Missing...

Where, oh where did my sweet little girl go? You know, the one who believed in the tooth fairy, princesses, magic, and loved to play pretend...

We always thought it would be David who would stop believing in Santa Clause first. But then the other night after watching The Polar Express, Carissa comes over to us and says, "Is Santa Clause real?" I said, "Well, what do you think?" Her response: "I think he's not real...I think it's just presents that mom and dad buy and wrap."

When did she become so sceptical? And who's been filling her head with such ideas? I hope it was just a passing comment because I don't want my kids to stop believing just yet. We're going to have to have a takl with her, just in case.

More Black Friday

Wow...If you didn't believe me on how crazy Wal-Mart (and other stores, I'm sure) could be, just check out this link: http://www.yahoo.com/s/994444

How sad. I wonder what is going to change next year and beyond.

Black Friday

Well, another black Friday is here. To those of you who went to the door-buster sales...kuddos to you! I went to Wal-Mart and it was insane! I went last year and it wasn't nearly that crazy. I guess they must have had the hot sales this year or something. Me...I went for one little thing, but it was sold out. And no, it wasn't a big-ticket item either. I just kept getting mis-directed and then the aisle to where I needed to go was so crowded that I couldn't get to it.

With all the people there, I actually saw someone from church. Small world. She has lots of family in the area and they were working together as a team. I think that next year I'll join them. Or maybe I'll just avoid the lines altogether and shop online.

Ah well. Let the Christmas season officially begin!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day to reflect on the things we are thankful for. And so in keeping the tradition of the 5 kernels of corn, here are 5 things I am thankful for.

1. Family. Both the family I belong to by choice (Aaron, David, Carissa, Isaiah, Jacob, and Joseph), and my extended family (Grandmas and Grandpas, my parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and everyone in between). When it comes down to it, family really is everything. They are the ones you can count on, the ones who always share love, and the ones you will belong to forever. I am so grateful for each and every person in my family and am glad I can be with you for eternity.

2. My home. I always said Laramie and Wyoming will be my home. And this is true in a way. But the longer we are here in this little house, in this little area of the world, the more I love it and can't imagine leaving it. I guess it's true what they say...Home really is where the heart is.

3. The University of Wyoming Family and Consumer Sciences Department. Switching to this major was the best educational decision I made. They genuinely care about families and children, in general, and their students. They want them to be successful, are very understanding, supportive, and accommodating. It is because I belong to such a great department in a great school that I will graduate.

4. My faith and my religion. I am very grateful to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On days when I am feeling down or stressed out I may wonder if it really is true, if I really believe. But then something will happen or someone will say something, no matter how small, and I will know that I really do have a testimony that this is the true church of Jesus Christ, that there is a living prophet who speaks to us today, that Christ is my Savior and friend, that he died for me and was resurrected so that we may all be forgiven and live again one day. I know it's true and I'm glad I have this knowledge.

I am grateful for my calling as a CTR 8 teacher. I love those kids. I really do. Some days they drive me crazy when they won't stop talking or wiggling. I wonder if anything I say is sticking with them, if they understand and realize how special they are and how much I do care. I wonder if I am making any difference in their lives. But they are so special. They truly are choice spirits, gifts from our Father in Heaven. And I am getting just as much from them as they are from me.

5. My friends. It is a busy world, but there are people out there who I care very much for, to the point that they are an extension of my family. They are the ones who I talk to. The ones who make my day brighter when I can see, talk to, or hear from them. They are the ones I blog with, the ones I see or hear from only occasionally. I love them all and I would do anything I could for them if they needed me, and I am sure that there are those who feel the same way about me.

Happy Thanksgiving One and All!!!

It's Over

Today was the Wyoming vs. CSU Border War....Our team faught good, but came up short in the end. 31-20. There were a few questionable calls by the refs that escaped review. I believe that those plays could have made the difference in the game. I mean, they woudn't even let us have our last second when we were at the 5 yard line and could have scored. (Not that, that would have made us win, but it would have at least made the score closer) Oh well. Maybe those calls wouldn't have made a difference at all. And at least it means we have one more team in the Mountain West Conference eligable for a bowl. And as a conference, we are doing great! Especially Utah. Everyone , except maybe a BYU or Boise State fan, wanted Utah to win last night and see them play in a BCS championship bowl. GO UTES! (Sorry to all Boise State Fans out there. We love that team too. Maybe they should join the MWC)

A fond farewell to a few of our seniors, Ward Dobbs AKA The Alaskan Assassin (Linebacker), Devin Moore AKA Lightning (Running Back), and Wynel Seldon AKA Thunder (Running Back). I know that there were others, but these were 3 of our better players.

A possible farewell to Coach Joe Glenn...We all love the guy, but he isn't competing very well in the conference. The announcers on TV were talking about how he was the face of Cowboy football and so likable and I just thought to myself..."isn't this the same coach who gave the finger...when we were televised...on ESPN?" (I thought it was humerous, given the situation, but apparently others didn't.) Anyway, we love you Coach Glenn and hope to see you around next year. But if you are around, you had better start coaching better!

Thus ends another season of Cowboy football. Keep an eye on the Mountain West Conference in the post-season bowl games!

Thanksgiving Fun

Not a whole lot has happened here lately, but we have been having fun with Thanksgiving! here are some pictures.

Carissa had a homework assignment to do as a family. It was to disguise a turkey any way she wanted. Well, she wanted to disguise it as Cinderella. It was fun and I think she was proud of it.

The kids had so much fun with the foam and gems that they just kept on going. This is David's turkey.

I am not sure if this is David's or Isaiah's man.

This is Isaiah's hand. He was very proud of this fun project.

The other fun we've had with Thanksgiving has been the Thanksgiving lunches with the kids. Both the daycare and the school had them.

It was a lot of fun getting to eat with the kids, although it really just made me sad I couldn't be with them all day, every day. I keep reminding myself that I need to give the whole school thing a fair chance and that the daycare is only temporary. At least we will have a nice, long vacation next week.

Not Alot

So, I have been keeping busy. It gets stressful, but the good can make you forget the bad. I haven't had alot of time for pictures, but here are a few things that have made me smile lately.

The first is our caterpillars...

I was able to get some caterpillars in a little container you could wear as a necklace for free from one of the vendors at the NAEYC conference last week. While looking around their booth I saw they had containers with 5 caterpillars in them. I decided to take the little container to my class at school and got these little guys for the kids to watch. They have been having fun. I can't believe how big they get so quickly! The kids will check on them several times a day and now all 5 are chrysalises so we are watching for them to become butterflies. It makes me smile to watch the kids watch them and hear them explain what is going on. Jacob seems the most fascinated. I will try to get a picture of him looking at them.

The second thing to make me smile is watching Joseph. He is such a happy little baby and always is giggling, especially when he interacts with the other kids. I am not sure where he picked it up, but ever since he could crawl, one of his favorite games has been "chase." I never saw any other baby do this so early, but he has always understood it and gotten it. He will start crawling as fast as he can while giving a scream and will wait for someone to chase him, causing him to go faster. He will even stop and change directions. He loves it! Especially if you throw a growl in or giggle right along with him. Now that he walks along furniture he will play the game while hanging on to something.

Here is a video of him playing with Jacob. This video also proves he can take steps alone if he really wants to.

The third thing to make me smile was last week the Cowboys won against Tennessee! Hooray! Amazingly they were still in the running for a bowl. Hooray for our freshman quarterback! Unfortunately they lost the other day to UNLV. Even though we will no longer be competing for a bowl, we can try for a win in our last game next week against CSU. And next year when we come back we will have a decent quarterback. If we can find a running back almost as good as Moore we may just get a bowl then and redeem ourselves.

Eight Things Tag

Maybe people are desperate for me to post more often...maybe not. Whatever the case, I was tagged by my good friend Amanda.

Eight things I am passionate about:
1. My Family
2. My Friends
3. Early Childhood Development/Education
4. Kids
5. Church
6. Wyoming Cowboy/Mountain West Conference Football
7. Homeschooling
8. Reading

Eight Words or Phrases I Use the Most:
1. I love you.
2. Anyway
3. Leave the baby alone.
4. The baby is fine.
5. Don't touch the baby!
6. We're late
7. I like it when...
8. Oh well

Eight things I want to do before I die:
1. See all my kids living their lives happily ever after.
2. Build our dream house.
3. Open a child care center.
4. Travel.
5. Go on a cruise.
6. Renew our wedding vows.
7. Live on a ranch (with horses) in Wyoming
8. Make a difference.

Eight things I need right now:
1. Time
2. Patience
3. Quick and easy dinner ideas
4. Time
5. A winning lottery ticket
6. Another me
7. A baby girl
8. More time

Eight places I want to visit:
1. Ireland
2. England
3. Spain
4. Cancun
5. Nauvoo
6. Hawaii (Do I get the Gosselin Family treatment, or do I have to be on TLC?)
7. San Antonio
8. Reggio Emelia, Italy

Eight favorite restaurants:
1. Wendy's
2. Chick-a-Filet
3. Ryan's
4. The Irma
5. The Lamp Lighter
6. Arby's
7. Taco Bueno
8. Panda Express

Eight TV shows I watch:
1. Judge Judy
2. People's Court
3. House
4. Army Wives
5. Say Yes to the Dress
6. Hell's Kitchen
7. King of the Hill
8. Strong Medicine (not on air anymore. :-( )

Eighth folder Eighth picture:

Eight People I Tag:
1. Charlie and/or Michelle

2. Danielle

3. Brady

4. Liz

5. Gina

6. Julia

7. Nina

8. Julie

Well, Aaron told you about his week last week and while he had a rough time, my week wasn't too bad...

On Tuesday I went back to Kindergarten. It was nice. The kids seemed glad to see me again and it was almost like I hadn't left.

Everyday I go to Kindergarten and this is the street I turn on...

I often wonder it they are referring to the church that is North on this drive, or to Wal-Mart on the South...

On Wednesday I headed up to dallas to the first day of the NAEYC conference. Negotiating the traffic to and from the conference each day was probably the worst part of my week...that and the fact that I locked the keys in the truck the first night and Aaron had to search the house for the spare and bring it to me since he didn't want any roadside service people shoving something down the door...

In case you are wondering, NAEYC stands for "National Association for the Education of Young Children." Their mission is to "serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources." If you want to learn more, their website is www.naeyc.org

The conference was an amazing experience and I am so glad I got to go. The only reason I was able to go was because it was so close to home and who knows when that will happen again. There were so many people to see, all of us interested in the well-being, education, and development of young children. It was awesome. The exhibit hall was really something to see as well. There were so many vendors! And all offering free things and discounts. One of the neatest things was that towards the end of the conference everyone starts selling off the items that make up their display booths because they don't want to have to haul it back to wherever. You can get nice, commercial classroom toys, furniture, and playground structures for 50% or more off. Shh...I got the kids a see-saw, but they aren't going to get it until Christmas. It was an action-packed, fun-filled, educational week. It made me exhausted, but maybe now I can catch up on the rest of my life.

This was probably one of the highlights of the conference for me...

Do you know who that is? I'll give you a hint...."Sunny Days, sweeping the clouds away..." "Sing, sing a song..." "It's not easy being green..."

That's right! It's Bob from Sesame Street. That was fun. He really has been on the show for a LONG time. I remember growing up with him. I attended a session he presented on music in the classroom and I got a few of his CDs (autographed) afterwards.

So that was the just of my week...And just so I am talking about the kids a little...David has recently figured out that no, we do not give them everything they want or everything we want to. It takes money. And if he wants things he needs to get them himself. This is the note he wrote to Aaron one night...

Don't we all....I guess it's time to start looking at an allowance...

This week...

Okay, this week was...well, you'll see...

Monday, I got up, and no water, Fine, I went to work early to shower at the fitness center. When I got there, the place was empty...of hot water that is. So frozen to the bone I go to my office. Work went well. On the way home I stopped at the store and bought a few things that Cass asked for. When I got home I was feeling a little nauseous, so I ate quick and went straight to bed.

Tuesday, went to work, didn't feel so good. I consider myself a pretty hard worker, and I'm pretty stubborn, so I tried to work through it. Needless to say, I spent plenty of time in the bathroom. I couldn't stomach the lasagna that Cass gave me for lunch, so I got a good cold cut sub from Subway. After lunch I felt horrible. I just vegged in my office the whole afternoon. At 4:00 I thought that I was going to pass out in my office...but I had to make it to the end of the day to vote!

So after suffering for another hour I left work and drove straight to Target for some ImodiumAD. Found it, bought it, and stumbled to the drinking fountain to try to take the pill. After trying to swallow the stupid !$#%$# pill about a dozen times with everyone watching me, I gave up and just chewed it up. BAD IDEA. I took two steps towards the door, and then turned around and ran back into the bathroom just in time to throw up my Subway sandwich. That was a good sandwich too. After cleaning up I went back out to try to take another pill, which went right down first try this time. Thank goodness.

So back in the truck I start driving to the Baptist church in Palmer to vote. I hope I drove well. I don't really remember a whole lot about the drive. I know that I pulled over in Ferris and again in Palmer before I got to the polls. I'm sure by the time I got to the poll I look and smelled like a zombie or a drunk hobo, there's not much difference.

So I go into the chruch to vote. I tell them who I am and hand them my Driver's License. No luck. Am I registered? Yes. Am I related to Cassandra Van Slyke? Yes, she is my wife. I live with her. Well, she voted here this morning. Let's try to look you up. Oh, your registered to vote in Oak Leaf, which is 30 minutes away. I look at the clock...6:30. The polls close at 7:00. Even if I did make it, I have no idea who is running for what in Oak Leaf. At least there were no lines, so all 5 of the ladies there could help me. They pulled some strings, blah, blah...I filled out a form saying I live at the address on my Driver's License, and Voila! I can vote! I use my cheat sheet, vote, submit the ballot (#406 in the District at 6:55), and head for home.

When I got home I took a nice warm tub and went to bed...with a big empty bucket. That night was miserable. I was still up late enough to listen to Obama's victory speech live. How sad. At about 2:00am I started feeling a little better, and went to sleep.

Wednesday. Woke up feeling pretty good, so I decided to go to work. I start getting ready, and find out that I have to pick up the kids on the way home from work. Okay, so I arrange to switch cars with Cass after she drops the kids off. After some driving around and calling I was an hour and a half late for work. Oh well. Got to work, got a lot done, ate applesauce for lunch (Yum). Cass called and tells me that she has locked my keys in the car. I had to lend her my key because she couldn't find hers. I look for her keys in the van, but no luck. At 4:45 there was a disaster at work. A quick fix later, and I'm out the door at 5:15. At least I won't be late to pick up all the kids. I drive like a sick madman on roads I've never seen before in the dark to pickup the kids and get home at 6:45. The kids and I scramble like mad to find a key for the truck. 45 minutes later I finally find one. I'm exhausted, but no time to waste, and we are off to save Mom without eating dinner. Drive up to give Cass the key, and find out that she is staying for the rest of the conference and won't be home until about 10:00. On the drive home the kids all fall asleep. By 8:45 they are in bed and so am I. What a long day.

What day is it now? Oh yeah, Thursday. Man it feels like another Monday already. I get up on time to make it to work, but oh yeah, I gotta take the kids to day care. A quick call to my boss to let him know that I will be 30 minutes late, and off we go. The day actually went alright, and I had my first real meal since Monday! Go Burger King! Pick up the kids and get home by 6:30. Make Mac & Cheese for Dinner. Argue with Cass as soon as she gets home, and straight to bed at 8:00. Sorry Cass :(

Friday. Thank you! I got up early enough to drop the kids off at day care. Get to work on time. Get some grocery shopping done at lunch. Work hard. Out the door at 5:00...!@#%$!$#% I got a flat tire. At least I was in the parking lot at work. After fending off a dozen spectators, I put the spare on and head out late to pick up the kids again. Picked up the kids and got home at 6:45 thinking dinner might be ready. Nope, gotta wait again. At least I don't have to run around like a crazy man anymore. Time for a nice relaxing night before another hard day's work tomorrow. Hopefully next week will be better.

Monday

I do hope that this is just a typical Monday and not a sign of things to come this week...Last night about 10 or 11 when I went to start a load of laundry, there was no water. Of course I called in right away and there is still no water this morning. So much for showers. And Carissa is making a fuss and throwing a fit over everything. Fun stuff.

Today is the first day of day care for the boys and I hope it all goes well. I worry about Joseph becoming needy or neglected. I worry about Jacob and his potty-training. I worry about Isaiah and his ability to pay attention (or lack of ability) and his language skills. I worry the boys won't be understood or that they won't do well with their pre-school curriculum. They are only 3 and 4 and are having to learn things that were once learned in Kindergarten. At least it is only temporary.

Wish me luck and here's to a good week.

The Day After

So, I said that Halloween was probably my favorite holiday. I hope that is still true after yesterday. I don't know if it was the excitement or the flu or what, but after waking up Saturday morning, each of the kids had their cereal...Then they proceeded to get sick one after the other throughout the day. David made it through the day ok, but then this morning he was sick. Joseph and I were the only ones to go to church. Hopefully there will be no more incidents and they will make it through school tomorrow.

COWBOY UPDATE:
I was so occupied with the kids yesterday that I forgot to watch the game. This is especially disappointing since, after checking the score today, we found out they won! Hooray! 35-10 against San Diego State. I don't know if that's something to brag about since they hadn't been playing that well this season either. Oh well. A win is a win is a win. The funny/ironic/sad thing about this is that because Sween was still suffering from his concussion, it was our 3rd string, red-shirted, freshman quarterback who started and played the game. He did a great job and had no turnovers! It helps that we have two great running backs in "Thunder" and "Lightning". Even if UW isn't having a great year, those two are a couple of the best in the conference, if not the entire NCAA.

And how about TCU? It looked like even though they had another win, this week's team also had a good rushing game against them. It's like Aaron said, UW exposed a weakness in their game and now other teams will take advantage of it.

And BYU/Colorado State? That looked like a great game! We watched part of it today. I'm sure there were many BYU fans on the edges of their seats. We'll have to see how the rest of the season goes for them.

Halloween Day

Friday, Halloween day, was very crazy for us! It started with all of us waking up and getting David and Carissa off to school (in their costumes, with cupcakes for the cake walk that night). From there I made a quick stop at the store for some candy for trick-or-treaters and then we went back home.

We were only at home long enough to drop off the candy and then we were off again. This time it was to the "local" elementary school 10 miles away to have Isaiah's speech tested some more. They wanted to focus on language and articulation. that took about an hour and a half and then it was home for lunch.

After a quick lunch we had to go to the doctor for Joseph's 9-month exam. He now weighs 18 pounds, 12 ounces (25th %) and is 27 inches long (10th %). He is getting to look like such a little boy and is quite the little chunk. He is walking along furniture and crawling really quickly. He will use just one hand and tries to take steps as long as the area is a little more enclosed, like his crib, the bathtub, or the play-yard. I think he is a little afraid of the wide open spaces though. He loves cars and he loves to eat. He is overall a very happy baby. We love him.

Joseph in his Halloween pumpkin shirt. I meant to get one without the bottle. Oh well.

Anyway, after the exam we headed over to the kids' school to pick up David and Carissa. While waiting I changed the younger kids into their costumes. After picking them up we went into town where a real-estate company holds trick-or-treating and a costume contest in their office. That was fun. It's nice to get in there to see the agent who sold us this house.

After that we went back to the school for the kids' Fall Festival. That was fun. The kids played games, went on a hay ride, and got far more candy than they should have. We were there towards the end and they were giving out, literally, bags of candy.

Going on the hay ride

Posing with their balloon swords and hats...Carissa's hat was the only one to make it home in one piece.

After the Fall Festival we went home. I left Jacob and Joseph with Aaron and took the older three trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. It was fun, especially since they are old enough to really trick-or-treat and have a good time.

We got home around 9:00 or 9:30, let the kids have a piece of candy each, and then packed them off to bed. It was the end of another Halloween night. I love this holiday and can't wait until next year!

Pumpkin Carving

After going to the pumpkin patch we had to find the time to carve (and paint) the pumpkins. We managed to do this on Thursday night. Here are some pictures of the fun:

The pirate ship is mine, the ghost is David's, and can you guess who the Lighning McQueen pumpkin belongs to?

We let David carve his own pumpkin this year. He picked out the picture, marked it, and cut it out all by himself. The only thing we did was clean it (after he at least made an effort). He was proud. I think they turned out pretty good.