Back at the old grindstone. Still working on grades since my work study (my students call her my secretary) hasn't been in since before Thanksgiving. So I have to do my work myself. I have a class this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon that will teach me how to set up my courses online, so if anyone is interested in taking my classes . . .

Here is my favorite picture of Amy. We took this last summer (2005) just as you go into Grand Teton NP from Yellowstone. My favorite landscapes in the whole world are, of course, mountains (gee, I wonder why) and this pose shows exactly how Amy is. "Yes, here I am and I'm great!" I taught a Gospel Doctrine lesson a couple of years ago and asked my class to describe what they thought were beautiful places. To a person the comments included mountains. Then another time our GD teacher asked us to tell about our most influential people. Yep, you guessed it, they were all teachers (oh, there was one scoutmaster). God bless our teachers and scout leaders (and since I am both, hopefully I will get extra blessings!)!

Time to run. Hope everything goes well for Becky tonight and her scrapbooking. I want to be her when I grow up!

Just a quick post today, since I have to go pick up Cameron from basketball practice right now. It tried to rain here today, but only succeeded in being windy and cold. It snowed in Brighton, I understand, but since T and K are on their cruise (I'm guessing), they don't really care!

Our furry menagerie continues to grow. We just discovered 6 more mice babies and 6 new rat babies. Rob is raising them to sell to the pet stores here. We have two sets each of 2 female and 1 male combinations in mice and rats, so you do the math. We still have 4 babies from the last batch. They're about big enough to sell now. Fun, isn't it? We still have Wiley, Daisy, our new cat, Trinity, Fuzzy Butt the hamster, seven chickens (Jessica, Fluffy, Maisy, Angel, Hershey, Penny and Bo Jangles but only the last two lay eggs anymore), and Stanley. Don't you wish you were me?

Okay, I'm late and Missy slammed her fingered in car earlier today. It's not broken. We're off to the boys and then play practice and I keep the scoreboard for the women's and men's basketball teams and we have games tonight. The fun never ends.

Here's a picture of the wonderful people that I work with in the Science Division. The real heights of each person are not quite as they appear. Some of us are using the tree to enhance our height! Although the tall man with the purple jacket to my left is really almost that tall!

Okay, here's part two of today. I just finished my healthly lunch of a Whopper Jr. with cheese, fries, and a Coke and Becky just sent me the blogs of the rest of my family. What beautiful children my wonderful nephews and their lovely wives have blessed us with. I don't know when I'll get to see them, but wish very much that I could. Bryan and Jeff were once a very big part of my life (just over 19 years ago -- egad!) and it's hard to believe that they are daddies! But what wonderful daddies they are!

On Mondays I have to take Cameron to school because he has piano lessons after school and he rides his bike there and then rides to the college after they're over. It's too far to ride to school, so we have to take it in the van in the mornings. Most times I stop at our corner store to get my morning Cherry Coke and Cameron usually complains. Yesterday, he said, "Why do you stop? You're not even supposed to drink that stuff." It's hard to be reprimanded by your children. Hopefully, I can stop over Christmas vacation (yeah, right).

Cameron and I just played our first duet for family home evening last night. It was Jingle Bells. What an exciting thing for me! I never thought Cameron (or any of my children for that matter) would be musical. Was I wrong! Cameron's only been playing for two months now, and he's great (at least I think so)! I don't even have to tell him to practice! Isn't that amazing? He's also doing magnificent on the trombone in band at school. He's so funny about music. He called his NeeNana (Rob's mom) the other day and put the cordless phone on the piano so she could listen to him play. What fun!

Missy is also progressing on the violin and has started picking out the songs Cameron plays by ear on the piano. I've got to start her soon! Amy is always playing whatever instrument she can get her hands on. She really likes the piano and the ukelele. Okay, I really have to go back to work.

I got the rest of the wall painted in the family room and it looks nice and warm and cozy in there. It is now our favorite room of the house and not just because it has the TV there. We bought Rob a pellet stove this summer from a friend who used to sell them but needed to get rid of his stock because he was moving. So we got a deal on it and now the family room is also the warmest room in the house. I've set the thermostat at 68 degrees (because pellets are cheaper than gas) so everyone runs in there when the pellet stove is on. But I guess it's the closest thing to a fireplace that I'll have in this house. We're still arguing over the fireplace in the new house, but I know I'll win on that one!

Okay, back to work. End of semester and all that, so I have grades and stuff to do.

The First Day

I'm envious of Becky's blog so I thought I'd start my own, but it will be nowhere near as neat as hers. Unless someone wants to give me a digital camera and some grandkids for Christmas. Although, my kids are still cute, so maybe I'll just take pictures of them. So, there it is. I have to go home and finish painting my family room. School's almost over for the semester and then I can finish all of my other unfinished jobs! :)