Already Starting

This year I have a kid in 9th grade, one in 1st, one in kindergarten, and then a preschooler. I can't believe how fast they are growing.

Skyler seems to be enjoying his time as a freshman in high school. He continues to learn more and more each day as well as getting involved. He is in the band and has done a great job, but he is also on the Spell Bowl team like he was at the middle school. He is a great student!

Kenzi is in the first grade and loves school still. She has gotten way more bossy and is getting to the point of where she wants to do what she wants instead of what we want. She is very bossy with her brothers and sometimes it is funny because they will tell her no.  Recently she has started the stage of not listening to anything we say so she gets in trouble a lot also. I think as she gets older she is going to be harder because she is so cute!

Devin is the one that is "already starting". He is our kindergarten student who seems to enjoy school, but can be a pain sometimes. In the morning he is a pain because he doesn't want to be awake and that means he doesn't want to do what he is told at all. Today he decided that he didn't want to get in trouble for being "off task" at school. When he colored his chart it was green, but then decided to try hiding it and colored over it with blue. It was crazy that he is only in kindergarten and has already started changing things from school. I hope he doesn't do it again, but who knows!

Landon is in preschool at the same school with Kenzi and Devin. He only goes three times a week for half a day and he seems to enjoy it. He has only gotten in trouble a couple times so I think that he is enjoying it. I hope that when he goes to kindergarten next year he does okay.

Jarred and I are busy of course, but he has been especially busy because I have been attending an Autism conference in Bloomington. I was there Oct. 10 and 11th and it was such a good conference with great information. I go back for the 3rd and 4th days on Nov. 7 and 8. Then have the last two days in february. I enjoyed the conference! Jarred of course was taking care of the kids during that time so I am sure he had his hands full.

This week we start fall break on Friday and then also no school on Monday for fall break also. I am looking forward to those two extra days of home time. Hopefully I can enjoy some quilting time since I will have four of them reading to be quilted soon.

I can't  believe it has been such a long time since I have update this. Hopefully in the future it won't be such a long time.

Daidra

It's been a while I know

Well I am still traveling with the delegation. Today they went to their home stay families and the leaders are at a hotel. They didn't have families for us. We have three nights here and then we go to Barcelona for a night followed by Zaragoza for a night and lastly  Madrid for a night. I am excited to be almost done because I am so homesick. I miss my husband and my kids. I also miss my church family and all my family and friends. Tomorrow will be a beach day for us hopefully here in Mataro, Spain. Later!

The view

This is the view from our current hotel! 

Day 6

Today we saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was kind of disappointed, but it was neat to see. We also had to wait for a new bus because our bus had an engine light come on.  We were at the rest stop for 3hrs and 15 mins. 

Day 5 in Italy: Full On Experience

Oh my goodness! Today has been an amazing and crazy day. We went back to Assisi today for in full on experience which included $ down a castle wall and breaking a board. This was so cool! 

My group, Razz Matazz, headed straight to the tower to $ down. It was such a hike and was kind of hard to get there. Once there our guide spoke with us about some things and took us to get our  harness and helmet. Once we had theses we headed to inside the tower wall and did an activity to show is how yo put them on. Once they were on we started to climb the 160 stairs to the top of the tower. Once at the almost top he stopped to demonstrate what we were going to do while going down the castle tower wall. He then had all scarred delegates and leaders go to the front of the line to climb up the last flight of stairs.

I got up there and then started to freak out. I got harnessed up and climbed under the rope to the side where I needed to lean backwards and start walking down this tower wall. This was crazy! I asked the older gentlemen how high it was and he said it was 100feet high, 10 stories! I was like "are you crazy?" He finally talked me into going over the edge and I headed down the tier wall. I was so scarred. I even asked questions about weight limit or my head bring too big for the helmet to try getting out of it but nothing worked and I was walking down the wall. 

I started out very slowly and gradually walked a little faster and even kind of jumped once. It was really pretty when you looked out because you could see do much. I did make it to the ground in one piece and it was an AWESOME experience that I was able to have in Assisi, Italy on June 28th, 2013!

After the tower wall we headed to the ice cream store and was taught how to order in Italian. I said I wanted a grande cono ciccolato. Gelato is do GOOD here, that is what the ice cream is called. We then played a game before heading to the field. In the field we started playing a game but then the rain came and we had to get back to the building. 

The last really best group activity was breaking a board with our bare hands. This was hard, but inbred third try I finally got it and broke it. This was a great day and it will never be forgotten. 

4th day in Italy

Oh my! Today was a great day because we got to sleep in until 8:30. We then headed out to Perugia for lunch. We walked through Perugia to lunch and it was tough. We then went to a Montessori in Assisi, Italy where a Friar (not a monk) talked to us. We had free time there and the view was spectacular. For dinner we went back to Perugia and then to our hotel. I am tired!

3rd day but only 2nd in Roma

Today we got up early so we could go to Vatican City. This place is pretty neat, it's a country/city in a country/city. It is located in Rome but it really isn't part of Roma. They have their own laws and rules. It is only about 105 yards big and has a wall that is built around it to keep people out, how crazy! In order to go through it you purchase a ticket into the city/country. We went to the Sistine Chapel and that place is really neat. We were suppose to go in the Basilica but can't because the pope is in there today. 

Oh my goodness, I tried a mussel at lunch today. Evan, Paige, and Faith were all yelling to tell me to try it so I did. It was disgusting! That was at lunch so I did get pizza and watermelon though. Did you know: pizza margarita here means cheese pizza? I didn't until today. 

Next we got to go on the Italian Metro to go to a place for our City Quest. This gave the delegates time to see the small city, but also to have some fun.  We also got ice cream which the delegates can't stop talking about. After the city quest we had some shopping time and then headed back to the hotel for dome leisure time. Tomorrow we are going to Asissi and will be doing our service project with physically and mentally challenged children. I am so excited, this is right up my ally!

The mussels, YUCK!