Update

So I've been asked to post an update that DOESN'T have to do with the animals :) It's so hard because I love my animals.

Things are going good here. I absolutely love my job and it is so convenient for it to be right across the street from my house. The 2 year olds can sure give us a run for our money but it is great. The other new girl and I have started implenting the curriculum that was supposed to have been used all along but the other teachers hadn't been doing it. The only bad thing is we can't cram everything into the afternoon when we work so the kids aren't getting all of it. We do a craft each afternoon though and that's the most fun part. We went in last weekend and rearranged the whole room and set up centers. Hopefully the other staff will start helping us out some though because it's been a big chore for just the two of us to do all the planning and prepping. There will be 6 staff members in our room starting on Mon. Donna works 6-noon (she's an older lady and is supposed to do the "Jesus Time" with them each morning), Brandy works 7-2 (she's the new one coming in our room from the toddler room), Jake works 9-4:30, Angie works a split shift 7:30-11:30 and then again 1:30-4:30, Paige works 2-5 and I work 10-6 three days a week and 11-6 two days a week. So our staff is pretty spread out. No one has full time hours at this job because it's sponsored by the church and we don't have benefits. Even though I'm scheduled until 6 each night I never work that late. I'm usually off between 5:15 and 5:45. When the kids numbers go down they start sending staff home and combine classes. Except Mondays are my nights to close so I'm there until all the kids go home but even then I'm usually gone by 5:55

Jim is doing alright. He has been working a lot of overtime lately and his back is really bothering him. We are praying he doesn't have to have another surgery. He is having a good time getting his Harley winterized and playing with his puppy (oops I mentioned the animals). We will get to working on this house more as the weather cools and he isn't playing with his bike as much. We did get the carpet put in Jordan's room. It's not tacked down or cut but it's in there so at least she can play on the floor.

Jordan seems to be enjoying school and has been doing pretty good on her weekly spelling tests. If we can just get her to make her b's and d's and l's and j's the right direction she will improve a bunch. Jordan now rides the daycare bus to school in the mornings because the lady that was giving her a ride is the morning bus driver now. And again I get this service for FREE! Normally it's $10/week/way for transportation. Kelly picks Jordan up from school in her own vehicle though because someone else does PM transportation and they don't go to Grant (Jordan's school) in the afternoon. The only reason the bus goes to Grant now is because Kelly's kids go there and she said she couldn't do transportation unless she could take her kids.
We go see the neurologist here in Fremont on Monday and hopefully they will have all her records from Washington and we can come up with a plan for her treatment. She still hasn't had anymore seizures that we know of. She's getting excited to go spend a week with my mom next month when my sister and nephew are there. She and I will take the train over on the 13th and I will come back on the 14th and then drive to Des Moines (about half way) to meet them the following Sat. to pick her up.

We had a good Thanksgiving with Jim's mom and dad, grandma and James. We had the traditional fixings of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and rolls. Jim's mom makes a great corn casserole that has macaroni in it and she made a strawberry dessert too. I took over a peach cobbler too. We brought home leftovers so I didn't have to cook tonight either. Thanksgiving leftovers are always good.

I was going to go out and do Christmas shopping today but then decided not to. I didn't want to fight the crowds. I will probably go sometime next week on a day I don't work until 11. Jordan and I are going to go to the scrapbook store in Omaha tomorrow. I need to get some Christmas cut outs for work so it's a good excuse to go :) That's about it from around here. Hope that's enough of an update for you Gigi, and I only mentioned the animals once. More updates on them coming soon though :P

Cat and Dog Antics

As I said in my previous post Simba and Jesse fight like crazy but are the best of friends. Lately Jesse has really been getting the best of Simba and actually making him yowl in pain. But as Jim keeps pointing out Simba always comes back for more (I think it's his revenge). The other night though Simba really got Jesse. They were playing in the laundry room and somehow the small laundry basket got knocked over on Jesse. I laughed so hard because Simba finally had him cornered and "won" in my opinion. :)

Jesse say "Simba, so help me, when I get out of here I'll get you.

I mean it now you get me out!

Simba says "ha ha ha, you're trap!"

Jesse!

Our beloved Jack Russel Terrier, Lucy, was stolen this summer while she was at our friend Leon's house. Jim bought a new JRT in Sept. shortly after he was born. Jim, James and Jordan went to pick him up this last Sunday. His name is Jesse and he is quite the cutie. He and Simba fight like crazy but they are also best buds. Here are a few pictures.

Jim with his new baby

The collar doesn't fit him so he decided to just chew on it while he layed in the toy basket

What a cutie

Best Buddies (sleeping in my basket of clean laundry)

Halloween recap

Well Jordan thinks halloween lasts for a week now. :) At least it does in this town. We started with the week before halloween on Thurs. they had trick or treating in old town Fremont. We got down there kind of late and some of the stores had closed up already even though they were supposed to do candy until 8:00. We missed the haunted bank because that closed at 7:00 and we didn't get to that end of the block until after that. Then that Fri. was the fall carnival at her school. They don't have a halloween party but they have a free carnival where the kids get candy and play games. Sat. there was trick or treating at one of the little strip malls but we didn't go because Jim had to work and had to use the car. The next Tues. was Trunk or Treat at the YMCA. Then Thurs. was trick or treating at the Fremont Mall (ok, I wouldn't even consider this a mall because it's so small) and finally Fri., actual Halloween, there was a Fall Festival at the church we've been going to with free food, games, candy and activities. I did let her go trick or treating at a couple of houses and we went to Grandma Diane's and Jamie's houses too. Suffice it to say she probably has enough candy to last her a couple months. She has it stashed in a sand bucket but we are only letting her have 2 or 3 pieces a day.

She loved squishing the pumpkin guts between her fingers

Simba thought it tasted good

Jordan drew the face on for me to carve :) Simba wasn't too thrilled when Jordan put him in the pumpkin