What a week :)

Happy Saturday, y'all!

What a week it has been. I always love three day weekends, but always forget that the short week following is always a long one! Monday we went to my aunt and uncle's house for hamburgers and hot dogs. It was great to see everyone! Bailey has grown too much and too fast and everyone loved seeing Amy :)

Becca Boo and Amy

 

When we got home, we gave Amy her first go at rice cereal. She loved it! It does tend to get a bit messy though...

Mmm, rice cereal..

  

The next day was back to school and cross country! The kids had a meet at RNE and ran well! Dyllan had some struggles with not feeling too well, so a fellow XC runner gave him support at the very end. So sweet to watch a big senior support a little sixth grader :)

 

Wednesday they had a meet in Chapin, and since Vladimir was working, I stayed home for that one and let them ride the bus back. I think they enjoyed that more than me driving them back!

 

Thursday was a normal day, although cross country practice was cancelled..yay! I caught up with an old Conder friend, Stacy, so she could help Alyssa with her violin. Amy and I got to play with her sweet boys, Michael and Christopher. I think Amy was a bit scared of all the noise at first, but quickly warmed up to them! Stacy is having a baby girl next year and Amy was good practice for the boys. They brought one of the baby's loveys to "test" on her!

 

Friday (yay for Friday!) we ate at Mouse Trap with mom. A lot of older folks like to eat there. Katie, my cousin, was working. We decided to surprise her with a visit. It was fun to listen to the music and watch the "elders" as Alyssa called them.

 

Today, we got a lot of cleaning done and enjoyed a beautiful Saturday. Amy's nose was congested all last night and today. The humidifier is running now. Hopefully it won't last too much longer.

 

Tomorrow we will head to church and enjoy a day of rest.

 

As for the school week, I am really loving middle school. They understand my sense of humor. Before, I would make a joke and laugh to myself because it would go right over my student's heads. Now I find the students are laughing with me...or maybe at me. Educationally speaking, I had my first writing conferences this week. It was so neat to actually have the students understand what I am saying about their writing, take it to heart, and make the changes. I feel like I can connect to the 7th and 8th graders better.

 

On a less educational note, I realized that I have it made this year. In previous years, I only got a 50 minute break, which more than likely was filled with a meeting. This year, I get 1 hour and 20 minutes of a free period (which is mine to do what I want...I went to the bank and Publix on Friday!) AND I get a 40 minute lunch break (which is usually reserved for pumping haha TMI I KNOW). Sorry to any public elementary school folks reading this. Also, my troublesome students (which is no where near the troubles I have seen in the past..) leave me after 80 minutes..and I only see them every OTHER day! The only class I see everyday is my House and that isn't a class. Its more of a homeroom on steroids. But more about that later.

 

And lastly, a new milestone to mention...I have realized that Amy has become very fond of the dogs. Before, she would either just look at them, or ignore them completely. She likes to "talk" to them. They get bored after a while, but she still has fun (until she grabs their hair...) and loves it when they lick her face. Probably because she knows mommy hates it!

 Here she is talking to Jack:

 



 

 

Until next time!

 

Crazy, beautiful life

What a crazy few weeks it has been. What an amazing few weeks it has been.

1. Milestones

Amy has hit several milestones all at once. She decided to start rolling over at 4.5 months. She now turns herself over at some point every night and sleeps on her belly. Drives me nuts. I find myself checking her breathing way too much.

She has also giggled for me. It is when I tickle her under her chin, and when she is in a super happy mood, but it is a real giggle. The best sound in the world!

She has (almost) mastered her hands. If we hold a bottle in front of her, she will grab it and pull it to her mouth. After a few seconds the weight of the bottle gets the better of her, but she understands what she is doing! She will take her paci from us. If it is angled correctly in her hands, she can put it in her mouth. Its fun to watch because it usually takes her several tries. The first try gets into her eye. The second try she gets it turned around and puts the handle in her mouth. Eventually she gets it in the correct spot. Now, if we can only figure out how to let go of the paci without removing it entirely. But that's for another day!

2. Schedule CrAzInEsS

Oh me, oh my- who knew how life with one child at daycare, one at St. Joseph, and one at Cardinal Newman can be so hectic! Daycare is pretty simple. There is no homework or papers to sign. I cannot stay organized with Dyllan's paperwork and Alyssa's paperwork. Luckily they are pretty organized on their own. Throw in the drama with cross country and you've got one busy day!

I take Dyllan to school in the mornings, then Alyssa and I head over to CN. Luckily my first block is free, so getting to school 5 minutes before students show up isn't an issue for me. After school, I go pick up Amy, head home to try to organize stuff for dinner only to go back to CN to pick up the kids from cross country practice. Then I go back home and cook dinner, feed Amy, wash bottles, get stuff ready for school/daycare the next day. Rest for 5 minutes. Sleep. Wake up and do it alllll over again! I love the weekends...

It has been an adventure adjusting back to a routine, with an infant in tow. I am having so much fun with her, though, that the craziness is all a part of the fun!

3. New job

I am LOVING my new job. I was pretty nervous before classes started. I mean the jump from 3rd grade to 7th/8th grade is HUGE! I teach 3 different classes, for a total of 6 blocks altogether. I am also a House Head, which means I have 20 kids who are a part of Augustine House that compete against the other houses (Aquinas, Albert, Anthony, Catherine, Teresa, Isidore, and Bonaventure) for House points. It helps build camaraderie and makes middle school a bit easier. I wish they had it when I was a student. Alyssa is in Bonaventure. Wait until next year when we have a three-way competition in our home (Augustine vs. Bonaventure vs. whatever Dyllan gets sorted into). 

The kids I teach are great. They make me laugh every day. I worry think about how that may hurt my classroom management, but then I realize, they are not going to run all over me because I giggle at a joke. They are looking to be treated with respect. I give them that everyday in my classroom. Besides the kids being a bit chatty, I haven't had any behavior problems. I hope this continues. Oh, and I think they like me! :)

Alrighty, until next time! Happy Labor Day! :)