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. :)

Onions...Onions...Onions...

It's that time of year again when I can't step outside without being assaulted with the smell of onions. Layton is prime onion growing land. In fact, the city got its name because Mr. Layton put up a big sign saying, "LAYTON" on it so the trains would stop at the right place on the tracks to pick up his onions. The former fields where our school was built used to be onion fields. We are surrounded by growing onions. It happens to be harvest time. Huge trucks filled with onions drive up and down the streets all day. Hence, the onion smell. A few years ago I had to confiscate a huge onion from a student who had picked one up off the road and brought it to school. I know some PTA moms who have been known to wait on the corner where the trucks turn. They pick up the huge onions to put in the salsa they can. I usually don't mind the smell of the onions. It lets me know fall is here. I crave soup. the only time I really minded the smell was when I was first pregnant with the twins. It wasn't pretty. Onion soup anyone?!?

Update! Update!

For lack of anything that really goes together...

First of all KUDOS to Lynn. Out of the 250+ pre-med or pre-vet students in his chemistry section... HE got 100% on his first chemistry test!!! Yea!!! I think we are on to our 4th 4.0 semester in a row. His counselor and myself BOTH think he will have NO problem getting accepted into vet school on the first try. (Lynn says I need to stop bragging him up too much, he will be WAY embarrassed if all this falls through... typical Lynn).

Here's a tidbit of information for you. Out of state tuition at Oklahoma State University is CHEAPER that in state tuition at Washington State. Lynn says to me, "You've done Oklahoma before. Do you think you could do it again?" Well heck yes. I wouldn't be a missionary this time. Tornadoes aren't so bad. It's the okra I really don't care for. BUT... we just heard Utah's legislature gave the OK for USU to do a take two program with Washington State. It would begin its first year the year Lynn would be ready to start, so maybe we wouldn't have to move... I just LOVE sitting around waiting and not knowing. I plan things out. I'm prepared. I don't like surprises. It's a bit like when the technician said she saw two babies and not one... I haven't been the same since...

Abby and Elise started back to dance today. They have tap first and then ballet right after. Two hours of dancing. They looked a little tired when I picked them up tonight. The kids ride their bikes to and from school as well so their little bodies are getting a work out. Abby was curled up in the recliner with her eyelids half shut. I had to jiggle her awake to do homework.

I need to take a picture of the floor in Brayden's room. I make him clean it. It does no good. Minutes after a clean inspection the Lego's are back all over the floor. If you stop and take a minute to look at the mess you can see how well it is organized into type, size and color. You have to navigate the labyrinth to get to his bed. Luckily for me I am not scared of a little plastic so I can pin my baby boy down with the covers and give him kisses every night.

I personally am taking one day at a time. My huge class of many second graders has been a bit daunting. They are, shall I say, NEEDY. It takes us FOREVER to do anything. I had to stop what I was teaching in math and go back and begin very basic addition. Too many of them just didn't "GET" it. I knew I was in trouble when a boy raised his hand and looked at me totally confused and said, "Mrs. B? What IS subtraction?" I feel for the kids who are soooo smart they look like they are bored silly. I do have a few of those. I'm thinking my aide will have to take out the smarty pants to challenge them, instead of the low kids to catch them up.

Last night I dreamt about making my class practice lining up. They never did do it and we were late for lunch and never did make it there. Any dream interpreters out there who want to give me a reading?

One thing I know for sure. I'm happiest when I am too busy to worry about myself. The more dishes piled in the sink the better. I wouldn't be less busy or have it any other way.

I'm Voting for Condo!

We keep talking about where and what we're going to do when we go to Vet school. I'm voting for a little 3 bedroom condo. You know, the kind where you have no yard work. After today I'm REALLY thinking I want a condo. We have 3 peach trees and they were loaded this year. We gave away as many peaches as we could. We still bottled around 100 quarts of peaches. My mom had mercy on me and came up from Salt Lake to help. We set up our usual Barton cannery in the garage. When we get going we have 3 processors going on camp chefs. I'm glad Lynn was here to lift canners full of water.
Oh what a day. I think I may have to see the chiropractor for a few weeks to get my neck and arm back in alignment.
I do have to admit.... I will be enjoying those yummy peaches this winter. :)