First Days of School

School is in full swing. The boys are doing awesome and I have a great group of 3rd graders. No one cried the first day of school but me! I didn't even make it to my morning teacher's meeting because I was such a wreck after I dropped off Jason.  More details to come, but I know my mom you all are dying to see first day of school pictures so here ya go. =)

Don't mind my terrible camera... it must have been on the wrong setting.

Two more days left of our first week. I am so looking forward to the weekend. I miss my boys so much during the day!

Back to School Night

I am still alive... barely. With me going back to teaching full time and school also starting for Josh and Jason things are bit crazy here. Good crazy though!

This is the first time all week I have sat down to update myself on the internet world. It is amazing what you miss after a week of no facebook or reading friend's blogs. I have a feeling there won't be much facebooking, personal emailing or blogging during the week anymore. Don't take it personally, friends, with my lack of comments.

Anyways, I could go on and on about our week, but I will skip to a fun night.

Last night was Back to School Night at Josh's school and where I teach. It was a long 12 hour work day for me, but all worth it to see the excitement on this little guys' face.

He has already made friends and is so excited for Monday. I was also happy to get to play the "Mommy" role for a bit last night and take a break from the "Teacher" role that I had been the whole day. Kinder was at 6:15pm and my 3rd grade Back to School Night didn't start until 7:00pm. It was nice to get to be with him for that. I am totally bummed about his first day of school though. Parents get to come with them in the morning, but I have to be with my 3rd graders. Mike gets to take Josh to school and do all the fun first day of Kindergarten activities. Maybe it is better that way, Mike won't cry and I totally would be a mess.

Jason also starts part time preschool on Monday. He is super excited too, but I don't think he really knows what he is in for. He is just excited to show everyone his new Super Mario Brothers lunch box.

Hopefully, my next post will be lots of great news about the first week of school for all of us.  

Family Photoshoot Sneak Peak

Last month we all surprised Mike's mom for her birthday with a family trip to Carmel and a family photo shoot. It was such a beautiful day and so much fun. We haven't received all the proofs yet, but our photographer put a sneak peak on his blog. You can check them out HERE. They are awesome, besides the seeing up my dress pics...oh boy.

I would highly recommend the photographer, Neil Simmons. He was really neat to work with and he travels to locations. I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.

Getting Settled

We are moved into our new house and have worked non stop unpacking. After 2 days, the inside of the house is done. Now the garage just needs to be organized. I think this might be an unpacking a new house record. The deadline of school starting put our booties into full gear. We also have amazing family and friends who helped us all day on Wednesday. Josh was so excited. He got to hang out with the guys all day and ride in the Uhaul with Daddy. Poor Jason cried most of the day saying he wanted to go home(to the old house). He is doing much better now that everything is unpacked and all familiar again.

Moving day was also my birthday. I'm not gonna lie... my birthday pretty much was a drag this year with moving, but we did take a break and enjoyed some birthday ice cream cake during the day. Oreo... my fave. 

And a little side note...I know for a fact that the Lord will not give us what we can't handle. Here is a little confirmation...

My 1st grade classroom is completely done. I worked so hard over the last month getting it done since I knew things would be crazy with the move. I got asked yesterday if I wanted to switch to 3rd grade. That is the grade I used to teach, the only grade I have ever taught(besides subbing). Of course, I said yes, and I am so excited. I love that age group and I know it so well. Here's the confirmation part... I have 6 days until Back to School Night. 6 days to move my completely done 1st grade classroom to my new 3rd grade room. God has a plan and knows I can handle it.

My awesome sister is coming into town tomorrow and we are going to work all day long at school. Hopefully, we can get it all done or at least most of it.

God is just so good and never ceases to amaze and surprise me with his plans.  

Projects

Somewhere in the chaos of packing our house and getting my classroom ready for the new school year we found time to do a few projects. And the only reason I have time to sit down and blog right now is because my parents and here helping us this weekend on their way home from a camping trip. They are watching Tangled with the boys out in their camping trailer. Why my husband and I are not out on a hot date tonight is beyond me. I guess we are too pooped to go out. (He may be asleep snoring on the couch right now at 7:45pm)

We painted our kitchen table.


BEFORE



AFTER

The table has a leaf that makes it bigger and more oblong shaped. We painted that too and will have the table big in the new house in a dining room. Now I need to find 2 more chairs though.
Next we did the buffet. I forgot to take a before picture, but you can see it in the background of this picture covered in boxes.



AFTER

I love the way the buffet turned out. It will go in the new dining room which has tan"ish" color walls with the black table. We also painted our maple colored tv trays black.

Our next big project was for my classroom. My dad made this for my brother's beach wedding.

It looks identical to bamboo, but it is actually stained pvc pipes. My dad is pretty amazing when it comes to making just about anything. Since my classroom is beach themed, we took these home with us. I wanted to use them somehow for a reading area for my 1st graders. Something they could sit under. My hubby is also pretty amazing when it comes to handy work, so he turned that into this.

I still need to drape some of that fake brown grass over the top of it so it looks more like a hut, but I think Mike did an awesome job and my students are going to love it. See that LarryBoy bean bag toss to the left?... my dad made that too for the boys' Veggie Tales themed birthday party a few years ago.

Now to finish packing, move, unpack at the new house, finish my classroom (which I will try to post pics of soon, it is looking super cute), attend a zillion teacher meetings, get the boys ready for school and get my hubby ready to go on a 5 day fishing trip to Mexico all in the next 2 weeks... forgive me if my blogging is a little slow for a while.

Happy Weekend!


My Cup Overflows...

I always pray for my boys and that they will grow up having a strong relationship with Christ. That they would not only ask Him to be their Savior at a young age but understand it as well. Sometimes, Josh and I will be talking about Jesus and I have been guilty of almost prompting him to accept Him into his heart. Josh would ask questions and listen but really just wasn't interested. He would rather get back to his hot wheels or legos.

Well... last week completely out of the blue and not prompted whatsoever Josh prayed with me and asked Jesus to come live in his heart. It was so awesome and I was(and still am) so thankful that the Lord allowed me to be the one to do that with him.

Here is what happened....
Josh has been helping me pack pretty much every day. This particular evening we were packing up some picture frames with family pictures in them. We came across a picture of Mike's Poppy(his great grandpa) and Mike. Josh started asking questions about it. "Why is that Daddy's Poppy?" "Where is he now?" What is he doing in Heaven?" "How did he get to Heaven?"

So I just answered his questions honestly without going too much into death. Mike's Poppy passed away right before we found out we were pregnant with Jason, so he got to meet Josh and spend some time with his great great grandson which was pretty awesome!


Newborn baby Josh meeting Poppy for the first time



5 generations

As Josh and I were sitting on the floor in the hallway surrounded by boxes talking about his great great grandpa and how he is in heaven I asked him, "Would you like pray and ask Jesus to come live in your heart?" He got so excited and with a big smile said, "Yes!"

We prayed together and talked more about what he was doing. He was so giddy and excited afterward. And I am sure Poppy was a dancing fool up in heaven when it happened. The man loved to dance and did every weekend. He was a funny, sweet, a young at heart man who I am so blessed to have been able to spend  a good 7 years getting to know. He always had a thing for blondes, which he would always make me aware of. We had a real fun relationship with lots of joking and laughter.  

It was so special how the Lord took a random time of Josh and I packing, a picture of his daddy with Poppy and He gave just the right answers to a curious 5 yr old's questions to make such a special moment I will always cherish.