Well, hello there stranger!

I feel like I am thumping on a microphone while up on a stage overlooking a pretty much empty audience and hoping that there is someone out there still listening and waiting for me to start talking!  What can I say, it has been a LONG time since I posted last and when you let that happen it is almost impossible to get started again. There is just too much to say and too much to share, but I am going to try.

So, lets begin by saying that my life at the beginning of the new year took a turn when I applied for a part time job up at the girls school and despite my completely ridiculous resume (truly pathetic after being a stay at home mom for 11 years!), the school board and head of administration decided to hire me as the Math department Aid for the Jr High and High school department.  Before you all start laughing, yes me who is not the best at math, am working in the math department. Just know that I am basically a clerical worker- I correct papers and test, input scores into books and the computer and generally help keep all the math teachers organised.  I have also found myself being a class substitute when needed, but that is just a glorified title for babysitting a bunch of teenagers for an hour!  While working part time doesn't seem like that big of a deal on paper, it was a very hard and stressful adjustment for me.  All my free time schedule during the day was now taken from me.  I have to be dressed (in a dress by the way) and in the school by noon (sometimes 11:00) Monday-Friday and then go home at 3:30 pm with the girls to start the after school marathon until bedtime.  It was touch and go there for a while, lots of me dropping the ball, lots of late night grocery trips and dinners through a drive thru when I just couldn't get it together.  However; by the time school let out in May I think the family and I had worked out the juggling act and I will be resuming my position again next fall.  The hours really are ideal and I couldn't ask for a better situation than to be working at the very place that my girls are while still home with them in the morning to get them ready for school and  home again with them after school.  Also I get all the holidays off as well as the summer, so it is pretty much a mother's dream.

Now that I have explained all that, lets do a quick run through of the last 5 months:
January:

Abby played in a soccer tournament in Las Vegas. We had a fun 4 day weekend away with our family and enjoyed the warmer weather as well as the competition.  Sadly during the 3rd game Abby tripped over a sliding player and landed on her extended right arm! This resulted in not only having to sit the bench and watch her team lose the game

but sent us to the emergency room where it was determined that she had a fractured radial head and had to wear this cumbersome splint for the next 5 weeks.

She looks really upset about it doesn't she!! Mostly because some of the boys in her class made her this cute candy card to help cheer her up - such good friends :)

During her right arm incapacitation (making school work rather difficult) the school put on the annual dance festival.  Abby was unable to take part in the 5th grade linking arm social dance but Olivia was thrilled to be a dancing weaver of the May Pole with the 3rd grade. (Olivia is right in the middle)

Eva enjoyed doing the Mexican Hat Dance with the 1st grade

and was just "OK" to be paired with Phillip who has frequently been heard telling her "You are so pretty and can I hold your hand?" She thinks it is annoying, I think it is hysterical!

In science Olivia created her body of which there were 5 systems represented and working together to make her body work. Her favorite part was the Ramen Noodle brain!

Eva had her 1st grade devotional - or play.  The topic was Utah history and the Mormon migration west to settle the state.

She was delighted to play the part of a Native Indian who the settlers encountered and learned from.

February:
Abby was able to take her splint off for good just in time to participate in the 5th grade presentation of the Patriotic Program.

This is a HUGE deal at the school, full of elementary and high school choir performance and the 5th grade acting in scenes covering the founding of our country.

Abby had a speaking part as a Lady in Waiting in the Queen of Spain's court while Columbus was pleading for help to set sail and find a direct route to Asia.  She did a great job and loved participating and learning what it takes to put on a play of this size.

Let us now take a moment to celebrate the lost blog post of Olivia's 9th birthday!!!

She opted to not have a party this year in lieu of a one on one dinner out with mom and dad.  I think this has become such a fun thing.  We booked a reservation at the Macaroni Grill (because pasta is her favorite thing on the planet - well, next to a big bowl of cold cereal).

They sang her happy birthday and brought her out an ice cream with chocolate sauce- her favorite! After all that fun we went over to the mall to let her pick out shoes and jewelry! She had a great time.  She also wanted to have new bedding and paint her bedroom a really pretty lilac color to go with the new bunk beds that she and Eva received for Christmas.  It turned out just perfect!

March:
Looking at my picture files I see that this was a pretty uneventful month.
Paul had a birthday - Happy Birthday Paul!

(Sorry Abby, this is the only picture I took before your camera shy Dad told me to put the camera away)

I was able to attend Eva's class one morning to help the students learn how to cross stitch during their study of the Abigail Adams book.

Eva took to it very well, but choosing to have her full name put on that piece made her work at it for a VERY long time! Evangeline has a lot of letters to complete. :)

Olivia had her class devotional.

She played an Israelite and did a wonderful job reciting her memorized lines about the life of Christ.  Her favorite song they sang was "Show a little love" because it had lots of actions and choreography that made everyone smile and have fun.

April:
Abby had braces put on this month!!!

Don't they make her look so grown up! This was a huge deal and we had to go back for adjustments just about every day for a week before the brackets stayed on and the wires weren't hurting.  I loved being back in an ortho office and seeing how things have changed and yet remained the same since I was working on kids all those years ago.  Eventually we just ordered a couple of ortho tools on-line so I could get in there myself and snip a pokey wire or put a hanging elastic back on.  And now we also start making payments to them for many many years to come....  I'm sure you can all relate!!

We had Silly Sock Day at the school and things were getting all CRAZY over there!!! It's funny what kids get excited about when they wear a uniform everyday!

We had a lot of fun during spring break including the day we went up to Tracy Aviary and spent the afternoon enjoying all the different birds.

The highlight of the day was getting to help feed the Pelicans.  Unlike this picture where we were being fed too the Pelicans!

Yes, they did touch those fish and I couldn't believe how big those bills open up to catch them!! What a fun afternoon.

I think I will end this post here- part II of April is jam packed with Easter and May is full of end of year goodness.  Stay close - I WILL be back shortly!!