uncle!

there seems to have been a sudden surge in memes all over the internet.

there also seems to have been a sudden surge in people thinking they can make funny memes. it doesn't seem to matter the style.... there are too many that just aren't funny. that's most of them, really... pick a style, any style. most just aren't that funny. (there are plenty that aren't funny at all....)

so when i found this picture.... i thought maybe i should pass it on and let people know.... : )

enough time spent on that! i'm going running now... : )

edit: there are several that i DO think are funny or clever, and so does will... : ) let's just not get carried away here

making lemonade

we've lived in tracy just about 8 months now. today i was hired by my 3rd school district in california. that doesn't include a charter school and my "private" preschool employment.

tomorrow i will begin my career as a paraprofessional at monticello school in the jefferson district. subbing had some serious pros, but it also had some real cons. this new job also has pros and cons... we're just hoping the ups far outweigh the downs... and as far as our analysis has gone (before i've even spent a moment on the job : ) we think this will be an improvement!

i'm going to know where i'm going to work each day, and it won't be far (about a mile!). no more guessing or dreading getting jobs the morning of!

i don't know anyone who has paraprofessional down as their dream job, and i'm no exception... but we're grateful for this opportunity and the blessings it will bring. this part-time position will fill my mornings, and my preschool friends will still delight my afternoons.

life can be tough, but we're making it!

i think i can i think i can

when the going gets tough, this girl tries to keep going.....

i've run 4 times in the last week. which is also 4 times in the last few months. 2 times with will and 2 times without him. only because he had to go back to work. it's good to get back into it. we're going to run a half marathon this summer. rather than pay a lot of money just to go run, we're going to do our own course on our own day. it will still be a half marathon. heck, i could even make us shirts... : )

i told a couple friends that idea at mutual last night. i said we'd just do "our own family half marathon." they said, "oh, with one of your sides of the family?" i said, "no, our family: me and will."

the howes family half marathon.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

i can't do it alone.

"..... with the power of an oxen!"

: ) ... minus the zilching

today kyler crushed his size 3 oz dixie cup in one hand as he walked to the garbage can to throw it away. he smiles at me and says, "i can crush lettuce, too." : )

it was only kyler and hayden left outside and i couldn't help but laugh. hayden asked why i was laughing. if you tell them they're funny they get annoying trying to be, so i said i just liked being with them so much it made me smile... and sometimes laugh.

the choice to be grateful

well... not to be cliche or anything, but...

will is my best friend : )

he is smart AND wise, funny, a hard worker, worthily holds the Priesthood, supports me, listens to me, teaches me, is patient with me, and strives to make me happy. he willingly helps around the house, knows what i like, and has been the best weekly grocery shopping date for the last 4 (give or take : ) years.

we're excited to spend our first christmas with just us. not because we want to be away from our family, but because we're embracing the opportunity to begin our own family traditions and enjoy the simplicity of a small christmas with just our family.

though it's small and simple, we have everything we need, and i'm aiming to focus on our many, many blessings. how excellent that the Ensign's First Presidency Message this month is about gratitude! i really appreciate that it is titled "the choice to be grateful." boy, it's a choice all right! : ) while are always things i can spout off that i'm grateful for, there are more blessings that might not be realized readily... thank you President Eyring for the reminder!

http://lds.org/ensign/2011/12/the-choice-to-be-grateful?lang=eng

check it out!

i am especially grateful right now for the opportunity we have to think about and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. i am also grateful for my knowledge and testimony of Him - to know that through Him we will all, too, be resurrected and live eternally, happily with our families in the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.

any hardship, heartache, or trial we may have can and will be made right through Him. if it's not ok, it's not the end. thanks, mom : )

violet red

for some reason, THE color of crayon to get at preschool is violet red. too bad they can't figure out for themselves when they've got it or not : )

sometimes they each get their own little cup with fat (for little fingers) crayons that are only in the main rainbow colors + brown and black. think like a beautiful box of crayola markers (ok, before they added pink and grey to the box). it's not really that much of a hassle to distribute, because each of the cups is a different color, and they all have a color of the day, so they match. sometimes i get tired of those little cups, or i think it might be nice for them to be able to use other colors aside from the big 8, so i just set out the baskets of regular sized crayons that come in just about every color.

once the skinny crayon baskets have come out, they start digging frantically and shouting, "hey! i have violet red!" they make sure their friends know, and then get on with their coloring. sometimes they like some validation so they'll ask me if "that says violet red." they hold it very carefully so i can read the part that says CRAYOLA or ROSEART. i usually say something like, well let me see and twist it a little so i really can read it. sometimes i can give them the confirmation they want and say, yep, you have violet red! but usually i say, nope, that just says red. they're a little disappointed, but it colors the same as it did before they asked so they usually just move on.

thanks a lot crayola, because sometimes i tell them that that have red violet. there is no difference to a 4 year old!

what else aids in their confusion? the fact that we also have violet blue and blue violet out there!

so the odds of getting a crayon with violet somewhere in the name is higher than you might think. it has lead to questions such as:

is this violet green? is this violet pink? is this violet purple? and so on.....

i'm not sure how many of them say violet. i think it's usually biolet. regardless, they REALLY want violet red. i'd rather hear about violet red than some other things we could get stuck on. i think i'm pretty lucky.

now that you know the violet red background, here is a short story:

one day they had scrambled for their crayons and while the boys are already coloring, my two girls have this discussion (not exactly the same words...this happened a few weeks ago): hey kylie do you have violet red? yeah. me too. let's see if they're the same. ok. do you have a r first? yeah. then a o? yeah. then a s? yeah then a e? yeah. then a a? yeah. then a r? yeah. then a t? yeah! we both have violet red!!!! (beside themselves with joy)

i just about died. that was one of my favorite moments. the thrill of a roseart crayon... : ) i can't stand coloring with roseart ones.

just this week carson has also adopted a love for orchid. he gets a look like he's getting an ice cream cone when i tell him he has orchid.

i hope this lasts until may : )

benefits

when i taught 2nd grade, i was getting health insurance benefits. it was great.

now that i'm teaching preschool, two states away, luckily i'm still getting benefits.

sing "it's august, it's august" to the tune of "a tisket, a tasket" to yourself. now sing it again. now sing it again. and again. and again. and about 352 more times. good. now you're starting to benefit from my benefits... : ) that line of a song, and several others have been stuck in my head for a while! that's right, i get the benefit of singing myself preschool songs all day long. i usually spare will...

i also get the benefit of hearing the cute and funny things they say. well, let's clear up one thing right now: 2nd graders are funnier than preschoolers... BY FAR : ) i didn't say 3 and 4 year olds can't be funny... just not as readily or often. i did get the benefit of hearing this yesterday, though:

while i'm working on painting someone's foot for their "about me" book, the other kids are playing. a little girl playing with doctor toys had found two spring-loaded toys (for "shots"?). she had one in each fist and was pounding them on my back, alternating. i was enjoying my little massage and, just looking to amuse myself i said something like, "thank you kylie, that's just what the doctor ordered." as i said it i was thinking to myself that it was maybe silly to have said anything because i didn't think she'd hear me (facing the other way and above all the other noise). well i don't think she understood my comment, but did hear and understand the "thank you." i know she did because then i hear "don't mention it, partner." i laughed out loud. coming from a 4 year old, it was pretty funny. i'm about to ask her if that's what she really said, and i hear, "haha, i just called miss ashley 'partner'... haha." she was cracking herself up over it... so i laughed out loud again.

there are a few other benefits, too...

preschool benefits aside, i miss 2nd grade. i miss amelia earhart. on monday i went to help clean the house of a family who is moving from the ward. i met one or two new people there. one of them didn't ask me if i had kids, she asked me how many kids i had. the first thing that came to mind to say was "zero," so i did. later, back at home i wished that instead i had told her, "24, and they're all starting 3rd grade today!" that afternoon at 2:30 (3:30 utah) i realized they were all getting out of their first day back at school. i was pretty sad. i also wore my school tshirt earlier this week... : ) i miss my little kiddies.

i learned so much in that one year and i wish i could have had another chance at it all. after a year i knew things that i loved and would do again, and i knew things that i would never do again. i'm a little jealous that ali gets that chance. maybe someday....

i went to get a zucchini from my friend the other day and saw her daughter's school papers. i saw a "book" (one sheet folded in half) called "counting with the ducks." i know that book! her daughter is in 2nd grade. that's the first book/corresponds with the first unit of the exact same math program amelia started (k-3) last year... : ) i'd recognize it anywhere. so i told her and she said, oh yeah, they have these colored papers that she brings home. i know.... : ) she was trying to find it in the stack, and i could easily spot it only seeing the corner. i found myself even missing envisions math!! : ) so as soon as all this silly subbing/credentials stuff is sorted out i'm going to make sure i can sub at banta so i can do more envisions math.... : ) woohoo

yes, we went to discovery kingdom (formerly known as marine world africa usa) last saturday. yes, we celebrated our 3rd anniversary on tuesday. and yes, we currently have a long-term scrabble game going on (free app : ) .................. so I KNOW that we need to "catch up" and post some more.. maybe even put up some pictures?! (woah, i know... : )

ps.. i ran 5.3 miles on monday, then have been prevented from running this week since (boo : ( (thanks a lot water maintenance and car woes..... and preschool? : ) well, it's really mainly because i dont' want to run when it's 90 degrees. there goes my half marathon down the drain..... just joking... hopefully back on that a sap.