moving

hi friends,
just wanted to let you know that my blog is moving to
http://jessandadamward.blogspot.com
click on the link and follow me there! thanks!

way dead

Can I just say that I LOVE my little first graders. I sure hope that I can find a job teaching first grade because it would be awesome.

Today we talked all about the nickel. I told them about what who was on the nickel- Thomas Jefferson. I told the class that he was the third president of the United States.

Naturally, a little girl made this comment. "So he is like way, way dead."

Yes. I am certain that there will be a question on the test in a few weeks that looks something like this...

How dead is Thomas Jefferson?
a) way, way dead
b) way dead
c) kinda dead
d) not dead

First graders, you slay me.

leprechauns

Yesterday I posed the question of "how to catch a leprechaun" as a writing assignment for my first graders. I have lots of pretty funny kids in my class and I thought you might enjoy a bit of this six/seven year old awesomeness.

How should I catch a leprechaun?

"Put a net in the tree."

"I can catch a leprehaun bi grab the lags. I love lebrechauns." (I can catch a leprechaun by grab the legs. I love leprechauns.)

"Get a invisible net. He will walk in to it. Then you cot him."

"Go somewhere green at night. Find a pot then go look around."

"Git a black bag. 2and be since (silent?). 3and look."

Oh first grade, how awesome are you. These kids are just so dang cute!

undergraduate classes, check!

So, 3 and a half years ago, I came up to BYU for my freshman year! It seems like so long ago!

(back when I thought snow was cool!)
I spent a great deal of time doing ridiculous things that did not involve much of school at all.
We spent a great deal of time being glamorous and partying around.
And then there was that one time that I went to Mexico...
Also that one time that I started to date Jim (or Adam).

Oh, let's not forget the one time that I went to England and France with my family!

Then my junior year rolled around and I visited the ducks... a lot. (I also started to go to class A LOT more...)Then, I got married! Fantastic!
I spent a summer up in Provo not getting tan, but mildly trying to.

And here is the last picture of my BYU career, with all of my fantastic friends in the Alpine cohort! This was the best semester ever and I am going to miss these girlies! Nailed it!
Now off to new adventures (aka, 6th grade in Spanish Fork)!

three for one!

I am fully aware of the fact that I have three quite large blog entries all smashed into one. It might be kind of strange, but I really can't leave anything out and having one entry seems most logical.

Excuses failing at being a consistent blog writer:
1. My fish kept dying.
2. I was pretty busy.
3. it is REALLY cold outside these days.
4. I couldn't find my camera cord (until I looked for it).
5. I was watching glee. Probably.

So in short, I am making up for all of my failure of November right now.

So first of all, this last month has been my last practicum in the fifth grade. Because I am so into lists right now, I will tell you about somethings that I have learned from the entire experience.
1. Fifth grade is an awkward year. It makes you all shapes, heights, and sizes and causes lots of unnecessary drama and grief.
2. Kids say awesome things when they don't think that they are saying awesome things.
3. It is vital to go to the school library, check out a million books every day, not bring any of them back until the very last day, and ruin the poor librarian's life.
4. Always teach with some sort of peace offering (i.e. rice krispie treats). Your lesson will be taken much more seriously when rewards are involved.
5. Waking up at 6 is impossible. I have learned that my best morning-scrimping skills happen during the practicum. "I can push snooze one more time, I don't need to do my hair. I can push snooze ONE more time. I don't need to eat breakfast, I can just have a granola bar!" Yeah, doesn't work out so well.

Enough with the lots of talk. Here is a picture with Cosmo, Michelle, & I at Westmore Elementary School! Yes, that is a helicopter in the background.

We finally got a fish that wanted to stay alive. His name is Spike and he is pretty cool. He has a nice little rock that he likes to swim around.
Adam and I went to our last BYU football game. Sad day... but the game was fun!
We then headed up to Oregon for Thanksgiving, where Adam didn't go to a football game. He PLAYED. (So did I, might I add.) Clearly I am a brilliant football player because I took a picture of Adam while we played. Ok, true confessions, I ran away from the ball and wished I had an invisibility cloak. Who knew football was so scary and muddy? I did. Now I just know it more.
Isn't Jaiden just precious? We are BFF's.
Now it is time for the Portland tour! We might go to dental school here, so we figured we should check it all out- see the sights, eat the food, look at the houses, etc.
The dental school is up in the mountains in the most beautiful part of Portland (I think, anyways).
Isn't it pretty?
Here is the tram that is like a Disneyland ride and goes OVER Portland (in the air) down to the rest of the campus. Cool, huh!?
Let's check out some of the housing, shall we?
Here is a little street right next to OHSU (the dental school). Isn't it just great and quaint looking?
Well, now that we have seen the school, let's check out the downtown area!
There are horse policemen. Awesome. Please ignore the blue man talking to the horse. He was not the norm.
3 of the best things ever: Adam, seal statues, and WILLIAMS & SONOMA
This is the park where I will walk Meeko daily.
Goodbye, downtown! Let's go up the mountain again to check out the Rose Garden!
Um, yeah, I could live here.
Then we went to an amazing Moroccan restaurant. We ate with our hands, sat on the floor, and partied with ALL of the food. Lactose and fructose free? Definitely not. No matter.
Now that we had an amazing little vacation, it was time to go back to the real world.
Thank you, snow. Not appreciated.
But our house looks pretty! As long as I can stay inside in the warm.
Last but not least, look at this pinecone! Water was dripping on it, and it made an ice block with the pinecone inside! I am such a nerd, but it is so cool!
On that VERY long note, thanks for sticking with me. I promise to be better at writing frequently so it doesn't take four hours to look at one entry. =)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

RIP jeffrey, the christmas fish

remember that one time when i got a fish named jeffrey? yeah like four days ago? yeah, well it died. and guess what? that fish was supposed to be my christmas fish. guess what else? christmas hasn't come yet. so jeffrey majorly failed as a christmas fish.
without being too insensitive about dying fish, does anyone have any idea if pet stores work like grocery stores in that they put their "about to expire" products in the front of the display?
because if that is the case, i am going to select my next christmas fish from the back thank you very much.

halloween happenings

well, fall is a great time of year.
especially in utah (besides when it snows randomly...)
basically, the leaves are fabulously red...

the ducks like the fall too.

and so do the turtles.

it's perfect sweater and scarf weather.
also, my dear christmas fish (mariah) died this week.
which is a real tragedy since i've been trying to keep it alive for christmas...
so of course, i had to go get another christmas fish.
this one's name is jeffrey. and it has like every color in it!
(you can't really tell in the pictures)

so we've been enjoying celebrating halloween this year.
we made chili and cornbread last night. along with really cool spider web cupcakes.

we also carved pumpkins this year.
adam made a way cool lion (complete with mane)
and i made a tweaker (it could be a dwarf hamster if you want it to be). whatevs.

in short, fall and halloween are the best.
happy halloween!