Co-Op Dad

Today I took the day off to spend time with Kennedy. That's not very unusual, but this time I spent the morning with Dede at school. Her class asks that parents volunteer several times throughout the year in a co-op. Tara's already been a few times, but this was my maiden voyage. Now, I'm no stranger to the classroom. It seems like much of the past ten years for my have been spent in or around schools, but this was the first time I've helped out with a bunch of younger kids. It was great!

The kids are so excited to have new adults in the classroom and I think they really liked having a dad to play with. Miss Fidge and Miss Allyson put me right to work as I cut, pasted, and glued several little projects. It was ok to have some mindless work, as it gave me a chance to watch Kennedy in her element. She really loves school and it was fun to see how involved she is. This girl is certainly no wall flower!

My station for the morning was the pumpkin seed station. Basically, we cut open a pumpkin and I had the kids scoop out some seeds to take home and plant. The kids loved getting messy and I loved playing around with each group. Young kids are so fun and we had a wonderful time.

Photo of the Day

Our tiny hands
(Can you guess which one belongs to Big D?)

That Was Easy!

So a few weeks ago, we decided to get serious about potty training Alex. We had made a few half hearted attempts during the summer with the potty training, but after one or two accidents, I was always done, deciding he wasn't ready, or that I just wasn't ready to deal with it. So when I had a few days with a fairly clear schedule and time to hang out at home, we went for it. We don't do the pull-up thing at our house, so Alex started right off with some new sports underwear. He loved them and off he went.


Day one: some accidents, but not bad.

Day two: more accidents, mommy almost gave up.

Day three: potty trained!!

Just like that, Alex was done. No diapers, not even at night. Alex has had a couple of accidents and I've caught him dropping his drawers to pee on the tree outside, but he is doing awesome. I guess he was ready. Now only one little guy in diapers. My babies are growing up!!

Entrada

A few months ago I was asked to participate in a weekend retreat down in Moab for work. This sounds like a no brainer, right? Then, the pot got even sweeter as the retreat involved GPS activities so each participant would be getting a GPS. Can this get any better? Finally, the word retreat was a bit misleading because the training was to be held at the Entrada Field Station and there wasn't any lodging. This was camping. For some that may have been a deal breaker, but you know that doesn't bother me.

The trip was great. We had a wonderful group of teachers and other technology trainers from around the state. Most of the people I already knew and it was a fantastic chance to make some new friends with those I just met. I have to say that you really get to know someone as you sit around a campfire together. I've been in a lot of meetings with the trainers, but there's nothing to compare with sharing stories by the open flame. It was awesome.

As part of our training we went around the ranch and created various maps using the the GPS to mark coordinates. Our groups split up and identified pioneer dwellings, fence lines, irrigation paths, and more. I know that part doesn't sound that exciting, but it is a great example of the power of GPS and GIS (a mapping software). I know the managers of the ranch were very appreciative of our efforts and they hope it's an example of future projects that can take place at Entrada.

One of the crazy parts of the weekend was the fact that we had electricity and wireless Internet out there in the middle of nowhere. How often can you say you were checking your fantasy football team while laying in a tent one hour away from a paved road? It was new for me, but a nice way to "rough it" in the desert.

20 years....

20 years ago, I was a junior in high school. This kind of freaked me out when I realized that my 20 year reunion is next year. I am getting old. The reason I bring this up is that I received a phone call from an old high school volleyball teammate a few weeks ago. The high school athletic director was trying to round up the 1989 volleyball team. It so happens that we were 30-0 that season and won the state championship. We were pretty good. I wish I could say I was a star, but I was just a role player. Anyway, the school district had chosen our team to become members of the Nebo School District Hall of Fame. Wow, I know! Pretty impressive, right! I didn't even know that there was a Hall of Fame for the Nebo School District, but we are officially a part of it now!



We attended the volleyball game at Springville High and they gave us a little award before the match. After, we all went to dinner and caught up on what everyone was doing. It was great to see everyone and find out what they were all up to. I couldn't believe that it had been twenty years since I had seen some of these friends.


These girls were my best friends. They made my high school years so much fun. I loved being a part of these teams and making such great friends. Some people say they would never want to go to high school again. I actually wouldn't mind it. I loved my years playing sports with these people and totally enjoyed the fun times we had together. Go mighty Red Devils!!