Elementary

I've been teaching all day every day now for about 3 weeks (the first week I only taught 3 grades) and I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of things. The kids are so funny and so fun (most of the time) so I thought I'd share a few fun or funny things.
6th and 5th grade aren't really cute or funny. So I'll move on to the other grades. :)
4th grade: We are starting to learn how to play recorder. I was working with one group of students and I glanced over to the other group to see two of the boys using their recorders as "weapons" and were "shooting" each other with them. This was funny enough because I used to "shoot" people in band with my flute, but then Brandon actually threw his recorder at Garrett and the latter boy had to go to the nurse because it hit him in the EYE. I went to check on him after class and he had quite the shiner. The nurse came in to talk to me and couldn't stop laughing because a plastic recorder had caused the damage.
3rd grade: On the first day of my practicum last semester (at the same elementary school where I'm at now) the 3rd graders were learning a Hanukkah song for the holiday program. My mentor teacher explained that it is a Jewish holiday and Alex bursts out, "I hate the Jews! They killed Jesus!" Man was I glad I wasn't the teacher that day. What do you SAY to that??
2nd grade: Today I pulled out a metalophone (which is a xylophone except with metal bars instead of wooden ones) and asked the kids if they knew what it was called. It was unanimous. "An X-o-phone!" ha ha, I couldn't help but laugh. After I corrected them on their pronunciation of 'zy-lo-phone' I told them that this instrument was actually called a metalophone. Baden then asked, "Is it called that because the bars are made of metala?" hee hee close but not quite... And THEN, Chris proceeds to tell me about the legend of the spirit that dwells in the metalophone.... um... ok?
1st grade: This was just cute. Jeremiah (a girl) asked me today, "Did you put colors on your eyes today? Because you look very pretty." :) How nice! (especially coming from a girl who recieves a yellow slip almost every day for bad behavior).
And kindergarten. There are plenty of cute things to say about them, but it's just so fun that they all literally clamor all over me so that they can ALL sit RIGHT next to me in the circle. hee hee it makes me feel so loved! But the other day one adorable little girl, Luna, who I also taught at the Open School told me that she loves me and she loves music and that she wishes she could come every day. So sweet! Only seconds later, before I could stop it, she shoved a boy over, he hit his head on the piano, she rolled him under it, kissed him right on his poor little lips, kicked him, then said, "I hate you." Needless to say, she was given a yellow slip and sent to the office.

Many Things

First of all, Matt and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary last Tuesday December 30th. It was a pretty good day, we went to dinner but we couldn't go to either of my favorite restaraunts because they were both closed for the holidays! It was dumb. Then we went to the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It was a very curious show and I liked it except it was just too long (almost 3 hours). It seems weird that it's already been 2 years and I love Matt SO much. He's an amazing guy and he makes me a better person every day. He is so patient and seriously so perfect for me it's crazy! Here's a picture of us sipping our cider and one of me finding the box of chocolates Matt hid for me. :)

Then we went to Lyman for New Years. We had fun spending time with my family and got to watch my brother Kasey play high school varsity basketball. He did a great job but the team lost by just a few points to their rivals, Mt. View. :( Here's a couple pictures of us there and of my cute neices and nephews.

Tanner, Ashton, and Kamaryn riding 'horse' uncle Mikey.

Me holding.... a twin. :)

Ashton and Kamaryn stacking blocks on uncle Matt.

Tanner and me! Kyler took the picture (I don't have any pics of him) :(

Another pic. taken by the young photographer, Kyler.

Cute kids laying down waiting to watch uncle Kasey play ball.

I think this is Sophia with the crazy hair (and the crazy uncle).

Then this Monday the 5th I started student teaching. I was pretty nervous to start but this week so far has gone really well and I always do much better than I think I will. I'm at the elementary right now and I'm teaching 6th 5th and 4th grades and next week I'll add 3rd and 2nd. I kinda get sick of singing the same songs over and over but the kids are a lot of fun and man alive I've realized that kids have weird names these days... seriously it is so hard for me to learn their names because they're just strange! Like a girl named Jeremiah... and another one named Allalacey (pronounced ah-la-lacey). Also this week my brother Michael moved to Laramie to live with us because he's starting school at UW on Monday. I'm way excited that he's here and I really hope he'll like good ol Laramie. :)
And finally yesterday was Matt's birthday. He turned the big two-five and it makes me feel like we're getting old! I hope he had a good day and we had a little party for him and invited his parents and siblings over.

The candles spell MC and he got them all out on the first try. :)

Mary, Matt and I holding up 25 fingers, it's a family tradition.

Editing

I hardly ever mess with the layout and what not of my blog so I've been playing with it today. So if I need to stop before I'm finished and it looks REALLY dumb, that's why and hopefully sometime I will get things back to normal. ha ha

Christmas with the Clarks

This year Matt and I stayed here in Laramie to spend Christmas with his family. It was my first Christmas being away from my family so it was different but very fun. On Christmas Eve we spent most of the day at his parent's house and then ate a shrimp dinner, which is a tradition for them. I'm not all too fond of shrimp, but it wasn't too bad and I ended up eating 11 of the little creatures (everyone else ate more... even 9 year old Brad). :) Then we read Luke chapters 1 and 2 then had a little music program where we all sang and played the piano and stuff. After that we played cards until about 11:30 and we stayed the night there even though we only live a few minutes away.
Christmas morning was different from my family, too. Normally we wake my parents up at like 6:00am then we all gather in their room to read from Luke 2 before we can open our presents. Well with Matt's family we didn't wake up until around 8:00 and Brad, Mary, (Matt's 9 and 11 year old sibblings) Matt, and I had to drag his brothers (ages 17 and 22) out of bed and we didn't read scriptures because we had done it the night before. Then Matt's dad calls everyone upstairs when he declares that it's time, and the opening of presents is pretty much the same. Then we had breakfast, talked to Matt's missionary brother Lane who is serving in Russia, played some games, then ate dinner, played some more games, and Matt and I went home at about midnight.
I didn't take hardly any pictures but here are a couple. We're headed over to Lyman next week to spend the New Year with my family and watch my little brother play varsity basketball so we'll get to open some more presents then. Merry Christmas (a little late) to everyone!

Out little Christmas tree. I posted a pic of it when we cut it down, but here it is all decorated.


Matt and his siblings, Nate, Brad, and Mary playing the new playstation trivia game. (we played that game ALL day). :)

Handsome Matthew wearing his new sweater getting ready to open another present.

And Link resting on my lap. This is the Clark family dog and I adore him. I think the feelings are mutual because he comes to me no matter who else is calling him and he spent literally the entire Christmas Eve and day on my lap. The only times I can remember him moving are when we were eating. Brad and Mary bought him a new vest, they didn't think he would like it but he got mad when they tried to take it off. :)

Oh and I forgot to mention the present that I most appreciated from Matt's parents: they're paying for me to go to the eye doctor and to get new contacts. That meant a lot to me because it's something that I deseperately need! I'm very thankful for my amazing inlaws.

Busy semester and lots of pictures

Hey out there to any of you who still read this since it's been like 2 months since I've posted. I've been finishing out the semester and have been pretty busy.
So back around Halloween I went to Lyman to visit. I had fun with my sisters and played in the leaves with my nieces and nephews. I have a TON of pictures, but I thought I'd just post a couple.



This one of Ashton is so cute. :)


Even before that, my mom, dad, and brother Michael came to see one of my concerts so here are a few pictues from that.






For Thanksgiving Matt and I went to Lovell with his family. It was a lot of fun and Matt had lots of cousins there! In fact, I think there were about 80 people at dinner (which was held in the church cultural hall). The next two days we played in a volleyball tournament. Matt's family came up with 3 teams, but our team did the best and took 2nd overall. I actually could still play pretty well and even though I can't hit on a men's net, I could set and it was said by many that I was the best passer on the team. ;) So there's me, Matt, his cousin Bailey, Megan who is married to Matt's cousin Jared, and last is Kyle my brother in law.


This year Matt and I decided to go to the mountains and cut down a Christmas tree. I wore snowshoes the whole time and it was so pretty and so much fun. So here are some pictures of that event.

And finally, here are some pictures of my last weekend of college performing (unless I decide to get a masters and am in choirs then...). The first two are of the Messiah where I was a soloist, the first one I'm sitting next to Kyle (he was in the performance also) and the next one is with Matt and my family who came to visit again. Then the last two pictures are of me and my sister in law Mary (she's burried under the many layers of material on my choir dress. hee hee) and then of me and my awesome choir director Dr. Lamartine after my last concert.

I wore this dress in high school choir, but I think I've lost weight cause I kept having to adjust the dang thing. YAY! :)

I only cried a little.... so what if I'm emotional and sentimental? :)