I have pictures!

I have been trying to upload some of my pictures of Noelle, but my computer and I have not been agreeing.  Looks like I finally got it right!  I spent Tuesday through Thursday this week in Ames, and Thursday through Saturday last week there.  School went pretty well, better the second week as I found out what was missing from my generic lessons plans the first week.  The whole having a new grand daughter process is pretty hard to explain to my class!

I tried to be generally helpful while visiting but my main job was playing with Emily while everyone else napped.  She has a set of pop beads that she got for her birthday (she calls them snap beads) and we created jewelry every day.  They are just like the pop beads we used to have only more shapes, sizes, colors and patterns.  They still just "pop" together.  Fun and we did something different with them each day.  They couldn't be used while Dallas was awake.

Noelle is very sweet and had learned new things just from last Saturday when we left to Tuesday when I went back!  She stays awake for a while now, really studies things with her eyes and really, really listens when you talk.  She knew it was not Laura when I was talking to her and she would get very still if you sang to her.

When I got home Thursday I was able to spend an hour with Charley.  He looks big compared to Noelle!  He is talking up a storm and giggles at about everything.  I got to stay with him this morning as well, they were supposed to raise the roof on the garage, but the rain cancelled that.  I stayed with Charley and Greg went back to sleep.  When he got up I went to the shop and got a haircut.  I missed my appointment when Noelle was born.

School year has begun

I'm all settled into my new "new" room and feel pretty important to have a separate office. Of course, it's only because my desk wouldn't fit in my classroom :). We had open house/meet your teacher night last night. I had several of my families stop in. The building was very busy. That is a good omen for the coming year. Today we have professional development and tomorrow the kiddos arrive for the first official day. Part of my day today will be CPR training. I haven't been certified in several years and I have a student with a seizure disorder, so I need to be certified. Hopefully I will never have to put practice into reality.
Also yesterday I got to have coffee with an old teaching buddy who was in town. She lives near Branson now, for 12 years or so. I tried to fit in a visit between meetings and open house and also got to watch Charley while we were having coffee. He was a perfect gentleman, but he put my arm to sleep while he napped. I felt young, all the others at the table were retired.
The rain hasn't affected us personally, but we know plenty of people with serious water in their basements. Highway 92 east of town has been closed for days and the way the pictures look, some serious reconstruction may need to happen on the road. I don't know how this will affect the start of school. There are other routes, but buses will certainly have to backtrack a bunch.

Lynne or Laura

Can you tell me how to move things in my blog so you can see the title? Be detailed, please.

Another opportunity

I got called to the office again today, and again, just as I was walking out the door. It seems since the president signed a bill giving some education money back, our district can hire some teachers. Our fifth grade teachers won't have to have 31 students in their class, but they will get to have my room. I have two days before school starts to move (again, sigh) and this time to a teacher's lounge, not a classroom. I will need to be creative! Plus side is I'll be close to my best school friend again. And, BTW, it is dry at school, although parts of Oskaloosa are pretty soggy. I heard Ames has a boil water order, I bet we will too in a day or two since the water treatment plant is sure to be under if all that water comes downstream. Never a dull moment.

end of summer as I know it

I still have pictures to publish but they are on the MACbook and when they updated, they put blogspot on a list of firewalled items ( no social networks are allowed on school computers during school hours so kids can't be off task) so I will have to figure out how to transfer so I can post them here.

I have spent several hours at school trying to do what I can ahead. Got to babysit with Charley several times as well. He changes every time I see him, has learned many new things. It sure is fun to watch him talk to the toys! Only one more band concert for the season as well, then I can start babysitting Thursday nights.

Sweetcorn Serenade went well. Last year and this we have had the Celebration Iowa Jazz band and Singers perform. We used to know them as the State Fair Jazz band and Singers. It brings a good crowd as does the rest of the celebration (corn, pork burgers, vendors, kids' games, crafts, etc)The night ends with our band concert - our biggest audience of the year but also the noisiest, I'm not really here for the music audience. MUSCO lighting donated new lighting for the park and the bandstand, state of the art LED lights. Now I don't have to have a secret stash of light bulbs for when the teenagers steal the light bulbs just before the concert!

Nothing else happening here.

Staycation

Well, I've been waiting to post until I could include some pictures but my camera and my computer are not on speaking terms right now, I guess! Dan and I celebrated our 15th anniversary by spending a couple of days in Des Moines. On Friday we went to the Hall of Pride. Very interesting but I think high schoolers might enjoy it more, maybe middle schoolers. We went to see "Knight and Day" the movie at Jordan Creek as well as a little shopping and ate dinner at Fazoli's (hadn't been there in a really long time). Saturday we slept in, drove around at Saylorville Lake, went to visit the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge, visited a VW dealer (we need a part for Vera) rested a bit, then went to an Iowa Cubs game. Sunday we shopped a little before coming home. One thing we always do is great breakfasts - did a Village Inn and an IHOP.

Tuesday is my regular afternoon to babysit for Charley for a little bit between when Greg goes to work and Chelsey comes home from work, and he slept pretty much the whole time. Today Dan went along for a while and Charley was awake the whole time. He is starting to coo and is darned adorable!

I have dinner in the oven and waiting for Dan - he is having a needle removed from his foot - it has been embedded for a couple of months. I think it is probably my fault, so I'll try to wait on him a bit tonight!

I will post pictures, especially of the military museum if I can get the camera/computer figured out.

still on vacation

Nothing going on here except occasional rain showers as usual. I took Dan's mom to her Dr.'s appointment today - we were supposed to be there by 11:15 and left there at 1:30, then we went to lunch at Wendy's before I took her home. I finished an entire book while there:) I guess the morning was busy, but there weren't very many people in the waiting room.
Last week one day I spent in Ames so Laura could go to a Dr.'s appointment. Waiting there was more fun :). It is always good to see her and the kids, didn't run into Robert, then went to Des Moines to meet Lynne for supper and a short visit. I like those kinds of days. Yesterday I spent a little bit with Charley between when Greg went to work and Chelsey came home from work. He changes every day.
I had an eye dr appointment last week - for Sherrie - I have posterior vitreous detachment - means the fluid in the eye gets cloudy once in a while and acts like a floater. Nothing they can fix, and your brain covers it up after a while so you don't notice. I'm sorry Sherrie's was more serious, how's it going now? I didn't need lens changes.
I just got my school computer back from updates so now I can't put off doing school work very much longer. Wish I could get a schedule in mind, that's the biggest concern I have right now about the new job.
Other than that, I have been doing city band work, a rehearsal and concert each week. This week we have a substitute director, I hope it doesn't rain so we need to move the concert indoors, the director usually handles those arrangements and he's in DC. I've been reading a lot, so look for updates on my list soon.