moved...

check out the new stuff going on at:
http://littlejohnbigadventures.blogspot.com/
I created a new site to be one of those SB momma advocates. So follow me there from now on. Thanks!

The end is in sight!

Well, today puts us at 36 weeks. This means that I will be full term next Sunday with the baby's due date coming up in 4 weeks. So far my total weight-gain is 20 pounds and I am feeling it!


Matthew cannot wait. He is convinced that the baby should just come already. I, on the other hand, am not feeling quite as ambitious. Don't get me wrong or anything because I am certainly done with this whole pregnancy thing. I want to be able to tie my shoes without losing my breath, run, and have control of my bed time. I would also love having the little man in my arms; however, I am convinced that the earlier he comes, the more work it will be for me making sub-plans. So even though things are busy and exhausting while being pregnant, I am convinced it is easier to manage with him inside instead of out.

No, I am sorry, we still don't have a name. We originally put it off because we just didn't want to deal with the stress of making a choice and dealing with the repercussions (especially if we changed our minds partway through). Now, we simply just can't decide. It is kind of like being on a Merry-go-Round. I have several ideas that I keep rotating through, but I am just waiting for the ride to stop spinning so I can get off with just one selected. The ride still hasn't stopped spinning even though I am sure my fare has already been used up. Maybe I need to consider new options?

Deadlines are piling up, and there is eminent and drastic change looming in my immediate future. It is easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. Yet, it always leaves me in awe to consider the hand that the Lord plays in my life. There are rough patches where I choose to weather my storm alone, but they are surpassed in my memory by the times when I feel His guiding hand leading me along. I am so thankful that I can turn to that peace - that He knows my need and situation so perfectly.

Truth be told...

I have to admit that I stopped keeping things up-to-date on here because I was afraid of being obnoxious. However, whether it was real or fake, I had several complaints about my lack of posting baby bump photos. So here we are at week 29. We are so excited to be finally in the third trimester. The end of waiting is finally in sight!

For all of you who will be pregnant sometime in the future, make sure you get good advice before doing your initial glucose screening. I had to take the real test yesterday and it completely wiped me out. The initial test could have been thrown by what I had eaten during the day...like that Lindt truffle or the chocolate milk I couldn't resist. After failing, I was asked to go through the more extensive testing. This involved fasting for 10-12 hours and hanging out in the hospital waiting room from 7am to 11am to get my blood drawn every hour after drinking the overly sugary drink. We came home, ate, slept, and then I failed at trying to feel normal for the next 5 hours. Hopefully, the results will be good this time though.

Our little man moves so much! Today in church me and two other sisters were completely distracted from the lesson because my stomach was contorting so much. I couldn't resist laughing, and they were able to see the movements from as far as two seats over.

Other than my rant about the glucose test things are going really well for us. My students love their new class pets: leopard geckos. They named them Squirmy and Spartacus and take turns caring for them on the weekends. Matthew and I enjoyed firing my little pistol and a Tommy gun after mudding in the Jeep on our Monday off. Matthew is continually trudging through the mess of interviews and resumes while staying on top of school. And I just try to get extra sleep whenever possible. As cliche as it may be, life is good!

Just to prove how time has flown, check out our diminishing paper chain!The above chain has become THIS chain!

24 weeks

Matthew and I now laugh at the change that is slowly occurring in the pictures. I am finally gaining more pregnancy pounds which is somewhat of a relief and somewhat of a hassle.


We are looking forward to this Christmas break, so that we can spend time with family. This is going to be a short post, but I will be sure to add fun info from the break shortly!
ciao!

Mouse!

We had our 20 week ultrasound right before the Thanksgiving holiday, so we were able to share the good news in person with my family and over the phone on the drive with Matthew's.

Unfortunately, the whole experience was rushed because they were squeezing our appointment in early, but we were just so thankful for their flexibility. After measuring the major body parts, examining the skull and spine, listening to all 4 chambers of the heart beating, and tracking the digestive system, they told us that everything seemed normal and on track for our due date. We then took a look to find out that we are having a little BOY! It was all so amazing! He had his hands and feet all up towards his face and it made this whole pregnancy-thing seem so much more real. Even though when you see other peoples' ultrasound pictures they look like ink blot tests designed for psychologists, being in the actual room with the nurse made him real in those images.

Of course, the first question we get after telling someone we are expecting a boy is "Oh, what are you naming him?" Now we have our list of possibilities, but we enjoy having time to think it over and find one that seems to settle with us before announcing it. So to dodge the question our response naturally is, "We are naming him Moose! And Sandee so cleverly came up with the spelling - M-O-U-S-E. So unique right?" Bronco Mendenhall is named after a horse, so we can have a Moose. I have a hard time admitting that I was trying to be funny about the spelling and didn't even realize that I had actually spelled the name of a rodent. Oh well, I just can't help how clever I am when I am pregnant...hehe.

We are now at 22 weeks and the little guy is certainly getting bigger and creating more room for himself in my stomach.

Matthew can now feel him move too; however, he is less than excited about the fact that it feels like a fish flopping around on the edge of my gut. He seems convinced that the little guy is going to cause some damage to my insides with all of that flipping. I am trying to wean him off of calling our baby my "belly monster." Oh well, I guess it still makes me laugh too :)

20 Weeks

Three weeks have passed since my last post and picture, and there are definite changes happening now. I have finally discovered the true beauty behind my maternity pants, and started wondering what in the world I am going to wear to church that will be comfortable and warm.

We are looking forward to our ultrasound, and it seems like it can't happen soon enough. Even though the baby's arrival is forever away, it is certainly fun to have something so exciting to look forward to down the road. We had two ward friends tell us today their pregnancy news and I just can't seem to get enough of it.

First "bump" Update

So most people probably start this process a lot earlier, but not much has changed in my stomach in the last 4 months. I have gained some weight; however, I seem to be hiding things well. To be quite honest we have waited so long to tell people because we have just been afraid things could be going wrong since there wasn't much change. We have been to the doctor's twice and things are reporting normal though.
Needless to say we are beyond excited about starting our little family. That little heartbeat has not ceased to amaze me.

Halloween!

My favorite part about this holiday is getting to spend it with children. They make it so much more fun and just thrive on the excitement of having a unique costume and getting free candy. They have been bubbling over about it all week long.

I, on the other hand, had to leave my costume planning until the last minute as my time was absorbed with school projects and meetings and planning and whatever else life has been throwing at me. That being said, I was pretty excited about the outcome. Two days before our Friday party I had solved the problem. While looking at the things I had available in my closet I thought of Mary Poppins. That plus the perfect hat and shoes from Rora completed my costume.

The best part of getting to be Mary Poppins for a day is that people immediately associate you with warm thoughts. She is magical and lovable and therefore I was magical and lovable. Both parents and students associated me with singing and happiness.

I forced Matthew to join in for our ward Halloween party, so he made a chimney sweep and went as Bert.


Favorite quote from the week: I told them my costume was going to be from a singing movie. "Is it an old movie or one that we will know?" Ha ha, thanks a lot kids I am not that old. I responded to them that it was old AND they would know it.

Dead.

Children really do not have a concept of death. I observe them playing all the time: someone "dies" and moments later miracle of miracles the dead person rises to their normal playtime capacity. It is probably for the best and all. Death is a pretty gray subject. I mean as gray as it gets knowing that the person gets to rest from the trials of this temporal existence. However, today I decided to test a theory. I was curious to see what my kids (the ones I nanny) would do if I played real dead instead of the fake kind. After they killed me in a rousing game of Evil Witch, I became a helpless, dead weight, eyes-closed observer. Looking back on the experience I tried to imagine the series of events playing out from their points of view. In their innocent minds it must have gone something like this:
*imagine all this playing out with the mad giggles that only a 5 year old girl can produce.

The evil old witch has locked us up for the last time. We will use her poison candy to kill her! Eat this!

Ha ha! It has worked perfectly and she is dead. Now we will just continue the process 5 more times after she wakes back up.
...

She is still not moving. My hyperactivity cannot handle this much anticipation. Must hurry the waking-up process.

Lift her head up! Pull her arms out! She is a Bouncy! Jump on her! Oh golly, that has only moved her to the floor instead of the chair. She still hasn't woken up yet. Does she even know how to play dead?

Yell louder! Pull harder! Oh, lets poke her. Still nothing...punch her!

Witch wake up! Wake up or I will spank your bottom! I am going to do it. Slap! No reaction. Slap more! Still nothing.

Witch, we don't want to play with you anymore. We are going inside. We are going to do it. You better wake up and stop us.

Wake up! Stretch it farther that will work. Nothing.

--- and then they pulled out the big guns and I could no longer play along ---

Bella! Come lick the witch!

--- Bella, one of the family dogs, is one of the dirtiest creatures. She lives in a paradise and manages to get into everything. No more than 20 minutes prior to playing Evil Witch I saw the wretched beast gnawing on something that was beyond succeeding at playing dead. The smell wafted along the canyon breezes and made my nose hair curl. ---

That threat did the trick and I was up. Even though I was a little battle torn from the 5 minute experience, it still makes me chuckle. Oh the logic of children.

summertime means...

I love summer, not as much as late spring, but it is as close as it gets. There are so many exciting things that come along with the "summer package." Things that bring smiles, tans, sweat, road trips, and most of all dying brain cells from lack of use. This summer has come to me after a two year dry-spell. Studying year-round had left me in a desert of fun. I'm not saying that my "Endless Summer of '09" wasn't enjoyable; it just lacked some of the typical elements of summer and included an unusual element: studying and tests. That being said, this year opened the flood gates and allowed summer activities to come pouring back into my day-to-day. Here is what my binge summer-ing has included:

Puerto Rico

Nursing
*spending time with mom after her surgery

Nanny-ing

Dinosaur Day

The desire to accomplish still unfinished tasks
*painting and blogging

Nerves about an upcoming year of teaching

Costa Rica

Sun bleached hair

Lake Pineview

Replaced a car

Skydiving

Fantastic toes

And yet to come: St. George, Classroom set-up, and Washington DC

freedom...

So I guess it's about time that I started using this space to write things that might actually interest my friends and family. I guess the problem was really that I had no idea what to write about and no time to come up with things to write about. Well, here comes my first real summer in quite some time when I won't have the pressure of homework weighing down on my time. Bam! Time is no longer an issue. If only I had something good to write about. So I guess if you are reading this you must know a little bit about me. Get ready for some randomness. The kind of random that busts out of you in song when you least expect it. And not the kind of song that someone else could join in on, but the kind where it is just you letting your thoughts wander out in the form of a tune. Yup, that kind of random.

Yesterday it hit me. It was a kind of strange thought, but powerful enough to make me think "I guess I could blog about that."

Why I LOVE springtime in Provo:
Notice the beautiful color on those trees. Although the smell can be kind of intense, these trees are one of the most pleasing parts of my walks home in the spring time.

While I was enjoying that pleasing sight right outside my window it was interrupted by this:Notice that is in fact a parking enforcement vehicle. It drove by our apartment more than three times yesterday. This is one of the reasons I always dislike Provo no matter the season.

Final Assignments

I have checked my grades on blackboard and completed the Course Feedback Survey. However, I was misinformed about the due-date of the Route Y evaluation. I believed that today was the deadline, but they have all closed. I planned on taking this evaluation today because I do not do school work on Sundays.

Internet Safety

1. What article did you choose to read for your article of choice?

I chose to read under the "Internet" section on the church website. There were great websites that I found. This one is especially useful for teaching children. It is fun for them to navigate.
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

1. Describe the video resources you watched?

I watched BYU's animation department's video on internet safety. It was cute and fun, and kids would enjoy watching it. It taught about not giving personal information online and not meeting in person people you met online.

Next I watched Katie's Story on WebWiseKids. They talked about how she encountered an internet predator. Her parents were worried about her conversations with this supposedly nice man and they got advice from an officer. They gave the family a game to play called "Missing." While playing the game Katie realized the similarities of the situation and was able to have the man convicted after further investigation. There were also lots of videos of internet predators. They are scary and so sad. They manipulate these poor young girls who are searching for comfort. Finally, I watched a video about how easy it was to track people online. These videos were really informative.

Next I went to the netsmartz website and watched several videos. I have heard there has been a problem with cyberbullying. I watched these videos to understand the problems that are out there. This is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

1. Write a paragraph describing what your most important "take-aways" were from the readings and video?

My favorite part was reviewing Elder Bednar's CES talk. I remember the feeling I had after he gave the talk, and it was great to recall all that he shared. He made some wonderfully bold statements about cyber life on the internet. It can be dangerous and addictive. It has destroyed families and skews morals. We need to keep ourselves and our families safe.

1. Write a paragraph or more describing the details of your "doing" experience (you don't need to include any names).
   

He knew about how it was important to protect yourself by being careful with the information you place online. He also talked about protecting your software from internet viruses. He believes that for children it is absolutely crucial that you keep the computer in a public place and have proper filters built in. It surprised me that he already knew so much about internet safety. He has obviously been taught well from his family, church, and school.

My Technology Lesson Plans

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dd25jrrn_1cffbs7gt&autoStart=true

Technology Lesson Plans

One of our computers isn't working and this one does not have Word. I saved my lesson plans as a PDF from my Mac program.

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0Bw_kbhTI6FBcYjkyNDFiNWEtODEyZi00MGJlLTlmMjgtNDQ1MTU4N2VjMTI1&hl=en

The most important reason I can see for technology in the classroom is that it inspires the students. I have seen this time and time again. They are attracted to technology because it is so much a part of their culture. This week the Promethean Board was set up in our classroom and it has made such an improvement. The students love it. It is new and exciting, so they will do anything to get a chance. I have never seen them so quiet and attentive before during math! Technology makes them want to learn. And unfortunately, our class is geared to a math program that has a strange set-up. It has been hard to get students to grasp the concept in a way that prepares them for their tests and workbooks. Now we are able to set up our lessons to be taught in the way that they are being assessed so students better understand the material. Technology is a great motivating tool in the classroom.

We got our Promethean board today. I am really excited, so now I get to figure out how to use it alongside my mentor teacher. She was showing me a little bit of what she has created for it, and we are almost as excited as the students to use it in class. They were oohing and aahing as soon as the peered into the classroom and saw it replacing the white board. As soon as the cables are all wired safely into the wall, we will begin using it for instruction and I will get to experiment with it.

I did all of this week's assignment.

Technology in Science

6th Grade Science

CONTENT

Standard 3-Students will understand the relationship and attributes of objects in the solar system. Objective 2- Describe the use of technology to observe objects in the solar system and relate this to science's understanding of the solar system.

And I will be tying this curriculum in with Social Studies Standard 1-Students will understand how ancient civilizations developed and how they contributed to the current state of the world. Objective 2-Evaluate how religion has played a central role in human history from ancient times to today.

PEDAGOGY

Students will be working in parnerships to explore the night sky using Stellarium. After completing their partner work they will be sharing their projects with the rest of the class. This is a good fit for the content because students will get time to explore the objects in the solar system. They will choose which constellation or object to focus their group project on. Many of these stars tell the stories of the ancient Greek mythologies. Their group projects will tell the story of a specific myth/constellation, about it's location in the sky, and how/if we will be able to see it.

TECHNOLOGY

Stellarium is a great resource for this lesson/project. It allows for students to explore and to be intrigued by the constellation pictures with the overlay. The pictures are intriguing and will help students to select the one they want to discuss. Students will also be able to find out how to locate this constellation in the night sky; some will be only seen in the southern hemisphere. This technology will make the project fun and more applicable to the students.

Malorie- her tour made me want to go to New Zealand even more than I already do!

Ashley- she made an ancient civilizations tour. I bet 6th graders would really enjoy this ancient civilizations tour!

Whitney- she created a tour of health services in the area. It was really useful and well put together. I appreciated that it was so different than anything else I saw.