"i will be bock"...

sorry guys. not like you didn't already know, but this blog has definitely taken the back burner lately. unfortunately, now my stove is so crowded i am going to have take it off completely for a while. don't worry, i am not abandoning the blog altogether-- it is just going to be severely neglected for the next 3 months or so while i try to plow through student teaching. so, in the hilarious words of ronith from agt, "i will be bock"...

reaching milestones...

it's true. i am nearing the end of my college career, and the girls are nearing their 2nd birthday (aug 30th). i still have student teaching in the fall, but i am planning on walking next week because the only graduation date after december is in april, and we are not sure we will still be here. the girls, however, will still be 2 no matter where we end up:) i feel like they have grown leaps and bounds in this last little while. they are able to reach everything, get into everything, communicate most things, and make us laugh daily. we are so happy these little rascals are a part of our family. happy birthday girlies:)

about me?

i know. i hardly ever write a post solely dedicated to me and what i am doing. and there is good reason for that-- i think jordan and the girls are way more interesting to write and read about:) but i felt it necessary to inform you all of my goings on this time in an effort to show you why this blog is so neglected. i feel my reasons are good, and excusable, but still. some people may be wondering....

as most of you know i am currently in the byu special education program, with an emphasis in teaching students with mild/moderate disabilities. as much as i miss being away from home, i have really loved the program and have made some life-long friends throughout my experience. however, as it is the summer before i graduate, my fellow students and i are undergoing the rigorous regiment that is "summer practicum." in this practicum, we test students to find their ability levels, place them in groups according to those levels, and begin teaching those groups. for the last 5 weeks, and for the next 2 still to come, my schedule has been as follows:
5:30 wake up and shower
6-6:30 girls wake up--feed them, get them clothed
7:30 drop girls off at my sisters and drive to school
7:45-8:30 prepare for the day
8:30-11:45 teach my group of 7 students (who i love!)
11:45-1:00 meet with mentor teacher and prepare for the next day
1:00 pick up girls
3:00 jordan gets home
and on mon/wed 3:30-7:00 go to special ed law class
now, this was totally overwhelming at the start. not to mention, in the first few weeks of practicum, i was called to teach relief society (which i also love!). i kind of had that feeling of being spread so thin that i was just doing the bare minimum of everything and not really excelling in anything; teacher, r.s. teacher, mom, wife, house-keeper, visiting teacher...etc. know the feeling ladies?

but, about a week and a half into practicum i realized some changes would have to be made to make it all work. so, instead of using my time at school in the morning to prepare for the day of, i now have a system where i can use that time to prepare for the next day--leaving me free to go home at 1 with everything for the next day done. that has helped a ton! although i still feel a little behind in everything, i do feel like i am making some headway. all i have to say is i am grateful for an awesome family, and the power of prayer. they have helped me through so much!

in the fall, i will be student teaching at amelia earhart elementary in provo, and i am so excited. i am excited to continue practicing teaching, but probably more so to graduate and be a full-time mom again to my girls. i have missed them so much through all of this! anyway, those are the fun and exciting things happening in my life...in case you were wondering. also, does anyone feel like writing a research paper about "no child left behind"? let me know...

he's got me locked in...

every morning before jordan leaves at 5:30 in the am (yawn) for work, we say prayers and then i hear him leave out the front door through my half-asleep grog. right after the door closes, i hear the lock turn from the outside. he takes the time to lock the girls and i in before heading to work.
now, i am not naive to the fact that if a robber or kidnapper really wanted to intrude, a locked door wouldn't stop them, but there is just something about this simple act that is just so incredibly romantic to me. that he even thinks to stop and lock us in before leaving, just makes me feel safe... and good.
this is just a small example of the unconventional romance that i am able to find in every day. sure, it is always lovely to receive flowers or go on fancy get-a-ways, but the times i feel jordan has really swept me off of my feet are through his quiet and constant acts of service and love.
i love that he always takes the babies during the night-shift no matter what. he has done this from the start. even though he is the one who has to be up and out so early every morning, he usually hears them and jumps up to be with them before i even hear a peep. in extension of this he usually lets me sleep in on the weekends too. on saturday and sunday mornings, he is usually up with the girls at around 6:30, and i don't hear a sound until i wake up at about 7:30 because he has closed our door and tried to keep the girls as quiet as possible.
when he comes home exhausted from work at about 3:00, i love how he finds extra energy to play with his girls, and make dinner while i attend my evening classes at school. it is such a huge relief to know that if i can't be home with the girls, jordan makes an effort so he can be.
i love how he is always willing to help out, whenever i ask him to. he does dishes, gives the girls baths, folds laundry, gives foot rubs, mops...he does anything he can to make my "job" easier. he also makes my well-being a priority to him. he will ask "do you need to go get a massage?" "would you like to go lie down for a bit?" "why don't i take the girls for a walk while you finish your homework?"
i know there many good husbands like this, but there are also many who are not. how in the world i got so lucky, i am not quite sure...but i am just so glad i did...

mother of all posts....

i wanna go here again this weekend....

my program at byu requires me to go straight through to december. good news: i will be finished within the year. bad news: no breaks or vacation until after graduation. in light of this, we decided to take a family jaunt to st. george (i had never been before) to catch some rays and enjoy a long weekend before i am put through the wringer. and that is exactly what we did....

since we left early thursday morning, and weren't necessarily in a rush to get there, we stopped along the way at the church history site, cove fort. it was so fun to take the tour (led by the cutest little sister missionary) and to hear about the stalwart faith of pres. hinckley's ancestors in heeding brigham young's call to create a resting place for saints who were traveling across the desert.

we got into town at about 1 o'clock, so we had plenty of time to lazily walk the temple grounds as well as visit a dinosaur fossil museum.




we were glad to see our girls are on the right track, even at such a young age:)



this museum was pretty neat... it was very small, but it was built around a the remnants of a pre-existing lake that was filled with fossils and prints. we probably found it much more interesting than the little girls did...



on friday we just shopped, ate, and lounged by the pool... it was wonderful. then on saturday we went and visited zion's national park...

...for free! it would have even been worth the usual $25, but we got in free as some sort of promotion happening that week. it was absolutely GORGEOUS! jordan and i discussed how completely insignificant you can feel among these towers of rock--and yet at the same time, it was all created just for us to enjoy....


...simply amazing.






on friday, in addition to lounging, we also visited the jacob hamblin home (which was another church history site) as well as brigham young's winter home. if you have never heard of jacob hamblin, research him. you will NOT be sorry. not only was he an incredibly faithful saint, but he also has a lot to do with the settlement of the west. how have all of these sites been in the same state as me for almost 4 years and i haven't visited them before?







on sunday after church we began the drive home, but not without making a quick stop at the kolob canyons (another entrance into zion's). it was a perfect trip. we were able to fit so much in, yet it was incredibly low-stress and relaxing.




see you again in december, vacation time....

p.s. some trivia for you: did you know that utah was declared a state in the st. george tabernacle? also, look up why st. george is called st. george...pretty interesting:)

tricks cont'd...

p.s. you will have to scroll down to see the original post--i started it too long ago and just finished it today:)

chopped.

this friday i went from long and blond


to short and more natural




and i quite like it!