Bickmore Buzz June 2, 2019

May always feels just as crazy as December with end of the school year festivities. Here's what's been happening with us the past few weeks!

VAN: 

Van is officially done with 2nd grade! Here in Warrensburg, he'll go to William's school next year at Martin Warren for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Van is going to miss Maple Grove so much! He told me when he grows up he wants to be a teacher or custodian at Maple Grove so he can be there everyday. I was so proud of him for riding his bike to and from school the last month all by himself. I noticed by the end, he was in a group of about 8 kids that wanted to ride their bikes too.

Van came home with a calculator the last week of school after the teacher cleaned out some stuff. He was all excited to show me what a calculator was and that he could spell a bad word-"hell" by typing 7734. I told him my friends and I did the same thing in school. He was surprised that I used calculators! To him, they seem like a new thing. In this picture, he is posing like a teenager looking at his "phone".

He loves his tank tops! I reminded him to make sure he wears deodorant!

Van earned his wolf pin at Cub Scout pack meeting. The second half of second grade, he signed his papers "Wolfboy". He truly believes he is part wolf. Ask him why when we come to visit this month. It's hilarious.

Here is Van's teacher, Mrs. Tracy Sachs. She was so great and encouraged Van to be himself.  Van loves to praise his teachers and tell people "I've had the best teachers." He really has! He's actually disappointed he doesn't get to do summer school this year. He loves school and loves to learn. His latest thing is CODING. He made an animation today after church. You can see it by clicking here.

 

 

  Isaac and I helped Van's class on Field Day which was also the last day of school. 

WILLIAM:
Will loved his 4th grade year. His teacher Ms. Matthews made all the difference. She is such a loving teacher. I admire her for the way she communicates to the students and fosters a climate of respect in her classroom.  William is into MARVEL right now. We took both boys to see Endgame a few weeks ago. They loved it. Will and Isaac made a Mark One robot costume out of cardboard and duct tape. He's also drawn designs of his different Mark robots. He would love to build an actual Mark One robot, but we explained that we don't have access to those kind of resources and it would take a lot of studying and planning to execute something like that.

The last week of school, we got to see William receive an award for earning all A's this year. Yay Will! Currently, he's working on a research project about Marvel. He's filling up a notebook with paragraphs, pictures, captions, sidebars, etc. I suggested we type it up and insert his drawings to make it look more official. He liked that idea. He loves to draw and when he's not drawing, he's reading books, playing video games, or watching the Amazing World of Gumball. He loves to play with Topher and Truman Huff.

LESLEY:

Mother's Day was wonderful this year. The boys cooked a delicious breakfast and served it to me in bed. We went on a walk and went out to eat at Ping Hibachi's. Here is a photo of the boys and I last summer at the Garrett family reunion. I often feel defeated as a mom. I try to focus on the positive, but parenting is tough! Lately, I'm trying to be more calm and patient, striving to use the Love and Logic methods. I'm trying to be more present with my kids and read more to them. Maybe one day I'll figure out how to keep a tidy home...maybe not. I remember a few years ago really stressing out about how my house looked (curse you Pinterest) and the spirit reminded me "Don't worry about how your house looks. Worry about how it FEELS." Thus, incorporating self care like Yoga and outside walks, chatting with friends, etc. so I can be a happier mom. When I put myself first, my home feels happier. Today in church, a friend bore her testimony and mentioned that she was watching the news on the recent tornado that did a lot of damage in Linwood, Kansas. They interviewed a man that was devastated because the home that he had worked on his entire adult life was destroyed in five minutes. He and his wife had worked hard for many years to build this extravagant home. My friend expressed how it struck her that this man had dedicated his life to such a temporal thing. It motivated her to be focused on the things that truly matter--family and faith. I was grateful for that reminder today. 

Last summer at the Garrett family reunion

Mother's Day 2019

I finished my first year of teaching preschool! I can't think of one negative thing. What a good feeling that is! I absolutely love my job. 

The kids performed "Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses" for their end of year performance. Some of the girls were sobbing about leaving preschool. It was so sweet. 

                                    

An update on my thyroid issues--I had a biopsy on Friday on one of my nodules. I'll find out next week if it's malignant or not. If I do end up having thyroid cancer, it's a very treatable cancer. I would have to get my thyroid removed.  I'm not sure what else. We'll see if I start the school year with a scar on my neck. That might scare the preschoolers a little bit! Ha!

ISAAC:

Isaac presented at a conference at the Mountain Lake Colloquium in Virginia. He was gone for 4 nights and we sure missed him! His online class in June didn't have enough students enrolled, so he won't start summer semester until July. He'll be teaching Current Trends in Music Education for the graduate students. He's enjoyed walking with his friend Jake every morning. He also wants to be more patient with the boys. Isaac bore his testimony today. He mentioned a story he read about an 18 year old girl who is dying of cancer. Her mom felt so alone and neglected by God. In her moment of despair, the nurse informed her that a visitor was there to see her. In walked President Nelson, the prophet of our church. He had just returned from a trip to the pacific islands. He didn't have any grand words of wisdom. He just wanted to be there to provide comfort. The mom expressed that she felt like it was God's way of telling her that He is aware of her and loves her. Isaac testified that even though he struggles with doubts and concerns and has questions, he does believe that God is aware of us. 

 A few pics of beautiful Warrensburg. Happy Summer!

Overheard at our house:

• On Mother's Day morning, we really wanted William to wear a tie. He didn't and we were having this back and forth about it. On the way to church, Will said, "It is so pitiful that a piece of fabric is controlling our emotions."
• After Van was sitting on the toilet for a while he noticed his bum and said, "My bum is as red as a lady bug."
• Van: "My three summer goals are: 20 sit ups, walk up the stairs with someone holding my feet, and be kind to everybody."
• Van: "I love you mom and dad 1 trillion times 9 times 9.99999999..."
• After watching Lego Movie Part 2, Will stole a line from the movie and incorporated it into his own line, "The world revolves around chiseled glutes."  In the movie, Batman said, "I carry my tortured past in my chiseled glutes."