Wordless Wednesday - Cookies for Santa

It's a little chilly here

It's just a little cold up here in Alaska. Despite the cold we are having a wonderful time.

We made it

I have been meaning to blog but we've been so busy since we got here I haven't had time. We made it here on time. I'll post more later about our trip so far. Love y'all and I hope you had a fantastic Christmas!

Alaska

With all luck we are on our way to Alaska right now. Praying that the weather is beautiful and that the planes are flying. I will definitely update when I can.

Merry Chistmas

Merry Christmas!

Praying God's blessings on everyone as you celebrate the birth of our savior.

Christmas Performance

Ok I should have blogged this last week but my hard drive is freaking out and my camera wouldn't upload to my computer. Don't worry Renee I've backed everything up. I downloaded an update and it seems to be working ok but I'm still taking it in to the Apple dealer in Fairbanks when we get there. Anyway back to my point...

Last Wednesday was the annual Christmas presentation for Pullman Christian School (where Dan works) and Pullman Christian Childcare Center (Jonathan and Jason's Preschool). Dan wasn't really involved, except singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the end of the show. Mostly he just maintained the Jr. High Students and confiscated cell phones from students who were texting during the program.

The daycare put on a really cute show. This kids sang "Happy Christmas" and "Little Drummer Boy" and it was as cute as you can imagine. Jason just sat there on stage but Jonathan was really into the show. If we get a video after the 1st of the I'll be sure to post it for y'all.


Look at him. He is all boy with his shirttail hanging out and his undershirt showing. After the show he informed me that I forgot to put his belt on so his pants kept falling down. He couldn't have told me that while we were still at home so I could do something about it.

Playing "The Little Drummer Boy." The teachers saved formula cans and they kids used them as drums, so creative. How cute is he! Jonathan had so much fun!

During their performance I was sitting down on the floor right in front of the stage so I could get good pictures. Jonathan saw me and gave me the sign for "I Love You." That kid can be a real pain but I totally love him!

Wordless Wednesday

Making Snowflakes

Kristen posted this on her blog and I thought it looked fun. If you do one leave me a comment with the number so I can go look at yours.

Mine - 7595243
Dan's - 7595353

8 Months

Jason turned eight months old on the 18th and we took our monthly picture of him. He is such a great kid. At eight months he has two teeth, he's starting to try and crawl, loves eating everything you give him, and has a great little personality. I love this kid!

Every month we take a picture of Jason with is bear, Kodiak.

Jason at 7 months

Jason at 8 months

Snow Everywhere

I love the snow but it needs to stop now! We are supposed to fly to Alaska on Christmas Day and I don't want our trip to end up canceled. That being said Jonathan is enjoying the snow. On Sunday we bundled him up because he was literally starting to climb the walls and needed to get outside and run and play. Dan and Jonathan headed out in the iced over snow to take the sled out for a walk. They tried to sled in the yard but they keep sinking in so Dan took him to the end of the road and back. They had fun.





Jason and I stayed inside and stayed warm. A good time was had by all.

YAHOO AGAIN

My mom called me today and I passed both Standard 1 and Standard 2 of the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Assessment. 4 tests passed, 1 left and then I am eligible to be certified to teach in the state of Idaho. I still need to finish school but most of my tests are done (until we decide where we are moving and I have to get certified there)

I also got my grades today and I did very well this semester. All my hard work is definitely paying off!

One Long Drive

I posted while we were on the road that the weather was pretty bad but I thought I would expand on that post.

When we woke up Saturday morning the weather in Pullman was foggy but otherwise good so we decided to go ahead and continue with our plans to go for Portland that day. As we left Pullman the weather got better. The roads were good and it was sunny and beautiful. The weather stayed pretty good until we got to Arlington, Oregon. At this point it started to snow a little but the roads were still pretty good. By the time we got to The Dalles, Oregon it was snowing, windy and the roads were terrible. The wind was blowing from all directions and because it was coming in off the Columbia River the wind was very cold. Any moisture on the windshield froze instantly because of how cold the wind was. We had our defrost on full blast and the windshield wipers still weren't really doing enough. Dan could only see out of a little part of the windshield because of the ice buildup. I was reaching out the window breaking ice off the wipers and clearing out what I could and watching the road from my side. A 1.5 hour drive took a little over 3 hours but we did finally make it to my in-laws and off the roads. As it turned out they actually closed I-84 shortly after we made it to Portland and as far as I know the road is still closed.

Here are a few pictures from the drive before it got too dark.

Trucks and cars lined up along the side of the road putting chains on.

This was when the roads were still kinda good. They got a lot worse.

Nothing but taillights.

Bad Weather UPDATE AT BOTTOM

I'm posting from Dan's phone so forgive me if there are mistakes. We are on I84 headed west to Portland an the weather is bad. We are about 50 miles from my In-laws house. It should be an hour drive but with the weather it will be longer. If you read this say a prayer for us. Jonathan is starting to climb the wall! I will updatewhen we get there

Well a 6 hour drive turned in to over 10 but we are finally in Portland safe and sound. Thank you for your prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

YAHOO!

I PASSED BOTH PRAXIS TESTS!!!!!

Jason's 1st snow

Call me crazy but I love the snow. There is something magical and wonderful about the snow. I wait in eager anticipation for the first snow to fall and there is a twinge of sadness when all the snow melts. Growing up in Alaska there was always snow on the ground by Halloween and usually the snow fell by October 1st. The snow stayed around until at least mid April and I can remember several mid May snow flurries. Snow was a huge part of my life growing up. I loved to build forts, go skiing, and of course sledding. I absolutely can not wait to go to Alaska for Christmas and spend 10 days in a winter wonderland. I would love to move back to Alaska and if the right opportunity came around I think Dan would be willing.

Early Saturday morning the Palouse was blanketed with several inches of white beauty. I didn't even have to get out of bed to know it had snowed. The light coming through our bedroom window was brighter and I knew that meant snow. Right after breakfast we bundled up and headed out to shovel the driveway. Jonathan took his shovel and pail from the beach and happily set about digging in the snow. Jason was all bundled up in his Elmo snowsuit and boots that are two or three sizes too big. I was excited to see his reaction to the snow. He seemed to like it but he didn't last too long outside as it was almost naptime.




I love Jason's expressions.

Offensive Words

Renee's Monday Moment for Down Syndrome today was about the r word. She has posted on the topic before. Admittedly I used to use the r word all the time without even thinking about what I was really saying. After reading what Renee and others had to say I have since amended my vocabulary. So check out what she has to say, she is an awesome mom and advocate for her children.

Not Me Monday!

I was not so busy with school last week that I completely forgot to participate in Not me Monday!

I did not let my almost 8 month old play with a piece of paper for almost half an hour. That would be irresponsible of me. I most certainly did not have to pull little pieces of paper out of his mouth once I realized that he was not eating the paper.

I did not let my husband make the treats that I took to a class party.

I did not spend most of last week so busy and stressed out that I didn't sleep enough and eat well enough and I do not have a cold to prove my point.

That's all I got today!

Wordless Wednesday

oops

So I've gone a few days without posting. Sorry. Its dead week which means by the end of the week I'll be dead. Ok not really but I'll be really busy and probably not posting. But I'm reading and I'll try to comment. Know that I love you all!

Christmas Cards

Well thanks to my trusty tripod we were able to get our Christmas picture taken today. I was going to post the picture but I think I'll wait. I know I'm terrible aren't I :) If you want a Christmas card send me an email with your address and I'll get one in the mail to you! acbrough@gmail.com

Christmas Family

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Now its your turn. Let me know if you do it!

Bed Time

Jonathan will do absolutely anything to keep himself awake at bedtime. Tonight was rather funny to me (probably because I was an observer and not actually involved)

JD: Daddy come here.

Dan opens the door to the boys room which squeaks as you open it.

Dad: What JD? You need to be asleep.

JD: That noise is keeping me awake.

Dad: What noise?

JD: The squeak.

Dad: What squeak?

JD: The squeak when you opened the door.

Dad: But the door only squeaked because I opened it to see what you wanted.

JD: Yeah but the squeak is keeping me awake.

Dad: But, wait, what!?

JD: Make the squeak stop.

Dad: Ok I'm leaving.

Closes squeaky door.

JD: (from inside his room) I told you to make it stop the squeak is keeping me awake.

Crazy kid!

Wordless Wednesday

Flashback

It's amazing how music can transport you back to another time and place. Right now I'm listening to The Nylons. Old school, yes. Fantastic and amazing, yes. When I was in high school I spent a lot of time hanging out with two boys who were two years older than me. I can't even being to tell you how much these two meant to me then and how much they still mean to me now. They are the brothers I never had and I love them so much. As part of band we ushered for local concerts. If we weren't interested in the concert we would just hang out in the lobby of stairs and the boys would sing. They sang a lot of things but one of the things I remember them singing was The Nylons. And now as I listen to The Nylons I can see us hanging out in that stairwell and the boys singing.

Eric Whitacre's Ghost Train Triptych is another song that really takes me back. We played the 1st movement of it my freshman year of high school at The Pacific Basin Music Festival in Hawaii. These same two boys were in band with me and on that trip. Listening to this song takes me back to that time and place where we got a standing ovation from a packed house and all three judges. It was amazing. One of the boys and I also spent a lot of time together listening to this song and driving around Fairbanks. Wonderful memories.

Another song that reminds me of these two boys is Johan de Meij's Symphony No.1 The Lord of the Rings: I Gandalf (The Wizard). This piece was inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of Rings trilogy but was composed long before the movies came about. Anyway each year the senior class gets to pick a song that the band will play at graduation. It's the last time the seniors get to play with the group and it's kind of a big deal. This was the song that the class of 1998 chose to play at graduation. One of the boys was a tuba player and the other was a percussionist so in the set up of our band they were close to each other. I remember during graduation looking over and seeing the boys and starting to cry knowing this was the last time I would ever be in band with them. I can still close my eyes and see CS playing the timpani drum at the end of the song. CS if you are reading this I totally love you and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Congratulations on making it this far. Now I pose the question to y'all: what songs take you back in time and where do they take you?

Not Me Monday!

I am not totally and thoroughly annoyed with doing a reading reflection for every chapter of every text book that I read for my classes. I did not consider just not doing the reflection for my science class that is due by midnight tonight. To that end I did not finally give in and do the reflection but only put minimal effort in to the reading and writing.

I did not have to swallow my selfishness and stay another day at my in laws. (more on that one later)

I am not so far behind on uploading pictures that I have over 200 still on my camera.

I did not put up my Christmas Tree before Thanksgiving because I really wanted time to enjoy it. And I do not still have decorations sitting around waiting to be put up because I had to finally do some homework that I had been putting off for more fun things.

I am not counting the days until Christmas break because I'm ready for a break. And I am not a little sad that this semester is almost over because it means that I only have one semester of classes left with all the wonderful friends that I've made.

I was not relieved that my grandparents in law brought a ham to Thanksgiving dinner because I do not dislike Turkey immensely.

I am not wondering where 2008 went and how it went there so fast!

Nope not me!

Bummer

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving and it was nice to be with family. I'm glad to be home and do my homework by the light of my beautiful Christmas tree. So why a bummer? Well we ended up coming home with a sick Jason. I'm pretty sure he has an ear infection. He's been grumpy since Friday but I just attributed it so being away from home and totally off schedule. Then this morning he felt a little warm. When we got home I took his temperature and it was 104. Bummer! I should have known when he didn't want to eat yesterday that it was an ear infection. Dan had been sick with a nasty sinus infection and an ear infection and both Dan and Jonathan are really prone to ear infections. But alas it didn't even cross my mind. Ready Care was already closed when we got back to Pullman so I'll be staying home tomorrow and taking him to the doctor. Thankfully I have wonderful friends who are willing to turn in my assignment for me and a teacher who is understanding as long as I have a note from the pediatrician. It feels a little high school having to have a doctor's note oh well. Hopefully we will get some meds and he'll be on the mend. And now I have tomorrow to do homework... if Jason will let me!

I'm Thankful

I'm thankful that I am covered by the blood of Christ.

I'm thankful to live in a country where I can freely worship.

I'm thankful for our troops who fight to maintain that freedom! I'm thankful for the families that support them back home.

I'm thankful for my own family.

I'm thankful to have an amazing husband and a marriage centered on Christ.

I'm thankful for my two little boys. I can't imagine life without Jonathan and Jason.

I'm thankful for all my wonderful friends.

I'm thankful for all my blog friends, both the ones I know and the ones I haven't yet met. I am blessed each and every day by y'all. I have learned so much from each of you.

God Bless! Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday

Jonathan's 1st Thanksgiving (that he got to eat)

Not Me Monday

I absolutely did not wait until the last possible day to complete and turn in my student teaching application. And I was not running around the ED building like a crazy lady trying to get all my signatures before I got a parking ticket for being in a 15 minute parking place too long.

I did not spend all day Tuesday sick in bed. I have far too much school work to waste time being sick!

I did not have to hold back my laughter as my husband told me the whole story of Jonathan throwing up in the car. Laughing at that would be rude.

I am not dreading a trip to my in-laws for Thanksgiving.

I did not get a new layout for my blog while trying desperately to make a health quiz complete itself.

Nope Not Me!

My Firsts

Renee posted this and tagged anyone who wanted to participate. It looked fun so here it goes

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Kristopher. We went my freshman year. He was a senior and good friends with a couple of my good friends. We dated for 2 years after that... that turned out to be dumb on my part!

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
NO! I haven't even seen him in years. My mom saw him in the bank a year or so ago.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Beer and I was like 4. My dad used to have me get him a coke from the fridge and I'd open it and take the first drink. One day he sent me for a coke and I couldn't find one so I grabbed a different can in the fridge figuring they were all the same and opened it. YUCK!

4. What was your FIRST job?
I worked at a music shop when I was in high school.

5. What was your FIRST car?
A white Oldsmobile Cutlass. My mom gave it to me when I got my license until my dad got her a Tahoe and I got her truck.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
I believe that would be Bobbi. Checking to see if I'm feeling better.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Jonathan because he was yelling in his room and I could hear him over the monitor.

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Reagen. I don't remember much about her except that she yelled at the class when someone broke her fish bowl that she kept prizes in.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Alaska to Kentucky when I was 8 months old.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
Beth we went to preschool together. We stay in contact over facebook.

11. What was your FIRST sport played?
I started Ice Skating at 3 does that count?

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Anna's house. I think I was 8.

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Dan at 1am when Jonathan was yelling for help from his room. He had thrown up in bed! yuck!

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My own! I was the first of my friends to get married.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
uggg I still feel like crap.

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Clint Black, junior year of high school

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
I don't have any tattoos or piercings.

18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
I've never been to a foreign country.

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law?
Also 8th grade. I witnessed something and had to testify in court. I was freaked out!

20. When was your FIRST detention?
8th grade. I got busted for running in the hallway.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Alaska. Born and Raised!

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart?
Kristopher

23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Jessica and it was in college. She was a dance major and a kick to hang around with. Haven't talked to her in ages.

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride?
I've never been in a limo. Maybe one of these days!

And I now tag anyone who wants to fill it out! Leave me a comment so I can see your answers too!

Wordless Wednesday

Way Cool!

Well Idaho may not have won the game but our opening and only touchdown was the #2 play of the day on SportsCenter tonight! Go Vandals!

2 down 3 to go

Well I'm done with my 1st two certification tests and I think they went really well. I know I did really well on the content knowledge test. It's a 2 hour test, 120 multiple choice questions over math, science, social studies, and English that we should have learned in our core coursework or in high school. That part was pretty easy. The Principles of Learning and Teaching was more difficult. There were 20 multiple choice questions over learning theory and then 4 case studies with 3 short answer questions each. It was pretty mentally taxing but I'm pretty sure I passed. Now I just have 3 Literacy tests and I'll be certified to teach in Idaho!

The football game didn't go so well but Boise State is the number 9 team in the country so the fact that Idaho kept it close in the 1st half is impressive. We had a really good time. There were some drunk Idaho fans in our section that were pretty rude to the couple of Boise State fans in our section. I understand its a big rivalry and I love my Vandals but there is no reason to be that rude!

Ok off to order a pizza and watch whatever football is on TV.

Go Vandals!

Go Vandals, Beat Boise State!

Big Day!

Well as you read this I am taking my big teacher certification tests. I feel pretty good about them. Say a little prayer and wish me luck. I'll update when I get home!

A Giveaway

My friend Renee over at My Special Ks is having a giveaway. Her daughter Kennedy was in a wedding last weekend and her friend Lu took one of the pictures from the wedding and turned it into a beautiful painting. You can checkout the paintings here. Renee is having a giveaway and the lucky winner will receive a picture of their choice as a painting. Check it out and enter to win!

Brotherly Love

Over the last week or so Jason has taken quite the interest in his big brother. Jason thinks Jonathan is hysterical. Jonathan can do pretty much anything and Jason erupts into laughter. It has been really fun to watch this brotherly relationship blossom. I'm excited to watch them grow up as brothers. I can't wait until Jason is big enough to be up and running and playing with Jonathan. I know there will be disagreements but I hope that for the majority of their lives they will be pals.

Big Test

This week has been a long a challenging week for me. I didn't really have much due this week. And while I do have something due everyday next week I'm not really overwhelmed by it. What is overwhelming me is the Praxis. It's this Saturday and I don't know if I've studied enough. I keep hearing conflicting reports from my ED major peers. Some say that as long as I've done well in my coursework then the test is cake because I've studied it all before. Others say to study a lot because you need to. I've studied some and I have one more piece that I want to look over today. I think I feel ok but these two tests (yeah two 2 hour tests in one day) are really a pretty big deal. First of all they are $100 each so if I don't pass paying again is a big deal. Second I'm really supposed to pass them by the beginning of the semester before I student teach. That means I have to pass them by January to student teach in September. They will make exceptions but I'd rather not have to write a formal appeal. And I absolutely have to pass these tests or they won't give me a teaching certificate.

And then on top of the Praxis I managed to catch myself a cold. I feel pretty crummy this week. I actually stayed home from classes yesterday and slept. I'm feeling better but I'm just afraid that being sick will mess up my judgement on the test. I'm sure I'll do fine I'm just a little stressed.

Fun with Food

Over at 5 Minutes for Mom they are having a contest and the prize is $500 grocery card. I know I could use it and I bet y'all could to. All you have to do is post a food related picture on your blog or email it to them and you're in. Click here for all the info and then join in the fun!

This picture was taken when Jonathan was about 14 months old. By this time we were smart enough to only have spaghetti on nights when there was time for a thorough bath. We had also learned that for a 1-year-old spaghetti is a dish best eaten wearing only a diaper. We had company over this night and he was being egged on to be a wild and crazy as possible. Too bad the company left before the bath or they would have been doing clean up too!

I-D-A-H-O

My husband and I graduated from the University of Idaho in 2005 and 2004 respectively. I'm now back in school there working on an elementary education certificate. While our football is nothing great my husband and I have our Vandal Pride and we have passed it along to our offspring! What Jonathan is reading "I-D-A-H-O" off my shirt and then "Idaho Idaho Go Go Go" and "Lets go." All are excerpts from our school fight song. If you want to hear a pretty good recording of the fight song click here. Sometime I'll post pictures from the first football game we took the boys to!

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me Monday!

I absolutely did not go 143 texts over my 200 a month for the month of October and that did not cost us $14.30.

I did not sit on the couch talking on the phone to my mom while my darling husband cleaned the guest room for my dad's arrival.

That was not me doing absolutely nothing Monday night while recovering from company.

I am not freaking about about the fact that my student teaching application is due November 19th but the university can't seem to get the online application system to work. And I am not frustrated beyond belief that the application is only available from 7-5 Monday - Friday and can't be accessed on the weekends. It does not make me really really mad that they can't seem to make the application Mac compatible. And that was not me who later realized that the reason it was not compatible is because I didn't have the correct program on my computer. I would never do something like that!

I was not sitting in my stupid health class, while my professor talked about how much better life was in Colorado, writing my not me Monday!

I have not put off studying for the Praxis until the week before the test, that would be totally irresponsible of me!

Nope, not me!

My Top Tens

What I'm not crazy about

1. Driving after dark in the rain.
   
2. Walking in the rain. I hate being wet!
   
3. Clutter.
   
4. Spit up. Especially the orange I ate too many carrots spit up.
   
5. Being too hot.
   
6. Loading the dishwasher.
   
7. Folding laundry.
   
8. Cleaning the bathroom.
   
9. Changing stinky diapers.
   
10. Homework with vague directions.

Modern Conveniences
I wouldn't want to live without

1. Laptop.
2. Digital camera.
3. Email/internet/blogs
4. Cell phone
   
5. Washer & Dryer
   
6. Dishwasher
   
7. DVR
   
8. Car auto start
   
9. Google maps
   
10. Auto start coffee pot.
    

Things to see & do before I die

1. Visit Ireland.
   
2. Visit the rest of Europe.
   
3. Visit Australia.
   
4. Take the boys to Disney.
   
5. Go to NYC.
   
6. Go to Arlington.
7. Go on a mission trip.
   
8. Get my masters.
   
9. Meet my blog friends.
   
10. Learn to swim.
    

Things I would totally SPLURGE on if funds were unlimited

1. Build our dream house.
2. Personal Trainer
   
3. New cars
   
4. Digital SLR
   
5. A Wii
   
6. A nice long family vacation.
   
7. A nice long vacation with just Dan.
   
8. Pay off my school and Dan's school.
   
9. Someone to cook and clean.
   
10. New TV and video equipment.
    

The BEST feelings

1. Hanging out at home with Dan and the boys.
   
2. Spending good time with great friends.
3. Hugs from Dan
   
4. A hug from Jonathan.
5. God.
   
6. The laughter of my children.
   
7. Hot coffee on a cold day.
8. Financial security.
   
9. The Vandals winning a football game.
   
10. Christmas!
    

I tag anyone that reads this and wants to create their top 10 list. If you do post your top ten I would love it if you left me a comment telling me so I can come check out your Personal Top Tens.

I'm ready

I know its a little early but I am ready to decorate for Christmas. I want to see my home filled with that beautiful glow of Christmas lights. I want to enjoy my tree and the atmosphere it provides. I love Christmas and all the decorations. I have two big certification tests on Saturday and then the Idaho/Boise State Football game but after that I think I want to start decorating. We leave for Portland December 20 and then on to Alaska December 25 and won't be home until January. If I want to enjoy my tree I need it up. Otherwise if we wait until after Thanksgiving we will only be able to enjoy it for 2 weeks before we leave. Now I just need to convince Dan that this is a good idea.

Goin' To the Car Wash

This morning I was looking through pictures of Jonathan from the past 3+ years. I found these and they are just too good not to share. Here's the story...

Just after his 1st birthday someone had the brilliant idea to take Jonathan through the car wash.

Oh look at those chubby cheeks. Couldn't you just eat them up? I could!

Oh this looks interesting. I wonder what is going on?

Whoa! Fascinating. Seriously, what is going on here?

GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!!! THIS IS SO NOT FUN ANYMORE!!!

Ok, thats better. I am so going to need tharapy for this!

Yeah, in hind sight not our best idea ever but he survived. I don't know that we've been through a car wash again. Yes, the only wash our cars get is the rain!