Scorpions, and Spiders, and Roaches…Oh My!! (family update)

Lovely title, huh? Well, that’s what we’ve been encountering for the last month. Two southern devil scorpions (didn’t even know they existed in Alabama), huge hobo spiders, and a few lovely roaches. We just “bombed” our house this weekend, so hopefully that will help. We’ve sprayed around the outside foundation of the house, but we may have to bite the bullet and pay for a monthly service…hate that! It must be that our backyard is mostly wooded and the wooded land behind our yard stretches back farther than we can see. Ah, the joys of nature!

Anyway…on to better things. The kids got out of school just before Memorial Day weekend and we’ve enjoyed a few trips to the water park with our passes, a trip to the dollar theatre to see Horton Hears a Who (fabulous message), and a visit to Krispy Kreme donuts to collect a free donut for each “A” on the kids’ report cards. (All “A’s” for everyone…I’m just so proud of them!)

Derek:

1. Last Sunday he was called and sustained as the 2nd counselor in the bishopric of our ward. This is the 7th bishop he’s been a counselor to…ya think he’d get this right so they’d quit calling him! (Just kidding.)
2. The heads of departments met a few weeks ago and finally (after a year and a half of “talking” about it) decided to hire Derek as an Instructor. This means he does the exact same stuff he’s doing, but just gets paid quit a bit more. Wonderful since I’m not teaching preschool anymore! This will take a few months of paperwork, but hopefully by next fall the deal will be done.
3. Derek’s been busy helping with the Scout Camp fundraiser selling flags in several neighborhoods to help pay for camp fees for the scouts. He’ll miss being Scout Master, but will still be involved with the youth.
4. He’s working hard to get his big grant ready for re-submission in July. He wants to be basically done by the end of next week to leave time for review/revisions by his mentor and others.

Aly:

1. I was relieved, but sad to say goodbye to St. Luke’s preschool. It was such a blessing for Lexie and me, but it was definitely not worth the long commute anymore. I was truly touched by the generous gifts of cash and other items at the end of the year.
2. The voice recital went well. My students did wonderfully–a few gliches here and there, but overall great! There are a few things I think I will do differently next time, but it was great to see their hard work pay off. Our kids sang a song in the middle, and I sang “Think of Me” from Phantom at the end.
3. The stake president asked the bishop to release me as primary president, but that may not happen for a few weeks as they get the next presidency lined up. I have loved serving with my presidency, and I love the children, but there are a LOT of things I will not miss. I really don’t like being in charge and not being able to make everyone happy.

James:

1. He did wonderfully in his Valley Voices choir concert. He really enjoys it and wants to do it again next year.
2. He got swimmer’s ear from the water park and had to do a round of ear drops and vinegar/water flushes. He’s alright now, but this happened last year too, so we’ll have to make sure and flush out his ears each time he swims.
3. He lost another tooth…and the tooth fairy forgot…and he reminded her…and now it’s all good.
4. He got an award for Student Council, and for being one of the 2 top readers in his class. I was so proud!

Jeffrey:

1. Unfortunately, Jeffrey’s behavior resulted in him sitting out of Valley Voices choir for the rest of the year. He was sad, but found the consequence fair. I think it’s been a good learning experience for him and he’s thought a lot about his choices.
2. After some poor judgement and lack of self control, we decided to increase the dosage of Jeffrey’s meds. He has grown quite a bit over the last year, and I think his weight was too much for the dose he was at. He’s been doing much better on the new dosage.
3. He and James earned money and bought themselves some wallets. Unfortunately, Jeffrey misplaced his, but I think they’ve enjoyed having them.
4. He and James enjoyed the Father and Son campout with Derek.
5. Jeffrey got an academic award at school for an entire year of straight “A’s” and “A+’s”. I’m amazed at his academic abilities! I’m so glad he loves learning and always does well in school.

Ashley:

1. Her P.E. class went on a bowling field trip, which she loved.
2. She and a few other girls her age sang a beautiful song with some Young Women for Mother’s Day in sacrament meeting.
3. (Warning…gross subject ahead) She has had unexplainable diahrrea for a few months now, so I took her in to the doctor. They did some bloodwork and took some stool samples, but everything looked normal. The doctor suggested she take Culturelle (a probiotic) for a week, and that seems to have done the trick. Apparently she had a virus that killed too much of the good bacteria in the digestive track. Glad it’s over with.

Lexie:

1. She officially graduated from preschool. They had a graduation ceremony with hats and diplomas and all. It was so cute!
2. Lately, when she’s really upset, she will immediately calm down if James lets her play with his ears. She’s a funny one.
3. She is a bit sad after realizing that she won’t be going to school with her preschool friends, as they all live in a different school system. I think she’s okay though, because she’s been talking about making new friends at kindergarten. She was so excited when we registered her and is really looking forward to August.

Well, that’s more than enough. We’ll see you all at the end of June in Utah! Can’t wait! We love you all, and take care!