The Race

Well, you can tell when school started for me because the blogging stopped. I have been able to come up for air so thought I would try to catch up.

I went to teacher training mid-August. I attended it last year so I was lucky to be able tonattend again. I found it really helpful because ow I have some experience and a place to file the info in my brain. The new teachers I was with are really great. I lived the entire experience!

The big news work wise is in August I got a call asking me to come in to chat with my principal and vice principal. Hmmmmm......intriguing! it turns out one of the teachers got engaged this summer. I got to sit down with her one day and listen to the whole story. It is the kind of story movies are made of. Very romantic and definitely meant to be. I got goosebups on my goose bumps and shed a tear or two over the beauty of it all! Her fiancé is from South Africa and while he waits for immigration to allow him to move here, she is taking a year off.....so they asked if I would move to Gr. 3. I said yes and while I felt a little disappointed (I was really looking forward to teaching something again) now I realize what a blessing for me it all is. I thought it would be more work because I am learning a whole new curriculum. Whole that is true, the teachers I am teamed upmwith are amazing! They are very organized and very helpful, and lfe is very very good. Not only that, my class is a dream! I taught all but one last year. There are a few from my Grade two class, and the rest I taught math to last year. I felt like I was able to hit the ground running since I already knew them. All in all, I am really loving teaching this year!

At the end of summer the kids went to Grandma Camp. This was a different year. Poor Grandma was really worn out by the end. They had good times, but there was too much bickering amongst cousins. Not sure if it was lack of sleep, too much planned, or the ages they are at, but it was a tricky time. Grandma was a real trooper through it all.

Peirce has been particularly miserable. Grumpy, Fights with his sister, a doomsday attitude about everything, particularly his new school, and a few other issues had me considering adoption. LOL After some thought and prayer we wondered if he has wheat issues like Allen does. We decided to try taking him off wheat and saw a remarked improvement quite quickly. It is an adjustment for us all.....but we will get it figured out. All I know is my happy and quiet boy is back!

Another great thing in our life is swimming. Jill counted down all summer how long it would be before swimming would start again. She has moved up again and now swims six days a week. She couldn't be happier with that. Peirce is also swimming competitively this year and has been loving practices and his new coach. I am at the pool six days a week and twice on Tuesdayand Thursday. Oh boy!

Jill is loving being in Grade 8. She says it is the perfect time because she is no longer the youngest, the Grade nines are just old Grade eights, and she gets to see her old Grade Fives who are finally in Grade seven! .......confusing, I know. But she's happy, so the logic works for me. Peirce's school closed last year....er, rather, the program moved. He has been in a wonderful small school and has never had more than 16 kids in his class (kindergarten had 9 kids!) and now he is in a more normal sized class and there are 5 classes of his grade! He was really nervous about the change, but his new teacher is wonderful, he is with some of his old friends, and he already has someone who has a crazy crush on him. All works out in the end!

Allen has been a wonderful help in all the craziness of the schedule being back in full swing. He is busy with Bishopric responsibilities, and business is going well. I love him more and more all the time.

So, life has turned up a notch. I will try to keep up with blogging so we can remember it all!