Principal's Pride

Last week McKade was chosen to receive the "Principal's Pride" award at school. They do it a lot differently than they did at their old school. They had a red carpet laid out and they called each child in one by one and explained why they were receiving the award and then they got their picture taken with the Principal. McKade was chosen because of his excellence in spelling. McKade is working on 3rd grade words right now and they are almost too easy for him. We hardly ever have to practice and he breezes right through every spelling test. I am so proud of both of my kids for working so hard in school. We have tried to work on teaching them the importance of getting a good education. This was part of my reason for choosing to send them to the Charter school next year. I have been increasingly frustrated with the public school system and the lack of flexibility when working with kids at different levels. Both of the schools that my kids have attended have failed the "No Child Left Behind" two years in a row and that scares me. I am hoping that the new school with work with their differences instead of using them against them. I am really excited to see the difference in Bryn who will start there next year too. She will start learning Spanish in Kindergarten. She is doing so well in Pre-school and I am glad that I found something that will work with her as well.

Happenings at the Ruoti House

Well, we had a taste of Spring. I hate these little teasers. We broke out the flip-flops and the capris and the short sleeve shirts only to have to pack them back up again this week. It went from 75 to 40 degrees in less than a week and it's the end of March. Come on now, I don't expect much but I am so tired of being cooped up inside the house trying to stay warm. The kids got a little taste of weather freedom last week and now they are going through withdrawals as well. The outlook isn't great for any weather warm up in the next week which is not so good because Trevin's first baseball game is next week.
Trevin has been thrown deep into baseball fever. His coach has them practicing almost every night of the week and he is loving it. He has an amazing coach this year who is not only teaching them the basic rules of baseball but teaching them the importance of conditioning as well. Trevin has been running his little tush off and I am proud of him.
I was able to sneak away for an evening on Monday night. Joanie scored some tickets to Odyssey Dance Theaters performance of "Giselle". This was part of their Spring "Shut Up and Dance" performances. The show was amazing. I love how they take a well known story and throw their own twist into it. It was modern and the dancing was fantastic. It sure made me miss dancing!! Thanks to Denice and Amy for coming along. It was a fun evening!!!
We went to Parent Teacher Conference last night. I was a little worried but that was quickly dispelled. McKade is reading on a 4th grade level and his teacher was very proud of him. He is already learning his multiplication facts and is eager to actually get to 3rd grade next year. Trevin has made such huge progress I can't even believe it. He has jumped up and is finally reading on a 4th grade reading level. This is amazing because back in November he was really struggling. Trevin's teacher said his biggest issue now is Confidence and not getting so down on himself for making mistakes. She has set up quite a few rewards for him for getting things accomplished. I am extremely proud of how hard they have worked and I am really looking forward to seeing the difference when they start at the charter school next year. We rewarded them with a trip to Arctic Circle for ice cream of their choice last night. I love you guys-thanks for working so hard to make us proud!!!

The Draper Temple

Today we had the opportunity to witness the Draper Temple dedication. No, unfortunately we did not get to go inside the Temple but we got to view it via satellite from our Stake Center. Trevin and McKade were the only ones old enough to be able to attend. I really wanted them to be a witness to this joyous occasion. I don't know if they understand fully the significance about what they saw or how blessed we are to have so many Temples so close to us. It was a little long for them but I know we all felt the Spirit. After the dedicatory prayer the choir and all the congregations sang "The Spirit of God". I bet that if you walked outside you could hear it echoing through the valley. I have never heard a congregation sing a song with such fervor. I am so grateful for the Temple and for my "Forever Family".

We're Back in the Game-Kinda

As of this week Brett and I are both gainfully employed again-kind of. I got a job working at home helping out a few of the people that I used to work at Auto Trader with. They started their own magazine and needed some help a few hours a week. This works out great because I can stay home with my kids. My biggest dilemma was trying to figure out what we would do if I had to go back to work. Daycare really isn't an option because of the cost but it looked like the only option until this came along. It's a little slow now but they are all hoping it will pick up and I will be busy for about 10 hours a week which will be perfect.
Brett also started a new job today. It's not his dream job but with the state of the economy we are lucky that he found a job at all. They are pretty hard to come by and we are definitely grateful for who we know. This wouldn't have happened without that. Thanks to all of our friends and family for their support. We couldn't have made it through without you guys. It's still going to be tight for us for the next couple of months but I am so grateful for all the blessings that we have received and, strangely enough, I am grateful for these trials to help us grow stronger.

Scouts

My boys are growing up so fast and I need to be better about documenting the special things that happen in their lives. We had Pack Meeting for Scouts tonight and this was McKade's first Pack Meeting because he went to the Jazz Game last month. He received his Bobcat tonight. This is his first step to progressing in Scouts. It's just one more thing to add to the list of things we have to get done but the boys love it. Anything that can keep them involved and learning new things is so important to us. Trevin is working his way to earning his Webelos badge and his Arrow of Light by November. This stresses me out a little bit but I know it is something we can accomplish. I have been slacking a little when it comes to taking my camera to Pack Meetings so I can capture these moments but I have made a pact to be better about it. I did remember my camera tonight so I have some pics of McKade getting his Bobcat.

The Living Planet Aquarium

Brynlee's preschool class went on a field trip to The Living Planet Aquarium today. Since Brett has nothing better to do he decided to tag along with us. I wasn't expecting too much because we had been there 2 1/2 years ago and I was more than a little disappointed. They have grown a bit since then and because we were with a group they actually did a little presentation for the kids. Brynlee couldn't stop talking about it all day and Harlee feel in love with the fish. She just didn't like it if the big ones swam too close to the glass. Brynlee wouldn't touch the Stingrays like she had promised and she couldn't believe that her dad would. I think the place still has some growing to do but it definitely has potential.

Cincinnati Reds

We are at the start of yet another baseball season. This year though, we only have one boy playing. McKade decided he would rather play soccer and with the rising costs of baseball and the thought of shuttling two kids to practice 3-4 nights a week plus trying to fit in everything else on top of that like Scouts, dance, tumbling and homework we didn't push the subject. Trevin had draft day yesterday and was drafted to the Minor Cincinnati Reds Competition Team. He only knows one kid on his team and that is a kid who played on McKade's Pewee team last year. We have 4 practices this week on top of everything else already. I am already dreading the chaos but Trevin is so excited that he made the Competition Team so here we come!!!