Back in the Saddle

So tonight I caught up (if you can call it that) a couple month's worth of events.  It's my goal to be completely up to date by the end of October.  Since the end of August I have truly been the busiest I ever remember being, so I'm not sure if it will happen.  I'm kind of back in the saddle with teaching again. On a very limited basis.  In weird formats that allow me to still be basically a full-time mom.

I am teaching a concurrent enrollment section of Bio 1010 up at USU.  I broadcast it distance ed to students in rural Utah.  It has taken some getting used to speaking to a screen and talking back and forth through microphones, but I am enjoying it.  It has also been a ton of work.  I picked my own text.  I'm deciding what to teach, how to teach it, assignments, tests, etc.  In fact, I'm pretty sure until about a week ago when I was observed I could have been teaching just about anything and nobody would have been the wiser.  To say I've had pretty much no guidance, help, or oversight would be an understatement.  Having no colleagues is kind of weird.  I'm an island!

Bio 1010 is basically a simpler, lecture-based version of AP Biology though and I guess it's just like riding a bike.  I teach four mornings a week for 55 minutes each.  I have about 75 students at 5 sites.  I like it a lot, but the prep has been kicking my butt because I don't get started on it until after everything else is done - usually around 9:30 or 10:00 at night.  The class has also been at 8:00 a.m. this trimester, so I've had to arrange child care in the mornings.  That has actually gone pretty well. Luke is already gone.  Depending on the day Jer, my mom, or my friend Nicki get my boys on the bus at 8:20 and drop Leah to preschool for me.  I think the kids have kind of viewed it as a novelty.  I have had some mom guilt but fortunately it's temporary.  When the trimester changes at the end of November my life will become much easier because I get to teach the same thing over again and my class is at 9:15.  Yay!

I also started teaching an online class called FDSCI 101 for BYUIdaho.  It is completely online but has been a ton of work to get figured out.  I'm still only working about a week ahead of my students. This first semester goes until December and will also make my life so much easier once I'm doing it for the second time instead of learning everything brand new.  It has been a pretty steep learning curve to figure out my responsibilities, but I think it will be a great job in the long run.  My computer has been crapping out on me all month causing me to want to swear like a sailor because I basically live on the computer doing this BYU class during Leah's preschool hours.  My house cleaning and sleep schedule have suffered a bit but otherwise I'm starting to get into a groove.

Our Primary Presentation was also in September which couldn't have come at a busier time.  Yes, I'm still the Primary President (please ignore the part about my wanting to swear a lot).  I'm so happy to say that the presentation is over and it went well.  Hallelujah!  It was a small miracle.  With soccer season ending I feel like I might be able to breathe!  We do have great Primary kids though and I love the ladies I work with, so I wouldn't trade it.  I don't want to be in Relief Society!  :)

That is my long, rambling explanation of why I'm a terrible blogger and picture taker.  Something had to give!

August - What Seemed Like World's Fastest Month!

July ended and August zoomed in and zoomed by.  Ian cut off his curly locks and aged a couple of years with his first short hair cut ever.  I felt sad about it for a few days, but now I'm used to it and he loves it.  I took the kids up to Preston for an afternoon of hiking and hanging out with cousins.  The boys stayed over to go to the parade and air show.  Jer, Leah, and I joined them the next day for another night of the parade followed by that Famous Preston Night Rodeo.  Such a great small town and fun tradition every year.  Thanks to TJ for buying real camera and becoming the family photographer!

 

 

The first week in August was our annual camping trip with the Burbanks.  We went to a place ironically named Warm River that is kind of up by Island Park, ID.  It wasn't very warm.  The river was actually super cold, and it may have rained just a bit!  We managed to stay dry and have fun though.  

   

 

 

 

 

 

Jer likes to call this prom pose.  Too bad we never went to a prom together.  The only thing of that nature we ever went to was a Glenn Miller dance thing up at USU.  You'll have to ask Jer how much fun that was.

 

  

I love it when Jer is wearing that bluetooth on a camping trip.  ;)

 
Luke's team did the Striker's Cup in Layton.  They played great and only lost their championship game to take second.  I was excited for Luke to finally be on a winning team and get a medal!

 

Jer turned 40 this year, and I'm not far behind him.  Holy cow we are old!

Jer snapped this photo to educate me on the face I give him when I'm not too stoked about what he's saying.  I don't know.  It could be worse.

We took Luke and Seth to the REAL Salt Lake game for FC Aggies night.  Somewhere down on the field in that line of blue players is Seth.  We got stuck in terrible traffic and barely got there in time for him to go out with his team.

Part of Seth's free swag courtesy of McDonald's.  My phone officially has the worst camera ever.

 

A little mud tag, soccer, and relay races on a Saturday at our neighbor's house.  Seth did end up with a rash a few days later but nobody died, and they all had a blast.  We were cleaning mud out of crevices for a week.  These two had been down by the river while they were still clean.  Having the river close by has been great and we haven't had any problems except that one time when Seth went down there with our neighbor under strict orders to not get in the water but when Jer went down to get him he was swimming in neck deep water.  Seriously?!  He got a bit of a Scotch blessing, so I think he now really understands that he is not allowed to swim without us.

The sprinklers were such a fun project that lasted the entire summer.  I hope you're sensing my sarcasm.

 

 

   

Back to School which seemed to come in the middle of August.  Luke catches the bus at 7:00 a.m. to go to Willow Valley Middle School, 6th grade, so he got solo shots this year.  Seth has Mrs. Turnbow for 3rd grade and Ian is in the famed Mrs. White's first grade class.  They are all loving school and their teachers this year.  Luke enjoys having multiple classes and lunch best, but he's doing a great job.  Seth loves to not do his math assignments at school and then get As on his tests, but he is also doing great.  Ian loves to visit too much and talk about subjects unrelated to what is being taught, but he absolutely loves school and his reading is starting to come along.  One advantage to waiting months to record things is I can talk about Back to School and Parent Teacher Conference at the same time!  I sure love these handsome, funny boys.  They can be naughty, but it's hard to stay mad for long.

   

   

   

   

 

  
 

 

 Last but not least Leah's first day of school.  Yes, I took one picture with my phone.  Leah is going to Cassie's preschool again on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she is also going to my friend/neighbor Brenda's school on Mondays.  She loves them both and is such a smart little cookie.  I can't believe she will be in kindergarten next year.  She is growing like a weed!