Diné Bizaad

Daddy took the initiative to register Layla and Zackery up for Diné Bizaad classes. They are being offered on Tuesday evenings for the spring months. The instructor is a guy named Freddie. They are also going to attend Diné singing on Saturday mornings, with an instructor by the name of Jolyana Begay.

Dad says Layla seems very eager to embrace her new learning. She was a bit nervous when the class was asked to introduce themselves using their clans. So she quickly asked Dad for his help. Of course, he obliged and told her "next time you have to say it yourself" which prompted Layla to practice.

Zackery might be too young for the class since his Tuesdays are already full. He goes to preschool in the afternoon and always is on the grumpy side when we get him in the evenings. So we might give him a break and try again next time.

Sidenote: I think it is so important for us, as Native people, to remember to embrace our cultural backgrounds. We might not agree with all elements, but we can always learn and synthesize which aspects to use in our daily lives. At the end of the day, I do not want to contribute to the devaluing of our native language and culture. Our ancestors were far too important and fought so hard for their survival so long ago. That makes me remember that today, we must make them proud and let them know they didn't fight in vain. So family and friends take a moment and think about how you could take a moment to learn a little bit more about yourself as a Diné hastiin or asdzáá.

Some Friends Are For A Lifetime

Eating Fries

For dinner tonight, we decided to eat at Famous Dave's after such an eventful day (at least on Mom's end). Zackery was happy to share with us his new technique for eating french fries. Enjoy!

LAYLA IS MISSING!!!!

After the quick trip back to see family over the weekend, we're trying hard to adjust our sleeping schedules to tackle our week. It's only Monday, but it was already a hectic day.

We all traveled to our destinations to get to work, school and Tricia's house today. We all got there safely and went about our days, either learning, teaching, playing, or modifying

.

Sometime in our day, Dad decided he was going to rush home to pick up Layla. He was afraid that the after school program would not take Layla since we were unable to send the payment in today (due to busy schedules). So he rushed across the city and got there just in time. Layla was pleasantly surprised to be getting picked up and cheerfully left with Dad at dismissal. They spent the afternoon browsing the aisles of Bass Pro Shops and Home Depot. Before that time, they made a quick stop at home and also managed to pick up Zackery.

What they failed to realize was....or should I say Dad forgot... "to notify the school and properly check" his daughter out so they knew where Layla went. This one crucial step sent her school into a frenzy. The great child care providers went into panic mode as they realized "Layla was missing!" They made all the phone calls to Dad and Mom. When they got no answer they went to the next person in line: Bonnie. They even went as far as calling my work place and talking to my principal for this EMERGENCY!

Mom was in the middle of teaching a math lesson, when I could hear my phone going off silently and after 8 consecutive buzzes, I went over to check it out. I thought, "Bonnie knows I'm teaching, she wouldn't be calling me if it wasn't an emergency!" So I excused myself to make the call backs and as I left my classroom, there was Mrs. B running around the corner and looked right at me. "Come with me, HURRY!" So we ran down the hallway to her office where Bonnie was on hold to tell me, "Kids Corner called me since they couldn't get a hold of you and Derek. They said, "Layla is missing. They can't find her. Call them ASAP."

"WHAT?! Okay." *click* I'm frantically trying to dial his number on my cell phone and Mrs. B and I are freaking out in her classroom. Then her phone rings again, this time from Mesa Public Schools and again asking for me.

"Hi, Mrs. Boye. We can't find Layla. We've looked everywhere. Hold on..." (meanwhile I'm trying hard to get Derek on my cell phone)

..."Okay ma'am, we finally got a hold of Dad and he checked her out. Layla is with Dad. We were just worried since we didn't know she was checked out. Okay. everything is okay now. Thank you." *click*

Let me tell you when you hear your child is missing...it's not a good feeling. I told Mrs. B right away that Derek has her. He checked her out. We both took a moment to calm down. "He's dead when I get home!" We both laughed. I had to walk slowly back to the classroom and breathe. That was such a scary moment and Dad now knows the proper steps of taking his child from school. *whew* BIG SIGH OF RELIEF!

"You're being Naughty"

Tonight while Mom was across the city attending her weekly Thursday night class, Dad was in charge of spending time with Layla and Zackery. Here is a snip-it of tonight's dinner conversation:

Setting: Eating dinner at the kitchen table

Zackery: "Layla, you're being naughty!"

Layla: "What?! How?!"

Zackery: "Layla, you're being naughty. You dropped food on the floor."

Layla: "What?! You drop food all the time!"

Zackery: "No! You dropped food right now. Zackery and Daddy will have to spank you."

Layla: "I don't think so."

Zackery: "Layla go get a chair. You're going in time-out right now!"

Layla: "A chair?"

Zackery: "Yes! Get a chair. You're going to time-out right now."

Layla: "Oh, you mean get a chair so I can watch tv."

Zackery: "NO! You're going to time-out!"

Layla: "Oh, you mean get a chair so I can play Wii."

Zackery: "NO! Layla you're being naughty! You need a chair to go to time-out."

Layla: "Oh, you mean get a chair so I can play my DS."

After each response, Zackery get angrier and annoyed with Layla and Layla giggles in her small victory over her brother.

I loved hearing Derek tell me this story when I got home from my day. Hearing about their small sister/brother battles and how the scoreboard always comes out about even. Today Layla earned her point!

New Words & New Problem

Zackery keeps astounding us with new vocabulary he acquires in his day. It's so awesome considering it was a bit of struggle to get him talking.

He's mastered his IEP goals that were created in March 2011. It only took 9 months! The teachers are hoping they can keep him in the program for the rest of the year. This is also our hope because he absolutely loves "going to school on his big yellow bus with his friend Gabriel." I don't want him to lose out on this unique preschool experience and I don't want to stop getting his little crafts that he makes us every week.

But one week at grandma's house----he came back with his current favorite words "wah" and "wah jin." We couldn't stop laughing at dinner tonight when he used one or the other every 5 minutes. He knows exactly how to use the words, too. It's always perfect timing and with just an edge of great comedic timing.

Instances:

• His fried potatoes fell off his fork on at his way to his mouth -- "wah"
• Layla forgetting to finish her homework -- "wah"
• Mommy can't find her phone -- "wah jin"

On a side note -- he also came back from Patricia's house on Tuesday and she had these words to share:

"He's doing great keeping his hands to himself. He's doing good not hitting or pushing with the kids anymore. But...he's starting to kiss everyone. So I had to keep reminding him and telling him not to spread his germs. We don't want anyone getting sick"

Compliments

After my evening run, I quickly chatted with our neighbor. In the midst of our conversation, he paid Layla a great compliment. "Your daughter is such a sweet child, always well-mannered, and nice to others. She's always a joy to see and talk to."

Music to our ears to know that all our parenting hard work is shining through. Great job Layla!