Geek Squad

I am not a computer technician by any means... However, these past few days I have been going crazy trying to fix our home computer. I am posting these screen shots, in case it causes someone who is reading this to figure out the problem we are having. I could use any suggestions... These shots show the computer in "Windows Recovery" mode. However, it has been "recovering" for over a day now. The status bar has been saying 11% complete for just as long. My mini-technicians have been working on it day and night (can you tell?)! LOL!!

The First Day of Friday School

Walking into school with the snacks and their back packs

After school, Jaden was so hungry she ate a whole hotdog and bun (above), and Morgan was so exhausted, she crashed before we made it home (below)!!

What a day we had Friday!! I didn't take any pics while in the school~ These pics are of the before & after. I taught Morgan's class (which includes 7 other kids that are either 2 or 3 years old). In her class we read 3 books during the course of the morning:

"Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?"

"Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

And a Little Goldenbook called "The Sleepytime Book"

We colored a brown bear, and made bears out of play doh. For their Spanish lesson, I taught them 2 songs:

"Tengo Dos Manos" (I have two hands)

and "Buenos Dias, Como Estas?" (Good Day, How are you?)

We had music time with a music teacher for 25 minutes, and got playground time for 30 minutes.

Jaden went to her manners class where she did really well. They learned the proper way to answer the phone, introduce people, etc. She went to the sewing class after that. They gave everyone "right-handed" scissors to cut their fabric with. Since she is left-handed, it didn't go too well for her. The teacher of the class, also, admitted that the class is more for 3rd graders and up (even though she included 1st and 2nd graders in the class info sheet). To make a long story short, I will be pulling her out of that class, and putting her in the missionary geography class. Her last class was play ground games. They played fun games like "red light, green light".

I'm still trying to feel all of it out, and I am still not sure whether we will continue with Friday School next semester. Once I start my new job (hopefully very soon), I may not be able to continue to teach my seedlings class. If LeCount has to take the girls, I don't think we will do it.

Having Fun with the Grandmas!

A Special Trip ~ Two Grandmas!!

Morgan and Jaden, outside waiting anxiously for two of their grandmas to arrive.

Grandma Frances got out of the car first (above) and then, came Grandma Leslie (below)

They brought us chicken and sides!! We finally have a chain restaurant opened in our small town. It has been packed since it opened less than a week ago (the drive thru goes all the way out to the street with 20 cars in line at any given time)

We had so much fun with the grandmas! We ate, played, chatted, etc. You can't tell that Grandma Leslie & Grandma Frances are in-laws. They get along like best friends!! It's great!

Cute clothes from Grandma Leslie

Grandma Leslie came by to watch the girls while I went to work for a few hours. She dropped off some clothes she had bought for the girls a while ago, and some clothes she made/embroidered. We didn't get a chance to look at the clothes until after she left... So, Jaden tried on one of the dresses, to send Grandma Leslie a "model shot". LOL!!!

Saying Good-bye to the Hospital

I sat in my office at the hospital on Sunday, and took this picture of the equiptment I used- as a final good-bye. I am anxiously waiting to start my new job, so that we can get some money saved up and get bills taken care of... I still do not have a start date with the new company, so that is driving me CRAZY!!! 3 weeks ago I was told I would probably be able to start within 1 month's time... But, I am still waiting. The company started in California, and then, decided to set up another office here in Texas. They have been open for 6 months, but do not yet have a single file to be worked!!! The reason for this is the legalities of the contracts, and the owner is spending practically all day and all night getting everything finalized. Once the contracts are set, I will be able to come on board...

In the meantime, I will just sit here and wait patiently (yeah, right!!!)

A New Place to do School Work

A few weeks ago, a marketing director contacted me with a great opportunity. She is trying to get some publicity for the online store she is in charge of marketing for. She found another blog that I run (and gets a lot more traffic than this one), and she made an offer I couldn't refuse. This is how it went, I posted a "teaser" post about 2 weeks ago about the bunk beds they offer. After I put that post up, she let me choose anything on their site for $40 and under.

I found this cute Dora desk for under $40, and I told her that was what I would like to get. She shipped it right out, and now the girls have a brand new Dora desk for no charge! They have Disney Priness & Pixar Cars, too!!! Check 'em out, they are so cool, and great for home school!!

Disney Pixar Cars Desk

Disney Princess Desk

My Seedlings Class

I am anxious and apprehensive to start the first day of Friday School. I am sure of my ablities to teach the 2 and 3 year class. However, these children are children that have never been in day care of preschool before- How will the "drop off" play out for these children and ther parents? Jaden's class is making me anxious as well. She is in the 1st grade class, and is taking 3 seperate classes. The things that bother me are this:

1. The sewing teacher just sent a long e-mail about what she expects out of the students, and I am wondering if she is doing this to help them learn something or because she feels obligated to do something. I thought it was going to be a fun class for her, but now it seems that may not be the case.

2. I won't be able to check on her because I will be teaching my seedings class. I guess this is like what other mothers of public school kindergarteners are already going through.

3. I hope she hasn't gotten in over her head- she wanted to be with the bigger kids. I just hope she doesn't get frustrated that she is not able to do everything that they are doing.

I guess, I will know more about what to expect from Friday School after our first day... That is this coming Friday, so I will keep you posted!

Multi-tasking

Morgan has the multi-tasking talent down, as you can see. She has Jaden's dog carrier on one arm (she was dog-sitting) and she is holding her phone with the other. Where does she get this from?!?! LOL!!!

A Hazy Day at the Park

Swingin'

I love it when the girls play so nicely together!!! On a darker side, we went to this same park for a HomeSchool Coop picnic a few days after I took these pictures. Jaden was playing on the same swings with her older friend Khloe, age 8. They decided to take turns pushing each other. Khloe pushed Jaden for a while, and then, it was Khloe's turn to be in the seat. Jaden started out pushing her, but then, Khloe started moving the swing on her own by pumping her legs. It was so crowded on the swings- every swing was taken, and I had to tell Jaden a couple of times to move back away from the swings so that she wouldn't get hit (for which she scowled at me). Next thing I saw was Jaden face down in the mulch and Khloe's legs hitting her head first once and then again after Jaden lifted her head to get up. Of course, Jaden was screaming, & Khloe was trying to stop herself without hitting Jaden some more. I finally got Jaden up out of the mulch, got my first aid kit out of the car, and began working on her face. She had a mouth full of dirt, and dirt all OVER her... The only injury I could find was a small cut under her nose. I cleaned her with alcohol wipes and applied some neosporin. I am hoping she will stay away from the swings from now on. I guess it doesn't matter how many times you tell them, some things they have to learn by experience. Of course, had I known she was going to wind up under the swing getting kicked, I would have made her stay on the bench beside me.

She is a TRIP!!!

From her funny faces to the silly things she says, Morgan has me cracking up several times a day. Here are some of her famous saying:

"You just scared me to death!"

"You know how you are busy and Mommy is busy, now I am busy!"

Instead of saying "already", she said "almost". For an example, I will tell her it is time to take a nap, and she will say, "I almost took a nap!" It's quite funny when everything is something she ALMOST did. LOL!!!

Her biggest thing these last few months is to do everything that Jaden does. If Jaden has sand in her eyes, then, Morgan must have sand in her eyes!!

And, she LOVES shoes!! She comes into the house with shoes on, and then, while still in the house changes to another pair of shoes. She would wear them to bed if I let her!!! Her favorite shoes at this point are the ones she calls her "ballet shoes". You can see the pink & orange shoes in most of her pictures (courtesy of Aunt Roxanne)- those are for ballet (so she says)... And she will twirl and flip and kick, and you have to make sure you are far away from her when she decides to dance :0)

AND, I could never figure out why I can't get her to keep her pants on... I found out earlier this week. I was struggling (once again) to get her to put her pants back on, and Morgan said, "No, Mom, If I put pants on, I'll be a boy!!!"

Where does she come up with this stuff?!

Watching the Ants

I know they say ants are hard working, and we sure have some hard working ants in our yard (especially after it rains)... But, the 25 ants in our ant habitat are usually on break!!! They've done a few things to set up their home, but I usually just see them at the top of the hill chatting (or whatever it is they are doing)!!! I guess it could be an overwhelming task for them. Since there are only 25 of them, it is probably too much work. Maybe they have decided the task is too great, and they will just use the plastic hill they were given. I'm glad our household isn't depending on them for our income!!! :0)

Ugandan Pen Pals

putting a stamp on her letter to Nakaiza Vanesa

Putting their first letters to their pen pals in the mail box

Morgan's pen pal Simbwa Henry is 4 (above) and Jaden's pen pal Nakaiza Vanesa is 7 (below)

Jaden and Morgan now have penpals. Both children live in Kampala, Uganda. They are from Northern Uganda, but their families fled the violence there. They now attend a school outside the capital that was set up for refugees.

Henry loves to play soccer. His parents work in the stone quarry nearby. They get paid less than $1 to break large rocks into smaller pieces!! He wants to be a lawyer when he grows up.

Vanesa's father abandoned the family. Her mother is the breadwinner, but she is often sick. Vanesa loves to read, and she wants to be a nurse when she grows up...

Next thing on our home-school agenda: study Uganda