Just a Few Thoughts....

This is my first year as a REAL, CERTIFIED teacher!  After what seemed like forever, I was blessed with the opportunity to work with 9th graders.  I LOVE MY JOB!!!!  I should actually say my career, but either way, this is what I have waited a LONG time for.  I know I posted about this some time ago, but just a refresher...I finally graduated after 10 years with my Bachelor's Degree from Weber State.  I managed to pick up a long term sub job at the end of the 2010-2011 school year with the Canyons School District.  The class was in my area, so I interviewed for the job.  Unfortunately, the district had an "in house transfer" so I didn't get that job.  At first I was frustrated, but I moved forward.  I applied for a couple more positions, including the one where I am currently.  They called me shortly after and offered me the position.  I was so excited, I couldn't contain myself.  I immediately called Greg and told him.  He about slipped and fell!  I couldn't believe it.  God had answered my prayers.

The people I work with have been so amazing.  The other faculty members are always willing to answer questions, give advice when asked, and so fun.  I really do have THE perfect job.  My students have been pretty amazing as well.  I found that 9th graders aren't so bad, and that we can really have some fun.  After the teaching, of course.  The new semester has started and now I am teaching a Sports Marketing class along with the Computer Tech classes.  Sports Marketing has been a little bit of a struggle, but a learning experience.

This year, so far, has taught me more than I can even comprehend.  I have learned that students learn in MORE ways than my education classes ever taught me.  Separating my personal life and my teaching life is a struggle, but I feel I have done quite well in managing this, for the most part.  My mentor, Casey Pond, has been more than a mentor.  She has been a friend.  I am able to express my ideas, frustrations, struggles, and successes without being judged.  I have made many friends with so many I work with.

Most of all, I have an amazing husband and children!!!!  Greg is beyond amazing.  He is always on the go, getting the kids where they need to be, dinner on the table, house cleaned, laundry done, and still willing to help in all aspects.  He truly is a blessing in my life and a WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND FATHER!!!  Life without him and my kids would be unbearable.  Thank you babe for all that you do for me and the kids!  I love you!!!

Blogger of the Year (NOT!)

I am the most amazing blogger in the whole wide world, NOT!!!!  I keep telling myself to sit down and just write a paragraph or two, but I always seem to be putting it off.

Back on April 23, I FINALLY graduated with my Bachelor's of Science.  It is OFFICIAL.  I am a teacher and am loving my new job.  I was very blessed to find a job after my 3rd interview.  Many of my friends and other teachers had interview after interview after interview.  My new career has brought me experiences that are challenging but unforgettable.  I am currently teaching at Mount Ogden Junior High School.  Computer Technology is the main class I am teaching.  By the end of the year, I will have taught all the ninth graders.  One class I am looking forward to is Sports Marketing.  Part of my job description is the FBLA advisor.  This is a new experience for me.  During my student teaching, I was able to observe the FBLA and DECA advisor which was fun, but definitely didn't prepare me for being an advisor my first year teaching.  Overall, I am enjoying my job and loving my students.  They surprise me everyday.

We have had some birthdays in our house as well.  Preston turned 11 in October, Anaya 6 and Aidan 3 in December.  We had  family parties and had a blast watching them open presents and eating their cake and ice cream.  Thank you to all the family members that came and celebrated with us.  We love you all!!!!

Many of you know that I grew up in a sports oriented family and my kids are carrying on that tradition.  Preston played tackle football for the first time this year.  I was extremely nervous to let him play but he insisted, so I gave in.  Letting Preston play was one of the best activities for him.  He learned discipline, hard work, and teamwork.  All of these qualities will spill over into other sports that he plays.  Preston and Anaya have started basketball, and because I am not busy enough, I am coaching both of their teams.  Yeah, I know, I'm kinda crazy!  I am enjoying spending this extra time with them.

Aubree and Presley are heavily into gymnastics.  They started in January of this year, and love every minute.  They are learning discipline and hard work.  Gymnastics is a tough sport and requires strength both physically and mentally.  Both girls  are experiencing these skills and growing stronger every day.

Then my little Aidan...
He is a character.  Aidan is so full of energy and spreads that energy to all.  In August, I took the kids in for all their school shots and was talking to the doctor about Aidan and how little he was talking.  For the past few months, I had been pushing his lack of talking to the side and dismissing it because his sisters and brother were talking for him.  However, the doctor was NOT convinced at all.  He gave me the information for Early Intervention for the Davis School District and quickly scheduled an appointment for them to test Aidan.  When Aidan was tested, his ability to speak was waaaay below average and that made Greg and I nervous.  We were willing to do whatever so Aidan could become at least average.  Aidan qualified for speech therapy, and the therapists would come over once a week.  The therapists would show us how to help Aidan, which at times was hard, but we stuck with it.  The skills Greg and I were learning were passed onto family members so that when they were around Aidan they could work with him as well.  We had his IEP with the district last week and his vocabulary was at 114!  For those of you that do not know, 114 is above average...YAY!!!  Aidan qualifies for speech therapy still and will be working with a therapist at our home elementary school once a week.  We are grateful to his therapists and the school district for having the programs they have to help our son and many others that need the help.

Update for February :-)

It's been 11 short and fast years. I say short and fast because it depended on when you asked me if I thought life and marriage seemed to be dragging or flying by. Greg and I celebrated our 11th anniversary by going out to eat at my favorite restaurant--Tepanyaki. After dinner, we drove to Boondock's and hit some baseballs in the batting cages, an activity I hadn't done in a VERY long time. We had fun celebrating and spending some quality alone time. As parents, we find ourselves devoting all our time to our five beautiful children and pushing quality time aside. Our date night was enjoyable and has encouraged us to spend more quality time together without the kids.

Oh my, oh my!

I have been the absolute worst at blogging this past year. I apologize to anyone who has been looking forward to reading it. I have had one crazy year. I decided to go gung ho in school which meant not taking a break in the summer. I had 12 credits last Spring, 6 credits in the Summer, and 21 credits in the Fall. By being a crazy, stressful mama and student, I am officially in my last semester of school. WOO HOO!!! On December 20, 2010 I received my student teaching assignment and have already met with my cooperating teacher. I will be teaching at Syracuse High School with Karen Rosier. She has been teaching for 24 years. I am looking forward to working with her and getting her feedback. I will be teaching 3 computer tech classes, one sports marketing the student store and one financial literacy class. This will be an exciting 12 weeks. . .

Now to continue with my post, two weeks later...I have begun the observation part of my student teaching. Karen is an amazing teacher. She is consistent in following her daily lesson plans and hates to derail from her agenda. She has a routine each day for her students (soon to be mine) and that is one goal that I really want to accomplish for my classroom as well.


I am into week two of student teaching and I'm still observing. Most of the other people in my education classes started teaching this week. I'm actually glad that I am still observing. I have had more time to plan lesson plans, work on fun activities, and watch my cooperating teachers' classroom management styles. I enjoy having two different cooperating teachers to with two different management and teaching styles. I am learning different ways to manage my classroom, and then I can evaluate what works and doesn't work.


Greg is still working in Springville at Nestle. Back in November, Greg was injured on the job. He still went to work and was put on light duty until they discovered that he would need his knee scoped. Greg went in for surgery on December 8 and the surgery went well. He is such a hardworker for our family that he returned to work the following week. Greg is going to physical therapy one night a week in hopes to regain full movement of his knee. Through his injury, Greg continues to be an amazing support system to me while I've been going to school, working and now, student teaching. He works hard to provide for our family and I couldn't do this without him.


Our Aubree is turning into a little young woman. She will be 12 in April and is extremely excited about that. She is in the 6th grade and learning new things everyday. She is a fast learner in most subjects, but seems to struggle in math. This is where Aubs and I get bonding time. Since I enjoy teaching math, I love to sit down with her and teach her the concepts that she is supposed to be learning on her homework. This bonding time has brought her and I closer and I continue to look forward to her bringing her homework home. :) Outside of school, Aubree has been enrolled in gymnastics and LOVES every minute of it. She is finally getting involved in activities other than just staying home. I believe this will be a good experience for her.


Preston, PJ, Presto....hmmmm. He has been a roller coaster for me. I have learned that I must pick my battles with him or else I would be involved in an argument every five minutes. He is not a hard child, just stubborn. I have NO idea where he gets that! ;) At this time of year is basketball. Preston has always loved playing sports. So, right now he is playing basketball twice a week and is becoming quite the player. He gets in there and grabs the rebounds, puts the ball back up, and his an awesome defensive player. Preston is also enrolled in gymnastics. We are hoping this will help keep him active and avoid the "I'm bored" excuse that we get many times. I also believe that this will keep him away from the video games. As far as school, Preston is a fabulous student. He learns quickly and (he won't admit this) loves school. He has had some difficulties that we were able to work through as a family and help him out. He is doing much better and is loving every aspect.


My Anaya. This little girl started preschool in August 2010 and couldn't be happier. She is loving every minute of school and the teachers LOVE having her in the class. Anaya knows how to write her name, knows the alphabet and the sounds, and is learning about patterns right now. Ever since she started school, her bed time ritual has increased dramatically. She is no longer staying up til all hours of the night and she is FINALLY sleeping in her own bed. (She was sleeping on the couch.) Anaya loves to help Greg and I cook and is also becoming our second little mother. She is involved in gymnastics as well. This is helping her to become more flexible and disciplined. She wants to sign up for other sports and as she does I will post them as she participates (hopefully).


Presley, Presley, Presley. Oh my, Oh my. As if having a second mother, she is officially our third mother in the house. She thinks she runs the house and makes sure that we know it too! Presley can't wait to go to preschool, unfortunately she does have to wait. She turns 4 in March and that makes her able to start school in August of this year. She is already learning her alphabet and the letter sounds. She is a little miss smarty pants if you ask me. On Aubree's first day of gymnastics, Presley came to Greg and I and asked to do gymnastics. We told her yes. From that day on, she continued to ask "Do I get to go to dance class?" We always told her yes and that she was starting on Tuesday, January 25. Tuesday came and it was time to go to gymnastics. She was so excited. She found her clothes, put on her boots, grabbed her coat and was ready to go within 5 minutes. Presley was awesome for it being her first time, and never doing gymnastics before. She was the only kid in her class that was able to do the steps the first time. Once she started, the kids were able to watch her and then follow the actions. It was great! When gymnastics was over, Presley had a breakdown because she thought that we weren't going to be coming back. We told her over and over again that we would be back, but she was so sure that she was never coming back. It was rather cute. Presley is so funny, cute and the biggest cuddler yet!!!!


Aidan is the child that seems to be growing the fastest. I believe this is because he is our last child. Time flies. Aidan is anxious to talk, but doesn't really say anything. He just uses sign language. Aidan turned 2 in December and that means, yes, we are in the terrible two stage. However, he isn't really terrible. I must say that the others were much harder at this age. Maybe this is the calm before the storm. One thing is for sure, he is ready to potty train. Aidan does really well. In fact, he only had one accident yesterday! Crazy for just a beginner!!

Just a lil' update!

I guess it's that time that I update a little. Christmas came and went, but not without many wonderful people. Greg and I had hit a rough patch, and my hours were cut at work, making it really difficult to keep up with our finances. As Christmas was getting closer, we became more and more sad because we wouldn't be able to give our kids even a small Christmas. Two days before Christmas I received two phone calls. Both were about our family receiving assistance for Christmas. Greg and I both just cried and are very grateful for the wonderful people who were willing to assist us during this hard time.

January came and I have a wonderful husband who is very supportive of me. I am back in school and the next three semesters are going to be CRAZY!!!! I am on the downhill slope of my schooling! FINALLY!!!! I can't wait to be graduated! BTW~ to anyone who reads this, I will be graduating in about a year and you are all invited to the PARTAY that we will be having!!! About a week ago, Greg's mom and sister came to visit us from Phoenix. That was a wonderful, relaxing weekend. That same weekend, we got our family pictures taken with my family. The pictures turned out soooooo amazing!