Miscellaneous Springtime Crap

In the fourth grade at Beck's school, they do such a fun activity.  They have to pick someone famous who has something to do with Utah, write a report, dress up like that person, and then present their report as if in a wax museum.  Beck even had to build a button that would activate himself as a wax figure.  It was really cute.  Beck chose Robert Leroy Parker, a.k.a. Butch Cassidy.  He loved it!  He learned so much about him!  

After his report, we watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Beck was geeking out the whole time, spouting facts and attesting to the accuracy of the movie.  I had never seen the movie before and I loved it.  That is definitely a movie that holds up over time....and it helps that Paul Newman and Robert Redford are easy on the eyes.

I usually hate pranks, but I decided to have a little fun this April Fool's Day.  I tricked Owen into thinking, only for about 30 seconds, that school got cancelled.  I got Beck really good.  I put an elastic band on the kitchen sink sprayer and asked him to fill up my water.  He got soaked!  He was not happy with me at all.  But I made it all better when I helped him play a prank on Scott.  We washed the sugar off a gummy candy and dipped it in salt instead.  Blech!

Owen and I went to lunch with Grandma Connie at the mall.  Owen loves to ride the carousel but I didn't have any cash on me that day so I told him that there was no way we were riding today.  Well, the universe thought differently.  A stranger came up to us and said, "We have these two extra tokens for the carousel.  Would you like them?"  So Owen didn't get to ride once....he got to ride twice!  He said that he likes nice strangers.  I hope the next strangers don't offer him any candy or a ride in their windowless van.....

And I have a bit of news....I finally got my job finalized for next year.  I am going to be teaching the second grade.  I am so excited because second grade has always been my dream grade!  The kids are still cute but they can kind of read and there's not quite as much testing as the other grades.  It is totally a load off my mind to have this be official.  As an homage to the Mrs. Smith of the past, here's my school picture from 10 years ago....

And then there's me now....

I feel like I've come a long way.  I never expected to go back into the classroom, but how grateful I am, in this time of life changes and turbulence, to have my degree to fall back on and to have a way to support me and the boys.  And, even though I wasn't planning on teaching again, I have come to accept that teaching is my calling.  It's what I'm good at.  It's what I'm passionate about, and I'm hoping that I can combine that enthusiasm and experience and come up with something absolutely awesome!