I'm not sure if I've written about my new student that I took on in April. Her name is Cameron and she just turned 7. Her mother found me from Susan Barton's website. I don't really want to take students in the evening because I'm busy with my own kids in the evenings. But her mom, a former Nebraska Senator, was very persistent and was able to get the principal to allow me to come into the school and tutor her. Cameron's teacher didn't want to pass her to the second grade but just after a month of tutoring, her test scores shot up on her reading and the principal called to say that he had no reason to hold her back. We were all so excited that the tutoring has been so effective. That wasn't a surprise to me though because I've seen it 10 times before in my other students.
I am so excited to be working with a mom that is so well known in this state. That's because I felt that I really needed to get out there and educate the state of Nebraska on dyslexia. But I'm shy and not a great spokesperson. So with the mom's help, I am working on getting some dyslexia legislation passed in the state. That bill would require teachers to become educated on dyslexia and also each student tested and given help if they need it. We have joined forces with the dyslexia association to get these laws passed. I'm so excited.
I become so attached to my students. My kids think that these students become part of our family. I do really love what I do and I can't wait until Mario retires and I can take on more students. There is nothing more rewarding, except being a wife and mother.
"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." Gordon B. Hinckley
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
July Happenings
I realized it's been awhile since writing on my blog. That's not good since this blog is the only journal that I keep.
We have decided to adopt Sophie. She's a pretty good dog. She had big shoes to fill because we all loved Buzz and he was just a great dog. Everyone loved him. But we all love Sophie. The only downside to her is that she has food allergies and we aren't sure what they are. So she can't just eat any food off the ground at the park and we have to buy her more expensive dog food. I enjoy walking with her around the lake each morning. She normally comes up to my room between 6 and 6:30 every morning. Occasionally she'll try to get me to walk her at 4:30 but I resist.
We went to visit Melissa and her boys in Missouri over the Fourth of July holiday. Her mother-in-law is kind enough to let 6 of us crash at her lake house. Then she and Melissa made all the food. My big kids don't love going on vacations and they almost always want to stay home but they both enjoy going to the lake house. Nate and Zach have so much fun exploring the woods, fishing, and swimming all day at the lake with their cousins. We hardly ever see them when they are all together.
Mario switched jobs last week. He didn't like his old boss or a couple of his coworkers so he volunteered to take a different job. He will now do shift work so he'll work less days a month but he'll work weird hours including nights. I think he'll like this new job and I will have more time to spend with him.
I had knee surgery yesterday on my right knee. It was minor meniscal repair just like I had done on my left knee. I had the lady registering me how much the surgery costs. She said between 18-24k. But of course our insurance only pays about 13% of that amount. Fortunately I am not responsible for the difference. Thank goodness for the military insurance.
Erin and I started taking quilting lessons from a sister I visit teach. She is an amazing quilter and so I'm lucky she agreed to give us lessons. Erin is making a quilt for her last YW project. The material alone cost $95, so I hope she is happy with the results, I think she will be since she has a professional teaching her. I'm quickly finding that quilting is not a cheap hobby.
Erin leaves for Florida on Saturday. She's going to visit Billy, Kristen, Gabriella, and Gina. This will be her first time flying alone but she has flown at least a dozen times before with us. So she should be fine. I'm not sure I'll survive without her but I'm excited for her. Eric leaves for scout camp on Monday. So it will be down to just the four of us left at home. We were hoping to go back to the lake house next week but Sophie may be sick so we don't know yet if it will work out. She has been coughing so we aren't sure if it's kennel cough or if she ate something that she got stuck in her throat.
We have decided to adopt Sophie. She's a pretty good dog. She had big shoes to fill because we all loved Buzz and he was just a great dog. Everyone loved him. But we all love Sophie. The only downside to her is that she has food allergies and we aren't sure what they are. So she can't just eat any food off the ground at the park and we have to buy her more expensive dog food. I enjoy walking with her around the lake each morning. She normally comes up to my room between 6 and 6:30 every morning. Occasionally she'll try to get me to walk her at 4:30 but I resist.
We went to visit Melissa and her boys in Missouri over the Fourth of July holiday. Her mother-in-law is kind enough to let 6 of us crash at her lake house. Then she and Melissa made all the food. My big kids don't love going on vacations and they almost always want to stay home but they both enjoy going to the lake house. Nate and Zach have so much fun exploring the woods, fishing, and swimming all day at the lake with their cousins. We hardly ever see them when they are all together.
Mario switched jobs last week. He didn't like his old boss or a couple of his coworkers so he volunteered to take a different job. He will now do shift work so he'll work less days a month but he'll work weird hours including nights. I think he'll like this new job and I will have more time to spend with him.
I had knee surgery yesterday on my right knee. It was minor meniscal repair just like I had done on my left knee. I had the lady registering me how much the surgery costs. She said between 18-24k. But of course our insurance only pays about 13% of that amount. Fortunately I am not responsible for the difference. Thank goodness for the military insurance.
Erin and I started taking quilting lessons from a sister I visit teach. She is an amazing quilter and so I'm lucky she agreed to give us lessons. Erin is making a quilt for her last YW project. The material alone cost $95, so I hope she is happy with the results, I think she will be since she has a professional teaching her. I'm quickly finding that quilting is not a cheap hobby.
Erin leaves for Florida on Saturday. She's going to visit Billy, Kristen, Gabriella, and Gina. This will be her first time flying alone but she has flown at least a dozen times before with us. So she should be fine. I'm not sure I'll survive without her but I'm excited for her. Eric leaves for scout camp on Monday. So it will be down to just the four of us left at home. We were hoping to go back to the lake house next week but Sophie may be sick so we don't know yet if it will work out. She has been coughing so we aren't sure if it's kennel cough or if she ate something that she got stuck in her throat.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Boys' New Best Friend
I have become pretty attached even though she woke me at 4:30 this morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Sophie's Trial Period
We may have found a new dog. Her name is Sophie. She's mostly Lab but may have Boxer too. She's close to 70 pounds and only a year-old so she's very energetic. The kids adore her but I'm nervous about all the work a puppy brings. The owner had a stroke and can't take good care of her. But they want to make sure our family really likes the dog so they offered to give her to us for a few days to see if we are a good match. We definitely haven't been in this puppy stage in over 10 years. So it's a little crazy. She's no Buzz but there will never be one just like him.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, June 8, 2013
New Fish
We are trying to ease the pain of losing Buzz with a fish. Didn't work well for us last time when we were trying to get over Kramer. But it was the only pet Mario would agree to earlier today.
Mario called the landlord this evening and got permission for us to get another dog. I think my crying every time I think about Buzz probably got to him. I'm not the only one with tears. In fact, I think only Erin is able to hold them back. But she never cries. Mario wants a lab and I want a small white lap dog. I have a feeling Mario will win this one since small dogs are yappy.
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Mario called the landlord this evening and got permission for us to get another dog. I think my crying every time I think about Buzz probably got to him. I'm not the only one with tears. In fact, I think only Erin is able to hold them back. But she never cries. Mario wants a lab and I want a small white lap dog. I have a feeling Mario will win this one since small dogs are yappy.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, June 7, 2013
Remembering Buzz
The boys asked if we would have a funeral for Buzz. Mario told them that we could have a memorial service since we weren't getting the body back (no I'm not paying $140 for ashes). I don't know how the six of us will make it through, but we'll try. I've been reflecting on happy memories of our dog that we've had for almost 13 years. I figured if they can make a whole movie (Marley and Me) about their beloved dog, I can at least write a REALLY long blog entry about our Buzz.
When we moved to Guam in the year 2000, we had to give away our cat, Kramer, because we weren't willing to pay the $1400 quarantine fee. The kids were sad and so we got them fish as soon as we moved into our new home. But within a couple months, we knew that fish weren't really the same as a dog or cat. So, I persuaded Mario to go to the local animal shelter (on the way to the mall) just to look. We saw Buzz and immediately I fell in love with him. He was just a puppy and so darn cute. So we asked the workers if we could take him for a walk. I begged Mario to let us adopt him and he resisted. I told the workers we were on our way to the mall and we'd think about it. We put Buzz back in his cage and when we walked away, Buzz started barking for us to come back. It broke my heart. Somehow, while at the mall, I convinced Mario to go back and get Buzz. When we went back the worker told us another family had come to adopt him but the workers lied and told the family that he was already taken. So we were able to take him home. The worker also gave us the name of the family that just dropped him off that day or the day before. So Mario called them and they offered all his food and belongings which Mario gladly accepted.
Some favorite memories of Buzz (who is named after Buzz Lightyear by Eric):
Eric just turned 3 that month when we brought Buzz home. He and Buzz fought like they were brothers. It was the funniest thing. But Erin, who turned 1 that month, could do anything to Buzz and he would just lay there and take it. At first Erin was scared of him and she'd just climb up on the couch to avoid him. Mario was a little worried and thought that she would never learn to walk really well if she spent all her time on the couch. Erin didn't learn to talk until almost 2, but she did try to say "Buzz."
When we got Buzz, the animal shelter told us that he was 17 pounds and that he'd probably only grow to be about 24 pounds. We quickly found out that wasn't true when we took him to the vet. The vet said, have you looked at his paws. They were way to big for 24 pounds. I think he maintained about 48 pounds for most of his life. The cool thing was, both Erin and Buzz weighed exactly 17 pounds when we got him.
Erin got her first Barbie doll either right before or right after Buzz. She left it on the floor in the living room and Buzz chewed it up. She and Eric learned very quickly not to leave anything out. Speaking of chewing everything...When you move to Guam, the military provides you with furniture the first few months while you wait for your furniture to arrive. It's usually junky stuff, but this time, they brought us a brand new table with new chairs. Buzz chewed all over the base of the table. I thought for sure they were going to hand us a huge bill but they never said a word about it. By the time our furniture arrived, he was out of the chewing furniture and toy phase. But any dog toy we bought him was torn up within minutes. We stopped buying them.
I remember taking the kids out for Halloween just a couple months after getting Buzz. He loved all the kids and so he was so excited to be out on a walk with us while trick-or-treating. We had to quickly put him back in the house, he was way to excited.
I remember our neighbor kids in Guam who didn't have dogs. They were scared to death of Buzz. He was the sweetest dog but you'd never know it by the reaction of the neighbor kids. Mario knew then that it was good we had a dog so our kids would never act like that around dogs.
I remember going to Florida for a month about 6 months after getting Buzz. When I came back the neighbors told me how Buzz and Mario would sit out at the park behind our house for hours and how Mario looked so sad. I'm glad he at least had Buzz.
9/11 happened while living in Guam. Mario had to work around the clock and I remember being scared to go outside at night to take Buzz potty. We had heard so much about Bin Laden targeting Guam that I was convinced there were terrorists waiting outside my door. Not really, but maybe a little. That's the only time I was scared with Buzz. Most of the years, I found great comfort in having a watchdog. If I woke in the middle of the night and heard a noise, I would just go back to sleep because I knew the house was safe if Buzz wasn't barking. He has been a great comfort to me over the years.
Buzz was the only one in the family to go through typhoons in Guam. We left him for a month with friends while we vacationed in Florida. Then they shipped him to Hawaii where we met him. While in Guam, two typhoons hit that month.
I think it was in Hawaii, we sent Buzz to obedience school fulltime for a week while we went on vacation. Up until then we used the Gentle Leader collar to keep him from pulling our shoulders out while we walked him. We tried for a few days to keep up with the obedience training but eventually we just resorted to using the Gentle Leader for pretty much the rest of his life. It really has been only in the past year that Buzz hasn't pulled us while walking. Lately, it was more us pulling him along. That was really sad.
Buzz was my running partner. I learned to run in Guam and he ran many miles with me in Guam, Hawaii, and then Illiniois. I remember that Buzz was scared to death of anything like grates or manholes. He would avoid them at all costs while running, sometimes almost knocking me over in the process. I always ran the same route in Hawaii. The last part of it was a hill right before you turned into our townhome. One day I was feeling especially great and I decided to keep running and so I just ran past the driveway. Buzz wasn't happy and he tried really hard to turn. I still laugh when I think about that run. Buzz's running days ended in Illinois when he injured his leg. As long as he didn't run he was ok. But if he tried running, he'd limp for the next few days.
I remember when the twins started eating in chairs on the floor. That must have been the happiest times for Buzz. He was well fed.
I remember Buzz eating a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies, pound of thawing hamburger, loaf of homemade bread, bag of almonds, and anything else he could sneak off our counters. I remember going to church a few Sundays with a cake that I had forgotten to remove from the counter. I would sit through church and wonder if Buzz would get to the cake. He never did for some reason. We discovered that potatoes and almonds made Buzz throw up. So we had to be extra careful with eating those foods around him.
Whenever Zach was mad at us for something, he'd run and find comfort in Buzz. He'd lie down beside him and drape his arm over him. That's how I knew Zach was really upset. I think this will be the hardest on Zach. He hasn't known a life without Buzz and he's very attached to him.
I don't know if there will be another dog in our future. Mario says no and I am on the fence right now. Life would sure be a lot easier in some aspects without having to worry about a dog. We could pack up and leave for a weekend trip anytime we want. We could possibly (hopefully) move overseas next time and that always presents challenges with pets. Our landlord doesn't love dogs and we are the only exception he has made for a tenant to have a dog. So he would very much love for us to be pet-free. Mario has no regrets about adopting Buzz. He has loved him just as much as the rest of us. I think that's part of the reason he doesn't want another. He doesn't want to go through this pain of having to let another one go.
We have had so many children over our house. Almost all of them have fallen in love with Buzz. Many have asked us to let them adopt him over the years. We even had no dog lovers want to adopt him. But we were never willing to give him up. We love you Buzz. You will be missed by us all.
When we moved to Guam in the year 2000, we had to give away our cat, Kramer, because we weren't willing to pay the $1400 quarantine fee. The kids were sad and so we got them fish as soon as we moved into our new home. But within a couple months, we knew that fish weren't really the same as a dog or cat. So, I persuaded Mario to go to the local animal shelter (on the way to the mall) just to look. We saw Buzz and immediately I fell in love with him. He was just a puppy and so darn cute. So we asked the workers if we could take him for a walk. I begged Mario to let us adopt him and he resisted. I told the workers we were on our way to the mall and we'd think about it. We put Buzz back in his cage and when we walked away, Buzz started barking for us to come back. It broke my heart. Somehow, while at the mall, I convinced Mario to go back and get Buzz. When we went back the worker told us another family had come to adopt him but the workers lied and told the family that he was already taken. So we were able to take him home. The worker also gave us the name of the family that just dropped him off that day or the day before. So Mario called them and they offered all his food and belongings which Mario gladly accepted.
Some favorite memories of Buzz (who is named after Buzz Lightyear by Eric):
Eric just turned 3 that month when we brought Buzz home. He and Buzz fought like they were brothers. It was the funniest thing. But Erin, who turned 1 that month, could do anything to Buzz and he would just lay there and take it. At first Erin was scared of him and she'd just climb up on the couch to avoid him. Mario was a little worried and thought that she would never learn to walk really well if she spent all her time on the couch. Erin didn't learn to talk until almost 2, but she did try to say "Buzz."
When we got Buzz, the animal shelter told us that he was 17 pounds and that he'd probably only grow to be about 24 pounds. We quickly found out that wasn't true when we took him to the vet. The vet said, have you looked at his paws. They were way to big for 24 pounds. I think he maintained about 48 pounds for most of his life. The cool thing was, both Erin and Buzz weighed exactly 17 pounds when we got him.
Erin got her first Barbie doll either right before or right after Buzz. She left it on the floor in the living room and Buzz chewed it up. She and Eric learned very quickly not to leave anything out. Speaking of chewing everything...When you move to Guam, the military provides you with furniture the first few months while you wait for your furniture to arrive. It's usually junky stuff, but this time, they brought us a brand new table with new chairs. Buzz chewed all over the base of the table. I thought for sure they were going to hand us a huge bill but they never said a word about it. By the time our furniture arrived, he was out of the chewing furniture and toy phase. But any dog toy we bought him was torn up within minutes. We stopped buying them.
I remember taking the kids out for Halloween just a couple months after getting Buzz. He loved all the kids and so he was so excited to be out on a walk with us while trick-or-treating. We had to quickly put him back in the house, he was way to excited.
I remember our neighbor kids in Guam who didn't have dogs. They were scared to death of Buzz. He was the sweetest dog but you'd never know it by the reaction of the neighbor kids. Mario knew then that it was good we had a dog so our kids would never act like that around dogs.
I remember going to Florida for a month about 6 months after getting Buzz. When I came back the neighbors told me how Buzz and Mario would sit out at the park behind our house for hours and how Mario looked so sad. I'm glad he at least had Buzz.
9/11 happened while living in Guam. Mario had to work around the clock and I remember being scared to go outside at night to take Buzz potty. We had heard so much about Bin Laden targeting Guam that I was convinced there were terrorists waiting outside my door. Not really, but maybe a little. That's the only time I was scared with Buzz. Most of the years, I found great comfort in having a watchdog. If I woke in the middle of the night and heard a noise, I would just go back to sleep because I knew the house was safe if Buzz wasn't barking. He has been a great comfort to me over the years.
Buzz was the only one in the family to go through typhoons in Guam. We left him for a month with friends while we vacationed in Florida. Then they shipped him to Hawaii where we met him. While in Guam, two typhoons hit that month.
I think it was in Hawaii, we sent Buzz to obedience school fulltime for a week while we went on vacation. Up until then we used the Gentle Leader collar to keep him from pulling our shoulders out while we walked him. We tried for a few days to keep up with the obedience training but eventually we just resorted to using the Gentle Leader for pretty much the rest of his life. It really has been only in the past year that Buzz hasn't pulled us while walking. Lately, it was more us pulling him along. That was really sad.
Buzz was my running partner. I learned to run in Guam and he ran many miles with me in Guam, Hawaii, and then Illiniois. I remember that Buzz was scared to death of anything like grates or manholes. He would avoid them at all costs while running, sometimes almost knocking me over in the process. I always ran the same route in Hawaii. The last part of it was a hill right before you turned into our townhome. One day I was feeling especially great and I decided to keep running and so I just ran past the driveway. Buzz wasn't happy and he tried really hard to turn. I still laugh when I think about that run. Buzz's running days ended in Illinois when he injured his leg. As long as he didn't run he was ok. But if he tried running, he'd limp for the next few days.
I remember when the twins started eating in chairs on the floor. That must have been the happiest times for Buzz. He was well fed.
I remember Buzz eating a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies, pound of thawing hamburger, loaf of homemade bread, bag of almonds, and anything else he could sneak off our counters. I remember going to church a few Sundays with a cake that I had forgotten to remove from the counter. I would sit through church and wonder if Buzz would get to the cake. He never did for some reason. We discovered that potatoes and almonds made Buzz throw up. So we had to be extra careful with eating those foods around him.
Whenever Zach was mad at us for something, he'd run and find comfort in Buzz. He'd lie down beside him and drape his arm over him. That's how I knew Zach was really upset. I think this will be the hardest on Zach. He hasn't known a life without Buzz and he's very attached to him.
I don't know if there will be another dog in our future. Mario says no and I am on the fence right now. Life would sure be a lot easier in some aspects without having to worry about a dog. We could pack up and leave for a weekend trip anytime we want. We could possibly (hopefully) move overseas next time and that always presents challenges with pets. Our landlord doesn't love dogs and we are the only exception he has made for a tenant to have a dog. So he would very much love for us to be pet-free. Mario has no regrets about adopting Buzz. He has loved him just as much as the rest of us. I think that's part of the reason he doesn't want another. He doesn't want to go through this pain of having to let another one go.
We have had so many children over our house. Almost all of them have fallen in love with Buzz. Many have asked us to let them adopt him over the years. We even had no dog lovers want to adopt him. But we were never willing to give him up. We love you Buzz. You will be missed by us all.
 |
| My favorite picture of Erin and Buzz |
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| Just a couple nights ago |
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Sleepover
Since we don't allow twins to have sleepovers, Nathan decided to have a stuffed animal sleepover. He's trying the "It's Pooh's birthday tomorrow. Are you going to make him a cake?" That worked like 3 years ago. Not sure it works on me anymore.
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