

but the truth is...

I've been in them all day.

I never got out of them.

I also never put on any make-up today.

I love summer break!

Trying New Things

Slacklining

 Only mine was between two trees 

And only about 2 feet off the ground

And I was holding onto two people's hands

(But we can pretend that it was a death-defying act thousands of feet off the ground)

New CTE Teacher of the Year

So I won a teaching award and was presented with it at the Family and Consumer Sciences Summer Conference this week at BYU.  

My mom told me to have someone take pictures of me receiving it.  

I actually did have my camera in my bag, but I was way too embarrassed to have someone take pictures.  

In fact, I'm really embarrassed to even be posting about an award I won, so here's my compromise...a picture of the plaque they gave me.  

Does that work?

Someone asked if I get a school grant or anything for winning.  Nope!  Just a name on a plaque and a few high fives. :)

This is for you, Mom.  I worked hard to receive this so you would have something to write about me in the Christmas letter next year!

Strawberry Days

(I know...it's shocking that I'm posting with pictures)

This week in Pleasant Grove is Strawberry Days!  I've come to the rodeo here in past years, but now that I'm a Pleasant Grove resident, I just had to go all-out!  So to do this, I went to the rodeo...TWICE!

Thursday night with my old roommate, Kristen.

We also sat with a group of people in my ward.

And tonight (Friday) I went with my Chicago-city-girl-turned-country roommate Joleen.

 

This was Joleen's first Rodeo.  I'm pretty sure her life will never be the same.  She loved it!

My friend Rachel (she teaches at Timberline with me) and her little girl also sat with us.  I spaced getting a picture with them! And there was another ward group that sat in front of us.

And there's nothing like a little Cash Cow competition to start off the night!

Babysitting: Day 5

Cherilyn and David made it back from their trek this afternoon.  All kids are alive, unhurt, and accounted for.  Success!  When Cherilyn got home, the first thing she asked was, "So, how many kids do you want to have?"  I said, "6!" :)  If they were all as good as these kids, I would probably consider it!

The kids are so excited to have their parents back (even though Amie was more interested in her Otter Pop when they got home.)

Right before I started this post, I asked little Amie what my name was.  She said, "MOM!" :)  Oh boy, it's a good thing Cherilyn got back when she did!

Babysitting: Day 4

• Ryan had baseball practice, so I took the kids for a few minutes.  Amie had so much fun playing in the dirt (right after applying sunscreen).  So we got to take another bath last night.  My feet were filthy, so I put my feet in the tub with her and she washed them for me. It was so cute!  Within a few minutes, Steve and Emily were also soaking their feet.  It was quite the party!
• I didn't know what to do...Amie was taking a nap and the rest of the kids were all gone!  So I started to watch Avatar!
• After the kids went to bed, I finished watching Avatar.  This was the first time watching it.  I never understood why everyone said it was so "political".  I'm pretty sure I understand now!  We are all horrible people for ruining our earth.  Is that what they're going for? :)

Babysitting: Day 3

• Amie pooped in the bathtub.  Emily and Steve were in there at the time.  I would have gotten upset, but Emily and Steve's reactions were so hilarious that I found it quite comical.  It didn't help that Amie was giggling as well!
• Mitch was supposed to leave today for a merit badge clinic, but it got moved to tomorrow morning.
• Since Mitch didn't leave today, he got to play in his baseball game.  Ryan is also on the team.  They may have lost, but it was still fun to see them play!  Mitch was supposed to hit a homerun and dedicate it to me, but it didn't happen. :)  He did score, though.  And Ryan took a double-hit to the leg on one pitch.
• The funniest part of the day came during the boys' pre-game practice.  The sprinklers turned on right in the middle of it, and they all went crazy!  Their bags and equipment were right in the middle of the drenching, so they all went crazy to get them.  It reminded me of the days when we would bring couches and a tv up the canyon and watch movies.  You would think that we would remember that South Fork's sprinklers turn on at 11 every night!

Babysitting: Day 2

• At breakfast, Emily said I'm a better cook than her mom.  I don't even believe it. But I'll take it as a compliment.

• Which leads to...Cherilyn, your homemade salsa has changed my life.  It's amazing!  I need the recipe!

• Emily put make-up on Amie. It started out just on the face. Then the forehead. Then the arms. Then the legs. She was beautiful! Pictures to come.

• Three accidents in two hours from Amie landed her in a diaper for a few hours.

• Mitch left for a service project at 7:30 am.  We didn't know how long he'd be gone.  I assumed maybe 3 hours.  He got home at 4:30! 9 hours!  I was starting to worry, especially since I didn't even know who was in charge.  Luckily one of Cherilyn's friends called about something else and told me it would be going longer than planned.

• Emily just reminded me that Steve almost burned down the house. How could I forget? He was reheating a breadstick and put it in for WAY too long!  I smelled burning and ran to the microwave.  When I opened the door, there was a ton of smoke!  I should just wait to post these until later when I have the pictures.
  

Babysitting the Halls family: Day 1

Greetings from Pinetop, Arizona!  I'm here this week to watch my sister Cherilyn's kids while she and David are on a trek with their ward.  I thought it would be fun to document my days here, partly so I can remember what a great experience it will be, but mostly for Cherilyn to know the REAL story of what happened while she decided to leave her five children with me. :)

Here are some points of the day:

Steve (5) had a t-ball game.  Cherilyn is one of the coaches, so since she was gone, the other guy was in charge.  He was intense.  He made the kids take a knee and watch the entire game.  If they lost focus (imagine 5 year olds...they were pulling grass, spinning in circles, playing with siblings, etc.), he would put them in their place.  It was kind of funny.  

Steve was invited to go to a sleep over at his aunt's house (his 2nd favorite aunt, I am sure).

We got Little Caesars on the way home!  Yup, they love me!

Mitch (12) talked me into letting him have a "late night" with some of the boys in the neighborhood.  He said he would bribe me with gummy worms, but I told him he had to do all of the dishes in the morning.  There are a lot of dishes in the sink, so he hesitated.  But in the end, he agreed!  They are off making cheesy videos.  Oh to be 12 again...no thank you! :)

Amie (2.5)...oh Amie, what a cutie!  I put her in bed an hour and a half ago, and she's still awake. She's just chillin...no complaining, not even talking or playing.  She's just hanging out on her bed. We read a few books first.  She's so cute as she talks.  I love it when she asks a question and says, "Okay, Sannon?"  Then she giggles.

Anyway, nothing extraordinary.  These kids are so fun!  If I have kids half this cute and fun, I'd be happy!

2009-2010 School Memories

Hooray! I made it through another school year! To be honest, it was kind of a rough year, but here are some pictures from the year...

One of my cute 8th grade girls made these funny visors for me. I jokingly told my class one day that I needed a hat that said "GO AWAY!" on it. I always have students who are behind on their work and their friends keep distracting them. Over the weekend, she went home and made these for me.

The women of the CTE department! Julianna, Rachel, me, Brittany. Julianna is due to have her baby in a couple of days! Brittany is due on 8/9/10. How cool is that? I'm so sad to see these two leaving us. :( It's been so fun to get to know them! We'll keep in touch, though! Rachel, thank you for staying with me! I would cry a lot if everyone abandoned me!
I thought this was so funny! A boy in my class made his pajamas out of this fabric. He had some left-overs, so a girl in my class made a skin for my wall :)
Last semester I had a student who made a sweatshirt and left it in my room (he said he didn't want it). Julianna had him this semester. One day she was telling me about how he doesn't have a backpack and never brings anything to class. So we took matters into our own hands. We turned his hoodie into a backpack! It was pretty awesome :)
Summer, thank you for coming. I didn't think you would ever come, and I'm hoping I can make it through the final 35 minutes of school...but I think I can. :)