January was a very busy month. It was so busy that I only got a few pictures of what we did. You know it is busy when that happens.
Jeremy spent the first three days of the year at Ichicon. He had an absolute blast. Everything anime all in one location. The first day Steve went with him to check it out and make sure Jeremy was going to be safe the other two days. Steve said it was a total geek fest and was really fun. Jeremy went the second day by himself. Nick, Naomi and I dropped him off because we wanted to see what Steve had been talking about when he described some of the people. It was insane and I could see why Jeremy was loving it so much. On the third day he and his friend Justice (the one in the sailor outfit) decided to dress up. Jeremy was Dr. Hooves which is a My Little Pony spoof of Dr. Who. I thought he would be tired of the con by the third day after having spent 6 hours the first day and 10 hours the second day. NOPE!! He came home after 13 hours the third day ready for next year's con. What a nut!
While Jeremy was at his con, I got to go on the shopping spree Steve gave to me for Christmas. Nick played in a church basketball game and scored a point. Everyone cheered when the ball went in. The older boys kept feeding the ball to the younger boys until one of them would make it. We lost the game according the scoreboard, but won the game according to the smiles on the boys' faces. It was great. I also got all the Christmas decorations put away.
January 5th I started my month-long subbing job for the dance and drama teacher at Lake Norman Charter. I was really nervous that first day, but quickly got the hang of everything I needed to get done. January 8th was a very cold day. The morning started off at only 10 degrees and didn't get above 23 degrees. My rooms at both the middle school and the highschool had several outside doors and were therefore very chilly. I brought in hot chocolate for everyone so that we wouldn't freeze.
January 10th Steve took an archery class that got him certified to teach archery as well as be a merit badge counselor for the archery merit badge. He was so excited.
January 11th I started taking a family history class at church. It was really interesting to see all the work that has already been done on both sides of my family as well as what work still needs to be done. I even met a cousin by marriage while trying to fix the mistake that Grandma Taylor was deceased when she is very much alive. It was really cool.
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| Naomi messing around with the Bananagrams tiles and spelling out things she loves. |
January 12-16 was a good week for subbing. The kids are all getting into the rhythm of the new semester and we are getting used to each other as well. Nick told me that his social status has climbed because I am a sub. That is worth it right there.
January 18th, after weeks of "subbing" for the chorister in primary I was officially given the job. This is going to be a fun calling.
January 19th, although I was enjoying being with the kids, I realized this week just how hard teachers work and what kind of minefields they have to traverse on a daily basis. In theater the 8th graders kept asking me why they couldn't swear in school. We had the talk about polite language and its usage in the business world versus using whatever words pop into their heads at any given moment. I also learned that there is a lot of political tape to go through even to accomplish the most simple of tasks. I was looking forward to Mr. Willits return so he could deal with it all once again.
Side note - no more night lights at our house. My babies are growing up. I am in denial.
January 24th Steve and the boys spent the day at the temple while Naomi and I did some reading, sewing and cleaning. I finished reading "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the second time. I really didn't enjoy the book in highschool, but I loved it this time. I understood more of what was going on and could appreciate the plot more.
January 25th - being the chorister in primary is a ton of fun. It is a totally different thing now that I am officially in the calling because I can do all the things I have been working on for the last month. The kids seemed to have a great time as well. I actually got one little boy to sing who has never sung word before because he is so shy.
January 26th must have been a full moon because all the boys in 7th grade dance class were bouncing off the walls. They started climbing on the tables and rolling in "Mr. Willits' chair". Both of these are rules set by the school and I had to give out silent lunches for breaking safety rules. Then in 8th grade dance, the boys wanted to have a pretend basketball game while the girls cheered them on. They had been working so hard I gave them twenty minutes to have their "game" and then we would get back to work. I was answering a question for one of the students when I heard someone yell, "Dylan, get down!" By the time I turned around Dylan was back on the ground from where ever he had been (which was apparently on top of the vending machine). I couldn't do anything about it because I didn't actually see him on top of the machine. The class did get a lecture about not climbing on things and pretend basketball has been banned until further notice. Yup! Must have been a full moon. Did I mention I was looking forward to Mr. Willits return??
January 27th Naomi went to the Latta Plantation on a field trip. She loved seeing where the slaves lived. It was not a very big house for 30 slaves. She also liked the kitchen house where all of the food for the big house was prepared. It gave her a better understanding of what life was like during the slave years in the South.
That night was a Court of Honor for the troop. Steve gave out several rank advancements, multiple merit badges and even had an Eagle ceremony all in one night. He has been very busy as scoutmaster.
January 30th was my last day subbing. With all the hard times throughout the month I have to say that I really enjoyed being with these kids. They made me feel young. "You look too young to have a 16 year old, Mrs. Cannon." Over at the high school I was helping one group with a read-through of their play when another teacher came in the room and asked some of the kids by the door where their teacher was. They looked around and said, "Our teacher is in here somewhere." They couldn't find me because they said I blended in with all the other kids. I wouldn't trade the month for anything. I learned so much, but I am happy to turn it all back over to Mr. Willits.
That night Steve and I got online and purchased tickets for the Broadway tour of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." We are all so excited to get to see it live on stage. Now we just have to wait until the end of February.
