Primary Program

I have been to a lot of primary programs over the years. They are always entertaining. This year, our chorister allowed kids to do solos/duets for some of the verses of the songs. I was convinced she was mad. Nuts. Asking for trouble. Of course my two boys volunteered. I was leery, to say the least. I mean, last year Jackson wouldn't even go up front during the program. And this time he is going to sing a duet? Well, I have to admit it went off very well. I really enjoyed it. It was entertaining as usual, (one girl stopped during her solo, "Wait", but kept going when the music didn't stop....another boy rolled his eyes as he forgot half the words, then walked to the side and sang the chorus with his back to the congregation, etc) But who can sit and not feel the Spirit when you have 30 or 40 primary children jubilantly singing "Praise to the Man". Our chorister was fabulous. I have never heard these primary kids sing so well and so loud. And she gave them the confidence to be able to do their solos and duets. I know it's contraband, but I recorded Gabe and Jackson's song. I figured since Phil couldn't be here, he should have a chance to hear. Our video camera won't zoom any more than this, but it's more important to hear than see anyhow.
Sorry it is shaky. It was on my knee, and I was trying to keep it hidden :)

Change

It's a little strange. After 6 and a half months in Kentucky, I couldn't wait to leave. Not even a tinge of regret. Didn't look back. After six and a half months at Masuk, today was my last day. And it was hard. I realized I was a little more attached than I originally thought.
But it was good. And I have to look forward, not back. On Monday (I hope) I start at Wooster Middle School in Stratford. I am taking over an honors geometry, honors algebra, and three prealgebra classes for the remainder of the school year.
But I have to say, it sure feels good to be appreciated. I know that I was meant to be a teacher. And I know that somehow I am able to connect with kids. But I frequently second guess my abilities as a teacher. But the kind comments I have received over the last week remind me that I am a good teacher. (Phil constantly reminds me...and it's not that I don't believe him ---although he is a little biased---but I guess it has to do with the fact that he hasn't really seen me in the classroom).
I had a rough time with saying goodbye to some of the kids. I guess we all like to feel needed and important. And the math department bought me a cake and a pot of tulips (not sure how they knew those were my favorite!), and gave me a card with a giftcard inside. Totally unexpected. But the best part was that they told me that since the math lab was instituted at Masuk it has never run this well. And Mary, the department chair, said that if she had her way they would hire me in a second, she would even trade teachers if it were possible.
But a new page is opening. And I am excited for the new opportunity. It was a good jumping off point to start the new one. And here's my chance to prove to myself that yes, I can handle it out here on the east coast.

Quick Update on the Homefront

Just a quick update on the Wilkins out here in the flood zone.

Our snow is almost gone...finally. It was replaced with several inches of rain this past week. So much that last Monday school was cancelled due to flooded roads. They weren't all flooded, but a couple of major roads had some out of commission areas. Lake Zoar, the reservoir about 1.5 miles away on the Housatonic River, which both Phil and I drive across on our way to work, was above flood stage. Higher than it's been in years, apparently. Made getting to work on time difficult for me, as everyone stopped to watch the water come over the dam. It sounded a little like Niagara Falls. The river just up the road was worse. It reminded me of the huge flooding in St George a few years back. Houses on the side of the road completely under water. The river was HUGE. Between the massive rain and all the snowmelt, the river just couldn't handle it. More rain on Thursday and Friday brought more problems. But the tsunami in Japan put it all back into perspective.

On another note, I am finally getting some job interviews. On Friday I signed on with a teacher's placement agency. (Who knew there was such a thing? Certainly not I, or I would have signed on LAST year!) They immediately sent me to an interview in Stratford at a school about 20 minutes door-to-door. It's a maternity leave full time sub position for the remainder of the year. It doesn't pay much more than I am making now, but the district has over 30 people retiring this year, and will definitely be hiring some math teachers for next year. A good way to get my foot in the door. I am supposed to teach a class there on Tuesday. It will require me doing lesson plans and grading, etc.

I also have an interview tomorrow in Westport. Another full time maternity leave position. This one is math support, similar to what I am doing now. No lesson plans, no grading (I don't think). About 30-35 minutes away. Pays three times what Masuk is paying me right now. And they anticipate openings next year, depending on how the budget works out. Another way to get my foot in the door.

I am just excited to have some positive things happening. Don't worry, we will keep you posted!

Whoaaaaa!

I could not have been more surprised last week when the bishop called Phil and I in to his office. He released me from my callings as Bear den leader and relief society teacher, and called me as (wait for it, wait for it....)the first counselor in the young woman's program.

It's true. After nearly 21 years of being out of young womens, I am now back in the thick of it. I was excited but a little terrified!

Today it became official. Mady was a little surprised, but all the young women were so excited and supportive of the new presidency.
I have about 10 Mia Maids I think. I love the women I will be working with. Loving the girls will not be a problem for me, they are terrific girls. But learning the ropes and making it all work might be tricky and take a little longer.

For all of you ladies who have served there, I sure could use your advice, especially for fantastic activities. These girls need to be allowed to just have a great time together, so any great ideas you share will not be wasted!!! HELP!!!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

This year we are getting record snowfall. Typically, the town of Monroe (where we live) gets about 40 inches of snow a year. The worst winter weather month, historically, is February.
This year, the snow started the weekend after Christmas. We got about 16". With blizzard conditions. And the storms just keep coming. They are on a pattern where they are coming about every 4 days right now. And the smallest one has dumped over 4 inches.
School snow days are plentiful. We have already had 5 in the last three weeks, and two big storms are predicted for this week. We have also had two delays. Now we are also into the arctic cold. It is supposed to get to 5 below tonight/tomorrow morning. With a windchill factor of 25 below. 25 below! Insanity!!!!
The school district has cancelled midterm exams (semester finals) in order to maximize instruction time. They can't push out the last day of school past June 30, so they are already talking about cancelling vacations. We have a week off at the end of February. Well, we did. I'm not sure what's happening with that yet. They are talking about taking those days away.


The kids have built snow forts in the mounds of snow. There is so much snow that there is no where for the town to put it! Every intersection is dangerous, not just because of the ice on the roadway, but also because the mounds of snow make it difficult to see oncoming traffic.



Sledding has been plentiful. After the biggest (in terms of snowfall---24")storm, I shoveled the driveway to allow Phil to get to work. He didn't make it, but I got in one heck of a workout.
Here are some random pictures of snow related adventures over the past few weeks. I am sure there is much more to come....

Mady

I don't brag about my kids too much. At least I don't think I do (don't bother correcting me if I'm wrong...I don't want to know). But it's time for me to brag a little about Mady.

Everyone who knows Mady will agree that she is an amazing young lady. She got her personal progress award today. She has received a lot of pressure from her leaders to get it done quickly, but Mady wanted to do it right.

The most amazing thing she did was to memorize The Living Christ. And the way she did it was uniquely Mady. She started by copying it onto 3x5 cards. Then she copied the entire thing onto paper to hang on her wall. It is color coded by paragraph. I love going into her room and seeing that wall. And I love listening to her recite it.


When the bishop interviewed her last Sunday, he was surprised that she chose that project, as many of the girls chose to plant a garden for their faith projects because it was easy. He asked her to recite part of it for him. Today when he called her up front (which wasn't hard since she was on the stand to give a talk), he mentioned that he didn't want to go into specifics, but she had completed a project that was very meaningful and impressed him as he heard her express what she learned. "It definitely helped her learn of Christ and become more like Him." He said he was "amazed and grateful" for her "good choices" and "Christlike values" and her "diligence".

Now, I know that those are kind words from a bishop, but what really matters to me is the amazing young woman growing right before my eyes. She has an incredible testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and is an excellent example for all who get to know her. She is beautiful both inside and out.

Phil and I were truly blessed when Heavenly Father chose to send this valiant spirit into our family.

(She did a great job on her talk in case you were wondering....Choice and Accountability was her topic. This was her third Sacrament Meeting talk, and she has written all three on her own with no help from her dad and mom. Which isn't really too surprising when you know Mady).

Toof-less

On Wednesday (a snow day), Jackson discovered that he had a loose tooth. He played with it all day, and was constantly showing us how it would move. He was very concerned that it might fall out in his sleep and he would swallow it. Finally we convinced him it would be okay to go to sleep. Thursday (snow day #2) he continued to play with it. He wanted it out so badly!! He wanted me to email his teacher that his tooth was loose.
Friday it finally fell out at school. He lost it on the floor! His friend Lindsey helped him look under the desks during recess. They thought it was a little piece of paper when they finally found it. He couldn't wait to bring it home and show us.
He wrote a letter to the tooth fairy right after school, and promptly put the tooth and the letter under his pillow.
He was thrilled to wake up Saturday morning and find a one dollar bill under his pillow.



He wanted a close-up taken, but I couldn't get him to stop making funny faces, so this is it.

Issues!!!

I am having serious issues trying to upload my pictures. So instead of putting off new posts because of this ongoing problem, as I have been doing, I have decided to post and add the pictures when I get it working. So I will let you know when pictures are updated, but at least for now, you can read about what has been going on in our lives. Stay tuned!

Christmas Morn

We had a very nice and quiet Christmas morning. The kids were up sometime around 7, and we were done with presents and breakfast with the kids quietly playing by 9:30.

We had a smaller Christmas than usual, but the kids didn't seem to mind. I have to say they are pretty terrific that way. They have always been happy with whatever they got. This year, Santa really did well.


Jackson and Gabe both got Video Spywatches. (This is something they started asking for way in advance, and I spent a month trying to sway them from the watches, thinking that they would not be worth the hype. A month later, and they are still loving them).


Jacob has become our resident Big Game Hunter.....Wii style. He got an older Cabella's hunting game for his birthday from his friend Rhodric, and had asked for the 2011 game that came with the Wii rifle with scope, etc. Way too much money for what it was. We had gone with something else, when we found exactly what he wanted for less than half price a few days before Christmas. Score!!! You can tell by the look on his face that he was pleased.


Mady opened her present and was surprised with a new phone which started ringing on the tree. She wasted no time in starting a texting marathon, a teenager through and through. If you want to reach her, a text is ALWAYS welcome.



Had to take pictures of these hugs, as they are so few and far between!




We enjoyed our now traditional Berry and Cream Cheese Rolls for breakfast. Yum!!! (I even had to make a second batch this year so that we could share some with friends, because we seemed to eat them all)

The kids played Wii and board games, and just enjoyed the day together as a family. Phil made his Prime Rib and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes for dinner.
I couldn't have asked for a more pleasant Christmas day. (We even got Phil to join in for a game of In a Pickle....which he won convincingly).



That evening we decided to go see some Christmas lights. There is a park on the beach that had a drive through lights display. It reminded us a little of Thanksgiving Point, only it wasn't nearly as good. Afterwards we drove to downtown New Haven where there is a huge pine tree on the green that they lit with LED lights. We got out and looked at the lights and took some pictures before we headed back home.



Jackson's ear started hurting that evening again. It happened a week after Thanksgiving too...ear infection. By Sunday he was in a lot of pain, and we were able to get him an appointment with the on-call doc, so Phil stayed home from church with him and took him in to have his ear looked at. It was severely infected. They got his medicine and headed home about the same time we headed home from church. In a major snowstorm. But that's another story for another post.

New Year's Day

I know I am skipping ahead by posting this today, don't worry Christmas posts are coming. But since I had these videos already on my computer, I thought I would share them now.
We went to the Feuz' house for some sledding and fun today. After the kids were done sledding, they pulled out their new Wii game, Just Dance. And we all took turns. It was a riot. And quite the workout. I was nice, and didn't video Phil, unfortunately he didn't reciprocate that kindness! So you can watch the video of me if you can stomach it....

First up, Mady and Jake.



Okay, so obviously more issues with the videos. I will get them working at some point.

New Years Eve Celebrations

Phil was on call for New Years Weekend, so we didn't want to do too much to bring in the New Year. We decided to go out to dinner with our friends, Scott and Allison McCurdy, while all the kids played together, and then ring in the New Year at their house.

When we arrived, Scott wasn't feeling well, so we went out to dinner without him. When we got back to the house, we sat and visited, and munched on fudge, cranberry salsa, and other goodies. Jackson's ear was hurting again, so he spent the last hour and a half on my lap.
(I ended up taking him to the doctor Sunday afternoon, his eardrum was ruptured, poor guy! Luckily, after a lot of pain and ooze, we are finally back to healthy ears. Three ear infections...all on or close to major holidays. What is it with this boy's timing?)