Lisa+bike-training wheels=yay!

About two weeks ago I showed Lisa a video on my blog. In the video, her friend, Olivia, was riding her bike without training wheels. As soon as the video was over Lisa looked at me and said,"Let's go take my training wheels off!" Ok...Ryan wasn't home at the moment and that would mean me putting Lyra in the wrap on my back while I held on to Lisa's seat and ran along with her so she wouldn't crash. Why not? SO I'm sure it was very amusing for any onlookers to see this mother with a baby strapped to her back running alongside a little girl on a teetering bike. The first evening Lisa was able to ride maybe ten feet before tipping over. The second evening, she was taking off! Starting, stopping, turning around and  going over speed bumps all on her own! I think it helped that her bike is getting a little small for her and she'd had a week of practice balancing on her Razor scooter she got for her birthday. She was out riding when daddy came home from work and he was very impressed. He was a little sad he'd missed her first attempts. I will have to remember that with Lyra so he can be a part of it all. Way to go, Lisa!   

Mr. Terry

This week completes Ryan's first month of teaching at Valley High School.  Not only is he the head of the Science department, he IS the science department! Being hired on at a very small school has presented some unexpected challenges, especially for a first-year teacher. The curriculum is minimal so he has been creating many of his own worksheets and labs. Sometimes he finds a lab that would teach a principle effectively, only to find out he does not have the basic materials necessary to execute it. Not to mention, when you are the only science teacher, you don't really have the opportunity for a quality mentor program that many first year teachers benefit from. Consequently, there are days when you can find him at the computer researching other career options he may want to pursue in the future. It is a bit of a comfort knowing that this certainly is not a unique circumstance, that many teachers say the first year is the hardest.  So rather than waste time complaining, he just gets to work and spends many, MANY hours to get the job done as best as he can. He is adapting and discovering some ways to make his work load lighter. And he has had some really fun moments with his students already. The Chemistry class was super excited when one day they walked in to find out their teacher was going to be setting something on fire. In the lab, you actually make a hydrogen-filled balloon explode. This is one of the few things I remember from my chemistry class in High school! Anyway, Ryan's students thought that was pretty cool. He is also finishing up a unit on insects with his Advanced Biology class that he seems to have enjoyed. He's kinda got a thing for insects. Even though it has been stressful and tiring, I think that Ryan is well-suited for teaching. He is passionate about the subject, can relate in meaningful ways to the students and has a lot to contribute. 

We have been out to the school a few times to help a little with organizing and cleaning his classroom.

 It is fun to see him in his element. 

View from the front of the school

GO VIKINGS! 

Helping Dad put together his new chair

Lyra's idea of "helping"

 

Had to bring the birthday gifts she received the night before

Lisa thought this was a good place for Lyra to play

Should have done a before and after picture of the supply room--

We'll see how long it stays clean :)

T-shirt dress

The question I am asking myself now is, "Why did I wait so long to try making one of these?!" Lisa has several shirts that she no longer wears, so we went through them and chose a few to try out this t-shirt dress idea that Natalie showed me several months ago. After spending a considerable amount of time at the fabric store, way more time than kids should ever be asked to spend, we finally found some fabric that would match the yellow shirt. The sewing was not too technical and Lisa seems to love it, which of course makes me feel great! Just three dollars, a couple of hours later and we have a new dress. I am already looking forward to my next trip to the fabric store so we can transform a few of her other neglected t-shirts.

Happy Birthday week

It is going to be interesting having two girls with birthdays so close together. We celebrated Lisa's birthday on Friday, the 10th, with a small party at our apartment's bbq area. Her friend Alexis and her family were there, as well as our neighbors Sarah and John. I made pink play dough which the girls got to mix sparkly glitter into and then they did another craft with air-dry clay and princess jewels. I was too busy helping to take any pictures of all that. We then played musical chairs and hokey pokey. The adults were VERY good sports about all this cheesiness, which was great because Lisa LOVED it! She then opened her presents and we ate some cake. She was super excited about her Belle dress and her scooter. I think she felt like it was a fun party and that's what I was hoping for her.

On the 16th, Lyra's birthday, we got up and had a pretty regular morning cleaning up and getting Lisa ready the day. Once Lisa was on the bus to preschool, Lyra and I walked to the grocery store and it wasn't until I came home and looked at the calendar that I realized, Oh! Today is the 16th--my baby is ONE YEAR OLD TODAY! Lyra, obviously, really could have cared less and so I didn't stress too much about planning an elaborate party. Lisa, however, was VERY disappointed we were not making a big celebration out of it. I told her that lots of people celebrate their birthday a few days late or early and we would make sure and have some cake for Lyra when we went to Idaho Falls for the weekend. Which we did. Lyra was fascinated with the candle. Good thing she has frosting on her fingers when she reached over and put the flame out with her hand. So..Thank goodness I didn't completely forget her birthday. She never would have forgiven me for that one! :)

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

...who's the most fascinated with their own image...of them all? I seriously think everyone should have this much fun every day looking at themselves in the mirror. SMILE!

One, two...two little Teeth!

About 2 weeks ago we noticed a new resident in Lyra's mouth. A few days later and there was another one to keep the first one company. So begins the joy of teething! I have not noticed a big change in her temperament...she's still pretty happy most of the time. This morning she was rather adamant about NOT eating the baby food I was offering, but I don't know if that's because of teeth bothering her or because she's just reaching the end of her tolerance for the mushy stuff. She loves to eat oatmeal, bread and jam, strawberries, and a whole wheat tortilla rolled up with beans in it. Mostly she'd rather eat the stuff she can hold for herself. She'll be 1 year old in ten days and she definitely enjoys her moments of independence.

Loving Lisa

Loving how she sometimes acts shy and tries to hide from the camera

Loving how excited she is to ride the bus to preschool this year

(Not Kidding! She screamed out loud when she saw the bus pull up)

Loving her desire to make every day a FUN day!

(here with her new friend, Alexis, on a silly rainy day)

Loving her enthusiasm for the seemingly mundane tasks of the day

Loving her sense of adventure as she overcomes fears

and explores new territory

Loving her exuberant discovery of the natural world,

her boundless energy, and her infectious smile.

Loving her ENDLESS questions about life and the universe,

her creative imagination,

how she sings her way through the day.

Loving the unique and fiery spark she adds to life and to our family.

Loving HER!