Spring School Trips 2013

Every May all the kids and I get to take class trips for school. The big news of this year is that Lucas went without a parent. This was his first time away without Aaron or me going along. Therefore, we have no pictures. But the report from Horsethief YMCA Camp was, "Fun." "It hailed on us." You never know what you are going to get in the Idaho mountains in May.

Brooklyn also went without a parent on her class trip. One of the greatest advantages of teaching at the same school where my kids attend is that I often am part of the faculty team for their trips. (Last year to Costa Rica was a PERFECT example of this perk.) This year though the Spanish teacher did not attend any of the exciting Jr High adventures. They floated the main Salmon river for a week in the fall, went to the McCall Outdoor Science School to study snowpack in the winter and headed to the desert for the Spring Trip. The main destinations were camping in Moab, Arches National Park and Mesa Verde, CO.

I did get to attend Ian's class trip to San Francisco. As a subject specific teacher I get some flexibility to choose which class I accompany during the annual spring trips. I chose the 5/6 class this year because I have never been on a school trip with Ian and I really wanted to go to San Francisco. It was a win-win. We had a great time touring science centers, and I lined up a trip to the ITVS headquarters so the kids could see the company that made the documentary The Revolutionary Optimists which we had been studying about all year long. We also went to a Giants baseball game, so really nothing could beat that for a group of 5th and 6th graders.

Ian and his teacher Robbie Prokop. Can you name that island?

Ian and me at the Giants game. We are now Giants fans. 

 

 "Flowers in her hair..." Name that tune.

With flowers in my hair we headed to Haight Ashbury for a little schooling on the roots of hippies.

AND the big bonus of the trip was that I visited Laurel's house in San Francisco for the first time in the 20 years she's lived there!

Science says that people will avoid drinking water that is clean if it appears to be contaminated. Ian isn't one to follow data. 

We ended the trip with the grand finale to all good travel, CHOCOLATE. Ghirardelli Square sundaes and milkshakes! Yum.

I love my job this time of year. :) And I love traveling with my kids.

Time Passing

I always find the time to finish my work. It's just my life that gets left behind. Let's get updated a bit shall we?

Everyone in my family is awesome. I know almost everyone in the world feels that way and if they don't it's sad. The greatest thing is that it's true, most people are awesome and everyone is correct that their family is amazing. However, this is the Williamsfam5 blog so my family gets to be the stars.

Aaron is super busy working as a realtor and guess what...BUSINESS IS GOOD! He has weathered a long drought in the business and I am impressed with his ability to continue forward in a career that doesn't always reward hard work. He is working with a team now and they are off to a powerful start. They have a cool looking website and Aaron has started a great blog. We are hopeful that the years he has endured will pay off in 2013! We checked out some Parade Homes over the past two weeks and he has written a bit about them. If you are into amazing mansions, you should go to Eagle, ID. It appears that's where the high rollers hang out.

I've been busy teaching, planting flowers, and babysitting Becky. Yesterday was a fun day in the backyard. While I planted, the kids ran through the sprinklers. It was pretty much a perfect way to spend a Monday afternoon.

 

I seem to post most of my doings on my other blog. It feels silly to repeat myself here.

 

Brooklyn continues to be more kind and easy to live with than expected as a 7th grade girl. I have a fair amount of exposure to Jr High students, since I teach them five days a week. She amazes me. I am so lucky to have such an inspiration and kind soul in my home. She is the one person in our family that is consistently positive, self sacrificing, and responsible. Three traits uncommon for Jr High and humanity in general.

 

Ian is full of personality and zest. This quarter his class is studing the decades of the 20th century. He was assigned the 1970s. Please enjoy the Williamsfam5 first and only Elvis impersonator.

He also has spent this quarter reading The Outsiders and considering if he is more like a Soc or a Greaser. After much thought he has determined he fits into neither category. He is his own man.

 

Lucas had a rough week last week. He has inherited my reactive personality and short fuse. I am so sorry. If there were any of my traits I would have liked to avoid carrying to my children it is this. Why couldn't he have gotten my green eyes instead? Foothills School has a strict and narrow policy for behavior in the lower grades and Lucas often finds himself outside of the bounds. We are looking for ways to change behavior without squashing self esteem. It's hard when you feel like the "bad kid" a lot of the time.

 

However, his accomplishments are many and we are going to make sure he knows that his good qualities far outweigh his short temper. Last week his class' book project was on display at Barnes and Noble. Here he is holding the book he wrote and illustrated.   

The Amazing Adventure of the Wolf  By Lucas Williams

"Once upon a time in the forest there lived a wolf. His name was Sharp Tooth. Sharp Tooth wanted to know why they were the only animal to have a temper. He talked to Hunter and he told him he needed to go talk with Dragon because Dragon is smart. When he reached Dragon he told him that he had a temper because hunter stabbed Sharp Tooth in his tail. Sharp Tooth finally understood why he has a temper."

 

Epilogue by Emily Williams:

If I ever find that hunter he'll have a mama bear to deal with.