Beautiful Day!

Today is beeeee - youuuuu- tiiii - ful!!! The sun is shining and supposedly is it suppose to be in the upper eighties today! There is a girls' track meet this afternoon which will be fun to work at.

I have been reminded by my good friend Kristy on the power of prayer. A few months ago I was reading in a book by Beth Moore about having faith - Not just faith in the big things like God healing my dear friends little girl with cancer or that God would be near in circumstances that we don't understand. I was reminded that I need to have faith in the small things that God cares about every little thing. If he can heal the cancer or the broken leg - could he possibly heal my cold? Do I believe or ask him to?

Ally was coughing frantically all day yesterday and was running a low grade fever. As she laid in bed I prayed that he would heal her. Not gradually but over night. Well this morning she had a cough and I said - God I believe. She still has a runny nose but 2 coughs later and haven't heard any since. I am going to believe and pray that God will heal BOTH of my kids' spring colds. Please pray and believe with me that our big God is in control of the BIG and SMALL things of our lives!

Funny Moments of a Teacher

Kids say the funniest things and DO the funniest things. One from yesterday... I was the concerned parent in this situation. Ally's teachers were telling me about a bathroom incident where the teacher had just taken all the kids to the bathroom but Ally hadn't told them she needed to go. She told them a minute after they left. The teacher told her she would have to wait. Being the spoiled rotten kid she is - she make a mean face and stuck out her tongue. Her teacher was so surprised because Ally typically doesn't do that. To say the least, Ally had to apologize to her teacher this morning for not using her nice face and sticking out her tongue. Thanks to Sherrie for keeping a straight face while my darling was devestated!!!

On another note, one of my very bright kids was being silly. He was messing with my wooden stool and got it stuck on his head. It wouldn't have been a huge deal except that he freaked out and wouldn't calm down to get it off. After several minutes of calming him down (as the others are rolling on the floor) we managed to talk about rectangles and how the diagnol is the longest side so if you can get head going the longest direction you will get it back out.

Did you ever think that I would create a teachable moment in the silliest situation?????

Rub a Dub

Chris came home this weekend to be a farmer. We would have loved his help at our house, but he had fun running the tractor for my dad.

To keep our kids safe from the skid loader that Jason rented to work on our yard, my mom volunteered so kindly to watch Thing 1 and Thing 2. Thing 3 showed up too with her Daddy and they all got a mess. Kaylee was standing at the tub wishing she could get in with Ally and Drew, so we threw her in the fun. She isn't a big fan of getting her hair washed and is soooo tiny according to my big monsters. For the most part they all get a long pretty well.

We (Amy and Chris) find out on Wednesday that they are going to have a boy - or at least that is my prediction. Everyone else says it is a girl. We will see!

Picts from the yard didn't show up so I will wait until Tuesday to take them in the daylight!

Cough Medicine

More advice needed....

Does anyone have any good children's cough medicine that they use? Drew is coughing while sleeping and I hate it when he throws up due to coughing too hard! We have used almost every kind and are now on something called Dyselm (12 cough). The dr. is trying some Singular with Drew since we have been in every three wks with the same thing - wheezing rattling lungs/cold. He is a pro at the breathing treatments and the steriods have worked well with opening up his lungs, but the effects are going to wear off if we have to continue the use.

Bern - Enough Said

This will only be funny to me and if any of my kids at school see this, but if you knew Josh Bern you would laugh too. Josh is very smart and asks more questions than my Ally.

My seminar kids have several "building" projects going on. On the floor was three kids' stadium that they were designing and building. Well Josh found some extra foam board and made an angel halo and a captain's sea hat out of it and got in the building and was singing something silly and pretending to ring a bell. I just take a deep breath and remember 27 days left to go.

Calling All Comments

My house is beautiful. I love it. But we need some extra work on the front! Any ideas? We do plan on someday putting a rail on the front porch. I am thinking about rock around it but what kind of plants should I put. I kill most everything because I water good for the first month and then forget it. I believe that the tough will survive. I guess I have learned that plants aren't so tough.

He Can Only Wish

He can only wish that we would let him go out and drive. He likes to sit with Grandpa Charlie and drive the hic-up-mup truck or the tractor.

Jason's work car has had a broken window for a LONG time now. He has a couple things wrong with it, but "headquarters" want to do some of the work themselves. They have their own mechanics to help save some money. I think it is a great concept but NOT WHEN YOU LIVE IN IOWA AND THEY ARE IN WISCONSIN!!!!! So we are waiting for some "dude" to respond to Jason. For now we are thankful that we have the extra truck for him to drive. What did families ever do without two cars???

Control

Many of you know me well enough to know that I like to be in control. My husband is nodding furiously I am sure wherever he is reading this. This semester I have been given a patience tester. I have a student teacher. Many think this is the dream of any teacher. Someone to do all the grading, copying, teaching, etc..... ummmmm not quite.

I enjoy working with Joe, but I WANT MY CLASS BACK!!!! I am learning to give advice and keep my mouth shut when it doesn't go off quite like I wanted. Joe usually responds like wow you knew that was going to happen or how did you know the questions they were going to have or parts they wouldn't get. You know where they are going to struggle. Well 8 years of teaching has been 8 years of learning over 800 learning styles and 800 ways of learning and 800 different kid's questions.

I want control back! Call me selfish. He time is coming to an end quickly. On a feel good note for me - kids are asking when are you teaching again I don't understand him.....

Prayers

Yesterday we got some news that was very sad for the Willis family. Jason's cousin in South Carolina has 2 kids both slightly younger than each of Drew and Ally. Winston (almost 2) was taken to the hospital last week after he started to lose balance. They found a tumor at the base of his brain. They operated, but the swelling in the brain was too much and this little boy went to meet his maker. I sit hear with tears in my eyes thinking about my little guys and not knowing how I would get up each morning knowing that I wouldn't get the snotty kisses and big hugs.

Please pray for Laura and Jeff and their 4 year old daughter Maggie. Laura is also pregnant and due in June. Pray for all the families and friends that love Winston so much.

I do know that we serve an awesome God. I know that HE is greater than any sickness. He is my Savior, Healer, and Comforter.

Little Prayers

Please note: We are not having a baby - we are not pregnant - our little girl has a prayer that God is saying WAIT!!!!

Prayer at supper tonight made me break out laughing....

Ally:
Thank you god for me to get a hair cut like Drew and Daddy.
Thank you for me to have a baby sister because sisters are really fun.
Thank you for this LOVELY food. (Side note for Scoggins: Lovely food was MEATLOAF in which both of my kids ate 2 helpings)
Amen

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Well the conversation continues later on during supper.
Ally said: When the baby is sleeping in her bed all by herself and cries, I will get up and give her binky to her. (Jason is interested.)
Jason: Can you give it a bottle too?
Ally: I can do it all by myself.
Jason: Will you change its diaper?
Ally: nooooo I can't do that until I am 10 years old. (Jason not so interested anymore.)

I guess we will be waiting awhile.

Gates of Smell

This isn't the greatest video of her singing this, but Jason said we needed it on camera.

Words are:
Oh I won't Back down (repeat)
You can stand me up at the gates of "smell"

The words continue and she has a much better memory of song words than her mommy!

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Easter Picts

It was bitter and all the little girls had to be freezing their tootsies off. Luckily I found a white sweather that would go over Ally's dress. It will be really cute when she can wear sandles! I wish I could get them to smile with out yelling and holding the "cheeeeze!"

Isn't the serious side funny of them -

I Wanna Move BACK!

What in the world??? Snow on April 10th. This is an evil trick. Of coarse my kids want to go out and make snow angels - hummm how about you wait until your daddy gets home! It is the icky wet and sticky snow that soaks right through the shoes and snow pants.

A lot of schools north of us have canceled or let out early, but we are sticking it out. Jason said to look at the positives - if you have a snow day you don't have just 4 hours on the day after Memorial Day - you get a day and a half of non-sense!!

The wind is blowing and the snow is falling feriously - I want my 60 degree weather in STL. The capri pants and sandles not the sweaters and snow boats. Pray for Jason he has to drive to Davenport to deliver a bid!

What's for Lunch??

This is an email from a teacher friend.

Email:
I have a funny story about a little girl in 6th grade with Down Syndrome. She was all excited today b/c she brought her lunch and even packed it herself. Well, her aide decided to take a little peak inside and see what she was so excited about...2 yogurts and a beer! :) I told my mom if I could pack beer for my lunch, I'd do it too!


And some days I feel like doing that too!

Really Potty Training?

Well we have been slowly letting Drew get interested in the potty - but really aren't diapers easier? I don't have to ask or remind him to go! Today I got to Pre-School and Amanda - who works really hard with my monster - said that he needed diapers but she would like pull-ups. HUH?!?! She said that he tells her when he has to go and does but can't get his diaper off. They have been using extra pull-up that they have there on him.

Man - I hate reminding myself to ask him and being consistent, but just think of the money that we get to save. I can't imagine no diapers - WOW over 4 years of diapers. I guess here come the Diego pull-ups and soon the undies. I need practice in that area, Jason says that I can't call them panties anymore, HE IS A BOY!!

I know that some of you are praying for this day, but that means my baby is gone - Do I need another???? Not yet!

Minesota

We headed to Minnesota last weekend for a Klaassen get-together and had a good time. Ally loved all the attention and playing and Drew was happpy that Grandpa was around. We stayed with Chris and Amy in a bed and breakfast. Ally doesn't understand though that it wasn't Kaylee's house.

Ally and Drew with GG Klaassen


Kaylee and Rachel with GG Klaassen


There is an exciting upcoming geocasheing blog coming if I can figure out how to put a quicktime movie on my dropshots account!

Pcitures of the Big Day

We enjoyed our little girls big day with lots of fun and cupcakes - it seems to be the cake of choice of a lot of people!!! We went to the park to play. I am glad it was nice last week. This week is SOOOO cold. I am glad that I didn't put the winter coats away. We ate at Culvers and Ally ate ALL of her food - man her appetite is growing so much which is amazing that she still only weighs about 32 pounds. Her stupid pants that I bought at Christmas are too short again though but the waist is still drawn all the way.

Jason is amazingly cool.

Finally a good picture of my children!

She made a good wish she said - I think (I know) she wants a sister, but she isn't getting it for awhile and this is not announcement!

Yes we both look gross but we had fun taking the picture.

We had lots of fun with presents - but Drew doesn't understand why she got all the presents. We did wrap something small for him to open. Believe it or not her favorite present I think is her VERY OWN glue stick to glue daddy's w-2 together after she cut it with her VERY OWN sissors.

Thailand

Yesterday a teacher and I that had been to Thailand gave a presentation to our social st. kids studying Southeast Asia. It was really fun and the kids enjoyed learning about somewhere else. I love showing the kids a different side of me other than the ucky math teacher. Sometimes they can't believe that teachers have a life outside of school - or at least that is how they act when they see us in Wal-Mart shopping.

Hopefully in a few weeks I can share about our adventure to Istanbul!

(Steph this is for you a great reminder of lovely squatty potties!)

Look How Much My Baby Has Grown!

I love to watch kids grow. I miss my little girl being a baby. She is sooo old now and gets to go to Pre-K next year - and swim (she is thrilled about that! - Drew won't be so happy) Can you ever believe she was that little.

Wow has she grown!

1 day old!

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old -