The Crazy Music Lady

Joss and Annabelle Ishoy happily supporting Chloe at the tattoo parlor.

Chloe nervously awaiting the moment when her ears will be pierced.

A happy ending.  She is eager to change out her earrings, but has to wait until May.

Tristan and the gang enjoy playing with the R/C car from Grandma and Grandpa.

I had one of the kids get Finn ready for bed one night, and this is what I found when I changed him in the morning.  It looks as if he suspects something is very wrong with this setup and is trying to point it out to me.

Chloe and her flute friends took home a gold medal for their ensemble piece.  Chloe had the hardest part, and she worked diligently to master it. 

Landon catching up with the boys at the end of the day.

We've had a couple of snow days this winter, which means they tack more school onto the end of the school year.  But the kids think it's totally worth it.

Almost time for hot chocolate.

Finn has started speech therapy and is learning 1-3 new words every week.  This week he tried out "moon," "apple," and "eggs."  The word he uses most frequently is "momma," which is his substitute for any word he doesn't know.  Considering his vocabulary consists of 18 words, "momma" gets used a lot.  His second favorite word is probably a tie between daddy and cookie.

Dane has started learning to write his name and is excited to start kindergarten in the fall.  He has been managing his anger better recently, throwing fewer fits with less yelling and hitting.  He's even begun making his bed in the morning and randomly picks up toys once in a while.  I told Landon that the school system always takes the kids away just when I have them civilized and pleasant enough I want them home all day.

Logan's teacher wrote me a sweet email, telling me that Logan has turned his behavior around too -- that's he's completing his work on time, is a leader for the other students, and has been a good friend to someone who needed one.  When I read him the email during dinner, he stared at me for about 10 seconds and then said, “Does that mean I don’t have to finish my soup?”  That kid.  Ever the opportunist.

Tristan participated in the Battle of the Books contest and was in it to win it.  Last year his team took 3rd place and won a gift card.  This year he read all 10 books multiple times so he could answer any quiz question hurled at him, which involved spending hours curled up on the couch with a book.  His team took 1st place at the school (out of 22 teams), and then went on to place a close second at the regional competition.  

Chloe has been preparing for the Battle of the Books at her school too, determined to be as prepared as her brother.  She's also making great strides in her quest to master the flute.  This girl doesn't do things half-way!  She's been called as the secretary in her young women's class and has loved all the planning and note-taking that it involves.  

Jocelynne continues to make us all laugh with her goofy voices and crab-walking.  She is her teacher's brightest star in Spanish class, which might be a bit unfair to her peers who never had the chance to live in Costa Rica for 2 years.  Her phobias have been interfering with her education more and more lately, especially in her health and biology classes.  Her school counsellor and the school nurse provide safe places for her to go when she has attacks, and they are understanding and sympathetic.  But she is amazingly resilient and a joy to be around, despite being a teenager.

Landon did not get his dream job at BYU this winter, much to our disappointment.  We hoped for milder winters, shorter drives to family, and Landon getting to teach at our alma mater.  We are not giving up hope, however, and he is determined to work on his weak spots and apply again at the next opportunity.   Before you feel too sorry for him, know that he's living the good life right now, learning about seed-dispersal with fellow ecology nerds in India.  There's nothing like a good chicken curry with naan to cheer one up.

I was called as the primary music leader in December and my reactions have gone from gut-wrenching fear to acceptance.  I may even like it now.  (gasp!)  I have a laminator and a glue gun, so I'm the real deal.  A 3 year-old Sunbeam stood up during singing time last month and said, "You're a bit crazy."  I smiled at him and resumed teaching "Book of Mormon Stories," which included falling to the floor at the line, "Struck before his brethren Alma learned humility." Afraid I hadn't heard or understood him correctly he took a step forward and said louder, "I said you're a little crazy!"  I smiled and explained that that's what made me so good at my job.