This is for McKenzie

and for Brad my brother, and

to those who haven't given up on me as a blogger.  Thank you!

I am having trouble putting writing between the pictures, so let me just give a brief overview of what I have been up to.  I successfully completed my first year of teaching (hooray!),  I got to have a summer vacation that was paid, I went to my parents' cabin, went to Disneyland, stayed on the beach for family reunion #1, spent a few days in the mountains with the young women in my ward, got my license suspended, spent the 4th of July in Manti Utah for family reunion #2, bought my very own atlas, wore a flower pin that one of my students made for me, fell in love with chocolate soy milk that's individually packaged, went to the Landmark resturant for my birthday (1st time there and I loved it!),  went to the Manti temple, played in the last-day-of-school-teachers-versus-6th-graders-softball-game, packed up everything in my classroom so I could move rooms, hung out with my family, slept in almost every day of this summer, went to my cabin again for family reunion #3, and an gearing up for family reunion #4.  We are also buying a house! 

Here's what I have been up to lately.

Second Graders

I've learned a LOT about second graders these past four weeks. For example:

* The make a whole lot of pee. Honestly. They have to go every hour. And they don't even drink that much... I just don't get it.

* The world is their playground. ANYTHING can be a toy or distraction. This includes (but is not limited to) their feet while they are walking, the pencil they are using, or the person sitting beside them.

* It's extremely difficult to walk in a straight line.

* They can be so silly! They say the most unexpected things (good or bad).

* They have an amazing capacity to love.