Salt of the Earth

Yesterday we had Mick’s party to celebrate his 40th birthday again. All of our friends showed up and a bunch of his friends from work. It was good fun and i think he liked it.

I AM NOW offically a Teachers Aid/ Sub/ Office Aid. Whoo hoooo All paper work is filled out- i was finger printed- and now they can start paying me for what i already volunteer to do. SWEET. I LOVE being at the school- I LOVE having lunch with Graham every day. I LOVE not having to worry about day care (i start when i take Graham and finish when his day is done) and I LOVE having his days off. I’m home an hour before Thomas gets home- The pay will be ok-once I start getting paid. I’m still adjusting to getting up WAY early and not having enough time to get things done. But really, i have no complaints.

I do have a cold. Blah!!! Comes with the territory of being around kids all day. Like the drama in my life, I will soon be over it.

I didn’t go back to school this term - :(. The teacher I wanted to study with got his class switched to a time that isn’t good for me. I am however doing a lot of art work and design stuff for the school which I am totally digging. Kind of cool to see my drawings on the awards and T-shirts and bulletin boards and what not.

Boys are doing so well. Thomas is just kicking some major bass ass and loving middle school. I really like most of his teachers and have made myself known to them. He’s trying to adjust to turning in homework for 6 different teachers.

Graham is also doing really well. His teacher has him in a 4th-5th grade reading and math group during the day. They had previously discussed moving him to 4th grade, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before (brag, brag, brag) but emotionally I do not think he’s prepared for that. So his ciriculum is at a higher level but he still does all his socializing with his 3rd grade class.

I have a new ‘hat’. I have stepped up as Cub Master for Graham’s cub scouts. Sad to say no other parent would do so- and I’ve been unofficially doing it since last year. It’s a lot of work, and kind of scary but so worth it.

These kittens are so damn cute I just can’t stand it. Butters has turned out to be my little buddy. Baby Elvis follows Thomas around like a puppy-it’s adorable. Rory keeps Graham awake at night and loves on him every single chance she gets. I still miss Nietzsche and still have those moments where I swear I think I see him but it just turns out to be a bag or a piece of clothing. I found the card they gave us the night he died- with his paw prints and tuff of hair. Felt like someone kicked me in the stomach when I realized what it was. I still can’t open the card all the way. I’m glad we have the three little fluff balls.

Well, I’m stuffy so I’m gonna go drink some Airborne and get over this stupid cold.
T

I wanna wish all of my Jewish friends and family a Happy New Year. And how do I know it’s Rosh Hashanah? Well, my son Graham is still thinking he may be Jewish. He was so excited to dip apples in honey. He even made a ‘new years’ resolution to not get mad and not tell fibs. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

SO what’s been going on here- in a nut shell- hmmm the boys are loving school. We are struggling with this getting up way early stuff. Thomas’ first week of middle school has gone well. I’m so proud of him. Ok, I’m going to take a moment to brag. Thomas has been playing cello for two years now and just started playing the double bass in January. He’s taken to it like a fish to water so much so that he was asked to be in Chamber Orchestra. (an orchestra that consists of a group of hand picked students, usually 7th and 8th graders which meets an hour before school starts. They have a reputation of being one of the BEST in Oregon.) Thomas is 1 of 2 6th graders that was chosen to participate in this orchestra. He is thrilled and I am so proud. Now the icing on the cake- Thomas’ teacher told Thomas about another student of his that was the only other 6th grade bass player that he picked for Chamber Orchestra. This other boy is now a freshman and the 3rd best bass player in the whole state of Oregon. Thomas’ teacher then told Thomas, that Thomas is further ahead in his bass playing than the other boy at this stage in the game…… wow. I teared up when Thomas told me this news. I just kept telling Thomas how proud I was of him- and he said ‘ mom if you are gonna cry I’m not going to tell you these things anymore!” He’s becoming such a responsible kid.
Little Graham is loving 3rd grade and his teacher is wonderful. She asked me if he could be tested for Tag (talented and gifted) and I agreed. I’m excited for him. I was so proud of him the other day. While I was at lunch he noticed that a class mate (who doesn’t speak much English) was sitting at the wrong table at lunch. Graham went over and got him and even cleared a space for him to eat next to him. It was so very sweet that Graham was taking care of him. The next day he made sure Huong (the little boy) sat next to him and even asked him if he had enough lunch. It’s so sweet to see that he’s taken him under his wing. He’s growing up before my very eyes and it’s truly awesome. I love being their mom.

I have been offered a job at the school which is a total dream come true. I’ve been working in the office as a volunteer since school started and they want to start paying me. It’s awesome. I’m in the process of filling out the paper work and getting finger printed. I have to go through an interview through the district- just a formality. I love the girls in the office that I’ve been working with. They are so much fun. It will be part time and I’ll be on the kids schedule so they will require NO child care. WHOO HOOO

My other potential good news is that I may be able to take an incredible art class with an amazing teacher. This teacher was my printmaking teacher for a term and I was on fire for printing the entire term. I’m so glad it became available- i just need to talk to the teacher to make sure I take the class as independent studies. If this all works out- i will be SO very happy.

Mick is doing ok. You’ll have to read his blog or talk to him to get the details.

The kittens are doing well- they are so much fun. I’m so glad we got them. They each have their own personality that i just love them to death.

alright- that’s my nutshell.