Just an Update

Well, I've been in the swing of things for officially one month, and already I am starting to countdown until May. What's the matter with me? Nothing, really. I am enjoying my classes, and I am enjoying my students. I survived Parent/Teacher conferences (blech), and my little Alice is a happy camper because she gets to go and play with Jovi everyday. So why am I on the countdown? I don't know. I just don't feel like I am supposed to be here anymore. It's a weird feeling, and I don't know if I can describe it. There's just this...thump down in my gut, and I know. My job here is done. But, unfortunatly, no one has bothered to tell that thump that my family can't go without health care, so here I am. But as I said, I'm not particularly depressed about it. Just...not right about it.

Anyway, what's been going on? Well, Joe is still working at Chris's Autobody. He really likes it--better than his last job, anyway, but I think he's feeling misplaced, too. He's told me that he doesn't feel liek this is where he's supposed to be, either. I guess we're just in a transition period, feeling like something is going to happen, but we don't know when or how or why, or how we can help it along. We're just doing the best that we know how. I am really lucky to have the husband I do, though. He works so hard--like everyone else's husband, I guess, but Joe is working on himself, as well. I have never seen anyone work so hard to be in tune to the spirit, and the amount of faith he exerts, just trusting that we'll be taken care of. It's amazing to watch, considering how much he struggled in the past with faith and trust. He's so strong!

Miss Alice is getting bigger and bigger! I can't believe it. Her vocabulary is constantly increasing, which means my (swear) vocabulary needs to decrease. Some of her favorite words are: home, Costco, Oh No, I know, no (of course), and night-night. In fact, she asks if she can go night-night. We readily oblige. She's starting to say phrases, too. The other day she looked at me and said, "Where Dada?" or "Hi Mama! Home." She is developing a taste for PowerAde. Don't ask me why. She is so funny! And she LOVES to brush her teeth!

I am finally teaching the schedule of my dreams: 2 classes of Honors English 10, 3 classes of English 10, and one Creative Writing. IT's what I have worked for, and my mind is brimming with ideas. I really want to focus on America and the Revolutionary period this year. I don't know why, but it's another one of those gut things that I feel I have to do. We'll see how it turns out.

We're still living in the same place, even though we're dying to get out. But, because of this LOVELY economy, we're stuck. For the forseeable future. We have decided the only way we are going to get out is if things suddenly turn around and the market goes up, or if we pay off the stupid thing and rent it. Guess what thing sounds more probable? WE're never leaving. Oh well. At least have a place to live, right? Anyway, things are good. We're happy, we're healthy, and we have what we need. What more could we ask for?

Coolest Thing EVER!

I was walking out of Chick-fil-A with my free chicken sandwich (the perks of being a teacher), and I saw what has been dubbed The Coolest Thing EVER! I wish I had gotten a picture of it, because it was, as I said, Super Cool, but I have a new fan-dangled phone that I'm not used to, and I'm a little slow on the uptake. But I will describe it here:

Red. Ferrari. License Plate that said "MAGNUM."

Folks, only one word comes to mind: BITCHIN'.

What's Happenin'?

Yes, I do realize that I have AWOL in the blogging world. And guess what? I don't really feel that bad. About six years ago, when I began teaching and had my first summer off, I realized a couple things about myself that had never been quite evident: I am a homebody, I don't like the telephone, I am perfectly happy not leaving the house for a week at a time, I hate the heat, and I feel no need to do something "home-makey" with my time. And these qualities have become much more clear and more exaggerated every year I teach, so that now, after six years, I am practically a recluse, secluded from the heat I hate, and perfectly happy with not doing my hair, wearing makeup, or going on "outings." I think it's just the nature of the school-teaching beast.

Maybe not. Maybe I'm just weird. Or maybe I just live on the third floor, and the thought of going up and down my stairs several times a day with a 15 month old in the stifling heat and humidity is too much for my fragile book-reading/crocheting existence. I don't know. And I have never really cared about it before. But I have to admit that this year I have felt a little guilty with my recluse-ing-ness of my summer life, because, and I'm sure if you have ever met my little firecracker you will understand, Alice is NOT a homebody. She gets bored walking up and down my hallway from her room the front room where I spend the majority of my time. She is stir crazy, as I am sure you will be able to see. The downfall of this is that she is still too little to do things on her own, like climbing the stairs to the slide, or playing in the park, or swimming without me. And this cramps my style.

As mentioned before, I HATE the heat. This is probably due to my elevated body temperature that I have always had that causes me to sweat like a black man in the NBA. It's embarrassing, quite frankly, and not to mention expensive when I have to keep my house at a cool 73 degrees with a vaulted ceiling. So I prefer not to go out in 100 degree weather and help Alice climb the stairs and slide the 1,000 or so times that she would if she were able. What I wouldn't give to have fall, winter, spring, and then right back to fall, skipping over summer completely.

Anyway, enough of my complaining--I believe my point was, in the summer, I prefer to disappear completely and shut myself off to all human life. And poor Alice was forced to accompany me. Hence the lack of the blog. (That was quite the long explanation for such a short point....sorry.) But, locked away in our little house as we were, we were still able to keep ourselves busy. What were we doing? Well.....

I have been doing... a little barbecuing (grilled peaches with low fat ice cream...YUM!),

a little writing,
a little reading,
and A LOT of crocheting.

Joe has been....trying to convince Alice to let him play with her in her new tent,
tearing down walls in our bathroom,


and then deciding that the wall wasn't enough, and the flooring and the vanity must go, too.

Alice has been... playing dress up (and yes, that is a Transformer's Mr. Potato Head box on her head),

climbing into places she shouldn't,



and feeding herself, which results in numerous "tubbies."

So here we are, nearing the end of summer. I have been busy being a wonderful stay-at-home mommy, a homemaking wife, and a crappy housekeeper. It has been wonderful, except for all the sweating I have done.

But it's not over yet. I still have a few good, solid days before I have to go back to being a hard-ass English teacher. And I have one more project...

This is the vanity I get to sand, primer, and paint this week so Joe can install it and start tiling. Quite the summer, if I do say so myself.

Attention Lehi High Class of 2000!

Our class reunion is coming up. Go visit the website if you haven't already...

http://www.lehi2000.myevent.com/3/whos_coming.htm

Alice's First REAL Word

As opposed to her fake words, I ask myself? No, not really. What I mean is that Alice has been saying Mama, Dada, Hi, and Kitty (although she's only said it once, and she can't make the "k" sound and replaces it with the "t" sound. Yes, Joe giggled a little when she said it. He's so mature...Okay, I giggled, too). But this was the first time something came out so clear and perfectly pronounced that we knew right away what she had said. Here's the story:

I was putting Alice's pants on after her diaper change and getting her ready to leave. We needed to go to Costco to pick up some yogurt, parmesean cheese, and Clorox toilet tabs (although we came home with two new books and no cheese). Anyway, I said, "Hey, Pretty, are you ready to go to Costco? YAY!" I want to interject here and inform everyone that I say YAY at the end of everything me and Alice do, so she thinks life is a great adventure. We clapped and celebrated today when she walked in and out of the house on our patio. I am NOT overly excited about Costco (By the way, this strategy also works well on teenagers. I always have this joke that raising Alice is about the same thing as teaching sixteen year old Sophomores English. I decided to put this to the test, so one day, every time my students participated, or did something good, I shouted, "YAY!" and clapped my hands and celebrated. They thought I was nuts, but that was the best class discussion the whole year...anyway, back to the story...)

So, I said to Alice, "Hey, Pretty, are you ready to go to Costco? YAY!" and Alice looked at me, stood up and said, "Costco!" and started clapping and jumping up and down. Which is weird, because Alice lasts a whole five minutes at Costco.

So. My daughter's first "real" word was Costco. What does that say about me?

A Year of Alice

My Dear Sweet Alice,
This past year has been the best and the hardest in my life. I cannot remember what life was before you were here, and never, in my wildest dreams, would I ever go back to life before my sweet Miss Alice. You are our miracle, the most wanted baby in the world. This is what I remember most about this past year with you.

The first thing I said when I first saw you was, "She's so pretty!" Everyone had prepared me for a wrinkly, red, skinny baby. But you were pink, plump, and ready for the world.

You were such a good baby when we had these pictures taken. Only three weeks old, and already cooperating. I love this look on your face...like you were so glad to finally be with us.

Your very fist Lehi Roundup Parade! The first of many, I am willing to bet. You fell asleep shortly after this picture was taken, and I stashed you under Grandpa Jones' chair to keep you out of the sun. When the sirens and the firetrucks came by, I thought you would wake up crying, but instead, you just slept, happy as a clam, safe and sound. I had a little bit of a Mr.-Holland's-Opus moment when I thought you might be deaf. But then I relaxed when later that day you woke up from Cousin Elise's tantrum. Thank goodness!

You always gave us this wide-eyed look. You always looked as if you wanted to say something, to ask something, or to let us know what you were thinking. You were so curious. In fact, the minute you were born, you were holding up your head to take in the sights. You never slept in the car because you wanted to see and experience everything. Even now, you hate your naps because you're afraid you'll miss something. I love that you want to learn and explore!

This was your first real outing. We took you hiking up in the Uintas. Daddy strapped you into the Bjorn, and off we went. You were so good, as long as we kept moving and gave you plenty to look at. You alway had your tongue hanging out at this point in your life. I tried a couple of times to push it in, but you would have none of it. This is my favorite picture of me and you together. This is how I see us in my mind's eye. Happy with no double chin.

This was my favorite picture. You were so fun at five months! You were laughing for the first time, babbling, and smiling. You loved to take naps with Mommy, and you LOVED to play games with Daddy. You were always so happy and playful, always trying something new, always learning a new trick.

What can I say? Look at that hat! We called you Swiss Miss when we put this on you. But you were so darn cute, we couldn't resist!

This is you with Grandpa Jones. For a while there, all you would do was spit. And you wouldn't stop spitting until you ran out of air. I remember driving with you in the back, listening to a long raspberry, a huge gasp for breath, and then another long raspberry. Everyone thought it was really cute, and no one minded when they got your baby germs sprayed all over their faces.

Needless to say, you were NOT happy about this picture. At this point, you were less patient for the camera, which was constantly in your face. You just wanted to go to sleep. Unfortunately, we still had to go to church that morning. Don't worry, Alice, we were only two weeks away from 11:00 church!

You are such a good eater! You ate anything and everything we put in front of you. The only downfall to this is that, even now, you don't stop when you are full. You just keep on stuffing it in and storing it in those chubby cheeks of yours.

This was my favorite outfit! You looked like a little angel with your white onesie and your white sweat pants. Then I would put on the jacket and this huge flower, and you turned into a sassy angel. I tried many times to get you into the store to get your portrait done, but there was never any money or time. I'm glad I got this picture, at least, before you grew out of it.

This is you in your Easter dress. Again, you weren't very happy. You never are before we go to church. But you looked so grown up and pretty! I wish you could see it better. It was pink and white stripes. And it was the frilliest thing I ever bought for you. I don't know why, but you never struck me as a tulle-tutu girl. No, you seemed more like the overalls-pigtail girl. But I did it up just this once, and then I cried. How did my baby grow up to be this toddler?

My Sweet Miss Alice. This is my favorite picture to date, because, to me, this picture looks like YOU. The Essence of Alice, I guess. You're so happy, walking around, doing your "tricks" for everyone, making them all laugh and adore you. You have such a knack for getting people to make you the center of attention. You're a crowd-stopper, my dear. Literally. People stop me wherever I go to tell me how beautiful you are. The only thing I can reply is, "Yes, she is, isn't she?" because it's true. You see, they are complimenting you on your kissable chubby cheeks, perfect plumpy lips, tear-drop eyes, and your infectious, flirty smile. But what I see as beautiful is your natural curiosity, your ability to make anyone smile, your quick mind, and even, yes, your "sneaky" ways around the rules. I think the way you say, "Hi, Dada" every morning is beautiful, and I think the way you moo at anyone you see because it's your best trick is beautiful. I think the way you play in your crib when you're supposed to be napping is beautiful. I especially think the way you pick up one of Mommy's books (the ones withOUT the pictures) open it up to a page (usually upside down) lean back, and hold the book in front of your nose, just like Mommy does, especially beautiful. We love you, Miss Alice, and you have made our lives happier than we could ever have imagined. You're a special spirit with important things to do--the first month you were with us, you booed at the cartoon Laban and cheered for the cartoon angel--and we are so excited, happy, priviledged, and honored to help you get there. One year down, my sweet girl, and many, many more to go. WE LOVE YOU!

Oh So Much to Blog About

And so little time to do it. But it's all coming, I promise. I have the most spectacular One Year blog in honor of Alice's birthday--alas, it exists in my mind only. But I promise, give me a couple of weeks, and I will be a blogging FIEND. Then, I have a great story about tragedy, love, loss, and wonder that involves a little girl's first birthday, an allergy-induced sleepless night, a call-in-sick day, a firing, and a little secret shop clean-out. Yeah. Needless to say, Monday, May 3, 2010 was a day that will live in infamy in the Bingham household. That little story will also be on the horizon. And the totally awe-inspiring moment that took place yesterday when I was trying to get the AT&T people to not swindle me out of $200.00. Just ask for a supervisor, and you get whatever you want--who knew? Also, something major to look forward to--an expose. Called Life Without DVR or Bravo. It will be emotionally charged and cathartic to say the least.

But, for today, I leave you with a little analysis paragraph written by one of my students in reponse the to question, "Is Gatsby [from the book The Great Gatsby] a liar?" It makes me happy. If you've never read the book, all I can say is that this book takes place in 1922, and there are not martial arts in it anywhere:

Okay, so we're reading the Great Gatsby, and I asked my students to write an analysis paragraph answering the question,"Is Gatsby a Liar?" There is a section in chapter four where Gatsby said he "lived like a young Rajah in all the capitals of Europe..." I do remember explaining to my students what a rajah was. But here's a paragraph submitted by one of my lovlies. If you read Gatsby you will understand why it's so funny... P.S. The "Jew with Connections" he talks about is Meyer Wolfsheim.

"Gatsby is not a liar because he is a ninja. He talks about being a ninja rajah in Europe while he went to Oxford. This matters because pictures of Oxford cannot be faked during the jazz age and the Jew with connections says he went to Oxford. Having back-up from the Jew means that more people were there, or knew he was not lieing. Gatsby is not a liar because he can supply evidence for more than one side of the story."

Imagine, after reading this book out loud over 21 times in the past six years, I have never caught on to the fact that Gatsby is a ninja. That explains so much!