Sunday, January 24, 2010
Another Claire Funny
The other night Claire was laying in bed and yelled for me to come in there so she could ask me a question. "Mommy, are there strings or something attached to our eyeballs in our head so they don't come out?" I explained to her that there are muscles and skin that are like strings that hold them in there so that they don't fall out or pop out. I asked her if she was worried about her eyeballs coming out and she said yes. So I reassured her that her eyeballs were safe. She then went right to sleep. Oh, if this were my only worry that kept me up at night.
Happenings 1/18/2010 - 1/24/2010
It was back to full normal for everyone the last two weeks. The semester started on the 11th, and so it was back to teaching and all of the stuff that was put off before Christmas and piled on now. Since I've been here, the second half of January and February have always been busy and somewhat stressful because that is also the time period when we have to complete our annual evaluation portfolios, which always takes more time than expected. I began working on mine during the break, so I am a little ahead of where I was last year, and am in pretty good shape. The problem for me is that other responsibilities have arisen for more work for me.
My freshman composition class seemed dead in the water for the first week, and I was worried because they weren't reading or making any comments. We had Monday off the second week for MLK Jr. Day, and then I told them they would be having a quiz and things livened up -- they began reading. The material we are covering is not the easiest -- we are reading classical rhetoric texts of Aristotle and Plato, but the translation they have is pretty easy to read if they would try. But they have become more interested as I've explained things in class. I haven't done this before -- I am collaborating with a colleague in piloting the use of classical texts in composition to teach rhetoric. I was supposed to teach an honors class like him, but mine didn't fill, so I am teaching a regular class, and they are struggling more than his class. But I think it will get better.
We've had warm weather since we had the week or two of really cold temperatures. It has been between 40 and 55 degrees with a lot of clouds and rain which makes the night not so cold as well, so that has been nice. On MLK Jr. Day, J.J. had to work but I arranged a babysitter so that I could help with a ward move, which only took about 2 hours because we had so many of us there. After the move, I took the girls to the park, and it was packed with kids because of the pleasant weather, including some people from our ward.
The week before last we went to two MSU basketball games, one on Monday and the other on Saturday. We take two cars so that everyone can go to the women's game and then I help everyone out to the car and go back to the men's game. There is always plenty of room for us at the women's game, and the girls enjoy playing around. (I wish I got to see a little more of the games. My job is to watch the girls so that they don't fall down the stairs, annoy others around us, get in trouble for playing on the stairs or aisles, etc. Not much fun. But it is fun to watch the girls dance to the music or with the cheerleaders. The first game, Maggie was great. She just watched the game and the lights and listened to the music and sat in her car seat the whole time. The second time we went, she was not so content. I spent my time letting her crawl a bit until she got too close to the stairs and then walking her back the 20 feet she just crawled and chasing after her again. I didn't want to spend my night this way, so I went ahead and took the girls home while Paul stayed to watch the game. I think next time he needs to take them home so I can watch a game sometime.) The men's team is really good, undefeated in the conference so far and fun to watch. They seem to be able to turn it up a notch anytime they need to, probably like BYU is doing this year.
With the nice weather, I was able to work on cleaning the cars and fixing a few things in the garage and on the cars since before two weeks ago it was even too cold to work in the garage. This last week, Claire was lucky to be able to eat lunch with J.J. on Thursday, the normal day that J.J. volunteers, and then I went on Friday. Her teacher told me that Claire is doing really well with her reading, and I had to agree because we are impressed at how quickly she is learning to read.
(I started going to a card kickboxing class a couple weeks ago. I go 3 times a week and I am sore!!!! The guy who owns the gym is "famous" around Murray. Mr. Dinh. He teaches tai kwon do and some other classes too. His classes are known for being a good workout and believe me they are. The first class I went to, he would karate chop you on the belly when we were doing sit ups. I have even been trying to go at 5:15am, but it is so hard to get up when the clock says four something. I did it once last week and plan to go at that time again this week. I like to have it done in the morning and not have to worry about it later in the evening. A couple other days during the week, I have been going to the Wellness Center at MSU to walk/jog on the treadmills. Starting to get a routine which I definitely need.)
On Friday evening we joined the Bakes at a local hotel where a new family in our ward is living until they close on their house. They moved here from Layton and he is a human resource manager at a local company. It is great to have them here, and they invited us over for the kids to swim in the indoor pool at the hotel and they ordered pizza. It was fun. (Claire slowly picked back up her swimming, but by the end of the night, she was once again swimming short distances without floaties or anything. Rachel started warm up a little too and ventured down a couple steps by herself. She still doesn't trust a lifejacket or boober suit - maybe that is from the time she thought Paul was going to catch her - he didn't and she walked right in the pool and tipped over even with her bobber suit on. Anyway - they had a great time and it wore them out! I loved it. Saturday I went to kickboxing class - another bonus is that I get to get all my aggressions out punching and kicking a bag. Then later in the day we went to the boat show and the girls played in some bouncy houses and loved touring and playing on all the fancy pontoon type boats they had there. It was fun to check out all the water fun! We then all went to a Mexican Restaurant to eat and then home. Paul left to go to "Old School Wrestling" - local professional type wrestling - that is pretty big here. He went with Doug - one of the young newly married guys in our ward. I put the girls to bed and then watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic". It was okay - the book was much better. I love the shopaholic books but the movie was just okay. I knitted and worked on some picture things and then went to bed and tried to read my book for MSU Women's Group book club. It is "The Sparrow"' by Mary Russell. It is a science fiction book and I am having a really hard time trying to get through it. I'm not sure I will finish it by Tuesday.)
(Maggie is so funny lately. She is walking all over the place - quickly I might add. The other girls didn't walk until they were thirteen years old. And now she throws tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants and it is pretty funny. She will throw herself down on her belly and let out a scream and then look up to be sure you are watching her. She also walks around with pretty much any object or no object by her ear and tilts her head sideways like she is on the phone and say "o? o?" and babbles while walking around on her "phone". Church is not fun at all right now. I never hear sacrament meeting anymore between the three girls and spend half the time chasing Maggie up the aisle before she reaches the stairs to the stands or taking her out in the hall because she is screaming. I don't want to wish time away because I want them to stay little, but I don't like sacrament meeting between the ages of 12 months and 18 months.)
(Just thought I would update you a little on me and the girls since I don't usually get to the letters anymore before Paul sends them out. We love you and hope you all are doing well.)
My freshman composition class seemed dead in the water for the first week, and I was worried because they weren't reading or making any comments. We had Monday off the second week for MLK Jr. Day, and then I told them they would be having a quiz and things livened up -- they began reading. The material we are covering is not the easiest -- we are reading classical rhetoric texts of Aristotle and Plato, but the translation they have is pretty easy to read if they would try. But they have become more interested as I've explained things in class. I haven't done this before -- I am collaborating with a colleague in piloting the use of classical texts in composition to teach rhetoric. I was supposed to teach an honors class like him, but mine didn't fill, so I am teaching a regular class, and they are struggling more than his class. But I think it will get better.
We've had warm weather since we had the week or two of really cold temperatures. It has been between 40 and 55 degrees with a lot of clouds and rain which makes the night not so cold as well, so that has been nice. On MLK Jr. Day, J.J. had to work but I arranged a babysitter so that I could help with a ward move, which only took about 2 hours because we had so many of us there. After the move, I took the girls to the park, and it was packed with kids because of the pleasant weather, including some people from our ward.
The week before last we went to two MSU basketball games, one on Monday and the other on Saturday. We take two cars so that everyone can go to the women's game and then I help everyone out to the car and go back to the men's game. There is always plenty of room for us at the women's game, and the girls enjoy playing around. (I wish I got to see a little more of the games. My job is to watch the girls so that they don't fall down the stairs, annoy others around us, get in trouble for playing on the stairs or aisles, etc. Not much fun. But it is fun to watch the girls dance to the music or with the cheerleaders. The first game, Maggie was great. She just watched the game and the lights and listened to the music and sat in her car seat the whole time. The second time we went, she was not so content. I spent my time letting her crawl a bit until she got too close to the stairs and then walking her back the 20 feet she just crawled and chasing after her again. I didn't want to spend my night this way, so I went ahead and took the girls home while Paul stayed to watch the game. I think next time he needs to take them home so I can watch a game sometime.) The men's team is really good, undefeated in the conference so far and fun to watch. They seem to be able to turn it up a notch anytime they need to, probably like BYU is doing this year.
With the nice weather, I was able to work on cleaning the cars and fixing a few things in the garage and on the cars since before two weeks ago it was even too cold to work in the garage. This last week, Claire was lucky to be able to eat lunch with J.J. on Thursday, the normal day that J.J. volunteers, and then I went on Friday. Her teacher told me that Claire is doing really well with her reading, and I had to agree because we are impressed at how quickly she is learning to read.
(I started going to a card kickboxing class a couple weeks ago. I go 3 times a week and I am sore!!!! The guy who owns the gym is "famous" around Murray. Mr. Dinh. He teaches tai kwon do and some other classes too. His classes are known for being a good workout and believe me they are. The first class I went to, he would karate chop you on the belly when we were doing sit ups. I have even been trying to go at 5:15am, but it is so hard to get up when the clock says four something. I did it once last week and plan to go at that time again this week. I like to have it done in the morning and not have to worry about it later in the evening. A couple other days during the week, I have been going to the Wellness Center at MSU to walk/jog on the treadmills. Starting to get a routine which I definitely need.)
On Friday evening we joined the Bakes at a local hotel where a new family in our ward is living until they close on their house. They moved here from Layton and he is a human resource manager at a local company. It is great to have them here, and they invited us over for the kids to swim in the indoor pool at the hotel and they ordered pizza. It was fun. (Claire slowly picked back up her swimming, but by the end of the night, she was once again swimming short distances without floaties or anything. Rachel started warm up a little too and ventured down a couple steps by herself. She still doesn't trust a lifejacket or boober suit - maybe that is from the time she thought Paul was going to catch her - he didn't and she walked right in the pool and tipped over even with her bobber suit on. Anyway - they had a great time and it wore them out! I loved it. Saturday I went to kickboxing class - another bonus is that I get to get all my aggressions out punching and kicking a bag. Then later in the day we went to the boat show and the girls played in some bouncy houses and loved touring and playing on all the fancy pontoon type boats they had there. It was fun to check out all the water fun! We then all went to a Mexican Restaurant to eat and then home. Paul left to go to "Old School Wrestling" - local professional type wrestling - that is pretty big here. He went with Doug - one of the young newly married guys in our ward. I put the girls to bed and then watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic". It was okay - the book was much better. I love the shopaholic books but the movie was just okay. I knitted and worked on some picture things and then went to bed and tried to read my book for MSU Women's Group book club. It is "The Sparrow"' by Mary Russell. It is a science fiction book and I am having a really hard time trying to get through it. I'm not sure I will finish it by Tuesday.)
(Maggie is so funny lately. She is walking all over the place - quickly I might add. The other girls didn't walk until they were thirteen years old. And now she throws tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants and it is pretty funny. She will throw herself down on her belly and let out a scream and then look up to be sure you are watching her. She also walks around with pretty much any object or no object by her ear and tilts her head sideways like she is on the phone and say "o? o?" and babbles while walking around on her "phone". Church is not fun at all right now. I never hear sacrament meeting anymore between the three girls and spend half the time chasing Maggie up the aisle before she reaches the stairs to the stands or taking her out in the hall because she is screaming. I don't want to wish time away because I want them to stay little, but I don't like sacrament meeting between the ages of 12 months and 18 months.)
(Just thought I would update you a little on me and the girls since I don't usually get to the letters anymore before Paul sends them out. We love you and hope you all are doing well.)
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