Willow Park Mommy-Daughter Outing

A month or so ago Deryk's parents introduced us to this fun park here in Logan. It has a small zoo and a fun play area. I've been waiting for a warm day to take Gracie back in hopes that the monkeys would be out (it was too cold for them to be out the day we went with Deryk's parents). This morning was the perfect day to get out and have a little mommy-daughter outing...the first of many more we'll be taking this summer!! I love being at home with Gracie!!
Gracie thought this little turtle was absolutely fascinating! I was surprised she even noticed it, it rarely moved!
The swans intrigued and scared Gracie, every time they would honk she ran away and then came right back to stare at them.
The tortoises were not visited once, not twice, not even three times!!! Grace returned to see those tortoises 4 times and each time we stopped, we stayed there for five minutes each! She loved watching them crawl around and eat the grass...her excitement was almost to much for her!
Another visit to the tortoises!

We had a lot of fun! We were there for a little over an hour and it started to rain. If it hadn't rained we would probably have stayed there another hour! We'll go back soon. Gracie loves animals and I love watching her run (literally run...walking just didn't get her to the next cage fast enough) from one cage to another to meet the next new animal!
O ya, the monkeys were out...and she adored them, I got a video of her excitement in seeing them, but I can't get it to upload...maybe next time!

Bittersweet!

Today was my last day teaching. I had the opportunity to substitute teach for a month in the same class I student taught in. It was quite a ride!! Anyone who has ever taught elementary school for the last month knows it is quite a jungle of craziness; a zoo of non-stop insanity (I didn't have a clue I was getting myself into that mess when I said yes)!! I can say the last month of teaching in elementary school is a matter of survival, and I survived!! And I loved every minute of surviving.

I had such a great experience student teaching and then subbing these students. I was sad to say goodbye to them...though also very relieved. For me, it was a bittersweet experience! I love these kids for teaching me to be a real teacher, to improve in areas I never knew I lacked ability, to recognize my strengths. I'll miss these kiddos...they sure are great!!

(I think one or two of those kiddos may have been lost behind that huge pregnant tummy! Poor small second graders fell victim to the enormous shadow of my gigantic belly...they never had a chance!)

Scraped Knees Have Never Been Cuter!!

Grace is a little bit accident prone, or maybe a bit of a clutz...the jury is still out as to which it will really be.

She is always getting bumps, bruises, and scratches. She is often falling, tripping, bonking, slipping, and crying. In fact, when we went to my graduation and stayed in a hotel, just as she was waking up, she flopped over and hit her head against the head board. In her groggy, not-quite-awake-way she managed to whimper, "I got a little bonk" as she held her head and rolled over to fall back to sleep. Yep, that's our girl!

So today it was no surprise that she face planted it as she was running out to the car and managed to scrape up both exposed knees. But all was well the minute bandaids were placed on the little knees. Ah yes...the healing power of bandaids!!! Thank heaven for them!

So here is a few pics of Gracie showing off those not-so-hard-earned scraped knees.

Scraped knees have never been so cute!

Graduation Post!!

I did it! I FINALLY graduated!!

I Have to admit, graduation, for me, was one of the best days of my life (with events like my wedding day and the day we welcomed our first born into our family topping it only)!! I don't even care that I was announced as Jonathan M. Barrett, because it doesn't change the fact that this long journey has finally come to an end!

Now for a little explanation...Why DID it take me 10 years to complete a degree in Elementary Education??? Here's the quick bulleted list of my 10 year journey.

• I spent two years at the college of Southern Idaho majoring in Deaf Studies with the plan to become an interpreter and, some day, a deaf educator. (Little did I know, the credits I earned here would not help me out when I enrolled at ISU. I would have to start all over again!)
• Events happened, decisions were made, I left to serve a mission in Virginia!
• 18 months later, I returned home. I had no stinking idea of what I wanted to do or become at this point. So I took some time to work, travel, and learn what direction I really wanted my life to take at this point.
• More decisions were made, some very hard, some very easy, and almost 18 months after I returned from my mission, I enrolled at ISU with speech pathology as my selected major.
• After a year of intro classes and anatomy and physiology, I decided I wasn't as excited about this future as I thought I was.
• Once again, I had no idea were to go from here. I revisited my desire to be a deaf educator. Enrolled in some elementary and special ed classes and fell in love with them!!
• Met the man of my dreams when I least expected it!! Finally decided I couldn't live out my dreams without Deryk by my side--a decision that would change all other decisions I had made in the past and would make in the future!
• Gracie soon entered the picture and I knew I wouldn't be happy if I returned to school a week after she was born, I took a semester off. This led to almost a year of lost time because of the class scheduling at ISU.
• A semester later, I went back, jumped through the remaining hoops. Had an awesome experience in doing so, and enjoyed student teaching more than I ever thought I would.
• AND FINALLY, the end came!!

I look back and think about all the time that has passed, and I don't regret for a minute the decisions I've made!! Each experience I had along the way made me a better woman, more secure in the path I finally chose. It may have taken longer for me to get here than the average person, but I feel so triumphant!

That's me on the edge with the white shoes. Just as we had marched in...Oh the anticipation and joy!!! Pomp and Circumstance always chokes me up a little, but on this day, I'll admit proudly...I shed joyful tears of relief!!

No longer a student and a mother!! Now I can focus on being JUST a mommy for a few months!! Poor Gracie, I 'm glad she is the only one of my children who will have to deal with the stressful student mode I go into. Luckily she's to young to remember her crazy student mother, just hope I didn't cause any lasting damage putting her through it!
This is my friend Bethani, isn't she a cutie?! She is due just a few days after me. It's fun to sport the pregnancy look with someone else! Side note, her husband Chris graduated too, so she was pretty relieved that she no longer has to be a student family...I think that will be a pretty amazing day for this family as well! I look forward to it! Until then, I'll support my amazing husband in his educational career, in hopes that I will be just as awesome a support as he was for me!! Thanks Deryk for getting me here, I couldn't have done it without you!! Also, thanks to my family, Mom and Dad, and sisters who were there every step of the way--free baby sitting, free housing and food, car care, support, and the use of my nieces and nephews toys and books which were used in the creation of many lesson plans! I have an awesome family!! Thanks for your support!!

Easter Dress!

One of the things I love about having a little girl is dressing her! Most of Gracie's clothes come from cousins and friends who are sweet enough to pass their clothes on to us, but occasions like Christmas, Easter, and birthdays give me all the satisfaction in the world, I get to search for that perfect dress or outfit. I love every minute of it. And believe me, I start early. That way I can find the perfect dress for the perfect price! I RARELY buy Grace's clothes full price--something else I really, really enjoy--bargain hunting. What satisfaction, to find a three-peice outfit for $3.50!! It's a wonderful natural high for me!

Anyway, here are the pictures of Grace's Easter dress this year.

I don't even want to know what she's thinking here...that face says a lot!
Cheeser!!!

I made the necklace and bracelet to go with the dress. Deryk and I also made her a bunch of necklaces and bracelet's for her Easter basket. She loves them, and I loved watching Deryk make jewelry for his little girl (though I know he didn't enjoy it as much as I did). It was a fun saturday night activity for us!
She's such a funny and happy girl!! I love this picture and that huge smile!

The dress came with a jacket as well, too cute!

Adventures of an (Almost) Two-Year-Old!

Every day is an adventure with Gracie! This is just some of the fun this busy little girl has. I'm so glad I'm going to be able to spend more time with her, now that I'm all done with school!!!
She climbed in and yelled for "Mommy find!" When I found her, she was overjoyed!!
A week or two ago, I had to finish my Teacher Work sample, which meant I was constantly on the computer!! Out of desperation, I decided one day to let her play with the old computer and this is where she sat, right by mommies side. Grace typed feverishly, just like mommy!
Gracie with her cousin Eva (seriously, one of her most FAVORITE people) and Grandpa Simper. Just a darn cute picture!
A sweet little hat that Grandma Simper made for our blue-eyed baby!! ( I had to hide it from her because she just kept putting it on and off and would get so frustrated when she couldn't get it on. I was constantly helping her put the darn thing on, I had to hide it!)

23 Days to Go!!

I graduate in 23 days!! Yes, I know it is hard for some of you to believe, but I AM actually going to finish this eternal career as a professional student. But this means a lot of changes and some stress to get through before I can finally march down that long isle at the Holt Arena.

First up, I have had the hardest time focussing on my Teacher Work Sample!! A 40 to 50 page analysis and example of my work as a student teacher. Senior-itis is so real and thriving here!! Although I feel the stress so strong, it has not yet forced me into real action. I have a lot I must complete and a week to finish it in (and yet, here I am blogging rather than writing and analyzing...see what I mean, no motivation!).

And a close second to the stress of the Teacher Work Sample is finding a job! And the only reason it is a close second is because I have a larger time period to complete it in. Funny how just a few years ago I had every intention of finding my way to an inner city elementary school, and now, I will be content to just find a job in a rural school anywhere within a 40 mile radius of Logan!! Family, especially children, changed that goal (totally worth it).

I went to my first interview yesterday. Actually it was just a screening session. There were 60 applicants there and at the very beginning the human resources told us they were on a hiring freeze and would most likely only be hiring 10 new teachers at the very most. Those that would be hired would be hired based on credentials and the score they received during the screening process. As a new graduate I realize this puts me near the very bottom of the list!!! CRAP! Immediately I got nervous and stressed out--the interview did not go as well as I hoped. I hate this darn economic situation we are in!!! I hate that the schools have to pay such a big price because of it!! COME ON! What is more important than the education of our future leaders and decision makers???

So I have a few other school districts I'm applying too, we'll see if the interviews or prospects look any better. I need a job!

So for another 23 days I'll be pretty crazy and stressed to the max, but if you happen to catch me on May 8th, well...it will be all smiles (probably a few tears. Remember, I am an emotional pregnant woman and the relief is going to be more than my emotions will be able to handle) and less worries! Its going to be a great day. And that is what I think of when I find myself lying in bed at night unable to sleep because the weight and stress of graduation and employment keep me wide awake.

AND...Yes, there will definitely be pictures posted!!

Wish I could Claim This Was a result of My Good Parenting

Grace found this DVD today and was more than happy to tell me she "found Jesus!"

Grace now recognizes pictures of Jesus! I have to admit, I'm a little proud when she gets excited when she recognizes him and joyfully exclaims "itsJesus!" and yes she says it as one word. Her excitement in recognizing him is really quite an innocently sweet thing to see. And no, I can't claim her recognition as something I've taught her. We have a picture above our dinner table and above her dresser drawers in her room of the Savior. Deryk told her who it was in the picture and ever since she has recognized him in paintings at church, magazines, books, and T.V.

Perhaps this little one observes and takes in more than we will ever know or understand!

Blessing in Disguise??

Our washer broke on Monday, right in the middle of a load!! Yep, the water hadn't drained, and there we were with a washer full of Gracie's clothes and about 4 or 5 more loads to be done and we had absolutely no washer!!

Now, many of you know Deryk and know that he's pretty handy. And he is. He had already repaired the darn thing once before, a week or two previous to this disaster, but there wasn't much he could do about a slowly dying machine! It was just a matter of time. So today, out of desperation, we went on the hunt. The search for a new washer was the first priority on our things to do list. We went to Hookers Appliance, a small community owned place near Smithfield. Having been a former employee of such a place in Pocatello for three years, Deryk feels it is best to always try these places first. Lucky for us, they were having a washer/dryer sale AND a ding and dent sale. We found one for 300 dollars off! CHACHING!! PLUS, while we were there, Deryk was asking all the questions and sounding all know-it-all which made the saleswoman inquire further about where he got his wisdom. When she found out Deryk had worked for a place like theirs before doing delivery and what-not, she immediately called the owner of the place over. Long story short, Deryk ended this day pulling up to our house in the Hooker's delivery van!! Yep, he was out pulling a two hour shift to see if it would work out. AND to sweeten the deal, they gave us another 75 dollars off--way to welcome a perspective/new employee!!!

So now, I'm making my way through the massive pile of laundry that grew while we were washerless and feeling oh so grateful for a large capacity washer that is making its way through this overwhelming pile in world record timing!! YAY for fresh and clean clothes!!

I think our desperation for a new washer was actually a blessing in disguise for us! Deryk has really hated working as a night custodian and welcomes a new job where he can be home with his family at night. And boy, does that make me happy as well!

Deryk's Spring Break Project

It is Deryk's Spring break (yay for him--Lucky him!!). But of course, he can't just relax with nothing to do, Deryk has to have a project to keep him busy (can be both a good and a bad thing at times). I had told him a few weeks ago that I would like a bench for our kitchen table, mostly because I get tired of pushing in chairs all the time--my OCD can't stand them to be out from under the table--LAME... just get over it, Joanna...right!!? Well, anyway, i picked out a bench I like online, and happened to find a beauty at pottery Barn

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/benchwright-bench/popup/more-views.html

I Loved it and the Whole set it goes with. You can find the whole set here:

http://www.potterybarn.com/pbimgs/rk/images/dp/products/201012/0065/img66m.jpg

Someday, I would like to have the whole nice set, built by Deryk, of course! After all who can afford to spend over 300.00 smackeroos on a bench??? Not Me! so here is Deryks completed project

Doesn't it look great!! I'm so grateful for a husband who's motto is, "I can make that for less than I can buy that!" (Really that is probably Deryk's most commonly said phrase and I adore him for it). Thanks for the bench Deryk, hope you're ready for the next challenge of the Pottery Barn table and Dining Server. (You don't have to get started right away, I'll let you have the rest of your spring break to yourself...maybe!)

Gracie's first Hair Cut!

Grace's hair does not grow fast AT ALL!! But I have heard that a trim can help the hair grow faster and healthier. So I decided tonight to give her a little trim to see if it might help. Here's hoping! She really does have such pretty hair and I would like to see it long. The hair cut sure has made it curl up more than usual, though! Kind of cute! (Still wish it would grow long)

The Ultra Sound News!!

Its a BOY!!!

Yes, we are having another baby!! And he's due July 5th!! We are so excited to have the experience of having one of each!! It will be fun to find out for ourselves which is truly easier--everyone has their own opinion, and now we can form our own and add it to the many so willing to share! :)

We have some ideas of what we want to name the little guy, but we're open to suggestions...got any?

One Lost Memory Card Now Found; Leads to Picture Post!

We finally found our memory card and now I can post all the cute pics I've been wanting to post for a while.

Just a cute pic of Gracie--Look at that huge smile!!

(Have no clue why this is underlined--I can't figure out how to get it to stop or change it back to normal! FRUSTRATION!)

Grace's Christmas Dress! Doesn't she look so grown up?? Oh I lost my baby to the toddler! But she is a cute toddler, so I welcome it!

Grace's hair is finally long enough to do fun things with!! I'm having tons of fun experimenting with it! (Poor girl got my natural curl, cute on her, but just doesn't seem to grow to fast)
That is enough for now, I'll post more fun stuff soon!

Student Teaching at Sunrise Elementary!

So I've been student teaching in the second grade at Sunrise Elementary for a month now! I just had my first observation by a University Supervisor today. I would love to say it went well and I was happy with the children and how well they behaved...sadly, I cannot. I must admit, it was less like a lesson on literature and more like a lesson on how to avoid an unavoidable train wreck. Yes, my dear family and friends, it was a gruesome train wreck! I started with one major strike against me, the kids had just completed their loud, noise making music lesson! Getting them to CHILL was next to impossible! So I plowed through the best that I could. I'll admit, I had to fight back tears after I thanked the advisor for coming and said goodbye. Mrs Croft, the amazing teacher and support that she is, was so upset with the students, and boy did she make it known. I'm grateful she knows what I'm capable of and supports me. She ran into my supervisor later in the hall and defended me and the lesson.

Oh well, I guess the positive to all this...my observation responses will only improve from here!

On a very happy note, I do love the school I am in. I love my cooperating teacher, she has a lot of faith in me and has put a large amount of trust in me very early. The students are usually very good and so fun, we've hit a bit of a rough spot the last week as far as classroom management goes, but I'll get it figured out, just as I have every time I've run into this problem in the past and then we can start having fun again.

So here is to the 93 days left I have until graduation!

Poor Baby Gracie

Gracie is sick today! She slept until 11:30, woke up long enough to have a little breakfast and lots of water and milk, went back to sleep for an hour and a half and is now just veaging on the couch drinking a sippy of milk! Poor Baby!!

Story Time!

I just adore these pictures! Gracie loves her books, and loves them more when Daddy reads them with her!

Moving is fun...

For those who don't have to do any of the work!

Whew! And now for a little R&R!!!

Another semester's end!! It always feels good to be done with a semester, but this time it seems even better than all the other semesters end! It sure has been a crazy semester! But in the end everything has turned out for the good.

I have lots of pictures I'd like to put up of the move, the new place, and of course of Gracie. But my darn cord is lost, so they will have to wait.

So, I know it is already more than half way through the Christmas season, but we wish you all, Friends and Family, a very Merry Christmas. We hope your Holiday season is going well, that you and your family will have the chance to enjoy the christmas spirit and the love of the Christ Child! Now that this semester is over, I think we can finally settle down and concentrate on the Reason for this Happy Season! I'm looking forward to this Christmas more than most. It will be fun to see Grace and her reaction to the Christmas tree and presents on Christmas morning!

We'll post pictures soon.

Some Halloween Fun!

what a super fun halloween we had this year! we went to a carnival at the institute on friday night with my sister miriam and her cute little cowgirl and cowboy. (i hadn't finished gracie's costume yet so she was the cutest and smallest little giraffe) the carnival wasn't as big and exciting as we thought it would be, but we still had a good time and gracie won a fish! which later i put it in the toilet for deryk to discover...hehe!

Gracie's Haloween costume finally complete and already falling apart! But she sure was the cutest little lamb I've ever seen--For Sure!!!

Gracie and her cousin Ayva, the Lamb and the Duck, at Malta's Trunk or Treat. We had fun helping out Deryk's family and spending some fun time with them.

Porter, Eva, and Gracie at the carnival. We never got a good picture of Grace as the Giraffe, she just wouldn't stay still long enough. Miriam made Eva's cowgirl costume, isn't it adorable!? She's an amazing seamstress!

A Little More Than We Thought We Were in For!

Okay, so any of you who watch America's Got Talent you might remember the brothers from last year who played the violins? So they came to ISU and i was super excited to see them. So Deryk and I, and my sister Miriam and her husband got Tickets. So this is what we were expecting

ya, it was not like this at all!!! They totally

rapped three or four songs and the lyrics were somewhat crude! it was kind of shocking!! They only played 3 MAYBE 4 songs on their violins!

Kind of disappointing and definitely not what

we thought we were getting ourselves into!!!!

A little somethin'

Enjoy this little ditty! This is my favorite homework companion!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIADdtY9pQA

Blogger Slacker!

Wow! I've Really gotten behind on a lot of things lately! Getting the house on the market has taken priority over almost everything lately! So here is a quick picture catch-up of what else is up around here.Gracie's birthday cake for the birthday party with grandparents. We had a good time and were so glad our parents (Gracies grandparents) could come party with us!

The bathroom project. Deryk and his Dad put down new tile (it looks fabulous!!) and I painted and antiqued the sink cuppord, mirror, light fixture, clock, and trim of the bathroom. I also painted behind the vanity. Turned out pretty good, I must say so myself! ;)

Just a darn cute picture of Gracie taken recently

Our labor Day trip to the Bad Lands in Wyoming with Deryk's family. Don't worry Grace only rode the four wheeler for a few short minutes, just when we needed to get to the other side of the mountain.

Sniff, Sniff, Wiping a Tear for Summer Past!

Can anyone actually tell me how you spell Teer or tear? They both look wrong to me and I'm to lazy to find our dictionary that has been bannished to some unknown box!
Anyway, today is the last day of summer vacation. I'm almost crying so hard I'm convulsing! Oh how I mourn the loss of our summer! It has been a great one though! We accomplished so much! Here is a short summer check list

• Finished the siding on our house
• Finished Painting and trimming both bedrooms
• Grew a garden (we did it, but we weren't very persistant about weeding and things got a little out of hand in the last month or so)
• Re-cemented our front porch
• Re-tiled our bathroom floor (I will be painting the bathroom soon!)
• took and passed three major tests needed to graduate
• Completed 12 credits
• Camped
• Went on lots of fun bike rides--my favorite is still the one from Pomerell to Malta
• Spent lots of time with family and met up with old friends that I've been missing
• and finally, prepared for a new school year!

(HUGE thanks to Joe (Deryk's Dad) for helping us accomplish our summer "to do" whish list!)

Yep, it's been a great summer! I'll miss our summer vacation, but I look forward to this school year! With it brings a closing of an era for me! At the end of the next nine months I will be a college graduate! I will no longer be the student but can finally take my place as an educator. SO with that, I look forward to this new school year that will bring adventures in moving, a new program and school for Deryk, and Student teaching for me! Its going to be a great year--I can feel it in my aging student bones!

Good luck to all of you who are students, have students, or are starting new and exciting carreers! I'll see you on the flip side (if I survive)!