1st Week of School

My first full week of school is over and it was anything but normal. The second day of school, as most of you know because of my facebook, a 4th grader died on the playground. It was as awful as you can imagine. It was sad, scary and so out of the ordinary, it was hard to know what to do. The third day of school, on Friday the 20th, we had a huge faculty meeting where everyone cried and prayed and figured out how to talk to kids. Maybe you missed that, the entire faculty prayed together! It was amazing. Never have I been a part of a place that would pray all together like that. It was so comforting. We all united and felt all the prayers of everyone around us those next few days. The funeral was last Wednesday, so hopefully things will return to a little bit of normal now. As normal as can be, anyway.

Also, last week I started my final college class. To get my alternative certification to teach, I had to take 12 hours of college classes. Classes I would've taken if I would have been an education major. So, I'm taking Child Development this semester and I know I'm going to love it. It will make things a little crazy, but that's alright.

I also finally broke down and bought maternity pants. Well, I had no other choice. All my other pants didn't fit. I just bought the basics: khakis, black, gray, and two pair of jeans. That should hold me over for awhile. I'm excited about them and they are pretty comfortable.

In all this craziness, the most amazing thing started happening this week....I'm feeling the baby move;) It's wonderful. It's hard to describe what that feels like, but I love it and I want it to happen all the time. It is still amazing to me that something is actually in there and that something will have a name this Thursday. We finally get to have an ultrasound and we finally get to find out what it is. I'm so ready for this baby to have a name and an identity. What wonderful things that will start happening after Thursday! The two I'm most excited about right now are buying baby clothes and getting the nursery ready.

Please continue to pray for this nervous pregnant woman, though. Pray that the ultrasound goes well and that everything is healthy and wonderful with this miracle in my tummy:)

I can't wait to shout to the rooftops what we're having and it's name, but for now, I'll leave you with my two latest belly pictures.

Week 17...a sweet potato
*I'm usually dressed up cute and nice for these belly pictures, but that's not real life. This picture was taken on a Sunday and this is what I look like on a Sunday after church. I come home and get in my comfies and take a good long nap:)
**Also, when I cut open this "sweet potato", it was really a regular potato. I was so upset. I went to the store a few days later and looked at the bin where I found this "sweet potato" and it was the right bin. It was just the one regular potato in the bin of sweet potatoes. Oh well. But, that's why it looks a little bigger than the mango:)



Week 18...a mango

First Day

My first day of school 2010 has officially come and gone. It was a breeze. Last year was terrible. I cried all the way home and cried some more when I got here. However, I didn't shed one tear today:)

I said I would post pictures of my classroom yesterday, but since I didn't get my class list until Monday evening and we had Open House Monday evening, I didn't get everything ready until yesterday. Then, as I was about to take pictures, my camera battery died. So, I took them this morning before the kids got there.

I went with frogs this year. I always have a theme:)

This is on my front door:) It says "Hop Into Pre-K". Clever, I know! All my students' names are on the dragonflies or worms.



This is the view of my classroom as you walk in the door.



As you turn left after you walk in, you see the cubbies. I decorated this bulletin board "Froggy Friends". I love these cubbies. I was able to order them last year and they came with a place for all their folders at the top. I also have my box of Kleenex and hand sanitizer. Can't get swine flu and strep throat this year;)




Next, is my "Hoppy Helpers" where I assign their "jobs" everyday. Jobs like: line leader, door holder, turn lights off/on, pass out snacks, clean tables, pass out folders, calendar helper, and change the "where are we?" sign on the door.



This next spot is my calendar section. I have a book shelf with music instruments on top. My birthday cakes, calendar and CD player. This is where we meet every morning and I do all my teaching here. We read stories, learn letters, numbers, etc.



Here is an upclose picture of the birthday cakes and calendar area.



This is new this year. It's called "Dress the Frog for the Weather". It's so cute:) He comes with all sorts of different clothes. He has items for rainy days, items for fall, and winter. It's awesome and the kids will love it.



This is a picture of our toy area. Blocks, puzzles, puppets, cash register and money, Mr. Potato Heads, dinosaurs, dolls, kitchen items, and a dress up area are all over here.



Last, but not least, is my tables, teacher desk, and storage area. Today, I had puzzles set up on the tables. This changes everyday. It's set up for when they first get here, because that's usually not at the same time. I pick up kids from the gym at 8:05a. Then, there are those that are still eating breakfast in the cafeteria at that time, or those brought by the parents a little later. They are not tardy until 8:15a. HOWEVER, on the first day of school, kids are dropped off in my room at about 7:45a. It's a little hectic, but I had no criers today, so it was just fine:)



So, there you have it. A little tour of my Pre-K classroom. It's a lot of fun, but stressful at times, too. It's going to be even crazier this year b/c my aid is pregnant, as well. She's due at the end of September. She'll come back in October or November, then I leave her in January for a few months. It will be nuts, but so much fun:) I can't wait for both of our babies to be here.

So, this is where I spend the majority of my day from now until May. I love it and I couldn't ask for a better job!

17 Weeks

Hi,

Summer is officially over for me today. I go back for meetings today, we have Open House, and school starts Wednesday. I am sad. I have so enjoyed this summer. It's been busy, but really fun.

However, I'm sort of looking forward to being back in a routine and once school starts, this pregnancy will fly by! I have figured out that I'm a nervous pregnant woman. I love being pregnant and growing and learning new things about my body, my husband, and this baby inside of me, but I'm a nervous wreck all of the time! I'll give you an example.

Last Monday, was my 16 week appointment. As soon as we walked back there, the nurse asked, "So, have you felt the baby move yet?" and I answered, "No, I heard that usually wasn't until 18-20 weeks." "Hmmm....", she said. So, immediately I was nervous. She seemed so matter of fact and thought it was almost strange that I hadn't yet, which scared me. Well, then it was time to hear the heartbeat. The first time we heard it at 12 weeks, as soon as she put it on my stomach, there it was loud and clear. This time, she had to move it around for about 30-45 seconds before she found it. I know this doesn't sound like a long time, but it felt to me like an hour. I was bawling by the end. Then, she only let me listen to it for like 3 seconds! Oh my goodness. I was scared to death. So relieved that they found the heartbeat, but just so...I don't know. I guess I'm already a mom.

I've mentioned before that I really love my doctor and he's just the doctor I need. Well, as soon as he came in, he assured me that I won't feel it move until 18-20 weeks and even if I come in for my next appointment and haven't felt it, that's okay too. My next appointment, if you've kept up the dates, I will be 3 days shy of 20weeks, which means I get to find out the sex!!!! The BIG ultrasound is scheduled for September 2nd! It's going to be amazing and I'm so excited!

So, I'm 17 weeks today and I'm ready for school to start so we can get to September 2nd!

In the meantime, here's my 15 week and 16 week pictures.

15 weeks....an avocado!




16 weeks...a turnip!



*P.S. My site says an onion and I wish I would've seen that. I get my updates on my phone and it said turnip and I had the hardest time finding one b/c I didn't really know what to look for. I've never bought one and I don't even know what they're for. I'm going to have to try and find a way to cook them b/c they come two to a package:)

Okay, so also this week, I threw a baby shower. It was for a dear friend in our Sunday School class. She's due August 31st, so I was a nervous wreck that she was going to go into labor during the shower or call 5 minutes before it started and tell us she was on her way to the hospital. I didn't want that to happen. Showers are a lot of work and they're expensive and there were 60 people there! But, all was well and she showed up and it was wonderful:)

Here are a few pictures. Because it was held at the church and we were expecting 60-70 people, I bought no favors. Everyone in the Sunday School class helped make food (which I forgot to get a picture of), but I did the decorations and Nick's mom did the cake. It was so cute!

Here's the gift table.



Then, here's the main focus of the room...the cake table!



Here's the cake close up and from other angles.







It was a great week and a scary one, but everything's going great and I think I'm finally ready for school to start. I'll post pictures of my classroom tomorrow:)

Fruit Tart: A Recipe

Hi Friends!

While Mom, Cass, Cal, and I were in Texas at his parents, his mom made fruit tarts:) They were amazing and I ate at least 3 while we were there, maybe more:) We were only there for a day and half! Haha;)

Anyway, they are delicious, so I had to have the recipe. I made them last night and they were a success. The best part is, Nick loves them too:) He's eaten 2 1/2 today!


Here's the pic:



You can use whatever fruit you want on top. I used a peach, strawberry, kiwi, and blueberries. Oh, and I halved this recipe and it made enough dough for 12-14 pastries.

Here's the recipe:

Bottom-Pastry
-Box of real butter (unsalted) 4 sticks
-2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened to room temp
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
-4 cups all purpose flour

-Soften the butter and cream cheese several hours or overnight.
-Cream both together til fluffy.
-Add the salt, powdered sugar, then the flour. Mix well.
-Divide in half.
-Roll out 1/4 inch thick between parchment paper. Repeat with other half. Use small amount of flour to do this.
-Chill til cold.
-Cut out 4 inch circles.
-Bake 400 degrees til edges start to brown. Don't over bake.
-Cool.
-Transfer to freezer. Freeze for easier handling and to keep fruit cold. (I didn't do this b/c I just kept mine refrigerated overnight.)
-When very cold, take out and spread on cream cheese filling. Top with fresh fruit.

Cream Cheese Filling
-2 8oz pks cream cheese
-1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

-Beat above til light and fluffy.
-Refrigerate til thick, firm and cold.


Enjoy:)