Big News!

Lynn bought a new camera! I will be posting a bunch of pictures to catch y'all up on what we're doing! Love it!

Remote Control

Some of you may know, others, maybe not... Our beautiful Brayden was diagnosed, a year ago last Fall, with NLD, a very mild autism. As his mother, I actually wept with joy because I finally had a name for what I had been dealing with for the past 10 years, a diagnosis, and a way to get school support. That being said, one of the things Brayden struggles with is change, new experiences and any situation he feels he is not in control. Anxiety attacks are common. Lynn and I have become expert anxiety attack diffusers.

Lynn took Brayden hunting this weekend. Brayden LOVES spending time outdoors with his dad. He is a hiking machine and loves mountain trails. He is not opposed to riding the horses in the mountains either, although it takes a little cajoling. He went into anxiety mode the second he realized he wouldn't be riding Henrietta on a trail, but would be trail blazing through the mountains. The anxiety heightened when Lynn told him Henrietta could do it without a lead rope hooked to Lynn and Hank. Meltdown in T- 3 seconds...

Lynn is a joker anyway so you never quite know what he's going to pull next. Brayden climbed up on our mellow old mare and attached to the saddle horn was his old Game Cube remote control. "Funny Dad, funny." The anxiety attack was averted and Brayden looked at steering Henrietta in a whole new way.

Lynn said by the end of the trip Brayden was playing obstacle course with the Old Gal by weaving her through trees and over logs. It's a good thing he never tried to make her run, then the trouble would have begun... she likes a nice easy stroll.

Cross 'Yer Fingers!

So far no one but Elise has come down with the H1N1 virus! I'm knocking on the pressed plywood laminate of my gorgeous desk. I'm thinking I must have gotten her in really quickly and kept her contained. The Tamiflu kept her from getting terribly sick. She was really only "sick" for 36 hours.

In other matters at my school we currently have an artist in residence visiting from Ghana, Africa. His name is Zinsie Agginie. He is teaching us how to drum and is sharing native Fables with us. Zinsie is spending most of his time with the Second Grade, which is my grade. So far our 2nd grade classes are becoming champion drummers. I'm not sure what to say about the hampered, 2nd grade teachers. I'm thinking we need some serious remediation. He was giving us grief at lunch today when he found out 3 of the 4 of us hold Master's Degrees. I gave him grief back when I told him our degrees certainly weren't in drumming. If he wants an educational psychology consult we'd be happy to help out. I'm not surprised at how adept the 6th grade students were at drumming. Too much time on Rock Band?

I will post pictures if I can get one of my fellow teachers to take some photos of me drumming. Hopefully they will bring a smile to your face.

Scholarship Dinner

Last week Lynn and I got to go to Utah State University's College of Agriculture's Annual Scholarship dinner. Why? Lynn was awarded the Dale P. Bateman Dairy Science scholarship. We went to meet the people who provide the money for his scholarship. Only, we didn't meet them. We don't think they were there. Instead, I got to meet his very young comrades in arms. They were very interested in meeting me. It seems they couldn't imagine WHO would marry Lynn and keep him in line. I wonder the very same thing myself at times. It was interesting to note I am closer in age to the parents of his fellow students than I am to the age of his friends. I very well could have been their Second Grade teacher. If that doesn't make me feel my age, I only have to look at the backs of my hands.

On a different note... as I am writing this blog today two things are happening. First, it is currently snowing. They say Utah has 4 seasons. Not so, only two. OK, I might give it 3 seasons. Hot, Hot, Hot, dry summer. WINTER that lasts forever and maybe spring for a day or two before it gets HOT. It seems we go straight from summer right into the snow. I used to love snow as a child. The older I get I seem to loathe it. It's cold and makes my body ache. I have to shovel it. I have to drive in it with stupid people who don't know how to drive in it, along with big orange snow plows. I'm thinking Florida with Lynn's sisters is sounding better and better. :)

The second thing happening today is I am taking a sick day. I had to drive in the nasty slushy rain to school and get substitute plans ready this morning so I could stay home with Peanut. She has the H1N1 virus. Yep. It's hit our house before we could get the vaccination. In fact, none of the pharmacies had Tamiflu to treat the virus. My pharmacist (to whom I will be eternally grateful) called all the other pharmacies in the area until she found one that was willing to make the generic form of Tamiflu. Elise has been wearing her little mask from the clinic around the house and washing her hands every 5 minutes. We've Clorox wiped and Lysol ed everything we could think of. Now, we wait. I'm sure Abby will be sick by Wednesday. They're in the same class at school, the place of infection. Elise is the 5th one in her class to come down with it. Mrs. K told me she had the custodian in the classroom twice spraying the room down with the bathroom cleaner that kills ecoli and all other sundry bugs. I called my custodian too... my classroom is getting sprayed down today too...

BTW I haven't posted any pictures because my camera took one spill too many across the pavement and has yet to be replaced. You'll be the first to know when I get a new one. There will be pictures everywhere!!!!

I almost forgot... Lynn helped Dr. Rood at the animal shelter in Logan last week. They were neutering dogs. Lynn got to neuter his first dog start to finish. He was so excited. Dr. Rood said Lynn did it the fastest he has ever seen a student complete their first neuter. :)