Too Emotional

Good Grief! We had a practice fire alarm at school today and as I'm walking out seeing the kids all safely lined up with their respective teacher, I tear up. I had 2 minutes of advance notice of a fire alarm, so it didn't surprise me, so why the emotions? Maybe because it's my first fire alarm, maybe because I knew the kids were safe, maybe it's because I know how serious a real emergency could be.

Don't worry, I got it together and all went well.

I cried today

I cried today in front of 3rd grade. We have been practicing for our Christmas program for the past 6 weeks or so and the children really know the songs well. So, I pulled out my fish that Grandpa Jensen made and Bryan painted and the student's caught a fish and we sang the song attached to it.

One of the songs is a Peace Prayer with Silent Night. The choir sings Peace Prayer and the rest of the classes sing Silent Night and then the two are sung at the same time. Half of the 3rd grade class is in the choir. When they split, the choir kids sang their song and the rest sang theirs. As the song filled the room, my emotions lept from me and I wept. What a great group of students! The rest of the hour was filled with the kids trying to make Mrs. Jensen cry. I love them!

Isaiah 38:20

The Lord will surely save me, so we will play my songs on stringed instruments all the days of our life at the house of the Lord.

I have had so much fun with the musical family unit.
For the brass family, I brought in my french horn, trumpet and bugle. I let the classes try the instruments out.
For woodwinds, I borrowed my sibling's instruments; the flute, piccalo, clarinet and alto sax. I also demonstrated a recorder and how blowing into a water bottle is like the flute. Because these were not my instruments, I didn't let the kids try those.
For strings I brought in my 12-stringed guitar, a ukelali Palmer's violin. I didn't want to bring Ethan's cello because I didn't have the room to haul it in my little Prius. I let the kids' try the string instruments.
Percussion is next week. I'm excited to bring it all together with Peter and the Wolf and Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

We're like apple billionaires!

Says Evan after seeing all the apple jars lined up.

Here's my day and help yesterday:

Started about 12:45 with Susie and Mary Palmer

Stopped for 1/2 hour to pick up Ethan from school.

Resumed at 2:20 with Ethan and Susie.

Around 3:00 Ethan's friend Ashley shows up to play,

I put her to work instead!

(She'd never used a peeler!)

Susie left at 4:00 taking Ethan with her.

Now it's just me and Ashley, so I ask Evan to help.

Ashley stays until 5:30 even after one of her friends calls her to "hang out" at 4:45. Here is the phone conversation, "Hi Rachel..... no I can't hang out, I'm at Ethan Jensen's house helping his mom cook."

Now it's just me and Evan.

Bryan comes home around 6:30 and does dishes.

I put the last batch of apples in the pot to can at 7:35 pm.

They come off at 8:10 pm.

I'm tired!

I Chronicles 13:8

And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbols and trumpets.

Job 21:12
They sang to the tambourine and harp and rejoice at the sound of the flute

Psalm 98:6
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the king the Lord.

Psalm 150:4
Prasie Him with tambourine and dancing. Praise Him with the strings and flute.


I'm dong a unit on the 4 musical families. Isn't it great how the Lord accepts our praise in musical form!

Bribed or Dare-Devil?

Yesterday it was such a beautiful day, we went to Lagoon for Frightmares. Evan has been getting braver and braver and has gone on more big rides than ever before. I asked him if I should bring some "brave pills" (lemon head candy) so he could go on Wicked, but he didn't want to. He said it made his tummy upset thinking about Wicked.

While we were there, Clayton, Susie and Mary went on the Sky Coaster. Ethan saw that Evan was tall enough for it and asked him if he wanted to go. He said he would think about it. Susie and I figured he would need to process it for about 6 months or so.

Later that afternoon, Evan said he was ready to go on the Sky Coaster. I asked him if he wanted to go with just Ethan or with Ethan and mom or dad. Of course he wanted all of us to go, but only 3 can go at once. So, Ev picked Daddy! He got all strapped in and as they were going up up up up up, he said, "I'm getting nervous.... I'm getting nervous"

Bryan helped him by telling him how funny it is that mommy is getting small like a little ant and so on.

At the top, the nice Lagoon worker told the boys that their momma loves them. And then Ethan pulled the rip cord and down they flew! Evan loved it!

Later we found out that Ethan promised Evan he could play with Ethan's Bionicles for a whole week if he went on the Sky Coaster. Hmmm, was it bravery or bribery?

Change is hard ... for Evan

Last week I slept in a bit so i didn't have time to make Evan's home lunch. As I was running out the door, I gave him a kiss and told him he would need to eat school lunch. He asked me what was on the menu. I told I didn't know, but I'm sure it would be good. Then I ran out.

As I left, evan asked Bryan what was for school lunch and he didn't know either. Evan said, "Today is not a school lunch day, it is a home lunch day! I can't have school lunch today." So Bryan made him his usual home lunch. Half a peanut butter sandwich with honey. He also through in some plums and a few little treats.

Evan was happy. Thanks Bryan for coming to the rescue of the little one who has a hard time with change. Even if it is school lunch vs. Home lunch. I love you!