Easter

PartyEmma

Emma had her "party" today.

Happy 6th Birthday, Emma

She likes her Hot Wheels track.

Emma was proud of her "crazy" socks.

Helper

Addi likes to help inside and outside.

School Picture

I used a cool piece of software to modify Emma's kindergarten picture to look like a painting.

Halloween Parade

Emma's kindergarten class had a "Halloween Parade" today.

Halloween

These looks resemble the girls early in the morning. Actually, these are the looks "By Brittany" for Halloween at Hidden Hollow.

Easy Morning Of Hair

This was "crazy hair" day at Emma's school. I escaped the scrutiny of "Judge Hair Wife" for one morning.

Preschool

This was Addi's first day of preschool. Her teacher living next door ranks high on the efficiency scale.

Pals

Emma & Major are buddies.

Waiting

Addi gave me a "charity" grin while waiting for Emma's soccer practice to end.

Kindergarten

This was Emma's first day of kindergarten.

Lagoon

We took the kids to Lagoon and Emma appeared to have a good time. We discovered Addi takes her rides seriously...doesn't crack much of a smile ever.

It's Official!

I am now a college graduate.

Is It Possible?

I've completed the last of my classwork at UVU. I am "unofficially" a college graduate. I'm not believing anything until the "piece of paper" arrives in the mail.

Presents

Presents from Grandpa Beavin.

The kids tend to forget the appropriate use of various items.

Emma and Addi - My Little Princesses

So Mark took like 20 photos and this was the best he got. Do you like Emma's broken crown? Yeah well I wasn't buying another one! Maybe next year I can do costumes in advance and they can be really cute? Don't count on it!

Addi AKA Snow White

This is Addi's favorite costume ever. She wears it at least once every day (well not the makeup). This was prior to going trick-or-treating and she was actually in a good mood at this point and time. That didn't last long.

Addi's Birthday Cake

So I didn't think I would be able to pull this cake off. I will never ask my child what kind of cake she wants again. I expected a princess cake but didn't expect "a princess cake that is Cinderella, in blue with a crown" ug.

Lots Of Pumpkins

Emma enjoyed her preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch.

Oreos

What child doesn't like the sight of Oreo cookies? ;)

The girls.

Sisters

The girls are very much like their Dad regarding the camera.

Emma hanging out at a neighborhood birthday party.

Nope

Addi wasn't having any part of sleeping.

Kamas

...searching for acorns.

The Calm

A full belly works for kids and adults.

Emma had a blast with her Engar cousins in Indiana.

Mark's Grades

So once again I thought I would take a little time to brag about my better half. He just got his grades for what is essentially his last semester of class work (student teaches in the fall) and pulled out a 3.75 GPA. Not bad considering he spent a majority of the semester doing homework long after the rest of us had gone to bed and spent his days (while not in class) holding his 2 year old that has developed the inability to go anywhere without someone holding her. Not bad dear!

Emma

Just in case anyone was wondering.... Emma is writing her name now - and writing it EVERYWHERE with EVERYTHING. It is on the driveway in chalk, on every paper she can find with whatever writing instrument she can use (including eyeliner and lipstick) and on my leather couch - (but only "scrached in" as she put it). I can't even make pancakes without making at least a "big E". So needless to say the EMMA on the blog... Emma did that on the computer.

The Beavin/Engar Competition Combination

La La La La

Emma asked about 1,479 times before I caved for sanity reasons.

Start 'em early

Britt has decided that Addi can do a better job with the laundry.

The nose is fine but...

...yeah.

Down for the Count

It's been a while since I've posted a snoozing Emma.

Which child is under the blanket?

Go Figure

I taught two lessons at a charter school last week for a class assignment. Something struck me as a little funny a couple days later. I struggled for so long in classrooms that the thought of ever "teaching" was the equivalent of saying I scored a 30 on my ACT. But I felt very natural in the classroom. I walked around the classroom while explaining the different types of violence (that was the lesson). I didn't stutter a bit and the students were raising their hands at will. I asked a couple students to put their earphones away and they did without rolling the eyes or asking why.

Sports were always natural for me but being in that classroom was pretty darn close. I didn't worry about the time and I let the students share their stories and opinions.

I was taken back while the class was working on a vocabulary crossword puzzle. I was very open with inviting the class to ask for help and a student took me up on it. He was having difficulty with the definitions of a few words. I instantly warped back to middle school while walking over to help him. I was ALWAYS needing help in school but I was always afraid to ask. I pulled up a chair and started to explain the differences between the vocabulary words. He was really trying but just coming up a little short. He didn't know the definition of "stereotype" and he appeared to be a little embarrassed about it. I quickly mentioned a few examples of a stereotype. He instantly picked out the right meaning and filled in the boxes. He just needed a little explanation and he was on his way. That situation was awesome.

Students should never be embarrassed or ashamed to ask questions. Any teacher who inflicts guilt on a student should be out of the classroom. Go and take the power trip elsewhere.

Yes, I will never be the perfect teacher. I will have my good and bad days but I will never sacrifice a student's will to learn. I have yet to meet anybody who has learned anything without asking questions.

Basement Update

The basement is almost ready for paint. I need to caulk a few more areas and finish framing the windows. I've installed most of the baseboards but my ability to install doors basically sucks. A friend is coming tomorrow to assist me with my freakin' doors.

I love caulk. I've even caulked the corners so I can have a smooth paint line between the wall and the ceiling. Britt thinks I'm crazy but the finished product will look good. That's all that matters.

Who's turn?

...and we wonder why the kids rotate weeks being sick.