Thursday, July 10, 2025

Super Busy week

 P has been at a training for one of the AP classes he will teach in the fall.  B has been going to a daily space camp.  lP has been going to cross country.  L sometimes gets his work done.  I have been going to observations for my clinical experiences.  I have also been trying to finish out the semster.  I have 2 more exams.  Hurray!  I just have Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to get through.  Then I'm done!  I am pretty sure I'll get high Bs for at least 1 of my classes.  I'm OK with that.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

DC fun

 We've arrived safely in DC to visit my dad.  I visited last summer with M, but the kids haven't been since Thanksgiving 2023.  We'll be here 3 days and hope to see cousins, and siblings too.  M is at camp just 90 minutes away.  We're going to the zoo today.  M was the major zoo girl but everyone likes it too.  It just feels weird to go without her.  Having kids grow up and move on is strange.

When P and I went to California 3 years ago, it was so strange, and nice, to experience travel without the kids.  So much of what we do has been dictated by the kids for the last 21 years.  L will graduate in 9 years. P has 16 years until retirement.  I hope to be an SLP in 2 years, so I'll have 14 years of experience at that point.  There is something called Travel SLP where you get a 6 month or 1 year contract and they pay really high wages because you are moving to fill a short term contract.  I think that would be a fun way to travel, and still work after P retires.

The years fly by.

Update: We had such a great visit.  We took cousins to the zoo on Wednesday.  Thursday we spent more time with my dad and went to his favorite buffet for lunch.  We had to come back and take a nap!  In the evening we went to 


Thursday night we met up with R at Great Falls.  It was so beautiful and we ended up hiking the trails until it was dark!

On Friday we went to the church breakfast with my dad and sister's family.  We dropped my dad off and took the metro in to town.  The parade was still going on when we got there!
We went to R's house afterwards for dinner, swimming, and local fireworks.  It was a great visit even though it was a bit fast and busy.



Sunday, June 29, 2025

Linger Longer

 Today we had a longer longer at church.  I don't think we've done that before with this ward.  Last year we did have a nice 4th of July picnic at a park.  We've had ward meals for Christmas.  This linger longer we didn't set up tables or have the ward provide the main dish.  It was designed to be a finger food party.  The emphasis was on mingling.  I think a lot of people enjoyed that.  The kids were a bit crazier than I expected.  Plenty of people didn't come, but the people who wanted to, did.  I'm glad that I pushed for this and we did it.  The new RS presidency didn't have to put it on.  Just the people who wanted to do it.

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Summer is getting hot

 The 3 peas are home for the summer and homeschool is going better than any year previous.  lP wakes up at 5:20 to run with cross country every day!  That means I'm walking a few miles each day with another team mate's mom. 

Levi is getting into a good routine of doing daily work.  He does math, writing, piano, sign language, and music theory.  Computer time is from 11 to 2 and sometimes we go visit the cats at the thrift store "A new leash on life".  Right now they have kittens that are pretty cute.


After our visit to Florida, B is more willing to go to the pool.  He wouldn't go last summer.  I can take my books and study by the pool in the shade.  Nice!

I'm so swamped with my classes this semester.  Somehow it didn't seem like taking 12 credits would be a problem but aparently 6 is full time for the summer.  I believe it.  I'm having to be very organized and stay on top of my chapters and assignments.  7 weeks to cram it all in.  Luckily I'll never do this again.

P has been away on a work training and he'll have another one in July.  The kids  are doing a great job of being pretty low maintenance.  I read every night with them for 30-60 minutes though.  

My sister N visited and I'm so glad she drove out of her way to visit us.  She does a lot to keep the family in contact and keep us from drifting apart.

I've learned so much in the last year.  It is truely amazing.  I find things I like about most every possible setting for speech pathology.  I look forward to working with patients in the coming semesters and years.


Thursday, May 29, 2025

M jet plane, lP camp, B camp



 Monday we dropped lP off at girls camp.  We went to 3 waterfalls "on the way home", the long way home.  We had an awesome hike at Nocalula falls, and the waterfalls were surging from recent rain storms.

Today I dropped M off at the airport.  She's flying to Maryland to work at a camp for 2 months.  It is terrible sending kids off.  I just want to be there and know she is OK.

P is taking B down to camp and picking up lP.  

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Talk for church

 I got to speak in church today 2 years to the day we moved here.  I’m pleased that I gave a talk that didn’t involve a lot of personal stories of trial.  I’m glad I prepared it last Saturday so I had a whole week to practice it.  I love the spiritual submersion I feel preparing and giving a talk.

While waiting these 2 years to give a talk I have given a testimony a few times and written several talks just for “fun”.

Being in graduate school I have a lot of recent practice writing.  I prepared a 12 minute talk and practiced a 12 minute talk.  I’m thankful that I don’t have the spiritual gift for preparing a talk and then not giving it.

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Mother's Day

 I'm grateful for my mother.  I think of her often and wish I could share my current accomplishments and interests.  People are complicated and relationships even more so.  I love being a mother to my family.

P has a tradition of taking the children to the dollar tree to pick out a gift for me.  I like this tradition.  P also has a tradition of adoring me.  He's good at traditions.

I made German Pancakes for the kids today.  They are getting so independent.  Sundays are very restful.  I'm grateful for the relationships the children have with each other.  B and L are doing a lego set G got them for Christmas.  They all know Sunday funday activities.  There is less need to be reminded or instructed.  

This Summer I'll have the 3 peas home a lot.  I hope we'll do homeschool fun every day.  Sign language, Cooking, Music Theory, handwriting, going on outings, beast academy, good and the beautiful.  Good times.

M will be off at a camp she is working at.  It's so weird, but also good, that she can go and work this summer.  She flies back the day before moving in to the dorm at Auburn.  I'm proud of the life she is making for herself.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Visit and fun

 My sister N came to visit.  She brought cousin S, dog M, and met her child F here for a drive home to Utah.  It is so fun to have visits.  I wish we would go out to Utah sometime.  Maybe we will.  

We swam with them at the hotel they stayed at Wednesday evening.  Thursday they went to see our brother S.  Friday I took them kayaking and they took me to lunch.  I drove the trailer!  In the evening we all went to the arcade then came back here for campfire fun and tacos.

Today the boys cleaned their room and we figured a place for grandma B.  It's nice to get a new lease on a space.  We had sent grandma B to the hotel for N to sleep on.  Having it out of the house for a few days helped us reach this new set up.

I'm studying for my fall class in Neurology.  I am a Graduate Ambassador and learned that if you get a 4.0 you can get a medal for graduation.  So far so good.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Camp Weekend

  We attended a family weekend at the camp with Hands and Voices.  It was so fun.  I work for Hands and Voices so it was more fun for me, having a role.  I love the location, the family time, the deaf community.  It is really beautiful.  Some sign, some don't.  We're all parents with deaf kids and accepting differences is important.  I make so many important professional connections working for Hands and Voices.  I have a clear vision of how to move forward.  One lady challenged me to come up with a catchy name.  I did.  So she challenged me to come up with a solid mission statement.  I'm working on that now too.  So good. 

M is amazing.  Her friend in the band has a little brother with hearing loss and special needs.  He has accepted M as part of his crew.  I'm glad she is such a decent human being.



 

Saturday, April 12, 2025

professional photos


 Our school takes senior photos via a professional photographer.  I felt like it was kind of a racket.  It's expensive, but also, the quality is amazing.  I took the photo on the left under florscent lights as we waited for her minute with the photographer.  She had a sunburn from band camp and was feeling not thrilled.  But they took about 10 pictures and then we got to choose which one to use.  In the end I'm glad the school forces families to get a high quality photo of their children.  These are way better than the senior photos I had taken on the stage when I was a kid.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Keeping the Sabbath & Getting A’s

 I often have exams on Monday.  I am learning to study as hard and deep as I can Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Sunday I rest.  I try not to even think about the material.  Monday I may or may not wake early and review.  

I’m taking a running leap and the stress of having a deadline Saturday makes me work harder/smarter.  Then the day of rest lets it all get sorted out in my subconscious.  So cool.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Overlap

 I'm doing training to provide child care for GBYS and a lot of those trainings have overlap with my church calling and language development class.  I have an internship at CRS and that has a lot of overlap with my articulation, language development, and other classes.  It's a fun time where so many new ideas are being reinforced by real life experiences.  

I'm planning to teach a Relief Society mini-lesson about Early Intervention and child development that would help current moms and community members be better educated about available services and red flags.

I did a lesson with the missionaries recently and their friend had a 2.5 year old with only 5 years.  His delay is significant.  He's in speech but they declined Early Intervention and that is going to be a barrier for him attending a pre-k program for special needs.  

M has had some hard times but she plans to work at a summer camp this summer and go to college in the fall.  I'm excited for all she is working toward.  She's a great young woman.

Friday, April 4, 2025

Stand stand

 We have 5 stands!  They were taking up a lot of space so I built this little stand for them.  It just barely holds the three manhasset stands that are ours.  We have one of those stands that has adjustable knobs, terrible but better than the wire things.  We also accidentally brought an extra one home from the Christmas music festival.  I sent an email to the organizers and they say nobody has asked about it.  Bummer.  We love manhasset stands.  

Our first manhasset stand was from P's school when they were throwing away the old ones.  Last year I drove to Decatur to get another one since we would both be needing good stands for the Christmas festival.  While in Florida for spring break I found another for $10.  So we brought it home too.  Now we have more than we need on a daily basis but will never have to use a bad stand again.

I used the knob adjusting one just the other day as a stand for holding the container as I ground some wheat.  It's good for that sort of job.  But when you want something to hold music, manhasset stands are my one elephant.


banners

 

I volunteer at a preschool for children with hearing loss.  It seems like a nice job but I'm a total communication kind of girls.  I'm learning all I can to help kids communicate.  I do a lot of cutting and laminating.  One of the teachers learned that I can draw so she asked me to amek pictures for the class.  That has been fun.  It always reminds me of my mom when I do artistic things.  I feel like this picture captures the idea of enclosures without blocking the view of the animals too much.

School is going well.  I just got an A on a test we were all stressed about.  I'm so grateful that P is so loving and supportive of all that I do.

We got some new teachers called to primary and that is very exciting.  We had our big spring activity on Saturday and it was great.  I get all worked up over things sometimes and I don't need to...  Life.  

The sweet gum trees drop a lot of spiky balls and I've enjoyed burning them in our solo fire pit.  That has been fun but now I think I'll just bundle the rest up for yard debris or trash because I don't have all day to tend the fire.  Enough!

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Good hike, good day


 Today we hiked fagan spring with the boys.  The hike was a gentle 1.8 miles round trip with lots of stops to catch crayfish and even a salamander sighting.  B brought a carbohydrate feast that kept us entertained and was a nice picnic when we reached the spring.  Pizza, rolls, meat, cheese and bugles.  I thought he was bringing a lot but it was lunch for 4 people as we were hiking from 11 to 2.

M had a competition. lP had a birthday party to attend. M's indoor winds group won first place.  Their show theme is "Decomposers" featuring a "Thriller" type mash up of awesome classical composers and their music.  It's so amazing that the kids get to be part of this great program.

The 3 peas watched "Win or Lose" from Disney.  It had a neat simultaneous story telling of a softball team going to the championship.  It did not have happy endings but it did cover a lot of ideas and I'm glad we binge watched the 8 episodes together.  I like their habbit of watching shows together.

The boys room has been a disaster for a few weeks and we're getting close to sanity.

Laundry was washed.

Dub-dubs were made.

Dinner of Pepper-onion-green bean-sausage-egg stirfry on rice was enjoyed by L, B, P and me.  lP hates peppers and onions so she went and made a sandwich.  It is rare for L to ask for more of a dish so this is probably going to become a regular dish for us.

My college requires a $200 payment for a meal plan each semester.  It's annoying but also we've never had so much chick-fila in our lives.  I plan to bring home salads and chicken patties on a regular basis to use up the balance before the end of the semester.  There are worse things.  Really.

Spring Break

 We had a really nice visit to Florida.  P had to work but the kids and I had the week off together.  We drove down on a mission to get gator clothes, get G to a Dr., and visit Lois.  We also enjoyed visiting Grandma C and Grandpa S, visiting Rock Springs, aunts L and E, friends at the beach, many playgrounds and visiting uncle S on the way home.  

The part that didn't go so well was driving home the last hour into a tornado zone!  I'm used to Hurricanes and didn't see anything obvious like a funnel cloud so we just kept going north.  Scary times included pulling over to the side of the road near a cliff/bluff as tornado sirens blared around us.  Pulling over to a gas station when our phones all went off after we crossed into the North AL tornado warning zone.  We were supposed to immediately seek shelter, preferably underground.  But I didn't have a way to do that.  So we prayed and got back on the road.  We did get home safe and it was exhausting.

While we were gone P found a royal star magnolia for me and planted it in the front yard.  We recently agreed that was the tree to fill the hole in the front yard.  It's so cute.  It is an early bloomer and has many petals.  It doesn't grow huge and I'm so excited that he found one and planted it for me.  I have so many flowering trees and I just feel so lucky.

Saturday, February 8, 2025

More active adventures

 I can't believe how much fun I've been having lately.  On Friday I went mountain biking with sister H and sister S.  We rode over in Hville and it was fun.  Tonight I went to a contra dance in town.  I've been hearing about it on the radio for a year and finally got the courage to go.  The ladies who said they would go did not but I didn't let that stop me.  DF was there with her son and tons of really friendly people.  I had a blast.  It was a heck of a work out too.

I applied for a part time job yesterday.  I'm not qualified for it per se, but it was a good exercise to generate a resume, cover letter, and application.  I've been just focusing on the kids and church callings for so long.  I need to practice these professional skills.

I wish I had thought to include some of my student writing for the application.  I'll keep that in mind for the future.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Active Ladies group

 Last year I started a group me at church for ladies to go do active things.  We've gone on hikes, caving, walks, big hikes and this weekend we'll go to a contra dance.  Our ward has a book club and craft club.  There is a group of young families supporting each other going to the temple.  There is a group that goes out to eat once a month AND we even have relief society activities a few times a year. 
The RS president has been so supportive of this group and It's really fun to get together and do something active and usually free.  Yay!

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Winter Storm coming

 There is a storm coming and so school is canceled for Friday.  We're stocked up on food and snow clothes.  I really hope and pray that the power will not get knocked out.  We'll have to figure something out then.  This year we hope to get the fireplace fixed so we can have a back up for indoor heating.

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Internships

 I've been doing some volunteering and job shadowing in SLP situations.  I'm excited to see patients with conditions I have heard of or read about and become more familiar with the reality of those conditions.  I am flexible on the population I want to serve and I'm grateful for these opportunities to see SLPs working with these children.  I look forward to seeing SLPs in medical situations.  That is completely unfamiliar to me.  I am optimistic that every thing will always be so interesting!

Saturday, January 4, 2025

End of Year Goals

We have had a year with many ups and downs.  It has ended well.  I very much hope that next year is not just like this year because it was a lot of horrible before it became OKish.  We have been very blessed in the many, many adverse things that happened in 2024.

 

This year as a family we:

Read 1 Corinthians 15

Started having scriptures and prayer before dinner

Watched Jeopardy

Hiked Chapman Mountain Nature preserve

Kayaked from one launch point to another with no current 5 miles!

Started “Gratitude 1000” and got to the 600s.  We’ll keep working on it in the new year.
Dad

Built beautiful bookshelves

Took mom to see the brass band concert

Took mom to see a concert in Decatur with “O Magnum Mysterium”

Got a new teaching job

Installed the TV in his classroom higher.

Made a bookshelf for lP

Replaced the kids’ bedroom light

Conducted Stake Choir

Played in the Christmas Orchestra

Mom

Wrote music for “Think Celestial”, “Liken then Apply”, “O Holy Night”, “But God Still Visits Me”

Learned the names of the kids in Primary

Made another Egg Pie

Served as singing time leader and loved it.

Made all the thanksgiving dishes in November

Went caving with M and a group of church members

Got A’s in her first semester of Grad School

Played in the Christmas Orchestra

Read a lot of books to the boys and cried too

G

Moved to Florida

Got an apartment and started classes

Worked through a lot of hard things

Was an awesome big brother

Rode the bus to visit home for Christmas

M

Made Chocolates with Grandma C

Helped hold doors

Served on the loading crew

Assistant conductor

Applied for college and got into college

Joined buddies club

BOA Grand Nationals

Joined a Gym

Played in the Christmas Orchestra

lP

Auditioned for Solo/Ensemble

Did not kick small children

Hung frog

Told everyone she hadn’t seen them since last year

Reed Day

Joined the indoor percussion group

learned the trombone

Art Club

Took over the world with Crochet dinosaurs

B

learned the trombone

Robotics Club

Chess club

memorized all 12 articles of faith

Made freezy treats

Made carmels

Went to school

Earned a Nintendo Switch by practicing the piano a lot.

Gave L hugs

L

Earned Rock’em Sock’em Robots

Helped earn the Nintendo Switch

Got good at the piano

Helped Animals

Got candy from the bus driver for good behavior

Passed off many Articles of Faith

Made so much progress at school

Nighttime story time with Magic Tree House, Life of Fred and Encyclopedia Brown, School Mouse, Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

 

We did a lot more things than this.  These are the things we made goals for on our goal chart, and a few more things I can remember at the moment.