A few reasons I enjoy my job...

1.  Our "4H Lady" was encouraging our kids to learn their addresses.  She told them this was important.  "What if your house in on fire and you have to call 911?  How will they find your house???"  A kid near my desk speaks up and says, "I'd tell them to look for the smoke!"

2.  I've been helping my students with their math during Intervention.  Last week, it was Order of Operations.  They had been taught this previously.  We were reviewing.  I read the notes and said, "oh yeah!  Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally." A student said, "what's wrong with her???"  I, confused, said, "who?"  She replied, "your aunt Sally".  I. Give. Up.

Seriously, we have a great bunch this year.  Enjoying their personalities.

Can I say have a good weekend when it's only Wednesday?  I think so.  Enjoy the next 2 days AND the weekend!  Goodnight!

A Day at Home= BLISS

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of weeks.  We've gained a new sister in law and watched Ella Kate dance her heart out at the reception.  We've been to a football game or two.  It's been busy.  But this morning B left for football and Ella Kate and I are hanging out at home.  It's GREAT.  I love being at home.  She's serenading me with her Cookie Monster Keyboard as I type.  Earlier she was pretending to "bacuum" with her rolling golf bag.  That's my girl.  We do love a clean house around here. She is no exception.

Back to the wedding.  Ella Kate decided as we were leaving the cabin for pictures that she needed her hair in a "tail" like mommy's.  It took a little convincing to get her to settle for the head band that Gigi got her. She can be a little "strong willed".  I was not concerned that she'd be shy.  I WAS concerned that she'd stop to speak to each person on her way down the aisle.  She did neither.  She bounded down the aisle yelling, "I coming!  I coming too!" while dragging the ring bearer with her.  The weather was perfect.  It was a beautiful wedding.  EK loves to dance, and we had to hold her to keep her off the dance floor while G and Courtney had their first dance.  She almost joined them one time. If no one else enjoyed the reception, she did.  Congrats G and Courtney!  We're happy for you.

Football is in full swing around here.  I was super proud of my girls Friday night.  I really enjoy them. They keep me laughing...never a dull moment for sure.  EK and I are getting lots of girl time at home.  Sometimes we enjoy it.  Sometimes it's TOO much girl time.  We miss B.  But we appreciate him that much more when he's home.  This morning, we've done our toes and hid under the sheet too many times to count.  I'm not sure who we're hiding from, but she thinks it's great.  I love this age.  She is hilarious.  So thankful for her.

Hope you have a great Labor Day and an extra good week.

I survived!

I survived Tuesday:  back to work and leaving Ella Kate.  She was fine.  I was fine.  I got all worked up over nothing.  The week went well.  I enjoyed seeing everyone on Tuesday and getting to catch up.  Ella Kate only cried when I arrived each afternoon to pick her up because she wasn't ready to leave.  I'm sure that's MUCH better than her crying because she didn't want me to leave her.  Each day went fairly well.  I worked almost nonstop Thursday and still wouldn't have had it all together if it weren't for my coworkers and  a sweet visitor who helped staple papers at the last minute.  But it was finished and Open House went smoothly.  I thought I had it "wooped".  One more day and it was Friday...I could make it.  Ella Kate had other plans.  We were up more Thursday night than we were asleep.  I had flashbacks of when she was a newborn.  I was exhausted.  B left early to drop EK off so I could have a few extra minutes.  I got in the car with my Coke Zero and had extra time to spare before I had to be at school.  I was feeling better.  Until I got a few driveways down... and the warning light on my dash came on and my car refused to turn.  No power steering and something else I don't understand.  I did what all really tired women would do in this situation.  I switched it off and cried.

It could definitely be worse.  I have a loaner until it's fixed. School starts Monday, the first football game is this week, and my brother in law gets married on Saturday.  Just thinking about it makes me need a nap.  But we'll survive, and we'll enjoy it.  All of it.  And THEN we'll take a nap.  Here's to a busy week.

Honesty is the best policy.

I'm going to be very honest this morning.  I feel sick about having to leave Ella Kate bright and early Tuesday morning to go back to work.  It's not that I don't love my job.  I do.  It's not that I want to be a "stay at home mom".  I don't....well, only if my husband were rich and EK and I could shop all day.  That's not happening, so I prefer to work.  I love teaching (most days).  I enjoy my kids.  I enjoy my workplace.  I don't normally spaz out about having to leave her.  But I've gotten used to laying in bed with her in the mornings while she watches "Mickey, pease".  And I've gotten used to letting her fly like an airplane on my feet and putting diapers on her baby dolls all day.  I've gotten used to putting all 497 of her movies back in the tv cabinet EVERY SINGLE TIME she pulls them ALL out.  I am thankful I've had the opportunity to be at home this summer and do all these things.  But I also I know that once we start back, there will be very little of that for a while.  It makes me sad.  It makes my stomach feel sick.  I'm not normally like this.  BUT such is life.  I'll be fine once I get there Tuesday morning.  On a positive note, my classroom has NEVER been as organized as it is right now.  I have done some major cleaning out this summer.  I always have intentions to do this, but I'm always afraid I'll need it later.  Every cabinet, closet, drawer, and shelf has been cleaned.  I am READY.  But I'm not ready to leave that baby girl.

So our plan is to soak up the day today.  The weather is perfect this morning.  It almost felt fallish earlier.  We're headed to church in a bit.  Then we're doing sandwiches and spending the afternoon at the pool.  The house is clean.  The yards are done.  Oh, I wish for today to pass ever so slowly.  Here's to one more day of summer.  Happy Sunday!

Slow Down, Summer!

I've spent the last week or so attempting to simplify and organize my classroom and my home so that I can have a smooth school year, free of stress.  I get like this...every year.  Frantic to get it all in order before the madness begins.  It never lasts long.  My to do list only gets longer.  I check something off only to add something on.  We've been buying old furniture to paint and put in our bedroom.  I'm a little concerned that when August 14th rolls around and I have to go back to the real world, my dresser will still be sitting on my patio unpainted, and I'll be choosing my outfits from the piles in my floor.  My classroom, though less cluttered than it's been in the couple of years, looks like a tornado has passed through it.  As I type, I'm thinking I need to write myself a note to order ribbons and tattoos for football season.  And in the midst of all the chaos, I'm trying to soak up every minute with the funniest toddler I know.  Nothing is as good as a "big squeeze" and her saying, "I got you, Mommy!"

I don't remember the last time I blogged.  But I think B and I celebrated our anniversary since then.  We had a few childless days at the beach.  Ahhhhh.  A book, a cold Coke Zero, excellent company, people watching, naps, and a tan.  We enjoyed it.  I'm so thankful for B.  I often think about how things played out in God's timing.  He's the sweetest husband and a great daddy.  He's just right for me.  He keeps me calm and sane when I don't feel calm OR sane.  He gives Ella Kate her bath on the nights when I just need that 5 minutes to myself.  I'm not telling you he doesn't make me really mad sometimes or that he's perfect.  But he is top of the line and I'm thankful I get to be his wife.

It's thundering and raining and it's almost my bedtime.  So with all the frantic "get it all done" feelings I have swirling in my head, I think I'll just make a list for tomorrow and hit the sack, and enjoy going to sleep listening to the rain.

A Flea Market Run, a Visit to Pop's, and 1 E.R. Trip Later...

Cheerleader camp was a huge success!  I am sooooo proud of my girls.  They competed in Home Pom, Camp Champs Cheer, and Camp Champs Xtreme Routine and placed first in all three!  They also received the leadership award for camp!  They have WORKED this summer and it was evident.  It was a great week and I'm so happy to be showering without shoes again.  

Yesterday we spent some time in the pool before B headed off to football.  Ella Kate and I decided to hit up a few flea markets and found ourselves in Opp.  We found nothing special so we decided to swing by Pop and BeBe's before coming home.  All was well until Ella Kate took a little spill and hit her head on the couch leg.  There was blood...lots of blood.  She was screaming.  I was trying to hold it together.  See, I'm a calm person for the most part.  But something came over me and I began to gag and feel faint.  My daddy drove us to the emergency room.  Ella Kate and I rode in the back.  Both of us had a wet washcloth...seriously.  I thought we were going to have to pull over for me to hurl.  I knew she would survive.  It was just the combination of her being upset and the blood coming from the gash in her head.  I'm not sure how long we were at the hospital, but it was long enough for my husband to leave Goshen and get back to Jack to pick up his truck, then drive to Opp.  A little glue and some steristrips later, we went back to Pop's to eat chicken, per EK's request, and came home.  It was quite a night.  We all slept til 9 this morning.  

She's fine this morning and we're getting ready to go for our first haircut.  Hopefully, I'll handle that better than I did the transition to the big girl bed.  Happy Tuesday!

A Week-Long Staycation

This week has been extra marvelous.  On Monday, B and I spent the day shopping while Aunt Mary Sue kept Ella Kate.  We were happy.  Ella Kate was happy.  And I'm certain Aunt Mary Sue enjoyed herself too.  It was a win/win situation for all parties involved.  We enjoyed the day together, but felt like we were forgetting something every time we got in the truck.  

We grilled streaks on Tuesday with the family.  B grilled in between hail storms.  Literally.  Wednesday, we struck out bright and early for the beach with B's brother, Garret, and his fiance', Courtney.  Ella Kate was pumped about the "beach" and about the company.  All looked well until we arrived and the thunder began.  And continued.  And continued.  So we caught up on Kendra re-runs until it quit raining enough to get out on the beach.  We stayed several hours.  Ella Kate loved playing with "G and Corney".  Thank you for entertaining her.  We're taking you from now on.  We had dinner and started home with hopes that Ella Kate would be out for most of the trip.  She did go to sleep but it was somewhere between Opp and Elba.  

Thursday, we visited with old friends in the friendliest city in the South, Luverne.  Oh, how I've missed The Chicken Shack.  And my friends.  Dinner was great.  And I thoroughly enjoyed riding around town before we came home.  It made me a little sad.  I made some really good friends while I was there so visits are always bittersweet.  I could do a whole post on how good those people were to me when I moved there fresh out of college, knowing not a soul...My first year of teaching was one big blur and I felt like my kids were a science project of trial and error.  My administrators were the BEST.  And my colleagues were way fun...(is that a phrase?)  We also loved our church family.  So going back, even if only for dinner, brings back so many memories.  Life was definitely simpler then.  But life brought changes, most of them for the best.  Still, I am grateful for my time spent there.  It was just what I needed at that time in my life. 

In closing, a little shout out to my "husband of the year" who snorkeled around the pool until he found my missing pearl earring this afternoon.  They're just earrings, but they were his gift for me to celebrate Ella Kate's arrival.  I was slightly upset when I realized I'd lost it.  But he snorkeled until he found it.  I think I'll keep him.  

I'm off to camp next week.  I'm certain I'll have good stories to share when I return.  Until then...