Photo Fun, Take Three

Kim and Jennifer got me started on this. It's fun!

Here are the rules:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same - NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing etc.)

This was taken in Las Vegas last December. Jason and I went with friends for an extended weekend. Jason LOVES Vegas. Me, not so much. We had a lot of fun, though, and our friends knew some amazing places to eat.

A little more about the picture. Jason is not much of a walker, and so we were always waiting on him. The three of us would take the stairs while he made sure to take all of the moving sidewalks and escalators. He is pretending to be nonchalant in this picture, but he knew we were cracking up watching him!

Bill Cosby Don't Lie

Lane had his tonsilectomy today. My sis told me I should listen to Bill Cosby's monologue on tonsils http://www.imeem.com/popmusic/music/66AKwPKe/bill_cosby_tonsils/before Lane had his surgery. It's a long one, but if you want to listen to the monologue, click on the link.

Yep. It was pretty much like Lane's experience! Lane was all pumped up for the fun and games he was certain to find waiting for him at the hospital. Didn't happen quite like he planned.



He's a little grumpy already at this point. And this was before the third try for the IV. After that little ordeal, Lane was beet red and sweaty. Poor guy.
Post-surgery. Still pretty woozy.

Lane's opinion of the entire procedure:

He is doing fine now. He has had some broth and a popsicle. Aunt Jen sent lots of DVDs for Lane to watch while he is recuperating. According to the doctor, Day Two will probably be the worst. Too bad Jason has to stay home with the patient for that! :) I must go back to school. My students need me.

Seriously, though, Lane was so brave and tough. He's a trooper. I know several of you prayed that everything would go smoothly, and it did. Thanks!

Shop at home

I "winterized" my bathroom. I bought new towels at Target a couple of weeks ago, so I needed to redecorate my bathroom to coordinate with the towels.

So, I "shopped my house" and came up with an old black picture frame with a broken easel stand. I wrapped the mat with Christmas wrapping paper (it looks like hot air balloons in this picture, but it's actually pretty cool), and tacked a black ribbon on the back of the frame to hang it.

The greenery is from my yard (we'll see how long it lasts), and the picture frame & box are from my closet.

Close up of my new towels. I don't have a super camera that does everything justice, but I love them!

My little darlings. These pictures were taken about 4 years ago.

Post #2-The reason I feel stupid today

Now I really feel like an idiot. I was thinking that the next post (about the Christmas program) would be first today. Pretend you read these in reverse order!

About the math test? I didn't pass. Missed it by 4 lousy points. My comps for my master's degree were not this hard.

I'm mad at everything.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Our church had its annual Sunday School Christmas program last Sunday.

I have no idea why this is underlining as I type. I would fix it if I could. I'm feeling rather stupid today-you'll find out why in another post.

Anyhoo, the program was great! Lane played the part of a Sunday School student who did not appreciate the true story of Christmas. There was a live play, and a powerpoint slideshow to go along with the Christmas story from Luke.

Lane was(okay, now I have a different font color and no underline. This is fabulous.) a shepherd for the nativity.
Lane as a Sunday School student.

Paige was one of the three kings who "saw a star in the East." Doesn't she look regal?

Waiting, waiting, waiting

I think I have been online at least 50 times in the past twenty-four hours to see if my test results are available yet! Nope.

The test? Remember the math test I had to take in November? Yeah, that one.

I have to wait until tomorrow afternoon for results. I thought they would be available TODAY. Arrrggghhh.

Well, at least our deductible was already met!

Yep, you guessed it! Emergency room visits & x-rays again. We met the family deductible way back in March when Paige had her second surgery to remove the pins from her shoulder. So, here we go again.

Paige broke her "naughty" finger (as the athletic trainer called it) at the first basketball game of the season on Monday. We didn't actually make it to the doctor until Friday morning. She saw the athletic trainer on Thursday, and the trainer recommended x-rays just to make sure it was a clean fracture. It is, so Paige just has to wear a splint for a few weeks and "buddy tape" the broken finger to its neighbor for practice and ballgames. Painful, but not a major injury.

Then, this morning Lane woke up with a sore throat AGAIN. I looked and immediately diagnosed strep throat. I'm actually getting quite good at recognizing it. So, it was either take Lane to the ER or wait until tomorrow and try to get him in to the clinic. Since this is the third time in about 8 weeks that Lane has had strep, we opted for the ER. After all, our deductible has been met!

He will get to see an ENT specialist sometime soon, and will likely get to have his tonsils removed. We'll call in the morning and schedule an appointment. As you can imagine, Lane's imagination is already running away with visions of surgery and "a deep sleep shot."

Here's to hoping for a less eventful week!

Happy Birthday, November Babies!!

Happy Birthday, Dana!!! November 9


Happy Birthday, Grandpa Earl!!! November 19


Happy Birthday, ME!!! November 20


Happy Birthday, Aunt Gin!!!! November 20 I always think of her on this day, because we shared a birthday. Aunt Gin would always send me a card or call me to wish me a "Happy Birthday."


Happy Birthday, Aunt Jo!!!! November 22


Happy Birthday, Aubrey!!!! November 28 (She'll be a teenager!)

I think Jeremy Samp has a birthday in here somewhere, too. Happy Birthday, Jeremy!!!

I Survived!

I took my big test yesterday, and I did make it out alive! It wasn't as difficult as my study guide had led me to believe, but I won't know if I passed until December 15. It will be a long four weeks!

Paige has her first basketball game tomorrow, and Jason starts practice with his high school girls tomorrow. Goodbye evenings at home, not that there were very many of them! Actually, I like to go to basketball games, but when there are 3 in one week, it gets a little crazy. I guess I appreciate my time at home even more that way.

Have a great week everyone.

Test Anxiety

So, some of you know that I have to take a math test next Saturday in order to be endorsed to teach middle school math. Well....

I found out about this wonderful news in September. No worries. How hard could a middle school math test be? I figured that I would need to brush up on my Algebra I skills and review some more geometry than what we cover in 8th grade math.

Then I ordered the study guide for this *&%#@ test. I started reviewing & studying, but I couldn't figure out why I was having so much trouble comprehending the graphing & function stuff in the study guide. It seemed way beyond Algebra I. So I had a student in Algebra II look over it for me (thinking that she could tutor me). She informed me that I needed a junior or senior to help me, because they were studying this in the upper level math classes. Great.

So, long story short, I am searching for a high school senior or college level student (who is good at math), and could pass for me in 15 years with a little wrinkle cream, age spots, cellulite, etc. I am offering a nice sum of cash to said person if they will take the test for me. Seriously.

The funny thing is, I keep having flashbacks to the 80's movie Spies Like Us. Remember when Chevy Chase was trying to pass the secret agent exam & he wore an eyepatch and cast & sling on his arm so that he could write answers on them? That was one of my favorite scenes from the movie! Oh & when Chevy & Dan Akroyd had to pretend to be doctors in the Bedouin camp in the desert! Anyway, I think I might try something like that.

Please pray for me on Saturday!

Go, Paige!

Paige won the league cross country meet on Thursday! She is excited to be the league champion for the second year in a row. She won her race by 42 seconds.

Here is an action shot during the race. I obviously need to work on my photography skills!


And...

Paige & Coach Mehl after the race. The conversations usually go something like this:

CM: "Well, what do you think?"

P: "My time was horrible."

CM: "Okay, so winning by 42 seconds isn't good enough for you?" Smile

P: "Well, yeah, but..." smile.

Smiles all around.

We're excited for next year when Paige will learn how to race. She will run a 4K in competition as a high schooler. There are some excellent freshman runners in the area, so it will be fun to watch Paige learn to compete with "the studs!"

Paige has a volleyball tournament on October 27 & 28. Then she will start basketball practice November 3. Whew!

Paige on YouTube

You can watch a little of Paige's cross country meet at Syracuse on YouTube. Just click on the link below. You will get to see two of her teammates win the 7th boys race & 8th boys races first. They are wearing red & black jerseys.

Paige said her form was horrible, but she posted her season's best time at this race, so it must not have been that bad!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSfQeKFqJ1I

Birthday Boy

Lane turned 8 on October 8th! He was so excited that he had trouble sleeping for about a week. Remember those days? The anticipation? Ahhh, to be 8 years old again.

Jason took brownies and juice boxes to Lane's classroom for his school party. In Lane's 2nd grade class, the birthday boy or girl gets to sit on a chair and then choose four "very strong" classmates. The chosen students then lift up the birthday boy or girl in their chair (with a little help from Mrs. Brown) the number of years old that they are. Lane thought that was awesome!

We had Caramel Apple Pie on Saturday to celebrate. Lane's present from Jason & me....a new garbage truck, of course! Complete with a conveyor belt to lift the trash dumpster up & dump it in the bin.

Have you been trying to check out "The Old Farmer and His Young Wife?

Well, if so I have news! They now have a new blog URL address. It is http://theoldfarmerandhisyoungwife.blogspot.com They have updated AND added photos!!

Be sure to check it out. The side button under "Friends and Family" will take you there.

Running, running, running

It seems that we are all running a lot lately! Life is crazy, but we are adjusting. I have come to terms with the fact that I won't get to watch the new season of Dancing with the Stars. I'll just have to read about it! I am ususally grading papers if I am home in the evenings, so no tv for me. Ho hum. One good thing about being so busy is that I am thrilled when I get to cook a meal for my family. No kidding. Not that it's gourmet fare or anything that lofty, but at least it's home cooked.

I ran a 10 K last Saturday. It was a beautiful morning, I felt great, and I ran a faster time than my goal. Bonus: I had a great time! It was fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Of course I only saw the winners when I saw their pictures in the newspaper on Monday, but hey, I did it! So yes, I am proud of myself. :-)

Paige is dominating the junior high girls cross country. She placed 2nd in a 2 mile race on Tuesday, but turned around and beat the same girl yesterday morning. Paige is having fun, and meeting some other runners from the area. She is already looking forward to high school cross country next year. She's ready! She knows what training will be involved, but she knows that she can do it.

Lane missed two days of school last week b/c of strep throat. Our schools have really been hit hard by illness already this year. I knew that Lane would catch the "bug" it was just a matter of when. He is feeling much better, but we'll probably end up with a second round of antibiotics. His glands are still really swollen. In fact, he named them: Fred & Ted. Only Lane.

Lane was upset that he missed school when he found out that his class got to "taste test" SEVENTEEN different varieties of apples on one of the days he was gone. He was mad. I love apples, however I didn't realize that their were that many varieties. Wow. BTW, if you get a chance to buy Honey Crisp apples, do it! I LOVE them. Last time I was in Dillons I spent $12 on Honey Crisp apples. Yum.

Jason is already counting down the days until basketball season. I think I said that in my last post (when was that? Two years ago?), but he is ready.

Sorry for the rambles. I will try really hard to post some pictures next time!!

Remember?

I made no promises to update regularly once school started. So. I see that it has been four weeks since my last post. Ready for a quick update?

Here we go:

LANE...
...loves school!
....is in the Super Speller Club. First reward is lunch with his teacher!
...purchased an awesome Lego race car. The doors open, mirrors adjust, hood opens, etc. Very cool.
...has been reading like crazy.
...is still obsessed with garbage trucks.

PAIGE...
...is in 8th grade.
...is playing volleyball. The team is not doing so well this season. She had a good game last week, though with a couple of hits and a block.
...won her first cross country meet yesterday. She is excited about the cross country season.
...continues to be a good role model.

JASON...
...is busy with his 5,000 different jobs.
...is already talking about the high school basketball season on at least a daily basis! I think he's excited and nervous.
...is currently finishing up a basement remodeling project.
...has been able to attend Paige's ball games when I can't go.


GWEN...
...does not go down to the basement while the remodeling is taking place. It wreaks havoc with her obsession with cleanliness!
...is adjusting to junior high math. This last week went smoothly. Stress level is lower.
...is still running, too. Going to attempt a 10K next weekend.
...is even managing to cook a few meals a week. Emphasis on few.

Survival

Actually, today was a good day! It was several steps above merely surviving.


It was the first day of school which meant that Paige headed off to 8th grade, Lane headed to 2nd grade, and I headed to junior high math! I have 107 6th, 7th, & 8th graders that I will see every day. Whew. I don't know that I am ready for 107 math papers to grade.

We had an assembly presented by Justin Lookadoo. In case you didn't know, he is the author of the book Dateable. Paige is in a small group of junior high girls who are reading & discussing the book. They LOVE it!!! And they loved his presentation today! He spoke about Attitude, Character, & Values to the entire junior high student body. The kids responded well and had positive comments when the presentation was over. The assembly was also presented to the high schoolers (adapted a little more to their level, I'm sure).

We are going to another session tonight at church. I'm anxious to see what the high schoolers thought. Paige is going to take her copy of Dateable to have Justin Lookadoo autograph it.

BTW, if you are the parent of a preteen or teenage daughter-Jennifer-you need to check out the book. Read it first and decide when your daughter is ready for it. Paige & some of her friends have been a bit embarrassed by some of the topics, but they need to know it! I am trying to be proactive about all of this "dating stuff." Yikes!

So, we all had a great day. Lane LOVES his teacher & class, Paige had a good day, and I feel pretty good about how the day went. I'll try not to be a total stranger on this blog since school has started, but no guarentees!

Check out Justin Lookadoo's website: www.lookadoo.com

An Overnight Adventure

This lovely image is the motel that Paige & I stayed in last night in Dodge City. Yup. It was a beauty. We had an early morning "appointment," so I decided about three weeks ago that I was going to find a hotel room instead of leaving Leoti before the sun was up. This picture was taken from our balcony view!




Here we have a shot of the lovely "closet" area. The door to the right is the bathroom.

Paige was a little worried at this point. But only a little. I calmly reassured her that all would be "just fine."

Our beds-turned down only after I made Paige help me lift up the mattress & box springs to make sure there were not any "surprises" (like dead bodies) in the box-thingy hotel beds sit on. Haven't you all heard about the decomposing corpse that someone found under their bed in a Las Vegas hotel? You can never be too safe or too cautious, right?

Well, at this point we were both laughing a bit hysterically. Then we took off our shoes. Ummm. There were HOLES in the floor. Yes, there were. You could totally feel them under the carpet. So of course we cracked up all over again!

We did get a decent night's rest, and the room cost a grand total of $68. The reason we ended up at this motel was that when I called around for reservations, the prices were upwards of $169/night. No way was I paying that for a few hours of rest & a shower in Dodge City, Kansas. So I started going through the yellow pages. Lesson learned.

And now, for the reason we were in Dodge City in the first place! Paige & I ran in the Dodge City Days 5K Shootout. I had been wanting to do this for awhile, and I finally found a race that was close to home on a weekend that we had free. Paige agreed to go with me, and my friend Joanne ran, too.

I don't know that I would say I had fun, but I'm glad I got one race under my belt. Now I want to find another one so that I can try to improve my time. I have definitely felt better during runs than I did today!

It was really humid this morning, and let me tell you: Dodge City is not flat. I think the first mile was uphill. That should translate that the last mile was downhill, but it didn't. Miles two and three were up & down. Ugh.

Anyway, Paige did a great job. She won her age division and beat all but one of the high school girls running. There weren't too many runners, but hey, who cares?

Gwen, Paige, & Joanne before the race. Yes, Paige is now taller than me.

Swimming, Baseball, Weekend Getaway, Etc.

It's been a little while since my last update (anyone surprised?), so I am including all kinds of topics! Here we go! The first picture is of Lane at the pool. He was doing underwater handstands, and I was supposed to be taking pictures of him doing just that. Not sure what this picture is. He kind of looks like he is trying out for the synchronized swimming Olympic team.


Lane also played minor league (coach pitch) baseball this year. It was so much more fun than t-ball! There was more action and even some excitement! Lane enjoyed the season and even included baseball in his top three favorite sports. I didn't know he had a favorite, but they are: #1 skiing, #2 baseball, #3 swimming. He was sure to inform us that basketball will never be his numero uno. Sorry, Jason.

As you can see, Casey the weiner dog, makes herself right at home in Lane's bed. She never even tries to sleep with anyone else. Only Lane. Could it be because she has been scolded for even looking at my bed or Paige's bed?

We went to Denver this past weekend. Friday night we went to a Rockies game. The weather was beautiful, the Rockies won, and we even witnessed an in-park homerun, which according to Jason, "Just doesn't happen!"

You know how it never fails that there is some loudmouth jerk who is always a few rows away at every sporting event? Well, there was a loudmouth there, alright. BUT, he was FUNNY! He didn't swear, didn't act obnoxiously, didn't do anything inappropriate. The whole section was cracking up at the heckling he was giving the leftfielder. I still chuckle just thinking about it!

We went to Dave & Buster's for dinner Saturday evening. It was something new & different to try. The atmosphere was pretty cool. They had a huge arcade to lure you in to the back. Lane saw this wall of gumball machines and was awestruck. We didn't visit the arcade (actually the kids didn't even care!).

The food was pretty good. I wouldn't call it fine dining, but it was much better than our lunch at WaterWorld! I think what we liked the best was the ceiling fan contraption. The restaurant had several ceiling fans, and they were all powered & connected by a pulley system. Of course Lane was fascinated.
Water World. Saturday. July. 100 degrees. Need I say more? Well. Once we FINALLY GOT IN THE PARK we had a good time. Never never never again will we go on a Saturday. Enough said.

Book Review: The Worst Hard Time

Since I'm a total nerd, I decided to share about a book I read recently. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan caught my eye as I was leaving the library one day. It was a National Book Award Winner, which doesn't necessarily mean the book will be a good one, but it was worth a try!

This is a nonfiction account of the Dust Bowl. The book begins with the history behind the settling of the Great Plains region, and then leads into the World War I era, the 1920's, and finally the Great Depression. The majority of the book takes place around Dalhart, Texas, Boise City, Oklahoma, and Baca County Colorado. The author suggests a cause behind the formation of the Dust Bowl and essentially blames the government for encouraging the destroying of native grass in order to plant more wheat.

The book is not a "fun" read, of course, but I really enjoyed it. I don't know much about the Dust Bowl. I have visited with Grandpa Earl & Grandma Lois about what they remember. Now I'm going to have to ask more questions!

I'm not sure that this book presents the situation without bias, but it is an interesting viewpoint. I think I might look for a few more books on the topic and see what else I learn.

Lane

First of all, let me just say how proud of myself I am! Two posts in one day-a new record.

Lane's visit to the optometrist resulted in a new prescription like I thought it would. He had come home from school complaining of having to rest his eyes several times. Poor kid. He is very far-sighted, and the optometrist explained how hard Lane has to work to read or do schoolwork that is up close.

So the doctor explained that Lane was going to get new glasses that would make it so much easier for him to read. Lane was so excited.
"You mean I won't see purple spots anymore when I'm trying to read or do work?" he asked.
"Nope. You'll be able to read for hours with your new glasses."
"Alright!"

Well, the new glasses are bifocals. Hmmmm.

I was worried about Lane adjusting, but the doctor told me that kids rarely have any problems with bifocal lenses. Adults are the ones who struggle. Anyway, Lane will probably have bifocals for a couple of years and then outgrow them. Hopefully just in time for contacts!

Off to watch the Olympic Swimming Trials!!

And so it begins...

I spent yesterday afternoon in my new classroom trying to get a feel for what needs to be done first! I was there for about five hours, and I cleaned out one small closet, one two-drawer filing cabinet, and two shelves.

Notice that I didn't mention putting anything back in the closets, drawers, or on the shelves! My head hurt like crazy after all of that thinking. Result: I was very grouchy with my kids.

So today I went to the store and picked up baggies, plastic storage boxes, and cleaning supplies. Tomorrow morning I plan to tackle some more of the room and organize what is currently piled on the floor. Paige & Lane can help me tomorrow. Lane already informed me that he is a better organizer than Paige is, and she's pretty good!

Lane and I are off to the optometrist. My contacts are telling me that it is time for new ones.

Go Leoti Lightning!

We travelled to Lakin yesterday for a swim meet. This was only the second one Paige & Lane have competed in this summer. We've just been too busy with other activities!

Paige competed in the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 200 Free Relay, & 200 Medley Relay. Her favorite strokes are the free & breast, but she swam backstroke in the medley relay and did fine. She has had trouble with her flip turns on back, but she nailed it yesterday.


Paige swimming freestyle:
Paige on the blocks:
Lane on the blocks:
Lane swimming breaststroke:
Lane swam the 25 Free & the 25 Breast yesterday. This was the first time he swam breaststroke and he was disqualified (brought his arms too far down or something like that). He thought it was pretty cool that we went to Dairy Queen (DQ) for ice cream afterward since he had been dq'd.

A new look

Okay, I'm just playing around searching for a new look. I don't think I like this one, but I'll try it out for a few days.

Guilty, SOOOOO Guilty!

Well, where do I begin? I haven't blogged in about three weeks-just too lazy. Anyway, my sister has been blogging while away from home, and today she was updating while at my house. The guilt was overwhelming.

So, Paige & I took a trip to Washington DC during the end of May & beginning of June. We went with a School Tours of America group from our hometown. There were 11 junior high students and 11 adults. We had SO MUCH FUN!!!! The adults did anyway! There were five moms who went, and we didn't stop laughing until we back in our own houses. We laughed at ourselves, we laughed at our kids, we laughed at each others' kids, we laughed at our bus driver, anyway you get the idea. One night we had a "chocolate buffet" in one of our hotel rooms and laughed until the wee hours of the morning. Ummm, the security guard noted that we were rather loud on the report he turned into the sponsors. Oops.

Paige & I took over 300 photos, so I had to narrow them down to a few to share. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

This was below a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. Anyone care to research a possible ancestor?

Here is the portrait that was painted by Irving Wiles.

The White House

This was as close as we could get. You can't see them in this photo, but there were armed guards posted on the roof of the White House. The kids thought that was great. We also got to see the 24-hour vigil protesting nuclear weapons. Apparently this protest has been in place nonstop since about 1984. One of the dads in our group made sure to voice his opinion to the protester.

The National Cathedral

View from about the midpoint up the Lincoln Memorial.

Can you tell it was a little humid? My hair is just a bit crazy! Actually the weather was beautiful-mid-80's & no humidity the entire trip. We did have crazy weather landing in DC & trying to land in Wichita-ended up in Oklahoma City.

May???

Well. I seem to have skipped the month of May entirely here on the blog. So, I'll give you all a quick update (and try to post some pictures at another date-hopefully sooner than July!).

Paige finished the track season with two PR's at the league track meet. She placed second in both the 800 & 1600 meter runs. She was very pleased with her times. She finished out her seventh-grade year with a music festival & awards assembly. This summer she is in swim team. She didn't want to go out for swim team this year, but it is wonderful exercise for her shoulder, so she didn't have a choice. K-State basketball camp is on the 15th, and this week she is a helper at VBS.

Lane had a great year in first grade. He loved his teacher and his classmates. He got to go on a few field trips and do some other fun things to end the school year. He also received a Creative Writing Award and an Art Award at the awards assembly.

Lane is also out for swim team. Reluctantly, too. However, he is doing really well, and is going to compete next Saturday at our home meet. He is already a better swimmer than me! He is also playing baseball this summer and is very excited.

Lane's reading skills really took off this year. One night he couldn't sleep, and I found him crouched by his closet light door reading in the dim light. His ceiling fan was on, so he couldn't turn on the overhead light. Anyway, he was reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to himself! If you aren't familiar with that book, it is about a fifth-grade level story, so I was impressed. Lane's current interests? Scotland, Ireland, Germany, ancestry, bagpipes, accordians, and, of course, garbage trucks!

Jason is busy with open gym for the basketball teams & keeping the basketball girls busy this summer with summer ball & conditioning. He's also trying to get field work done and start thinking about harvest.

Jason is on the park/recreation dept. board, and they have had a change in the director over the last month, so he has spent A LOT of time at meetings, at the swimming pool, ball fields, park, etc. Whew. They hired a new guy who is enthusiastic about new programs, etc, so everything is looking up!

I've been catching up with laundry, summer projects around the house, and other fun stuff like that. I have about two more weeks before I can get in my classroom, so that gives me time to do things around here. Oh, yeah. I also read two books in the last week. Time to start a new one!

A Bit of a Boast

Paige had an awesome track meet yesterday. I didn't get to go, but her dad was there to cheer her on. She had a personal best in the 1600 meter race with a time of 6:05. We found out today that she broke the school record with that time! She was really pumped.

She also had a personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 2:48. The school record is 2:30, so she has some work to do on Saturday!

This is all especially exciting considering that she didn't think she would even be able to participate in track this season.

Saturday is the league track meet, so cheer hard at about 1:30 p.m.!

Do I know what I've gotten myself into?

I have accepted a new teaching job for the 2008-2009 school year-junior high math! I know what you're thinking: "She must be crazy!" Possibly, quite possibly.

I will be teaching at the junior high in Leoti, so that means no more driving, no more stopping at four different places in the morning before I actually "begin" my day, no more shuffling Lane around when I am out of town, and no more IEP's!

What this also means is hall duty, lunch duty, 5,482 papers to grade, but also, a sense of belonging to one school! I am definitely looking forward to that. :)

I will have a busy summer trying to get ready for the coming school year. We start inservice on August 7 (gasp), so there really isn't much of a summer. Anyway, I'm excited and nervous so keep me in your prayers.

No more braces!

Well, I don't have an "After" picture yet, but Paige went to the orthodontist on Monday for a "full debonding." In English, she had her braces removed! Wooohooo! Her teeth are beautiful and perfect now.

So now she has retainers that she will wear for at least six months, and the best part....no more trips to the orthodontist until July!

If you look reeeeaaallly closely at Paige's left shoulder (right one in this picture) you can see little spots on her skin. These are some of the scars from her surgery. She ended up with 19 little holes, but they are not very noticable. She now has physical therapy twice weekly until who knows when. However, she has recovered A LOT faster than we initially thought she would.

Advice, anyone?

As you can see from the post entitled "Cool Runnings," I lack something in the art of arranging text & photos attractively! When Paige created that post the words and the pictures were perfectly arranged, the photo of my shoes WAS actually to the left of what I was typing, and it all looked so pretty. So pretty.

I don't know what happened in the millionth of a nanosecond that it took to go from "Preview" to "Publish Post," but something weird is going on!

If you have any tips on composing a post that at least looks like I'm older than a third-grader please. help. now.

Cool Runnings

How old am I that I recall a movie about some Jamaican bobsledders?

I thought I was pretty clever with this catchy title!

So, here are the new shoes. Mine are the white ones (see left). Paige's are Root Beer & Latte' with Shimmer accents. I can't remember the actual color name for mine, but Paige's are awesome in person!

Photos courtesy of Paige.

One more procedure

Paige will have surgery on Thursday to remove the pins from her shoulder. She does have to be under general anesthesia again (from what we've heard, you don't want to be awake for this), but the process is fairly short-like 15 minutes. She is much less apprehensive this time.

Paige should also be released to run track next week. She got some awesome new running shoes-I love them. I keep walking by the box and gazing at them with longing.... Incidentally, I also got new running shoes (which are very comfy), but mine aren't as pretty as Paige's. sigh

Maybe, just maybe, I will post a picture of them this evening. Because I know you are all dying to see a picture of shoes.

Also, Dad turns the big SIX-O on Thursday!!! Be sure to send him a Happy Birthday greeting!

Happy Easter

Sibling love??? Not so much.

That's more like it!

We had four baptisms in church yesterday. It was such a great way to celebrate Easter Sunday!

Spring Break 2008

We hit the slopes at Breckenridge, Colorado for a fun spring break vacation. We rented this 4500 sq. foot house, along with four other families, that was right off the slopes. I didn't get a very good shot of the entire house due to the snow piled everywhere!

We packed in tons of food and between the 29 people in our group, we managed to eat almost all of it! Most of us skied for at least two days (expect poor Paige), and everyone slept, ate, watched movies, and the kids hit the hot tub. We're ready for next year!


Here we are the third day of skiing. It was snowing pretty hard, & Lane said that his "chin was burning off."


I had to wear green for St. Patrick's Day on Monday.


Lane, the self-proclaimed ski pro. He went to ski school the first day. He didn't love the experience, but he definitely learned to ski! He became quite the speed demon.

DWTS-A New Season!!

Did anyone catch the first two nights of the new Dancing with the Stars? I didn't. Although, I hear the guys kind of stink this season. Maybe the girls will finally have a champion!

How much of a loser am I that I have to blog about my one & only tv show? I have a meeting at church this Monday night & junior high quiz bowl on Tuesday, so it looks like I won't see this week's competition either. Bummer. I'll just have to read the recap on msn.com the next morning. While I have a break, of course. I wouldn't dream of checking that "trash" first thing when I get to school in the morning! :)

Lane's Lego House

Lane is so proud of his creations! Above we have the Lego Townhouse & the Lego Carwash. Lane is holding an egg beater that he built from K-nex. Below is a close-up of the house. It's pretty cool. Jason & Lane worked on it for about three hours before it was complete. Now Lane is working toward the purchase of the Lego garbage truck.

Paige-an update!

Here's a picture of Paige before her surgery. Afterward, her face was about the same color as her hospital gown!

The green chair-Paige's new home for the next month. As you can see, she feels great & is drinking water like she is supposed to!

And finally...since Paige won't be in her own bed for a little while, this is what her room looks like now! You can't see it in this shot, but she is also getting a new ceiling. Hopefully this project won't take longer than a month, but I have a feeling it might.

Paige went back to the doctor today and received a good report. She can remove the sling in order to shower (which will make my mornings a litte easier!), she can ride the stationary bike, lift weights with her good arm, and possibly finish the track season! She will have surgery again on April 3 to remove the pins. She will be under general anesthesia again, but the procedure should only take about 15 minutes.

Update

I sent out an email, but maybe not everyone was included. Sorry!

Paige will have surgery Thursday to pin her broken shoulder. It has "significant displacement" which basically means the bones need to be pinned to be aligned properly. I was really worried about her growth plate, but the surgeon showed me that, while it was slightly impacted, it could have been much worse.

We had a really long day today, and Paige was exhausted by the time we arrived home. She is also in lots of pain.

Mom was able to go with us today. Thanks, Mom! Jason was coaching basketball, but he'll be able to go with us for the surgery.

****This will merit its own post at a later date, but Lane's Lego house arrived yesterday! He's on top of the world!!*****

Good night. I'm off to bed!

I Will Never, I Repeat NEVER....

....wish for "blog fodder" again! I was drawing a blank for a new post on our blog, when BAM! This afternoon's incident is more than I could have ever dreamed.

Where do I begin? Well, to make a long story short, the weather was pretty nice this afternoon. After arriving home from church and eating a quick lunch, Paige & I planned to go for a run (track season starts soon). Paige & Lane headed out to the tramp while I finished up dishes and started a load of laundry.

I was checking the 10-day forecast online when Paige came inside crying. She's one tough cookie and never cries, so something was wrong! She fell off the tramp and couldn't move her left arm because she landed on her shoulder. After about 2 minutes of debate, we all got on shoes and headed to the ER.

Initially, everyone thought she had just dislocated her shoulder. But, the doctor thought it wise to take some x-rays to rule out anything else. Paige got an IV and some morphine so that she could handle the x-rays. Turns out, she broke her humerous right at the top where it is a ball (I think I have that right). She landed straight on her left side when she went off the tramp, and apparently her shoulder took all of the impact. The ground won.

We are home now. Paige has a sling and some good drugs. We'll find out tomorrow morning what time we get to see an orthopaedic surgeon who will take pediatric patients. Sugery is not certain, but it sounds like shoulders are tricky things to fix.

Thank the Lord that she did not land on her head, thank the Lord that Jason and I were home, and thank the Lord that nothing else is injured. Pray for a restful night for Paige, and that we can get in to the doctor tomorrow.

We'll know more tomorrow about where we go from here!

A Teenager????

Paige & friends at the bowling alley.

How can it be?? I'm surely not old enough to have a teenage daughter! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, PAIGE!!

Paige's 13th birthday was last Saturday, February 16. She celebrated by inviting a couple of friends over. We went bowling (I won!), and the girls got to browse at Target for over an hour. We finished off the evening with dinner at Applebee's where I had a very excellent steak.

I wasn't sure what to get Paige for her birthday, so I ended up ordering some clothes from Hollister Co. Well, I think I am old enough to raise a teenage daughter! Let me tell you why. One of the items Paige liked online was this pair of shorts. I looked at them and thought, "Okay, these will work for a swimsuit cover up, she can wear them to the lake, sleep in them, etc."

When they arrived, I nearly needed CPR! I think the inseam could have only been a quarter inch long! AND Paige's legs are about a mile long. Yeah. Since this was the day before Paige's birthday, I wrapped them up anyway.

Turns out, they weren't as short as I originally thought, and they will work to wear over her swimsuit. BUT, all you mothers of daughters out there, take heed!! Paige is very modest, Thank you, Lord, but I know the day will come when she & I disagree about "appropriate" clothing!

About Hollister-if you've never been in the store, you need night vision goggles to see the clothing that is for sale. I'm not kidding. I think the walls must be painted black, and the lighting is very dim. Yep. Fun times for the ol' mom. Thank goodness Jason hasn't been in there. We'd never hear the end of it!

I'm baaaaack!

Hello, all! I keep thinking that I should update my blog, but have been too busy (or lazy) to do so! Here's a quick update on The Wells Family in Kansas:

Starting with the youngest first....
Lane is busy with being a 7-year-old boy! He lost a few more teeth and is still sporting a big hole in his grin. Unfortunately, it looks like he will follow in Paige's footsteps and will need braces in a few years.

Lane's biggest passion right now is his Lego collection. Guess what arrived in the mail at our house about two weeks after Christmas? That's right-a Lego catalog. Well, I must agree that there are some pretty cool Lego kits out there, but did we really need that temptation right after Christmas? NO!

But..... Lane counted his money, worked to earn some more, and ordered a house from the catalog. Every day after school, he would beg me to go home "right away" so that he could see if it had arrived. Every day....no Lego box. Finally, we received a letter saying that his house was backordered until April 22!!! Bummer! Lane was very disappointed, but he decided that he could wait that long.

Also, Lane has found a couple of good buddies at school and they spend their recess time looking for alien footprints and scanning the sky for "the mother ship." Don't ask.

Paige is finished with basketball. Her team ended with a record of 8-3. They lost their first game in the tournament, so that cut the season a little short. Now she is in quiz bowl and is looking forward to the track season (which will mean the start of cold, windy days and hot, windy days).
Good news: Paige gets her braces off near the end of March! Whoo hoo! She's excited!

Jason is still coaching girls' basketball. Their record stinks, but he feels that he is making progress with the girls. It's been tough. The coach (who started the season) is very, very ill and everyone is concerned about his health. His situation is extremely sad, and it's been hard on the school community, too.

I am now "coaching" junior high quiz bowl. I have lots of fun-I know I'm a nerd, but that's okay with me! So, on the nights that there isn't a basketball game, I usually have quiz bowl. We'll be lucky if we eat one meal a week at home this month! March will be much less hectic.
I did order My Utmost for His Highest and have started it. I honestly haven't devoted much time to it lately, so I'm not sure what I think yet.

I also attempted to begin training for a 10K or a Half-Marathon. I didn't commit, because I wasn't sure that I would have time for the training. I did really well the first two weeks and managed to run 6 miles in less time than was on my schedule. But (you knew this was coming), last week I didn't get my long run in. I don't want to give up yet, but I think that I might have to plan on some sort of race in the fall. We'll see. Maybe if I post this, then I'll feel more obligated to stick to my guns! I really need someone to run with. Any takers? Long runs are on Sundays. Come join me-it would be so much more fun with a partner! I'm not Speedy Gonzales or anything, so don't plan on winning any races.

Okay, so this turned into a long blog. Looking forward to your comments.......

Where has the time gone?

I was trying to come up with something interesting to post. As you can see from the title of this entry, I was not successful! Where has the time gone? Specifically 2008! I feel like the past two weeks have been a blur of school, appointments, basketball games, laundry, and windshield time! Not to worry, though. Tonight I arrived home at about 6:30 p.m., cleaned the basement, did one load of laundry, and watched some tv! It's been great!

Don't get me wrong, I like to do all of the things I do, I truly don't feel overcommitted right now, and I do get to spend quite a lot of time with my family. But I can't say that I've ever felt relaxed and unstressed (destressed?? not sure what prefix is correct) at any time over the last 16 days.

What to do about it? I don't know. Quit my job maybe? Nah, I would enjoy staying home for awhile, but I really like to get out into the community, not to mention the paycheck! I've been trying to go to bed earlier, I eat right, I exercise regularly, and I .....perhaps I've discovered my problem!

Before Christmas and the new year, I was devoted to spending time in God's word. Our church read through the New Testament as a congregation, and I kept up with the daily readings. Since we have completed the New Testament I've been reading my Bible only sporadically. In 2007, I didn't always get the reading in in the morning, but I would double up the next day and be back on track. In addition, I had fresh "food for thought" each day as I was on the treadmill, driving to another school district, or going about my day. I don't have that now, and I can see that I need it! Don't we all?

Here's where I need some help: any suggestions for a short daily devotion that requires Scripture reading in addition to a short message from the author? I'm talking 10-15 minutes max, people! I have to be realistic. :) All recommendations are appreciated! Thanks for your help.

News Flash!

Our lives just got a bit more hectic...Jason became the high school girls basketball coach as of about 5:00 p.m. Saturday! WOW! To put it succinctly, the former coach is unable to continue, and Jason is now the man. Jason is nervous, excited, stressed, and experiencing about every other emotion you can name. His first game as coach is not next week, Friday, or even Thursday. It's tomorrow! Yikes! We'll keep you posted.
Since Jason is Passionate (with a capital P) about basketball, he will hopefully be able to convey his love of the game to his girls! They have some major teambuilding to do. I don't think he slept at all Saturday night, but last night was much better after he held a team meeting, met with parents, and got to work with the girls for a while.


Paige had another game tonight. They played an excellent team with a seemingly endless bench. We lost, but Paige played her heart out. She ended up with 12 points and some work to do on freethrows. :) Paige's team has 7 players (sometimes 8), and degrees of talent and dedication vary, as with any 7th grade girls team! So, she plays again tomorrow and again on Thursday. What a week-and that's just basketball!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and it's back to the rat race!

Lane, Paige, & cousin Brooklynne in the aftermath of Christmas at Grandma Jeannie's.

Did everyone have a wonderful Christmas? I hope so! We were able to spend lots of time with extended family, and the kids had a great time playing with cousins.

We were able to travel to my sister's for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Jen & I went to Winfield to visit our grandmother and see our aunt & uncle. Grandmother lives in an assisted living facility, and she looked great! It had been over a year since I'd seen her. Last time I was there, she still lived at home. Anyway, this move has been a blessing, not just for grandmother,

but for my mom, her brother, and her sister.

New Year's Day we went to the Cosmosphere (which Jason loved), toured the museum, and then watched The Polar Express on Imax. That was fun! I had never seen the movie, only read the book. Jen & I discussed the fact that the entire movie was based on a picture book, so how could the movie possibly be a feature-length film? Well, it was, and it was a good one! Two thumbs up!

Well, this brings me to the end of my Christmas vacation from school. I love the time at home with my family, my coffee, and my books. What did I accomplish during my 13 days (weekends included!) of vacation time? Hmmmm....we fit in all of the time with family and friends, Jason and the kids went snowmobiling, we moved cattle, I did a lot of laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.

HOWEVER, I did manage to read several books! So, in no particular order, I finished The Kite Runner, The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, My Sister's Keeper and Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult, a couple of books for junior high students, and The Princess Bride. Out of all of those, I would recommend The Princess Bride! This was about my third time through, and it gets better every time I read it. If you've never read the book, go to your local library today and check it out. Then watch the movie (it's good, too). What's next on my reading list? A book about King Arthur and then two books my sister loaned me. Can't wait!!

Well, reality is calling to me. I need to go get ready for inservice. But my coffee....my books.....my coffee....my books.....