Isaiah

I went to several yard sales this past weekend and I was so excited to find that Isaiah's grandparents were having one. I was really hoping to see Isaiah. When I first got there he wasn't there because his grandmother had gone to pick up one of her grandsons and she'd taken him with her. I chatted with his grandfather for a little bit, then I walked across the road to another yard sale. By the time I was done there, they were back. I got to hold my little Isaiah again! It was so good to see him. He seemed really happy and kept blowing raspberries. He didn't seem upset about me holding him. The only sad thing is that he's pretty behind developmentally. He's already getting speech, OT and PT and he just turned one. He just started sitting up on his own a few weeks ago. I feel so sad for him. I was really hoping he wouldn't be behind. Before I left, his grandmother gave me a picture of him on his birthday, with green frosting all over his face! It's hanging on our fridge now, next to Delson's picture.

Books I've Read in 2009

Here's what I've read so far this year. I usually read a lot more than this!

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Watsons go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

Most of the following textbooks (for my graduate classes):
Assessing Writers by Anderson
Teaching for Deep Comprehension by Dorn & Soffos
Guiding Readers and Writers by Fountas & Pinnell
Nonfiction in Focus by Kristo & Bamford
Still Learning to Read by Sibberson & Szymusiak
Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide by Fletcher & Portalupi)
It's Being Done by Karen Chenoweth
The New Meaning of Educational Change by Michael Fullan
Shaping School Culture by Deal & Peterson
Enhancing Professional Practice by Danielson
12 Brain/Mind Principles in Action by Caine, Caine, McClintic & Klemek
Teaching the Brain's Natural Learning Systems by Givens

Ghost Sitter by Peni R. Griffin
Switching Well by Peni R. Griffin
Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
Memoirs of a Baby Stealer: Lessons I've Learned as a Foster Mother by Mary Callahan
Off to School by Irene Hannigan
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
Our Heritage: A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult
This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury
A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson
A Dream to Call My Own by Tracie Peterson
The Longing by Beverly Lewis
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Storekeeper's Daughter by Wanda E. Brunstetter
23 Third Graders and a Bunny by Phillip Done
I'll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark

Nathan's birthday party!

We had a party for Nathan on Sunday evening. He had picked out a Wall-E cake earlier in the week. He was so excited about that. We had family over from both sides, plus Logan (they've been to each other's birthday parties each year) and Maisey and Aubreigh. He got a lot of nice presents that he was really excited about. His favorite was a Wall-E from my Mom. It's magnetic and you can take it apart and put it back together.

On his actual birthday, which was Monday, I picked him up early from preschool and we went to Crestholm Farm for ice cream. Then we let him open one more present right before FHE. It was a book called Who's Your Hero? Vol. II. He already had volume I and loves it. My mom had given it to him for Christmas. The series is just fabulous for kids his age. They are really well written and the illustrations are great, too. It focuses on what we can learn from each of the people in the scriptures. We've read volume I several times, which is all about Nephi, Ammon and Abinadi. The new one has Helaman's Warriors, Enos and Alma the Younger. Each section tells the story and then gives suggestions on how you can be like that person. We read two of the stories last night for Family Home Evening. I can't wait to get the next two. I think they have 4 or 5 volumes out now.

Misc.

Mother's Day was really nice. Dan gave me 2 hanging pink geraniums for the porch. I love them, and I'm determined to keep them alive this year. Nathan gave me a flower and card that he made in preschool. The flower is made from plastic spoons painted purple. It's really cute. I'm going to try to take a picture of it sometime outside. I tried to take a picture of it inside and it didn't turn out right. The colors were really distorted. Dan and Dad made Mom and I supper. Dad barbecued some chicken and Dan made a potato salad. It was so good. I felt really blessed.

Nathan did kindergarten registration on the 14th. He did a good job. The speech therapist and the kindergarten teachers did a quick screening and they weren't concerned about anything. It was kind of weird because I work there and I know all the teachers. I was super excited, though, for Nathan to begin this new adventure in his life.

I've almost completed Nathan's preschool (2-5) scrapbook. It's coming out so cute. Now I just need to get his professional pictures done. I always get them done around his birthday. I can't wait. He'll look so cute with his missing teeth.

CKC (Creating Keepsakes Convention)

This is the trunk of Mom's car before we headed home from CKC. Needless to say, we did a lot of shopping. It was so awesome! I probably spent more money than I should, but I didn't go into debt for it, so I guess it's okay. I took a couple of classes and Mom took 4. Other than that, we did lots and lots of shopping at the vendor fair. It's hard to describe how great it is. One of the funnest things about the convention is meeting other scrappers who are just as into it as I am. I can totally relate to them. I ran into a teacher that I knew and she and a friend were talking about this convention being the best time of year. Her daughter had asked her, "What about Christmas?" and she replied, "No, this is better." That just cracked me up. Even when you're just shopping you end up talking to the people around you because everyone's there for the same reason. One time, I was looking at a wall full of awesome products and I said, "Wow, this is overwhelming." and the lady next to me said, "That's an understatement." It was so funny. Another time, this lady joined Mom and I for lunch. We swapped ideas of scrapping projects that we want to do or have already done. By the time we left, we all had new ideas that we wanted to try. Now I can't wait to use all my new stuff! Life is good.

Nathan lost another tooth!

Nathan lost his second tooth just two days after he lost his first one. He looks so adorable. This one wasn't half as traumatic because it just fell out on his own. Luckily, he didn't swallow it. He came into the room and proudly stuck out his hand, which held his tooth. We thought he had pulled it out because he had just shown us how loose it was, but he said it fell out when water (saliva) hit it. He sounds so cute when he talks. He had a lisp anyway, but now it's even more pronounced without those bottom two teeth there!

Photo Hunters Theme: In Memory

Gramp Record, Gram & Gramp LaFlamme and Matt

Nathan lost a tooth!

Nathan lost his first tooth tonight! He was so dramatic about it. He has had two loose teeth for weeks, but he didn't really want them to come out. No amount of bribing or talking about the tooth fairy helped. Finally, we told him tonight that it had to come out. It was getting all discolored because we couldn't brush it well. I didn't want my baby walking around with gray/black teeth. Yuck! So, after he wiggled it for a long time, he sat on Dan's lap and Dan held his head, and I just reached in and pulled it. It was practically ready to fall out anyway, but you would have thought I was doing a root canal with no novacane from the way he screamed. He is so dramatic! Anyway, within a few minutes he was all calmed down, and actually seemed pleased that it was out. We called Grammy to tell her (she has a thing about teeth. She loves it when any of the grandkids have loose teeth) and then he sat with Daddy for a while.

Photo Hunters Theme: Walking

This is me! I must have been learning to walk because I look kind of unsteady. I love this little dress that I'm wearing. It was one of my mom's favorite dresses of mine.