Finding Krissi

This year our garden produced 11 pumpkins. Which was pretty amazing considering I planted them in a variety places in our yard and then ignored them. It wasn't until the leaves died that we discovered how many we had. It was funny watching Brent realize that all of the pumpkins would be carved. We added one more pumpkin from a pumpkin patch field trip with H. (These pics were taken with my palm pre phone. This post forced me to figure out how to get the pics off my phone. I had 100 pictures sitting there with no clue how to get them off. I have to admit I'm pretty impressed with this phone. Not the best pictures but I think they capture the moment.) H. and one of his best friends. This little guy is four days older than H.and they are going to be baptized together on January 1st. He is a great kid and reminds me how thankful I am for good friends and good influences. Totally off subject but I just love this picture. Here is a quick pick of all 12 pumpkins cleaned a...

I'm sitting here jumping up and down as the door bell rings. It is almost 8:30 the trick or treaters are still out on a cold, windy, rainy night. Well it just goes to show you that very few things come between kids and candy. The two younger ones dragged me out trick or treating tonight. They lasted about an hour and half before their toes froze and we headed home. It actually turned out to be fun evening as we caught a glimpse of a double rainbow in the sky moments before Santa gave me a candy cane. I love Halloween everyones inner weirdo comes out to play. About a week ago our church had a halloween party on the same night that S.'s school had a haunted house. As a member of peer support S. was able to scare the pants off of other Junior High students. She dressed up as a zombie girl. She came home four dollars richer. She was at the end of the haunted house and more than once was offered money if she would show them the way out. With everyone dressed up I actually ...

What know one tells you.... Almost 11 years ago I brought home from the hospital my second baby girl. She was a beautiful, dark eyed bundle of joy. As she grew she had a wonderful wicked sense of humor and the ability to make you laugh out loud. She was goofy and totally adored by her older sister, brother, and parents. She also developed a stubborn streak a mile wide and a mile long. One time at the age of five I threatened to take away all of her toys if she would not clean her room. She boxed every last toy into a box and handed it over to me. There is no discipline that works when Al decides she doesn't care. You could probably hang her by her toes, naked in the middle of town, and she would fold her arms shrug her shoulders and tell you, "Whatever." So for the past 10 years we have walked the line of totally adoring Al and totally wanting to strangle her. However, what know one told me (AGAIN)... Is that cute little bundles of pink joy grow into girls w...

This year we had our first taste of being football parents. It was flag football and I have been assured that it was only a fraction of what real football is. I have not made any hard and fast decisions about the football world. I dragged my feet until the last possible second to put H. on a flag football team. In fact I dragged my feet so long that he ended up on a 3rd and 4th grade team. Good thing it was flag since there is a profound difference in the size of a second grade boy and a 4th grade boy. After every game H. asked the same question, "When can I play real football?" Again and again we said, "Let's see how this goes." We made it to the end of the season he is still asking and Brent and I are staring at each other trying to figure out how to get out of it. We haven't come up with any brilliant reasons. So if you have any lying around send them my way. I guess my major concern is that he will get hurt. Football is a crunch and munch type ...

I distinctly remember the first time I referred to teenagers as, "kids." I remember pausing in the middle of the conversation turning to Brent and saying, "Since when did I get old enough to call a highschool student a kid?" It was shocking and one of those memories that burned into permanency. A shocking realization that I was no longer a kid. The other day someone was talking to me and asked if I knew who someone was. I replied I didn't know her name but I had seen her at the school and she was very young. A couple hours later I kind of gasped in surprise at myself. When did I become old enough to refer to another mother as young? She wasn't young in the sense she was a teenage mom. She was just young in the sense that she looked young and she was surrounded by a bunch of little ones. I have to admit that this stage in my life keeps taking me by surprise. I keep thinking that I am still a young mother with all these little ones. Then I see a yo...

Due to the economy the last couple of years have been financially stressful around here. It is funny how you think that you need to make x amount of dollars to live each month and then all of the sudden your making half of x and you are still living. You think to yourself well there is no way we can live off any less than this and than you find your self living off half of that. Did you follow all of that. The inner teacher in me wants to explain. We were making x Then we were making x divided by 2 Then we were making x divided by 4 To say things have been tight would be an understatement. To say that we have become excellent jugglers would be head on. Over the last few months things have gotten progressively better. It is strange and I still haven't adjusted and I have to admit I'm still waiting for it all to fall apart again. My inner pessimist is winning this particular battle. Yesterday Brent and I had the following conversation. "I'm really stresse...

In the seven years that we have lived in Utah, I have yet to adjust to the winter. I really do not like the cold and the gloom of the winter months. I could almost forgive the winters if they were quick. However, they just drag on and on through the months. With a certain amount of dread I look at the calendar and think winter is coming, YUCK!! Today, as I was riding my bike I started thinking about my century ride. It is kind of funny when you are stuck on a bike for a certain amount of time your brain just starts wandering your thoughts tripping over one another. I was thinking how at one point in the ride the rain started to sprinkle, then it started to pour, and soon I was soaked and the wind was blowing. It really sucked and it was hard to keep going when all I wanted to do was quit. It was especially hard watching others quit and trying not to follow their example. As I was thinking about this experience and the winter months that are looming in front of me I started thin...

A friend of mine is going through the process of gaining custody of an 18 month old little girl. There is evidence from the babies behaviors that she has been abused. Abused in the kind of ways that makes your gut clench and think of doing unspeakable things to another adult. Just listening to the evidence breaks your heart in a million pieces and makes you wonder, WHY? Today, I had a sit down talk with a 4th grade student. First of all I have to say he is one of those kids you just have to love. There is something about the way he talks to you, interacts with his peers, and looks at you that just makes you want to love him. During our activity today he was frustrated and just gave up. After all the other kids left I pulled him back to have a chat. A "You Can Do IT, I Know You Can Do IT Chat." As we talked he said to me, "I just have a lot of hard things in my life right now." I was as sympathetic as I could be and tried to tell him that he just had to try a...

For those of you who think I have been writing less, you would be incorrect. For those of you who think I have been blogging less, you would be correct. I actually write all the time. At least weekly I have a cited paper due. However, I do not post them on this blog because I don't think you would be all that interested in classroom management or teacher ethics. While, I may find the subject interesting it certainly is not light reading. I do find myself missing the freedom of writing what I want to write. I also miss the reflection time that blogging creates. Which makes me want to promise to blog more but I am not going to make promises I don't know how to keep. I know that if something is important you are suppose to make the time and do it. My current problem is that I have too many things that are important and that have deadlines. Since no one is giving me a blogging deadline it gets shuffled to the back. The way back! School is going great and after every class ...

I love Halloween. Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday.  Most years I start thinking about Halloween in July.  However, this year it is just not happening. I don't really know what my deal is other than I'm just not feeling the Halloween spirit.  My brain is skipping right over Halloween, Thanksgiving, and heading straight for Christmas and the mass of birthday's surrounding Christmas.  I want to know whose brilliant idea it was to have three kids the week of Christmas! Seriously who would do that?  Well, I think we may have figured out all the costumes. A little digging in the box of Halloween past. A little makeup and I believe we are ready to go. This look is something like, The Rock Tooth Fairy Goes Ninja! However, we may have to make a couple adjustments Happy Halloween? Krissi

In a couple short months my oldest son will be 12. Unlike my oldest girl, A. turning 12 has snuck up on me. There has been very few outwardly changes that have announced. Hey Mom! I’m turning into a teenager. While I will admit he is no longer little I am not willing to concede to the fact that he is nearly a teenager. However, there is the possibility that I may not be able to deny the facts much longer. A. has always been quiet. I call him the Professor and know that there is not much he does or says without thoroughly thinking it through. Which is why when he does speak it is time for me to listen. This morning after he woke up and dressed he sought me out to let me know the house was cold. “Umm, yah it is fall.” “Turn on the heat!” he replied. “It’s not that cold. Put on a hoodie.” “I couldn’t sleep last nigh it was so cold.” He complained. “You have flannel sheets put them on your bed.” Then with all the disgust the soon to be teenager could muster he said, “My flannel...

It never ceases to amaze me that the one morning a week that SHOULD go right, rarely if ever does. That would be Sunday morning. I’m up, I’m getting ready to go to church. My family is getting ready to go to church. Shouldn’t that count for something? Shouldn’t there be some blessing that says if my intention is to get out the door and into the church pew on time my morning will go smooth? Yesterday, was a prime example of one of those times that I actually paused for a moment and wondered if going to church was worth it. I won’t go into all the gory details let’s just say that by the time we were all in the car on the way to church. I was crying and my boys were two very unhappy, very grounded for life, boys. When we got to church, the boys sat on opposite ends of the pew scowling at one another and I’m positive not thinking happy church thoughts. I too was having a lot of not church thoughts! When we were done with church I came home, threw my clothes on the floor, crawle...

It is raining it is pouring. The green leafs are turning golden. The sun is setting and the rays are bursting through the gray clouds. Ghost, pumpkins, and yellow mums decorate the porch. All of this can mean only one thing. It is fall! I can't help but look forward to the holiday season. So I have to know what are you looking forward to this holiday season?