We have Another Reader!

Oh how sweet those first few months are when kids learn to read!

Jaden takes his reading homework quite seriously, pulling out his reading folder before we even get home. He enjoys reading his story to everyone.

Tis the Season

Shortly after Thanksgiving we headed up to Forest Hill to Snowy Peaks Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our tree. With many beautiful trees to choose from, it was a challenge to choose the best one.

Our new house has a much lower ceiling in the living room, and of course we forgot to measure it before we headed up to the tree farm. We finally decided on this tree, and it is a perfect fit just inches below the ceiling.

The boys are always eager to help Tom with cutting the tree down. But just like with decorating the tree, after a few minutes helping Daddy, they are off in search of something more fun like searching for frost crystals or looking for logs to jump off of.

Thankful for Good Health

I'm thankful everyday for Jacob's good health.

Monday we had an appointment with Jacob's neurosurgeon and all looks good.

Thankful: November 16

Some people come into our lives for a purpose. Jaden is one of those individuals. He often comes across as an easy going kid, yet he has an intense side which comes out on the soccer field, or when he is determined to do something his own way. Jaden operates on his own time schedule, and not much can be done to rush him through life. I've learned to let go , slow down (just a little), and let Jaden be Jaden.

Jaden has always been my independent one; wandering off one his own at the park time and time again. He has a confidence that not many kids his age have. I remember one time when Jaden was 3 he started yelling at an older kid who was across the playground. To Jaden this older child was climbing on Jaden's dinosaur. To this day Jaden has the confidence to walk up to almost any individual and start a conversation.

Having an opportunity to have a second year in kindergarten has been wonderful for all of us. Every evening Jaden pulls out a book to read to us before he heads off to bed. We rarely need to ask him to read. He's well on his way to being able to decode almost any 3-4 letter word and knows almost all of the sight words he is required to know by the end of the year. I enjoy watching him grow and become more aware of the world around him with each passing day.

Thankful: November 11

Today starts a series of posts to celebrate those things I am most thankful for in my life.

Jacob is one of those kids who has a personality larger than life; sometimes too large for my comfort level. :-)

I find that I enjoy him most when he an I can sneak away and spend some special time together, just the two of us. We usually try to catch a bite to eat and spend some time at one of our favorite places to shop like the Lego store or the book store.

I love that even at age 8, Jacob still wants to give me a hug and a kiss good bye on the playground every morning. He is always excited to see me on campus, especially when our two classes get together for buddy activities.

He has this creative side that every once in awhile reveals itself. Who knew that Storm Troopers love tortilla chips as much as Darth Vader.

Lost in Life but Still Here

It's been a long two months since my last post as I've adjusted to life working full time, teaching a new grade, and balancing it all with being a mom. Life could not be better....well, maybe some free time would be nice. It's been a lot easier to relax around here since the boys are able to play outside with out me hovering over them every minute. We're still loving our new neighborhood.

Kindergarten has been an awesome change. Even after the most frustrating of days, the kids come bouncing back in with smiles on their faces the next morning. Not a day goes by where I don't see growth and learning taking place....not as easily seen with the 6th graders. My grade level team of teachers is wonderful. Our lessons and activities are almost identical in all 6 classroom, yet there is lots of room for me to add my own ideas. My highest students are all well on their way to reading this month. Those that entered kindergarten knowing only a handful of letter sounds know sounds for almost all 26 letters. Today as we walked to lunch they were chanting the words to one of our sight word songs, "I like you, you like me, I spell like L I K E...."


Photos are on their way with the next post. :-)

Why Burney?

So here is they reason we head to Burney Falls each summer. Leslie & I started teaching together 8 or so years ago. Besides being my job share partner for many years, she has grown to become one of my best friends. She has all of those qualities I admire in a teacher and a friend; she's organized, hard working, conscientious, creative, honest, trustworthy...the list goes on and on. She's always there to lean on when the going gets tough, or when I'm feeling blue.

It's fun to spend time away from school with her, and to see her silly side come out: jumping into the lake after sundown, singing her campfire song, laughing just a little too loudly after "quiet hours" have started.

I have lost track of the number of years that Leslie has camped at Burney, but her husband, Bryan, is on year 30 I believe. Brayden has camped there every summer since he was born, so 6 years so far. We'll never catch up to with them, but plan to join them for many more summers to come.

Success

Another successful morning fishing at Burney. Each morning Tom wakes up early to head out for some fishing above the falls. The boys take turns getting up early to join him on the river. This year they came back to camp with smiles on their faces as well as several rainbow and brook trout.

Nature's Masterpiece

Burney Falls has to be one of Mother Nature's masterpieces. Each summer we make the trek up I-5 toward Mt. Lassen for several days of camping at McArthur Burney Falls. One of they boys' favorite activities is hiking down to the bottom of the falls and out to the swimming beach.

As we hiked, we joked about wanting the bottom of our swimming pool to be colored "Burney Blue". In all actuality, Tahoe Blue, our final selection, is quite close to the color of the water at the bottom of Burney Falls.

Not the best family photo, but what do you expect after 4 days of camping?

Happy Birthday Jaden

We celebrated Jaden's birthday with all the best; sushi, ice cream cake and an evening on the slip and slide. The boys had a blast with all the open grass area in the backyard. It was short lived, as less than a week after moving in, the excavation crew arrived to dig the pool.

Birthday?

Jaden's reading tutor just asked me whether we would be meeting on his birthday. His birthday??? A bit of panic set in as my mental calendar flashed before my eyes. 21st? When is the 21st? Is it really next week? Thankfully she reassured me that his birthday wasn't until the week after next.

For once I have not been obsessing about an upcoming birthday party. Usually by now I've coordinated goodie bags with a cake theme, sent out an evite or invitations, started making my shopping list for party food.....

With the move, our annual camping trip to Burney Falls, and the pool construction, I just have been telling myself that we'll celebrate Jaden's birthday in August after we're settled into the new house.

But then I got to thinking. Birthdays are so special for the little ones. We need to find a way to make the 21st special, even if it is something simple. So the date is set. I'm not sure exactly what we'll do, but he'll get a kick out of the cupcakes pictured above.

Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere

We're in a holding pattern while some documents are finished up for the new house. It actually works out for the best, I think, since there was some flooring work which required several tiles in the kitchen to be replaced. I don't imagine that was too easy a job since they were tiles in the middle of the room.

Needless to say, I'm going a bit crazy waiting to move. I have no motivation to clean our current house, though it needs to be presentable for prospective renters. Afternoon naps have been frequent, as well as spending way too much time on the computer. Hey it's summer, right? No need to rush anything.

Almost Here

It's almost time for a new pair of fun summer flip flops....only 1 more day of school for me!

Here are a few more photos of the new house.  We've been busy packing 

and painting our old house in anticipation of the move.

 Any ideas for what colors I should use in the kitchen and family room?

There is a full bathroom and a bedroom just through the doorway on the back left wall.

The pool plans we had drawn up will push the pool and a seating area into hill on the right.  There will be a stone retaining wall along the middle of the hill so that we can push things back to try to save as much lawn space as possible.

Most of you already know about the purchase of our next home.  It's taken me way too long to take a photo of the house, but finally here it is.  

We love the location; it's on a court that ends on a green belt.  There are bike trails and parks galore!  

Wish us luck with packing up 9 years worth of stuff.   We move in a month.  :-)

Snails, ABC's, and New Adventures

This morning I had an opportunity to take over Jaden's kindergarten class while his teacher gave a presentation and led a tour for prospective parents.  It was fun having all those smiling faces & eager hands raised for me.  After the regular morning routine of reading a book, changing the calendar, singing all sorts of songs for sight words as we wrote a morning message, I had fun leading a science center.  Above is Jaden and my job share partner's son, Brayden investigating snails.  

As I walked to my car, Jaden's teacher called me back in to read an email listing the placement of teachers who had requested  transfers for next year. Right at the top was my name with a kindergarten placement!  :-)  It will be another year of change for me with a new grade level and new school, but a move in the right direction for me as well as my family.  

No laughing when you hear me singing all the fun kindergarten songs....5 green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log, eating the most delisious bugs, yum, yum.....  I can't wait until August!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite moms, both far and near.  Take a moment and remember that you have the MOST important job of all, and that you touch your children's lives like no one else can.

I'm still here, I promise....just hiding out from the real world where the stress of work and real life has taken a hold and thrown me for a loop these past three weeks.  Full time work or half time again next year?  Interview for teaching kindergarten or 4th grade?  New house or keep looking at used homes?  I'll be back to fill everyone in when life is a little more settled.  Let me tell you, nothing sounds better than sipping sangria on those warm summer nights right about now.

Summer in April?

It feels like summer is here.  Last week we were enjoying the sun and playing in the front yard. The boys had a great time with their Easter squirt guns and climbing the plum tree.

 Today the thermometer says 95 degrees!  Time to go searching for houses with pools.

Spring is in the air

It's one of those beautiful spring days in the Sacramento Valley.  The sky is clear, the air is cool, and then sun is bright.  

Spring was always one of my favorite times growing up in Alaska.  I remember making pretty Easter eggs with my mom; the ones where you poke two holes to blow out the yolk & whites, then decorate them.  If I remember correctly, we hung the eggs on a bare tree branch which was displayed in some sort of a vase. How pretty would these butterflies be hanging from a little tree or branch!  So many projects, so little time.  I found this picture at Ali Edwards Flicker site.  She has a link with the directions below her photo.

Happy Spring!