Life Updates

Wow...I've been away for a month?? A busy summer it has been!

• Vacation: We had a great time during our Ohio trip! We stayed at my parents' house and were able to spend lots of time with them and my sister Laurel. Photos below...
  

July Fourth:


Em as we headed to the July 4th fireworks. LOVED the headband (from $1 section of Tar.get.) TOO cute! :)




Em took this pic of my sis and I as we waited for fireworks.


Grandma and Grandpa (photo by Em)


Me and DH (another pic by Em)



My Dad took this pic of us at the July 4th parade. Dad rode on the Knights of Columbus float in the parade. Emmaism: "My Grandpa is in the parade! How cool is that?" Smiles.
BTW---This pic looks cute cropped and zoomed...but I couldn't get my "edited" pics to post. Sighs. :)



Laurel took this self-portrait of her and Emma

Beach Day:
We had a great time at the Alum Creek beach! (Though the thick, kitty-litter consistency sand wasn't as fun to play with as the sand on our Florida beaches.)






Em and Grandpa didn't seem to mind the rough sand.






DH spent time writing. He's working on his 3rd novel. The umbrella cracks me up...it's the only one we could find in my parents' garage.


Self-portrait of moi.


Em liked that the sandbar went out nearly 40 feet, so she could go farther out independently, than she does in FL.





Museum Day:
We spent a day at the COSI museum in Columbus. Not too many pics...I was having too much fun to stop and take photos!

Em on a ride in the "Progress" area of COSI. (Hallways with 1880's and hallway with 1960's store fronts.)



Em building a bridge in the "Gadgets" area of the museum.


Scientist Mouse Emma


Emma and Auntie Laurel pose as aliens.

McDonald's:
We met our friends the Palus Family in Richmond, IN for a playdate at Mickey D's. The Palus' are our buddies who moved from our neighborhood in FL and now live far away in IN. How I wish they still lived near us!


Me--acting silly with the wings from Em's "Airbender" toy.


Katie and Em


Left to Right: Zack, Katie, Nick, Emma


Me and DH

Cousins Time:
Em loved being able to play with her 3 year old cousins Summy and Jack. As the boys are no longer babies or young toddlers it was the first time the cousins could play independently. (We actually had grown-up conversations while the kiddos played...yay!) The kids had a great time in the playroom and on the swing set at the boys' house.




Jack, Emma, Summy



This was the 1st time Emma ever hung upside down on a moving object independently. She LOVED the trapeze and spent lots of time on it.




Summy enjoyed going down the slide on his back, but head-first.


Jack followed the upside-down-on-the slide action.

Young's Dairy Farm:
We met our friends' the Uptons at the Young's farm. We had a great time feeding the goats, viewing the animals, playing in the play yard, and eating the freshly-made-on-the-farm ice cream.


Me, Laurel, and Emma






Shannon and I have been friends since we were in the 3rd grade.


Baby Oliver (turned 6 months old the week of this pic.)


DH and Travis are buds too.


Spencer


Karly


Emma


Ice cream time!

Sights I've never seen in Florida:






This sign in my hometown cracks me up every time I read it. Anyone want to join me for some "joint recreation?" JOKE!


Hay in the field diagonally across the street from my parents' house.


Em flying a kite in my parents' amazing, ginormous back yard. (Note the corn fields in the rear of the photo.)

• Family: --Shout-out to my sister Laurel who finished her Masters' in Ed degree while we were in Ohio. Woot-woot!
  
• DH continues to plug away on his writing. He is nearing the completion of his 3rd novel and continues to seek representation for a publisher for his books. I'm so proud of him!
  
• My bro-in-law and his family are in town this week. We had a nice dinner at my In-law's house last night. It was great to see everyone! Watching Em and her cousins play together is especially precious.
  

• School: Only 2 weeks of summer left. It always passes so quickly!
• I attended an awesome 2-day training last week. 3 other people who are on the "Data Committee" with me at school attended the training as well. It helped provide insight on what the Data Committee's role should be within our school. In addition, it helped us to set measurable and attainable goals for our committee for this year... WAY important as last year I don't feel we were effective. Now we just have to get the other committee members on board when we meet as a team after school starts.
  

• Emma: Has been swimming up a storm! She has learned how to swim independently, but still needs to master the art of taking a breath while swimming. She tends to only swim to a ladder/person to grab on to/wall, come up for air, and then swim some more. I'm pleased with her progress though. :)
  
• We went to the beach with bro-in-law and his family today and the new inner-tube Em got was a big hit. She loved to "ride the waves" and it was fun watching her enjoy herself.
• We went this weekend and spent $85 buying all of the items on her school supply list. We just need to get a backpack and she's set to start school.
  
• Orientation to meet Em's teacher and get acclimated with the school is on the 20th. I still can't believe my baby is going to be in Kindergarten. Wow.
  

• IF Issues: I was SUPER angry and disappointed this morning. Remember back in January when I met with my OBGYN and agreed to use an Ovulation/Fertility Monitor for 6 months and then return for a follow-up visit if still not PG? My appointment was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. It has been scheduled SINCE JANUARY. This morning the office called to cancel because my doc is "on vacation" this week. ARGH. I'm disappointed because I am ready to meet about my next steps. I am angry because I have been off work ALL SUMMER....and of course they couldn't re-schedule the appointment until the middle of the month when I'm back to work. GRRR.
  
• I won a book-give away at the wonderful Sunny in Seattle's blog. Yay! I am halfway through "Understanding and Coping with Infertility: Unsung Lullabies" and am really liking it (as much as one can "like" a book about an issue they wish they didn't have.) The language is easy to understand and is written by 3 doctors who have all experienced IF issues (2 of the 3 are a married couple, it's been cool to have a male's perspective included.) I felt validated...and especially like this quote, "Infertility is a trauma because it attacks both the physical and emotional sense of self; it presents us with multiple, complicated losses, it affects our most important relationships, and it shifts our sense of belonging in the world."
  

• Books: I have been reading TONS...one of my favorite things about summer! This week I finished the Kingdom Keepers III book and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I recommend both! The Tattoo Girl took nearly 100 pages for me to get into...a bit of a difficult beginning. However, once I was into the plot, it was great...and I want to read books 2 and 3 of the trilogy now. :) One of these days I'll get my list on the sidebar updated.
  

• Blog: My 2 year blogoversary was last week. THANK YOU again to my sweet readers who lend an ear, offer support, share ideas, and give blog love. I heart you!!!
  

Emmaisms

Ahhh...one of my favorite parts of summer break is that I get daily cuddle time with Emma. Nearly every morning, she comes staggering into my bed just after she has woken up. We lay together and cuddle for a while before getting up to start the day. On mornings when I arise before she does, she still finds me and sits in my lap for some cuddles before we get going to face the day. I love it! And the long limbs on my little girl remind me that she won't be sitting in my lap forever, I must cherish it while I can!

It's been a long while....below is a compilation of Emma-isms. A 5-year-old's perspective on things:

11/15/09 The ending of "The Star Spangled Banner:"
"...the land of the free...and the home of God's brain." (Why wouldn't God keep his "brain" in the U.S.A.?)

1/13/10 On the characters we've met at Disney World: "We met the REAL people at Disney. The actors are in the movie, but the REAL people are the ones we see at Disney."
(I wonder how long the "magic" will last...I love that she still doesn't think the Disney workers are also actors.)

1/15/10 Answering the Introduction Circle question at gymnastics--Where in the world do you want to go on vacation?
"Heaven or the North Pole." (I'm thinking God and Santa....definitely 2 cool chaps to visit.)

2/17/10 Making Inferences:
"Tinker Fairies are kind of like cars. They have to get dust everyday to have energy. And cars have to have gas for energy."

2/18/10 After looking at the ride status to prepare for our Disney trip and learning the Splash Mountain ride would be closed for renovations:
"Maybe it's closed so people don't get wet literally." ("Literally." Cracks me up.)

Caught awake at 10:40 p.m. the night before our Disney trip:
"I keep trying to sleep, but I'm excited, so I just look out the window."

3/2/10: Regarding male anatomy; to DH who turned to get dressed in the corner:
"How come you don't let me see your little weenie?" (ROFL! Poor DH!)

5/1/10 On playground wounds:
"Remember the boo-boos I got on my knees yesterday? They're ouchstanding." (I think "ouchstanding" is a wonderful way to describe boo-boos. I'm going to add this word to my vocabulary repertoire.)

5/5/10 On profanity:
Emma: "Oooooh! Daddy almost said the f-word!"
Me: "What's the 'f-word'?"
Emma: "Friggin'!"
(Huge sigh of relief...was wondering how in the world she could have learned the "real" f-word.)

5/27/10 On Jewelry: "Why don't boys get blow pop rings when they get married? Then they can suck it whenever they want to." (LOLOLOL...I know she didn't mean this like it sounded, but sooooo funny nonetheless!!!!!!!)

6/1/10 On killing Mommy's Ego:
"You should be on Biggest Loser, cuz' you're really huge."
(Ouch. Who needs Bobb and Jilian?)

6/28/10 On Literature:
"I know the names of two authors! Mary Pope Osbourne and Moby Dick!"

7/1/10 On Make-overs:
"People won't even neck-ig-rize me when we get to Ohio, since I have a new haircut AND new glasses!" (Neckigrize...recognize....heehee.)





Pics of my girl before we went to the pool yesterday. Tonight we're heading to Ohio for our 2 week vacation... Thanks, Emma for reminding me to take time to neckigrize the small stuff.

Life Update

A.C.: YES, after 10 days of staying with the in-laws (thank goodness!) our A.C. was repaired. I believe it was just in time, as I think the weather has been in the 90's each day since the repair.

False Hope: The week before Father's Day I took a HPT and had a positive (2 line) result. I was ecstatic, but tried to remain cautious. As it was still extremely early, my plan was to take further tests closer to Father's Day in order to surprise DH. Sighs. Two days later when I took both a two-liner and digital a HPT they were both negative within a minute. Of course AF arrived within a few additional days. Drat.

--I recently saw a billboard that says, "Letting go and giving up are not the same thing." I've been really, really working on letting go...it isn't working yet.

School: Two former students helped me move all of my work belongings into my AWESOME new classroom. Nothing will be unpacked or settled until the end of summer, but I am relieved to not have to worry about my stuff over the summer.

--Still awaiting the FCAT scores from this spring's test. Anxious to see how my students fared.

Books: I've been reading up a storm. (How I love summer!) Current favorites include the "Kingdom Keepers" series by Ridley Pearson. These youth/teen books are up my alley as they are suspense novels which take place at the Disney World theme parks...WAY cool! Also the new Rick Riordan book, "The Red Pyramid" was a great read. I love how he incorporates history (ancient Egyptian in this case) into his plot development.

Vacation: We'll be leaving this week for a 2-week vacation in Ohio. I look forward to time with my family!

Eclipse: The latest "Twilight" film comes out this week! My father-in-law has graciously agreed to babysit Emma for 2 hours (until DH can pick her up after work.) This will enable me to attend a triple feature with 2 of my friends from work. We'll be seeing "Twilight," "New Moon," and then the midnight premiere of "Eclipse." My bum will be SO tired, but it will be SO worth it! :)

Playdates: Em and I have been keeping pretty busy this summer. A new teacher at my school has a daughter who is 6. We've been on 2 playdates with them...Em and her daughter get along great. In addition, we've been on 2 playdates with a friend we met via Emma's pre-school. The mom used to work at the front desk where parents sign in at the school. I made a new friend! Yay! We graduated from high school the same year, both majored in social work/psychology areas which we are no longer working in, both love movies, etc. Anyway, Em and the school gal's son play together wonderfully. (Though he is a year and 3 months older than Em, he is a sweetie whom Emma described as "gentle." Awww!)

Blog: It seems as though I've been on hiatus lately. I started this blog as an online scrapbook and journal for myself. Due to my TTC issues, it became more personal and baby-longing focused than I originally intended. Thus, sometimes I don't want to write because I feel like a downer. I feel like I am going in circles....like my heart's desires are going around and around a track, yet they continue to prefer to veer to a new path one day. It is such a conundrum. My heart longing for a second child. My mind trying to rationalize that I need to "let go" and move on and STOP STRESSING and see what happens. I don't write much, sadly...because there doesn't seem to be anything new to write.

Haircut Girls: Em and I both got haircuts. Short for summer. :)

End of the School Year Wrap-Up

Family: First and foremost, a huge shout out to my DH's parents who have graciously allowed DH, Em, and I to crash at their place for a to-be-determined amount of time. The air conditioning at our house broke....which when the heat index is in the 100's is IMPOSSIBLE to survive in! A repair man was there on Tuesday, but needed to order a part which will take 3-10 days to arrive. My in-laws have fed us, let us mooch their guest room, office area ( Em sleeps on the couch in the office,) living room space in the evenings, etc. THANK GOODNESS! We spent only one night at our place post-A.C. breakage and it was hot and miserable and I couldn't sleep. Yikes! Thank you, thank you, thank you, C&C!

(--And WOOHOO for amazing Home Owner's insurance. The A.C. compressor would have cost around $5,000 if we had to pay out of pocket. Fortunately, all we have to pay is the $60 fee for the repair visit to our house. Whew!

Emma: Em's Pre-K graduation was last week. SOOOO bittersweet. I hope to eventually have a post (with photos) just about this event...if I can get back to blog land on a regular basis.

School: I'm typing this in my classroom as I am waiting to get dressed for the annual 8th Grade Dance. Can't wait to see my school kiddos gussied up....this is one of my favorite school events of the year!

--I spoke to my principal today. It is 100% definite that I will be moving to 6th grade next year. Part of me will miss my 8th graders.... However, I'm super excited about the reading program for ESOL students that I'll be heading. (Which could mean I'll also have one class of 7th and 8th graders.) Cool!

--Did I mention I get to move to a huge classroom with windows! WOOHOO! Out of my windowless hole...I'm loving it! I look forward to having a nice reading area, like I had at my prior school, since I'll finally have ample classroom space. (I've already spoken to a teacher who is retiring---she's going to sell the 2 comfy chairs in her classroom to me! $30. Sweet!)

--Part of why I've been away from the blogging world is because I've been swamped since a teacher in my department resigned last month. I'm stuck keying his grades and attendance into the computer system, because long-term subs aren't permitted to do "official" documentation. Bah hum bug!

--The field trip this week went well! Sadly, the new Harry Potter ride and HP area of the Islands of Adventure park doesn't open until mid-June. So other than a cool photo of the outside of the Hogwarts Castle, I wasn't able to have any Harry Potter time. Sighs. Most importantly, the students were well behaved and didn't drive us chaperones too nutty. I had a fun time!

--This year is my 7th year teaching. Through the years I've received some small cards and gifts from students and/or their parents as "thank yous" for a job well done. I always appreciate the acknowledgement! Generally these gifts are not expensive, and I certianly do NOT expect them to be. But holy WOWSERS. Guess what a student gave me yesterday? His mother even emailed me to make sure I received it. A $100.00 gift certificate to Starbucks. WOW! (And yes, that was one HUNDRED, not an error.) I still can't believe it! Entirely TOO much and TOO kind. I am gracious! And I totally got a Frappichino on the way to work this morning! :)

--I just finished an amazing book called Larger-Than-Life Lara. I used it as a read aloud with my students. The book teaches a lesson about bullying along with teaching story elements. For example, 3 of the last 4 chapters of the book are titled "Rising Action," "Climax," and "Resolution." My students loved the book overall. THANKS to my sister, Laurel for introducing me to this novel! :) A short, fun read I'd recommend to anyone who reads aloud to 3rd-8th graders. (Almost too young for my 8th graders, but I was able to tie it into some stories about bullying that were in our textbook.)

Questions: My friends, I leave you with 2 questions...

1st---Does anyone know what happened to Fishsticks and Fireflies?? (Is she ok? Did she go private? Is there a way I can email her and ask to be added to her new blog readers' list?)

2nd---What are your thoughts on PRIVATE versus PUBLIC education???
-I went to private school from Pre-K through 6th grade, and then attended public school for the rest of my schooling.
-Though I was raised in a small town (only 3 elementary schools and 1 high school) I believe there was a definite difference in the behavior and academic grades of my peers who attended private school (for elementary only) versus those who did not. In my particular class, the high school valedictorian and 2 co-salutatorians were 3 students who graduated from my 6th grade private school class with me. We all then attended public school from 7-12. And still out of 300+ students, the top 3 were all from a private school elementary background. Interesting.
-I am excited to have my daughter in a school nearby the school where I teach. When I enrolled her in Kindergarten for next year, it was at the "A" rated school across the street from mine, but it is public. My mama heartstrings have been tugging a TON recently wondering if DH and I made the right choice. Part of me worries about not having her in a private school setting. (She's already reading----will her new teacher differentiate instruction, or force Em to be bored and back to basic ABC's; will Em get in trouble for being "bored" if she's off task----her private school Pre-K teacher this year was dynamite about re-directing her and finding activities for her to do at HER level; Lastly, will Em miss the Christian atmosphere and learning Bible verses and songs that are at her private Pre-K? (When she recites and sings them now it reminds me of my own childhood.)
-I want the best for my girl. Am I over-reacting as I wonder if she will be able to obtain the "best" at a public school? I ask this as an educator at a public school.... It is such a difficult call to make. How much of the child's knowledge and behavior is based on the PARENTS and how much is based on the SCHOOL? As a teacher, I believe there is a definite difference between students who do and do not have parental support. Am I wrong in thinking that if DH and I continue to provide a loving, educational background that Em can achieve the best in life no matter what her school setting?

Thanks for letting me ramble, Dear Readers. I'd love to hear your thoughts!