September 2024

 Inservice day lunch with my awesome coworkers.

It's a good day when one of your students tells you you look like a model. Specifically, Shalom Harlow.

Must be a lucky season because we've seen praying mantises everywhere.

The taco dinner that FCCLA sponsored went great! A few of my officers and former students who are now at the high school came and helped.

The boys took an archery class that they LOVED.

The Tabernacle Choir watch party was a success.

It warms a teacher mom's heart to find your 10-year-old reading good old Harry Wong.

Carli started her job at Cork's Popcorn over the summer and has continued into the school year with work based learning where she gets to earn school credits while working. She is loving her life as a working girl.

Another Peanut Festival choir opener for Carli.

Funny ideas from a 3rd grader.

Hurricane Helene made her entrance. We really didn't expect it to have the widespread effects it did. It hit hard and the cleanup lasted months. We are so grateful for the protection we were blessed with. We lost power for three days (which resulted in the loss of most of our food) and our Little Library lost its roof. School was closed for another week, which meant I lost all the food in the fridge in my classroom as well. That added up to 11 1/2 school days missed this semester. The district decided not to make up any of the days, so it was a strange semester trying to fit all the instruction in. We were happy to spend our next several weekends working with Helping Hands to clean up people's properties. 

August 2024

 First day of school photos! 3rd grade, 5th grade, 9th grade, and 11th grade.

This semester started out in a historical way. We had the first two days of school and then Hurricane Debby hit and we had the week off. It rained and rained and we ended up with about 10-12 inches of rain. The photo below is of our friend's old house where the wetlands in the back combined with the pond in front and took over the house. School was cancelled for the whole week mostly because all of the dirt roads had been washed out and there was no way for the buses to get anywhere. 

Carli got a bee in her bonnet and decided she hadn't read enough classics. Logan wasn't aware of this when he dropped by the library to pick up a book of his own and the librarian asked if he wanted to pick up the holds for his family too. He got worried when one librarian asked the other to go get a cart. Carli didn't make it through all of the books, but she made a pretty good dent in them. She is the most well-read high school junior I know of, for sure.

I really don't know what this is a picture of, but I find photos like this in my phone enough that I guess I need to document them. (I think this was a football game the girls went to. So weird having two high schoolers.)

I really love to walk in on scenes like this in our house.

Tad decided he'd like to add to the family cookbook, so he wrote down several family favorite recipes.

At the end of last school year I decided I wanted to push the FCCLA initiative "FCCLA @ the Table" and encourage families to eat meals together. We prepared to celebrate National Family Meals Month in September with a pledge, social media posts, a giveaway and a sponsored taco dinner at the school Family Night. My good friend happened to get the Family Engagement Specialist job over the summer and we worked closely together to put on the taco dinner. One of my goals has been to build the FACS program in our community and I am grateful for this opportunity to do it. When I decided to take this position in 2022 I had the thought, "The decision you make today will impact generations." I hope and pray everyday that I can use this position to positively influence my students and the community with knowledge and skills I know bring joy and happiness the Lord has in store for people who use them.

July 2024

 Milo wanted Grandpa to know he still has the gypsum he got from his mine a few years ago.

We were excited to visit family out west this summer. We flew from Orlando to Provo and stayed for a few days with Callie. We went on a Fourth of July hike. The girls loved hanging out with Claire and they had sleepovers in the basement. Except that at some point in the night Claire decided her own bed was more comfortable, so she set it up to look like she'd never left so the girls wouldn't get hurt feelings.

We headed up to Oregon to spend time with the Cowans. This girl NEEDS her sunscreen, even on the West Coast. We loved spending time with Grammie and Papa and all the aunts, uncles and cousins. We played on the water slide, went to the beach and played at the park. Along with hunting through yard sales.

When we got back to Utah we spent time with friends. We are so blessed and grateful to have these friends that are so dear to us.

It was fun to take all the kids to BYU campus.

It was fun to stay with Aubrey and the girls loved on her kids until the last minute we were there.

When we got back it was time for me to head back to school. So, with a new school year comes a new hairdo. It's fun to have the bangs again. And I guess it makes me trendy because my middle schoolers seem to be impressed.

I've been helping with an organization called Backpack Buddies. We asked the stake to donate 75 can openers for the first packs to go home with students in need. I was prepared to make up for whatever didn't get donated, but we came up with 75 exactly. It was a testimony to me of the goodness of our members.

Logan's newest creations.

The beginning of a new school year!