Mom always liked ME best!

Disney Update

It's getting closer and closer--only 17 more days until Disney!

"I suck at reading"

A 4th grade class was working in my lab, testing in math and reading the other day. One boy raised his hand and said, "I'm done with my math test."
I looked at the test and said, "You mean you're done with your reading test."
He looked at me and said, "Yeah, I suck at reading."

I guess so!

Black Widow

The king was helping to blow out the King Mother's sprinkler lines today, and put his hand in a hole in the ground where out crawled this Black Widow Spider. That bright red spot is her hour glass spot. YIKES! She's about as large as 1/3 of my index finger! She's dead now but was alive when the photo was taken. The princess is taking her to school tomorrow. I hope to never see her, or her kind, again!

Wake Up Call

What did you wake up to this morning?

Your alarm clock? The phone? Your kids fighting? Your spouse tooting?

I woke up to geese honking today.

But a couple of days ago I woke up to cows mooing.

A few days earlier, it was the middle of the night, and coyotes howling woke me up.

It's odd to live in the country IN THE CITY!

We watch the antelope play regularly. Horses and cows pasture behind us. Deer are also our neighbors, and lets not forget the skunk I saw crossing the road the other night. I didn't SMELL him, just saw him!

Funny Story!

We've been back at school for a couple of weeks now. Our school went to all day, every day kindergarten this year and had to find the space (we are very over-crowded right now) for several new classrooms. We are in the process of building a new Middle school, which will open next fall. Meanwhile, there are rooms all over the buildings that are sort of out of place. For example, in my building of 3, 4, and 5th graders, you'll find 3 kindergarten rooms, offices for the Yellowstone Valley Coop (they run the Special Ed. services at our school including speech therapy, physical therapy, etc), and offices for the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (a mental health facility which helps out-patients in our school). Also, next door to my lab is the Middle School computer lab, and finally, the Family Resource Center--a community outreach/support program. Lockwood has definitely got it going on!

So when the kindergartners moved in this fall, we were looking forward to lots of fun with and stories to tell about those little people. Turns out, though they run away sometimes and are really noisy in the bathroom, they aren't all that fun!

So I then turned to my current 3, 4, and 5th graders for good story material, and again, they mostly just bug me. No great stories to share yet.

Fortunately, I was saved by one of the teachers. She teaches 3rd grade and caught me in the hall on about the second day of school. This was her story:

"You know, I came into school the week before school started, was fixing my room up, and thought, 'I love teaching. I'm so glad I'm a teacher.' I got my room ready, got excited about the upcoming year, made a class list, and was ready to go. Then school started, the kids showed up, chaos was everywhere, my room is full of ADHD children (most of them undiagnosed), and I thought, 'I don't love teaching. What I love is SUMMER VACATION!!!'"

So there you go, only 171 more teaching days until summer vacation!

Countdown to Disney!

We're starting to get excited! Only 6 weeks until our Disneyland adventure begins! Look out Micky, here we come!

First Day Of School!!

The prince has his schedule, the princess has about $1,000 in school supplies, and my lab is not even ready for children because I've been busy with meetings and testing incoming students for 2 days! Here we go...

Hairspray!

The kids and I took in Hairspray yesterday. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!! I even had to go out and buy the soundtrack, and I bet I haven't done that since I was in high school and had to have the Grease and Saturday Night Fever soundtracks. I don't know, maybe it's a John Travolta thing!! I am pretty sure I smiled or laughed through the whole thing. I'm strongly hinting to my kids that they give me the DVD for Christmas!

A New Castle

We've moved. Thanks to the royal sister for coming many miles to our rescue and getting our house in a presentable condition. There is still some unpacking to do, and we're waiting for new furniture to come in a month or more for our living room, but mostly, we are sooo excited. The king likes the master bedroom best and says it feels like a hotel room. Guess that's because the queen doubles as the maid right now. She's not feeling the whole "hotel" thing so much! The kids have made the transition nicely--so far. They will continue at the school they went to before, so the whole "new school" anxiety is not there. I'm back to work for a bit today and then start "for real" next week in the mornings. The kids come back August 29. We had a great time in Utah and Arizona--didn't even melt in AZ, but we did spend lots of time in the pool and even had a fun morning on the jet skis! Come check out our new castle. We'd love to see you all!

UT Fun

The queen, prince, and princess are safely in Utah for the remainder of the week. I say, "safely" because it is a long drive! Since arriving in UT, we've had lots of fun at a Pioneer Days celebration--the princess even got to ride on a parade float and squirt a water gun at those of us who were sweatin' on the street! There was an awesome fireworks display to cap off the night. The kids have taken in a movie while the royal aunt and I shopped, and we had fun fishing and cooking hot dogs and making smores over an open fire last night. We plan to take in the new Harry Potter movie today. The fun never ends; I'm tellin' ya! Oh yeah, and the prince has been working with his royal uncle a bit as well--he's got his eye on a Nintendo DS. We'll be here a few more days before we head to the American Idol concert and then to AZ. We're looking forward to more fun in the sun down there. Then it's back home to move, move, move. Actually, the King will have most of that done before I ever make it back, and the kids are following a few days later with the royal aunt, who's coming to help hang drapes!!! Life is good!

Moving?

Things are a little in flux right now. We're over 75% packed and not sure if we're moving or not!!! It's all crazy, but hopefully it'll work out. I have little time for blogging but thought I'd better put an update up here. The kids are at a "Fear Factor" birthday party right now--in the 97* heat, eating cow tongue. And oddly enough, the princess was quite excited about this. There's a big squirt gun at steak so...More soccer practice tonight and then the competition begins Saturday morning. We're rolling along...

Horsy Carvo!

Tonight we were tooling down the road, the kids and I, with the music play an oldie but a goodie about Jose Cuervo--my favorite distillate when mixed with the proper Margarita mix, by the way. And in the back seat, singing with all her heart, is the princess, "And after 3 rounds of 'Horsy Carvo." Ah, to be young, innocent, and unaware of the power of Jose Cuervo! Cheers! Never fear, the less innocent Prince was able to correct her.

Another tall fish tale

Are you tired of fish stories yet? This one has nothing to do with Azul. Rather, this is the story of the great fish hunter. Early this month, the prince's uncle took him fishing. The prince is very interested in fishing although he doesn't particularly like fish. (Though he does enjoy a good fish stick with ketchup!). But the royal uncle was excited to take the prince fishing, so off they did go. They went near Huntly and fished the morning away. The prince caught a nice sized catfish, and the royal uncle was nearly pulled in by a giant carp--it's true--just ask them! Of course, the carp got away, but thus is the stuff fishing legends are made of! The prince was taught to clean and fillet the catfish. It's still in the fridge waiting for someone who likes fish to take it away. Still, the prince can't wait to go again--the sooner the better. Fish tales await...

Fish Whisperer Part II

We've spent the last week on a suicide watch for Azul. He seemed to, much like Paris Hilton, have gone on a hunger strike!! He did not like the pellets the princess was feeding him. He didn't eat for days. There was much worry and concern. Finally, the princess could take it no more, and we were forced to head off to the pet store in search of another kind of food. The pet store worker (a nice, middle-aged man as opposed to the scary 20-something at the cash register with his spiked hair, tattoos, and strange piercings) suggested "BLOOD WORMS" as that's what they fed the fish while it was in the store. YUM! We bought those, took them home, and glory, hallelujah, praise the Lord, and pass the blood worms--Azul is eating like a champ--or at least like a betta! We have now taken him off suicide watch and are much less worried about his current condition. We are a little worried about who might take care of him when we leave in a couple of weeks as most of our usual babysitters will also be gone for part of the time that we're gone!!! Such are the problems of pet owners.

Fish Whisperer

We have, it turns out, a fish whisperer in our family. The queen, of course, has no need for pets. The king has even less of a need for pets. But the princess, in spite of her many animal fears, would like a pet. She knew dogs and cats were out of the question--with family allergies and all. And she knew the queen would NEVER agree to rodents of any kind. She worked her magic on the queen slowly. Whispering about taking responsibility, always cleaning the bowl, even paying for all necessary equipment herself. The queen couldn't argue with that. Yesterday the princess went out to choose her fish. She knew she'd like a betta, as she'd had one of those years ago and already had a bowl. She also knew she'd like a blue betta. At Pet Smart she looked long at the various blue bettas. She eventually chose a beautiful male with feathery fins. She was even to pay the $6 for the male versus the $3 for the female because the males are so much more attractive. On the way home the fish whisperer named her betta "Azul" which is Spanish for "blue." Today, she decided her bowl wasn't GOOD ENOUGH for the beautiful betta so we headed off a closer pet store so that she could purchase the proper betta. Life is good for the fish whisperer. Of course, she's already talking about purchasing a second betta...

STILTS!

Check out the king! He was big on stilts as a kid and decided, Saturday, to make a pair for the prince and princess. The prince took to them right away. The princess is having a bit more trouble balancing, and it's really making her angry since it's rare that something doesn't come easily to her. Determination will get the better of her, and she'll get it eventually. For the king, it was riding a bike. He had no problem getting on them and walking around the drive way. And what did you do this weekend?

The end of solitude...

The kids will be home in 4.5 hours. I'm excited to see them and hear all about camp, but I really enjoyed the quiet! The poor prince has to work Saturday, Sunday, and Monday! No rest for him!

Good-bye royal family members...

We're sad to see our family head back to the land of Utah. We had a great visit with them. Lots of fun bowling, seeing movies, going to Helena, playing outside, going to the Monster Trucks...Good times!

Off to Camp!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, it's off to camp they go...

Is it wrong of me to be sooooooo excited that Mitch and Cara are going to camp at the SAME TIME this year? It's the only year it'll happen, so I feel like it's okay to be a little excited to see them go. I'll be taking them to the church to drop them off in about an hour. I'll have to stand in line (Lots of kids go to this camp) for many minutes (possibly 60 or more) but then, the freedom will begin. And I know they are safe at this camp, as Mitch has loved going for 2 years now, so I'm pretty sure it's okay for me to be excited to see them go! Hey, I have to pick them up at 2 on Friday, so it's not like they're really gone a whole week.

I'd better make sure they packed everything (one more time) because I'd hate to waste one of my free days driving stuff up to them!!!

Oh, and did I mention that Rich left this morning for Idaho???? He won't be back until Thursday evening. It's good to be queen!

Drivin' the Boat

On this year's trip to the Gates of the Mountain,

near Helena, Mitch and Cara got to

DRIVE THE BOAT!!! How cool are they?

Patience

The royal family appreciates your patience as the queen entertains the royal aunt and nephews for a few more--funfilled--days! Then the queen will update the blog properly. In the meantime, maybe this will tide you over. The queen had this conversation between the prince, princess, and a royal nephew the other day.

Nephew: I'm glad I'm a boy.
Queen: Why?
Nephew: Because then I don't have to have a baby.
Queen: You don't have to if you don't want to. Just ask the princess if she's going to have a baby.
Nephew: Princess, are you going to have a baby someday?
Princess: Probably not.
Nephew: How does that happen. (Now, the nephew was really asking how it is that she has a choice, but the kids all thought he was asking how babies were made.)
Prince: You'll learn all about that in 5th grade.
Nephew: (Nephew is now catching on that we're not all talking about the same thing. Meanwhile the queen is ROYALLY cracking up during this exchange.) It sounds pretty gross to me.
Princess: Yeah, but it's not as gross when you're a grownup.

When they aren't fighting, they're really, really funny!!!

Brad Paisley

***Sigh***Ahhh***Yummy***Sweet***

Check out BRAD! We passed 3 of his

equipment trucks near Whitehall, MT

last weekend. I checked his website

and didn't see that he was playing in

the area. Maybe it was a private

concert, and he meant for me to be

there, but my invitation got lost in

the mail! :)

Last Day of School

YIPPEE--the children all say. I have a great job so really haven't been counting the days. I'm looking forward to getting some things done around the house, having company, and traveling, but I wouldn't mind if school ran year-round, with breaks here and there! I don't have any classes coming to my lab today. I plan to tear it apart and rearrange my tables so that we'll be able to SEE each computer from where my computer is. It's a nightmare of logistics because most of my computers run off an airport, but a few still have to be plugged into phone jacks. I'm also putting rows of computers where there is no outlet so will have to run extension cords and hope the kids don't trip and unplug masses of computers. Plus, it just sounds like a lot of work. What was I thinking???? We only have a half day today, so I'm not sure I can get it all done. I started a little of it yesterday, but I still might have to go in tomorrow and finish. Wish me luck! It's rained ALL week-it's been a field trip nightmare at work. But we're up 2" over normal in moisture right now, which is such a relief. And we're looking forward to Shelley, Jared, and Andy coming to visit us mid-week next week. The princess is off to camp with friends over the weekend. The prince is looking forward to being an only child! Have a great weekend!!

Baptisms and Farewells

We watched tearfully (everyone was
tearful, and I'm not sure why) as
Andy was baptised. There were no
tears at the Farewell, maybe
because people weren't talking
about Matt--he did all the talking
and did a great job. And there was
a nice song by Becky too. What a fun
weekend! Good luck, Matthew.
You will be in our prayers.

Buzz Cut

Before and after photos of the prince getting a MUCH NEEDED

haircut--from one extreme to the other!

A Royal Birthday

Cool things about turning 12:

**Not one, but two cakes

**Getting lots of cash

**A new golf set

**Bowling with your friends

**Your mom promises that by fall, you can have your own email address

**You're one year away from getting to see PG-13 movies!!!!

Happy birthday to our "old" prince!

Women of Faith

I, the queen, spent last night and most of today at the Women of Faith conference here in town. If you aren't familiar, it's 7500 women listening to women speakers, singers, dramatists, and comics empower women. This year's theme was Freedom, and yes, there was some mention of God here and there (you know, turn your burdens over to God and you will be finally free) but also a lot of feel-good inspiration. The main speakers were the same as when I went 2 years ago, and they are very good. Sandi Patty performed Friday night, and it was truly worth the price of admission just to hear her sing for 40 minutes.

Now, like I said, there was a lot going on, and my personal favorite, and new favorite female comedian as well, was Anita Renfroe. She was soooooooooooo funny. And here is the main message I took away from the conference, compliments of Miss Anita.

Do you know the reason single women are thinner than married women?
A single woman sees what's in the frig and goes to bed.
A married woman sees what's in bed and goes to the frig!
I love that one!

Birthdays

This update is a bit late, but we'd like to say, "Happy Birthday" to both the grandpas in our lives. They both had birthdays within the last 2 weeks and are both as young as spring chickens!!! The photo is of the prince and princess helping one grandpa celebrate his birthday! And we're not done with birthdays yet. A royal niece turned 4 this past weekend. The prince will be 12 on Saturday and will takes friends mini-golfing on Sunday, and the king will be 40-something at the end of May! Happy Birthdays are everywhere this month! June holds many birthdays too, and we're looking forward to them all!

Don't be JEALOUS!!!

Try not to be jealous. It's a beautiful, sunny, NO WIND, 78* right now!! These are the days we only get a few of every year! It's GREAT to be us!!