Back From Pioneer Trek

Mitchell made it back from Pioneer Trek early this afternoon. I was disappointed when I pulled up to the stake center, with my camera out, and not to see him still dressed up like a pioneer. However, don't you think he looks more mature in this picture? The reason he wasn't dressed like a pioneer anymore is because at 3am this morning it started raining. Everything got wet. His sleeping bag was not only soaked, it was also covered in sand. Mitchell said that he slept in a creek because the sand would be more comfortable. I guess no one thought of possible flash floods and you don't sleep in empty washes!

He said the trek was pretty good. He was a member of the Smith family. He said that there was another family that was the Mitchell family. That would be kind of funny for him to be Mitchell Mitchell for a couple of days! There were 7 kids in his family: four boys and three girls plus a ma & pa. On the first day he pulled a handcart 16 miles. They pulled the cart well into the evening (more like 1am). He was super tired that night and didn't feel the cold. They pulled the handcart half has far the next day. He said it wasn't that hard to pull the cart. I'm guessing they needed to put some more weight in it :)

Mitchell isn't one for divulging the whole story all at once. I get little pieces here and there. I'm sure when I teach the teenagers in his class for Sunday School tomorrow, I'll get more of what happened for the last three days. Then I'll fill you in too.
Update: Tonight we had a post-trek fireside. It was wonderful! Afterwards they had all of the lost and found stuff on the stage. This is where we found Mitchell's hat. It is hammered! It is completely destroyed. Mitchell said that it was pretty windy and it kept blowing off. So he stuck it in the handcart. He blames the handcart for ruining his $3 Goodwill hat.

Fall Break

The Kyrene School District and Tempe High School District has had this entire week off for Fall Break. I can't believe that it is Friday and the break will be over soon. I still have so much to do. My week has been filled with uneventful things.

For example, on Monday both boys had dental cleanings and Mitchell had a bonus appointment with the oral surgeon about getting his wisdom teeth out on October 17th.

Tuesday I had an ultrasound in the morning and a orthodontist appointment in the afternoon. While I was in Phoenix, I surprised Grandma at the Senior Center with a visit. Too bad she was in the middle of a board meeting and couldn't chat for long.

Wednesday was also filled with appointments. First I had to take Brent to the airport so he could spend the next 10 days in Alabama working on his brother's house. Lucky! I wish I was going. Then I had a chiropractor appointment and a follow up visit with my OB doctor about the ultrasound. The update is that the large fibroid is about the same size. This is good. The small fibroid doubled in size since July. He also states that the lining of the uterus is thicker than normal. Since neither fibroid tumor is intruding into the uterus cavity, I should be able to get pregnant someday. Bummer. I was hoping that the fibroids would be gone.

Thursday started off with taking Mitchell to the Stake Center to go on the Pioneer Trek. I wish I took a picture of how he looked when he left. He had on tan pants, plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat. He's never looked like this. He definitely seemed taller. Then I was at the dentist again. Grant had 2 of his cavities fixed and had two of his chipped teeth fixed. Later that night, Grant and I went on a date to Olive Garden. It was his idea. We had a splendid feast and then watched movies at home. He is so adorable. Lots of hugs and kisses.

And now it is Friday. My week has been sucked up by somewhat meaningless appointments. We were back at the dentist again to have Grant's other 2 cavities fixed. He was an expensive kid this week. As for the rest of my time on this blessed break, I'm planning on going to the temple, getting work done for my job and getting various odd jobs done around the house. Although my week off hasn't been exciting, I'm really glad I've been home!

School Pictures

Its that time of year again where schools hire exceptional photographers to take pictures of all of the students and teachers. The pictures are always memorable. Some are fun for a laugh. So here are our 2008 school pictures!

Mitchell is a sophomore at Corona Del Sol. His shirt is advertising his interest in BMX Biking. He rides bikes almost every day after school.
Grant is a 6th grader at Pueblo Middle School. Grant is trying to make friends and get good grades this year. His scary skull shirt represents his desire to try to fit in.

This is my scary school picture. I have naturally super straight hair, don't be jealous, I don't even iron it. Although the picture isn't that great, Brent was nice enough to point out that my teeth are super straight. Smile!

Ultimate!

Are you planning on gaining pounds during the holidays by eating tons of the delicious foods that will be available? Are you planning on eating tons of delicious food during the holidays but haven't thought about all the extra pounds you get to keep when its over? Well, if you need a way to deture the pounds that are in your future, come and join us here in Chandler on Thursday nights for some Ultimate Frisbee!

Brent has rounded up a few interested athletes and play Ultimate at the stake center on Thursday nights starting at 8pm. Grant is a natural at the sport and eagerly takes on the big guys as they play. His skills are improving each week. Mitchell thinks all the running is stupid but goes anyway and does pretty well. Last week they had 10 athletes show up to play. Come and join the Ultimate exercise program and play Ultimate. You will be able to shed pounds now so when you induldge during the holidays, you won't feel guilty!

Life is Busy!

I guess it has been a month since the last posting. Life has been predictable and busy. My job at the middle school is great. But being a new teacher creates a lot of extra work. I go in early and stay late every day. But the students are wonderful. They try hard, they are smart, they are respectful, they are fun to be around. I am so grateful for this job. The first quarter of school ends on Friday. That means that 25% of the school year is over! Next week is fall break so it will be nice to catch up on things around the house.

Grant is getting the hang of going to middle school. He is acing his math class and Spanish class. His math teacher has turtles, I can't remember which kind, so now Grant really wants a turtle too. This particular turtle happens to live 150 years. So he could potentially have a pet for the rest of his life. Too bad all the turtle babies were sold before Grant could get one! Actually, Grant would really like to have any pet that was his own. He even claims he would take care of it 100% of the time. Maybe he will get a pet someday. I'm hoping when he does, it will be more cuddly than a turtle.

Mitchell has made many friends this quarter. He still loves BMX biking and would like to have his own bike shop some day. Mitchell will be going on a pioneer trek with our stake next week. He will get to spend 3 days pulling a handcart, dressing like a pioneer, eating like a pioneer and sleeping out under the Heber, AZ stars. It may be a little cold in the evenings. One of the days, each kid will receive letters from their parents. Brent and I already submitted our letters; however, if you would like to write a "love" letter to Mitchell, just mail it to me ASAP and I will get it to the lady in charge of the letters (she is my neighbor). Then Mitchell will receive it while he is out on the trek. He could really use the positive encouragement and a little moral boost to know that lots of people care about him.

Brent has been creating our new side gate. It has to be 10 feet wide, I think. But it will have a 4 foot section and a 6 foot section. On Saturday Brent and Mitchell welded the frame together. It looks great. There is still quite a bit of welding left to do on it though. But once the gate is installed, we can move Brent's trailer out of the garage and start organizing the garage. It is a DISASTER! And most of you know how I feel about things that are unorganized...

So here we are out in Chandler just going to school, going to work, and chipping away at organizing our new life together. Not very exciting at all but its all good!

Mitchell's Birthday!

August 28th, 2008, Mitchell turned 15 years old.

Mitchell is my first child, he is my parent's and his dad's parent's first grandchild, he is Grandma Sweeney's first great-grandchild, he is the one that made Toni, Amy, Sarah & Julie aunts and he made Michael, Joe, Daniel, Jacob & David uncles. He is a pretty special boy. He has an important part to play in our family.

He changed my life 15 years ago arriving on the day he was due by emergency C-Section at 8:07am. As a baby he was anxious to walk and move like everyone else in his life. He got frustrated when he couldn't do it quick enough. Mitchell always wore a smile when he was a toddler. He loved to be chased around the house and to be tickled.

But now he is a big 15 year old teenager. He is 5 foot 11 inches tall. Just last week I chased him around the house and up and down the stairs. He loved it! He hates being tickled now but loves to flash his cute smile. Despite the typical challenges teenagers bring to one's life, Mitchell is a pretty good kid.

For his birthday we went to Arriba's Mexican Grill for a delicious dinner. We all ate too much food and went home stuffed.

Next, we opened the exciting cards sent by Grandma & Gramps, Great-Grandma Sweeney, and Nana & Popo. Then he opened the big gifts. Mitchell enjoys BMX biking and there is a track a few miles away from our home. So his first gift was biking pants and shirt to wear at the track.

The next gift was Guitar Hero and an extra wireless guitar. Grant was probably more excited about this gift than Mitchell. Grant was with me when I bought it. So he had to keep it a secret for a whole week. He begged me to let him tell Mitchell what it was before Mitchell opened the gift. Guitar Hero has been a big hit at our home ever since. This may shock you, but I even played it and I never play video games!

The boys are pretty intense when they are playing. Lastly, we had Lucious Angel Roll. This was Mitchell's special request dessert. It is angel food cake rolled up with a lemon, cream cheese, whipped topping and strawberry filling. It is very YUMMY!

The School Adventure

Today was the first day of school for the boys and I. What a busy day!

Mitchell starts school at 7:30am at Corona del Sol High School. The streets around the high school were packed with cars. I wasn't sure if they were parents dropping off their kids or if these were students driving to school. It was a very busy place. Mitchell states that he had a pretty good first day. None of the kids he met at church are in any of his classes but he ran into some of them at lunch. Mitchell no longer has to take early morning seminary. Seminary is one of his classes during the day. He gets "release time" to go to the seminary building which is down the street from the school. One day down, only 179 to go!

I'm pretty sure he is awake in this picture.

Grant wanted to take the bus to school. His bus stop is 0.06 miles from the house. Not a far walk. Lucky! The bus was there right on time - 7:48am. Grant is in 6th grade at Pueblo Middle School. His frist day didn't go as well as he liked. There was an annoying kid in his band class and he wanted more food in his lunch box. He also seems to be having some conflict with one of his teachers. This was not the fresh start he stated he wanted to have. Brent and I spoke with him tonight about how to have better day tomorrow and that he can still have a good school year. Unfortunately, he was stuck on the injustices of the day. How do you help your kids get past that? How do you help them forgive, not get offended by what others say and not care what others think? Challenging problem. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get a better report tomorrow.

Grant the 6th grader!

My first day went pretty well. I teach 8th graders at Aprende Middle School. I have a great group of students. So far only one of them are annoying. Not bad since I have over 110 students. Hopefully, the kids stay charming and quiet the rest of the year :) I like all the teachers I get to work with this year. It's really a great place to work.
This is me at the back of my classroom. I put up a bunch of stuff so the kids can get to know me. I really need an updated family picture with all 10 of us kids in it. The one I have is from 2001!


I hope everyone else has a great first day of school!