Merry Christmas!!!!

We were trying to make a snowman that was as cute as Uncle Aaron's and Calyn's, I think we did pretty well! Actually Dallin is the master-mind behind this snowman.

We love you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Out of Work Elves!

We became aware that Santa was in search of a new "Head Elf" to help with the Christmas preparation this year. Well, it just so happened that I have 23 unemployed elves. So, Santa was called and interviews were scheduled for Dec. 18th. We prepared our resumes, had parents write letters of reference, we discussed ways of answering interview questions and how we should dress for an interview. Some elves opted for dressy while other preferred elfish attire.

Santa arrived and nerves were on edge, who would he choose? All my little elves interviewed so well and the long day before Christmas break was a HUGE success!

I LOVE my job!!!!

Of course I'll buy you a snow plow!!!

I even know how to drive these things! As we moved into this house with the long driveway, I told Tim one of the first items to find and purchase was a machine that could remove all the snow that was bound to come so I could get out every morning and get to school on time. He gladly complied! He won't be so eager when I make him get out of bed on those icy mornings to plow the driveway!!!

Short Hair once again!

She was so excited to donate her hair for the second time. The 1st time was 19 inches, this time 12 inches went to "Locks of Love". We could not be more proud!



Tammy is the best beautician in the world and was honored to cut Carley's hair for a great cause both times!



She looks adorable with her short hair!

The Daily Ritual...

Everyday as we pull into our long driveway, the 2 youngest jump out of the van and run yelling "Kodi, Kodi!". Kodi squeezes under the garage door and comes flying down the driveway to greet the children with delight. I just had to snap a picture of this daily ritual which I have come to love. This yellow lab has become a big part of our family!

A Masterpiece...

The day before I left last summer dad and I walked down to the shed to take a look at an old table and benches that had been collecting dust for quite some time. I have a thing for benches and solid wood tables!!! As I looked at the way too dark finish, I had visions of Mark and Janna's dining room set flashing through my brain, with the black bottom and mahongeny top. "Yes, I want them!!!" When would I sand and refinish them, or how would I get them 1000 miles away didn't even cross my mind.



Well, mom and dad shared my vision and knew that children and term papers came before sanding and beautification. They sanded and resanded, they varnished and sweat and fretted over whether I would like it. Well..........I LOVE IT!!!! Look at this masterpiece now....



And it fits so well in my dining room that was totally bare just a week ago. That treasure was sitting in the shed, now it is once again being used and loved and admired. Thanks mom and dad!!!!

I Love This Time of Year...

Nana and Dallin enjoying the warm flames of the brisk night. Dallin shows off his talent for cooking a marshmallow "just right".



Dallin and Papa working on the solution to the Rubix Cube. Dallin is bound and determined to figure that great mystery out. He will probably do it too, eventually.



The crew enjoying lunch together. It is such a treat to have mom and dad for a visit. Even though their southern blood is quite thin, they adjusted well!

Sneak Peak!

We have been tossing costume ideas around for weeks now. Taylor will be performing in the Black Light Show tomorrow night with the Champion High School Band. The leaves are fading and blanketing the ground. Time changes this weekend (I could really use that extra hour!!!), and the furnace has been coming on for a few weeks now to take that chill out of the air. We have had to scrape frost from the morning windows. There is something about Fall that just makes me feel warm and cozy.

Before the BLAH's of Winter Come!

Carley planted these Zinnias at the beginning of summer, and they are looking so beautiful just as winter is knocking on our door. So we had to capture their beauty to get us through the long winter ahead!


This one is for Uncle Aaron and Uncle Brent!

Is this allowed?

We have some awesome friends, Kristen happens to be from a place way down south, that I am fairly familiar with! She is a complete LSU fan! Tom just so happens to be from the same place Tim is from, here! So, Tom called me Friday and wanted me to come over to see what was in his front yard. Here it is!



Kristen claims this is absolute vulgarity! The OSU flag doesn't have any right to be next to the LSU flag! The LSU flag must hang higher! What do you think?

Happy Birthday to an Amazing Person!!!!

Happy Birthday mom! You taught me how to become the person I am today. Thanks for always encouraging me to reach for my dreams and not to settle for second best. I look back on the memories that all 7 of us made, and I am amazed at what a great family you and dad raised! Thanks for everything, I love you so much!





And happy belated to my absolute favorite dentist in the whole wide world! Love you!!!

Another Assignment?

My children and husband can always find me in front of this machine writing another assignment. This is my new hang-out!!! Today I have heard: "You're doing another paper?", "Are we going to eat tonight?", "When are you going to help me with Science?", "Mom, I need to use the computer for my homework too!", "We need to leave right now for my soccer game, get off the computer."

Well, my paper is still not completed! But just to let you know, I made the soccer game, dinner was great, the kitchen is partially cleaned, I did share the computer and helped with spelling words and science worksheets. So back to the books!

By the way...I need a thesis idea, and could you please send it to me by Thursday??????

My Magical Place

24 Little bodies enter room 209 each and every morning to spend the day with me. We have shed many tears in this room, we have laughed, danced, done yoga, the Cha-Cha-Side, geometry, prefixes, genre, spelling bees, science experiments, stories, poetry, and that is just in the first month! Magic really does happen in this room. Today we explored the process of photosynthesis with real leaves and microscopes. We found spiders, little worms, and a number of other critters on our leaves, and if anyone had come in room 209 today, it would have looked like utter chaos. Out of that chaos, came exploration. I LOVE teaching!!!! Even when the days are rough, and I feel like I just can't hear my name called one more time, it just takes that little ray of magic, when the light clicks on and I hear "I get it!" or "that was amazing!" to make all the exhaustion melt away. I truly am living my dream!

The 2nd Generation

...bring it on!!! Her coach just loves to watch me squim everytime he puts her in as the goalie for their team that wears pink jerseys, but are known as the "Emeralds". She does a fabulous job.

The Many of "Firsts"

Taylor's first day in the 8th grade at Champion Middle School.



Dallin's first day in the 5th grade, and his first day ever at Champion Middle School. As you can imagine, there was much anticipation going on in this little brain.



Carley's first day of 3rd grade. She is the only one left with me at the elementary school. Mrs. Slater will capture her devotion in the weeks to come!

9 Already?

I truly can't believe that my baby is 9 years old!!! We moved on her birthday, and what a trooper she was throughout the move. But she made us promise that if she had to work so hard on her birthday, we would throw her an "American Girl" birthday party with lots of friends. So...we did!



What a face, Carley Lynn! And Dallin was pretty proud of his hot dog!



We had a balloon launch before it got dark.



They looked so pretty gliding through the evening sky!



Halle just lives 2 houses over from ours. So I imagine these 2 are going to be spending lots of time together as the years go by.

The Big Day Finally Arrived!

Of course it was a rainy August 8th, but our ward surprised us with so much help that it was quick and painless!



Our new family member welcomed us with his excited shivers. We acquired a Yellow Lab, Kodi. He came with the house, and what a bonus deal for us! He is such a great dog, and we didn't have to do any of the puppy training!



Now the fun begins. I really wish I could tell you that this garage is completely empty and our cars fit in here, but I can't!!!!! It is going ever-so-slowly. It seems like I get an hour here and an hour there to work on our new home. Running kids to various activities and getting my classroom up and ready to run next week has just sucked all my time. It will get done!!!!



Taylor took this amazing picture in our backyard!



Out with the old, in with the new! Now, if our new furniture would just arrive, this family room would be the gathering place of the house! But with nowhere to sit, everyone finds other places to lounge.

Girls Camp Was AWESOME!!!!!!

Watching Taylor go off this high dive reminded me of my childhood days at the swimming pools on the Army bases where we lived. Each pool seemed to have this same diving board, so many steps up, and that first time off was so scary, but then after that, you couldn't stop yourself from trying it again and again.



All decked-out in her paint balling gear! This activity was a real hit!



Taylor hiding behind the barriers during her first paint ball game.



Pretty darn good for a rookie! She learned how to shoot a .22! All in all, it was an amazing week!