Preschool Feild Trip

This past year I have been teaching preschool in my home. I have really loved it! I have 8 kids and teach twice a week for three hours each. It has been a great experience to get me back into teaching. I have learned that I can not be an overachiever and have to just keep school simple and a happy time for the kids.

Yesterday I took the kids to the zoo for a field trip. They had a blast and so did I. One thing I learned is that potty breaks take way longer with 8 kids!

(Left to right: Mrs. Melanie, Nate, Hunter,Ty, Ammon, Becca, Ryker, Carolyn, Brandon)

Here they are on a crocodile statue. Nate said "I'm going to have him eat me!"

Gardening

I am attempting a garden again this year. My Dad who lives in California always has a great garden. I guess as a kid I never realized how much work he had to put into it for it to turn out well. The last time I planted a garden was a few years ago and it did not turn out well. I spent more money than it was worth and felt like a failure because it was overgrown with weeds.

I guess it wasn't a complete failure since I learned some lessons that have helped me this time around. I have kept up on the weeding and been very consistent with watering and fertilizing. As you can see in the pics there are many empty spots....I had an entire row of bell peppers but thanks to the neighbourhood's wild rabbits they were gone the morning after I planted them. All except for one. I hope they enjoyed their meal! Also my carrots never sprouted because we had a freeze a week after I planted them.

Houston Zoo in March

Notice which animal Ammon is sitting on........he loves Penguins! He even sleeps with a small penguin stuffed animal.

Ammon's Preschool Graduation

Ammon graduated from his preschool the other night. We all got a kick out of the hat. When Brandon saw Ammon on the stage with the hat he said "I want to be a pirate too!"

Congratulations Ammon! Now it's off to Kindergarten.

Crested Butte Ski Trip

Here are some pics from our ski trip we took back in March. We went to Crested Butte Colorado. We have been quite a few times before but this was the first time without kids.

I loved this trip because it was so relaxing and nice but also it was exercise!

I used to hate skiing because I don't like to go fast and my muscles would wear out in only 20 mins and then I would be crying from pain. But now it's better. It must be a combination of skiing better and being more fit. Whatever it is, it's fun now....Jeff is happy that I like it now because he LOVES it. He would go every year if we had the money.

As an extra special treat we also went snowmobiling. Our tour guide was great and took us down some really steep hills and bumpy spots. As you can see the view was amazing!

We also ate at a few fine dinning restaurants. I have come to realize I love fine dinning! You only get like two scallops on your plate for example but they taste so good it's worth it!! I also found my new favorite candy when we were served the after dinner mint....Truffles! So Good!

A very big thank you to Jeff's mom for watching our boys for an entire week! Go "Super Gram"!

Girls Night Out

For a friend's (Mindy blanch) 40th birthday we surprised her with a girls night out party. We went Karaoking and had a blast. Along with some other songs I sang When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Krause. This was the song my BYU sophomore roommates and I used to blast from our apartment multiple times a day. Last night made me feel like a carefree teenager again! Thanks for the great times girls!!!

Pasta or Broccoli?

At dinner I make my kids eat one bite of something I have made that they don't like. I also offer fruit every night so they don't go hungry. Last night was chicken Alfredo with broccoli. I was trying to get Ammon to take a bite of the pasta to no avail. He was just sitting there crying and sucking his thumb when all of a sudden he says but I will eat the broccoli. I was shocked! He ate two big bites of broccoli and said he liked it. We will see how it goes next time I serve it.

Thankful Birthday

I just wanted to post a thank you to everyone who wished me a happy 29th birthday. My birthday was on a Sunday so on Saturday Jeff and I went shopping and I picked out some new clothes and a purse. Then we went out to Dinner at Red Lobster (Shh don't tell Ammon ... He would be upset we went without him because he loves to look at and pet the lobsters "bugs" he calls them). Then on Sunday I had choir practice because I am the ward choir director. I felt so special having everyone gather in my kitchen and sing me happy birthday and enjoy my favorite monster chocolate cake from Costco. I love all you guys .....Thanks for a special day!

Running 5K

If you know me well you know I have always hated running. In high school I couldn't last more than 5 minutes without feeling like I was going to die. Well since I am trying to live a healthier lifestyle and get in shape I have been practicing running the past year or so. I can now do 3 to 4 miles without stopping. I am NOT fast but I like the feeling of running for a long time because I feel accomplished afterwards.

So last weekend I ran a 5K (3.11miles) race. I ran it with a friend who was able to walk at the same pace I could run thanks to her 5ft 11inches height. I came in 76th place out of almost 100 people and my time was 47 mins (about 15 min miles). I know my sats were not that great but I think this is the beginning of a beautiful running relationship!

I have a goal to run a half marathon (~13 miles) for my 30th birthday in one year. I want to be healthier at 30 years old than I was at 20. Wish me luck everyone!