Bickmore Buzz May 1, 2016

Hi Family!

May is here! Guess what's in May? THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL--May 19th! We can't wait! Isaac's last day was Friday. He taught his final day of Digital Hybrid class and completed his final student teacher observation. Woo hoo!

If we could describe this past week in one word, it would be TIRING. Tuesday felt like a Friday, and well, when that happens, the rest of the week drags on and on and on. We hardly ever watch TV in the evenings, but this week, that's what we did after school. We'd watch Mr. Rogers or whatever else we felt like watching. We didn't have the energy for anything else.

Van came down with the stomach flu on Thursday. He was up every hour during the night moaning for water and a cool cloth for his fever. It felt like having a newborn baby. Isaac and I were both exhausted Friday. Since Van was sick and Isaac had to teach his class on Friday morning, Susan James taught my class for the first hour of school. She is the special education teacher for K/1 grades so she assists the three kids in my classroom for half the day. We have a full inclusion model at our school which means the special ed kids stay in the general ed classroom with a teacher or assistant helping them the whole day. Anyway, Isaac came home at 10:00 and then I went to school. Fridays are early dismissal days, so I only had to teach for 4 hours on Friday. It was so nice. Around 3:00 I began feeling sick to my stomach so I went straight home and climbed into bed. I slept until 7:00 pm!! I don't think I've had a nap like that since college!

Yesterday was overcast and stormy. Van was still not feeling well, so he napped and laid on the couch most of the day. The rest of us weren't feeling up to going anywhere so it was the perfect lazy day at home. Around dinner, we decided to take a trip to Target so I could pick up a few things for the teachers for Teacher Appreciation week.  Isaac was able to help a young kid from Chicago by giving him a ride to the AT &T store. I was grateful that someone who needed help was placed in Isaac's path. Isaac is always willing to help and serve those in need.

Today, we went to church. Van laid on the pew with his head in my lap. Anytime I would cross my legs, he would push my leg down and say, "Make it a lap," so he could lie his head down. Our friends, Kerris and Aaron Haynes, recently had their first daughter. She was blessed today in sacrament meeting. Isaac was invited to stand in the circle. After church, we were invited to eat lunch at their house. We had a lot of fun visiting and eating delicious gumbo.  When we came home, we all had to lay down and take a nap, except for William. We took an hour nap and then went to Susan James's house for dinner. Her husband, Pete, wore his superhero shirt for the boys. That led into a long conversation about Marvel and DC comics. Van still wasn't feeling himself and sat on our laps for most of the evening. He hasn't eaten much. Isaac is going to keep him home tomorrow from school and if he doesn't get better by the afternoon, he'll take him to the doctor. Poor Vanners! I feel like we are so worn out from the school year, that our bodies are shutting down. Remember last summer when Isaac and I came down with the flu in June and Isaac ended up being hospitalized with pneumonia? I sure hope that doesn't happen again!

So, ya, we had a lovely time with Susan and Pete. They grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for us. Then Pete built a fire in their fire pit and we ate s'mores. Yummy! We ended up staying for about three hours. It was the perfect evening to take away our Sunday night blues.

We hope all is well with everyone. We were sad to hear about Aunt Jane and Dana's uncle's passing. It seems there have been a lot of people close to us that have died this school year. Sigh. It reminds me that life is short and that I need to enjoy my time with the people I love.

I love you all!! Let us know how you're doing!

Overheard at our house:

• We went to In-N-Out Burger on Wednesday. Van yelled, "Yay! Inside Out Booger!"
• William asked, "How do you spell 'immi'?" I said "What do you mean?" He clarified with, "Like, is this IMMI-geometric or organic?" I realized he meant "image", as in "Is this IMAGE geometric or organic?" 
• Lately, William loves to start his conversations with phrases like, "You know, I was thinking," or "I'll tell you one thing," He sounds so grown up the way he says it too. It cracks me up. 

This is what I am giving to the teachers tomorrow! I found the idea on Pinterest and had fun creating my own tag. 

I'm also on the social committee this year. My wonderful principal is being transferred to another school next year so we planned a farewell party in her honor. I made this invitation using a template online. I had to take a picture because it turned out so beautiful! 

Van loves to sit in my lap and help me drive the car to the back parking lot.

We made culture masks for art. William wasn't sure what his heritage was so I am going to tell him tomorrow for family home evening.