What's new with us...

Alot has been going on here. Taylor is doing EXCELLENT is school. She is still loving it, and she is picking up on the phonogram sounds, she is able to read short words such as I, We, Can, Dog, Run etc. and she can spell (sounding out) several words. The picture is of a little game her and Shane played he told her the word and she sounded it out. On a few of them she got confused with the K and C or O and A, But that's because in phonics these letters sounds are very similar and sometimes exactly the same. So Mrs. Hatfield is not concerned that the words are spelled correct but that they are hearing the correct sound and are able to identify it. We are so Proud of her! She is doing AWESOME!!! When she goes back to school from christmas break it will be her "totally terriffic" week. We have to make a poster board with pictures of her with family, friends, siblings from birth till now. It will be on display, and the whole week they be recognizing Taylor. That will be cool! I will be going to the school that week to take snacks and for a presentation of Taylor so I will take pics. Check back Later!
-The left side is what Taylor wrote and the right side is where Shane wrote them when she was done. #9 is supposed to be stop. -

Shane- will be completing class #3 and #4 in about a week and a half. By Dec. 22nd he will have earned 12 credits. Only about 108 remaining. =) Way to go Baby! He aced his first 2 classes and so far is doing just as well in these 2. Work for him is going good, they've been extremely busy lately getting ready for a walk through with the President of the company. So that ought to be exciting.

Trevin, He's as Cute and as ever! I think he's kind of bored with Tay being gone during the day. He is usually following me around talking my ear off, or in the kitchen using a stool to reach the cabinet where the snacks are and helping himself. Not to worry though, Even though he probably opens quite a few snacks before I realize what he's up to, I think he rarely consumes them himself. If you have seen my dog lately you would understand what I mean. After the first of the year I am contemplating putting him in preschool. Although he says he wants to wait until next time (next year) I think once he got there he would really enjoy it and it would be good for him.

Me, Well I have recently taken on another store, so I now do the books for two stores. I am kind of in a trial period with it right now seeing how it is going to work out. I know We'll enjoy the extra money, but I think its going to be kind of tough working 2 stores around Shanes work schedule. But we will see. Tuesday the 18th our Choir, Chorale and drama team will be singing and performing at a boys facility. So that should be pretty cool! But I can't take pictures. Sorry! We are not allowed to take anything in with us except for our ID.

Well, hope everyone is having a good holiday season!

Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
Subject: Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD
Subject: Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument willshow a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #. A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your serviceprovider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people>stealing mobile phones.

And Finally....

FIFTH

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Very Touching Christmas Story...

Last Saturday I was rushing around trying finish some shopping. I was stressed out and not thinking very fondly of the weather right then. It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot. As I was loading my car up, I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps to the mall entrance.

As I was searching the wet pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing. The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12- years-old. He was short and thin. He had no coat. He was just wearing a ragged flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's chill. Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand.

Thinking that he had gotten lost from his parents, I asked him what was wrong. He told me his sad story. He said that he came from a large family. He had three brothers and four sisters. His father had died when he was 9-years-old. His mother was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs. She made very little to support her large family. Nevertheless, she had managed to skimp and save two hundred dollars to buy her children some Christmas presents. The young boy had been dropped off, by his mother, on the way to her second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for all his siblings and save just enough to take the bus home.

He had not even entered the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the hundred dollar bills and disappeared into the night.

"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked.
The boy said, "I did."
"And nobody came to help you?" I queried.
The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook his head.
"How loud did you scream?" I inquired.
The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, "Help me!"
I realized that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy cry for help.
So I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.