the one about the worst blogger EVER!

I am so sorry that I have been such a terrible blogger lately. I have plenty to blog about, just no time to do it. I am hoping that things will settle down a bit now that school is out. May is always a busy month at school because of testing, programs and field trips. We have had all of those things! I was able to go with Quayd on his field trip this year. We went to a green house and learned about different types of plants. Then we went to the Sheriff's department, took a tour of the jail, the 911 call center and got to see the K-9 cop search for drugs. It was really cool and super interesting. We went to the park after wards and had lunch. This is Rylan, Shade and Quayd waiting to see the K-9 Cop. Quayd's class had two programs this year. One was a "Celebration of the Arts." They sang a little, danced a little and had some of their art work for sale. The other was their class program that showed off some of the things they have learned this year.

We were so lucky this year for Quayd to get such an amazing teacher! Mrs. Green is everything you could ask for in a teacher. She is so cute with the kids and they all just adore her. Quayd learned so much this year and he spent thie entire year at the top of his class. His test scores were all above what they needed to be and he is reading chapter books. It was a great year. We only wish he could have Mrs. Green throughout all of Elementary School. I have been making these fun things at my Brother's store (I'll get to that later) and I couldn't resist making this for Mrs. Green. I thought it turned out so cute, so I had to post it.
School is not the only thing keeping me busy. After I quit the hotel, my Brother and Danette asked me to help them out a little in their store. One of their girls had quit and they weren't sure what they were going to do to replace her. I filled in for a few shifts and they decided they wanted me to stay. I was super excited! I started working in April for two days a week. I have totally loved it! It has been so good for me to tune back into my creative side. I have made so many fun things, changed displays and made posters for the store. It is a nice little get away for me. I have so much fun there!!! Quayd can go with me if he wants and when he goes, he doesn't mind it. Its very flexible and the other girl that works is awesome! We trade days when we need to and she is cool about it. Here are a few things I have made.
Other things keeping me busy.... I am officially a FaceBook addict so I spend way too much time there. I was getting really bad about playing FarmTown on FaceBook, but it was getting ridiculous, so I quit that. And I have been reading and listening to a lot of good books on tape.
Lately though, my books have become a type of sedative for me. As soon as I start reading or listening, I get REALLY Sleepy and fall asleep. Oh well. One way or another, I enjoy it!!!

Ok, now... this is probably the biggest thing keeping me busy. We have had a pretty big change here in our house and living situation. If you read my blog at all, you know about my buddy Spencer. I met him at the hotel and we have been good friends for awhile now. I don't know a whole lot of details, except that he has a.... well..... "colorful" past. He got into some trouble, but he is trying to work through it. He has been living with his sister, but she and her husband and 2 little boys have been moving and having all kinds of stress and drama in their lives! They are moving to one place for 8 weeks until their house is ready, then they will be moving again. (Poor girl!) Anyway, that and some other circumstances kind of left Spencer in a bind; as far as his living situation was concerned. We have an extra room and we were just in a position to take him in, so we did. It has worked out PERFECTLY! He is such a good kid and I just love him to death. He just needed a fresh start and it just kind of fell into place. I don't really care much about the past, we are just trying to focus on the future. It has been a delight having him here! Quayd ADORES him and calls him his step-brother. Spence is helping coach Quayd's T-Ball team (thank goodness! Brett and GJ need all the help they can get!) I wish I had a better picture, but this is all I have. I love to take care of people, so I cook him grilled cheese sandwiches at all hours of the day and night. I fixed up his room nice and I wash his clothes. I have always said that he is my boyfriend, so this is the perfect situation... My husband upstairs and my boyfriend downstairs! My cute little Spencie! We don't know for sure how long he will be here so we are just taking it one day at a time. We all just love him and he is doing so well, so hopefully it will continue to work for a long time!

Anyway, thank you for not giving up on me. I am sorry I have been a naughty blogger, but I will try to be better. Now that I have two children, it might be tough! But I will try my best! :)

the one about chapter books

Quayd is turning into quite the little reader. He is in the top reading group in his class and I swear, wherever we go, he reads every word he sees. If we are in the store, he reads packages. On TV, he reads advertisements, the satellite guide and subtitles. And driving in the car he reads roads signs. You get the idea. Brett and I both LOVE to read and I hope that it rubs off on Quayd. For once, we actually might be a good influence on him!!!

We asked his teacher to send some chapter books home with him so he can read them along with his other little first grade books. He LOVES them! We make him read so we can hear him, but Sometimes I catch him reading to himself. I LOVE IT!!!

The other day, he wanted to build a hotel for cats so he could put Orange inside. He got every pillow and blanket and built a great hotel. Good old Orange climbed right in. Quayd got in too and decided to read to him. It was so cute! It was sorta hard to get pictures, but if you look closely, you will see Orange in there, just happy as can be!

the one about the New Year

Happy New Year!!!
I know, I know. I haven’t been very good about blogging lately. I don’t know what it is, but my life just hasn’t slowed down. I keep thinking that it will any day now, but it’s just not. Anyway, blogging is truly one of my favorite things in the world so I am trying so hard not to get too far behind in my blogging world.
I don’t really have any good reasons, but I am excited to start a new year. 2008 was a good year for us. I was so excited for 2008 to start, because 2007 was so rough. Mike passed away, Brett had his motorcycle accident and I lost my wedding ring. So 2008 came and now it is gone. I know this might seem weird, but I have always welcomed change. I love to experience new things and I don’t really freak out when big changes come my way. I look forward to the future and anxiously await new things. I am not really big on “resolutions,” so I don’t generally set them. Of course I have the standard ones… Lose weight, get healthy, be more organized, blah blah blah. But instead of worrying about what I will and will not do in 2009, I would like to reflect on 2008.
Here are just a few things that happened in our little world last year.
Quayd started indoor soccer, and later started AYSO soccer. He found a new love for this sport and really has no desire to try any others.
We got TONS of snow in 2008. It was the longest winter in the whole world!!
I joined the working world again. I hadn’t worked since before Quayd was born, so it was a huge lifestyle change for all of us. It has been good though. I substitute taught for awhile, worked in lunch lady land and now I am at the Holiday Inn Express. In fact, I remember mentioning a few months ago about a possible promotion. I got it by the way. I am the Front Office Manager. It has brought many new responsibilities, but I am loving it. Schedule is still good. I am home before Quayd gets off the bus.
We had major construction in our front yard this summer. They filled in our ditch and we got a sidewalk, grass and our own driveway.
I got a new bike!!!
Brett took and passed the EMT class. YEAH Brett!
I got my very first iPod. I have since upgraded from an iPod shuffle to and iPod touch.
I went to the Panic at the Disco concert in SLC.
Quayd rode his 4-Wheeler ALL SUMMER!!!!!
My friend Janice moved clear across the country to Kentucky. L
We took a weeklong vacation to Lagoon. We took our camp trailer and Brayden and had a blast!!
We all loved watching the 2008 Olympics.
Quayd started first grade.
My Great-Grandma Karren passed away.
Quayd turned 6!!!!
Brett and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.
Brett spent 10 days in Washington DC.
I turned 30!
Ga got super sick and spent weeks in the hospital. It took quite a toll on all of us, especially her, but I am glad to say she is doing much better now.
Brett’s brother Brandon and his wife Brynn had a new baby, Brycen. And he is SO cute!!!!
Itty Bitty Kitty. Nuff said.
So that is kind of our year in a nut shell. We are excited to see what 2008 brings our way. Thank you for reading my blog. I promise that in 2009 I will try to be better about keeping everything current. But that is not a resolution!!!!

the one about parent teacher conference

Well, last night, Brett and I went to Quayd's parent teacher conference. I am so delighted to say.... QUAYD IS A GENIUS!

Mrs. Green talked to Brett and I for quite awhile about Quayd. It is so nice when your child's teacher thinks your child is as great as you do! She totally bragged all about Quayd and I was just eating it all up! She told us that he was a good boy in class, he sets a good example, and he is a quick learner. It made us laugh because some of the things she told us were SO BRETT!!! Such as, his handwriting. He can write all of the letters, with no problem, but he just won't take his time and make it nice and tidy. It stresses me out because I am a FREAK about nice handwriting. Brett, on the other had..... not so much. Mrs. Green also told us that Quayd just wants to listen, learn and be done with it. That is so funny because Brett and I do that too. It makes me nuts when someone doesn't pay attention the first time, so it has to be "re-explained." Brett is super smart and he loves to learn, but he hates to waste time. Apparently, Quayd feels the same way. He has lots of good friends in his class. All of the kids seem to love him, which doesn't surprise us at all. He has always been very friendly and sweet and he makes friends very easily. She told us that the other day the class was sitting on the rug and Mrs. Green was asking Quayd something. Everyone was staring at him and he told them all, "You all don't have to look at me." In their center groups Monday, Quayd's group were reading to themselves. His buddy, Rylan, was being very chatty. Quayd was sick of listening to him so he reached over and put his hand over Rylan's mouth. It's just so funny to me. Quayd is so much older than his age and in some ways, he is just like me. But in other ways, he is just like his dad. So far, it seems like he has gotten the better of both of us. It really is true.... Two wrongs make a right.

Anyway, Quayd is ranked number 2 in his class for reading and number 4 in his class for math. He has gotten 100% on every spelling test so far. His NWEA scores are above average and I am so super proud of him. He amazes me every single day. I often wonder if we did the right thing by sending him to kindergarten when he was bearly 5. It's times like this that I feel like we made a good choice.

I can't say all of this stuff without bragging about Quayd's WONDERFUL, AWESOME, AMAZING, FANTASTIC, ADORABLE, BRILLIANT, FUN, COOL teacher.... Mrs. Green. Thank you Megan for working so hard with Quayd and for being such a great teacher. We love you and we are SO impressed.

My favorite part of first grade is that I get to go in Quayd's class and help, like I did for most of last year. I told my bosses that I had to have one day off during the week and we chose Monday. So I go every Monday morning and work with their center groups. I get to do a fun activity with them each time I go and I totally love it. I get smothered with hugs from the students and I love that too! Quayd's class is going on a field trip to the corn maze on the 29th and I get to go along! I am so excited. I am also planning their class Halloween party. I love being a mom, and a helper, and I love my job for letting me do all of this stuff!!

I am so proud of my little boy. He is so smart and I am so glad he is loving school and doing so well. Good job, Quayd-er-ade!!! I love you!!!

If you would like to see Quayd's class blog..... click here!

the one about the first day of school

I have been so busy the last couple of days that I haven't had a second to blog about Quayd's first day of school. You wouldn't believe the number of phone calls, emails and text messages I have received asking how Quayd's day went. So I thought I better get on the ball and get blogging! I had to work tonight and I am usually so wired after working, it takes some time to unwind and get sleepy. Everyone is asleep, so here I sit!

First of all, I was not excited for Quayd to go to school for a full day. He is still only 5 and he is my tiny baby and I just don't feel like he is ready to go to school all day. Notice, I said "I don't feel like he is ready." He is SO READY! I think it was just that I am not ready. He is so smart, besides being very social. I am sure a lot of it is that he is an only child and is around adults 24/7. I can't imagine how bored he would be if I had kept him back last year. He is reading, writing, spelling and doing simple math problems. Needless to say, he is LOVING IT!!!!

I have laughed at some of my friends blogs talking about the first day of school. I have also been very relieved to hear what they say. Allow me to explain. Quayd insisted that he ride the bus to and from school. I offered to drive and even walk him to his class, but he refused. So, when he got off the bus, I was SO EXCITED to hear all about his day. I couldn't wait to sit down with him and have him tell me every last detail. So I ask, "How was it?" He replies, "Good." "Well, what did you do?" he says, "Just learned and stuff." I ask, "Well, did you like it?" "Yah. It was pretty fun." That was it. I couldn't get one more detail out of him. I guess that is good. I know he likes it. He is happy there. He is thrilled to be riding the bus. He LOVES his teacher. So, I guess I should just be satisfied with that. Kim B. made a good point... I am just going to copy and paste it because I can't make it sound right in my own words. "I could tell that school is VITAL to all things. They each have re found their sense of age and accountability in just one day." I hadn't thought about it, but its true. At this age, kids are cut our for school. That is really their purpose right now, so it is just a very smooth transition because, well, it just is. I am just amazed at how Quayd adjusted to going a whole day as opposed to a half day of Kindergarten last year. It makes me feel more confident that sending him when I did was the right thing.

On the first day, I was FREAKED OUT about being home alone all day, so I was actually relieved to get a call from work at 7:00 am. The morning girl was sick and they needed me to cover. It was a GREAT thing for me to do. I still worried and wondered all day, but work kept my mind occupied. I was home in plenty of time to get him off the bus, so all was well. I had to be to work at 8:00 and the bus comes at 8:10, so I just asked my Grandpa to walk them to the bus stop. He was pretty excited.

Since pre-school, Quayd has always liked to give his teacher an apple on the first day of school. I am not even sure where he learned about it. Anyway, Talia and Gleneita were in SLC this weekend so I asked them to go to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory and pick up a yummy caramel apple. They chose Strawberry Cheesecake flavored. Yum! It even has graham cracker crumbs on the bottom! When Quayd got off the bus, i asked him if Mrs. Green liked her apple, and he had forgotten to give it to her. He was so upset, so I offered to drive him to the school so he could take it to her.
Then I asked him if she liked it and, just like his earlier response, he said, "Yah." And that was all I got.

So to sum it all up, Quayd LOVES first grade. He is doing well and adjusting perfectly. Thanks to all of you who wondered about him. (and me! Trust me, it has been much harder on me then him!!!) Just like we all guessed, he is doing WONDERFUL! The jury is still out on how I am doing!

the one about catching up

I am so sorry to all of my faithful fans who have been waiting ever-so-patiently to hear updates on my boring life!!! I finally finished my books. My friend Cara has a new series for me to read and I am pretty excited! I have this problem, and from reading my friends blogs, I don't think I am alone. When I start reading a book that is ALL I DO!!! My house goes to crap, dinner doesn't get cooked, no clean clothes and of course, no blogging. I love to get that caught up in a good book though. Even though I love love love to read, I feel like I sorta need a break before I start anything new. I need to get my life put back together!

So I went and registered my tiny baby boy for first grade. :( He is super excited about it, but I'm not. I just can't believe he is getting that big. He is the youngest in his class so he will start 1st grade being only 5! But then he will have a Birthday in a couple of weeks, on the 30th. Which brings me to another thing.. Quayd-er-ade's Birthday Party. He has been insisting that it be at the new rec. center so he can swim with his friends. I thought that was fine so I booked it. He is excited and all is going well in the planning department... but I am a little sad. I love to go all out and have a BIG fun party full of games and activities, etc. So this is going to be super easy. I look forward to this stuff and having only one child, I only get to do it once a year. The rec. center decorates and everything. The only thing I need to bring is cake. Of course I will do some party favors and I stole a super cute invitation idea from Holly, so I will be busy enough I guess. I am such a dork with this stuff. I am going with a fish theme. I thought it would be cute with the swimming thing, and Quayd liked the idea, so all is well. Last year it was all pirates. We had a treasure hunt and everything. Anyway, that will be fun for me to get my planning groove on!

So, I have an announcement (I guess) to make. I decided not to return to work this fall as a lunch lady. It has been a huge stress for me to make this decision. I loved my lunch lady job! I am sad that I won't be doing it anymore. I decided that if I was working, I might as well be making money. There is NO money in lunch lady land! After Tara started working at the Holiday Inn Express it really got me thinking. I worked as a front desk clerk several years ago at a local motel and I loved it. Tara was telling me how desperate they were at Holiday Inn, and I decided to apply. I got the job instantly and I had my first shift last night. I think the schedule will work out well so I can work while Quayd is at school. I only want part time. Three or four shifts per week, and lots more money! Its really a fun job, so far. I work again tonight. Last night was SO busy. I didn't really learn a lot but I am a pro at making room keys and baking cookies. I even answered the phones, not having a clue what to do or say but they were so busy, I felt bad just standing there! I hope this works out. I really want to work in Quayd's classroom and working everyday as a lunch lady doesn't allow me to do that. Now I can, and I will still be able to substitute teach a little bit. Two things I had to give up when I started in lunch lady land. We will see how it all goes. I am excited and nervous.

Remember all of our stupid road construction that I have been complaining about all summer? Well, its still going on and I am still complaining about it. We still have not been receiving our mail!!! The actual road is finished. The landscapers have not come to finish their part yet so I still have dirt for my front yard. The mailboxes don't go in until the landscapers come. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! It is making me insane! We still have dirt piled up forever and even though it is totally annoying, the kids LOVE it! They get so dirty and it makes us all crazy, but its also kinda cute how much they love it. I guess I should look at the bright side. It's making them happy and I don't have to water much grass! Anyway, on a few separate occasions, we have been unable to resist the photo opportunities of the three boys (Quayd, Brayden and Brennen) and their pets (Skeet and Fonzie) playing their butts off in the dirt.