My New Job

I can't believe how my life has been completely transformed over the past three weeks. I also have learned again that sometimes the plans we have for our lives are not the plans that God has for us. He always provides for us though. After Dave lost his job I applied for a few things that would have helped out but none that I was really excited to do. Then last Saturday my friend Rebecca from my teaching and coaching days in Wilder called me up out of the blue. She is the secretary at Lewis and Clark Elementary in Caldwell now. She told me that the principal was getting desparate for an extended day Kindergarten teacher and she told him that she would call me but didn't think I would want to do it because I was staying home with my kids. Talk about perfect timing! Their possiblities for the job kept falling through and Rebecca thought of me and called a week and a half after Dave got laid off. I am so grateful for this blessing! I am already sad to think of leaving my kiddies here everyday but I know that they have a great daddy who takes great care of them.

So I guess I am back to driving (not quite as far) everyday to get to my full time job and working with a bunch of little Spanish speaking kindergartners. I have a special place in my heart for those little kids already from my teaching time in Wilder. It is only until the end of the school year and then hopefully Dave will have landed a new job and we can get back to normal...whatever that is. I imagine this will be the last time I will have the time to post on my blog for a while between school and Primary and being mommy. I better go dig out all that teaching stuff I have been storing in the attic!

Humbled

Dave came home from work last Tuesday at about 9:30 am. I was surprised and happy to see him until he told me he had been laid off. What a shock! I couldn't believe it. Over this last week I have really been humbled. It is a reminder that things can happen in the blink of an eye. To not know what is next is a very unsettling feeling, and I feel grateful that we have been fortunate for so long to have good employment. I know Dave can do just about any job he puts his mind to. Hopefully an employer will see the same thing! I am trying to look at the bright side...I got to take Haylie to storytime on Wednesday and Friday at the library because Dave was here for Zander to take a nap. Usually we don't go because it is always right when Zander wants to be asleep.

Dave has applied for every job he can find open, and I have even applied for a few too. We are hoping and praying that he will find something soon. I am grateful for the humbling and for the way it has made Dave and I grow closer. That is one of the best parts of most of the challenges we have faced together. We are headed out to Wyoming today to visit Dave's grandma. Her heart is not doing so well. Dave is really not having a good week. No job and a sick grandma.

On the bright side, Zander is 11 months old today. He can crawl around now and has started thinking about pulling himself up to stuff. We finally had to move the crib down because he was getting up on his knees in there. He loves to throw balls or any small toy really. If it is a ball he will throw it, crawl after it and then throw it again. He usually throws with his left hand...maybe he will take after me!

He finally scoots!

Zander turned 10 months old yesterday. He is a pretty laid back guy. He finally rolled over just before he turned 9 months and now he has finally figured out how to army crawl and actually moves forward. He could only go in reverse for quite awhile. He thought he was pretty cool yesterday...I had him sitting on the floor in the bedroom while I jumped in the shower. When I opened the shower door after my shower there he was in the bathroom with me. He gave me a big old grin, like "look what I did!" He is getting more and more personality every day. He likes baby food less and less and makes you feel guilty with his stare if you are eating anything and not offering some to him, even if he as food on his high chair tray. He loves to have a blanket by his face when he sleeps. Here are a couple of shots of him sleeping with his blanket. I love his fingers poking through the holes of the yellow blanket.



Where's Zander?

Oh poo...Wal-mart again?

We have been potty training Haylie since the dawn of time seemingly. She was ready right before Zander was born and we almost had it done and then in the chaos that ensued after, she got off track. We have tried everything I can think of, everything that has been suggested or read. We are finally to the point where she no longer has peeing accidents but pooping is another story. A story that starts last Friday in a time warp I call Wal-mart (how can two hours go by so fast in there?) Anyway, Dave had the day off and Zander was sleeping so Haylie and I went to Wal-mart for some groceries. Of course, she poops in her underwear while we are there. I had no diaper bag or anything (my baby is at home, do I need a diaper bag for a three year old?) Luckily the situation was not too messy. I was able to transfer to the toilet with no mess. We finished the shopping trip and went home.
Now we fast forward to today when I found myself at Wal-mart again. This time with both kids. We are finished shopping and Haylie's favorite thing to do is stop for lunch at the McDonalds there. She had been great in the store so I figured why not? So we are standing there waiting to order and I realize that she has left me another little surprise in the underwear. Maybe that is why she was so good...I had left the diaper bag in the car but since everything went so smoothly on Friday without it I think "I am a pro at this" and head to the bathrooms. I did not take into consideration that fact that there was nowhere to put Zander as I didn't bring his car seat in. So there I was with Zander in one arm and with my other I am, well, I will spare you the details, but you can imagine that it wasn't the no mess incident from Friday. Needless to say Haylie's shot at some McDonalds went out the window...she is just lucky I didn't throw her out with it! Some day maybe she will read this and gain a little more appreciation for me. But for now, I will just keep cleaning poop until that magical day when she realizes how much easier it is to just go in the toilet!

9 months!

Zander turned 9 months on Saturday. He must have known it was coming up along with his check up at the doctor because he FINALLY started rolling over last week. He is so pleased with himself that when we put him in his crib to sleep he rolls over and laughs. Not just laughs, but cackles. He thinks it is so great that he can see over the bumper of the crib. I am sure it won't be long now before he is scooting all over the house. He is experimenting more and more every day with what he can do. He likes to sit on the floor with a bin of toys and empty it out by frantically waving his hands in the bin. He also thinks it is hilarious when someone folds or waves a blanket in front of him...we can't quite figure this one out.
I took him to the see the doctor yesterday and he checked out pretty good. He hasn't gained much weight since the last check up so we are supposed to work on fattening him up a bit. Haylie got to have her 3 year old check up while were at the doctor's too. I can't believe I have a three year old! I have been thinking I have a 13 year old lately since her new response to anything I say to her is "fine, I don't care" (imagine that in a snotty teenage voice). Where does she learn these things?
She started Sunbeams this year too and so far has done very well. I was afraid that she would want to follow me around instead of staying with her primary class. She is doing great and it almost made me cry to see her in there for the first time. It is kind of fun to be able to plan things for Primary knowing Haylie will now get to take part. Here are pictures of her on her second week of Sunbeams. When you are the Primary President the first week of the new year is WAY to busy to remember to take pictures.

Christmas Elves

Dave and I have been little Christmas elves over the past several days working on our Christmas gifts for Haylie. When I was a little girl my mom made my sister and I this dollhouse. She has kept it around and we brought it home from her house when we were there for Thanksgiving. I spent hours playing in front of it as a kid and now I will get to give it to Haylie for Christmas. Of course it needed some major work to bring it into this decade and that is what I have been working on every chance I get for the past 3 weeks. It has been really fun to redecorate, but I am glad that it is almost finished. I have a few curtains to make today, and finish up a few pieces of furniture but otherwise it is ready for Christmas Morning.

Here is what the house looked like when I got it. It brought back a lot of memories to see it. Thanks mom for making a great house, and for keeping it around for me.


And here is the newly remodeled house!

I got carpet samples from Nampa Floors and Interior, the wall paper I found at Lowes for super cheap. (I think they must be discontinuing wallpaper sales.) Dave helped by cutting the wood for the furniture. I will post some more pictures when I finish the curtains and the rest of the furniture.


While I have been out in the garage, Dave has been at the sewing machine creating his vision of a cape for our in-house superhero, Superfast! Haylie made up her own super hero name a few months back and now she will have a costume! She runs around saying, "I'm Superfast...I can do anything!!" She will love this. Now we have set the bar high with special homemade gifts. I don't know how long we can keep this up!
Merry Christmas!!!

8 months

Zander is 8 months old today. It doesn't seem possible! He should still be a newborn! I get sad sometimes thinking about how fast both him and Haylie are growing up. Dave always reminds me that our job is not to keep them little, but to teach them and and help them return to Heavenly Father. I will just have to try to enjoy this time to the fullest. Anyway, Zander is such a sweet little boy. He LOVES to jump in the jumparoo. We are a little worried that the springs will give out because he gets so crazy in that thing. He jumps clean out of the seat sometimes. He also loves Haylie and laughs at just about everything she does...including when she cries (she really loves that).
The silly boy still doesn't roll over and I think it is about to drive Dave crazy. It does make it easy to watch him because he doesn't go anywhere, but we are getting anxious for him to to something else. He is starting to get a little bored with his current tricks. He loves to eat baby food, and we are getting a little more adventurous with table food. The pictures here are just some random shots that were taken over Thanksgiving.