Melissa, Andy and the kids' Blog

In the past month I have gone camping 3 times. At the beginning of June I went with my sister (Trisha), her husband (Jeremy), and her daughter (Ava) to the Oregon coast for one night. We were near Tilamook and right by the ocean. Two weeks ago Trisha, Ava, and I drove down to Elko, NV and camped at the Clift Family Reunion up in the mountains. We spent 4 days there with a couple of days driving and staying in motels. It was great to spend time with all the family. I think there were about 90 of us there...way too many to keep track of. On the way back we stopped by at Crater Lake. What a awesome view there. Then this weekend we (Trisha, Jeremy, Ava and I) drove down to Detroit Lake, OR and camped for two days. The lake was beautiful! It was fun swimming, but sometimes I wish I owned a boat or some water vehicle. I also wished that I didn't get burned. Some things I love about camping: I don't care what I look like. Seeing all of God's beautiful creations. Being wi...

I'm a nanny again for the summer, but this time it is for my sister. Currently I am living in Oregon with Trisha and her family. I get to spend 3-4 days a week watching my 2 year old niece. We go to the park, play play-dough, take walks, color, make forts, swim in the hot tub, play in shaving cream, and so much more. We would do a lot more outside, but the rain and clouds just need to go away. Next week I will start taking my niece to swimming lessons, and I know that she will really enjoy that. She is also being potty trained. Some days are good, but days like today are not. The other day she even had an accident in a McDonalds playhouse. Arrgh!!! Hopefully things will get better soon. This past Sunday I went to the singles branch for the first time. It is very small, but the people are very friendly. I met many great people at church, the fireside that evening, and FHE on Monday. I was even invited to a dinner and movie on Tuesday. It is also nice to have my 2nd cou...

I did it! I finally did it. I finally put my graduation pictures up on my blog. Aunt Tracy has been after me to put these pictures up for over a week now. I just had to get them from my mom first. Well, I graduated from Brigham Young University on April 22nd/23rd with a degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood. It has only been 10 years since I graduated from high school, but I did take a 4 year break (working and mission). My mom and Bill flew down on Wednesday, and my sister, Trisha, flew down on Thursday. I really enjoyed dragging them everywhere. We even went and visited my 3rd grade class. They loved it. It was beautiful out on April 22nd for the big Commencement, but it rained on the 23rd for my Convocation. Aunt Tracy, my Utah mom, drove down from South Jordan, and my dad drove up from Las Vegas. (He removed his pens from his pocket, but forgot to take his bluetooth off of his ear!) My grandparents came to town for my cousin's baptism, but they were able ...

As a teacher, I am entitled to a Spring Break. I decided to head up to Washington state to see my family and meet my new nephew. Liam was exactly 2 months old when I met him. He was born on February 3rd. These pictures are all in the wrong order, but oh well. I love giving Liam kisses. Shanda and Liam. Shanda is sporting a new headband that my mom decorated with a zipper. We (Mom and I) decorated 10 together. Mom and Kiera singing the same songs over and over from a book. Kael being the stud and silly boy that he is. Aunt Melissa with Ava, Liam, Kael, and Kiera. It is impossible to get 4 children to look at the camera at the same time. Liam and I. Trisha, Ava, and Liam. Ava will have to get used babies because she will have one in her house this fall. I guess it is a good thing that she loved Baby Liam! The Frey Family...Jake, Ava, Bobby, Jeremy, Trisha, and Baby (?). Ava giving her mom kisses. Melissa and Trisha. Unfortunately this is the only picture we got together. I ten...

I just returned from the Teacher Fair held at BYU. I had one interview and talked with a bunch of other school districts. They all basically just said that they don't know if they are hiring yet, but to submit my resume online. (Why did they tell us to bring our resumes when only 3 of the districts actually took them?) Most districts will know if there will be openings in April sometime. Now I just have to submit my resume to all the school districts and check their websites daily for job listings. Doesn't that sound fun? All the while I am just hoping and praying that the school I am at decides to keep me on next year. They may have a position open, but there are 2 other interns at the school who want to stay as well. It is sad to have to fight for the position against my friends. Pray for me!

Okay, so I know I am bad at updating this thing. My life really is not all that exciting. It is full of working with 27 crazy children, going to church activities, and hanging out with my friends. I guess I can update you about my internship, so here it goes. Teaching 3rd has been busy, but it truly makes me happy. I love being able to see children grow, and I love that I can make a difference in their lives. They have also made quite an impact on my life. There is nothing greater than having 27 children who love and adore you. The letters I receive from some of them are so sweet and funny. One girl wrote, "I think you look exactly like Ariel because you have red hair, you're beautiful, smart, sweet, kind, nice like a mermaid and really on task." How could that not make me laugh and feel loved at the same time. I also had a boy sing a song (with great country twang) to me the other day. They truly are adorable. Obviously I have times where many of them drive m...

This is my Family Home Evening group. We took Christmas pics. Kate, Karleen, and I had a little Christmas before we departed for the break. I actually saw Kate a couple times on the break, since we are both from Washington. The girls did crafty projects while the boys played video games, and the kids just ran wild! Kate and I went to the New Years Eve dance up in Seattle, so we got to see the Space Needle's fireworks. It was pretty sweet. Kiera and Ava have an interesting relationship. They love playing with each other, but they also love fighting over things. I think I heard the word "mine" over a hundred times in just a few days. No joke! Trisha and I always love being with each other. This is in Washington, but I did spend 4 days in Oregon with her before Christmas. I babysat Ava during the day for 3 days, and hung out with Trish and Jeremy at night. I helped my mom make some cute blocks that say "Family." We enjoyed sharing many days together doing w...