Back to work with Awesome Technology!

Today was my first day back at work. Sad but exciting all the same! I have to return to work earlier than normal because our school received a VERY large grant to be used for technology. Unfortunately we are still waiting for our teacher and classroom computers, so today we talked about the grant and THEN...got to play with our new Flip video cameras. They encouraged us to play around with it and try it out. So of course the first thing I did was record Kailyn. I have wanted to record her reading for some time now. Here is the first attempt with the camera. It was so easy to use! A USB drive flips out of the top and it plugs straight into the computer. So EASY!

"Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya Tomorrow..."

So lately Kailyn has had an obsession with the movie Annie! I loved it as a child and still love it. I thought nothing of sitting down with her one day to watch it. If you know Kailyn, you will know that she talks her way through everything, all day long. Annie was no exception. I was asked a question about every little thing about the movie. The tough scrutiny made me aware of a few things that I did not previously know or remember about the movie.

Here are some of the interesting topics Kailyn and I covered.

1. What is an orphan? Where are their parents? Why don't they want their kids? Why are they all girls? Where are the boys? Why is Ms. Hannigan so mean? These questions were all during the first 5 minutes of the movie! :)

2. Some of the vocabulary I needed to explain: pig droppings, smidge, drunk, billiard ball, Bolsheviks, lavalier, Punjab (who she was calling Pumba for awhile), millionaire, mikey pen, "blow it out your ol' wazoo", and more.

3. She has taken to repeating one liners from the show, such as the line Ms. Hannigan says near the beginning of the movie "gotta go bathroom". She also sings "no one cares for you a smidge, when your in an or-phan-age, It's a hard knock life!"

4. Now that she has watched it about 5 times she likes to tell me everything that is going to happen and all her favorite parts.

Just a little insight to my daily life lately with my own little "Annie". I have actually banned the movie for awhile because I was going a little crazy.

Disneyland - we went, we saw, we concurred!

We arrived in Anaheim around 10 am on Monday. We checked into our hotel and then walked to Disney. We thought we were taking the fastest route possible, but we were actually making the journey extra long. Kailyn was a little whiny but still excited for Disneyland. After we made it to the gates we quickly found where the strollers were located and off we went.

After a brief trip down mainstreet, we headed to the castle! Kailyn was wide eyed as she took in everything that was going on. There were people everywhere and strollers a plenty! The very first ride we took Kailyn on was the teacups because there was NO LINE! Everywhere we went there was a line but this time it was almost immediately onto the teacups. Mark got the cup turning and Kailyn did not want to stop.

Next we waited in line for "It's a small world!" It was so great that we were a group of 12. There were many rides that we could all go on together and often took up the whole boat! Kailyn loved this ride and obviously so did the whole family!
Here are some more pictures from our first day in Disneyland!

The beginning of our California vacation adventure!

We finally made it to California after driving...forever...at least according to the kids. We left Salem at 8:45pm Friday night and made it into Bakersfield at 11:30am on Saturday. After jumping in the pool and taking a nap, we went to get my sister-in-law Heather from the airport. Unfortunately Uncle Ronnie is in Afganistan doing a wonderful thing for our country! We will miss him on our vacation adventure! We went to our Aunt Sharon's house for a wonderful BBQ and visiting with family. The kids got a chance to run around and play while the adults could catch up. Kailyn made a wonderful new friend. A King Charles spaniel that was only 4 months old. It was a wonderful dog and Kailyn was very taken with her. I wonder how long it will be until we will be asked for one. Today we went to Church with our extended family then on an adventure to Target and then back to the hotel for more swimming. So far the trip has been great. Tomorrow we head out very early for Disney land. Kailyn is beyond excited and ready to meet a princess. Check back in a couple days and I will post more pictures and stories of our adventure!

No Child Left Behind?

I found this today on the internet. Any teacher will see the humor in it!

No Child Left Behind: The Football Version
Author Unknown*

l. All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL

3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability, or whose parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th games.

5. This will create a New Age of sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimal goals.

If no child gets ahead, then no child will be left behind.

I found the article here!

What is up with this heat!

I am all for enjoying the warm weather in the summer time. It is great to spend time in the sprinkler and eat otter pops! Honestly though....this weather is ridiculous! My car said 95* at 11:30. By the time I got back in the car at 2:45 it said 109*. My car usually reads a couple degrees warmer than it really is, so maybe it was 107*. That is crazy. Kailyn spent the whole day in her swimsuit or her underwear. Too hot to do anything outside! I am glad there is only supposed to be one more day of this craziness.

A day at the Park

Cousin Emelie and Kailyn on the rock Fish!



This week we met some of our good friends and family at the new River Road Park in Keizer. The kids loved the play ground for a while but soon the splash fountains were calling. Kailyn has grown more brave this year and does not hesitate to jump right in. It was a great day!



Kailyn, sporting her favorite swim suit.

Ahh....the joys of swimming!

So a long time ago we purchased a swimming lesson package from our church's auction. We were finally able to make it happen this past weekend. Kailyn was more than thrilled. Here are a few photos!

Wonderful World of Blogging

I decided that it was finally time. I needed to branch out and attempt a blog! There are many things that Kailyn says, or does, that need to be shared. :) Since it is the summer, and I have it off (sorry to all the non-educators), I have more time to do things with Kailyn. I have been enjoying our time together.

So far this summer we have been camping, read 5 books, shopping at the beach, spent the 4th with my sister-in-law and lots of friends, SLEPT IN :), gone to the library, had picnics, spent time with friends and their kiddos, directed a week of science camp, had a BBQ with my Lesley Cohort and played in a lot of fountains and pools!

Still to come....next week we leave for a trip to California!