Uncle Pete

My Uncle Pete passed away on Dec. 26th. He was 56 years young. His body seemed to give out on him. He had lots of blockage in his intestines. After several surgeries over almost two months they took him off the machines on the 26th. My Uncle Pete and my Aunt Donna (my Dad's sister) were the only family members outside of our own house that supported my brother, sisters, and I as we were growing up. They attended every concert, recital, contest, program, etc. that we were involved in. My Uncle Pete has an identical twin, Alan. That was hard to see Alan at the funeral. I can't imagine what that must be like for my Aunt Donna. My Aunt Donna and Uncle Pete were married for 38 years and have one child Dianna (my cousin) and four grandchildren.

My Cutie

Check out my cute girl. (pics below)

Easy Bake Fun

Alea (and I) made her first Easy Bake Oven masterpiece tonight. She used the mix and made a yellow cake with chocolate icing. I never had an Easy Bake Oven so she and I knew about the same amount about using the oven. Davin however turned out to be the expert as his sister had an Easy Bake Oven when she was a child. See the picture below of Alea with her Ace of Cake.

Christmas 2008

The great part about having young children is that they can't tell time and they can't read a calendar. Davin and I are known for not celebrating the holidays on the actual holidays. This year Santa came to our house early (since there are SOOO many children he has to see and because we are going to Grandma Jo's house for the 23d thru the 25th and then off to Texas on the 26th.) Alea really enjoyed her Christmas. She got an Easy Bake Oven , clothes, Barbies, and of couse...a baby doll.

I will be surprised if Alea makes it to the end of the week still believing in Santa Clause. When we went to Beaches in Jamaica she had just turned three and she very gently broke the news to me that Elmo wasn't real and that there was a person under there. So once again last year she gently told me that Mickey Mouse, Goofy, etc. all had a person inside of them. (Of course, Cinderella is real she tells me.) Yesterday she asked me if there was a man under Santa Clause's outfit. I asked her what she meant and she said, "MOM, JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH." I told her there was a man under there. She let it go and still believes, but I do not know how much longer it will go. Sometimes she believes so that Mommy and Daddy won't be upset. Not because we know the truth but because we still believe. She is so smart. How many four year olds figure out the santa thing?!

The strange thing is the she knows God is real without a doubt. How do children know when to have faith?

Disney Cruise

We are excited to have booked a 3 night Disney cruise. We will be going at the end of my spring break in March. Right now they have a kids cruise for free offer and it is the best price I have ever seen for a Disney Cruise. I am very excited. I REALLY needed something to look forward to (that gets me away from my job.) Alea and I will probably spend the first part of the week in Texas with Aunt Becky, Uncle Pat, and Reed. She is hoping to get an extra week off and have my spring break be her last week of maternity leave. (It all depends on when Reed decides to join us.)

Merry Christmas

I am officially on Christmas break!!!! Merry Christmas to all!

It's the Holidays

Alea gets sick almost every holiday season throughout the year. This year is no exception. She is running a fever right now. Davin will be home with her tomorrow. We'll see what the doctor says.

Ecocardiogram

Davin had an ecocardiogram on Friday. We are waiting to hear about the results. He has been feeling fine so that is a huge blessing!!

Davin

Well, another exciting Friday!

About 9:00 today the secretary at school gave an all call throughout the building telling me I had a phone call. (They do not like to do all calls because it bothers the kids and teachers, so I kind of wondered what was going on.) When I got to the office the secretary was pacing the floor. I asked her what was up. She said, "Davin's..." I heard her say Davin and thought that he was calling to tell me that Alea was sick again. Then I heard the rest of her sentence and she said, "Davin's work is on the phone and something is wrong with him. They are putting him into an ambulance right now." She was very nervous. I ran to the phone and asked what line. I told her she had better not be messing with me. (Why do I think when bad news comes that people are trying to be funny. Wishful thinking I guess.) I picked up the phone and it was one of Davin's old bosses (he is over other people now) that I know from Christmas parties and volleyball games. He said, "Jen, Davin is okay. They don't think it was a heart attack. They are putting him into the ambulance and taking him to the hospital right now." I squatted down on the floor so I wouldn't pass out. He continued to tell me that Davin wasn't feeling well and that managed to let someone know that he wasn't feeling well before he passed out at his desk. They called 911 and when the EMT's put the EKG/heart monitor on him in his cubicle his heart rate and blood pressure were really low and that his EKG was not okay. By this time I had gone from squatting down, to kneeling on the floor, to sitting on my bottom and leaning against the counter in the office. As I talked I realized that there was a semi-circle of about 10 pair of legs surrounding me. As I talked and got phone numbers for people who were going to follow the ambulance to the hospital I saw that the councilor (SP) brought me my purse and the principal was jingling her keys and had her purse on her shoulder ready to go. When I got off the phone everyone asked what was going on. I gave them a quick answer and the principal and I went out the door to the hospital. We beat the ambulance to the hospital. We beat the ambulance there by about 5 LONG minutes. When they brought Davin in on the gurney he was looking around and smiling like a kid in a toy store who was admiring all of the pretty colors and lights. He looked at me and said, "What are you doing here?" I knew he was out of it. (They hadn't given him any medicine at all.) He looked VERY pale and his eyes were a strange pink color. I touched his skin and he was ice cold to the touch. I asked if he was cold and he said no. They hooked him up to a 12 point EKG, gave him oxygen, and started a new IV since the ones the EMT's tried to put in at his work would not produce blood. The EMT's said his veins were closed down tight at the "scene". I told Davin that I hadn't called his parents YET. He said not to call yet. The two nurses were taking care of him and they were looking at his EKG results. I could see the screen and I knew it was looking odd. I asked the nurse what it meant and she smiled and said everything was fine. Then she nodded for the other nurse to come look at the EKG with her. They looked at the screen and gave each other a worried look. I looked at Davin (who was oblivious to all of the subtle looks going on) and said, "I am calling your parents." He then looked at my face and at the nurses faces and said, "okay". The doctor looked at the EKG and thought that there might be something wrong with Davin's aorta or that he might have an aortic dissection so they sent him to have a CAT scan because they wanted to look at his heart and they thought by the pain he was having in his back and side that he was having kidney stones. The CAT scan came back that his aorta was okay and that he did have a 3 MM kidney stone. They took his blood pressure quite a few times. They ended up giving Davin three prescription meds for the kidney stones and told him to go to our regular doctor on Monday so that he can get in to see a cardiologist to have an eceogardiogram (sp). The think that he has a LEFT VENTRICAL HYPERTROPHY. (I think that is an elargement of the heart.) The dismissed him at 1:00. We walked out to the parking lot at the same time that Davin's parents were walking into the hospital. I had been calling them the entire time giving them updates. Three guys from Davin's work spent some time at the hospital in the waiting room. One of them was the Environmental Health and Safety guy from the plant that I talked to on the phone on the way to the hospital. The other was Davin's boss above his boss and the other man was the boss of all of Northwest Arkansas. My boss also stayed in the waiting room for a couple of hours. She ended up taking my car key back to work and my assistant principal and the other ESOL teacher brought my car over and brought me a blanket (hospitals are so cold and they also make my legs very weak) and visited with me for a couple of minutes while Davin was getting the CAT scan. Davin's bosses told me that everyone at work was really worried because Davin is so well liked at work and that he gets along with everyone. I just looked at them and said, "I know." Then I heard what I said and told them that I didn't mean to sound arrogant but that Davin has always gotten along well with everyone and that he makes friends easily. They started talking about what a goofy guy he is. It kind of felt like they were trying to boost me up and let me know what a great guy he is. I realized later that when I first saw Davin that he looked MUCH better than when the guys had last seen him. I think they were really worried he was having a heart attack. I told them that he was still pale and cold to the touch but that he was back to being Davin and was telling stupid jokes and was kidding around with me. When I called the Environmental Health and Safety guy while Davin was getting the CAT scan he asked me to repeat everything a couple of times. He said that his phone was ringing off the hook with people asking about Davin. He said that he was getting ready to go into a meeting with a lot of people and was going to tell them about Davin but wanted to make sure he had his information correct. Davin has been pain free since we left the hospital, but he still hasn't passed the kidney stone. We have had a lot of phone calls from people at both his job and mine. Even without family close by we were very well taken care of by my co-workers and his. We are very blessed to be surrounded by such caring people. I probably left something out but that is the gist of our Friday.

Locked

I locked my keys in my rental car on Saturday night. Davin and I carpooled today until Pop A Lock could come this afternoon (Monday) to unlock my car. The girls at work said that they are going to stay away from me because I am having a rough time lately.

Thanksgiving "Fun"

On the way to my in-laws house on Wednesday night we were rear-ended while sitting STILL in traffic on the highway. (I was driving.) Yes, my second accident in less than a week. The lady who hit my (in my rental car) was quite old. I told her the samething I told the boy who hit me...that these things happen. My mood deteriorated quickly after this accident and I ended up going to be early so I would keep my bad mood to myself.

When we got to my in-laws house we discovered that my father in law was very sick with the flu which he had gotten from our niece whose whole family was sick and coming over on Thanksgiving day. Today, Thanksgiving day, we got up and started cooking when Davin's sister's family came over. They all had the flu and were still in the slow recovery stage. (Can you guess how I felt about being with all of these people?) Right in the middle of cooking Davin's mom started getting sick. I told her that I hated to eat and run but that we were leaving as soon as dinner and clean up were over. She said she wasn't going to argue with me that she wanted to go to bed. I told her next time to tell us ahead of time that everyone was sick and that we will stay home. I do not think that Davin's sister and mom realize that Davin and I are going through our sick days like crazy with Alea's bladder infections and that we (especially Alea) do not need to be sick. I was not pleased to walk into that sickness situation without warning. They should have told us ahead of time so we could have decided what was best for our family. It isn't like they live so far away that we couldn't see them when everyone is well for Thanksgiving. Can you tell all the stress is getting to me.

National Board Certified Teacher

I finally got my scores back from my National Board project and test. I am now a certified National Board teacher. I am so grateful to have certified on my first try. Some people can take up to three years to certify and some people never certify. I turned in my project in March and took my test in June. Since then I have been waiting for the scores. What a long wait. :)

Round 4

I took Alea to the doctor today and they said that she either has strep throat or a bladder infection. The doctor gave her a medicine that will "clear up" both problems. I do not believe them anymore. This is her 4th bladder infection and if they had something that would really clear it up then they would have given it to her the first or at least the second time.

Sick?

Starting about 5:00 this evening Alea started gagging and saying that she needed to "puke". She would say that one minute and then be giggling and jumping around the next minute. We thought she was being goofy. We weren't sure if we should take her seriously or not. After dinner I went to look for her and found her in the bathroom (see the pics below) I asked her what she was doing and she said she was just "waiting for the puke to come up." I felt her head and she didn't feel warm or anything. Right before bed she felt warm so I took her temp and she had a temp of 100.4. I guess she was sick after all. Davin will be staying home with her tomorrow.

A little good followed by some bad

This morning I got up a little early and decided to head the the next town up the road for a Chic Fil A breakfast. It was a nice surprise when I got to the window that the local bank and the Christian radio station had teamed up for random acts of kindness and was paying for breakfast for several people going through the drive thru. As I drove back to Springdale towards my all day meeting I was stopped at a stop light behind a truck when a high school boy rear-ended me from behind going about 50 MPH. I do not think he ever hit the breaks. He hit me into the truck infront of me. My car doesn't look too bad but the damage is worse than it looks. Radiator, fan, bumpers, and maybe some frame damage. I felt bad for the boy. He was really shaken up. The lady in the truck infront of me went to the hospital in an ambulance because she said her back hurt. I have some bruises and scrapes and my neck is sore but other wise I am fine. The kids car is totaled for sure. Both of his airbags went off. The boy's high school English teacher stopped and put him in her car because she said he was wondering around kind of lost. I was on the phone with 911 so I wasn't sure what he was doing. I went over to the boy and introduced myself to him, his English teacher, and his dad who was there by that time. The boy was so upset that I was a teacher. He seemed like he respected teachers and was upset that he had hit me. I hugged him and told him that stuff happens and that it was going to be okay. Davin came and kept me warm in his car and kept me company. It was such a blessing to have a free breakfast and that no one was hurt worse.

Luggage

My luggage showed up about midnight last night. :)

Buffalo, New York

I just got back from my trip to Buffalo, New York for the TESOL conference. My assistant principal and I had a good time together. We got to visit and enjoy each others company for four days. We were blessed enough to have a day to go visit Niagra Falls in the U.S. and in Canada. Neither of us had ever been to Canada before so that was fun. We had beautiful day on Friday at the falls. The rest of the trip was dark grey and rainy. It really reminded me of Wisconsin. :) Today we even saw snow flurries. (See pics of the Falls below.) When we got back to Arkansas tonight we were surpised to find out that our luggage had made it as far as Atlanta but not all the way to Arkansas. The airport said they had no idea where our luggage was. They said if it was on the next flight that they would deliever it to our homes tonight about 9PM. I hope it shows up. My assistant principal's luggage was missing too. I think it was only about three of us who were missing our luggage and Alison and I were two of those three people. Besides that little surprise it was a great trip.

New Friend

This has been a crazy week at work. We had a consultant come into our school to teach the teachers how to better instruct our ELL's. (English Language Learners) I respect her so much and really enjoyed spending time with her. Last week we went out to dinner twice and she even joined me at a party on Friday night that someone at school was having at their house. Today she called me and asked to come over. We just hung out and visited. I think that she likes Davin. He understands the problem my school is having because I tell him about everything that goes on at work. She seems to enjoy his perspective. She borrowed some of my movies to watch this week (we both love Stargate which is funny because no one seems to know about the show.)

E Coli

The doctor FINALLY called back today about Alea's urine sample she left TWO weeks ago. They called once and said that she had E Coli and that the medicine that she just finished should take care of it. I knew that wasn't true because she has been running a low fever ever since she finished the medicine earlier this week. Later in the day the nurse called back and said that they have "discovered" that the medicine Alea has been on will not cure the E Coli infection and so she needs to come in tomorrow and get a shot and start another antibiotic.

Birthday

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. It was a good day. I am famous for having terrible birthdays. As for the way my birthdays go this was a good one. A consultant has come to my school to try to fix the problems there. She is the person that taught me everything I know about teaching and probably one of the people I respect most in this world. After school I was able to enjoy an evening of dinner with her and another woman I greatly respect. The great part was that my family got to join us. Davin has really looked forward to one day meeting these important women in my life. Having this get together on my birthday was a nice surprise.



For my birthday Davin got me a really nice green luggage set (for my trip to New York next week.) Alea got me a very nice prayer box necklace. She thinks that mommy's need necklaces or braclets for their birthdays. That is fine with me. I think I have gotten a necklace from her each year for the past four years.

Happy Halloween

Alea got this dress (pics below) at a garage sale she went to this summer with her Grandma Jo. She just loves the dress and feels like a "real" princess when she wears it. She had fun trick or treating. We did not have very many kids come to our door at all. More candy for Davin to eat I guess.

Spanish

Tonight was my last Spanish class at the local technical school. I won the price of the class at the back to school get together for teachers in the district that is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. There were only two students in the class counting me. My teacher has only been in the U.S. five years and last week passed her test to become a U.S. citizen. She is so proud, as she should be. She is from Cuba. I really appreciate the time and effort the teacher gave to our small class. I honestly did not learn a thing about Spanish, but I did learn some interesting things about her life and Castro. Mayda, our teacher, was so sweet, she gave me a children's bilingual Bible as a goodbye gift. She gave Josh, the other student, a bilingual Bible. (He knew some Spanish before he started the class.)

Sick Again, Again, Again!!!

What is going on with my girl?? Alea's school called me today to tell me that she was complaining that it hurt when she went to the restroom and that her back hurt. I took her to the doctor and she has ANOTHER bladder infection. She is on ANOTHER medicine for this. The doctor said he is going to "grow" her cultures from her "sample" and see what he finds. The worst part for Alea seems to be the back pain that goes along with this. My poor girl.

Texas

This weekend Alea and I are meeting my sister in Allen, Texas (near Dallas) for some much needed girl time and outlet mall shopping. We will stay in a hotel Saturday night and enjoy the hotel pool. :) I hope to find a lot of great deals and get some of my Christmas shopping done. It should be a good trip.

Friends

I have made a friend at my new job. Her name is Betsy and she is the art teacher. I am grateful for the people God provides me in each new job I have. Thank You!

Dentist Part II

Alea and I went back to the dentist today so Alea could get a filling for her cavity. She was a very good girl again. It is amazing how people react to a well behaved child. It is almost like another wonder of the world. Few and far between. It makes us proud of our girl and our parenting but very sad for everyone else.

Alea was so cute after they woke her up. She was trying to walk but kept bumping into the walls. I told her I would carry her, but she said that she could walk she was just a little wobbly. I think the nurses were about to eat her up she was so cute. They told me to take her home for a nap. She and I both slept for FIVE HOURS!!!! We woke up about an hour before Davin got home from work. I guess I really needed it and she was really drugged. :)

Baby Shower

Today we had my sister's baby shower. (Pictures below) We had a good time with several members of our family. It was so nice of them to travel to Arkansas from Kansas to attend the shower. I loved listening to the sloshing sounds and movement going on in Becky's belly. I am excited to meet Reed Mathew in February.

Dentist

Alea had her first dentist appointment today. She did GREAT!!! The dental hygentist said that her child (who is older than Alea) doesn't even behave as well at the dentist as Alea did. She did have one cavity though.

Pumpkin Painting

Alea is very excited for Halloween. She has enjoyed seeing all of the decorations our neighbors have on their homes. She is a holiday girl. She loves all holidays but birthdays are the best. Below are some photos of Alea painting a pumpkin. She had so much fun and spent a long time working on her pumpkin to make it just right. She even painted a purple tutu on her pumpkin. She told me this week that she was going to have her birthday on Halloween. Her birthday is in April. I think she just wants to have her birthday early and often. :) What a funny girl!

Sick Again, Again!

Alea is sick AGAIN for the third weekend in a row. She has a kidney infection now and is on her third medicine in three weeks. I am praying for her quick healing and MAINTAINED health.

New York

I am going to Buffalo, New York for a conference in November. I am excited about attending the conference and visiting Niagra Falls with my assistant principal. We will probably be presenting what we learn to all of the assistant principals from the district at their January meeting. I hope it is a good trip.

Sick

Alea is home today with strep throat. Yuck! She is such a trooper though she rarely complains.

Job

This year I changed schools. It was a rough start, but I am starting to find my place and my role at my new school. I am still teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages but now I am at a school that has 70% ESL students as opposed to my previous school that was 16% ESL. I am spending more of my time teaching teachers at my new school. You would think it would be the other way around, that these teachers would be better at teaching ESL students but that does not seem to be the case for most. I have to say that I prefer teaching teachers. It is a more challenging job as most adults do not want to be taught. I am working on the art of subtly as I work to teach teachers.

4th of July

On the 4th of July we went to visit Bec and Pat in Texas. We enjoyed the parade in their town as well as their town celebration. The fireworks were fun. Alea said they were the "EXACT SAME FIREWORKS that were at Disney World". She had a blast. She cried off and on during the trip home because she missed her Aunt Becky, Uncle Pat, and cousin Heidi (the dog).