Picture of the Day - 1st Grade

Ok, couldn't think of anything to post. And then I remembered my friend Leslie said once that if you can't think of anything, find an old picture and tell a story. So that's what I'm doing. I pulled out my old scrapbook that my mom kept for me growing up. Bless her for that, by the way. I sure wish Trevor had a picture book from his years growing up! Anyway, I chose this picture.

1st Grade

1984.

Mrs. Baum's Class.

I remember this picture very well. I loved that Mervyn's dress very much. I especially liked sucking on the bow. I sucked on the bow all the time. I think a lot of 1st graders suck on stuff. I knew this girl in my class that sucked on her hair all the time, until her mother got fed up and CHOPPED OFF HER HAIR. All of it. Uneven, and like a buzz cut. How rude is THAT? I mean, how could sucking on her hair possibly have done more damage than getting all the scoffs and scorns from her peers with hair like THAT? I wonder if she's still scarred from it? I wonder what HER 1st grade picture looks like? Her sister-in-law works at my school. Maybe I'll ask.

Anyway, I digress.

So, my mother was well aware of my bow-sucking addiction. I remember this very clearly. She said to me as I left for "picture day" to make sure I ask the photographer if my bow is straight. She swore me to it. I was determined to do this. I was not so determined, obviously, to just not suck on my bow. I remember when it was my turn, and I knew I had to ask the photographer--a GROWN UP that I DIDN'T KNOW--if my bow was straight. And you know what? I remember--I was no shrinking Violet. I didn't chicken out. I totally asked him. I don't remember his response--I'm sure it was something like, "Yeah sure, kid," POOF!!

I bet photographers hate picture day at schools. I bet they dread it. Tons of annoying little kids, whining, crying, sucking on their bows. He just wanted the day over. He didn't care that I sucked on my bow. And now--I have the proof of this uncaring and bored photographer to keep forever.
Here's to you man, whoever you are...

Oregon 2010

Well, we've been back from our Oregon trip for almost a week now. I figured it's time to update! Ever since I was a kid, going to Oregon was magical. It was a yearly trip, every summer, and I couldn't wait. I even made homemade calendar's to count down. My mother grew up in a town called Vale--only about 17 miles out of Ontario. It's a small farm town, but to me growing up, it was an amazing place. It gave me an appreciation of another lifestyle different from my own--I think every kid should grow up visiting the farm! Trevor did the same thing going to visit HIS grandparents in Loa, so he really appreciates Vale, too. For years, we'd go up every summer. Then Grandma moved down here, and then she passed away, and we all got older--and for a few years we didn't see much of the family up there. But now, we try to go every year. My aunt and cousins still live there, and there is so much to do. The farm isn't quite the same as it used to be--but it's still Oregon. And there's nothing better than introducing your children to the same joy you had as a kid.

(Getting ready to go home from Oregon, about 1987. You can see how sad we were! That's grandma and grandpa Mikkelsen with us.)

(Visiting Aunt Carolyn's house, in about 1989. That little baby Samantha is all grown up and married now! It's so weird!)

(I think we took this before going swimming at the dam. Me with my cousins Loni, Chad, and JoAnna.)

(My mom with my Grandpa Mikkelsen--and ornery old farmer with the BEST sense of humor! I miss him!)

(Not sure what the cake is for, but that is my Aunt Janice, Aunt Sharon, Mom, and Carolyn--all sisters--and Kathy, who is Carolyn's daughter-in-law. I think she's pregnant with Jeremy?)
(Ah, the RAFT. My cousin Cheryl and I spent all summer playing in the ditch. on year we built a really crappy raft that we just loved. It took us all day.)


(Another "going home" picture, this time with my Aunt Janice's kids, who were from California. Clearly, they didn't want to go home either. This picture was taken in 1988. It was the last time I saw my cousin Jodi--in blue in the back right. He was killed in a fire only a few months later.)


Anyway, we're ALL grown up now. We've all got kids--and the grandkids range from mid-twenties to brand new babies. This was Afton's first time up there, and we were so excited to introduce her to the farm! After a surprisingly pleasant 7 hour drive up there (thanks to my friend Heather who lent us her DVD player, and my neice Kylee who kept her company) we visited my Aunt Carolyn for a while and then headed to Loni and Tonya's--Loni is Carolyn's second child. Anyway, they have horses. And let me tell you--my AWESOME daughter wasn't remotely afraid.

She was a real hit with them. It was so fun to visit! We got there first, since Nicki stopped in Ontario and poor Cindy had car trouble in Boise. The rest of the family came later that night. We stayed the night at Carolyn's. Friday morning Trevor went golfing with Matt. He was gone for most of the day, which sucked, but at least he had fun. We all went to Carolyn's and visited and let the kids get used the farm and play with their second cousins, whom they don't know so well. It was so fun to watch them! Afton loved the farm!

Then Friday night we went back to the Bed & Breakfast we were staying in (though I don't know why they call it that--the beds SUCKED and there was NO breakfast...)

We had dinner, and just sat and visited. There was a kiddie pool in the back that Trevor and my Aunt Sharon used to cool off in! And later, Afton sort of fell in it--but she was ok. That's the closest we got to a hotel with a pool in Oregon.

And then my cousin Shannon's husband brought out his guitar and bongo drums. THEN the real fun began.

Afton went CRAZY. She was a dancin fool! It was so fun to see everyone gathered around watching MY baby, and realizing what a special amazing little kid she is! I'd never seen her dance quite like that, even though I've known since I was pregnant with her that she loves music. She also was dubbed "The Binki Bandit" when she went up and stole a binki from Tyson, and later Shannon's Emma, and ran off grinning. Anyway, here's the video of her dancing. It's kinda long but I couldn't cut it--it's too cute!

Friday night after things were calming down, several of us walked all over Vale looking at the town. I love that Trevor came with us. Even though he didn't grow up there, he still appreciates it and is interested in it.

On Saturday we spent the whole day at Carolyn's. What fun it was! And I FINALLY floated down the canal! Growing up, the older grandkids did this from time to time, but as I'm the second to youngest grandchild, I was always too small. So this was my first time! My body got pretty beat up by the rocks and the unexpected cement barrier we went flowing over, but still--it was great! Luckily Nicki rode along the canal in her SUV and took some pictures!

I have no idea how Loni's girls were able to get out of the steep sides of the canal and then jump off, but it was fun watching them!

There was great food, and a weenie roast that we pretty much missed because we ran back to the hotel to put Afton down for the night, and Nicki stayed with her and with her kids. So when we got back, it was mostly over. But--SOMEONE still took pictures with our camera while we were gone, so it still looks like we were there...


When we got back, it was time for poker. Unfortunately I got no pictures--I don't think anyone did. I got out of the game quite early, and went home with Mom and Dad, but Trevor stayed a while. Aunt Carolyn ended up winning the jackpot!


And then it was time to pack up and come home! So sad! Afton was great on the way home, too, even through the ridiculous "construction" in Box Elder County, which added an hour to our trip for no apparent reason. Still, all in all it was a great trip! I want to go up to Oregon as much as we can for as long as it lasts--and each year Afton will "get it" even more. Here's a few more pictures!


(The five sisters--it's so awesome all five of us were there. That's a first in like--15 years. Seriously.)
(Afton on the tractor. We were taking pictures of her, and then Jen found a blade of wheat in the nearby field and it totally made the picture!)

(Mom and her three sisters. As you can see, we come by the all girls thing pretty honestly!)

(Trevor tries his hand at the bongo drums. Pretty much everyone did, especially the kids!)

(The kids loved the swimming pool at Carolyn's. Well, not Afton. She'd cry every time I took her near it. But it kept the kids busy and mostly out of hair, so we all loved it too.)

"Whatcha Doin?"

So I haven't updated much this summer. Maybe because things have been pretty boring. Well, not boring--I'm loving every second of my vacation. But there's not much to write about. I'm avoiding any actual thinking as much as I can--especially any thinking about work. Sometimes its like I forget I even have a job. It's awesome.

But I thought I'd do a little update on what I've been doing all summer. Not the big highlights--the trips and the camps and all the the things everyone ELSE is doing. I haven't done any of that. I pretty much hang out. Though I AM going to Oregon this weekend, and that is so exciting!

Anyway, how do I spend my days? Well, for the last three weeks, I've been getting going on working out. I do it EVERY SINGLE MORNING. Except Sat and SUn usually. But five days a week! And I'm working out hard--I have discovered P90X and I really like it a lot. So that's good. I've only lost 4 pounds and 4 inches, but I'll take it. My clothes are fitting better so that's awesome. And I just feel better about myself. I don't have to be quite so guilty about my size when at least I'm doing something about it.

When Afton is sleeping, there's a dizzying array of choices with what I can do with my time. Sometimes I go downstairs and make more hairbows, either for Afton or other people. Sometimes I play the Sims. Or I watch Reba episodes I got from the library. What I SHOULD be doing is scrapbooking, but I confess I've done very little. I've even started yet another rewrite on my novel, this time with a lot of HUGE changes. Who knows if I'll finish it. And I'm 99% sure it will never be published. But it's fun to do. It's challenging.

I heard a comment on Facebook the other day from a stay at home mom who was offended at the very idea of having a hobby while she's home with her kids. How can she have time? Her KIDS are her hobby. I whole-heartedly disagreed with her. Granted, I only have one kid. I know that the more kids I have, the less and less time I will have for me. But I've always been a hobby person. I've always had projects I'm working on in various fields. It's hard to give that up now that I'm a mom--in fact, loss of personal time for my hobbies has been the hardest thing for me to accept in motherhood. But I don't think I should have to give up ALL my free time in order to be a good mom. I think having free time can make you a good mom. If you make your kids your one and only hobby--what do you do with yourself when they move out? Who are then, without them there? And not only that--having time for yourself keeps you YOU, instead of getting lost in the daily drudgery, and joys, that come with raising children.

Am I right, or am I just justifying myself?

Well, anyway, that's the only remotely deep thought I've had in weeks. It's the SUMMER. I refuse to think to deeply until I'm forced back into it when school starts in August. This coming school year promises to be VERY challenging, (in other words, certain factors make me pretty sure it's gonna suck rocks) and I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think about leaving Afton again. I don't want to thing of going back to having no time for hobbies or working out or anything else. I'm living in the NOW people!

Alright, well, I figure I might as well end this post with some pictures of what we've been doing this summer, so here goes:

Afton is NOT fond of water. She seems to get more and more freaked out by it every time we try to do anything water related. She was just fine in the kiddy pool a few weeks prior to this, but on the 4th of July she FREAKED. She wouldn't go near the sprinklers, either. Poor baby!

Afton and Daddy during the fireworks and Grandma and Grandpa Rees's. She wanted off his lap all the time--unless the fireworks were actually going. Then she was just content to sit.

My little Broadway Baby! Sorry--I just think she looks like she belongs in "Chorus Line" in this photo...

Well, we tried to get a cute picture of her hanging from the bars, as my sister Nicki did with her baby. But, apparently, Afton is not so adept on the tricky bars as Tyson. Just like their mothers!

My sister Cindy's girls LOVE Afton. According to her son Logan, they are pretty much obsessed with her. Afton is ok with that. She loves the attention!

I took this one today. It made me laugh. I just got that garbage can (since Afton thought getting her dirty diapers out of the garbage and throwing them on the floor is hilarious) and she noticed her reflection. Seems to be a discovery this week. I mean, she's seen her reflection before of course, but this week she became acutely aware of it! (or, CUTELY aware...I'm SO funny...)

I just love Afton in the mornings. I go in there, and she's wide awake and bounding around her crib, her curly hair all over the place, and a grin from ear to ear. I love this baby!!!

Stay At Home vs. Working Moms

Moms tend to fall into one of two categories: Working Mom and Stay At Home Mom. I think that sometimes, each category envies the other, and sometimes, they feel sorry for the other. I've heard complaints from SAHM's that WM's don't respect their time. "Would you pick up Billy for me and keep in for two hours until I get home? Again? Thanks!" Because, if you are a SAHM, you obviously having nothing better to do, right? And then there's the other side--"Oh, it must be SO HARD to be away from your kids. I could never do it." And you're like--"yeah, because I'm a crappy mom who doesn't really love her kids."

Anyway, that's really not what this post is about, and I don't want to offend anyone. You see, I'm a hybrid of these two. Many women are--like women who work part-time. As a teacher, I get nine months of working mom, and 3 months stay at home mom. Last summer I was with my brand new baby. Trevor was still unemployed, so I had his help. We were together constantly. So somehow--that doesn't really count. It didn't quite prepare me for the adjustment I am going through right now.

You know what? Going to work is EASIER. That's my conclusion. I guess it helps that I really love my job and feel fulfilled and appreciated (most of the time.) But I'll tell you what--these last few weeks have taught me that a day at home makes me ten times more tired than a day at work. And I only have one kid! The idea of doubling this is a bit scary! Today I worked out and then cleaned like a madwoman. Afton was constantly underfoot, or she was off and silent (even worse) and when I'd find her, all my hard work was completely gone as I observed the mess she made. I am walking like an old woman. My feet are so sore and my calves burn. (Not sure why--I didn't even work my legs today! Do pushups make your legs hurt? Hmmmm...)

But I love that I get to experience both worlds. I hope that can help me have appreciation for both worlds--that I can respect my neighbors time and energy, and know that they are all working hard--whether they work or not. I look at my friend Brook, who watches Afton during the school year. This woman has five children. She is so busy all day long. I can't even begin to imagine the cooking and cleaning it takes to keep up with a husband and five children! And yet, she's managed to take the time to teach her children--to spend time with them and teach them well. She has incredible kids. She works just as hard--harder--than any working mom I know.

But does that mean that, if I work, I can't have great kids like that? I think of my sister-in-law Andrea. She works at a dental office--she's a full time working mom. And she has two of the most fantastic girls. Actually--I can't fairly praise Andrea and not praise my other sister-in-law Becky. She works full time too--and her kids are awesome. These women have both learned to balance their careers with raising their kids. They know what's important--when they come home, work stays at work. And maybe they are just a little more grateful for the time they get to spend with them.

One of the best things about being the youngest in my family--and Trevor being the youngest in his, is that we have so many great examples to follow. Each of my sisters has some pretty amazing parenting skills that I can observe and learn from. Up until now, parenting has pretty much been keeping Afton alive and healthy. Now as she gets older, we have to do more. We have to begin to really TEACH her--everything from manners to her colors, to reading, to the gospel. It's overwhelming. And thank goodness for the amazing women in my life who have shown me that it doesn't matter whether you are working or stay at home--it's the quality of time you spend with your kids that make them into amazing people. Thank you!

How Do I Make it Pay?

So this last week I taught a digital scrapbooking class at the business teacher conference. I was so excited that they asked me to do TWO sessions of it--apparently they anticipated that it would be a very popular class. I was so glad--I get paid for two sessions instead of just one! Anyway, the class went well, and it WAS very well attended. It was nice to teach a room full of business teachers that are computer savvy, so that even if they don't know Photoshop--they are definately profficient on the computer. I don't have to spend forever making sure they know how to open a document. Also, they have easy access to the program--one of the biggest problems when teaching Photoshop. People want to learn it, but they don't want to pony up the cash to buy it. As business teachers, they can easily get it at least on their work computer using their funding. So that was nice.

One hour was definately NOT enough time! There was so much to talk about! But I realized a couple of things at this conference. I learned that I am actually pretty darn knowlegeable about Photoshop. Here I'm in a room full of people who are computer savy and some who already know the program somewhat--and my knowledge was far above the average. I didn't know that--I compare myself to the people online who make the kits and the actions, who are total whizes. Well, I'm not THAT good, but I'm certainly qualified. And I'm a teacher--trained to teach. And I'm trained to teach how to use computer programs. Its what I do every day.

So here I am, with this skill that few people have and a LOT of people want to learn. WHY CAN'T I GET PAID FOR IT???? How can I find a way to make this talent pay? I've been racking my brains. I contacted adult education in my area--they told me that they are closing down most of their classes because their funding comes from Jordan District--and of course, there's no more funding for anything in Jordan District. Do you think that people want to learn this skill? Would they be willing to pay? Not that I'd charge very much--like $5 or $10 per class. I can't teach it in my lab at school, because I don't have Photoshop. I'd have to use a high school lab. And then there would be a fee to "rent" the room. I don't know. I'm just pushing the idea around in my head. Any ideas?

Thoughts on Summer (so far)

I go through this every year--the huge change that is the summer. Don't get me wrong--I LOVE this change. It's amazing to me how quickly I get used to it. How soon I start to look back and think, "oh yeah. I have a job. Am I really a teacher?" This year is a little different, though, because summer doesn't mean weeks and weeks of me, me, me. Now it's weeks and weeks of Afton, Afton, Afton.

And you know what? I LOVE IT!!

This is not to say that by August I might feel ready to go back to work--after all, teaching junior high is much easier than being a full time mom. But right now I'm loving this. Afton has gotten a lot clingier to me. It's like she's realized Mommy is home all the time now, and whenever I take her somewhere she's afraid she's going to be left behind!

I have so much TIME. I make a goal to clean one big thing a day. Today I scrubbed the bathroom and vacummed the whole downstairs. And did a pile of laundry. But I still had plenty of time to spend with my baby. When I'm working, I only have a few precious hours--I'm lucky if the dishwasher gets loaded.

Next week I'm teaching at a business teacher conference. I WAS looking forward to it. Now it's like--wait...isn't that WORK? My mind is TOTALLY not focused on it! I hope I'm prepared! Good thing I did most of the preparation already, before school ended and my brain pretty much went into hibernation.

So here's some photos of my baby girl playing in the sprinklers. Well, she wasn't that interested in the sprinklers--she was all about the spigot. I love that one of her crying! I can't remember why she was grumpy, but I think it's a funny shot--especially with Tarzan watching calmly in the background...

Memorial Day 2010

It's the calm before the storm. That last day of anything remotely resembling order. Tomorrow there will be activities all day, and the 9th graders will be at Lagoon, and craziness will reign. So today instead of having my kids do an assignment or something, I am just letting them play games all period. The advantage to having a computer lab. This leaves me with a lot of time to write on my blog. So I'm going to post pictures of our trip to Loa for Memorial Day!

Unfortunately, I don't have the SD card with our videos on it here--that's at home. So no video today. But here are some photos!

There were a few unpleasant bumps, but overall it was a very fun weekend. I look forward to Memorial Day every year. It's a big deal in Trevor's family. This year was particularly difficult, since Trevor's Grandpa passed away in December. Last year, he was at the cemetary with us, visiting the graves. This year, we saw his headstone for the first time. I totally bawled. He was such a great man. Every year the American Legion chooses the grave of a veteran to honor and play taps over. This year, they chose Grandpa, who fought in World War 2. Was an honor. It was very emotional. (To everyone except Afton, who kept running off until they shot the guns. I was holding her ears real tight, but she sure quieted down after that!)

We also went to Capitol Reef with the family and walked the Grand Wash. It's about a mile and a half, and I didn't think we'd make it the whole way with Afton, but she was a total trooper! She only struggled at the very end. We got some fabulous shots!

The worst part was when Afton fainted. That night, she was playing in the corner while we all talked. Suddenly she was crying--no ones knows why. No one heard her hit her head or anything. She stretched on the floor crying, held her breath, and then fainted for a few seconds. Scared the crap out of us. She went to bed really easy that night, and we were constantly checking on her. She slept 12 hours, and in the morning she was lethargic and had a fever of 101. She was pretty normal at the cemetary after that, only she fell and hit her head and got a bruise. I was surprised at the bruise because I totally saw her fall and it wasn't that bad.

On the way home she slept the whole way, though she woke of a lot. It was a very fitful sleep. Once home she was quiet. She wouldn't eat very good. When we put her down for a nap, she fell asleep right away, and we had to wake her up two hours later. Then she was even MORE lethargic, and we were nervous enough to take her to Instacare, who referred us to the ER. But she started to pep up, and the ibuproffin helped her a lot. Her fever went down. The doctor wasn't sure what tests to do. We did a chest x-ray--worst torture I've EVER seen her have to go through! After that, we were done. We didn't think she needed any more tests. We'll take her to the doctor on Thursday and see how she's doing. Today she's awake and alert and happy, but her fever is 100. Anyway, that was a fun part of the trip. My poor baby girl!

Well, that's all for now!