Days that are merry and bright...

I love kids. Not really a surprising statement, I know. I guess, better said, I love moments that remind me how much I love kids. Oh sure, I have those days, especially when I'm teaching, that I'd be the first to trade my credential for a part time job at Williams Sonoma. But, really, between work and my church assignment in Primary (and our nieces being in town this week!), I am so lucky to be surrounded by these little treasures, especially since we don't have any darlings of our own yet.
Aren't kids just the best reminders of having fun, laughing at yourself and being sweet? They understand so much more than we give them credit for and are capable of so much creativity and thoughtfulness when we give them the opportunity.
Today I had my Primary class over for a little end of the year celebration. We decorated sugar cookies and ate pizza. I can't tell you how much fun it was, not only to have kids in our house, but to just sit around the table and laugh with them. They are so silly, but, oh so sweet. And they're talented cookie decorators!










Just last week, on the last day of school before Winter Break, one of my students walked up to me with this:

She made me promise not to read it, because, after all, it wasn't for me. She just thought Mr. Boyce might feel left out since a few kids had written me cards.

Today one of my sweet Primary kids arrived for cookie decorating and presented me with her own special creation:











I hope your week is quickly filling with Christmas cheer and simple reminders of how blessed our lives are. For me, it's the sweet relationship I have with these kids that this time have been that reminder.

Wishing you joy...

I'm a sucker for cute kids and the holidays. Thanks to the BYU's College of Fine Arts and Communications for putting this little piece together and my thoughtful sister for sharing it with me. Like you, we're a little more mindful at this time of year of the many blessing we have: good health, financial security and an eternal perspective and awareness that can get us through anything. We hope your holidays are filling up with faith, fun, family and, well, FOOD!

You can also go to http://www.joytoeveryone.com/ to view or share it!

kids these days...

This is an interesting school year for me. The first trimester just finished, and in a lot of ways I still feel like it's the first week of school: totally behind with stacks of work multiplying far too fast than I can keep up with. Actually, that's fairly typical some of the time for us teachers, but this year it just seems magnified -- by a lot. The good news is that, despite all of the endless paperwork, new programs to pilot and silly meetings that are keeping me from making headway on those stacks of to-dos, I really have a great group of kids.
It takes a daily effort of compliments and correction, but they're proving to be a pretty good bunch. Just today I was completing the attendance section on their report cards and realized I have had zero suspensions so far this year. Zero. I've never had that, not even when I taught kindergarten!
So today I was thinking back on this week and, despite the extra stress, found myself smiling and grateful for the kiddos I've got.

This week I received a little of the good...
I do get my fair share of love notes. This one is cuter than most, but it's even better because she tried to break up her words into syllables, something I've been teaching the kids to do. Not perfect, but a good try!

the bad...
It's not so bad, but a few weeks ago I asked a student in one of our autistic classes to go and line up after recess. He reluctantly complied. But every time he sees me, he still mutters, "Stupid teacher, stupid teacher." I guess I've really burned a bridge with this little darling and need to make amends. He'll get over it eventually, right?

And, well,

I'll call it...unexplainable.

I arrived to school on Wednesday and this 'treasure' was on my desk. Best I can tell is that a naked Chia pet was adorned with some decor and stuffed with fresh flowers. How the glittered mask fits in I'm not quite sure. If it's any indicator of what holiday gifts will be coming in from my students, it's going to be an interesting year.

I'm happy to report that Thanksgiving break has officially begun! The kids are a good time, but I love when I get the chance to exercise my 'stay at home wife' skills!

730 days

That's right...two years. Happy times, trying times, great memories and adventures -- that's just what life is full of. Having Nate as my husband to experience it all with...well, that's priceless. I'm so glad we're together forever.

Isn't he handsome?

Standing Together

I always appreciate reminders about how we're all much more alike than we are different. This is a great piece put together by CatholicVote.com, and it seems appropriate to share with less than a week before this very important election. Take a few minutes and watch:

Monterey...Love it!

First off, some thank you's: Thank you KC for being an amazing musician. Ultimately, you're the reason we all packed our bags, headed to Monterey and had a truly fabulous weekend.
Another HUGE thanks to Nate's parents for taking such good care of us, all the time really, but especially while while we were there. I absolutely love our families, and I just can't say enough about how thankful I am to have been added to such a great one. Thanks again, Nate for passing the CPA exam. Our first official CPA-free weekend was a blast. Oh, and one more, thanks Tyler and Brittany for riding home with us. If you ever need directions anywhere Brittany can get on the phone and get you there. :-) I'll stop there, lest this start to sound more like an Academy Award speech instead of a simple blog entry. But I really am so grateful.
I'm telling you, Monterey is just the perfect blend of fun, relaxing and good eats. Last weekend, Nate and I decided to get down there a little early, which gave us time to visit the Aquarium.
I just love that place. Did you know the glass is seven inches thick in the big tanks? There's always something to learn. My favorite exhibit, by far, was the jelly fish. They're just kind of magical and a little bit alien at the same time.
Nate took some amazing pictures, and hopefully he'll have more on his site soon.
The only thing we had planned for Saturday was a delicious breakfast as Katy's in Carmel. So, SO good. And after that, we just walked the streets of Carmel, hung out at the beach, went to the mall and ended the day with dinner on the wharf back in Monterey.
I don't have many unstructured, unplanned days (who does?) and I just didn't want it to end.
Sunday we finally got what we came for as we watched the Folsom High Jazz Choir (#1 in the nation, by the way) sing at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Most of these young talents graduated last year, but came back by invitation because of the competition they won last spring. They performed all of my favorites (I can't get enough of Imogene Heap) and as excited as I am for KC to be at BYU now, I'm bummed that we won't be hearing his performances. Tickets to the Jazz Choir concerts were a little easier to come by than those Men's Chorus ones that's for sure!

at LAST!!!

First a disclaimer: I actually wrote and posted this entry a couple of weeks ago. But Nate, fearing I was being too presumptuous, encouraged me to make some changes. Instead, I took the 'it's my way or no way' approach (the five year-old in me coming out, I guess!) and deleted the post. Truthfully, I saved it, knowing that I'd be able to share it on our blog...eventually. And, now I can!
Nate just found out this morning that he did pass the fourth and final section of the CPA exam. It's official and such a big deal for us. I can't tell you what a happy, proud, and relieved wife I am. This is the best Monday I've had in a while, that's for sure!

So, here's what I wanted to share three weeks ago in its original form:

Oh, there's reason to celebrate! Today was a major milestone for us. Nate took his LAST CPA exam and passed! O.k., so it will be a few weeks until we find out his score, but if serious, diligent studying counts for anything at all, he aced it. I always wondered what it would have been like to be married college students, and I feel like the last month, especially, I got a taste of it. I have to say, not a lot of fun, quite frankly, for either of us.
Tonight we celebrated by going to our favorite Sacramento Mexican restaurant, Centro Cocina Mexicana, in midtown. Simple, but SO delicious. If you ever find yourself craving carnitas or ceviche or just want some good regional Mexican food, that's the place to go. It was a great celebration spot for us.
We were just so happy to not be watching the clock and feeling guilty that we should be getting home so Nate could study. Those days are over! Great job Nate. You've worked hard and I truly admire your diligence. We have our life back!