One our favorite memories of having Sam and her kittens in our home are these images. Midnight become the "kitty stepdad" to the brood and helped Sammie a lot with the kittens.
Family
As the Years Go By We Grow and Change, But We Are Always Family Still the Same
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A Family of 8 (cats that is)
One our favorite memories of having Sam and her kittens in our home are these images. Midnight become the "kitty stepdad" to the brood and helped Sammie a lot with the kittens.
Its Been How Long?
I must apologize for all of you who wait patiently to hear the next saga of The Haynes Family. We had a writer's strike that kept current updates from being posted. *grin*
New updates:
VERN
Vern is taking 9 credits this fall. MacroEconomics, Accounting, Management core class. He decided working 45+ hours a week and doing 9 credits just wasn't going to work. So, to help him stay caught up, he is taking half a day off on Thursdays (when Chantel is at her labs) to do school. Vern is on the radio doing Techbytes every Monday morning with his co-worker Rick. They do a 30 minute talk show about computer topics! It is fun to listen to the show. He is also teaching 9 WECC classes this fall, September through November. Vern is still the Branch Clerk and is now the 1st counselor in the Young Men's, which means Youth Wednesday nights in Worthington and stake activities. He is still trying to find his rhythm, but is giving it a go, and Cyrus really enjoys having his dad teach and guide during activities and classes.
CHANTEL
Chantel is busy, busy, busy with school. If you think 18 credits in a semester sounds like a lot, it is! Nursing school is going pretty well. She is managing to keep up and get at least B grades on her assignments and tests. This is important because it takes a B to pass the course. She has labs on Thursdays first quarter and clinicals on Fridays second quarter in Worthington. Her friend and co-nursing student, Katherine, is staying with us again overnight on lab/clinical days, so they are able to carpool, which is very nice. Chantel's health has been basically stable. Her allergies are the worst we have ever seen them, and she is sure she is taking way too many allergy medications to be a good thing. However, the other options available could cause more problems. She seems to be fighting through a sinus infection, but doesn't want to go on antibiotics if she doesn't have to. This means that some days she doesn't have a lot of energy, or just plain doesn't feel good, but over all, she is still doing quite well and getting done what needs to be done. We are all learning our place in this adaptation. Adding to school and home, for anyone counting Chantel is in Worthington Monday and Wednesday afternoon for Victoria's class, Tuesday night for Victoria's Institute, Wednesday evening for youth (yes that is Worthington 2x in one day), Thursday lab in Jackson and back to Worthington Sunday for church. Whew!!!
VICTORIA
Victoria is taking 11 credits to her goal of her AA by May. She is not doing any teacher aide work this year, because she wants to focus on school. Most of her coursework is online again this year, however, she has a math class every Monday and Wednesday afternoon in Worthington. This means that Chantel has to go with her until she gets her license next year, so she takes school work along and studies in the car while she waits for Victoria. Because she is done with Seminary, she will start Institute this week. It seems like school and family activities take up all of her time these days.
CODY
Cody is really focused on learning this year. She is still working on her novel, draws when she can, reads everything printed by man and God, bakes, helps teach art to her brothers and is starting to help cook meals when mom is gone. Cody has developed Reynaud's Syndrome in her hands and feet and has quite a bit of arthritis pain in her right wrists, so has been teaching herself to write left handed.
CYRUS
Cyrus is back in band again this year. This year he goes everyday at noon for an hour. He seems to be really enjoying the daily practice. We have moved him into middle school work, and he is now doing 7th and 8th grade work. We decided just to smooth him into the more advanced work and he seems to be doing just fine with it. Most of the curriculum will last him this year and next. He is now just a bit over 5 feet tall and slowly making his way taller. Cyrus' allergies are also very bad this year and because he perforated his eardrum 3 times last year because of congestion, we are being very careful to keep him as clear as possible.
JARED
Jared is growing so fast we can hardly keep up with him! He is now the same weight as Cyrus and only a couple of inches shorter. He is indeed a Husky guy and quite solid. We are lucky that he is loving and kind! Jared has been having a lot of difficulty writing in school. It has always been an issue, and we didn't pay much attention to it until last year, as for those who don't know both Chantel's sister and Victoria have rough handwriting. However, a little bit of research points to a learning disability called Dysgraphia. Basically where letters and numbers are concerned, Jared's left brain and right brain don't communicate clearly and it effects his fine motor skills. He reads wonderfully, but writing doesn't come easy. Interestingly, some research indicates that Dysgraphia is more common in children who are genetically left handed but forced (or assumed) to be right handed. The fix is to integrate left and right brain coordination, and to Jared's J OY, some of that can be accomplished with playing video games *sigh*. Mom and Dad just can't get a break. We are looking forward to an easy fall to winter adjustment with no croup!
New updates:
VERN
Vern is taking 9 credits this fall. MacroEconomics, Accounting, Management core class. He decided working 45+ hours a week and doing 9 credits just wasn't going to work. So, to help him stay caught up, he is taking half a day off on Thursdays (when Chantel is at her labs) to do school. Vern is on the radio doing Techbytes every Monday morning with his co-worker Rick. They do a 30 minute talk show about computer topics! It is fun to listen to the show. He is also teaching 9 WECC classes this fall, September through November. Vern is still the Branch Clerk and is now the 1st counselor in the Young Men's, which means Youth Wednesday nights in Worthington and stake activities. He is still trying to find his rhythm, but is giving it a go, and Cyrus really enjoys having his dad teach and guide during activities and classes.
CHANTEL
Chantel is busy, busy, busy with school. If you think 18 credits in a semester sounds like a lot, it is! Nursing school is going pretty well. She is managing to keep up and get at least B grades on her assignments and tests. This is important because it takes a B to pass the course. She has labs on Thursdays first quarter and clinicals on Fridays second quarter in Worthington. Her friend and co-nursing student, Katherine, is staying with us again overnight on lab/clinical days, so they are able to carpool, which is very nice. Chantel's health has been basically stable. Her allergies are the worst we have ever seen them, and she is sure she is taking way too many allergy medications to be a good thing. However, the other options available could cause more problems. She seems to be fighting through a sinus infection, but doesn't want to go on antibiotics if she doesn't have to. This means that some days she doesn't have a lot of energy, or just plain doesn't feel good, but over all, she is still doing quite well and getting done what needs to be done. We are all learning our place in this adaptation. Adding to school and home, for anyone counting Chantel is in Worthington Monday and Wednesday afternoon for Victoria's class, Tuesday night for Victoria's Institute, Wednesday evening for youth (yes that is Worthington 2x in one day), Thursday lab in Jackson and back to Worthington Sunday for church. Whew!!!
VICTORIA
Victoria is taking 11 credits to her goal of her AA by May. She is not doing any teacher aide work this year, because she wants to focus on school. Most of her coursework is online again this year, however, she has a math class every Monday and Wednesday afternoon in Worthington. This means that Chantel has to go with her until she gets her license next year, so she takes school work along and studies in the car while she waits for Victoria. Because she is done with Seminary, she will start Institute this week. It seems like school and family activities take up all of her time these days.
CODY
Cody is really focused on learning this year. She is still working on her novel, draws when she can, reads everything printed by man and God, bakes, helps teach art to her brothers and is starting to help cook meals when mom is gone. Cody has developed Reynaud's Syndrome in her hands and feet and has quite a bit of arthritis pain in her right wrists, so has been teaching herself to write left handed.
CYRUS
Cyrus is back in band again this year. This year he goes everyday at noon for an hour. He seems to be really enjoying the daily practice. We have moved him into middle school work, and he is now doing 7th and 8th grade work. We decided just to smooth him into the more advanced work and he seems to be doing just fine with it. Most of the curriculum will last him this year and next. He is now just a bit over 5 feet tall and slowly making his way taller. Cyrus' allergies are also very bad this year and because he perforated his eardrum 3 times last year because of congestion, we are being very careful to keep him as clear as possible.
JARED
Jared is growing so fast we can hardly keep up with him! He is now the same weight as Cyrus and only a couple of inches shorter. He is indeed a Husky guy and quite solid. We are lucky that he is loving and kind! Jared has been having a lot of difficulty writing in school. It has always been an issue, and we didn't pay much attention to it until last year, as for those who don't know both Chantel's sister and Victoria have rough handwriting. However, a little bit of research points to a learning disability called Dysgraphia. Basically where letters and numbers are concerned, Jared's left brain and right brain don't communicate clearly and it effects his fine motor skills. He reads wonderfully, but writing doesn't come easy. Interestingly, some research indicates that Dysgraphia is more common in children who are genetically left handed but forced (or assumed) to be right handed. The fix is to integrate left and right brain coordination, and to Jared's J OY, some of that can be accomplished with playing video games *sigh*. Mom and Dad just can't get a break. We are looking forward to an easy fall to winter adjustment with no croup!
Friday, July 3, 2009
How We Roll, To Missouri and Back
Here is our van, things inside, things on top, thing on the back...4 children, 2 dogs and Vern and Chantel.
But we have fun! Jared is asleep and the kids, Vern and Chantel are singing their hearts out.
Our Camp Ground
It is beautiful in Columbia! It is green and hilly and simply lovely. This is our campsite.
Hot, Hotter and Humid in Missouri
Here we are, all set up to camp for a week.
But, it didn't quite work out that way.
Mom only cooked breakfast 2 days of our stay, because by 8am it was 80 degrees with a 90 degree heat index. By noon it was over 100 degree heat index, no wind and very, very sunny.
Mom got heat exhaustion on Tuesday, and chucked her cookies in the bathroom at the swimming pool; the swimming pool we had to find
in a heat index of 109! (that rhymed).Mom got so sick, that we all decided we had to help out more, so Victoria straighted the tent daily, everyone helped get water, Dad took care of most of the driving and everyone made sure they drank plenty of clear fluids.
We also were very happy that our campground had really nice, cool, free showers and used them often.
It was so bad the first night that we went to
Walmart for ice, and picked up two room fans to hang in the tent. The temperature that first night stayed in the 80's overnight, and again, no wind. That is an important aspect of heating and cooling, because in Minnesota we regularly get to a heat index of 90-100 in July and August, but the wind blow, and as you may surmise, when it is humid and the wind blows it feels cooler....ahhhhh!So, we ended up calling our trip short, because we couldn't afford kenneling the dogs and eating out for 3 more days! We did however, become very well acquainted with the town, the mall, and the
fun (indoor) things to do. It is a very fun town!The YouZeum
We did a lot of indoor, air conditioned activities, which meant kenneling the dogs, and we were grateful for The Pet Place, a wonderful vet's office that offered daily boarding.
Columbia has a wonderful new interactive museum about the human body, called YouZeum. It was a lot of fun!
Family Bonding Time in Missouri
Even with the heat, or maybe because of the heat, we has a lot of family bonding time!
More Heat in Missouri
We spent a lot of time trying to stay cool, drinking fluids and relaxing in the shade.
A Gift or Two for Father's Day
We had a few surprises for Father's day. A new gun cleaning kit, and a headlamp for computer work.
Just in case you are wondering, his shirt say, "if you think my hands are full, then you should see my heart!"
Victoria the 18 year old....
When Victoria came home from EFY, we had a little party for her, just to make she knows now we expect her to do her own laundry like an adult *grin*
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