Lost and not found

So I think that my camera knew that I would be abandoning it in a few weeks when Santa brings me a new one, because it up and left me. I have looked everywhere for it so that I could blog. I am sure that it is in the most obvious place but nonetheless I have ended my search. Sorry there are no pictures, but here is my life in a nutshell since Halloween.

Thanksgiving: I got to spend Thanksgiving up in Ogden again this year with my AWESOME family. I am so lucky that I have extended family that not only lives close, but treats me not like a cousin and niece, but like part of the family. It was yummy food, great company and some serious black Friday strategy planning.

Black Friday: For the third year in a row, we braved the crowds so that we could experience black Friday. While this year it was more for the experience (who doesn't want to get up at 2:30 in the morning to go shopping?) than actually buying stuff, it was still fun.

School: I am about to finish the second to last semester of my masters next week. It has definitely kept me busy this past month (and few years). It seems that when I am not doing stuff for work, I am doing stuff for school. While I have been frustrated with all the hard work and money that it has taken, I am REALLY glad that I have done it. I have learned a lot and definitely think that I am a better teacher and person because of the things that I have learned.

Work: Work has been as busy as ever, but I am finally on track break!!! While I love my job more than anything, it is really nice to have a break for a few weeks. The excitement of Christmas and track break has been building in my classroom all month long. I love that I get to spend my days with these kids who make me smile, and find such joy in little things like magic reindeer food and writing letters to Santa!

It's been a busy, crazy and fun month. I am looking forward to my favorite time of year and hopefully will have some pictures for you soon (please Santa)!

Once upon a time in a little house in the woods. . .

I know this is a way past due post, but I was waiting for someone to e-mail me the picture of the first grade teachers dressed up, but that hasn't happened yet. So you just get momma bear.
Papa bear, baby bear and Goldilocks are missing, but you are just going to have to trust me that we looked cute. A funny and not so funny thing happened that afternoon though. Goldilocks (Tina) and I were in the faculty room after school and noticed that there was a little boy playing outside of the school by himself. We went to ask him where he lived and ended up following him all over the neighborhood trying to find his house. Turns out he had left home without his mom knowing and had crossed a really busy four lane road by himself. His aunt found us and it turned out to be a happy ending. So Tina and I get back to our classrooms and realize that it probably looked a little strange that Goldilocks and a bear were chasing a three year old down the street! What a fun Halloween!

Happy Birthday To You!!!

I just wanted to say happy birthday to my little (big) brother! I can't believe that you are 22 already. Thanks for being such a great brother, friend and example!

Reba and Kelly!!!

It feels like forever ago that we bought tickets, but it finally got here. Friday night, my cousins and I went to the Reba and Kelly Clarkson concert. It was AMAZING!!! We seriously had great seats and loved every minute of it. They were both out on stage the whole time. They sang lots of songs together and then did backup for each other on a few songs. It was fun to watch them sing each others songs.

We got there early and there was a lady sitting behind us and she asked if we knew anyone else that would want to come, because she had a ticket she wanted to GIVE us. Apparently, she is a musician and had met some of the band members at a music store earlier that day and they had given her tickets. Her husband couldn't come and she wanted someone to be able to enjoy the concert. So, after a couple of phone calls, my friend (sometimes known as coworker) Ericka rushed down and was able to enjoy the concert with us!!! I am so glad Ericka came, and that lady was so nice to give away a $70.00 ticket! It just goes to show that random acts of kindness still happen, even in the most unlikely of places!!!

Happy 90th Grandpa!!!!!

We celebrated my Grandpa's 90th birthday this weekend! Lots of people came to celebrate with us. It was neat to see all of the lives that my grandpa has touched and fun to watch my dad and his brothers reminisce with the people they grew up with.

My grandpa spends a lot of his time now making birdhouses. He has made a ton of them. We used some of them for the centerpieces at his birthday party. This is the one that he made for me and it usually sits on a bookshelf in my living room. It will always make me think of grandpa.

Cute grandma and grandpa with Tay!!!
Grandpa and grandma with some of the family!!
I love you Grandpa!!!!!!

It's Getting Closer!!!

So today I have come one step closer to getting my masters. I have finished filling out my application for graduation! Now all that is left is to turn it in, and oh yeah, go to school until May:)

8 Things . . .

Sara tagged me and now I feel like a real blogger. Here it goes!

8's

8 t.v. shows I love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Hills
3. Jon and Kate Plus 8
4. American Idol
5. Dancing With the Stars
6. Gilmore Girls (I know it's gone but I love the reruns)
7. Ellen
8. What I Like About You

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Olive Garden
2. Red Robin
3. Cafe Rio
4. Pei Wei
5. Texas Roadhouse
6. Applebee's
7. Chili's
8. Pizza Hut

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Woke up
2. Went shopping
3. Said good bye to Chance
4. Went to lunch with my cousins
5. Watched Baby Mama
6. Had dinner with Jill and Shelly
7. Watched Grey's Anatomy reruns
8. Drove home from Ogden

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Sleeping in tomorrow
2. My dad coming this weekend
3. My grandpa's 90th birthday party
4. Halloween
5. Cooler weather
6. The Reba and Kelly Clarkson concert in October
7. Graduating with my masters in May
8. Not having to work full time and go to school


8 things I love about fall:
1. The clothes you get to wear
2. Making and eating soup
3. Decorating for it
4. Halloween
5. Celebrating Halloween with my class.
6. The colors
7. Pumpkins
8. Pumpkin bars

8 things on my wish list:
1. Seeing my family more
2. A shopping spree
3. To go to Hawaii
4. To have my student loans disappear
5. To be done with school
6. An endless supply of shoes
7. To go to Disneyland
8. Time to do all the things I need and want to

8 people I'm tagging:
1. Celeste
2. Stacey
3. Stephanie
4. Elisabeth
5. Kaydee
6. Jessica
7. Andrae
8. Nichole

I need help from a blogger

I want to get rid of that green line underneath my picture and don't know how. I figured there has got to be one of you bloggers that can help me. It looks a little silly with the pumpkins!!!!

Here's to you coworker, I mean friend!

Here is your post Ericka! You should feel so lucky that your favorite supercocky coworker shared her blog with you:) For the rest of you, Ericka is my super fun FRIEND that I get to work with. Teaching first grade would certainly not be the same without her! Supercocky is one of the fond nicknames that she has so lovingly given me. She gave me crap for getting a blog, but I secretly think she likes reading about my life:) We've had some fun, crazy, stressful, and hilarious experiences working together! I wish that everybody could love who they work with like I do!!!

P.S. If you could tell her that a hairless rat is really not a good class pet, I would appreciate it.

Last Halloween, probably one of the greatest moments in first grade teacher history!!! Ericka is the witch. Her face is painted green, but the funny thing is, she went home early so sick that day!!

What kind of crazy teachers run around in rollerskates? Tina is the one in the middle, another super awesome friend/coworker!
I have one of us without the green laffy taffy in her mouth, but this fits her so well!!!

Lions, tigers and bears!

Hunting and the zoo probably are not the greateset of topics to combine in a post, but oh well! Last week, was our field trip to the zoo. I had not been on a field trip to the zoo before, so I was way nervous and kept praying that I would not lose anyone or they would not end up in any of the cages. It turned out great though and here are a few pics (sorry none are of my kids, can't post those ones).
This is the white alligator at the Hogle Zoo. They call him the Ghost of the Bayou. He is actually really creepy looking. Good thing he is behind glass!

One of the elephants at the zoo is pregnant. She has been pregnant for a year, and one of the zoo keepers said she has about another year to go. Yikes!
One of my little boys said, "Wow Miss LaFleur, you are taller than a gorilla." At least he didn't say fatter!!!!

Now for the hunting part. My cousins were camping this weekend and one of my other cousins and I went up to spend the day with them on Sunday. It was a lot of fun, even though the ride home was scary because of the out of control rain. Anyway, while we were up there I was shooting my cousin's gun, and it was then that I decided I was going to try and be a hunter. Don't laugh, I am serious. I need to try new things, so I thought why not? Might not happen in the near future, but I will let you know how it goes.

The new man in my life

By the way, it's a fish! Sorry, I know that you were all hoping it was for real. So, I finally broke down and got a class pet. I decided that a fish was probably all I could handle though. I got him about a week ago, and since the Olympics were going on, we decided to name him Phelps (I helped them with the naming since I just happen to be in love with Michael Phelps). My kids love having him in the class and today we wrote letters to the real Michael Phelps. They loved it and the letters were so cute! I am actually quite surprised that first graders know so much about him. Phelps has survived a week, and let's hope he lasts the whole year, so I don't have to teach a lesson about death!!!!!

Let's give it a try

So, I can't even tell you how many people have told me lately that I need to get a blog so they know what I am doing. Well, here it finally is and let's hope that I remember to update it. If you are not caught up, here I am in a nutshell. I am living in West Jordan, Utah and have been for the past couple of years. Yes, I swore I would never live in Utah, and yes, I love it. I am two classes away from finishing my masters in education at the University of Utah (Go Utes), which is what originally brought me here. Right after I started at the U, I got a job teaching first grade. I started my third year of teaching four weeks ago. Everybody calls me crazy for teaching first grade, and some days I believe them, but I really do love it and would not want to have it any other way. Who doesn't want 22 kids? Lol! Well, there it is. I will try and update you often, but certainly am making no promises!!!!!!!