December 2014

December crept up on us fast this year.  With Thanksgiving so late in the month of November it felt like we hadn't even cleaned up the turkey before December arrived.  We hit the ground running to fit everything in. 

December 1 I subbed for Mrs. Stinson again.  The kids and I were getting to know each other fairly well and we were even getting along and having a great time.  I loved that I could call them by name.  I will always remember this day though because it was the day that I learned about the "s" word.  Riley came to me complaining that Brodie was saying the "s" word.  I had been subbing in the 8th grade and had to get my mind out of 8th grade vocabulary and back into first grade vocab. 

Me:  Did he say "stupid"?

Riley:  No

Me:  Did he say "shut up"?

Riley:  No

Me:  (in my head) crap (out loud) Tell Brodie to come here please.  Brodie, I hear you said the "s" word.

Brodie:  (softly while looking at the floor) Yes.

Me:  Mrs. Cannon does not know what the "s" word is.  Will you please tell me?

Brodie:  No.  It's a bad word.

Me:  I need to know so I can help you, ok?  You won't be in trouble.  Please tell me just this once.

Brodie:  (He looked me right in the eyes sighed and then whispered) Sexy.

Me:  (Trying not to laugh)  You have older brothers and sisters at home don't you?

Brodie:  Yes

Me.  Between you and me, Brodie, that is not a really bad word, but I wouldn't say it anymore around Riley because it is really upsetting her.  OK?  

Brodie:  OK (very relieved to not be trouble)

Me:  Now hurry back to your seat and get your work done (...so Mrs. Cannon can laugh).  

Never a dull moment with first graders.  

December 3rd I woke up with complete laryngitis.  There was absolutely no voice left and I had to substitute at the middle school.  Let's just say that the kids got a big kick out of my lack of voice.  I made it through the day with very  little incident.  

December 5th while Naomi was at Emily's birthday party I went shopping for my own birthday presents.  It was fun to wander around Target and pick out slippers and a couple of sweaters for the kids to give to me.  Steve has been slammed at work with one employee who moved to a different department, one employee who is about to have a baby any day and a new employee to train.   He is doing all this on top of his scoutmaster responsibilities which are big right now because he has three more scouts finishing up their Eagle paperwork for submission before the end of the year.  When I got back to the party to pick up Naomi the room was in chaos and the kids were having a grand time.  They were at a place called "Defy Gravity" which is wall to wall trampolines and obstacle courses.  It looked really fun.  

December 6th Jeremy went to the paintball fieldtrip with the Outdoor Club.  Nick spent the day at Matt's house.  When Jeremy got back from paintball he had just enough time to shower and get to Jose's party.  Both Nick and Jeremy said it was the best day ever.  Naomi loved it because her brothers were gone and she had me all to herself.  

December 9th I woke up, got everyone off to school and work, did my Zumba, read my scriptures, showered, ate breakfast and went to visit with Sister Ford before heading to the LNC library to volunteer.  I got to talk with my parents in the afternoon before heading to choir practice that night.  A day full of my favorite things.  

Me and Sister Ford. 

December 10th I spent the whole day at home working on projects for Christmas.  When Naomi got home from school she was so proud to show me she had lost a tooth during the day.  I told her she needed to put it under her pillow so the tooth fairy could bring her some money.  The tricky little girl decorated an envelope and attached a quiz for the tooth fairy to complete.  She was shocked and thrilled when the questions and picture had been completed the following morning.  

December 12th we had another girls lunch.  This time we celebrated Christy's and my birthdays.  Sara and Julie had fixed Pad Thai and cheesecake for me.  It was great.  Christy had a German chocolate cake all to herself.  As always, we laughed until our faces and sides were sore.

That night was the ward Christmas party.  We had dinner and our traditional slide show of then and now pictures.  I submitted the following pictures and our then and our current family photo for the now.

December 14th Steve started the day at Urgent Care with acute bronchitis.  I was getting laryngitis again but not as bad this time.  My voice held out long enough to complete the ward choir Christmas sacrament meeting.  This is no small thing because there are only three altos and if I bailed...It went very well and the music sounded the best it ever has.  The Activity Day Girls choir sounded amazing as well.  Naomi loved singing in both choirs.

That night we went to the Todd's house to say goodbye to Zach before he left on his mission.  He is going to be a dynamic missionary.  I haven't met anyone that does not like Zach.

This year for Christmas Rick and EllaRene sent the kids money and they were to pick out a present for someone in need.  They wanted us to help make someone else's Christmas a little better.  Every year our church has an angel tree and the kids picked someone off of this.   We took the kids shopping and let them pick out the items for their person.  It was a fun night.  

December 16th was a marathon day.  It started with me exercising and reading the scriptures, like always.  I then ran to Target to try and find some Duplo blocks for a 4-year-old we had taken off the giving tree at church.  I got the last set in the store.  I then picked Jeremy up from his half day at school.  The high school was taking mid terms and so they only had to attend for half the day.  I had a quick bite to eat at home and them went to visit with Sister Ford.  At my last visit she had told me how much she missed crocheting so I told her I would bring her some supplies the next time I came.  When I handed her the yarn and hook she immediately started crocheting.  It was completely muscle memory.  I hope it helps her stay a little more calm on her upcoming flight to Vegas to be with family for Christmas.  She hates flying and airports.  After chatting with Sister Ford and Sandy for a bit I went to the middle school library to volunteer.  On the way home Nick was telling me that his back wire was really eating up his cheek. I tried calling the ortho to see if they could trim it for him, but their line was busy.  Since it was just the two of us and Jeremy could get Naomi off the bus I drove straight to the ortho. The reason the phone line was busy was because so many people were coming down with the flu they were all calling to cancel their appointments.  They got Nick in right away and fixed the wire problem.  He is much happier.  Back at home I fixed dinner.  Steve took the boys to the caroling activity and I took Naomi to the church for her Achievement Days activity.  Sister Jarvis pulled me aside and said that some of the girls hadn't brought a present for the gift exchange.  Would I have time to run to the store and pick up a couple of items?  I was happy to help out.  I got back just in time for the gift exchange.  That night I fell into bed grateful that I was able to get so much done.

December 18th I subbed the 1/2 day for Mr. Willits at the middle school so he could conduct the mid terms at the high school.  The kids were finishing watching the movie "Hairspray".  It was fun to watch them watch the movie.   I met Mr. Willits after the half day was done so he could give me all the stuff I would need to conduct his classes for him during the month of January.  (Did I forget to tell you?  I am subbing for Mr. Willits the entire month of January while he is out recovering from shoulder surgery).  By the time he was done giving me everything I was completely overwhelmed, but excited.  I ran Jeremy to the orthodontist and then we went out to lunch before I had to be back to the middle school to pick up Nick.  On the way home from school, Nick decided he really wanted pizza for dinner so we stopped at Aldi and picked up what we would need and then went home to chill.

December 19th I subbed for Mrs. Kochever (she was out due to a death in the family).  This is of note primarily because today was the day for all the grades to have their Winter parties hosted by the PTA.  My class was scheduled for first thing in the morning which meant ice cream with crushed Oreos and chocolate sauce at 8:30 am.  You can imagine how the day went from there.  The kids were so excited about the Christmas break they could hardly sit still.  And they did hardly sit still.  To relax I went to the grocery store after I dropped Naomi off at home.  That says it all.  I really don't like grocery shopping, but...

December 20th the boys went with Steve to stack wood as a service project for scouts.  Naomi had a practice at the church for the upcoming Stake Christmas Musical Fireside.  She was singing with her Achievement Day Girls choir.  Haylie Tufts came home with us and played for a bit until we had to go to a family party at one of Jeremy's friend's houses.  The Gerrard's really know how to throw a party.  There was food everywhere and the entire basement was an entertainment mecca for the kids.  We had a great time.

December 21st was a marathon church day.  I spent the morning getting all the cookies ready for the kids' teachers at church.  We packed a picnic dinner and headed to church at the normal time.  Steve had an Eagle Board of Review for one of his scouts directly after church and then it would be the stake fireside after that so we had a picnic in my room during the board of review and were ready for the program when it started.  Naomi and her group sounded amazing and she had a great time singing with her friends.

December 22nd I woke up to the realization that I hadn't taken the kids shopping for their presents for Steve or for each other.  Nick and I headed out first thing and spent the morning looking all over town for the one present he wanted to get Jeremy.  We finally found it at a great little shop called "Video Game World".  We could have gotten lost in there all day, but pulled ourselves away so we could finish what needed to be done.  Just as Naomi and I were arriving at the mall to get Jeremy's gift I got a panicked call from a sister in the ward whose refrigerator had died during their move and she needed help getting the new fridge to her house.  Could they borrow the truck?  As luck would have it, we had just the right amount of time between getting Jeremy's present and getting to our hair cut to help them out.  It was actually a fun thing getting it loaded up, tied down and driving it to their house.  Naomi and I made it to our haircut with minutes to spare.  We both feel like new women now with our new haircuts.

December 23rd I was in the doctor's office getting a prescription for my sinus infection. I was shocked when he told me I had an ear infection as well.  No wonder the right side of my head hurt so much more than the left.  After picking up my prescription I ran home to make sure Nick was ready to go to his friends house when they arrived to pick him up.  Naomi was laying on the couch wrapped in a blanket and not feeling well.  Oh boy. Later that evening, when I picked Nick up he was not feeling well either.  His throat was on fire and he had a barking cough.

December 24th I took Nick to see the doctor.  He had been up during the night unable to swallow because his throat hurt so much and his cough was making it worse.  They did a strep test on him and it came back negative.  The culprit was most likely a nasty virus since there was no fever or other signs of infection.  We relaxed the rest of the day and went to bed early.

December 25th was also spent relaxing.  We had cinnamon rolls and cinnamon roll waffles for breakfast and opened presents all morning.  We got to talk with family from all over the US and Ecuador as well.

 'Nuf said.

 Nick's dream car in his favorite color.

 Just what she always wanted. 

 Nick was so sick he had to wear this mask so he didn't share with the rest of us.  He was a good sport about it.  

 A fusion of art and science - GENIUS!!

 Jeremy in his new coat, Tardis tie and Soul Republics.  He is one happy boy.

 'Tis the season to eat...

December 26th and 27th I spent the whole day getting my curriculum together for the dance classes at the middle school.  I had a blast doing some research on the history of dance and putting together a Power Point presentation (complete with videos). 

December 28th I was released, after two years, from Sunbeams.  Bitter sweet day for me.

December 31st we fixed a huge Chinese New Year dinner.  We had gyoza, won tons, Mongolian Beef and Broccoli and Shrimp Creole.    We had so much left over that we called the Todds and the Stewarts.  Julie and Shelli came right over to help us out.  They took a bunch back to their families for the following day.  They even helped with the dishes before they left.  That is a win-win situation if I every heard of one.   We watched fireworks in the cul-de-sac with our neighbors, watched a year in photos and rang in the new year at midnight before crashing well into the new year!!!  

 ...and eat and eat.

 Yummy!

 A goofy picture at midnight.  We are all a little tired.  Can you tell?

January 1st, Nick spent most of the day putting this Brick Em Young temple together.  He loves Legos and when my mom saw this earlier in the year she know Nick would love it.  He certainly did.  See the proud look on his face.  It was not an easy project, but he loved every minute of it.  He wanted me to include these pictures in my December blog since I hadn't posted it yet.  

November 2014

November involved a lot of errand running, party hopping, play practicing and performing, cooking, baking, driving to visit family, etc.  It was a busy month, but what month hasn't been busy.  

November we had choir practice at our house for most of the month.  Naomi loved it because everyone was at our house.  I didn't mind because it gave me an excuse to get the house straightened up once a week.  The boys loved it because they had an excuse to hang in their rooms on Sunday mornings.  Steve loved it because he got to go for a drive.  

November 4th I drove the boys to school and got to stay for a Principal Chat at the high school.  I had never done this before and was excited to hear all that was going on at the high school.  I learned a lot about classes that are beneficial to take and how to help Jeremy pick his classes for the coming year.  I also learned that I am a laid back parent.  I thought I worried too much about academic performance and placed too much emphasis on getting the best grades possible.  NOPE!  There was one mother there who was worried that her daughter was not going to get into the same prestigious university both she and her husband attended because she was getting a B in one class (one of 4 AP classes I might add).  The message was, encourage your student to do their best and then push just a little harder to make sure it is their best.  Beyond that there is little to nothing else you can do.  Be a good support.  I left the meeting and headed straight to my voting site.  I was surprised that the line was as long as it was.  It took me an hour to get to the voting booth, but voting is always worth it.  I then delivered water to the work crew at Hind's Feet Farm.  Steve's company was doing a day of service there and they were all thirsty.  I got home just in time to get Naomi off the bus.  We turned the afternoon into a play date with the Tufts girls so that Tabitha could go vote as well.  It was fun and busy day.

November 6th was much less hectic.  I stayed home all day and caught up on the growing list of things that needed to be done around the house.  When Nick got home from school he wanted to go on a bike ride.  He came back in the house after about an hour and was holding his tailbone.  Apparently he had taken an abrupt turn (probably trying to drift like the big super cars) when his pedal hit the pavement catapulting the seat of his bike right into his tailbone. I think he may have broken his tailbone.  (It is now the 31st of December and his tailbone is still a bit sore).  That night we went to Lake Norman Charter to see the plays before the kids headed off to competition the following day.   We were able to give feedback as well as the experience of performing in front of a live audience.  

November 7th Jeremy headed to the North Carolina Theater Competition with his class mates.  I subbed for Mr. Willits that day since he was with the kids.  Drama and dance are much more fun to sub than any other subject.  One class was working on pantomime and so we got to watch Mr. Bean videos so they could get ideas.  It was great.  After school I took Naomi shopping for a birthday present for her friend Anusha.  By the time we got home we had just enough time to fix dinner and then get back to LNC to pick up Jeremy.  He had a great time watching all the other plays.  He realized just how limited his writing has been up to this point and wants to expand his abilities.  YAY!  Today Jeremy was stage crew for one of the plays.  Tomorrow is the play he is actually in.  I sent him straight to bed once we got home since it would be a long day.  

November 8th - I got Jeremy to school at 6 am.  He was really excited to be performing today.  Since Steve will be helping with the district scout training during the regular performances he drove to Statesville to see their performance.  He was so excited when he called to tell me they had nailed it.  The audience loved the performance.  I took Naomi to Anusha's birthday party and Nick and I went to Dairy Queen to get one of their pumpkin pie Blizzards while we were waiting.  I am so glad Dairy Queen only does this flavor during the month of November otherwise I would be as big as a barge in no time flat.  We picked up Naomi (who had a blast with her friends playing laser tag) and hurried home to clean the house.  We had received a letter from the home owners association pointing out that there was "unsightly mold" on the side of our house and we needed to remove it by the 10th.  So we literally had to clean the house - outside!!  Thank goodness it was a nice day.  We got out the power washer, ladder and our rain gear.  Steve and I went up on the roof with the power washer and got rid of all the mildew and mold and anything else we thought they might complain about.  Our house is now really clean on the outside.  While we were doing this the Wolfe's stopped by to drop off Ryan so he could hang with Nick.  They got a good laugh out of me in my rain gear holding the power washer so it wouldn't fall off the roof while Steve was halfway up the side cleaning.  I had to wear rain gear because the hose on the washer had a small hole in it and I would have gotten soaked otherwise.  FUN TIMES!  I am glad that our neighbors and friends were amused.  That made it all worth it.  That was the last job our power washer would be asked to perform because it turned out that there was not a hole in the hose but the entire piece where the hose attaches to the machine was cracked.  I guess we are getting a new power washer.  This one had a good life and washed many garbage cans while raising funds for scouting.  May it rest it peace.  

That night when we picked Jeremy up at the school he was so excited because their plays got "Superior" ratings as well as two of the five awards.  Mr. Willits got the "Best Director" award and the young man who designed the set got the top tech award.  All this said, they are not moving on to State.  

November 9th we celebrated Naomi's birthday since Jeremy would be performing in his play on her birthday and Steve would be at the district scout training.  We had the traditional stroganoff for dinner and this year she wanted a cheesecake for her cake.  It was a fun night and she got all the things she really wanted.  She was especially excited about her Skechers Go Walks because they were a ladies 5 1/2.  She had graduated to women's sizes in shoes.  She felt so grown up!

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Favorite book series - Spirit Animals

Go Walks in womens size 5 1/2

November 11th the kids did not have school and I took advantage of this and the sales to get pants that fit for my two growing boys.  They hate to shop but they wont stop growing!!!  We did eventually find some pants they both liked and everyone was still smiling by the time we got home.  Back at home the boys were hard at work doing some homework when the Elders arrived.  They wanted to say hi to one of my neighbors who had questions about the church.  Naomi and Nicholas were out playing with the kids in the neighborhood but Jeremy was still in his room.  Elder Jackson and Elder Couch asked if they could go get him out of his room.   Sure.  A few minutes later I heard Nick laughing and Jeremy shouting as both elders come out the front door with Jeremy over their shoulder.  Lisa and Mackenzie thought it was hilarious.  Nick got the whole thing recorded on my phone.  We put to rest the myth that teenagers will melt if exposed to sunlight.  

November 13th I spent the morning getting the brakes replaced on the truck and then got to have lunch with Naomi at school.  She wanted Burger King for lunch and ice cream sandwiches to share with her friends.  She has a really cute class this year.  They all enjoyed the ice cream very much and then ran off to play for recess.

That night we went to Jeremy's school play and the cast sang "Happy Birthday" to her.  She ate it all up.  

The performance was SOOOOO much better than the first time we had seen it at the Parent's Preview night.  The kids were really into their characters and we all enjoyed it much more than the first time.  

November 14th I subbed at Highland Creek Elementary as the music teacher.  That was so much fun!  I had a new class each period and because they were all different grades I got to do things a little differently each class.  It was kind of bitter sweet though because there had recently been a change in our carpool.  The lady who had been picking up the boys in the afternoon was not going to be able to do that anymore due to a family situation.  I would have to be at LNC to get the boys every afternoon and that meant I would not be able to sub at HCE.  Oh well.  Things happen for a reason. She did agree to do carpooling through the 18th because I had already committed to subbing through those dates.  

Because I was subbing in the music room I was unable to go to Naomi's awards ceremony.  She got four awards - Perfect Attendance, Reading Challange (2,500 minutes of reading), "A" Honor Roll, and Super Scientist (for getting the top grade in science).  Way to go, Naomi!

November 15th I got up bright and early to make cookies for the cast party that night.  I got all of Jeremy's food packed up (two shows today so he would be at the school from noon until 9) and took him to school.  On the way Steve called and said he needed another dutch oven.  Would I bring it down to him?  No problem.  We dropped off the dutch oven and then headed to the church for Naomi's primary program practice.  We had an hour to chill at home and eat some dinner before we headed to the final performance. Mr. Willits asked if I would take some pictures for the young man that won the tech award.  Mr. Willits was helping him put together a portfolio which we would be presenting the following weekend to a committee that could possibly award him a scholarship.  I had a blast taking all the pictures they needed. 

At the end of the performances the kids presented Mr. Willits with a little gift of appreciation for all the patience and hard work he put in while getting them ready to compete and perform.  

Naomi and I headed home and Jeremy went to the cast party with Sophie, Kate and Jarom.  When I got there at 11 to pick him up he was having a great time.  This whole experience has been so good for him.  He saw that if he put in some hard work it would pay off.  He now has a group of friends that are fun to hang with and they get to be in class together every day.  

November 16th was the primary program.  It went very well.  Naomi sang the third verse of "We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet" with two other girls from her class.  She sounded amazing.   

November 17th I subbed for Mrs. Rosales (2nd grade).  It was miserable being in a portable in a rain storm. The kids were soaked by the time we got back from specials and lunch.  I let them take their shoes off so their feet could dry out.  November 18th I subbed for Mrs. Stinson (1st grade).   Her classroom was inside the building which made the day much easier.  I found out something that shocked me about myself.  I don't like working with little kids as much as I like working with older kids.  I would rather sub at the middle school and high school level.  I did NOT see that one coming.  

November 20th the elders taught my neighbor and her daughter the first discussion.  It was interesting to hear them talk about the restoration.  Elder Couch described it this way.  I really liked it.  The church in Jesus' time was like a glass table being supported by twelve legs.  One by one the apostles were killed and the legs of the table began disappearing until eventually the table came crashing down.  It shattered into pieces.  The churches through the years picked out pieces they wanted to put in their church but there were pieces missing.  When Joseph Smith prayed about which church to join God gave him all the pieces needed to put the church back together.  The other churches are not wrong, they just don't have all the pieces needed to truly be Christ's church on Earth today.  Pretty cool.  

November 21st Naomi was in the school spelling bee.  She was representing Mrs. Favaloro's class.  I was so proud of her.  She was really worried but kept her cool through four rounds.   During the fourth round she mispelled a word that was in her Guardians of GaHoole books.  She spelled it properly according to the books, but the author is from Britain and was using the British spelling of the word.  Ooooopppssss!  You can't fault her for being an international reader.  

November 25th, after subbing a half day at LNC I went to HCE to help with an activity Mrs. Favaloro and Mrs. Bloomquist were doing for the kids in their classes.  They had some traditional games the pilgrims and natives might have played on that first Thanksgiving.  The kids had a great time.  These ladies are amazing teachers.  After helping out we rushed home to get some baking and packing done.

November 26th we drove to Knoxville to spend Thanksgiving with Bradden, Sunny and the kids.  It was a great weekend and the kids really enjoyed spending time with their cousins.  

Olivia was very excited to see Naomi

Naomi performing her Jig.

Everyone got in on the action.  

Roasting marshmallows.

On the 27th Sunny and I cooked the dinner and got everything ready for when the sister missionaries arrived. Sister Hales was from Sandy, Utah, and knew my niece, Katie.  Small world.  The dinner was amazing and so was the conversation.  We relaxed the rest of the day once dinner was put away and dishes were done.  The kids made gingerbread houses.  

Steve and Bradden were up early the next morning to hit all the Black Friday sales.  Bradden had never been out shopping on Black Friday before and wasn't sure if he was going to like it.  He loved it!!!  They found all sorts of goodies.  Bradden even bought a Christmas tree.  Olivia was so happy.  This is her favorite holiday.  She couldn't wait to start decorating.  While the dads and kids decorated the tree, Sunny and I went to aerobics.  Sunny teaches classes at a local gym and I got to go with her.  She is a fun teacher and works you just hard enough that you feel it but not hard enough that you don't come back.

Back at home, the kids wanted to go swimming so we packed everyone up and headed back to the gym. The guys swam with the kids while Sunny and I goofed off with my camera.  I loved getting to just sit and talk with Sunny.  Having them so close it the best thing that has happened to our family in years.

Of course all that swimming made everyone very hungry.  We headed to Chipotle.  Sunny and I headed out from there to catch the movie "Mockingjay".  When we got back to the house we switched with the boys  (Steve, Bradden, Jeremy and Nick) and they caught a later show.  

Group hug before we left. 

We started for home early on the 29th.  In order to miss all the road construction we went the back way through Gatlinburg.  It was a gorgeous drive.  We decided that one of our future trips would involve a stay in Gatlinburg so we could explore some more.  It had the same feel as Park City and it felt like home.  We didn't like Pigeon Forge as much.  It was very commercial (almost a Vegas feel).  Jeremy pulled the best prank on me while we were driving through Pigeon Forge.  

Jeremy:  "Mom.  Did you know that Dolly Parton is not her real name?"

Me:  "Really?  I did not know that.  What is her real name?

Jeremy:  "E. Norma Stitz."

It took me a minute to get it which only made Steve and the kids laugh harder.  

A Christmas tree in Gatlinburg city center

Crossing a river coming into Gatlinburg.

Houses on the mountain.  

Our trip would not be complete without stopping in Sevierville at our favorite stores - The knife superstore and the Lodge outlet.  We were home by 6:30 that night.  It was a great way to finish out November.  

October 2014

October 1st I decided to just get it all over in one day.  I spent the morning at the gynecologist for my early and then had my mammogram done.  I am good for another year.  That afternoon I spent having lunch with Tabitha and her two girls (MUCH more pleasant than the morning).  We had fun just talking and watching the girls play until it was time to get the kids off the bus.  

October 2nd I spent in the library at Lake Norman learning how to run the place while Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Tonnesson are at an all-day seminar.  Getting to run a library for a day is a dream come true for me.  I am so excited.  That night I went to a baby shower for Karilee Croshaw at The Olive Garden.  Pumpkin cheesecake was back on the menu and so that is what I ordered for dinner.  It was worth every bite!  I also got to know Jen Savage and Heidi Grotenhuis.  I love being in primary, but I don't get to know very many people unless they have a 3-year-old.  I very much enjoyed my evening of adult talk!

October 4th - GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!  Yay!  The kids helped me clean the house a little bit before we went to get their flu shots done for the year.  We went to Naomi's soccer game and then hurried home to watch the last hour of the first session of conference.  Between sessions Jeremy went to Justin's house to hang and watch the second session.  Steve, Nick and Phil (Tufts) picked up Jeremy and Justin and went to the priesthood session of conference that night.  Naomi and I went to the Tufts house and watched "Frozen".  It was great.  The girls acted out all the scenes and sang all the songs.  Definitely the most entertaining way to watch the movie.  

October 5th we had a big conference breakfast and watched the first session together.  Between sessions, Blake came over the finish up his Eagle paperwork.  While Steve worked on this, Jeremy took the rest of us for a drive.  He is getting better.  After conference was over (I LOVE CONFERENCE!!!) Nick studied for a test he had the next day.  He was so nervous about this test and his stomach felt funny.  After he threw up he felt much better.  The test went very well and he decided there was no need to get that worried over a test again.  

October 7th it was decided that Naomi's bike is no longer safe to ride.  The back chain kept coming off and while I was putting it back on for the third time I noticed that the back wheel was bent.  A little sleuthing later and the whole story came into picture.  Nick wanted to see if it was easier to do a wheelie with a smaller bike.  You get the idea!  Naomi was upset because she really wanted to ride her bike to school the next day as it was National Walk to School Day.  She calmed down when I told her we could still walk.

October 8th - Naomi loved the time with just the two of us walking together.  It was even more fun when we got to the cross walk and met up with all the other kids who were walking.  The firedog mascot was there as was the principal and the Ridge Road Middle School Band. Everyone danced across the cross walk.  Naomi thought it was the best morning EVER!  I must admit, it was a lot of fun.  

 

While the kids were at school I went to the store and got everything we would need to make Naomi's halloween costume.  When the kids got home from school we worked a little on Naomi's costume and then went with Steve to the sports store to get the kids new bikes.  Naomi's was trashed (see Oct. 7th) and Nicholas was too big for his.  They were super excited to have a new set of wheels.  

October 10th I got to substitute teach in the library!  It was a great day.  All day, surrounded by books.  It was also the book fair and so I got to help the 5th and 6th graders find books they might want to buy.  The day flew by!!!

October 11th started with Jeremy and Steve going to Hind's Feet Farm to help Ethan with his eagle project.  Nick, Naomi and I went to get the rest of the stuff for Halloween costumes.  When we got home, Nick got to go for a ride in Brother Shamanis' Audi.  He was so excited about this experience that he got on his bike and decided to relive the experience.  When he came back home he had a cracked helmet and the front brake had broken off his bike.  His story was that a squirrel ran in front of him and he crashed.  He said he wasn't going that fast.  I have decided that fast is a relative term and I am just glad that he is okay.  Immediately after this we took Jeremy to the corn maze for the Outdoor Club activity.  Steve would pick him up on his way home from running errands so that I could get Naomi to Emily's house.  Emily's family had invited Naomi to go with them to the large cat refuge up in Troutman.  She had a great time and even won the "Guess How Many M&Ms Are In This Jar" contest.  She won the jar of  M&Ms and $10.  Steve and I spent that evening at the Mullers playing Dungeons and Dragons.  It was us, the Mullers and the Todds.  We had so much fun getting our "geek" on.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

October 13th was definitely a 13th.  The day started off very well.  I got a lot done (grocery shopping, decorating for Halloween, made bread, straightened the house, got Nick's bike fixed, etc.) preparing for possible jury duty the next couple of days.  In the afternoon I went to pick up my sewing machine which had been in the repair shop for over a month.  It wasn't quite ready, but while I was waiting to hear this news Jeremy called and said he was done with play practice early and wanted me to come get him.  On the way to the school I hit a bolt or something in the road and got a flat tire.  It was completely flat by the time I found a place to safely pull off the two-lane road.  I called Steve to see if he could pick up Jeremy while I figured out how to change the tire.  Not too long after talking with Steve he called back and told me that John Shamanis was on his way to help me.  Thank goodness John came because it took the two of us reading the directions to figure out how to get the spare tire out from under the truck.  Once the spare was out from under the truck we had the flat off and the spare on in no time flat. When I got home I called in to see if they needed me for jury duty the next day and.....of course they did!!  How else could a day like this end!!??!!!

Naomi quote:  "Imagine what it would smell like and how loud it would be if you could gather all the farts in the world!"  Deep thought.

October 14th I appeared for jury duty.  I was really nervous about how the day would go.  I met a very nice lady named Laurie and we spent the morning chatting.  Neither one of us were called for the first batch of potential jurors.  Steve called mid-morning to tell me that the tire was covered under the road hazard warranty that came with the new tires (we purchased at the beginning of August).  It would only cost $31 to have the tire replaced and that cost was the labor charges.  That was good news #1.   Good news #2 came about 2:30 in the afternoon when it was announced that all other cases scheduled for today were settling out of court.  We were all free to go.  I called Lake Norman Charter and told them I could sub the half day on the 15th after all (Good news #3 they still needed me) and started for home.  It was raining incredibly hard.  I was grateful I had the flat yesterday when the weather was gorgeous instead of in the pouring rain.  Good news #4, and by far the best news, I am not eligible for jury duty for another two years!!!

October 15th was a half day at LNC.  I love doing half days.  That night Naomi played her heart out, but her team still lost the game.  She still loves soccer.  

October 16th and 17th the boys did  not have school.  It was Fall Break for LNC.  You would think that would make the day less hectic, but...  We were up early to get Jeremy to seminary.  Yes, he still had seminary because the seminary schedule is synced with the CMS schedule and CMS still had school.  We got Naomi on the bus and then I took Jeremy to the orthodontist and then to play practice.  Nick and I went out to breakfast at Denny's and then went to see the Croshaw's new house.  We were grocery shopping at BJs when Jeremy texted that he was done with play practice.  We picked him up and had just pulled in the driveway when Matt returned Nick's call from earlier and wanted to know if Nick could come over and play.  I took Nick to Matt's house.  Back at home I mowed the grass (which was tall enough to lose small children in) and finished just  before the school bus dropped Naomi off.  We ended up having a huge play date with the Tufts and everyone else in the neighborhood until dinner time.  Steve got home and went to kick boxing.  Nick got home from Matt's shortly after that. He was sad because he had lost his frisbee at the park.   I had just enough energy left to clean the bathrooms so they would be clean when Ginger arrived the following day.  WHEW!!!!

October 17th I got Naomi on the bus and Steve left to get Ginger.  Jeremy slept until 9:30 (these play practices are wearing him out!).  Steve arrived with Ginger shortly after Jeremy woke up.  They took the boys and headed to Delks (the army surplus store).  I had lunch with Naomi at school.  When I got back, the crew was back from Delks and Steve was making Ginger a knife.  Naomi's bus arrrived not too long after this.  Ginger dressed up (with our Elvis wig and sun glasses) and met Naomi at the bus stop.  It only took Naomi a minute to realize this strange person was Aunt Ging in disguise.  

That evening Steve and I went to the Mullers Murder Mystery party while Ginger stayed with the kids.  They just hung out at home and played games.  The murder party was so much fun.  Steve and I were playing the part of an older couple (Malcolm and Matilda) from England that seemed innocent on the outside, but the backstory was that I was a retired assassin for the British secret service - MI6 -and Steve had been my handler.  We had a great time getting to know the other couples and trying to figure out who done it!  

October 18th Ginger flew back to Minneapolis in the afternoon.  The morning was spent just having fun and taking pictures.  We loved having her stay with us.   

October 19th Naomi and I rode our bikes to choir practice.  When Naomi found out that she could be a part of the ward choir she was thrilled.  We will be singing in the Christmas program.  She is having a great time learning the songs.  Our house is filled with music now as she practices whenever she can.  At church I found out that Sister Cobb, my partner in sunbeam teaching for two years now, was being released from primary and put into the Relief Society presidency.  I am really going to miss her. She and I worked really well together and the kids love her so much.

October 21st - Nick passed the shrimp challenge.  In honor of the occasion I fixed shrimp linguini for dinner.  He loved it.  After dinner was over I got a call from a woman who said that her son had found Nick's frisbee.  Her boys had been playing at the park near their grandparents house (Matt's neighborhood) and found it.  Nick had put his name and number on the underside and so they called the number.  It turned out that they didn't live too far away and I arranged to go to their house to pick it up.  They were a nice family who homeschooled their kids. We got talking and found that we knew several of the same people.  Small world!  Nick is ecstatic to have his frisbee back.

October 24th Jeremy went to University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC) with his theater class to perform for the theater students at the college.  They got valuable feedback on how to improve their performance for the upcoming competition.  The best part about the performance is that Jeremy liked his costume.  This had been a topic of much angst in the previous weeks because there was a leopard print unitard involved.  The costume turned out to be great and Jeremy embraced it and really got into character.  That night Steve, Nick and Jeremy went on a wilderness survival campout with the troop.  Naomi and I stayed home, watched Guardians of GaHoole and went to bed early.

October 25th Naomi and I got up early and went to the fabric store to pick out the fabric for the new robe she wanted.  It is a good thing that I sew because her tastes are very specific and would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to find in the retail market.  We had a good time.  After robe shopping Naomi had a Halloween party at one of her classmate's houses.  We hurried home to get her in her costume.

She helped make her Rainbow Dash costume and was very excited to show it off.   Her friends thought it was pretty cool.  I had to pick her up early from the part for her last soccer game.  Her team played their little hearts out but they did not win.  I think Naomi is glad that the season is over.  It won't interfere with her increasingly busy social life any longer.  That night we carved our Halloween pumpkins.

October 29th I went to the training to be a substitute in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS).  It was a long day with a lot of information that did not apply to substitutes.  I heard the phrase "This applies to everyone but substitutes" an awful lot that day.  Afterwards we were sent downtown for a drug test and fingerprinting.  We were all packed into a very small waiting room as only three people were called back at a time.  After an hour and fifteen minutes of waiting (with a bladder that was about to explode!) I was finally called back.  Next was the fingerprinting and that wasn't so bad because everyone was now over waiting to give their urine sample.  I hurried home so I could finish getting everything ready to take dinner to the theater students who were having a late rehearsal before the competition.  It was nice to get to meet the kids in Jeremy's class.  They were all very nice and incredibly appreciative of the dinner.  

October 30th I subbed for Mrs. Rosales at Highland Creek.  She was Naomi's teacher last year and the biggest reason I hurried and got my training done.  I enjoyed getting to know the kids in her class and quickly realized that being an elementary teacher is a lot harder than it looks.  I had to teach every subject to these kids all day long.  The up side is I got to know them all rather well by the end of the day.  After school I met Naomi at her room so we could pick up Buster the turtle and bring her home with us for the long weekend.  Naomi was so excited to find out that she was the one chosen for this special job.  I must admit it was fun having a pet turtle for the weekend.  Naomi took Buster out for walks and had to write in the journal that came with Buster about the adventures they had together.  

Naomi and Buster out for a walk in the backyard.

October 31st I got the boys off to school and Naomi and I made sugar cookie dough.  While the dough was refrigerating we went to the school to have our Parent Teacher Conference with Mrs. Favaloro and Mrs. Bloomquist.  They wanted Naomi to come with me so we could all talk about her academics and possible goals for her in the coming months.  I really love her teachers this year.

Back at home we rolled and cut out the cookies while watching the new Tinkerbell movie.  When the boys got home I took Nick to Ryan's house to hang out and trick or treat.  Nick wanted to go with his friends this year.  Naomi and I trick or treated in our neighborhood while Jeremy handed out candy.  Just as the trick or treating was wrapping up it started to pour.  We all piled in the car and headed for the Stewart's house to check out their set up this year.  They always do something amazing and this year was no exception.  The theme was "Prom gone wrong".  Shelly was dressed like Carrie from the movie of the same name complete with blood all over her dress.  Shane was a crash victim with a gash on his forehead.  Everyone looked great.  We stayed for a little bit and then headed to the Wolfe's to pick up Nick.  All of us slept well that night.

Naomi's Team Photo