What A Loong Month July Was...

(I am trying to follow the lead of other bloggers and blog more often, with shorter blogs. We'll see how long this trend continues. Hopefully it will be easier to do this than to upload the equivalent of a photo album each time I make a blog post).

Anyway, for your amusement...a piece of performance art by my youngest child. I call it "You Look Just Like I Feel":

It was a busy July. Since the last time I wrote, we have spent most of our time adjusting to the many changes in our lives. Lorelai seems to really enjoy 1st grade so far. She loves her new teacher, and has lots of friends in her class from last year. Lorelai (and Mommy) are going to have to get used to the new load of homework, and coping with new & terrible things like spelling tests and handwriting practice. Lorelai's reading comprehension is pretty high for her age, but spelling & writing will be our next big hurdles; well, that and mathematics---the bane of our entire household.

So far, Nathan is enjoying his new job with PAG. His commute is about 10-12 minutes longer than it used to be, which means our gasoline bill may be going up. He also has to pay for parking in downtown Tucson (although he's mostly reimbursed by PAG for that). As far as health coverage goes, our family is venturing into the realm of HSAs (health savings accounts) for the first time. We'll see how it works out for us.

Otherwise, Nate's enjoying his new coworkers; he feels like he has a lot in common with many of them. Some of the projects to which he's assigned require new skills and knowledge that he's just beginning to apply; however, his supervisors are confident in his ability to succeed...and so am I, for that matter! Day by day he is growing more confident and comfortable.

As for myself, it has been a pretty crazy few weeks, including two Bishop's Council meetings, two presidency meetings, and an orientation with the Stake Primary presidency. There have also been many hours poring over spreadsheets and rosters, and many more phone calls to get substitute teachers. There has also been one Sharing Time taught by me, and two Sundays in which we are at church until 6:30pm, trying to keep all the Primary children calm & reverent. Luckily, most of the empty teacher positions have been filled, and the ward is starting to right itself after the split. Maybe I can survive this "Primary president" gig...as long as I get acclimated to more meetings.

In August, my piano students start coming in the afternoons, so that time of day will be pretty packed. I also have a birthday party to plan; Lorelai has been insisting on a "pajama/movie" birthday party since January, so I finally gave in and let her invite several friends over for a 6-year-old birthday bash. I'm also teaching the first week of Celeste's co-op preschool next week. My expectations are low; I expect most of the kids to be pretty wiggly and inattentive this first week. Hopefully I can keep them entertained for the full amount of time! And finally, Lorelai and Celeste are both starting their dance classes next week; it will be fun to see them twirling around the house!