if you ever get the chance to attend the Make-A-Wish Rubber Ducky Derby - you should totally do it. It is so overwhelming to see all the ducks in the lazy river and all the survivors. Today we got to go and be a part of the whole shin-dig. One word - awesome!
I'm going to try to upload one of my favorite video's here. I really hope it works. Just like all of you, one look at Alia and every volunteer, photog, and reporter were all asking who that amazing little girl was. I'm so proud to say that I'm her aunt. My favorite moment was caught on her family camcorder, so I don't have it...but as they were hauling all of the ducks out of the river, Alia was bending really far over the rope trying to give the ducks kisses. A volunteer asked her if she wanted to get in the big bucket with them, of course Alia said no, but she held out her arms and they filled her arms with ducks and put one of her head. She would've spent all day playing with those ducks had they let her. She was also quite upset that her mom didn't win the car - it was funny.
This video is of Alia with Waddles, the Make-A-Wish duck - she was totally dancing with him, more than we've seen her animated in a long time. Check out her oxygen cord, being pulled tight. So cute.
As for us, we had a blast being able to be there. I went down 2 waterslides with Jenna...ummmm....ouch, but she had fun. We also went into the wave pool and got hit with the waves. Jenna also got to spend some much needed time with her uncle Russell (my little bro), he's leaving for a stint in Iraq or Afghanistan tomorrow morning. One week in TX, then off he goes.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
my favorite boards. It has my noise meter on it, growth chart, tooth loss chart and then on the other side has rules for listening and I'll be putting up their photo's there. my classroom is up...and I'm exhausted. So, here are some pics from my class and then also one that my mom took of Jenna after eating icecream
The bulletin board outside my room my reading corner, my mom was reading to Jenna My board behind my desk, I need to add more to my fishing net my classroom is up...and I'm exhausted. So, here are some pics from my class and then also one that my mom took of Jenna after eating icecream
yes, it is a huge classroom and I'm so excited about that. Hopefully my sanity will stay in tact after the first week.
Only 4 more followers until a winner is picked. I found some way cute stamps from Autumn Leaves (I think)
Everybody sing with me now, even if you won't admit it, you know the song by Ernie. If you don't shame on you. I used to sing it at the top of my lungs with my little brother, Adam, just to annoy my dad. That and "C is for Cookie"
Anyway, lately, the whole family has been obsessed with the little plastic yellow ducks. Not just the regular bath tub ones, but all the different decorated ones. Tonight we found the Sonny and Cher look-alike duckies in the bag of ducks. Yesterday, Suzanne received a shipment of over 100 ducks! It's ducky heaven (which we also have a ducky for).
If you don't know the reason for our ducky obsession, Make-A-Wish is the answer. Every year, the Utah chapter of Make A Wish holds a Rubber Ducky Derby. This is the 21st year of the derby. Since Make A Wish has so graciously accepted Alia, my beautiful and inspirational niece, as a Wish Child, Alia and her family wanted to do something for Make-A-Wish in return.
Alia has never had a birthday party because her true b-day is in January. Not quite the conditions for a child who can have severe complications from even something as small as the common cold. The past year and a half have been really hard and she has had one of her lungs removed and had a broviac "installed" to keep her on some really strong antibiotics. Well, Alia wants a b-day party, but she has so much she wanted to sell duckies for the Make-A-Wish foundation. That is where our adventure begins.
Alia's birthday party has turned into an actual media event! A newspaper reporter from the Standard Examiner has called and asked questions. They will have a short write-up announcing the fundraising going on at the party, announcing Alia's own website for "selling" her duckies. Then, they will also be there on the day to take pics and do a full write-up for the newspaper. How cool is that?
Anyway, if you would like to sponsor a duck in Alia's honor, her website is www.ducks4Alia.com
those of you outside of Utah, we know the top half, donor half, will not let you change your state from Utah - I was explained the reason, but don't remember the whole reason why...but the billing information will let you put in your state and billing will work perfectly.
Party planning has just gotten more interesting. Last week I did an quick photo shoot of Alia with about a dozen rubber duckies so we could get her invites sent out. We also did an event posting on Facebook. They've had such a great response to sponsor her duckies. She's already sold over 20 at $5 each. Her goal is to sell 100 - I'm hoping for a lot more.
Alia has had a lot of input into what she wants, her list includes: duck pond where you use a fishing net to catch ducks in a swimming pool, a bouncy house, and since she's into Monster's Inc right now, she wanted bowling with Mike W. as the ball and Randall on the pins. Jared (Alia's dad) painted some awesome eyeballs onto some green playground balls. My mom made a bean bag toss where she painted a duck. Seriously, this is a major b-day party.
There will also be popcorn, shaved ice and cotton candy for treats. Robby and Crystal have been working with a rental company to get the stuff for a really great price. Charlotte has been helping get games together....see it's a big family effort. We even had my aunt, Judy, write a poem that we used on the invites.
I am so thankful for such a supportive and giving family. It has been a great opportunity to teach Jenna about giving. Today Jenna asked if how she could earn $5 to buy a ducky. I also got the opportunity to go to the Make-A-Wish office and you could just tell dreams really did come true there. So cool.
-You lose your camera cord and then you lose the card reader you bought for the camera because you lost the camera cord. But then you find the camera cord, but then you misplace it again because the computer can come to any room you want. I don't think Jason would like me to buy another card reader...guess I'll have to clean
So, yes I have some great pics to share with you guys from the rodeo, my field trip to Gilgal Gardens and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Oh and my car's trip to see my cousin, the mechanic, when it decided to stop blowing cold air home from said field trips.
So, some quick updates....
1-School officially starts in less than 2 weeks. Pray for my sanity with a classroom full of first graders
2-Jenna will be in 1st grade - so crazy. It seems just like yesterday...
3-Alia is getting her Make-A-Wish, which is officially to see the whales, but will include all that Orlando has to offer.
4-I still need 10 more followers. At the end of Aug, I'll do a drawing for those who are there and will send you something nice because I'm nice like that
5-I got 2 of my summer grades, both of which were A's - go me! I have one grade left to find out about.
and last, an observation if you please
6-when swatting at a pesky mosquito, one must take into account how long one's fingernails have grown and also how tired one is. If this swatting action is not thought out, one's nail may get caught in the hole of one's nose when the mosquito flies close to it...causing one's nail to hurt one's nose. Now...this is not speaking from experience - of course
As of right now I have 9 followers and I love each of you dearly and appreciate that you actually want to follow my blog.
Well, I've decided I want more followers, so I've decided that once I get to 20 followers, I will do a little drawing aka blog candy. Yes, I will send it to wherever you are - aka England, Singapore, Costa Rica, Canada, and of course the US. I haven't decided what the prize will be. I might even give you a couple of choices since I know that not all of you like the same things.
Hmmmm...I wonder how much it would cost to ship 6 year old :) - only kidding, don't call DCFS on me just yet.
You know the friend that everyone says shaking their head laughing, "only you could have something like that happen, only you"? Well, I have decided, I am that friend.
Yesterday I decided to make a couple hair clips with flowers on them. I had pulled my hair back in a ponytail, using lots of hair glue so it would hold and I needed a big flower to put on the side of the ponytail. I must say, my end result looks pretty cute
Anyway, I used the hot glue gun, no burns! Score one for me. Put in the eyelets, didn't gouge my finger - 2 points Michelle, no points hair clips. I decided to spray some glitter on the hot pink one (lower left). I have 2 types of spray glitter, one I keep in my bathroom to spray in Jenna's hair - it washes out. And then I have the second type that I usually spray the flowers with, it's an actual spray paint. We were leaving soon and I know the second spray takes forever to dry so I decide to use Jenna's spray. We get it at Walmart for way cheap in the party aisle.
I put the flower on the floor in my bathroom and push the button down to spray the flower, giving it that nice glittery look. I do a quick once-over spray and it looks good so I take my finger off the nozzle/button thingy. The spray keeps going! I try to tip the cap the other way to see if it will stop, nope, but I do succeed in getting the nozzle/button/cap thingy to come off. But did it stop? No!
So, I put my finger over the top of the little straw thingy sticking out, in milliseconds, my finger is freezing cold and I have to take my finger off. My finger is now cold, sticky and has a nice glittery sheen to it. Thinking quickly, I turn the tub on and put the can under the water, maybe it's just stuck. Nope, still going strong.
By this point, I have glitter on my flower, my carpet, my fingers, and now my bathtub (which is enclosed so the walls are also looking good). I try to remember when I bought this can and how much I had used, this is when I realize this can has a lot of glitter spray left. At this point, not only am I worrying about the glitter all over the bathroom, but I realize that my head is starting to feel funny, I'm getting a little high off of this spray. I also realize, this is why they say to spray in well-ventilated areas...ummm...this is the only room in the house without windows, it's in the middle of the house. I am breathing in glitter and my nose is also starting to itch.
Wait...how flammable do you suppose this stuff is? I have my flat iron and hot glue gun on. I can just see the news story now.
Using my problem solving skills that my teachers taught me in elementary school, I decide that my best solution is to get the can out of the room, but how? I can't wrap it in a towel or I'll have a glittery, sticky towel, and that conjures up memories of that joke about the mom going to the Ob/Gyn after using her daughter's towel with the glitter on it. (Although I would get a kick out of hearing that Jason had to go to the dr after using that towel)
Nope, can't do that.
Wait, I have a box I just got some scrapbook supplies in that I was planning to save because it fits 12x12 paper. I decide that I will need to sacrifice the box. I grab the box and put the can in it. The can is still spraying and I close the lid on the box as I feel high enough. I take it downstairs at which point I can tell the box bottom is leaking through. I made it out to the garbage can and throw the box in.
I now must not open that garbage can until after someone else does because I'm sure the fumes are awful in there. At least it won't smell like a mixture of dog poop, curdled milk, mildewy grass, and rotten eggs.
So, I guess I will need to add glitter spray to the object which have now attacked me.
This is the song that has been swirling through my head lately. I love Gershwin, which is kind of weird since I only have 1 Gershwin song on my iPod.
This is my first summer of being a teacher, meaning, I have about 2 1/2 months off of no "work". Sure, I've been thinking about work, looking things up for work, but I haven't had to go in to work. It's a weird feeling, but I love it.
I love being able to play with Jenna and getting to know her better. She actually gives the best advice and is so caring. She really wants others to feel loved and she hurts when someone doesn't like someone else.
I love being able to sleep in. Enough said there.
I love being able to take off to a beach for a week and not have to worry about taking off work. I've gone on (2) 1-week vacations and it has been great. I actually have a tan, something I haven't had in years.
I love watching others argue on Divorce Court..makes my life seem so easy.
I love listening to my dog breathe as he lays on the bed next to me.
I love being able to spend some time with Jason. I'm so thankful that he took this summer semester off from school.
I also love being there for big moments in Jenna's life, such as the loss of some of her teeth.
I don't know that I could ever be a full time stay-at-home mom and I salute those of you who can do that. I think that in a couple more weeks I'll be ready to get back to work...but until then, I'll continue humming some Gershwin.
This Thursday July 9, 2009 marks the anniversary of the passing of my aunt Karen Sessions from breast cancer. We are having an online auction to help raise money for our Team so we can walk in her memory in November of 2009 in California in the 3Day 60 mile walk. The auction will run until July 21, 2009 which would have been Karen's 54th Birthday. Please check out our blog spot and help us in any way possible. We would love to make our goals by July 21, 2009 !!!
Even if you can get out the word, that would help.
Here's a great story that happened to my g-ma
G-ma was having a little yard sale just cuz she wanted to. A couple little boys (about 7 years old) stopped in and took a look around. They settled on some Christmas decorations. After they paid their 50 cents, they asked her what the sale was for. G-ma showed them a picture of Karen, told them how much she loved and missed her and that we were going to walk 60 miles in her honor.
One of the little boys, reached in his pockets and said "I would like to help, I have another quarter". With a tear in her eye two little boys taught a very valuable lesson, it doesn't matter the size of your wallet, but the size of your heart.
I have a CD that I remember buying December of 2008. Why do I know this? Well, I remember dancing to it as I realized I was in love with Jason. I would be in my bedroom and dance around to song after song.
I am a Barry Manilow fan...aka a Fanilow. Wait, randomness...why am I writing this at 1:23 am in the middle of the week. You can deduct a few things:
1 - No one is posting on my usual haunts, therefore I'm bored.
2 - Oprah is not keeping my full attention (yes, she reruns at 1AM here)
3 - Bed is not quite calling my name yet.
4 - The Lagoon song is somewhat stuck in my head. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click on the link in the words "Lagoon song" and then click to download a free copy. Sadly, each time it plays, it's only a 15 second blurb...just enough of a teaser.
and....it's now me time! I got that burst of energy/brains I so needed in order to get some long overdue homework done and now that I'm done with it, I need some me time. What does this have to do with Manilow and me being a Fanilow? Well, as I sat here, the song came to mind from the aforementioned album (notice my big word usage, thank you WSU Masters program). It's called "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", yeah, it has nothing to do with my life, but the title says so much to me and the way it's sung is like a lullaby. This is where I was going to share this lullaby with you, but my internet crashed and as I was reloading my brain crashed...which means my me time is over. I can no longer use fancy big words properly...it is time for sleep.
Before I go, answer me this...what's your ideal me time?
because well, I know you all want to drool over the fun we had...here's a slide show of some of the pics we took. And while I'm waiting to upload all of them, let me tell you some of my highlights.
*getting to leave 5 hours after my last day of teaching my first year of school
*food - food - food!!! I ate fresh fruit everyday. I was in heaven (have I mentioned that?)
*being waited on hand and foot. Every person should go on at least one cruise. I suck at saving and I'm already saving up for my next one.
*getting to meet up with Lily in Costa Rica. Lily and her dad took us to an awesome beach in Costa Rica (hey Lily, when you have nothing going on, I really want some pics of that beach and those trees and the place we ate the fried plantains because I seriously got no pics of Costa Rica, we were having too much fun)
*before Lily came, Jason and I got to witness a nice knife vs aluminum bat fight. Jason, being the awesome hubby he is, saw that pic chunks of asphalt were getting ready to fly and pulled me back to behind the "secure" fence.
*Snorkeling in Belize - you will see how awesome the reef was and how sweet the private island was.
*Portobello in Panama. There was this awesome old fortress there and a really cool church. I wish we could've spent all day there. But, we went to the Panama Canal, which we both agree is better seen on the Discovery Channel...Y-A-W-N
*Duty-free shopping...got me some new makeup, perfume that Jason picked out (I swear I didn't even smell any of the perfumes and Jason picked one up and said, this one smells good - I had to go back and get it. Oh, it's called Be Delicious), some cheap jewelry, ornaments...speaking of, where are those ornaments? Gotta go find those.
*Shopping in Belize - I have become a purse whore. Sadly, I fall under the cheap, name brand knock-off category. Well, Belize is the place for that. I found a rockin' Prada purse for $30, it has the certificate of authenticity, it must be real, right?
*Also, and I'll admit this because I already have a prescription for it, but I forgot the medicine. They have "pharmacies" there. I had a major migraine and needed some phenergan, an anti-nausea. The ship's dr is in for all of 3 hrs a day so I was thrilled when I was able to get some. They did offer me some liquid codeine...I say, that's an overdose waiting to happen. I'm double insured, what I need is free at home.
Now that I'm going to get searched and seized by customs, I'll write a little more (as the pics are still loading)
*Mango Daquiri's - virgin of course
*Oh, and my fave and I so wish I had video of this. Our Filipino server, IMade (pronounce, ee-ma-day) and some other servers singing the anniversary song which goes like this - use the regular Happy Birthday song as the tune
Happy Ann-a-ver-sey to yew kissee kissee kissee (then they waited for us to kiss)
Happy Ann-a-ver-sey to yew kissee kissee kissee (kissing again)
Happy Ann-A-VER-SEY, Happy ver-sey
Happy Ann-a-ver-sey to yew kissee kissee kissee
isn't that the sweetest, funniest thing ever?
*having a very drunk on rum punch lady keep telling us how much she loved that show (aka Big Love) about the Mormons and asking us if we were "in or out" of the church. We tried to get her to understand that Mormons do not practice polygamy and haven't for a very long time and those who do are excommunicated/kicked out of the church. She just kept saying, "so does that mean you're in or out in the Mormon church?" She did tell me that in order to keep my marriage strong I need to keep reinventing myself....I'll keep that in mind as I get yet another hair do and go shopping for new and interesting clothes :)
After 10 years of marriage, both of us working and going to school...Jason and I really needed a nice vacation. No, driving to Disneyland is NOT a vacation. So, we hit the Carnival Freedom without Jenna and hit the Western Caribbean. Can I just say...Heav-en-ly. We went to Costa Rica (not an island), Panama, and Belize
So, let me share some of our heaven with you.
Now...Where to start with these pics
Us on one of the formal nights...and those of you who know Jason...yes, he wore his Vans On a private island in Belize...did I mention Heaven?
My most favorite self-portrait ever. Snorkeling in Belize How lucky am I to have my own personal tour guide in Costa Rica - thanks Lily (and su padre)
My bff, Misty, aka the most awesome designer ever (Jason was disqualified from the running for some odd reason), texted me tonight and said she made me a new blog header. If I had "mad skillz" I would totally make my own, but alas, I lack said skillz. Thanks so much Misty!!! I <3 you
Those of you who have spent any time with Jenna know that she's a character. Well, I know I've been lacking in the blogging world for a little bit, but seeing as I just finished 3 assignments, I figured I could take a break to blog.
Jenna's stalker: I hear Jenna talking in her room, and I presume it's on the phone as it seems to have an uncanny ability to follow her into her room and stay there. I hear her saying in her meanest most stern voice, "I said to stop calling me, I don't want to talk with you." The I hear the phone slam shut. Now I'm thinking, one - our phones don't slam shut, they have no hinges. Two - who is this person who is bothering her, am I going to have to go all Chuck Norris on them (as I tell my students, no one can beat Chuck Norris in a fight). Three - wait, no, again, our phones don't slam shut, is someone in her room? (yes, my parenting skills are lacking, I should've known if someone was in her room). As I'm running through these things, she walks out with her Disney Princess cell phone. OK, disclaimer: no, I did NOT buy my 6 year old daughter a real cell phone, this thing cost $4 at Walmart, plays annoying music, and I swear the battery doesn't die. But I digress, she has her cell phone in her hand and what she has made into it's holder in the other. She's huffing and puffing, looking quite irritated about this so-called phone call. I asked her who she was talking to and in her most annoyed voice says, "a boy, I told him not to call me, but he keeps calling me. And then he started texting me." At this point, she pushes a button on her pink and purple princess covered phone and it begins to ring. She opens it up, looks at the screen, rolls her eyes, and shuts the phone. "uuugh," she says, "he's texting me again, I'm going to text him that I'm not going to answer his texts any more". She opens the phone and proceeds to push buttons (yes, I can claim to her knowing how to text from me, but the rest, I will blame on either "kids these days" or something that one of the bad kids at school must be teaching her - because as we all know, my child is an angel and would never think of something like this on her own.) She says, "there I told him" During this time, I receive a REAL, not imaginary, text from my mom saying that my sister has been rolled in to the OR to have her baby, so this is my cue to get up and take Jenna and Jason to the hospital. Jenna tells me she's bringing her cell phone with us, just in case some one calls or texts her. I tell her that's fine.
We only get a mile away from our house when her phone "rings". I hear her say "ugh" again and she proceeds to tell said stalker to leave her alone and she's going to turn her phone off. She slams the phone shut and pushes some buttons, telling Jason and I that she's "so annoyed that this boy won't leave her alone so she's turning the phone off". Jason and I glance at each other and do a silent laugh (we didn't look because that would be dangerous as he was driving and we are law abiding citizens who always keep our eyes on the road). We get to the hospital without anymore annoying phone calls or texts. Like I said, she turned her phone off. We get upstairs to the waiting room and I of course have been dying to tell someone about Jenna's stalker. I find my little sister and tell her what happened, along with her husband who I swear Jenna is in love with. My little sister's husband asks her who is bugging her so that he can go beat him up while my little sister asks Jenna questions. Oddly enough, this little girl has a memory to go with that imagination and she was able to repeat what had happened. Thankfully since that night, I don't think that "this boy" (as she says in her most irritated voice) hasn't called or texted back. I think we scared him away.
Alright, well, homework is calling me away, but stay tuned for the question we have been waiting for after having a cousin born..."mom, how come she had to be cut open, wasn't her hole big enough?"
and yes, she did have 2 Easter dresses thanks to Alia not wanting to wear hers from last year.
Welcome my new nephew who has yet to be named - I'm pushing for Prince Phillip. Anyway, just wanted to share how cute he is. You can't see his hair in this pic, but it's about 1" long and has a bit of curl! And I got to listen to him cry - oh so cute right now.
oh, and scroll a little bit because my background on the blog makes him look like he has splotches, but he doesn't - he's perfect.
Our school participated in the Utah Jazz reading competition. When it comes to competition, well...I really like competition. So, I decided to compete against my class. I told them that recently I hadn't been reading a lot and that I would like to start reading again. I told them anyone who read more minutes than me would get a king-sized candy bar of their choice. The school goal was to have each student read 1000 minutes, any student who read at least 1000 mins got to wear their hair crazy, so I told my kids that if the class average per student was 1000 mins that I would do my hair crazy - try to get it in a mohawk.
Well, that was 5 weeks ago and my students totally rocked the contest!!! My class read over 36,000 minutes!!! I only had 3 who didn't participate. The class average ended up being about 1600 mins/student. So, I knew what I had to do. I called my little sister up, who does hair, and asked her if she would get up early yesterday to do my hair. (When it comes to doing hair, I'm not good at it). She agreed - awesome sis! She tried to get my hair to stand up straight like a mohawk so she improvised and this is what she came up with.
...the world will stop turning ...life as I know it will stand still ...I will actually enjoy watching Qubo with Jenna ...I will not allow the calories on a very good looking Snickers bother me (but I won't eat 2) ...I will appreciate what I look like ...I will laugh when Jason's snoring wakes me up instead of grumble that I lost 2 hours of sleep ...I will stop and smell the flowers that will hopefully start blooming by then ...I will no longer stress the small stuff ...I will be
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...
You Are a Doris!
You are a Doris -- "I must help others."
Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.
How to Get Along with Me
* Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.
* Share fun times with me.
* Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
* Let me know that I am important and special to you.
* Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.
In Intimate Relationships
* Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
* Reassure me often that you love me.
* Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.
What I Like About Being a Doris
* being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
* knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
* being generous, caring, and warm
* being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
* being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor
What's Hard About Being a Doris
* not being able to say no
* having low self-esteem
* feeling drained from overdoing for others
* not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
* criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
* being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
* working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings
Dorises as Children Often
* are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
* try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
* are outwardly compliant
* are popular or try to be popular with other children
* act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
* are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)
Dorises as Parents
* are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)
* are often playful with their children
* wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"
Jenna got these from Santa for Christmas and well, as a good mom, I help her quite a bit to accrue more Kinzcash. I love playing Cash Cow and making her webkinz going potty (don't know why that is but I find it amusing).
Christmas was great, we got to relax and play with our family. Hopefully in the next couple days I'll post some of our pictures.
As for us, we had a blast being able to be there. I went down 2 waterslides with Jenna...ummmm....ouch, but she had fun. We also went into the wave pool and got hit with the waves. Jenna also got to spend some much needed time with her uncle Russell (my little bro), he's leaving for a stint in Iraq or Afghanistan tomorrow morning. One week in TX, then off he goes.
