1/30/16 Everybody was . . .

     Here is a picture of TJ helping me pick weeds at Gram and Papa's house. See what a good job he's doing? That was our start to a busy and fun day. We checked off a few items off Papa's list. Next we all went to see the opening weekend of Kung Fu Panda 3. They have another hit. It gets to go down in the record books as the first movie that all six of our kids let Heidi and I sit through the whole thing. In addition to being funny it has a great message about learning to love and give to others. Definitely worth a watch. 

     For lunch we went over to Costco, one of our favorite places to eat. It allowed us to extend our visit a little bit longer and debrief about the movie. We also needed to work out the plan for an upcoming FHE in VDO. 

     After lunch I helped set up a keyboard at the church they were considering using for the musical number tomorrow. Heidi and I took the old couches to Good Will. I got to go to the temple. It was a good night for it. On the way home I used up the last of the frosty coupons from Kelly. Today was the last day we could use them. It was a nice day

1/29/16 Faculty Meeting Number 1

     I've heard some other teachers say "only at Heritage" will you have a Faculty meeting that starts with a lesson on agency that references religious principles. It was a very interesting discussion. Much of the meeting was devoted to the types of things you'd expect. We talked about the calendar. Some teachers were concerned about kids hanging out in their cars at lunch. The student body president spoke early on. The theme for the next dance sounded a little too much like slang for something inappropriate. He said that was unintentional but accepted full responsibility. I was impressed with his maturity facing a room full of people much older than himself. Later on I got to meet the rest of the math faculty. Teachers make great company. They are a good group. It's going to be fun working with them. We even ended being fed lunch. Not a bad deal. 

     This afternoon there was plenty of accounting work to do. His evening I started grading the exam. So far it's looking pretty good. 

1/28/16 Little Helpers and Heavenly Help

      Today I experienced no small amount of Heavenly and earthly help. I started the day early, about 4:30 am. I was worried about how well my students would do on the first exam. The exams aren't graded yet but so far the feedback from the students has all been positive. 

       This morning was day 2 in the computer lab for my seventh graders. These kids all failed the entrance exam and summer school. If they fail again they'll have to repeat the seventh grade. I keep learning new things that they should know by now but don't. Khan Academy is great for letting the kids learn at their own pace. Still, I need to figure out how to get them up to grade level by May. It will take Heavens help to do but I believe we will have it. 

       My pre calc kids were so quiet today it almost makes me want to give an exam every day. We did a short review and then the exam. The Popsicle sticks with names has been effective so far at getting kids who usually don't volunteer up to the board. It's really doing the work that helps you to learn. Maybe if they know they could get called up it will encourage them to come prepared. 

     This evening Heidi went to Roundtable right after dinner. The kids helped me clean up and take care of Peter. The picture above is of Rebecca blowing on Peter's tummy. He loved it. Sarah washed the dishes! David wiped the table and island. TJ helped move the chairs so we could sweep. He even started learning how to sweep. He also put silverware away. It was a team effort all around. I am grateful to Heavenly Father that we seem to be learning this drill. This has been very hard for us in the past and it's just now getting easier. One helpful change has been setting a ten minute timer for who gets to take care of Peter. The three oldest see this as more game than chore and before the timer all three would disappear and claim that they were watching Peter. Now that we have the timer there is much less of that. It also helps us realize how long we're taking. Right now it takes us 2 and a half turns with the timer. That feels a lot faster than the "forever" that it used to take. Where was Joseph in all of this? As far as I can tell, not spreading peanut butter all over anything. Last night he helped move chairs. At least tonight he wasn't slowing things down. He makes slow improvement over time and we try to praise him when he does. 

1/27/16 Hearing is Good

    Don't worry TJ is fine. He went with his mother to the tail end of David's scouting activity. He asked Heidi to take a picture of him "sleeping" on the elephant. Heidi was there to train the leaders on how to use Scoutbook. It helps the leaders save time remembering which things the boys have signed off. 

     This morning Michael Hallsted and I drove out to Scottsdale to meet with the good folks at Medcare. We're starting work on a new database for them. It was a good meeting. I think that we made good progress. 

     When I got back Heidi took TJ to see a hearing specialist to check out his ears. One of his ears is just fine the other is slightly less so. The Doctor thinks that the fluid causing pressure on that ear will clear itself up but he prescribed a treatment and wants to see TJ again in 3 months. TJ reports that just having the doctor stick stuff in his ears seems to have cleared things up some. Hopefully in three months we can report his hearing is back to normal. 

1/26/16 100 Days of School

     Today TJ's class celebrated the first 100 days of school. It's hard to believe it's going by so fast. TJ often reports that school is his favorite thing of the day. His assignment was to bring back a box with 100 things in it. Heidi helped him glue 100 fruit loops into the shape of the number 100 plus some other shapes. Today before dinner Heidi found Joseph eating the cereal out of the box. The conversation was priceless. Heidi "but all of those are coved in glue!". Joseph, "Not anymore". Oh, well I suppose that's why they make sure that glue is nontoxic. Surprisingly, he did eat a pretty good dinner. 

        On the teaching front. Things went fine in 2 classes and rough in one. In my second period class there are a couple of kids who won't show respect to the other kids by waiting to talk until called on. One girl got really mad at me when I called her out on it. It's frustrating since my other 2 classes have both gotten it and we've moved on. Two of my better students stayed back to suggest it was time to start knocking down people's citizenship grade. I ran it by another teacher at lunch and she reported that has worked for her in the past. My first thought is to write their name on the board as a warning and then start writing points off. It's not fair to the majority of the kids who are trying to pay attention to have to keep addressing the same couple of kids. 

       On a more positive note, I took my seventh grade class to the computer lab for the first time. Many of them have been struggling with concepts that should have been learned before now. We got the kids set up with a website called Khanacademy.org. It has videos and questions to work and helps the kids to learn at their pace. We had all the kids working on different things and I just walked around and helped. I can be added as a "coach". That allows me to see what students have been working on and where they are struggling. I'm hoping it will help the kids get up to level so that we can move on and learn new things. One student asked if we would be going to the lab in the future. When I said "probably yes" she cheered and I think some of the others did too. That was a positive experience. 

1/25/16 Hot Chocolate

     One thing that I have truly enjoyed since I started teaching is that there has been no time for dawdling. No time to sit around feeling sorry for myself or wondering what to do next. I have had to be organized and start on the next task as soon as I can and just keep moving. 

     That said, we have still made it a point to keep our appointments with family. That includes Family Home Evening. Tonight we went to a neighbor's house. Their kids have been doing a neighborhood hot cocoa stand (donations accepted) on Monday nights. This was to be the last one of the season. It reminded Heidi and I of a more cozy way to do a Lemonade stand. They had chairs set up and a portable fire pit. There were several of our friends from the neighborhood along with quite a few kids. I think that we all enjoyed the chocolate and the company. It feels good to know that we have such nice neighbors. 

1/24/16 It Should be Easier Than This

      That is what the new High Counselor over technology said to me tonight after the Elder Andersen fireside for the youth. This time it was not our turn to host. That task was given to the Red Mountain Institute. They did fine considering the resources they had. The sound was a little distorted at the beginning but they fixed it. The webcast tech worked pretty much as it should. We only lost sound a couple of time for a second or two. We've had to deal with far worse in the past. Overall I can't complain. I did have some tech issues to work through on my end. Mainly it had to do with down converting the signal from the computer so that it could be transmitted to the overflow rooms. Heidi and Bob Rhyne and David all helped. In the end we had it sorted before the broadcast started. The knots in my stomach are still unclenching. Heavenly Father once again blessed us. Things that needed to work did. 

     Earlier in the day I got to help with the tech for our ward. My computer has started acting flaky when I connect it to an external monitor or projector but it showed no signs of that today. That was a huge blessing. 

     This picture is from Rebecca's field trip to the Arizona State capital. Her friend Darby's mom took this picture of the two of them. You can tell that they had a good time.  

1/23/16 Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

     Today a group of about 130 had the special opportunity to receive training from Elder Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Tilleman an Area Authority Seventy, Temple President Hatch and Mesa Mission President Jenkins. To be invited you needed to be in a Stake Presidency or be the Bishop of one of the wards in a 10 Stake area, OR you had to be one of the tech guys in the Stake hosting the event. I was the latter. It continues to be amazing to me to have had the opportunity to serve in this way twice. When Elder Holland came to our Stake in Provo I was sure it would be the only time I would put a mic on an Apostle. That actually is still true. I felt that since I had already had that opportunity once I should give it to my assistant this time. I was glad that I did. My assistant, Brian Jensen, reported with a big smile on his face that he felt a "real, genuine love from Elder Andersen" when he was helping him with his mic. I still got the chance to interact with Elder Andersen. He even told me his iPad password so that I could set him up to use the Stake's Apple TV. He was definitely the most relaxed person in the room. Talking to him made me feel more comfortable that everything was going to be OK.
    Things did not go perfectly, from a tech perspective, even though we put in hours of preparation. Happily, we followed promptings to have backup mics ready just in case. It turned out that we needed one as Elder Andersen's mic failed. Luckily he has a strong voice and could be heard clearly by the small group until we gave him the back up mic. The other tech goof happened when I was using my phone through the Apple TV to show scriptures on the projector. The Stake Clerk, who it turns out was in the building though not invited to the meeting, sent me a text message that I had two reimbursement checks to pick up and to please come and do that. It was embarrassing, and I'm still not completely sure how that could be avoided in the future while using that technology. Oh well, there couldn't have been a kinder, more understanding audience. Those were the two noticeable glitches, those and I forgot to turn up one of the audience mics one time. Thankfully nothing that really disrupted the flow of the meeting. President Cowan hasn't fired me yet. He was actually very gracious in expressing gratitude to our team.
      The highlight of the meeting was of course the Spirit that was felt. The Savior was the main topic of the meeting. The Stake leaders and Bishops were given the chance to ask questions. Some were easy "what about beards" some were harder like the balance between showing love for a person having  transgender operation while teaching true doctrinal principles to all involved.
     My team consisted of Brian Jensen my most talented AV assistant, Bob Rhyine the newly called High Counselor over technology, and Joe Udall the Stake Clerk. Joe and Bob passed around the wireless handheld mics to people with questions. They all did a fantastic job. On the whole it was a great day. At the end Brian said "I guess we'll never see this again" meaning an event like this. I told him never say never as this was my second. Who knows what Heavenly Father has planned for us.

1/22/16 Busier Than . . .

     ... A one armed paper hanger. Is what my Dad used to say when a person was just as busy as could be. It feels pretty busy this week. 

      This morning Heidi and I helped to hang a tv at Gram and Papa's house. Maybe that's why I thought of that expression. There were many things that could have gone wrong but Heavenly Father blessed us and things went smoothly. 

     In the afternoon I spent my time catching up on accounting work. Then in the evening I went to the stake center to set up 5 wireless microphones, a computer and a projector for tomorrow's training. 7 audio sources is many and we had to deal with hum and feedback issues and imperfect equipment for the job. Again Heavenly Father blessed us and we were able to find solutions to all of those problems. It only took about three hours and now I can rest easier knowing it's been tested and is working. 

     I missed dinner at home tonight so Heidi kindly snapped a shot of Peter enjoying his pizza. He has taken to emitting a high pitched shrieking sound when he is happy lately. We hope that passes soon. We try to really enjoy moments like these when he is both happy and quiet. 

1/21/16 A Rhythm Emerges

      Today was a school day for me. Heavenly Father has been blessing me to have just enough time to do what needs to be done. Last night between setting up a projector for one meeting and my next meeting I had just enough time to make the homework and quizzes that I used today. My Pre calculus kids seem to be learning and I am learning how to let them talk enough among themselves that they don't seem to feel as much of a need to talk over me. My pre algebra kids are well behaved but the material is challenging for them. I still need to find ways to help the things we're learning become clear in their minds.  

     Heidi continues to hold down the fort while I'm at work. It's a busy time but it feels worthwhile. Tonight Heidi went and helped at pack meeting. The kids helped me clean the kitchen. David is better at cheering the baby lately than I am. I truly appreciated David's help as my back was hurting and I did not feel up to carrying Peter. 

1/20/16 Face to Face

     The work part of today was mostly filled with designing database told with Michael Hallsted. 

      This evening I got to set up a projector for the Youth Fireside. The church has been doing a series of what they call Face to Face events. The Yourh are invited to ask questions of special guests and they answer as many as they can. Tonight Elder and a Sister Rasband were the guests. I was impressed with the quality of the questions and the answers. The youth face the tough challenge of wanting to "fit in" and wanting to keep their standards. 

     After that meeting we had a short stake meeting to plan for Saturday. It's going to be a great training   

1/19/16 Back in the Trenches

     I've been putting in longer hours lately. With preparing to teach and my Valiant work plus my calling it's been quite busy. Part of me is very glad of it. There have been times I felt I wasn't living up to my potential. Still, I'm glad when bed time rolls around. 

    Today Rebecca took the plastic loop that was holding two catchup bottles together and was using it like a mask. She added her cape and became "Super Rebecca". I thought we took a picture. It was super cute. She had us all thoroughly entertained. 

     Earlier in the day it was reported to me that Gram, Papa and Becca B came by for preschool. The report is that Joseph is doing better at his lessons. 

     This evening David went to a merit badge class for Citizenship in the Community. He reports that he needs to serve at a place like a soup kitchen for 8 hours. We'll have to sit down and learn more when we have time to sit down. 

1/18/16 Martin Luther King day at the Park

     Today Heidi took the kids to the Riverview Park. I had to stay home and work. Above is a picture of Grammie Mangum helping Peter climb the ropes. 

    Cousin Anthony was a big help with Peter. Matt and Sharon came with Lucy and Alex. Heidi picked up Bradley as well. The kids had fun spending time outdoors. 

     Here is Rebecca smiling for the camera. 

      I have been trying to follow the prompting to build my own version of the syllabus for my classes. It's challenging since I am a new teacher but it feels good to have some things written down. We'll see how things go tomorrow. 

1/17/16 New Home Teachers

    Recently we were sad to learn that our home teachers, Brother and Sister Colvin had been reassigned. We will miss them as they came faithfully and were willing to create lessons that engaged our children. 

     The good news is that we have two new home teachers who are good men. They are Jim Nelson and Gregg Turley. Jim is an experienced fire fighter and a long time 11 year old scout leader. Brother Turley runs an excavation business. 

       

     Also today I went and home taught the Porters. Heidi went to the Crosspoint  ward cub committee meeting. David and the other kids had fun playing with these tubes that Heidi's mother gave us years ago. The kids are still finding creative new ways to play with them. 

1/16/16 New PJs for the Girls

     First let me share this picture of Peter giving Gram a hug at Costco yesterday we are so fortunate to have both sets of Grandparents nearby so that the kids can develop a relationship with them. 

     Today we received a package in the mail from Heidi's Sister-In- Law Valerie. Her packages are always very thoughtful and full of beautiful, gently used clothes (many appearing brand new). Among the treasures were a new set of pajamas for each of the girls. Rebecca and Sarah were so excited they changed into PJs before dinner. We are grateful to have thoughtful family who watch out for us. 

     Other nice things today include Heidi doing Initiatory at the Temple, David got to have Lincoln over, Rebecca went to her friend Chrissy's house. I got to go over to the Nelson family's house and help them set up their new router. They insisted on paying me but I tried to keep the amount low. It will be enough to take Heidi out on a date sometime. 

     I also spent time refining my syllabus and grading quizzes. My Genral Math Class is struggling but 3rd hour pre calc is doing just fine. Time to grade 3rd hour. 

1/15/16 TJ's Pumpkin Plant

    TJ's class planted pumpkin seeds back in October. To our continuing surprise it continues to live. This morning we awoke to find that the plant flowered in the night. None of us have a particularly green thumb at our house. The kids want to plant it outside. Heidi and I are pretty sure that the near freezing overnight temperatures will kill it. Our current goal is to simply enjoy the plant as long as it lasts. 

     In other fun things from today, Heidi got to run an errand with Gram while I ran a different errand with Papa and Becca B and our 2 youngest, Peter and Joseph. We capped it with a nice Costco lunch. 

      This evening Heidi and the kids went with me to the stake center to be part of a test of the webcast system that will be used for next Sunday's Youth Fireside. It worked retry well.  

     I also got to have a nice chat with Kelly about some teaching resources. Grade cam makes grading easier. It turns an overhead cam into a bubble test grade checker. She Also recommends the book Teach Like a Champion. I'll have to check those out.  

1/14/16 It's not easy being mean

     First of all here is a pic of the "new" couch. Heidi has already started taking the cushions on the love seat apart so too late for a "before" picture there. Anyhow, comfy but worn is how I would describe them at this point. I've already fallen asleep on the couch once. 

      Today was the first quiz day in my classes and I had to practice being mean. "Is this a group quiz?" No. "Can I use my notes? No. "But you didn't cover the whole lesson last time" me "you wouldn't stop talking. The other section did finish" (we did finish before I gave the quiz out). It was hard but I'm getting to know my students. Some are working hard and coming prepared, some seem to expect a free ride. While some kids see this as "mean" it is also "mean" to give the same grade to the unprepared kids that the ones who worked hard got. I still have much to learn. Part of the chit chatting is because the kids aren't understanding me and they're hoping their neighbors can explain it better. Challenging since, so far what's been easy for me has not been for them. In addition some stuff that was hard for me they just covered and is now easy for them. It's hard to know how much time to spend on things. On the bright side I finally had kids take me up on the offer of help after school. At least I'm not terrifying all of them. Sigh. 

1/13/16 "New" Leather Couches

     On Monday our friends the Glenn's asked us if we would be interested in there old leather couch and love seat. We checked them out. They are well worn (Heidi likes the phrase "well loved"). There are some small tears and one 6 inch one on the love seat. Heidi decided that she was up to the task of restoring them so we are now in possession of new (to us) couches. They are very comfy. This morning Heidi and I went to the fabric store to buy patch material. With some effort we found the needed supplies. Heidi discovered that one of the two packages had been opened and the brown color had been stolen. She made sure to let the store workers know. After all that Heidi discovered at home that the glue in the kit was all dried out. Bummer, we'll have to try again another time. I'll try to remember to get a before and after picture. 

       The other big-ish thing that happened today was with my tech calling. One of the connectors on an important cable was broken during the last time it was used. Brother Charlie Cluff has both the tools and the talent to repair such things. He kindly met me at the stake center. He replaced the end but for a while we still had connection problems. It was Brother Cluff who eventually discovered the culprit was a bad RF to RCA adapter. We tossed the offending device and should now be more ready for the upcoming conferences. 

1/12/16 Meanest Teacher Ever

      That's how I felt telling my students that if they did the math right but forgot to label the units it was wrong. I felt mean until I put the grades in on the homework. Average grade was like 39 out of 40 points possible. In other words they still aced it. The labels were there too. Maybe the graders were "kind" and added them. Hopefully they remember to label on the quiz. I'll be grading that. My reason for being "mean" is that I want to be fair to those who did get it completely right. They deserve to get a better grade than those who were sloppy. Man that was hard to say to the kids. Still, I'm probably being too nice. I mainly want them to learn. We'll see in two days when they take the quiz what is sinking in. 

      On the fun side we played Murphy Ball. A neat game Papa taught me to help the kids review. The kids seemed to have a good time and maybe learned something. We'll try it again sometime. 

1/11/16 Peter and Joseph

    Peter laughing, eating a banana

    Joseph insisted I also take his picture. He has taken to saying "banana" loudly and for no other apparent reason than that he likes saying it. 

     Today was filled with some of the usual meetings. I worked with Jenn Jones on getting the tax arm of our company ready to go. 

    This evening I got to set up a projector for the Young Single Adult Stake Family Home Evening fireside. Time for bed. 

1/10/16 Peter Helps with the Dishes

    We had lasagna for dinner tonight which , of course, means that Peter needed a bath afterwards. Heidi knocked out two birds with one stone getting some dishes washed at the same time. 

      We got some new microphones to test out today during Sunday School. They worked well. There's a training coming up we'll need them for. 

     This afternoon Heidi had a Cub Committee meeting. Time for annual planning. Much to do there. 

     This evening we went over to the Adobe FHC to trouble shoot the printer problems. The old stake tech guy even came to help. It looks like it's time for a new printer. After 2 hours no progress.

      One fun story from today. Peter and several other children were visiting Heidi and I in our room as we attempted to plan the week. Peter was fussy. Just as Heidi was getting ready to pick him up Rebecca left the room. He turned and followed her out. That was a first, Peter picked Rebecca when he could have had Mom. It just goes to show how good she's been with him. It's good to have a loving family. 

1/9/16 Seven, Ate, Nine

     Nine day into the year and it is going by fast. This morning I got to do an Endowment session at the Temple. It was nice to take some time to be in such a peaceful place. I spent most of the rest of the day preparing to teach math next week. It is one thing reminding myself how to do Trigonometry. It is quite another learning it well enough to make it make sense to a bunch of people who've never seen it before.

Rebecca continues her incredible reading pace. She earned another medal for reading at least one million words during one quarter. With all the books she read over Christmas break she is well on her way for the 3rd Quarter.

Sarah finished her first crochet project today, this beautiful hat. She plans to give it to a friend. We are proud of her for learning new skills and for being so kind. Nice work Sarah!

1/8/16 Emissions Check for Bigfoot

     This morning Papa and I headed to Bigfoot at about 9 AM. It was time to take care of the annual emissions check. The first big question was whether it would start after being in storage for so long. It did not. Fortunately, Heavenly Father blessed us. The RV that was parked immediately to the right of Bigfoot was moved since last time. That allowed Papa to park alongside with the Saturn and jump it. We believe we were being looked after. After that we had to turn the engine off and on several times and it worked each time. This was good since we left the Saturn at the storage place. There would have been trouble had we needed to jump it again. Bigfoot passed its tests with flying colors. When we got back Papa test ran the generator. It's had trouble in the past if not run regularly. It had to think about it but it too came online. 

        The best part of the trip for me today was getting to visit with my Dad about teaching. He shared a fun game with me called Murphy ball. It sounds like a good way to help the kids prepare for the next test. He told me a great story about a "half witted parrot". You should ask him to tell you, it's pretty great. The gist of the story is be respectful of the students. We had a fun chat. I look forward to asking more questions in the future. 

1/7/16 Pocket Full of Sunshine

     Today was day two of teaching math at Heritage Academy. My second hour went much better today. We dove straight into the material and I think that helped things a lot. I've heard through a couple of other teachers that at least some of my kids are enjoying my class. Mrs Ortega, the Chinese teacher, reported that her student called me "a pocket full of sunshine". That made me smile. First time I can recall someone calling me that. The kids are doing better at not talking over one another. That alone has helped us to cover more material. I'm still a little nervous about relearning and covering all the material well enough that the kids learn and retain it. Good that they are listening better know, more important that I say something worth listening to.  

      Heidi and the kids did a good job holding down the fort. It's been raining every day since at least Sunday. That is super weird weather for Mesa. Heidi picked up the kids from school to help them stay dry. They ended up giving some of the Connolly kids a ride as well. 

      Heidi went to Roundtable this evening. Rebecca was a huge help with Peter. She got him to nap for at least an hour. Peter still likes to nurse to go to sleep so he was pretty cross that Mom was gone. Rebecca's help was invaluable at helping us survive until Mom got home. 

1/6/16 Catch Up Day at Valiant

    Life goes on even when I'm not here. There were some medium sized fires to put out today. I've been putting in way longer hours than usual. Still, I feel good about the way things are going. 

    This evening I got to take a well earned break with the family when our neighbors 3 doors down invited us to celebrate 3 Kings day with them. There is a special pastry that you eat that has a little plastic baby Jesus hidden inside it. Aside from needing to be careful to not eat it there is a tradition that the one who gets it gets to host a party on February 2. That's the day the Presentation of the baby Jesus is celebrated. I think that Ruth said they traditionally eat malasadas. Anyone fact check me on that? Rebecca got the toy. She did not eat it. Maybe we can invite Ruth, Beatrice and David over on February 2nd to a party hosted by Rebecca. 

1/5/16 First Day of School

The kids all gave me a big hug when I got home from teaching school today it made me feel very loved and missed. They asked me how my first day of school went. Let me report that it went well for the most part. Two of my three classes did fine with listening. The seniors were more anxious to cut to the chase. I adjusted after 2nd hour and I think it helped during 3rd. The tech wasn't quite ready for prime time and my Trig is rusty. The kids from my 7th grade class reported to the math chair that I did a good job and that they are excited about the quarter ahead. It was pretty wall to wall busy and I'm still not ready for Thursday but overall it felt good. The kids are basically great kids. I need to plan on changing things up more to hold their attention better but it should be do-able. 

     This is a kinetic sand house and volcano that Rebecca and Sarah put together. This picture to me shows how hard Heidi is working. She held down the fort with Valiant Accounting emails, solving a couple tricky issues that came up today. All that PLUS helping kids with homework and then having energy left for supervising the kids with sand. She is amazing. 

1/4/16 Heritage Academy AZ

     Today I did my first official work for Heritage Academy. I met with the head of the Math Department Angela Parker. I also met HR/key office lady Karen Hunt, handyman Vince and IT specialist CJ. Eric Parker (no relation to Angela) teaches the other sections of Pre calc. Michelle Baldwin is the teacher I am replacing. She came and let me know where the classes are at. There is still much to learn and much to do. The best thing for it is to get started and keep at it. The school on the whole has a good feel about it. It reminds me a lot of my time at BYU. I thought it was a fun that when I was at BYUB there was an Angela in my department and a Karen in a key office position both of whom were great. I also spoke to Earl and Jared Taylor. Both are warm and caring individuals. Earl is the Principal. Jared is listed as the business manager. I have had good experiences with each of them. Tomorrow is my first day teaching. Time to prepare. 

1/2/16 Happy Megan's Birthday

     To celebrate Megan's birthday I worked on finishing a job for a client. It's one of those projects that seem to go on forever. Just when you are about to finish you find some other problem that can't be overlooked. It took all night but I got it turned in. It feels good to have it taken care of. 

     The picture above was drawn by Sarah. It's nice knowing that she has such a good relationship with her cousin. It's also fun to see her developing drawing skills. 

1/3/16 Sub in Primary

      Last night I was asked through Heidi to substitute teach a class of 8 boys age 6 and 7 in Primary. Teaching Primary is one of my favorite things to do. I believe that while it is important that the kids be learning Gospel principles it is also crucial that the class be fun. If it isn't the kids disengage and learning doesn't happen anyway. 

      The picture up above is from a boy named River. He gave it to me after class as a thank you for being his teacher. Doug Roche was my team teacher. He is fun to teach with. We learned about choosing the right. We started by playing Simon Says so the boys could practice listening. Then we talked about what it means to choose the right. As a class we worked on memorizing 2 Nephi 32:3 about feasting upon the words of Christ. It was good fun. The boys were very well behaved. 

     After church we mostly rested and made a plan for the new week. School starts in the morning. 

1/1/16 Happy New Year

This morning I was up first. That makes sense since I was the first one asleep. Heidi reports that Rebecca stayed up reading past Midnight. The other kids were close. I got some work done this morning. We stayed with Grammie and Grandpa through lunch and then some. 

     In the afternoon we visited my parents. The picture above is Heidi helping plant the small pine tree they bought for Christmas this year. We helped with a few other small chores until it was close to dinner time. 

     We picked up pizza on the way home. The girls picked a movie downstairs. Heidi picked out Star Wars (now called episode IV). It's the first time i think Joseph has seen it. He liked it. David watched more than he has in the past as well. Fun that he finally has the patience for it.