Hart April update

Obviously we have been pretty busy and I have missed a few weeks of posts. So I will try to catch everyone up on the last month.

1st and most exciting news is that Brandon and Kayla are expecting their 1st baby and we are so excited to be grandparents for the 1st time!  They went to the dr this past week and everything looks great and they set the due date as November 4th.  I am planning on flying out as soon as she goes into labor.  This is so exciting!!!

I’m even teaching myself to crochet!

Happy 24th Anniversary to Bob and I!  We went out to dinner Friday night and enjoyed the day together on Saturday.  Next year to celebrate we will be on a cruise ship in the Caribbean!

Have you ever tried Cheddar’s buttered sugar croissants??

The weather has been gorgeous!  Our trees are blossoming and we are starting our garden.

There were even giant turkeys at the school tennis courts Friday morning!

Yesterday Alayna helped me make Peeps in a jar to thank the teachers who help me with Battle of the books!

How is it April already?!

This has been a very crazy week. We had the book fair and 3 parent conference nights.  The book fair was a huge success but exhausting.  I started coming down with a massive cold, cough, and laryngitis.  I have been down since then.  Called the dr because I thought it was strep, but it turns out to just be a super bad cold.  I am super tired of Tyler bringing home germs.  We have all been so sick this year.  Alayna missed a day, this week, Tyler was in bed really sick for 5 days and Bob has both ears completely plugged again.  With his ears plugged, and me with laryngitis, we have been like an old couple who cant communicate at all- if it wasnt so frustrating it would be funny…

Alayna started tennis and is now in her last quarter of school. Tyler is done with his long term subbing job.  Not sure on his plans now.

We also got to Skype with Dani in California who saves many animals including Brown Pelicans.  We were able to talk to the pelicans and see them live.  This technology is so cool!

Marisa went to a military ball. She also had a mission reunion this weekend and her Mission President was called to the Seventy during conference.

I know Kayla and Brandon headed up to Idaho for conference.  I would LOVE to have some pictures to share…hint hint.  We do want to wish Kayla a Happy Birthday!  We wish we could have been there to celebrate!

Meanwhile spring break in Iowa…

Not the most flattering picture but its how i spent my 1st day of spring break…

Still trying to learn how to relax…

Also teaching myself to crochet

Fun in the sun in AZ

5 days til Spring Break!

Alayna was able to go to her YW leaders home to watch the Face 2 Face broadcast with President Eyring and Elder Holland.

It has been another busy week as we start the countdown to Spring Break!  Bob, Alayna, and Kayla will all fly down to AZ.  I am staying here to probably sleep the entire time.  Brandon will fly down to meet them later.

Marisa is getting all her paperwork done to head to Brazil this summer

We got Tyler a car for work since his work is about 25 minutes away on the other side of town.  He is paying for half of it plus the insurance.  I have nicknamed him “Heap-o-junk”. Its a clunker but it gets the job done.  He still likes the job but after his 1st 40 hour week , he was pretty exhausted  and thinks he needs to get to school to make something of himself soon.

I had an awesome busy week at school.  We skyped with one of our students visiting Haiti (His aunt and uncle are missionaries there)

My Ozobot classes have started and the kids are loving it! This week I start bookfair previews as the book fair arrives 3 days after spring break!  I may need to sleep the whole summer too!

Plus, I have a friend who used to be in our ward who is a weatherman and I contacted him and he was more than willing to talk to my classes about weather and being a meteorologist!

This week we connect with the turtle hospital.  I also found out we were accepted into the Everest Skype next year.  What an incredible experience that will be!

A quick work update

You can always keep up to date with what I am doing at work on my work blog, but I wanted to share a couple of things with you.

I still love my job and I am incredibly grateful for it and all the support and success.  It is wonderful to feel happy at my job!

I have been able to connect my students with some amazing people and places and it has been incredibly rewarding!

We skyped with:

1. An elephant sanctuary- we heard so many sad but cool stories!

2. Jennifer Nolan at the Oceanic Institute about Sea Turtles and sharks.  Her photographer is one of the 1st ever to become a professional at noncage diving with sharks.  Here he is with a Tiger shark’'

This is a picture of her with her family…and a shark! Next family picture goal!!!

I have also been in contact with a great lady who rescues brown pelcians (we will be skyping with her soon!) In 2 weeks we skype with the turtle hospital and in May we will be skyping with the “Unhuggables”: snakes, tarantulas, etc!  I also got us registered to skype with the guys who will be climbing Everest as well as a scientist in the arctic.  My goal of global connections has really come to life and the excitement has been contagious!

I have also been working with students to make cards for OUR and my friend in the hospital who was burnt horribly in a bad accident.

And look what was in my box at school…all thank you notes for me!

Clearly there is a reason I was never in the Evil Planners movies- I truly SUCK in front of a camera. BUT, are some clips of me so you can see some of the cool things I am doing in my library with Tinker Crates and Ozobots!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfYRTMny0ro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl6TA2PBi_c

Have you seen our green screen family videos? Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfYRTMny0ro

https://www.facebook.com/bob.hart.1297/videos/10208738669959532/

 

and awesome video of Marisa and Jared in the Luau:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VsvPPg1oxY

Where do I begin?

I guess you can tell I have been busy as I haven't been blogging as much.

Tale of the 4 sickies

So, last Wednesday, I woke up at my normal time 5:00, and went to feed the guineas.  I got down there and found Tyler who called me his hero and looked like he was close to tears.  He had been throwing up violently ALL night.  The bathroom was covered, the kitchen sink (and dishes therein) were covered, and he had 3 bowls with crap in them. NASTY!  I got my gloves on and cleaned for 2 hours before I had to go to work.  When I came home, he was still very sick.  I prayed hard I would never get this thing.  He couldn't keep anything down.

Thursday night, around 1:00AM, Alayna woke me up.  She had thrown up ALL over her bed.  I got her and the bed all cleaned up, got her some meds, which she threw up, and then I couldn't go back to sleep.  While I was watching TV at 3AM, Bob comes in looking completely pale and ran into the bathroom to throw up.  I am not sure he has thrown up since we have been married?  Thank heavens I had Friday off.  Here are my 2 FB posts to sum that up…

“Ok jerk stomach virus! You have taken down 75% of our family with your violence. You have created a chaotic mess in our home and messed with my weekend. As I run through the house with a Lysol weapon shooting through the air, wearing my armor of gloves, mask, and a life supply of airborn, I shout with an air of confidence (and Lysol) You will never take me alive!!!”

“Deep cleaned and disinfected for 9 hours, on my 10th load of laundry, on my 3rd load of dishes, taking care of 3 super sick people, and cleaned all the cages. I. Can’t. Move. What kind of stupid day “off” is this?!?!”

Saturday night I lost my battle with the germs.  Badly. This stomach virus was violent.  I couldn't believe how sick I was.  Couldn't keep anything down for over 24 hours.  The body aches (on top of the fibro) were unbearable.  I missed PD at school on Monday.  I ended up watching tons of TV because I would blackout every time I got up so I couldn't go any where. On Sunday, Alayna was better stomach wise but came down with a fever, headcold, and major sinus infection.  Then Tyler came down with it and now has laryngitis on top of it. Now my nose is running- when does it end?!?! 

Speaking of lots of TV…we are loving Designated Survivor, 24 Legacy, APB, Speechless and Timeless!

Alayna

Here is picture of Alayna at YW on the night we met with and did a skit for the seniors in the ward.  She has been very busy with school.  She will be starting tennis next month. 

Tyler got a long term sub job at the daycare.  He is working full time for the next month. Hopefully after that, he will get on the job permanently. He is really loving the job and the kids love him too!   I am happy for him, but sad I will missing my personal home chef

I am SOOO happy Kayla and Brandon are in Provo now too.  Kayla and Marisa have been taking dance and workout classes together and they have been having a cousins dinner night.  I love seeing them have fun and have each other.  Kayla is still enjoying her job and Brandon went down this weekend to Las Vegas for a job fair/training thing? I miss their faces, but happy to see them doing so well.  And HAPPY ANNIVESARY to Brandon and Kayla!!!

We got a machine that converts VHS tapes to DVDs, so we have been fun watching all of our old family videos together.

We had a nice, quiet Valentines Day with our traditional heart-shaped pizza

Only 2 weeks until Spring Break!  Ive got this, right?!