Treed!!!

This post is not for the animal lovers. Not that we are not animal lovers, but also practical hunters. Vance got a coon from the Ulrich's in town and is using it to train his hounds. The first video is of Copper alone and then with the other two hounds.
This post is more for the relatives in ND, that share the love for hunting with us!

Copper very anxious to check things out.

All three dogs, Ticket, Tobin, and Copper...Ticket kind of blends in with the tree.

I Pwedge Aweegence...(I Pledge Allegiance)

Miss Emma has, throughout the year of Sonlight, learned the Pledge to the Bible. Of course, she has her own vocabulary and a few speech issues, but that makes it all the more cute! She is very proud of her accomplishment and is trying very hard not to smile as she recites it. Make sure your volume is up b/c she is talking very quietly! Enjoy!

P.S. You'll have to go push pause on my playlist to hear her, also.

Rainy Day

Ewww...nothing is worse than indoor recess on a Friday! I got up this morning and went to Curves. I even beat Bree to Queen City! Got to Curves and got my monthly weigh and measure...lost 6 pounds, 1 inch, and 3.something in body fat! Hurray for me, now if I can keep it off! At Curves, I realized that I had accidently grabbed Vance's phone, again! What is my problem? Anyway, he was less than pleased. I had to have Bree take it to Lancaster and Colby brought mine to school. He rode with Mrs. Worth this morning. That was very nice of her to pick him up so he didn't have to get on the bus at 7:10! I think he enjoyed it too!

At school....indoor recess...uggghhhh! I hope that it goes quickly and I can go home soon. We go to I-MO tonight to have a end of the week family celebration to close out VBS. That should be fun. We have nothing else planned this weekend, so hopefully we can relax and enjoy each other!

WOW!!!

What a week! I've never been so emotionally drained. It all started last week, with the request for a special board meeting and then preparing for it. I feel like I would make a pretty darn good reporter after all of the investigating I've done. I also think that I am going to just enjoy my children this weekend, b/c I have neglected them this week.

No details, but we felt very prepared for the meeting and hope the board was receptive. KTVO put it on the news which was interesting. I guess now the word is out and there is no turning back.

This week was VBS at my church. I feel like I haven't helped with it at all...oh wait, I haven't. I'm going to ride the bus to I-MO tomorrow which will somewhat make up for all of my absences this week. Colby had a game tonight and they did so great! We are very proud of their hitting progress and Colby is individually figuring out when to tag the base and when to throw the ball. I am proud of him b/c I still don't know when! Our third inning, EVERY kid got a hit. That is such a great feeling.

Yesterday, Miss Jenn aka...my sister, came into "my room" where I'm teaching 3rd grade summer school. She wanted me to go to the lunchroom and check on Bronson, he was crying. Bronson-cry...no way. Sure enough, there he sat with big tears running down his cheeks and he jumped in my arms when I walked in. A good feeling, but I hated that he was sad. He wanted his Da. I said that Da could get him off the bus, he thought that would be o.k. Needless to say, the tears would not stop and I told Bree I couldn't leave him there, so I brought him to her when I left at noon. I guess he wasn't ready, but I'm glad I could be there for him.

Speaking of being there for Bronson, I am also glad that I can be there for my kids too. That is why NO ONE will push me out of MY school. I was born in Schuyler County, went to school here, and got my first teaching job here. Now I am raising my children here, and I will remain here. I can OUTLAST anyone! Maybe we should get a motto...OUTLAST, OUT STAND, OUT THINK???!!! What do you think?

I'm pretty sure this blog does not make sense, b/c I'm rambling...sorry. I appreciate everyone keeping me and my colleagues in their prayers/thoughts last night. We will need continued support throughout next month. The next board meeting is June 19th if anyone wants to show their concern/support by being there!

Memorial day fun!

The result of much dirt moving by the bull dozer, if you look back on earlier blogs you can see that there was a HUGE dirt pile here that is all smoothed out now!
It's exciting to see how the yard will actually look.












Letting crappie go. Vance and Colby caught 35 and released them into our pond for future fishing enjoyment.
Emma got in on the action too!

Road Trip

Last weekend west Iowa, this week east Iowa. We went to Cedar Rapids to attend my cousin Sara's graduation party. The kids and I left Saturday, mid-morning and made the three hour trip up there. It was strange to travel without Vance. It's the first time I'm actually went SOMEWHERE without him and with the kids, without any other adult. We made the trip fine and stayed at the party for about 3 hours. Then on the road again to Muscatine Iowa. We stayed with my cousin Angela, Adam and Sara. We had a good time fishing (o.k Colby and Ang did), seeing the river, just hanging out, and feeding the variety of animals at Weed Park. It was nice to catch up with Angela, see Sara in action, and stay at their beautiful home. I got some good ideas for our house too!

Speaking of house, we are working on the floor this week. The bulldozer came last week to finish up on the dirt work, which he's working on this week too, b/c of the rain. Then comes the drain and finally the floor.

I agreed to teach summer school in the mornings for the first 12 days. It should be interesting b/c it's 3rd grade! I'm not sure how it will go, but surely I can't ruin them in 12 days right?!

Trying her hand at fishing...no luck.

Ahhh...this is the life!
Ready for the rain...
On the Mississippi



At Weed Park, 9 new ducklings. There were ducks, geese, turtles, and muskrats.

Fishing at Weed Park, it's going to take a lot of these to feed us!

The First Game

Colby's first ball game was Tuesday. He was very excited. He got to play pitcher, which is a high action spot. He loved fielding the ball and did a fairly good job of throwing it to first. When it came to batting, he hit both times without the aid of the tee, but then got out at first. He was very bummed about that and the second time started crying. He could not understand how their team could walk the ball not throw it. Afterwards, he said that his feelings felt hurt when he got out. I'm with you buddy! He's got Vance's competitive spirit and my soft heart...not a good combination. He's already stragetizing(sp) on how to hit the ball softly so the other team has to run a long ways to get it and that gives him more time to get to first base. His next game is tonight in Edina and Bree is in St. Louis with Braylon and I have the board meeting, so it's all Jared and Vance...whew! Well see how it goes.

ready for a hit

fielding the ball

going after it again

batting....

getting out, his good buddy Gavin is playing 1st base, that doesn't help

The weekend

This weekend, we drove up to Storm Lake, IA to see Jenn graduate. I made the same trip 6 years ago, when I graduated so it was kind of neat. When I made the trip, I had had Colby 9 days earlier, what an experience. We stopped in Des Moines and shopped at the Jordan Creek Mall, it was a neat mall. Vance and I had some wine at a shop at the mall. That was a nice, quiet 20 minutes. Then we went on to Fort Dodge, where we stayed in a hotel that had seen it's prime in 1975. There was carpet on the walls! We went to eat at Applebees and then went swimming.

Sunday dawned kind of nauseously, is that a word?, I thought I had too much of a good thing with wine, margaritas, cheesecake, etc. We went and had brunch and then headed to graduation. Afterwards, I could tell that things were not going to be good for me. Yep, I had the flu. I threw up on the way home and had chills. YUCK! It sure was a long drive home. Glad to have that milestone out of the way, now on to the next one...

Our family...perfect for us!

The sisters...aren't we lovely?

The whole fam...all shapes and sizes.

Rock skipping lessons.
Birthday pic with Emma.
Birthday pic with Colby and my new hat from Lauren. Vance thinks it looks like something out of a porn. How would he know?


Emma and Papa playing red light, green light.

Below: Emma just being Emma.

Starting Early

Miss Emma was a ball on Saturday. We had a lot of fun shopping. She made a long detour at the Build A Bear workshop, which Jenn has promised her can be her birthday present this year. Then, on to more shopping. Below I caught her scanning the racks at Baby Gap. So cute...just like a big girl! She even picked a dress and held it up to her, but decided purple would be a better choice. We looked throughout the whole mall, but never came up with a purple dress.

Another Emma funnny....

Last night, my mom and dad watched her while I worked the food stand at the ball game. Emma was watching Scooby Doo when I went to pick her up. She was a little bummed b/c she didn't get to finish it. We got in the car and she said, "That's o.tay, I'll just finish watching the movie behind my eyes. Did you know when you close your eyes there are movies on, Mom?" "No, Emma I sure did not know there are movies behind my eyes. I'll have to try that sometime!"

We tried Emma's new bad dream spray last night handmade from Mrs. Kenney. She was so excited to go to sleep. She giggled and squealed when I put her to bed and she slept straight through the night. Thanks Mrs. Kenney!

Track and Field Day

Track and field day dawned cold and cloudy. Did I mention the wind too? Brr...but we didn't let it dampend our spirits. Colby insisted on no coat and shorts because he can run faster. Also, he had on his new birthday shoes which were very speedy he informed me. I was afraid that Colby would not place in the first event and then would pout for the rest of the day, but he did very well bringing home 4 ribbons.

He got first in both 50 and 100 meter dash which made him very proud. Of course, his hero Rhett was there watching and that prompted him to run even faster. At the softball throw, he assured Rhett that he should have gotten 4th but somebody mixed his flag up. Rhett believed him and went and got him another ribbon. He was probably right b/c he pays attention to small details like that. Sometimes it helps to have people in high places:)

Colby was also lucky b/c his grandma, dad, and Emma came to watch him. Afterwards, Grandma even sat with him at lunch. What a lucky boy.

Little girls and Big attitudes

Miss Emma is a rare jewel. It seems to me that her funny attitude comes out at the strangest times. Here are a few of her funny stories....

Last week, her attitude wasn't very good. She had snotty things to say and her hand would go up on her hip and her head would get to bobbing. Everyday, I would pick her up and talk to her about being kind, etc. Finally, Thursday, Vance talked to her and it seemed to stick. Friday, I picked her up and she had been very good all day. She said, "I guess that little talk helped, I might need another one tomorrow!"

Every night, we say, "Hocus Pocus, rotten tomatoes, no bad dreams," after prayers. Well, Emma came out of her room and said, "Daddy, you know when you say hocus pocus, rotten potatoes, no bad dreams? Well, the bad dreams still comed!" Now we have to say, "ZAP!" also. If that doesn't work, I'm going to use Mrs. Kenney's magic spray!

The other morning, Vance and I were "bickering" it's really our love language...I suppose. Anyway, I smarted off something like well I don't like you! Emma said, "You married him mom, you're stuck!" From the mouths of babes!

At supper, it seemed like Colby was very demanding. I told him to wait, I was only one person and only had two hands. Emma said, "Yeah, she's not an octopus." Good point, Emma.

One night in the bathtub, Emma said, "Mom, Jesus loves everybody's heart, right?" I said, "Yes, Emma everybody." "Even us who are naughty sometimes," she asked. "Yes, Emma, even when we're naughty." She thought a few minutes, very quietly and then piped up "Well, Jesus, must also love Trayton Buckallew!" He is a very energetic, but sweet boy at Judy's. I agreed, Jesus does love Trayton Buckallew.

Last night, we were having supper and Emma said, "You know mom, sometimes when I'm awake a song starts playing in my head and then it comes right out of my mouth!" Too cute...

An Ordinary Day....

Just an ordinary day...kids, work, kids, etc. Went to Curves this morning. I was late b/c I couldn't decide what shoes to wear. This is a hard decision for me. I have to decide at 5:45 what clothes I want to wear at 7:45. Who out there has trouble deciding right at the moment not two hours before? Anyway, Bree laughed at me b/c I had 4 pairs of shoes and 20 egg cartons when I got out of my van. The egg cartons were for Braxton, not for my feet:) I wore the shoes I wanted to, which were walking tightly along the line of flip flops, BUT they had a heel. I asked Vance and he assured me that they were sandals, not sure he knows the difference, but it made me feel better.
Today during school, I taught my class how to put puzzles together. It's amazing what children don't know. I have a four year old at home that can put together a 100 piece puzzle and 7 year olds at school that can't do a 24 piece. No wonder they are behind when they get to school. It all starts at home and we can't always catch them up. I think parents need a screening process before creating children.
Tomorrow is Curves, work, and ball practice. 5 more days of school left...we are so excited! We also have someone coming to look at our house, so keep us in your thoughts tomorrow. Thanks in advance:)

A Good Cry....

Do you ever just need a good cry? I have been mentally listing my all time favorite cry movies.....

Stepmom
Beaches
Message in a Bottle
P.S. I Love You
Up Close and Personal

What's yours?.....

Birthday Boy

His shirt from Rhett.

Open Season from Corin and Steve.

Batting helmet from Bree and Jared.

His cake, the first year I haven't had some elaborate cake for Lauren to create.

Colby and Rhett at Rhett's track meet on HIS birthday.
Colby and Mrs. Worf (Worth) and a good buddy Ryan.
The big trail ride.

My dad telling a big story and letting the horse rest..whew!What a cowboy at the ripe age of 6!

Yesterday was Colby's birthday. He is now a big six year old. We started the day with a trail ride. He had lots of fun. He loves riding his pony if he has a reason for riding. There were 10 peeple in all including my dad, who is much more comfortable on a motorcycle. I started out on the ride, but then my horse, no fault to her, started bucking. I know I'm not a great rider and she knows I'm nervous. Those two things together are not a good combination. Anyway, I parked my horse at the Gray's and called my friend Bree to come and get me. No questions asked, she loaded all three boys up and came.

I then went home and finished getting ready for Colby' party. It kind of worked out well, b/c I didn't feel rushed. We had a weiner roast at the farm, which is a good thing b/c it started raining and raining and raining. Lots of people came and I think Colby should feel very special to get that many people to hang out all day! He gots lots of good presents. I have views on presents that just take up space. Little plastic toys that take batteries and get broken easy don't excite me too much. Plus, Colby does not play with toys much. Needless to say he got a ball bag and batting helmet, two movies Open Season and Young Guns, a plier case and pliers, a leapster and game, quite a bit of money, and his favorite a shirt that says: Rhett's #1 Fan! He was very excited about this shirt and wore it to church today.


Today we went to church and then to Aunt Marcia's for mothers day. I can't figure it out, but I have been very emotional this week. My sister and two others signed a song today and two ladies got baptized and I was blinking back tears like crazy. It probably doesn't help that I watched P.S. I Love You last night and cried the entire way through it. I feel like a emotional pregnant person. Not sure what that's all about: lack of sleep, feeling grateful? Who knows....

What a day!

Well...today started off on a good note. I layed in bed with my husband and we TALKED for a good 10 minutes. That's something that has been hard to squeeze in this week. Colby kept saying, what are you guys doing? I can see your foot mom! Yes, Colby, go get ready....

I went to work and felt rested and ready for the day. Then I got a text from Jenn...Mike got his job! Yay! Good for him and her, they get to move home, have summers off, etc!

I had a pretty good day with my class. They are just all a little whiny and I know it wasn't me today. So, I chalk yesterday's behavior up to their summer break fever and too much playing not enough sleep. I had one little boy that cried and cried and cried. I just found it amusing today, maybe b/c I knew he was going home at 1:00.

We went to the high school and had a end of the year celebration for retirements etc. My fourth grade teacher, Kocoa Vandike, retired after 32 years! What an accomplishment.

Then on to screening...we were really slow, so a few of us decided to work on the schedule for next year. I feel good about it, as long as everyone agrees. One grade wasn't represented, and that kept waying on my mind. It was a spur of the moment decision to work on it but I know I would have been upset if I wasn't there. On the other hand, it really, really needed to be done. Enough with the quick 10 minute meetings here and there. We worked on that thing for 3 hours! Hopefully, it can be tweaked here and there on Monday and everyone feels confident that it will work for next year. Then I have to remember that if we don't get more kids for kindergarten, I won't even be teaching kindergarten next year. I try to tell myself that that will be o.k, but I know deep down that it won't. Next year, when all of those kids come in with bright, shiny faces, I won't get to hug them and show them to their desks. Plus, I know it will be a disappointment for a lot of students that I know throughout the county. They will expect to see my face:) as beautiful as it is.

After screening, Emma and I made a mad dash to KV. She was a great shopper and I greatly appreciated it. We bought all of the groceries needed for Colby's birthday. Hotdogs, buns, smores, drinks, etc. We also bought a few presents. His big present is a new pen for his pony...what he wanted. We got him a lifejacket, tennis shoes, a imaginetext toy, a few books, etc.

Hopefully, the rain will hold off for ONE more day and we can enjoy the trail ride. Birthday pictures soon....

zzzzzzzz.....

Well, this morning, I was so tired that I literally wanted to cry like a little kid. All of this running is doing me in. I went to Curves and on to work. The day started out pretty good, but quickly went down hill. I hope my tiredness didn't make them crazy, I think it's just the end of the year. We went and visited the baby chick in 2nd grade. That gave them something to look forward to when they get to be 2nd graders. We also did a little testing for the end of the year....never fun.

During my break, I finalized our window order. Whew....talk about nerve racking. We're still having discussion on the egress window well. The lumberyard must not sell a lot of them, b/c they seem to be completely in the dark. Windows are a big chunk of money and could be a huge problem if I did it wrong. Thankfully, my aunt is helping us, so I have an inside link:)

I got to go down to Colby's room at his snack time to be there for his birthday snack. That was fun being on the other side of the teacher desk! He took strawberries and push ups. I know, kind of a strange combination. Thank you Mrs. Garrett for watching my class, so I could be a mommy!

At rest time, I did a 6th grader's hair for the musical tonight. That was fun and some of the girls seemed to enjoy it. We ran into Bronson and the rest of the Shaws. Bronson ended up coming home with us which was great b/c Colby was completely distracted playing with him and I got to doze on the couch.

Then, off to ball practice. I forgot to bring a drink for the boys and when I realized that I knew it would be a rough night. My feelings got hurt right at the start which put me in a bad mood, but I tried to shake it off. I got to throw grounders at the kids and see if they could scoop them up. Not sure if I did it right, but it was fun. We played a mock game and I thought they looked really good! We're moving into the big leagues now:)

We had a handful of mushrooms for supper, yum yum!

I think this is the first blog in a long time that I'm not posting pictures. Sorry, just don't have a new phase of the house yet.

Tomorrow promises to be a busy day. Work, screening, shopping, and getting ready for Colby's trail ride/b-day party. Hopefully, everyone will be in better humor. Until then.....

A note from the desk of Mrs. Frederick

All year long, my class collects stuff, a.k.a junk. We collect this stuff with the anticipation of making robots. Late in the year, we have the chapter on 3-dimensional shapes. We teach the kids: cylinder, sphere, rectangular prism, cube, and cone. Try to get 5 year olds to say rectangular prism...kind of like metamorphosis! Parents have been sending in boxes, toilet paper tubes, etc, etc, etc and we finally get to build. I always have some unsuspecting helper on hand and I prepare them with a roll of packing tape and away we go. You can see, that we have lots of fun and no one gets hurt:) The kids love using their imaginations and skills to create the most interesting robot. Some just start heaping junk on and some plan and measure and stew until it all comes together. When we finish, we travel throughout the school speaking of our fancy words and of course leave with robot noises. It's a great way to close out the year!