Christmas 2011

We got to Joel's grandma's house on Friday morning. My sister Cindel surprised me there with her little girl Olive for a quick visit. She then came with us to the Newport Beach temple for an endowment session that evening. It was wonderful!
Eddy and Briana, me and Joel in front of the temple after the session. Earlier that day we went to the new Deseret Book/Distribution center just a few blocks away from Joel's grandma's house. We got Julianna her own scriptures, with her name engraved, and a cute case. She is SO excited to have her own scriptures.

On Christmas Eve morning, the kids got to open one present, generously given to us by Briana, Eddy, and Joel's mom--a Wii (but really from Santa, of course). Blake got a Ben10 game, Julianna got the Nickelodeon Dance, and for the family, SuperMario Party 8. We had tons of fun playing video games together that day.

Julianna with her game. This is a fun one--for adults, too! The dance moves are easy!

The happy, newly married couple! It was so fun hanging out with them. We will miss our scrabble games!

Christmas Eve with Julianna and Joel's mom.

Joel's mom and Grandma, Nana. Nana wasn't feeling very well but was still able to come out and visit a few times each day.

The kids reading the note from Santa on Christmas morning. They were very excited to see that Santa ate his cookies and chocolate milk.

The gift opening begins. Joel took this picture of Julianna opening her "Nightmare Before Christmas" graphic novel and she literally jumped right into the air in excitement. She has wanted this book for a long time.

Blake showing his Trio Hot Wheels building set.

Blake is excited to get his own chess game after learning how to play at Grannie's for Thanksgiving.

Julianna with a better shot of her "Jack" book.

Julianna's "My Little Pony" notebook (made lovingly by me.)

Briana and Eddy got some great framed photos from their wedding.

Nana got a HUGE blanket with two of her grandkids from Aunt Jalaire. Very cool!

Blake enjoying his Hot Wheels Trio set after we put it together.

The room after the presents were opened.

We walked to the Stake Center for a multi-stake sacrament meeting. All the deacons in the Orange Stake passed the sacrament. It was a great meeting. Here we are after church.

On Sunday night we celebrated Eddy's 30th birthday, which was a few weeks prior. We are happy he is part of our family now!

We had a great Christmas with Joel's family! All the food was great, and we had fun being together! Lots of great memories made.

Homeschool--the next big step for Julianna

Well, it's finally time to write about my decision to homeschool Julianna. Many things led up to this point: First, the school district decided to try "full inclusion" this school year, which means they placed all the high functioning SDC (special day class) kids into regular classrooms, instead of being in small-group classes with more SPED/Resource support throughout the day. The crazy thing is the school never even told me about their decision--I happened to find out while making a phone call to the school one week before it started. I was shocked, but really had no choice but to let her try. They assured me that if this did not work for her, they could always go back to how it was last year (which was really good--50% of the day in a very small SDC class, 50% with a regular class--she made so much progress last year).

So the school year begins and not only is Blake starting kindergarten, but Julianna is in a regular classroom all day. Her teacher ended up having to leave 3 weeks into the school year and was replaced by a long-term sub who actually ended up getting the job. I LOVE her teacher, by the way. There was only one aide in a 1/2 combo class who was supposed to be helping all 3 of the SDC kids in there, but this aide was often used as a teacher's aide because of the demands of the class.

At her parent teacher conference in October, I was told that Julianna was NOT doing well in the classroom--very withdrawn, quiet, not engaged in the learning, needing lots of help from classmates, which was not the case last year at all. Her teacher said Julianna needs a one-on-one aide to do well in this class. At this point I had already considered homeschool as an option but was still on the fence. Somehow the principal heard that her teacher and I discussed a one-on-one aide, and within a few days, another aide was hired for the class. But even then I could tell when I volunteered that this simply was not enough--Julianna was not thriving in this learning environment--her handwriting got worse, she couldn't keep up with the homework--something had to change. And the worst thing was her anxiety just got worse and worse as the year went on.

So after finding out more about the homeschool program through a local charter and what they could provide for SDC kids, and after praying and fasting with Joel, we felt good about the decision to homeschool. I presented my decision to the teachers and surprisingly they were very supportive and agreed that Julianna's anxiety levels were high in the general ed classroom setting, and that it was worth a try to homeschool. I also realized that even if Julianna were to get a one-on-one aide in the classroom, she still wouldn't benefit as much as me teaching her in the home--after all, who will care more about her education than me? Who loves her and wants the best for her and really wants her to succeed? We do! So we applied to the charter and after waiting 3 weeks got our first answer--her IEP shows too much SPED support and therefore we cannot enroll her in the homeschool program. They were legally bound because charters are also public schools, which means they have to provide the same things a regular public school provides on an IEP. I was told to write an amendment to the IEP with her team at school, so we did, and after waiting 9 more days, they approved the program for Julianna. I was ecstatic! I just know Julianna will progress at home more than at school! I even talked to her neurologist about my decision, and he said it is a really good thing to do for SPED kids--for example, he's had patients who have gone down from 4 medications to 1 just by pulling them out of school.

The interesting thing is, I am so prepared to do this, but never knew that all those things I did (and didn't do) over the last few years would really pay off--I have been a substitute teacher for 3 years; I started the co-op preschool in my ward and taught Blake and other preschoolers at people's homes for 2 years; I felt strongly for a while to get a SPED credential but never did for some reason--now I know it's because I needed the time and energy to teach Julianna at home. If I were enrolled in a credential program right now, there's no way I could do this! So I really feel like I've been led up to this point. I have no idea how long I will do it--all I know is right now, it is necessary so her anxiety can lessen and she can have a positive learning experience, and positive social experiences as well. This charter has field trips, an enrichment program twice a week where she can go and have social time, plus the extra funds that you are given can be used for extracurriculars, like sports or music lessons. Needless to say I am looking forward to this new journey with Julianna! We will start after the winter break! Wish me luck, everyone!

Blake's field trip and awards assembly

His whole class and teacher, Mrs. Leon, at the fire station.

Yesterday Blake went on his first field trip to the fire station. We got to see their barracks, and then learn all about what's inside a fire truck, and also hear the siren and horn and see the lights. And of course, we got to ride the big yellow school bus packed with 60 kindergartners and some parents! Did you know they have seatbelts on buses now? 3 kids to a seat! It was a lot of fun!

At the kindergarten awards assembly yesterday, Blake won the award for Student of the Quarter! Five students were chosen for their academic excellence across the board, and also good behavior. I was so proud of him! He's the youngest in his class but doing so well already. I guess that co-op preschool I started with friends is really paying off! I hear his friends from our preschool are all doing well in kindergarten, too. Way to go, Blake! I'm sure it will be the first of many awards for this smart little guy.

The Kids' School Winter Programs

After Blake's program, Santa was there and he had to wait in line to sit on his lap.
Not the best picture--the lighting on the stage is not the best! You can see Blake there in the second row from the top.

A closer shot of Julianna. Sorry it's blurry!

All the second grade classes--they performed a week later than Blake's class.

A clip of the classes singing "Frosty Hand Jive."

A clip of the classes singing "We will Jingle."

All the kinders singing (am/pm).

Another song by the kinders.

It's always so fun to see the kids sing in the school programs, especially now that both are in school! Too bad their classes peformed on different nights! But it was fun to see them. Next post will be about homeschool for Julianna...

Julianna's first sleepover party

In the morning, they all wanted to go on the trampoline. It lasted less than 5 minutes because it was too cold.

Julianna on the swing showing her skills.

A friend on the swing--definitely the highlight of the party. I had no idea they would like the swing so much!

Another friend on the swing. 75% of the time they were swinging. Good thing I could tie it up at night!

Enjoying their rootbeer floats and watching "The Princess and the Frog," Julianna's choice. They sat and watched this for maybe half an hour, and one by one they were back upstairs on, yes, the swing!

Getting cozy for the movie.

All her friends after Julianna opened her presents. She loved all of them!

Blowing the candles on her cupcake.

(Sorry the pictures aren't in order--they go from end to beginning.) This year was Julianna's turn for a birthday party. (We decided to switch off years for parties since their birthdays are so close together.) So since almost all her friends from her primary class have had sleepovers on their birthdays and she hasn't been able to go to them for various reasons, she wanted to have a sleepover, too. We did a Lalaloopsy dolls theme. After the pizza, cake, and presents, the girls got to make Lalaloopsy books out of pictures I printed from the computer. Julianna chose her favorite book and that girl got to pick another Lalaloopsy pencil topper as a prize. We then had rootbeer floats with a movie, lots of time on the swing, the girls played with her new toys, and they all were asleep by 11 pm, which I thought wasn't too bad! They woke up before 7 and said they were "starving." So we had french toast and eggs and then more playtime. One of the girls said they should all make Christmas pictures and let Julianna choose a winner (there were still some pencil toppers left) so we had fun doing that. Before long it was time to go home! It was a fun way for Julianna to celebrate her 8th birthday!

Thanksgiving 2011

Blake on Grannie's deck in her vest, boots, and headlamp (is that what it's called?) He really had fun wearing this and playing with the light.
Joel and I at the zoo by the spider exhibit.

The kids standing in front of the black bear.

A very funny picture.

The little kid area. Of course we made both kids get on this thing to take a picture, but we didn't expect Blake to be so violent in his "bumblebee" driving. Julianna was screaming the whole time.

The highlight of the zoo--the bengal tiger. We got to watch him eat a turkey. The fence was literally a few feet away from where we were standing, and my dad LOVED it. He got some good video of the tiger roaring. We've never been so close to a tiger, and couldn't believe this little zoo had one! You could hear him roaring all throughout the zoo.

Joel and I at the Lynx Lake.

Family shot! Julianna didn't want to get on the rock.

Blake throwing rocks into the lake. He loves doing this!

Lynx Lake in Prescott, AZ. A 5 minute drive from my Grannie's house.

Blake opening his present at Nana Foote's house the weekend before Thanksgiving. Julianna's picture from their house is in the previous post.

Our Thanksgiving Break was so much fun! It started the weekend before Thanksgiving. We went to visit Joel's family in Santa Ana. They had birthday gifts for the kids, which they loved! Saturday night we played Scrabble with Briana, and her new husband, Eddy, joined us on Skype! It was so fun to play using Skype! Scrabble will be our thing whenever we get together, I'm sure. Then I got really sick during the night and couldn't go to church the next morning, so Joel took the kids to sacrament. Later on Sunday, Joel's brother, Christian, and his girlfriend, Shannon brought a wonderful dinner and we had an early Thanksgiving meal together. We had a great time hanging out together!

The following week, we took a drive out to Prescott, AZ to visit my Grannie! My parents also came, and we got to visit with my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff, and my mom's brother, Uncle Jeff and his wife Connie. The morning after we got there, Blake walks out of the room fully dressed and says, "I want to go in the forest." He was ready to explore outside! The morning of Thanksgiving, we went with my Uncle Jeff to Lynx Lake and took a little hike. It was beautiful! Then we had an AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner together. All the food was so good! And the pies made by Aunt Jenny! We just had fun hanging out! The next day, we went with my Mom and Dad and Grannie to the Heritage Park Zoo that was in town. What a fun little place! Lots of great things to see, and a playground, too. The following day, my brother Cliff and his fiance, Tess, came over and she brought her harp! So we got to hear her play, and I even got to play my flute with her. First time playing with a harp, and I loved it! We want to make it a tradition! Blake got the stomach bug that morning, so we left a little later than we planned, but we got to enjoy another great meal before we left. It was such a fun Thanksgiving! Thank to Grannie for her food and hospitality. I hope we can come back sooner than 3 years!

Julianna is 8!

Holding up her 8 fingers!
Opening her present at Nana Foote's house before Thanksgiving.


Happy birthday to my big girl, Julianna! She is 8 years old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Julianna has been such a blessing to our family. She has helped us learn so many things! She is becoming a great reader and still loves all her books. This Friday she is having her first sleepover birthday party. She will be baptized on January 7th. We are looking forward to this special day for her and our family.

Some of her favorite things right now:

Making books with paper and picture cutouts, and drawings from Mom or Dad
Jumping on the trampoline with Blake
Watching Max & Ruby
Lalaloopsy dolls
Jack Skellington
My Little Pony
Strawberry Shortcake
Powerpuff Girls
The Teenage Robot, Jenny (a cartoon on nicktoons)

We love our Julianna! Happy 8th birthday!

Blake is 5!

Blake is 5 years old today! We celebrated his birthday last night so we'd have more time (tonight it turns out has a lot going on--church stuff) so here he is blowing out his candles and showing his presents. He doesn't look too happy in these pictures, but he really was happy! He has been counting down to his birthday for at least 2 months. And at school today he is excited to wear the "birthday crown." Blake is such a funny, smart, crazy little guy. We love him! Some things he loves and can do right now:

Ben 10

Power Rangers

Kindergarten!

Still loves superheroes

Playing "pirates"

Count to 100+

Read almost all the kindergarten sight words

Draw pictures of superheroes--many he makes up on his own

Playing with his friends

Roughhousing with Joel

Giving lots of hugs and cuddling with me

Happy 5th birthday, Blaker!