Katrena's Gingerbread house...

Katrena and I made a gingerbread house on Friday night, we had a fun time together and had to keep smacking Dad and Ava's hands away from the candy. However we are very thankful to dad for watching Ava so we could do this together.

Deep concentration



Mom and Trena working together


The front of the house

One side

The back of the houe

And the other side



With her finished product



As many of you know we have been experiencing our own version of "no room at the inn" this Christmas season, only its "no room at the school." When we arrived in Apple Valley, I waited a couple of days and then went in to register Trena for school, knowing there last day of school before the break was the 17th, that she would get 6 days of school in. I went to the public school that we are assigned to, and was told that it is the best in the area. When I arrived they informed me they had know room for her. They are only allowed to have 20 students in each of the classes, Kindergarten through 3rd. I obviously thought they were joking, I thought they had to make room for every student living in their boundaries. Nope, if your local school doesn't have room they have to find you another school in the district for you child to attend. and that they will have to provide transportation.

So I leave totally shoked with the secretaries information, and instructions to call them in a WEEK, if I haven't heard anything. Well a week rolls around, it is now the 16th of December. I pick up my phone to call the secretary and my phone actually rings, its the district calling they want to know if we want transportation for "Katarena", I say yes, but we don't even know what school she will be attending. The lady then says oh it looks like..., and I said oh ok, I knew where that was and it was pretty close and a newer school. She then says but if you want transportation she cannot attend that school she will have to attend... And that school would be an hour and fifteen minute bus drive each way!!! What the heck!

So she is registered for the closer school now, with no bus. And school starts about the time Brent is leaving for work and some mornings Ava is just getting up at that time, and her pick up time, you guessed it, right about the time Ava goes down for a nap. They told us that as soon as there is an opening at her correct school they will notify us. But in the meantime, this is going to be a pain. She will go there, just start to make new friends and then wham have to change schools again.

To make a long story short because of the situation she will not return to school until January 11th when Christmas break is over and will have missed FIVE weeks from school! Now like any other 8 year old she has not minded this at all, but she has really missed out on the friends and all the fun Christmas activities. This is the first year that she hasn't made something fun at school for me for Christmas. I didn't realize how much I would miss that. So we are trying to do a few fun activities in the midst of the chaos of unpacking.