survey says.....

the verdict is in..... i have passed this semester with flying colors. i was so worried about my history class, i even told my professor early in the term that i would be ecstatic if i passed with a c. well, my ecstatic-ness is on high right now. i was able to view my grades this morning.... (drumroll please)

GCom B+
GHist A-
GWRTC A-
Psych C

which gives me a 3.215 for the term and a 3.362 cumulative. i told my brother about my grades and he said "this is what happens when you're older and goin back". i have NEVER EVER gotten better than a C in any history class, so i was jumpin up and down when my mom just happened to stop by. i really want to see my final exam though, curiosity is kickin in. i had already figured out what i was getting in my other classes, it was just confirmed. my GCom and GWRTC professors used the 'blackboard' feature so it was easy for me to figure out my grade without waiting.
so here's to next semester! i have math, biology, and another writing course. i am so gonna rock the semester!

i be done!

at least for the semester. with end of the term projects and studying for finals i have seriously neglected cleaning my home until today. well, i just cleaned a bathroom that was going to be used by guests. so now that i have time....

anyways, my communications class was just so much fun. i got a B on my last speech, totally earned it. i forgot a few key elements and that cost me some serious points. but overall, i did great. the final was practically a no brainer, had i gotten an A it would have been a complete no brainer. i didn't stress over it and just went over the study guide. i had two hours to complete it and i was done in 45 minutes.... gotta love computer lab tests. i got an 83, which gives me a B, and that pretty much secures me in the B department for my final grade. i'll know for sure in a couple of days or so.

my writing class had no final!!! we did have a grammar test which i got a C on, out of ten problems i got seven right. better than i thought i would do! i'm still waiting about my revision paper, i tweaked my 'david' paper because i had no desire to delve further into christopher columbus' past. i got an A- on my digital story, the one about my grandparents, only because a few spots the pictures didn't match the narration. it was hard to find enough pictures that worked perfectly with the story.

as for my history.... i will miss that class and the awesome professor. have to admit, little crush on the guy, but that already went away. the class was tough, the tests insane, but overall i had a blast in the class. the final was on a saturday morning and i was very prepped. the only problem was having two hours to write a ton of information. i spent an hour and a half on the first question (the 50 pointer). all during the test the professor and his teaching assistant would make comments and get us all laughing. made the test itself a bit less intense. also, the punk that he can be, the prof decided to announce to the whole class that i was having bathroom issues the day before since i was carrying around a roll of toilet paper.... i had allergies and i ran out of my regular tissue. ten minutes after the announcement, he place an immodium cap on my desk. i gave it back to him and wished i had said the great line i came up with after the fact. oh well, i hope to know my grade before new years... he's slow with the grading.

next semester i have decided, by force, to take it easy. i have three classes, one is an online math class. i was aiming for 4 classes, but that fourth was proving to be difficult to get in. figured i would wait until next semester to take it. but i will have a biology, math, and a higher level writing class. mom is happy that my classes are only three days a week and starting later in the day. i'll still be spending hours in the library in between class time, but two days off is gonna be great. maybe now i'll get some more pictures of my kids up.

one week to go!

i got my history exam back on tuesday.... totally passed!!! a 92.5 to be exact. when i saw my test the professor actually said "terri, you're not gonna pass out on me are you". i have never gotten a B in any history class. i was thrilled! anyways, two more lectures then my final exam. not thrilled about it being the first one on saturday morning. well, i'll just do what i did for the last one, read my notes every day and pray to remember it all.

my communications class is still fantastic. i was the first speech on the first day back from thanksgiving break. i think it went over well. mom was a bit miffed that only 12 of the mini pies we made were gone. those that had them said "oh, they're so cute" and one guy looked at me with his mouth full of one and gave me a thumbs up. now all i have left for that project is the critique and then a grade. we had our third test yesterday and i got a (sniff sniff) C. i should have known the test was gonna be right after thanksgiving, but i was still surprised when the teacher announced it on wednesday. that only gave me two days to study. at least i passed. a week worth of speeches left and the next week to study for the final on friday the 16.

my writing class has finally eased! i properly stressed over my digital story and got it uploaded to youtube. you can watch it, but please keep in mind that i had a lack of pictures. i know, shocking considering how many pictures my grandparents actually have. but usable ones for my project.... slim indeed. well, it's done and i should expect a grade by monday. all that's left for this class is a grammer gram test (yes, a test on grammer) and a revision of one of my papers. the revision won't take long... just adding a little bit more to my 'masterpiece to master joke' paper on the david sculptures. no final for this class!!!

so, only two finals, a week apart, then three weeks off before the chaos starts again. love it!

my break so far

so this week i had off from school. but i was still doing school work for the day i go back. i have a speech about how to make apple pies to write up and finish the power point portion. it's mostly pictures, but the outline has to be full and complete sentences. FUN! the other project is a 'digital story' that i'm doing on my grandparents. i have 5 out of 9 paragraphs done, well narration with pictures, which is amazing since i didn't get started (really get started) until last night.
monday was spent watching a friends little angel then takin my kids over to my grandparents to clean their house.
tuesday was my shopping day this week, i was able to get the narration recorded that night (thank you jeppson family for the use of your microphone!).
wednesday was spent getting pictures of my grandparents for my project, figuring out if i was going to take my kids up north, then actually going. jeff wanted the kids with him this year because all of his family was going to be present. i had no problems with that. so, since wednesday night i have been kid free.... NICE!!!
thanksgiving day was spent cleaning my house for a few hours then heading over to my grandparents for turkey. it was nice to only need my phone, license, and what i needed for the food i was in charge of (mashed potatoes). i didn't have to worry about what sofia was getting in to and possibly breaking, didn't have to hear any whining or fighting.... just some fun visits with my family. i was proud of myself for not stuffing myself silly with food. i had one!!! plate full and was done. after everyone went home i helped my aunt janet a little with the fake tree at grandma's. but i wanted to work more on my narration project so i could go out on black friday without guilt.
so this morning i worked some more on my projects. at 9:45 my mom picked me up and aunt janet, mom and i went out. i did pretty good, two of my kids chirstmas shopping is done. i just got home a half hour ago (6:30). now i'm gonna watch a christmas movie while i get the tree put up. i told the kids that we would decorate it for sofia's birthday....

a week of nothing to come

this is my last week before a nice week off for thanksgiving. i can't wait, but it won't be totally school work free. with two projects due right after the break.... i'll be gettin a bit chummy with my computer.

my communications class is one of my projects. i just finished up my 'this i believe' speech, got a big fat A on the paper part and waiting on the speech grade. my professor suggested i submit my speech to the 'this i believe' website, which i just did, and i'll hear in about six weeks whether they will accept it. i don't know if he made that suggestion to anyone else, but i like to think i was just special enough. next up is the informative speech. when i asked if we could be funny he said "oh please, yes!" so mine is going to be on 'how to make an apple pie'. not many college freshman know how to bake much, let alone a pie. this needs to be a power point, so i have some pictures to take, an outline to write and a lot of practice ahead of me. i have two weeks. oh, just took my second test on friday, got another B... i'm happy with that.

my writing class is the other project. for our third paper we need to write a short narrative. then we need to add pictures to it then upload to youtube. i have the narrative part done and will have the conference on it tuesday. this whole week class is canceled for the conferences and because no one will be here friday before the break. so i have two weeks for this project as well. my only problem is that the program i need to it isn't working right. it's a sound thing. but i'll get my computer-geek husband to help me out and see what we can do. after that, a revision for one of my projects and we can call this class done!

history is just peachy. no word on my test results yet, i'm starting to get paranoid about it. i know i answered the questions pretty thorough, but i'm not sure it's what he wanted. the unknown is awful!!! so far we have talked about FDR and the new deal, all the different groups that fought in WWII and the boarder crossings in arizona (the discussion section). i only have the final left... on a saturday! how did we luck out with that?! anywho...

so i have two of my classes for next semester lined up. a biology class and an online math class. my brain is not really on the smarty-pants side so i went with the 'dumb peoples' math and science. i know where my limits are, so no correction needed for my 'dumb people' remark. i need to get an override for my next writing class and photography because i'm not on the list for the specific majors that these classes go with. those people get first priority and i have to wait, but since i'm not a 'traditional' student i may get a little help. i tried to be nice with my schedule for my mom's sake, all my classes are on MWF and none at night. she should be happy about that.

another week bites the dust

oh, i have been one busy bee. lots of studying (yes, i do that sometimes) and papers to write. and i finally have an advisor! adult degree program people have to find our own advisors because we are non-traditional students. well, after many "i'm not right for you, try...." i finally have one. she's the ADP liaison and is still baffled as to why i wasn't sent to her from the start. oh well. so my concentration is "archival photographs and historical processes". don't worry, she told me that this can guarantee me a job because some of the classes and internship i would take works with someone with power... she knows people. i am really excited about what i get to do and so is my advisor. now, hopefully this will enable me to get financial aid through jmu!

gcom, communications class, has been fun. we have been working on our 'this i believe' essay, which will be turned into a speech for next week. monday i left early,wednesday and today we haven't had class. my poor professor has damaged his hip (i think) and had to cancel classes. but, no matter what, we will start our speeches on monday! by the way, due to 10 bonus points (taking a test that needed to be taken and the practice before) i now have an A in the class.

gwrtc, my writing class, is becoming intense. mostly cause of the work load, it's not really that bad, it just seems like a lot. we finished up our second paper (still waiting for grades) and we jumped right into our next assignment. this one can be one anything, but it requires pictures and narration. i voiced my "but i can't do this if it requires programs that i don't have" issues, the professor said that i was not to worry. i can download the needed program for free... but that still leaves me with a need for a microphone. details that i can work out later. so it needs to be 5-6 minutes in length and the transcript is due just before thanksgiving break.

ghis, history of course, has been kickin my tail. did i tell you that 70% of the class failed the first exam? yeah, that's right! and i was among the 70%... a big whoppin 47! it soothed erica's hatred of math to know that even mommy fails sometimes. anyways, i was determined NOT to get another F. i studied my notes everyday for two weeks, i even took the notes with me on my shopping days. i was worried that the 50pt question would be on WWI or the new deal, the more recent lectures, which i hadn't been able to study as much. well, the 50 pointer was on the various people in the west... NAILED IT! i wrote so many facts on each group he asked about my hand is still hurting. i spent about 30 - 40 minutes on that question alone. we had 5 10 point questions to answer and i got those too... one or two may have not been answered as fully as he wanted, but i think i got enough down on paper that i will get most points. here's to the power of prayer and preparation!!!! i'll let ya know what i got in like three weeks... yes, he takes that long to grade them.

my kids

i just love this picture. so, as promised, here are some pictures of my children... yes, they are still around. it hasn't been a particularly busy time, i just have been guilty of a lack of picture taking. i promise to get better, but i'm not sure we're gonna have many picture opportunities until christmas. i do have some on my phone, maybe i'll post those. but until then, you'll have to do with my late-in-posting halloween pictures (and that random snow we got right before it).







my little brother and his wife got these pumpkins for my kids. wasn't that so nice of them? i thought so. apparently there was a huge sale where they went. anyways, i wouldn't let the kids carve the pumpkins three weeks early, so they drew the faces. two pumpkins met an untimely demise by mold within a week or two. aidan's is still kickin though, but still not carved.




my little witchy-poo.... literally! oh, she wanted to dress up as the witch, she just had that attitude everyday for about a week. this was erica's costume when she was 4, best $16 spent! three days later and she's still asking where here "coseum" is.













the hit of the ward halloween party and trick-or-treating the following monday! this was my little brother's costume when he was 4. so it's about 23 years old. it even had working lights on it. sooooo, DON'T THROW AWAY the good costumes. my little brother is expecting candy royalties since he made this cute first (ummmm, nope!)











cap hooooook! well, that's what sofia said she was. the shirt was my mother's, the vest was my grandma's, the gold thing on her head was fabric from a roadshow production of annie.... recycling at it's best baby!












erica was the supervisor while aidan attempted to clear our sidewalk












sofia had to have a turn shoveling the slushy snow... she gave up after one push

8 weeks to go

half way done with school this semester! i've had three exams, one final, and just finished my second big paper. thank heavens this week will be a nice relaxing one.

my communications class has been so much fun. we've been talking about interpersonal communications and sexual harassment. i know, how can talking about harassment be fun? well, it was. my professor came up with some pretty ridiculous scenarios and we had to tell if it would 'create a hostile environment' or not. most of them got the response "it depends on....". that's what happens when you have me in your class. despite the topic, it was fun. this week we have to write out our second speech on 'this i believe'. it doesn't have to be serious, actually, i think he would prefer fun. anyways, after switching my topic and rewriting my speech a few (5) times i decided to go with 'i believe in everything'. i'll let ya know how it turns out.

my writing class has been fun the past few weeks. i guess it just takes a while for people to warm up. but our big paper this time was to analyze a 'visual' text(s). so basically, get an ad, a picture, a spoof ad, or whatever and find a bigger argument out of it. i thought about the sculptures of david... there are at least 4. the prof said that doing artwork would be tricky, because you would have to be careful not to write too much of what the critics wrote. i took the challenge. 1800 words later and i have the draft done. take note people: when you are doing footnote citations, write those citations in as you write the paper, or you'll spend over an hour trying to remember where the notes came from after. the upside to the week, this class is cancelled for our paper conferences. one class on monday and wednesday! woo-hoo!!

my psych class is done. i don't remember if i already wrote about this, so i'll say it again if i did. i got a c in the class. i studied for the final and only did three points better than the midterm. oh well. i passed and enjoyed the class. that's all that matters to me.

history... FUN! mostly the discussion section. the prof said he likes our section better than the other. i guess we're more fun and have more participation. last week we talked about hawaii and read the book 'legacy of the landscape'. just made me want to go to hawaii even more. we looked at some cool surfing videos, watch iz (famous singer from hawaii) music videos, and even got the professor a little teary eyed... at least i think we did. but it was all good. i haven't looked at this weeks discussion class assignment, but it will probably be just as fun.

i am just that awesome!

that is what i've been telling people today. early this morning i was wide awake due to a little tot falling out of her bed. (i took one side off the crib since sofia can now get out herself). that was at 5:30, after a half hour of tryin... i gave up and got up. turned on the computer and looked for my school emails. to my happiness, my GCom professor sent me the link to watch my first speech and also sent me the evaluation form. i watched my speech, realized i talk way too much with my hands, and hated the way i looked (a totally girly thing). i actually didn't realize that my evaluation form was sent too, so i didn't read it until after class today. but here is some of what my amazing professor said (yes, i be brown-nosing):

• The attention-getting device that you used in the introduction was very effective; it certainly got the attention of the audience. You also did a good job explicitly previewing the main points you would cover in the body of the speech.
• Your speech benefitted from the use of clear transition statements and signposts.
• The examples that you used and the explanations that you made in your speech presentation were clear and memorable. I wish the rest of the presenters had been able to “follow your lead” in this area.
• Since you did use an effective attention-getting device in the introduction, you were able to refer back to that device in the conclusion. The conclusion was effective because you were able to summarize the main points again and provide a way to bring the speech back to the beginning

sooooo, basically i got a BIG FAT A!!!! and yes, i mean big and fat. i was actually 2.5 points away from perfection, i'll take it! now, onto the next speech called 'this i believe'. nothing serious, unless we want it to be. i'm thinkin mine will be on "i believe in NOT counting those calories"... i'll let ya know how it goes.

my writing class was cancelled again today... YEAH! but that just meant i came home earlier and still have not gotten a good start on my paper. i still have some time.

my psych class has come to an end. my mom is doing the happy dance over that one. i studied for the final, really studied. funny thing was, i only did three points better than the mid-term. go figure! my final grade is a c and i am ok with that. wish it was better, but i can live with it and move on. now i'll be home to get my kids from the bus all but one afternoon!

my history class was a bit iffy this week. the discussion section was great. we talked about the book the osage rose... i highly recommend that book (written by my professors advisor from his college days). it had murder, mystery, racism (not so happy), and a happy ending... sort of. i liked it so much i went out and bought it. also because i wasn't finished reading it through the library's 2-hour reserve and wanted to know how it ended BEFORE class. anyways, the class section was my problem. tuesday's class was fine. thursday's class brought up the mormons. of course, transitioning into that topic right after talking about prostitution in the west. lovely right! anyways, the professor got the basics right. well, some could have been better, but more correct that i didn't feel the need to correct him. BUT when he talked about how joseph smith was killed... he got the basics wrong AND I DID NOTHING! how wimpy am i?!?! i was mad and my hands started to shake, but i still said nothing. that actually bothered me the rest of class. i did correct the 'mormons were racist' misconception (it was said that blacks were not allowed to be mormon). he tried to counter it by saying "there are hardly any blacks in utah..." sooooo, yer pernt sir?! anyways, i came home, gripped to a friends voice mail and called my mom to verify some facts then sent an email to my professor. he hasn't responded, so i don't know how he took it... but i'm hoping it goes over well.

so it's close to 11pm.... my floor has finally been mopped and now my blog has been updated. and now, onto bigger and not so fun projects. two papers to write and a presentation to finish. good times!

that awesome!

and i'll tell ya why, because i rocked one of my assignments this week.

so to start, this week my communications class had to give a 90 second speech from a section of our book. i properly stressed, but not overly, over this. you all know me as a talker, my impromptu speech was close to 3 minutes. well, i scraped many ideas and finally came up with one that would keep me within my time frame. my topic.... gaining and maintaining the attention of your audience, piece of cake for a mom of three right? i practiced most every night, a few times in front of my kids, and timed it. i was never consistently over or under and that was driving me crazy. well today was my speech and i had some butterflies. i even got up EARLY (not really by choice) so i could make myself pretty for the presentation. it confused erica greatly to see me in a dress and not be a sunday. anyways, i made my kids listen to my speech again, a few times actually, and then sent them off to school. out of 8 i was number 7.... and my anxiety level for not screwing this up was sky high. I KICKED BUTT! well, that is, i went for 89 seconds. that pretty much guarantees me an a, but my outline may dock me a few points. i was having a hard time with that part.

moving on. in my writing class we have our new assignment.... write about a 'visual text'. i had so many ideas this morning, i think that's why i was up at 5:30 wide awake! i'm going to write about the sculpture 'david', but all three. the professor seemed genuinely interested, especially when she guessed what i was going to write about. to top it all off, class was canceled today. so while i should have been in class i was eating lunch with a very good friend that i haven't been able to hang with much this year.

on to a sadder subject, my history class. thursday i had my first exam. i did study and i took it very seriously. but my problem was this: i focused on the beginnings when i should have just focused on the last bits that we learned, namely the American Revolution and the Civil War. the professor said "it could be on anything we have talked about in class and in discussion...." so that left the subjects wide open. out of four questions, i probably got at least half points on the first, full points on the next two, and partial (but more than half i think and hope) on the last. i know, doesn't sound too promising. but i think i got some kudos for finding the location where a picture was taken in 1912 at jmu.

my psych class is almost done. one more lecture and then the final. i promise i'll do better on that one. class on monday was a movie "the story of us" with burce willis (back when he had hair) and michelle pfeiffer. our most recent topic was on conflict, that movie covers it all! and very entertaining.

so a good week. i'm glad it's over and i am looking forward to doing just about nothing this weekend. though, thanks to my mother-in-law, now i am the go-to girl for yummy dip and have been asked to make it for a post-baby shower. all good, it's quick and easy. maybe with my next post i'll actually have pictures of my kids

what week is it?

so, i tell people that school is "fantastically kicking my butt" because i am just loving it. i don't have "friends" on campus (not counting the two professors i go to church with) so i spend a lot of time in the freezing cold library getting my readings done and other school work. you would think that i would bring a jacket or dress better knowing i would be in the library turning into a popsicle, but it's hot enough during the day that walking across campus produces a sweat... not so sweet.

so my communications class is great. we had to do an impromptu speech on friday, which was oh so fun. my reaction to the list of topics when it was my turn was "really, you should keep the 32 year old mother of three in mind when you make the list next time". almost every topic was geared for the young college people that basically live on campus. well, the speech being impromptu meant there was no time limit.... mine was 2 min 48 sec (the average time was a LOT less). what can i say, i'm a talker. our next assignment is a 90 second speech, hardest! thing! ever!!! i am practicing so i don't go over.

my writing class is a little better. the professor brought chocolate one day just cause it was a rainy day (it was dove dark!). we have been working on our first paper, a rhetorical piece, for the past two weeks... or, at least i have. i was under the impression for a week that the first draft was due on the 18th, it wasn't due until the 25th. so i got my paper done by this past friday and properly stressed over my citations and making sure i was not plagiarizing (so many rules!). i had a writing conference with my professor today and she said that it was very well written but i needed a little more "meat" in my thesis. she pointed me in the right direction and now i am properly procrastinating to write this blog update.

had my midterm for my psych class.... i won't go into details, but i didn't do so hot. i went in with the attitude of "i'm living this and it's mostly common sense". yeah, my c+ in the class says otherwise. only a few more classes and i'm done with it. it's a fantastic class, but i won't miss it. too many insights into my life that i wasn't really ready to face.

history! oh my goodness, do i love this class! and that says a lot since i never liked any of my history classes before. my professor is freakin awesome and loves to have fun in class. lots of notes to take and everyone is freaking out over our first test next week, but that's expected. i rocked the 'map of the u.s.' quiz two weeks ago (mucho bonus points for naming the canadian provinces). today, though, we had a map quiz again (apparently we'll keep having them until everyone gets a 100), but this time it included mexico.... 30 states in mexico and i couldn't name one. time to get another atlas...

a week to NOT remember

i say NOT to remember... cause i don't want to. i didn't have a bad week or a crazy one. it was just full. i had volunteered to be the first discussion leader for my history class (bonus points and kudos will be given) and it was on the salem witch trials. i did all of the assigned reading and then some just to be extra prepared, my partner... not so much. when we got together he hadn't read a thing. can we say miffed?! i really don't know how prepared he was cause as it turns out, though we were the discussion leaders we hardly spoke, the professor did most of the talking. and he has issues when you talk while he is, so we let him.

my communications class is about the same. i give lots of 2-cents worth of stuff to give a new spin on things. the professor smiles a lot at what i have to say.... i'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not.

ugh! my writing class... so not a big fan. we have had two difficult/boring/loooooong readings that we had to 'blog' about (it's on tumblr, click here to see it). the professor insured us that she is putting the hard stuff first and it will get easier. but now we have to start worrying about a 'rhetorical situation' paper. crim-a-nitly, i have no clue what to write about. we do have the option of picking a historical event or something current.... yeah, that helps narrow it down.

my psych class is fantastic as usual. i'm getting some really good insights to myself and my relationship issues (yes, i do have them). the professor loves to catch me off guard to get my stories and examples to enlighten the rest of the class. though this last time was a bit funny, he asked "are you one of those practicing mormons (first class he found out i was mormon when he said he taught a byu) who drink wine?" where did that come from?! i told him that i don't drink or even like the taste of alcohol. then he asked what was my 'romantic drink' (is there such a thing in mormon culture) and i said i don't have one.... but my drink of choice in mt dew. he was 'shocked' because of all the caffeine. i said "uncle (we are told to call him that) i have three kids, i need all the caffeine i can get". the class laughed and i was then left alone for the remainder of class.

so, not too shabby. with little to do next week, other than readings and more readings, i know i will have an easier time of it. on the upside of things, i lost some weight with all that walking up hills and those 60 steps i go up and down four times a day. i have two pairs of pants that were my sister-in-laws. a few months ago i cried cause they didn't fit.... they do now!!! love it!

First Week Done

ok, so this is my first non-picture post.... this a new thing for me. but so many people have asked me how school is going i figured that i'll just add that info in with the kid's stuff.

my first week went great!!! though that first day was hard on my legs and butt. i have never been on a campus where you go uphill to just about everything. on the upside, great workout; on the downside, i'm all sweaty and gross when i get to class. so i am wishing for an early fall.

i am taking four classes, which makes me a full time student, and i love all but one. they are gen.ed. communications (mostly freshman), gen.ed. writing (again, mostly freshman), us history and (you'll love this) psychology of human intimacy.

the class i don't love, just like, is my writing class... the professor isn't as lively as the others. but her expectations are not insanely high and she is wanting quality over quantity, i think i can do that. my communications class is great, despite my age difference with everyone in it. we're a quiet class, but i help break the ice most days. the prof loves my different perspective. my psychology class is the one i have been looking forward to the most. the title is what got my attention, then i read the course description and said "i have got to take this!!!" a few emails to the prof and i got in with no problems. he wants me in the class for my experience and i told him that i have no issues with being the class guinea pig.

so i thought i would hate my history class, since i am not very good at it. but i changed my mind as soon as the professor walked in. he was wearing a coat and tie, jeans, flip-flops and carrying a skateboard. can we say unconventional?! the man has no issues with cursing in front of students and letting us know his exact opinion of anything. he is intense and expects a great deal out of us, but he also wants us to have fun. i only have his class twice a week, but he requires us to go to a discussion class and he just happens to be the leader for my time. i'm way excited.

so all in all... a good first week. i got my assignments done this week early and have already finished another that's not due until thursday of next week. i think that means i have grown up a bit. what do you think?

Birthday and My First Day of School

yes! i had a birthday. and if you read my last post (i know, two within a short amount of time, i must be improving) you know that it was on the 23, my kids first day of school. but since they have no money they had to wait until daddy came down to visit to get me my gifts. well worth the wait. there are days i feel old and days i feel really old, but this day i was just worn out from cleaning all day (please don't judge how i look in these pictures... cleaning as long as i did does take it out of ya). so the beautiful and thoughtful gifts from my kids made the end of my day perfect.
which brings me to the next item of business.... my first day of school. yes people, i went back. jmu accepted me with slightly opened arms and i have joined the crowds and crowds and crowds (there are a lot of students there) of kids aiming for the higher education. because svu and jmu don't really see eye to eye, most of my credits didn't transfer... only 38 did. so i'm basically a sophomore..... again. but that is ok. i have been to all of my classes and love almost all of them. i'll keep ya posted about them, maybe. i did get a rude awakening right before my first class. i don't remember what was said that prompted a kid to ask if i was a freshman too, but my response was "honey, my freshman year was in '97". his response "how old are you?". have to admit i left myself open for that one. but it is so true, walking around campus all day yesterday i felt every year of my age. i should have gotten a picture of when i got home.... i am still so sore from all that walking, most of it uphill, i kid you not! i don't even have to worry about getting to the gym now, i can just walk all over campus.

not the best picture, but it shows that my kids got me flowers and a balloon (that says birthday princess) for my birthday. funny fyi: the flowers turned the water in my vase pink, pretty!








big thick envelope means a big card that has sound, good thing or bad? well, this card said that i wasn't old until the fat lady sings....










she sang.... and the kids all laughed at me. i'm not really that old, though some days i certainly feel it.











writing out directions for grandma. thank heavens my mother is willing to watch my kids so i can do this. mondays and wednesdays will be the longest, ALL day on campus. either that or run out of gas goin back and forth between classes (i have long breaks between all of them).






here is my snazzy new lunch 'box'. i was such a geek pickin out all my school stuff, including this. sorry, no justin beiber or unicorns for me. i'm goin for the sophisticated look (but can i really pull it off?)








here i am.... off to face the world of 18 to 21 year olds.... hoping i won't get lost or go to the wrong class












the most expensive sticker i have EVER bought!! and i thought the school was kidding when they said they have people patrolling the garage.... i saw a little gray haired man going from car to car, checking for the proper sticker in the proper place (i'm so glad i can follow directions)

and now there are two!

happy birthday to me! happy birthday to me! the first day of school just happen to be on my birthday. i was so excited. i got dressed, made the kids lunches.... that's right.... i said kidS! then ran upstairs to "scream" that it was the first day of school and that it was time to get up. erica was already up, but i had to drag aidan out of bed a bit. once he remembered that it was the day he got to ride the bus he fully woke up. breakfast, brushing of teeth, family prayer then off to the bus. sofia didn't want to leave the busstop, but when i said she could pick the movies and play with all the toys.... she ran down the street back to our house yelling "my pick, my pick". at lunch time mom picked me up and took me out for lunch, we left sofia with her great-grandparents. and during lunch (or soon after) there was an earthquake... who knew virginia could have those. we totally didn't notice. when the kids got home from school, aidan was so excited to tell me all he did. he was a bit sad that he didn't have math homework (who is this kid) but moved on quickly. a quick dinner of nuggets and fries and soon it was bed time. now.... what to do with the rest of my birthday....

Erica turned 8!

oh the joys of having children! i have a hard time believing that my first born, my baby, has turned 8 years old. and that means baptism! i had fun planning and prepping for her big day. friends and family came to help us celebrate and it was a good day. for all the planning that was done i was a bit frazzled when we got to the church, so i forgot the important "before" pictures of erica and her uncle casey in their white clothes. oh well. and since we were able to have her baptism on her birthday we had a nice party at my parents after. lots of food and great company. now that i know all there is to know about planning a baptism, the next two will be a snap!



good morning sunshine! after i took this i jumped on her bed to wake her up (cause i could) and sang every primary birthday song i could think of. don't worry, she was in a good mood











i completely spaced when we got to the church for erica's baptism, so i have no pictures of her in her dress with her uncle casey (who baptized her). but here is her dress, made by her grandma adams.















my niece just loved visiting with her cousins, not to mention my parents house with the large toy room. she was very sad to leave

















she just loves being the center of attention, but what kid doesn't. and today (the 23rd) i had the rest of her cake for breakfast, bill cosby would be so proud (hey, it's my birthday!)











grandma webb ALWAYS picks out the best clothes. erica can't wait until it gets cold enough to wear her new jacket.












always a winner!














so my child!














the damage done! though if a certain little boy came (a friend's son) then there would be no cupcakes left.












the newest member of the family, ben, with the oldest member. how great is it that mine and my siblings kids can have a relationship with thier GREAT grandparents











aidan just handed aunt rachel the book and asked her to read it.... sofia couldn't be left out













newest memeber of the parental club enjoying some tummy to tummy time with his son!

too long!

remember erica's sunflower from last year... if not then click here for a refresher. any-who, it dropped a lot of seeds that i assumed the birds ate. well, in march two potential sunflowers were coming up, then promptly died due to a late snow. now this.... it's already about 8 inches high (that ruler in the picture is only 6") i hope this one does as well as the last one!

he loves him some tractors! he would have drivin this thing around if he could.

teachin her how to do her makeup is gonna be so much fun.... this was just face paint

one tired little miss. i was going to keep her up since she missed her nap time being at great grandma's... oh well

why..... because he could.

her last project for her second grade class. she glued and colored while i used a not-as-sharp exacto knife to cut it all out (i don't like foam board now)

she has discovered the hula-hoop. too bad none of us "older" people can do a demo for her to learn from.... i'll tell ya right now, it's not a pretty picture to watch me try and hula that hoop

new dress and new boots (they may even be on the right feet)

Not Much

not a lot has happened since my last post. i started my one class at jmu in march, but it's mostly online work. i will admit, having to write papers again is not fun. but i have two people to help in the editing process and they have both said 'not bad for one who hasn't done a paper in 8 years'... i'll take it. we had warm days and expected spring to come, erica's old sunflower dropped enough seeds last summer and some were sprouting. but the harshness of march and some late snow took care of them. i registered aidan for kindergarten and he is very excited to ride the school bus. i went to my old university to visit my brother and his wife last weekend. rachel had an art show and i was looking forward to seeing it. but due to a school wide power outage, no such luck. and can i just tell you, they have a lot of great things at svu now. the indoor pool is gone, but in it's place is a great student union... anyways. here are a few pictures to tie ya down until something big and picture worthy comes along (hint: some people are graduating college next week).

my baby is talented. she went to bed with a sheet on the mattress, a pillow with a pillowcase and pants. first go the pants, then the pillowcase, then pillow then sheet. i don't know how she finds this comfortable!

he watched his older sister for years play on the computer, now it's his turn. every day "mom, can i do playhouse disney?"

this is how you keep a 3 and 4 year old occupied during general conference... you give them lots of paper, markers and children sized scissors!

spring has sprung! and we had all the dandelions to prove it, but the nice man came today to mow them all down.

he felt it was his job to move the gravel and dirt to a better spot. the down side of being at the bottom of a hill after a major rain

you can tell when she likes something.... everything else gets ignored.

totally mezzzzzzmorizzzzzed.... i love educational dvds!

Flat Stanley in Broadway Virginia

Who is Flat Stanley you ask? Well I didn't know who he was either until my nephew, Ethan, sent him to us. If you don't know the story, what a perfect opportunity to take your kids to the library and find out. But to sum-up: Flat Stanley is a boy that gets squished by a bulletin board. He's fine, but flat as a pancake. He has many adventures because he can slide under doors, fly like a kite and even fit in an envelope. Well, we hosted Flat Stanley for about three weeks. We were very busy during that time and took some pictures of our adventures together. Unfortunately, I was a bit forgetful and didn't get as many pictures as the kids wanted. So here are some pictures and Flat Stanley telling you about them.

Hello everyone, my name is Stanley... or Flat Stanley. I came all the way from Monterey California to visit my friend Ethan's family in Virginia. Did you know that it's about 2,792 miles from California to Virginia? I didn't either. I found out that Broadway Virginia is a lot smaller, and colder, than Monterey. But being a smaller town didn't stop us from having lots of fun. I came at a perfect time. The local mall was hosting something called Read Across America in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, so I got here just in time for that. I got to go to preschool, a chili cookoff, a birthday party, a college class and I even met someone else named Stanley, but he wasn't flat like me. Here are a few pictures of my time here in Virgina.














Ethan's Aunt Terri took us out to dinner before we went to the mall for Read Across America. She forgot to take pictures during dinner, but got one right before we left. Look how happy everyone is. We were all very excited to possibly meet the Cat in the Hat.

I got to see the Cat in the Hat! He looks a little different than he does in his books and he's a lot bigger than I though. Erica was the only one who wanted a picture with the Cat, Aidan and Sofia were too scared.

And I got to see Clifford. Aidan and Sofia were scared of him too, so I stayed with them to keep them company.

Here I am joining Aidan and his friend Harrison in preschool. They have so much fun. Right now we are doing an art project, we used plastic beads to make animal shapes, mine was a fish. I wished I could go with Erica to her school, but after seeing some of the paper come out of her backpack I didn't think I would make it there and back in one piece. Maybe another time.

Every year their church has a chili cookoff. I have never been to one and was very excited to see what it was like. There was a lot of chili and breads and even some jello. The man in charge said the jello was to help the judges, I still don't know what that meant. We didn't have any of the chili being judged because Ethan's cousin Aidan has lots of food allergies and couldn't eat what was there. So his mommy made a special pot, it was good.

Ethan's Aunt Terri has decided to go back to school, and she took me along for her first class. I think she forgot I was still in her purse, but she let me stay once she saw me. It's a small class, but she said that soon she'll get to be in bigger classes.