The Lumberjack's Wife

We decided we needed to try and build up the bank of our river property to help with spring flooding.  We hired a guy and he did the building up part, and then we went to smooth it out and plant grass seed.

Side note.  This is the second tree we have lost to a beaver.

Anyways we raked smooth all these track mark things from the machines-

And got it all smooth and ready for grass.

We then spread the grass seed and walked over it to “plant” it.

Here are the boys with their cousins doing just that.

Basketball season is starting up for the boys.  HD found out he made Varsity, and LD is a swing player, meaning he will be on JV, but also join Varsity.  HD is working on getting his driver’s license, Kate is far away doing college like things, and Hadley is home/working/going to college.  Things are just trucking along with our family.

Meanwhile, in fabulous first grade . . .

We finished all six books of Mercy Watson and had our toast party.

Let us discuss life in the fabulous first grade.  For it brings me joy.

Buddy.  Remember Buddy?  Buddy is a goose.  He is just a silly goose.  He is not on planet Earth, so sometimes it is hard to teach him.  I was lucky enough to have an aide able to help out for a bit in my classroom the other day, so I asked her to sit by Buddy during his monthly computer reading test.

Did you know that THE BEST way to determing whether six year olds can read is by putting them on a computer with headphones and having them take a test all by themselves and assume they won’t get distracted and will for surely be trying their best at all times and not get bored and definitely show their best?

Well.  That’s how we do.

So.  I knew Buddy would have a hard time putting forth his best effort, so I asked the aide, Mrs. H., to sit by him.  This test has several subtests, and at the end of each subtest, the test will show a graph and the kids can see if their score went up from the last time they took the test.

So, Mrs. H. is by him, giving him back pats and gently redirecting his head back to the area of where the computer is and Buddy finishes a subtest.  I can see from where I am standing that his graph has gone up-significantly.  Meaning, he did well and did much better than last month.

Buddy’s mouth drops and he whisper shouts to Mrs. H:

I AM SO SHOCKED!

And Mrs. H smiles at him and says, “I wasn’t shocked!”

And his smile was gold.  At the end of the test, he was putting away his computer.

Me:  You did a good job on your test, Buddy!

Buddy:  I KNOW!  I only got distracted like 3 or 4 times today!

Bless his little heart.

And bless Mrs. H.

***

Awhile back, I was teaching verbs.  I start with just action verbs and I teach them something I learned during my homeschool years called “The Verb Finder.”

The verb finder tells the kids to ask, “Can I _____?” And if the answer is yes, it is a verb.

Can I walk?  Yes!  Can I smile?  Yes!  Can I cat?  No (giggle, giggle).

Me:  Let’s try run.  Can I run?

Student loudly shouting:  NO!  WE NEVER RUN IN THE CLASSROOM!

***

A student who is now in 4th grade came into my classroom yesterday morning.  He usually stops in every morning to say hello.  He was with me during the 2019-2020 school year when we had to shut down in March.

4th grader:  You know what’s not fair?

Me:  What?

4th grader:  We didn’t get to finish 1st grade.

Me:  Oh, that’s right.  That was the year we shut down early.  Yes, that was a bummer.

4th grader:  I really liked first grade.  I don’t think that is fair.

Me (teasing):  Well, you can come back now!  Just think of how advanced you will be!

4th grader:  Ha.  Well I want to.

Me:  You cannot!  You know it all.  What does the letter “e” say?

4th grader:

Me:

4th grader:

Me:  Well, have a good day in 4th grade!

***

One of my boys is a farter.  And, yes, that sounds rude, but there isn’t a polite way to put it.  It’s like it is his joy in life to do this.  And he does it.  Often.

Sure, at first it would get some giggles from his peers, but frankly, we are all just over it.

We were lining up to leave PE the other day, and I saw him get out of line and walk to the back.

Me:  Dude?  What are you doing?

Boy:  Polly told me I had to go to the back of the line.

I look at Polly, another student, trying to convey disappointment in her bossiness.

Me:  Why are you telling him to go to the end of the line, Polly?

Polly:  Because he WON’T.  STOP.  FARTING.

Me:  Oh, ok.  I understand.

***

One of my boys talks in a very deep voice.  It is a total man voice.  We went on a walking field trip the other day, and I happened to be walking right near him.

I hear a man voice loudly proclaim:  “I am taking a walk with Taylor Maliblahblah.”

Except he said my real last name.

Me:  How do you know my first name?

Boy:  Oh, I know it.

Boy had to leave early for throwing up in the classroom all over the floor.  He came back after staying home for a bit to make sure he was back to good health.

Boy (in man voice):  I sure hated being home sick.  I had to miss out on all that learning!

***

My little Ukranian girl makes my world go round.  She is the cutest thing and whenever she doesn’t know what someone is saying to her, she breaks out ALL of her dimples and does this cute little “I don’t know” shrug.  She is a hard worker and is catching on very quickly.

In all honestly, folks, I think she is a child genius.

She is one of my top math students, which make sense, because numbers are the same.  She came in not knowing any letters, and now she has all their sounds.  So, we are working on blending, and that is seriously the most precious thing you could ever see in your entire life.

Girl:  C . . . . a . . . . .t

Me:  Ok, blend.

Girl, with very exaggerated head motions, tries to sound out the word and it sounds something more like if you said “Caught” and drug out the vowel sound for an extra long time.

I do not think they have the digraph “th” in the Ukraine, and that is a delight to teach her.  Precious pumpkin does NOT know what to do with her tongue.

Spit goes everywhere, but that girl is working hard!  I suspect she might take over the world.

***

We divide our entire first grade into tiers for strategic reading instruction.  I have the lowest tier, and within that tier, I have them grouped low to high to target their specific needs.

Let’s talk about my Tier 3 Group A .  There are only a handful of them, but they need a lot of targeted practice.

This is what I sound like.

Open the book.  Point to the first word.  No, open the book.  Your book is upside down.  Point to the word.  What is this word?

Student:  t . . . . . h . . . . . e

Oh!  This is a red word!  We cannot sound it out!  Who knows what this word is?  Yes!  You try!

Student: t . . . . h . . . . . e

Remember our song?  “You can say the and you can say the (thee) but you always spell it . . . ”
Kids:  T-H-E!

Right!  T-H-E spells the!  So let’s try this word again!

Student:  t . . . h . . . . e

The word is “the!”  Let’s move on!  Point to the next word.  Everybody!  Get your fingers ready!  Let’s say the sounds!  Oh!  You need to point to the word, please!  Hands out of pants!  Ok!

Student:  b . . . . i . . . . t

Yes!  Now blend it into a word!

Student: top?

So.  That’s what happens in case anyone was wondering why I fall asleep most nights before 8pm.

And . . . I love them.  And its still early in the year, so I am all full of hope and promise and sure I will get them reading.

And they WILL READ THE WORD “the.”

Wish me luck!

Happy Weekend!

 

Every morning, one of my students walks in, pink lipstick smeared ALL over her face, and says:

“Hi-Ya, Teach!”

And that is just fantastic.

Life is tricky hard right now.  I am powering through.  I also have a “spirited”class and I am not as full of joy as I had anticipated I would be.  I would almost say I am bereft of joy.  And, yet.  I press on.

I took Hadley to see Kason graduate.

The trip was fast and fun!  We even squeezed in a Phillies’ game.

Hadley and Kason tried a cheesesteak.  As people do in Philly.

Other than that, life has been plugging along.  My class is TRICKY.  I have a lot of behavior needs, as well as academic needs.  This group will keep me on my toes.

One of my boys is literally EXHAUSTING and I have to be on him all the time.  Bless his heart.

The other day, he was leaving for the bus.  He started for the door, then quickly turned around and dropped something on my desk.

“Mrs. M!  Don’t read that until I am gone!”

And off he went.

The note?

I am not exactly sure as to what is says, but I am chosing to believe it was a nice note.

David stopped by my classroom for a minute the other day, and one of my kids, who is A LOT behavior wise, and also quite low, motioned for David to come close to him.

Kid, whispering:  Hey!  Hey, you!

David:  What?

Kid:  Can you come back every day and help me?  For like ten days?  I have no idea what’s going on.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Poor guy.

And . . . I love them.

We had our first apple harvest.

Plus one pear.

This was the only apple tree to bear apples this year.  And this apple tree was run over by Kate and a four wheeler a couple of years ago.  David was all grumpy like and said the tree was, and I quote, “a gone-er.”

I was trying to keep spirits up, so I was like, “Nonsense!” and duck-taped the trunk.

The duck tape is still there.  And we have apples.

So we made a crisp.

Our friend gave us fresh peaches, so we canned them.

We still have cows.

Matilda is still the most beautiful.

The puppy brothers turned two years old day.

Niko

Norman.

They have my heart.

Happy Sunday!

This year at school, when I take my first graders to lunch, my “old” first graders are already eating in the cafeteria.  So, I often stop and check in with them.

We as a class had nicknamed one girl, “The Chicken Lady.”  Chicken Lady Girl was an expert on chickens and hatching chicks because her family is into it all.  At the end of last year, her mother sent me some fertilized eggs so I could try and hatch some new chicks for my farm.

Chicken Lady Girl:  Mrs. M.  My mom wanted me to ask you how the eggs turned out?  Did any hatch?

Me:  Oh, yes!  I have so many chickens now!

Chicken Lady Girl is all proud and happy and takes a bite out of her sandwich.

Me:  Yesterday, I was looking in the pig pen and I even saw one of the hens that I hatched hanging out with the pigs!  She was walking on the pigs backs and eating all the food around them!  I wonder if she will stay with the pigs or go back and live with the chickens?

Chicken Lady Girl and kids near her are all amazed and interested and would like a picture of this hen, and I tell them I will try.

When I got home, the white hen was no longer with the pigs, so that was a bummer.  I really wanted to show them a picture!  A bit later I saw the same hen, but now she was with the cows.  I snapped a picture and wrote a little story about this white hen in an email to my old class and attached the picture.  Their new teacher read it to them and showed them the picture.

A day or so later, Mac popped into my room.  Do you remember Mac from last year?  Do you?  Do you?

He has grown up!  He does not twirl and walk into walls!  He is still precious to my heart!

I had given Mac a bag of books to read at home, and he had forgotten to return them.

Mac:  Mrs. M?  My mom wanted me to bring you back these books.

Me:  Oh, thank you!  How are you?  You look like a big second grader now!

Mac beams with pride.  Because he is a big second grader now.

Mac:  Mrs. M?  Can you send more pictures and stories about that white hen?  The one that lived with the pigs and now lives with the cows?

Me:  I will!

And then he looked around my classroom and told me it looked like our old first grade classroom and he calmly walked back to class.

And I love him.  And I will now be stalking the white hen for content.

***

I am way into showtunes right now.  I like them for two reasons.

1.  They are just simply fun to sing along with!
2. They absolutely annoy my teen children!

Currently, I am enjoying all things Hello, Dolly! and Les Miserables.   And it is playing around the clock.

LD:  Mom.  Sometimes I question your taste in music.

I greatly annoyed Hadley the other day.  It was fun!  She was miffed because I asked her to do something.  You know how I be.  Naggy and such.  Asking kids to pick up after themselves.  The nerve.

Anyways.  I had my ear pod things in and was belting out Hello, Dolly! at the time and Reader, you would not believe the look of complete annoyance on that child’s face.  It was priceless.  And I did not stop.

Speaking of Hadley, exciting things are coming to be.

Kason, her boyfriend, is finally finished with basic training for the Coast Guard and she will get to see him soon.  Before he left, they had talked about her going to Cape May to see him graduate, and decided she wouldn’t because he would be home soon after and it might be expensive.  But his kind parents invited her along anyways, yet, she declined.

Well.  Time passed and Hadley was very Sadley and she asked me if we could look into going.  So.  Long story short-Hadley and I are taking off soon to *surprise* Kason and see him graduate.  We will be with him and his family for the rest of the trip and get to see a baseball game and all sorts of fun things.

He finally got to call her and he was asking her to please try and come.  She told him she couldn’t-so he isn’t expecting her and it is all very exciting.

Do I feel like a third wheel?

Yes.  Yes, I do.

 

We ended summer with our big camping trip.  We had a huge group spend anywhere from 3-4 nights at our river property.

And here is something I learned.

Our outhouse was NOT meant to handle that many people.

HD:  Mom.  Something is wrong with someone.  I think someone is having digestive issues.

*Delightful*

Let us keep whomever had to come clean our outhouse out in our thoughts and prayers.

My mother has fallen in love with my dogs.  And this is something we cannot blame her for.  They are all that is precious in this world.

“Taylor.  I have bones for the dogs.  Now take their pictures with them.”

“Taylor.  I bought special balls for the dogs to play with at the river.  They can be from Grams.”

“Taylor.  When can the dogs come out of their kennels?”

Our dogs have a happy existence when they come to the river.  Here is a little video of them enjoying some summer sun.

I would like to title this video:
THE SAME THINGS HAPPENS EVERYTIME.

We have three dogs, but Alex’s dog, Oakley is also in this video.

Norman always waits in the water.  He feels this is the best strategy to fetch the floaty toy.

Niko always waits at the bank.  At the very last moment, he does a little leaping move and it puts him at an advantage.

Charlie is too slow and will just bark from the beach.

Niko gets the floaty toy 90% of the time.

Let’s move on.

School has started.  I came in on cloud nine and with high hopes and I feel a bit disappointed.  I was not as full of joy as I thought I would be.

Mostly I am tired and hot.  And it is hard to be patient when one is so dang hot.

There are just so many of them!  And they are as a collective whole, a more trying group than last year.  I had to break out the extra firm teaching voice on day one, and that usually doesn’t happen.  Usually we get a bit of a honeymoon with these little folks.

 

This is what I sound like all day:

Who is beeping?

Turn around and look at me.

Why are you facing that way?  I am right here.  Look at me.

Do not talk while I am talking.

Stop beeping.

Sit up.  We are not laying down.

Look at me.

Where are your eyes?

Keep your hands to yourself.

Stop beeping.

Eyes on me!

Look at me now, young man.  This isn’t KINDERGARTEN.  If I tell you to stop beeping you need to stop beeping.

Anyways.  No joy for me.  Yet.  Although I strongly suspect Beeping Boy is having a lot of fun.

Let’s talk about Buddy.

I sort of had Buddy pegged wrong for the first day.  I thought he was just kind of all over the place, but he seemed like he knew the lay of the land and could get around the building.

I was grossly mistaken, Reader.

Buddy rides the bus.  Two other girls who are new to us also ride his bus.

Me:  Buddy.  You remember how to get on the bus from last year, right?

Buddy:  Yup!

Me:  Great.  Take these two with you and get on your bus and I will see you tomorrow.

Buddy:  Ok!

And off they went.  And where they went, I am not sure, but they certainly didn’t get on a bus.  They ended up somewhere in the building and all three of them missed the bus.

Now that I know Buddy a bit more, I have decided that he is not on planet Earth.  Which is a bummer, because that is where the rest of us are.

Every day with the lunch ordering!  Oh my goodness, Lord grant me patience.

Me:  Buddy.  Do you need to order lunch?

Buddy:  Yup! I will have chicken nuggets.

Me:  Ok.

*1 hour later*

Buddy:  Wait!  I have a lunch!  My grandma packed it for me!

Me:  Alright.

*At snack time*

Me:  Buddy, why are you eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

Buddy:  It is my snack!

Me:  Are you sure?  That’s usually a lunch.

Buddy:  I am sure!

*At lunch time*

Buddy:  I don’t have a lunch!

I look in his lunch box.

Me:  I see a drink, string cheese, grapes, and chips.  I think this was your lunch with your sandwich.

Buddy:  Are you sure?

No.  No, I am not sure, Buddy.  I am not sure about anything.

I am quite proud of myself and how I am handling the start of the year.  I made dinner all but one night.  And that is something to commend me for.  The night I didn’t make dinner was the night I felt the least joy.  That is because one firstie was slapping my hand and I called for admin and then he bit the administrator.  And then I came home and pigs were out-

So I got them in and gave myself the night off from making dinner.

So.  That was the first week of school.

The boys also started school.  HD is in 10th and LD is in 9th.

*Best Back to School Photo Ever*

LD was nervous to start school.  He felt like one of his teachers was very serious and was sure he was going to get detention all the time.

Me:  Hows it going with that teacher?

LD:  Mom.  She is like a different person.  She is like . . . smiling!

Me:  Well that’s good.

LD:  Yeah.  Maybe she is just still happy because its only the first week of school.

I took the boys to The Beauty Operator and LD has somehow finagled her into helping him start a mullet.  May the Lord Bless Me and Keep Me.

HD got new glasses from Bob.  HD now towers over Bob.  We are still fans of Bob.

Happy Saturday!

 

David was the all important “Turn-Buyer” again for this year’s fair.  Last year, I had to go and pick up 30 pigs for him on a Tuesday morning.  As people do.

But this year, I was not needed!  Darn.  He and LD took care of it and I am happy to report that pigs are still absolutely vile and disgusting.

Nasty.

Me:  David!  You have got two pigs out there that will NOT stop fighting.

David:

Me:  They are literally the worst.  They bite each other and squeal.  Its horrific.  Please kill them first.

David:  Will do.

I am such a different gal than when we first moved out her.

Taylor 2.0.

Everyone over here in the land of us is getting ready to go on our BIG LABOR DAY CAMPING WEEKEND GETAWAY.  Yes, reader.  David’s kin from near and far travel to join us for this fun-filled weekend.  Kate even called asking if I could book her a last minute flight home for the weekend!  (Nope)

David’s brother, Alex, and his wife drove in late Wednesday and stayed with us.  Lucky for them, Thursday morning was Pig Butchering Day!  First gunshots were scheduled to ring out around 3am.

Alex, ever the adventurous spirit, came out and joined David.  David, Alex, HD, and LD butchered nine whole pigs Thursday morning.

Want to know the worst part about this entire event?

After David, *ahem*, “dispatches” the pig, the pig will scream.

Makes for a pleasant morning.

 

Lauralee, Alex’s wife, surely finds us to be quite normal.  I made her some coffee and chatted while I was getting ready for work and then I had to just abandon her.  She was working from home and counting gun shots.

What fun!

As I was trying to walk to my car, David wanted to talk to me.  Of course, he must still continue the butchering process as he talked to me, and as much as I tried to avert my eyes, I saw things that will scar me for life.

He just kept talking!  And when does David talk?  And why at this moment is he so chatty?
Me:  Dude.  I gotta go.  I just canNOT anymore.

And off I went.  Haven’t seen him or any of the others since.  They were so excited they have already left for camp.  Hadley and I are coming late due to work and school schedules.

***

Hadley’s boyfriend is still far away in Coast Guard training.  She has been getting letters, and Reader, the first letter was a bit sad.

One line read:  Please to continue to send letters as they are like Christmas presents to me.

Let the records show:  Hadley misses him.

***

I got my hair done a few days ago.  When I arrived, there was a lovely older woman there finishing up before me. She was very spunky and friendly.  She referred to our hairdresser as her “Beauty Operator” and I found that to be quite fantastic.

So.  Now I will call Lisa, my hairdresser, my Beauty Operator.

Perfect.

Beauty Operator and I decided I should go darker.  And I did.  And I like it.  And let the records show that not ONE male in my home likes it.

Not.

One.

But I do.

I will show you the only picture I have, but first I must tell you what is going on in said picture.

Our district always throws us a lovely Welcome Back event complete with a delicious breakfast.

But then dang covid came and we no longer got the lovely breakfast.  It was more like snacks, maybe.

The night before-

Teacher Friend Kim:  If they try to give me another cheese stick, I am going to lose my mind.

And here’s Kim and I the following morning.

With our Teacher Appreciation String Cheese.

We miss hot breakfast!

So.  Anyways.  My hair darker, but not that much darker.

LD:  Ugh.  Mom.  Why do you have BLACK HAIR.

Let’s move on!

My room is ready for my new group of firsties!

I met 20 out of 23 at Open House night.  I already love them all.

Let’s discuss.

I can already tell one little guy is going to be a recurring character on this blog.  Let’s call him Buddy.

My class is all a flutter with parents and students and siblings.  I am trying to meet everyone and answer questions and reassure everyone that its ok if they cannot pronounce my last name.

Buddy glides on in.

Me:  Well, hello!  You must be Buddy.

Buddy:  Yup!  I am!

Me:  I am so glad you are in my class this year!  Are your grown ups with you?

Buddy:  Nope!

Me:  Really?

Buddy:  My grandma brought me.  She can’t come upstairs.  She told me its best if I just come see you.

Me:  Oh, ok-

Buddy:  SO!  Is this my first day?  Is this school?  Am I doing school?  Am I starting now?  What’s this?

Me:  That’s your book box.

Buddy takes the book box out of his cubby and starts to peruse them.

Buddy:  Oh, this looks too hard.  I can’t read.  I can’t read ESPECIALLY when its hard.

Other parents are noticing him and chuckling.

Me:  Well, good news!  I am going to teach you how to read!  That’s my job!

Buddy: Oh!  Can I do computers now?

Me:  No, not now.

Buddy:  When do I get to go on a computer?

Me:  Sometime soon!

Then Buddy took a few more laps and left with his paperwork to give to Grandma.

And about 15 minutes later he was back.

Me:  Buddy!  What are you doing?

Buddy:  I came back!

Me:  Does grandma know where you are?

Buddy:  I think so.  Ok, I am going to check out the playground!

And off he went.

A bit later I heard his name being called over the intercom.  Obviously grandma was looking for him.

I called the office and told them to check the playground.

Another precious girl came in and she and her family do not speak a lick of English!  They are from the Ukraine and had a translater.  They were extremely sweet and the girl is super precious.  I am a bit anxious about how I will communicate with her at first.

Towards the end, a little girl I recognized from last year popped in.  I had her brother last year.

Me:  Hi!  Is your dad here?

Girl:  No.  We walked by ourselves.  We heard you were having a celebration!

Me:  Does your dad know you are here?

Girl:  Yes.  I had permission.

Girl is over the moon excited to come back to school.  She got her free hot dog from PTA, saw where she will sit and her new locker, and will come back on Tuesday.

***

Auntie Datenut is being a good Auntie to the dogs.  She permits them to hang out on her porch with her.  She saves them food scraps and always has a bowl of water out for them.

Sometimes, I look out my kitchen window and can see Auntie sitting on her porch working on some mending.

It makes my heart happy.

 

 

I took HD to his annual eye exam last week.  This was his 11th year in a row of seeing this doctor.  Let’s call her, “Big City Doctor.”  Because.  She lives in the Big City.  Not the normal size city we are normally biding our time in.  Please, try to keep up.

And, Reader.  I like Big City Doctor.

Big City Doctor, and our favorite optician, Bob, will be the reason HD will enter society as a functioning adult.

Big City Doctor decided to reminisce a bit and looked back at his chart history.

Big City Doc:  So, we have been seeing him since he was 4?  How did you get to us?

Me:  Well, his eye started wandering when he was six months old so I talked to the pediatrician about it.  He referred me to an ophthalmologist close by.  He started in glasses at six months and we continued to see that doctor.  Around the time HD turned 3, that doctor told me he no longer needed glasses.  This concerned me, as HD’s eye was still wandering.  One day, after his bath, HD looked at me, extremely cross-eyed and proclaimed: “I see TWO mommies!”  So, I figured double vision was a bad sign.  Spoke with the pediatrician and he referred me to you.

Big City Doc:  I see . . .

Me:  When I called your office to set up the appointment, the receptionist informed me you were extremely booked and you might not be able to take him on as a patient.  She said she was going to show you his chart and let me know.  She called me back within a half hour and said you wanted to see him within the month.

Big City Doc:  Well, you have done a good job, Mom.  His vision is great, honestly, with his condition.  He is doing really well.

Me:  I think you are probably the one who did the good job.

Big City Doc:  Well, no, it was mostly you.  You caught it early and you kept taking him in and making sure he was wearing the glasses.  Usually with cases like his, the child loses vision in one eye and we cannot reverse it.  You did a good job.

Reader.  At that moment, I completely puffed up with pride.  And if you will permit me, I am going to now Tootle My Own Horn.

Yes!  I did do a good job!  And it wasn’t easy!  Long time readers might recall how difficult it was to keep toddler/preschool HD in a functioning pair of glasses.  And money was so much tighter then, and we had moved far from town.  We had a diesel Ford Excursion and diesel was close to $5 a gallon at the time (2010-2011 ish).  We were on one income, but whenever his glasses were broken, I would load the fab four into the big rig and go seek help from Bob.  And every time his little eye would wander, I felt like a failure, and I would panic.  I just wanted to make sure he didn’t end up with a lazy eye.

And, Reader.  I did it.

And thus concludes the Tootling of My Own Horn.

Thank you.

***

At LD’s well exam, the doctor informed him that he was in the 95th percentile for his height.

LD:  What does that mean?

Doc:  Well.  If you were in a room with 100 other fourteen-year-old boys, you would be taller than 95 of them.

Oh, this excited LD greatly.

LD, raised his hand in the air for the doctor to give him a high five, and shouted:  Let’s Go!

You know what else excited LD?  Hearing that HD was only in the 75th percentile.

***

I finally received a back to school photo of Kate:

She seems to be enjoying her new school and sent me this photo and asked-

“Do I look like a science major?”

David and I, but mostly David, just walked her through buying a car on her own in Kansas over the phone.  She wanted to FaceTime David so he could check the car out and she would send very reassuring messages to me, such as-

“Here is the location of where I am going to look at a car.  You know.  So you can find me in case they murder me.”

She found a car.  She is alive.  All is well.

***

This summer, I hatched some chicks and yesterday was chick moving day.  The whole fam came out to help!

We got all the chicks moved into the main chicken pen, except a rogue white one.

Everyone is all damsel-in-distress-y about touching a flappy chicken, but not LD.

He grabbed that thing like a boss.

Hero of the day.

***

David relayed this conversation he had with Shop Boy . . .

Shop Boy:  David?  When will we play games?

David:  Games?

Shop Boy:  You know.  Like team building games?  Games to get to know each other?

David:  Yeah.  We don’t do that.

Me, after David told me:  Oh, David, PLEASEEEEEEEEE.  Please get all the manly journeymen gathered into the shop and play “Never have I ever.”  Please!?

David:  Huh?

***

We went to the river this past weekend.  It was just a quick one night trip and we wanted to do a bit of yard work.

I snapped this photo of LD:

LD, later on:  Why are you, like, obsessed with me and taking my picture?

Me:  You are just THAT cute.

HD trimmed up some trees with a CHAINSAW.

I shudder.

I neglected to get the before picture, so you will just have to trust my word that he did a nice job.

The dogs and I played ball.  As we always do.

And they splashed around in the river a bit.

And I love them.

***

Today is my first official day back to school.  I am going to miss my morning walks with my dog friends.

I am looking forward to starting a new school year.  I will get my class list on Wednesday and meet the kids and their families on Wednesday night.  The kids start back on Tuesday.

My goal this year is to not let the beginning of the school year and all of its craziness defeat me.

Like it has every other year.

Wish me luck!

 

David turned 42.  Usually, he is a total fuddy duddy on his birthday and doesn’t like to acknowledge the blessing he is to this earth.  But this year!  This year, he took the fam out to dinner.

Lucky us!

I made him his favorite huckleberry pie and all is well with the world.

David is now in a manager position at his company.  He has recently hired a young lad.  Young lad is not yet ready to be an apprentice, but he is known as “Shop Boy.”

Let’s talk about “Shop Boy.”

Shop Boy:  David?  How can I work my way up in this company?

David:  Huh?

Shop Boy:  Like.  How can I be an apprentice?

David:  Go above and beyond in the position you are in now.  Do an extra good job.

Shop Boy:  Like how?

David:  You know how I told you to wash one Journeyman’s van each morning?

Shop Boy:  Yeah?

David:  Wash two vans each morning.

Shop Boy:  But I don’t like to wash vans.

David:

Shop Boy:

David:  Well.  I don’t know what else to tell you.

One day, David took Shop Boy to help him set up some temporary power poles.  This involves arm muscles.

On the way back in the truck, David noticed Shop Boy was admiring his own arms.

David:  What are you doing?

Shop Boy:  Looking at my arms!  I grew some muscles today!  Look!

David:  Yeah.  That’s not how that works.

Another day, David took Shop Boy to go, and spray paint the company name on some power poles.

On the way back in the truck, David noticed Shop boy was doing something strange with his hands.

David:  What are you doing?

Shop Boy:  Practicing.

David:  What are you practicing?

Shop Boy:  Spray painting.  I want to be as good as you someday.

Reader.  He was “air” spray painting.  With his hands.  And no spray paint can.  In a truck.

Let’s move on.

I am enjoying having Auntie Datenut close by.

Three cheers for David and the kids for helping create an apartment for us to move her to!

Upon occasion, I take her to town to do her errands and we have a lot of chit chat time and general fun.

One particular outing, I noticed she kept praising me.

And Reader.  I did not complain.

Auntie:  Taylor!  Did you know you look like a mix between Cindy Crawford and Brooke Shields?

Me:  I did not.

Auntie:  THAT IS NOT A BAD THING.

Me:  Thanks, Auntie.

We were at Costco, and she kept praising my ability to shop.  And I am a good shopper.  I always tell David I am very good at spending his money.

Me:  Oh.  Dino-Nuggs are on sale.  I always promise LD I will buy them when they are on sale.

Auntie:  Good!

Me:  They are $4 off a box.  I am going to buy 3 boxes.

Auntie:  Man.  That Dave don’t know how lucky he is.

Later, we are loading all the things into the back of my sweet Infiniti.  I slam my leg on the trailer hitch that was left on my car by one of the males who live in my house.

Auntie:  And you don’t get mad at David for leaving that on?

Me:  I never really thought about it.

Auntie:  Man.  That Dave don’t know how lucky he is.

And that whole outing got me wondering:  Does Dave know how lucky he is?

***

Let the records show:  I look not like Cindy Crawford.  Nor Brooke Shields.

I look like Taylor.

***

Let’s talk about Little Dude.

I was able to snap a picture of him when he was smiling.

Isn’t he cute?

Then he noticed me with my phone:

So manly.  So tough.

Hadley took the dudes to the beach for a little swim session.  And, oh!  LD’s leg is doing phenomenal after being run over by a skid steer.  He was checked out by a doc and cleared to resume normal activities . . .just in time for another medical emergency.

So.  As I was saying, Hadley took the dudes to the beach.  Because she is a nice sister and she is very Sadley that Kason is far, far away, so she is filling up her time.

While they were at the lake, LD attempted a backflip and smacked his head on a log.  Hadley and HD helped him swim back to shore.  Other beachgoers came up to my children, concerned, and one man told them that HD’s head hitting the log sounded like a watermelon hitting concrete.

!

Hadley called me and started to come home.  I called my pediatric nurse sister-in-law, Amy, and she said to get him to the ER to check for a brain bleed or any swelling.

I got him to the ER in a flash and he was checked out and good news-just a concussion.

But goodness gracious and great balls of fire.

Am I right?

Yes.  I am right.

***

Hadley started her first day of college classes.

In true Hadley fashion, she was running late in the morning.

Hadley:  Mom.  I want to go to my cycling class.  Can I come to your school later for a picture.

Me:  Fineeeeee.

Hadley arrives at school.  My amazing nieces are once again helping me.  And may I say, that because my nieces have helped me, I shall be the most prepared for the school year that I have ever been?!

Holla, E!  Holla, A!  Thank you, Babes!

Anyways, Hadley arrives at school and guess what!  She locked her keys in her car! So she is Madley Hadley and she doesn’t want her picture taken because she wanted to do her hair at my school (?) and her car is locked and she looks terrible, but I took her picture anyway.

Hadley.  First day of college picture.  Check.

David left Shop Boy and came to break into her car for her so she could make it to class on time.

Holla, Dave!

***

I have asked Kate for a first day of school picture, and I have yet to receive one.

***

I took the boys to their annual well-checks.

Can someone PLEASE remind me to never schedule them together again?  Like EVER?

Like, not ever, ever ever.

At the end, the doctor said something that I have heard many people say to me as I leave with those two yahoos.

“It’s ok, Mom.  You are doing a good job.”

Which makes me wonder . . . Am I doing a good job?

***

The puppy brothers are doing a lot better in life.  And I must admit, all 3 dogs love me the most because I spend the most time with them.

Well, the other day, I left Niko unattended for a while and I found him chewing on my underpants.

Yes!  My underpants!

So.  I spoke harshly to him.  And Reader.  He felt so bad, he put himself in a timeout.

AND . . . I love him.

***

Hadley came home tonight and was filling me in about all of her college classes and everything new in her life.  As she was chatting, I began to admire her earrings.  And I thought to myself, “Teller.  You have always wanted earrings like that!”

And then!  Then, I remembered I bought those earrings.  And I wore them once!  ONCE, READER.  And Hadley asked to borrow them and she has had them for at least one month, I KID YOU NOT.

Me:  Hadley!  When can I have my earrings back?!

Hadley:  Mooommmmmm.

***

I don’t wanna brag, but I am gonna.

I am the BEST at growing this Wandering Jew plant.  I stuck some starts in a trough thing on my porch a few weeks ago and look at it now!

Please.  Be jealous.

***

HD:  Hadley!  You are home!  Do you want to finish our movie?

Hadley: Sure.

HD:  Oh, wait!  It is almost 8pm.  Never mind!

***

Happy Tuesday, Reader!

 

 

This is what my new classroom looked like at the beginning of this week:

Yuck.

This will be my third year in a row of switching classrooms, but not switching grade levels.  Thankfully, I am still in the best grade ever:  1st.  One good thing about changing rooms often is it sort of forces you to purge and I have a lot less junk than I did a few years ago.

My nieces came and helped me on Monday, and we knocked it out of the park!  We completely revamped my two classroom libraries, and it was a nice project to get done.

Little Dude came and helped me on Wednesday.  He prepped 75 parachutes (FOR SCIENCE) for the entire first grade team and did a few other miscellaneous jobs for me.  I paid him in Panda Express, which was absolutely worth it.

This is my room now:

Definitely not finished but looking more like a classroom.

This is my favorite part-

“Be kind, work hard, and know that you are loved.”

If fits really nicely above the window.  I will add each child’s first day of first grade picture to the blue colored cards once school starts.

The astute reader might remember that the boys are working for neighboring farmers and wonder how I managed to get LD to come help me in the classroom.

Reader.  There was an accident.  A terrifying accident.

On Tuesday, David called me to say LD’s foot was run over by the track of a skid steer and I needed to meet him and another worker at the urgent care.  David had no idea how bad it was, and I luckily remained calm while driving there and was just praying he wouldn’t need his foot amputated or something like that.

When I arrived at the clinic, they had already x-rayed him and determined nothing was broken and he only had a bad sprain.  He was in pain, but his foot looked pretty good considering what he had been through.

Here’s what I know:  LD was in the blind spot of the worker operating the skid steer.  His foot got ran over and he started screaming and was knocked down.  If he hadn’t screamed, HD says it would have been much worse.  The worker, who felt TERRIBLE, called David and then carried LD out of the field and drove him to the clinic.

Reader.  I do not know how he got so lucky, but I am so thankful he wasn’t hurt worse than he was.  It could have been really bad.

They gave him crutches and a boot.  The nurse was fitting the boot and asked him how it felt.

LD, who was COVERED in dirt, looked thoughtful and then said,

“Sparkly.”

The nurse and I looked at each other for a minute.

Me:  Dude.  Do you mean tingly?

LD:  Yeah.  Tingly/Sparkly.  Same thing.

So.  He is hanging out with me more.  And loving it.

“Ma.  What’s the food situation over here?”

Look at Niko.  Patiently waiting and hoping for LD to throw the ball.  Can you see the blue ball in the picture?  Can you?  Can you?

***

Kate has been travelling across the country with her boyfriend and his family as they travel to school.

She has finally arrived at her new state and sent me this picture-

Me:  They forgot their mountains!

She is supes excited and is moving into her dorm now.  I am excited to hear all about it-I never lived in a dorm or went away for college.  It all sounds so exciting!

The other night, I was helping Auntie Datenut shop at Costco and Kate called me, sobbing-

“Mom.  I cannot talk right now, but we just got in a car wreck.”

So, that was a fun phonecall to receive.  That was the day AFTER LD’s skid steer event.

She called me a bit later-everyone was fine.  Someone rear ended them.  The car was still drive-able.  Here’s something of note:  I have everyone on Life360-the app sensed she was in an accident and sent the police to them.

God was definitely looking after my kids this week.

***

Let’s talk about dogs.

Charlie likes to play fight with the puppy brothers.

When she has had enough, she plays “dead.”

Norman feels he MUST fetch any stick or ball thrown his way.  The poor guy just swims in place at the river when LD skips rocks (this was before the accident).

Norman.  Fetch player.  10/10 Stars.

The dogs always play hard at the river.  At night, they are extra snuggly in my lap as I read my book.

I love it.

Happy Friday!