October 29, 2006

October 29, 2006

Monday:
The kids didn’t have school on Monday so we enjoyed sleeping in for one more day. That evening we were invited over to our friends house for a very special FHE, along with some other families. It was a very enjoyable evening!

Tuesday:
The three youngest kids had gymnastics. Bob had his last football game and Kayla made cookies at Activity Days.

Wednesday:
I got a last minute call to sub at Wilkins (where Kayla and Tyler attend) I taught a 4th grade class, filling in for a sick teacher. It was such a fun day and a very different experience from subbing middle school. It was extra fun to see Kayla and Tyler at school! That night was our Trunk R Treat at the church. I will post some pics along with this. Tyler went as Luke Skywalker and Kayla went as Princess Leah. Alayna was Analeise from Princess and the Pauper. Marisa went as a medieval princess. They had a carnival at the church where the kids played games, did a cake walk, ate donuts off a string, etc. Then we went outside to trunk r treat. It was fun, but VERY chilly. It was hard to tell what people were dressed up like when everyone had coats on. After that, we went home and Bob played his last softball game and they actually won!!!

Thursday:
Grandma and Grandpa Hart came up from Illinois for the weekend. That evening Corey and I took the 3 older kids and tried “Supper Thyme”. Its just like Cooking cottage, so I wanted to try it out. One of those where you go for two hours, and make 12 home made meals. Corey split most of hers in two so she almost made 24 meals. It was so fun to do with the kids!! It saves me so much cooking time, so I think it is so worth it!!

Friday:
It was my first time to sub at Oak Ridge. It was 6th grade reading, language arts, and math. It was the most complex lesson plan I have had yet to date. I actually instructed every class, gave quizzes, graded papers, did a tornado drill, etc. I was exhausted by the time I got home!
That evening we had the absolute FUNNEST EVENING EVER!!!! Two couples in a different ward put together a treasure hunt. (This tradition has been going on here for 25 years!!) We were invited, so our team of 6 was me, Bob , Marisa, Kayla, Corey, and Hal. (Tyler and Alayna stayed at the church). We met at the Linn County court house along with 19 other teams. It was a night of “Amazing Race” on hyperdrive. When they said go, we read the clue and all took off in our respective cars. (If we couldn’t figure out the clues, there were panic cards you could open) We did great til we had to find Jefferson HS. You would think since we had a navigation system, we would have found it fast. No such luck. We had to do so many things, mostly based on the movie National Treasure: find a boat house names Charlotte, decipher a code on the side of a masonic temple, fine clues in buckets, etc. It was a fascinating evening! We came in about 18 out of the 20 teams, but were also one of the few (possibly the only ones) who used no panic envelopes. They had a huge party afterwards with pizza, pop, and cake. The people who won have to plan it for next year and Bob won an award for being the only person to dress up- he was Ben gates. Anyway, it was so fun we can hardly wait for next year!!

Saturday:
We spent the morning shopping for a dress for Marisa and I for Missy’s exciting upcoming wedding. Then we went to the church for Tyler’s very special day. His baptism was so wonderful and we are so proud of him for the wonderful choice he has made. (He even surprised us today by getting up and bearing his testimony) He was so excited yesterday that he could hardly contain his joy. I will attach pics- you have to check out that contagious smile!!! We came home after and headed to Walmart to get flu shots only to see they were out-ugh! Then they went to see “Open Season” at the movie Theater for Tyler’s birthday. (I stayed home with Alayna. She has been sick for about 10 days with a nasty cold and actually fell asleep a few minutes before we were to leave for the movie) They brought Chinese food home for dinner. Then Tyler opened some very cool presents, we ate his cool dinosaur cake (my friend made) and then watch X-Men III which he has been dying to see. He said it was a perfect day- the best he has ever had!
That evening I got a call from my friend who went into labor. They kept her for several hours and then sent her home, so I came back home with Alayna and Marisa at 5:45 AM. Made me tired today- hope her baby comes tonight for her.

Sunday:
We have had an enjoyable relaxing day with games and homemade apple pie!

Well, I guess that’s it for our fun and exciting week! Happy Birthday to Jonathan- whose was the same day as Tyler’s!! Also Happy Birthday to Grandma Cunningham and Grandma Hart whose birthdays were last week.

Have a Happy Halloween!!!!

October 22

October 22, 2006

We have a fun and exciting week ahead! Tyler’s birthday and baptism, a treasure hunt, trip to Bloomsbury farm, etc. So, I am sure we will have tons of stuff to share next week.

This week I had parent conferences with Kayla and Marias’s teachers. Both are doing so well. Marisa’s lowest grade is a 98. She is now scheduled to take the ACT in February. Kayla is also doing so well, her teacher went on and on about how much she loves having her in class,

Marisa brought home her “baby” this week. It woke her up 4 times that night. It was so funny because she look deathly tired and said even though it was only 4 times that it actually felt like 20. Best contraception I can think of. I will include the picture of Tyler holding the baby. Then Alayna held it and dropped it on its head! Marisa wanted to cry. I wrote her a note so her teacher wouldn’t dock her.

We had Friday and tomorrow off from school. We should have headed to Chicago for a party weekend, but Bob couldn’t take off. Oh well. We did watch “Over the Hedge” last night, which was a completely adorable movie!! I need to see it again. The kids did a GREAT job on the primary program. It was Marisa’s first time in many years to not be in it. Alayna was so cute. We brought her for the program even though she has been pretty sick this week with a cold.

I guess that’s about it on our end. There seems to be a drought of info coming in from family members. Well, everyone enjoy your week. Looks like we are headed for a cold one. Wish us luck....
(Falcon on top of play house)

October 15, 2006

October 15, 2006

Winter actually hit this week with freezing temps and our first snowfall of the year. We had to dismantle our garden and mow down the watermelon patch to prepare for winter since its obviously on its way. So funny since the week before, we had temps up to 80 degrees. Go figure!

Marisa had her last volleyball game this week. She had a sheet with her stats, so I should have her post it for you. I think she made about 21 points this season? Anyway, she loved it. We want to get her in a city league so she can keep at it, but the only one we have found so far meets on Sundays and that won’t work. She is loving school and her extras like choir, orchestra, and book club. She has to bring a “baby” home for FCS class. It’s computerized and keeps track of how well she takes care of it. It should be very fun. She also cooked french toast for us for dinner last night. I love her cooking and being so responsible. She even made mini pizzas for us last week. She has also been given the opportunity to take the ACT college exam for the Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search. I will let you know how that goes.

Kayla is sounding so great on the clarinet. I am excited to see her first concert which I think is in November. She is also doing amazing things in gymnastics- flips around the bar on the uneven bars, round offs, etc. I really need to take a video camera so you guys can see her.

Tyler had his last football game. It was at 8am in 36 degrees. Not my idea of fun. But he did a great job and would love to continue next year. I had a great conference with his teacher this week where she told me what a fantastic job he is doing, but wished he would stop humming in class. He is so funny.

Alayna had her last swimming lesson this week. Unfortunately some kid barfed in the pool before her class and they had to close the pool. She was sad. She is loving preschool and even learned about email this week. She spends a lot of time singing lately to anyone that will take the time to listen to her songs. It is quite precious.

Bob has still been playing softball and flag football. We even got to go see both games last week. He has also spent a lot of time playing with the kids in the backyard. Yesterday they decided to try out tackle football. Apparently, Tyler can fall over if you just blow in his general direction and Kayla cannot be tackled unless you pick her up off the ground and throw her. They had a hilarious afternoon.

I worked 3 days this week, all teacher requested. I am getting to know all the teachers on all the teams. I REALLY enjoy teaching there and hope a job will come through for me. The kids are also starting to get to know me and actually say hi to me in the hall now. I taught Marisa’s class twice this week and she seems to like me there. She walks down the hall with me and lets me eat lunch with her in the cafeteria. I plan to take advantage of that acceptance for as long as possible. My 3 classes I was supposed to start taking through independent study this month are not completed yet, so my time table is being messed up. They should be done by December which means I will have two months of solid school, but I can do it.

We finally got a break from our busy schedule last night and watched “Akeelah and the Bee”. What a fantastic movie!!! I love inspirational movies we can watch as a family. My favorite quote from it was:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
Gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
Give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
(A return to love - Marianne Williamson)

On that note: Enjoy your week and remember we love you!









(Alayna in her swim class with teacher Miss Audrey)

Oct 2, 2006

October 2, 2006

A quick update on our week:

Marisa had a home game this week so we were able to go see her play. She did a GREAT job and has really improved. Every serve went right over the net and she was moving all over the place!

I subbed 7th grade science which was fun and turned out to be adventurous as some kid let out a giant praying mantis who flapped all over the classroom. I can honestly say my job isn’t boring.

Bob took the kids to the Harts for the weekend so I could get a million things done. They had a great time! We are back today to a normal schedule- lots to do including the kids dentist appt, Marisa’s volleyball game, and the missionaries for dinner.

PS- Marisa has posted a large map of the world in her room and is trying to gather postcards and real pictures taken around the world, so if you have any extras, please send them our way. She would love it!

Sept 25

September 24, 2006

Great news!! Marisa made chamber orchestra!! She was so excited. Of course, I didn’t realize that involved practices two mornings a week at 6:50am!! But if she is that dedicated to it, then I will get her there. She loves the volleyball team and even won their first away game this week which was also exciting!

Tyler got to play quarterback for some of his football game this week and his team won! He was so thrilled and absolutely loves to play.

We had Kayla and Tyler’s school open house Thursday night. We got to eat a spaghetti dinner and then go see all the fun projects they have been working on in their classes. I was very impressed. I am grateful that they are enjoying school so much.

I subbed Marisa’s 7th grade social studies class this week. I definitely think that is my dream job. She actually enjoyed me being there and we even had lunch together. Thank goodness I didn’t say anything to embarrass her and she has had kids coming up to her all week saying “Your mom is the coolest sub!”. Whew! I also met the assistant principal and we talked for a while. I expressed to her my interest in teaching there and she seemed very positive about the whole thing. I already have teachers requesting me too, so that has been great. One small drawback is how they cut me off from subbing since my license expires, even though I already sent them an updated copy of a new temporary license over a month ago. The frustrations never cease.

The kids had the day off today since it was a teacher prep day. We spent the day cleaning and shopping for winter clothes. We also went out with dad to lunch at Carlos O kelly’s and boy was that good.

Yesterday Marisa made breakfast for the whole family, making these awesome cinnamon sticks she learned how to make in her FCS lab. She did a GREAT job!

September 17, 2006

September 17, 2006

Fall seems to be on its way. We took down our canopy yesterday and next week we will put away all the stuff on the patios. The cooler weather is coming and it is a welcome relief to the hot summer we had. I am getting excited to make hot chocolate, curl up by the fire, and watch all our shows starting this week!
Well, we have been extremely busy. I always think life can’t get any busier, but it does:
Marisa is enjoying volleyball. She is on the red squad and is on team B-3, which made her really mad. She wanted to be on the A team. It had made her more determined than ever to practice more. Her team lost their first game and this week they won their first. She is so excited especially because she is making points. I think she made 2 in the first game and 3 in the second. She is loving 7th grade! She is pulling straight A’s , as usual, in all of her classes. She does have extra homework, which is always hard to fit in after 2 hour daily practices for volleyball, but she is doing it very well. This past week she also joined the Fantasy Book Club League. She said she was the only girl in it until a girl showed up the last couple of minutes of their first meeting. She loves to read so she thinks this will be a fun group to be a part of. On Friday, she auditioned for the chamber orchestra. She will find out if she made it on Monday.
Kayla is doing amazingly well in school this year. She has a fantastic teacher who is helping her continue to love school. She even has the best reading teacher I have ever seen. I can tell its going to be another good year for her. I cannot believe how well she is doing in gymnastics. You would be shocked to see what she can do. She stands by my file cabinet, puts her hands on and slowly lifts her legs until they are up over her head. I have GOT to take a picture of it. Most of the time I talk to her, she is upside down. I really should let her start taking more days a week. This seems to be something she really wants to stick with. She is also doing so well on her clarinet. She practices a lot and I can actually tell what she is playing now.
Tyler started flag football, and I think this just might be his game. He is just solid so people just bounce right off of him. He has been playing center (the one that hikes the ball) and he is doing great. This week he was a co-captain of the team. They have lost both games, but he doesn’t seem to mind a bit. He says he would love to continue, which I am thrilled at. I just think it would scare me to death if he chose to play tackle football. Anyway, he is also loving his gymnastics class. He started his gifted and talented class this week. They are doing a unit on volcanoes called “The ring of fire”, he is ecstatic!
I think three days of preschool a week for Alayna is perfect. On the other two she is doing swimming lessons. The cool thing is that she is the only one in her class!! I thought they would cancel it, but they didn’t, so now she gets private lessons!! She is already starting to put her head under the water. She is also still doing gymnastics, but despite all this, she still has never ending energy. Seriously, if I could bottle this secret energy I would be so rich!!! She can spell and type her own name and can almost spell everyone’s name in our family. She can read her flashcards too. Let’s hope we can continue to channel this “intelligence” for good.
Bob bounced right back after surgery. This was his quickest recovery yet. He is now playing on a flag football team and softball team. He is also working overtime for the next couple of weeks. Yesterday, he had several guys from the ward to watch BYU game on pay per view. You should have heard them downstairs hootin’ and hollerin’. It was hilarious. Too bad BYU lost!
The kids had the chance to go to an apple orchard yesterday with our friends. They picked lots of honey crisp apples and even got to go on a tractor ride. These apples are so sweet! Marisa and I had a great opportunity to go to the cooking cottage this week. (They gave a portion of the proceeds to the kids school) Anyway, you go for two hours and make 12 homemade meals. It has been such a huge blessing. The food has been great and the kids actually eat it. My meals are planned out through the end of the month, and most I can put in a crock pot before I go to work and we have a homemade meal when we come home. We definitely have to go again!
I am basically done with my speech class. I am proud to say I got 100% on all 5 speeches I have turned in so far. I turn in the last two tomorrow and then I have completed that class. I start the next two (6 credits) middle school classes next month. I hope to work every waking hour and complete both by Christmas. I continue to volunteer in 3 different schools which keeps me very busy. I am also into the full swing of subbing now. I subbed 8th grade Health first, what an experience that was. I learned a lot that day, like how you don’t ever say “You MAY use this time for homework”, you say “You WILL use this time for homework”. Anyway, last week I subbed 6th grade (gifted and talented) science and LOVED that! Then the next day I subbed 8th grade math for a teacher that was sick. It went great, especially since I had had most of the kids the week before. I found a note ripped up in the trash saying I was a cool sub, that made my day. This week I am scheduled to sub 7th grade social studies and even get Marisa in my 6th Mod. I am able to do some great networking. I have met tons of staff and getting to know the school and the students. I hope and pray I can get a job there, I would LOVE it!!
Well, must get moving. A Happy Birthday to James and Grandma Annie this week. We love you all and hope to hear from you ALL this week!
Love,
kris and family

September 3rd, 2006

September 3, 2006

Another week of insanity has quickly flown by. We had all our normal scheduled events plus many more. No one can ever complain of boredom here.

Alayna started preschool this week and absolutely loves it! Her class even had a birthday party for her on Friday so we made some fun cupcakes with sprinkles to bring. She starts swimming this week and is still loving her gymnastics class. She got to do a head stand this week , so she thought she was pretty cool.

Tyler finally got his green belt. We are so proud of all the belts he has received. He is loving gymnastics a lot! He likes football too and his first game is this coming Saturday. We also had his 3rd grade parent night this week. There are a lot of fun things planned for his class this year.


Kayla is loving gymnastics and I think wants to start doing two days a week so she can get onto the team faster. She has a fantastic teacher again this year!





Marisa is still doing well with volleyball and all the bruises on her forearms finally vanished this week. They had tryouts this week and she made the red team. I am not entirely sure what that means, but she was happy with it. I don’t remember if I mentioned last week that she was called as the Beehive Secretary. She is pretty excited about that too. She has honors reading and math this year, so she has more homework than she has in the past, especially since she lost her connections class.homeroom/study period)

Bob had sinus surgery on Friday. It was a very long day but the surgery was a success and now he is home recovering for about a week. He looked much better than he did after the last sinus surgery. The doctor said everything went smoothly, so we hope the recovery will be quick.

I spent several hours this week helping a sister I VT pack and get ready to move. She is a single mom of 11 children, her ex just lost his job, so now there is no income at all. She accepted a job ythis week to teach 1st grade in Nevada and so she is leaving this Tuesday. I also spent many hours volunteering at 3 different schools this week. I am permanently scheduled to do the mail at Excelior and Oak Ridge on Thursday. That may sound strange, but it is really helping me to get to know all the staff, particularly the office staff, which I hope will work in my favor. I have my first sub job this week for 8th grade Health. I am excited. I am also about 1/2 way through my first endorsement course. I just find that every waking moment is filled. Hopefully, all good stuff.

Well, we are trying a new way to post our blog. I hope it works. It should come through with pictures attached. Guess we will see how it goes. Love ya!