Company

On Monday my mom’s cousin Dick came into town from San Francisco. Why he would come to the desert in August is beyond me. Actually he says he likes the heat (he wants to move here) and he wanted to cook us dinner, which he did on Thursday. He cooked a scrumptious meal of steak, potatoes, chicken and corn on the cob. It was wonderful. Really Dick, how was the potato? For desert he brought a Gilbert/Mizer/Poland favorite . . . brownies. Boy, were they good.

We all had a wonderful time visiting and I am hoping he will come out for Christmas this year.

I’ll keep looking for a house in the neighborhood for you.

What a week!!

It all started on Monday, after school, at dismissal time. It started with a raindrop and turned into a torrential downpour. By the time all the kids were in their respective cars the staff was not just wet but drenched. It rained so hard and so much that if I had shampoo I literally could have taken a shower. I think my shoes are still wet. That was just the beginning of the fun. Turned out the wind and rain were so strong it flooded the gym of the school and several classrooms. We spent the next hour sweeping water out of the gym. Once I got home and was able to dry out and watch the news it turned out the winds at the airport topped 70 mph, even flipping airplanes over.

Flash forward to Thursday, again another monsoon storm, this one hitting in the evening hours. This storm was estimated to be 45 miles wide and 100 miles long. Well, you can guess what happened at school . . . flood. What a mess!!

For an hour there was a continually rumble from thunder and the sky was brightly lit by the continual cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightening. Even though Thursday storm raised havoc, it was fun to watch and listen to.

Something new . . .

In our house. Our youngest, Jessica, will soon be turning 2, which means she is getting to be a BIG GIRL. For the past two months or so she has been coming to Chris or me to tell us that she is wet. So that started a half hearted attempt to potty train. Well today we took a serious step toward diaper independence . . . a potty all her own.

Today, Kristin and I took Jessica to pick out her very own potty. She was torn between two of them but with a little encouragement from her big sister (come on Jesse pick this one) Jessica picked out a Pooh Bear Potty.


After dinner Kristin and I took it out of the box and set it up for Jessica. She’s not so sure what to do with it. As you can see she thinks it is something to play in. Eventually I was able to get her to sit on it. Although nothing happened she seems to be excited (for the time being) to have her own little potty. And I am happy to be on the road to no more diaper changes, although to tell you the truth, it is a little sad to think she is getting so big.

What happened to my babies?

Kristin 6 months

Jessica 1 month

Just as I finish putting the pictures in . . . Jessica brought her potty into the living room and went potty. YEAH!!!! What a BIG GIRL

I'm Back

No I haven't fallen off the Earth or been kidnapped by Aliens. I have however been held captive by DIBELS. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing it not its not some new disease, is a scientifically based assessment that all students who go to Chandler Elementary Schools get to take, and I am fortunate enough to be my schools DIBELS coordinator. Thank goodness it is over until winter when the fun begins again.

Anyway here is an update on the goings on here in the Gilbert house hold.

Another week has come to an end and yet another has begun. What a week it has been. School is now in full swing. Although my students yearn to be back on vacation they reluctantly complete their assignments to the best of their ability.

Kristin has adjusted well to her new classroom and Jessica to her new schedule (Monday’s all day at Julie’s and Friday, half days). I’m beginning to become accustomed to getting up at the crack of dawn to get ready for work and Chris has gotten use to not having me or Kristin home during the day.

With school back in session we look forward to weekends. One of these past ones I took the girls up to Rimrock. Kristin had been begging to see Cosmo as well as Nana and Papa. Jessica wanted to see Nana, Papa and Cosmo and expressed her excitement by running to (and out of) Julie’s door when I went to pick her up. The girls had a blast. Kristin loved feeding the deer with Papa. They even got to see one. Jessica loved playing ball with Cosmo. Both girls enjoyed watching Nana working on a wonderful video of their Hawaiian vacation for their friends. Kristin really enjoyed helping Nana edit the video one night. Did you ever get that to burn correctly Mom? The next morning found us in Prescott having breakfast with friends, shopping at Lowes and spending money at Walmart.

Other than that, life has been cruising right along. Kristin has started back up in brownies and will hopefully be starting gymnastics this coming week. Jessica continues to get bigger everyday. Both girls continue to keep us laughing at every turn.

Chris will be changing his days off soon. YEAH. Starting in September he will have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Guess what that means for our parents . . . look out mom and dad here we come. Hey Dad, now Chris can help on the deck . . . save some for him to do.

School Has Started

Monday began a new school year. Boy did that happen too quickly. I can't believe that Kristin is now a second grader. Time is sure moving fast. For her not fast enough, for me way to quickly.

Kristin did very well on her first day. She was nervous but persevered and walked into class with no tears. Which is a big change from the last 3 years of school. Her daddy and I are so proud of her.

Kristin really likes her teacher, Mrs. Johnston. I have taught with her for 3 years and she is very sweet, loving and is able to push kids to see their full potential. I am looking forward to seeing her progress.

Kristin has many friends in her class including one of her best, Caylee. Another of her best friends, Tanner, is unfortunately in a different class. I hear about that everyday. Luckily they get to play at lunch and both are children of co-workers so they get to play before school and after school as well. Not to mention the weekday play dates.

For me the first week of school was hectic and very long. This first week took at least a month to get through. I am still trying to figure out where my students are as well as who they are. Not to mention the ever changing schedule and coordination. It should be a good year though, busy but good. I am looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

The Late Night Comedian is . . .

Jessica.

Yes we have a new comedian living in our home. On Tuesday morning, I was awakened, out of a dead sleep, at 1:45 in the morning to a screaming child. My wonderful husband, who had probably just gotten home from work, tried to rescue me from being woken up, however, as all mothers know when your child wakes in the night you always hear them. Anyway, Chris comforted her and laid her back down only to have her scream again, at that point I went to help. We brought her into the room where for the next two hours she decided to tell us knock, knock jokes. For the first half hour it was funny, “Momma, Momma . . . Gack, Gack (knock, knock)” “Who’s there Jessica” . . . then she would Babble and laugh then it would start over, this went on for 2 hours. We tried everything short putting her in the car for a drive to get her to stop. We tried milk, moving into another room, putting her back in her bed (where she screamed again so loud we were afraid she would wake up Kristin), in the tent (which she thought sleeping next to Hunter was fun and she wanted to tell me about it), we watched cartoons, we laid in bed and didn’t talk, everything we could think of, but all she did was tell us gack gack jokes. Finally around 4:30 she fell asleep, yippee, unfortunately I had to get up to go to work but she got to sleep . . . and she did. Chris said she slept until 9:30.

I think we miss named her, we should have named her Jay Leno.

Here's a picture of our little comedian being silly with her shorts on her head.