Can you hear the bells ringing?

We are so blessed this year! Thanksgiving was wonderful and Mom's turkey and gravy was AMAZING like always and next to her famous apple pie, this is my favorite Thanksgiving food! I know, I know so many of you are thinking "No, my (insert family member here)'s turkey/gravy/apple pie is the best." I am here to tell you that you clearly have not tried my mom's! And my entire family would agree with me!

Seriously, I am so thankful for the ability to go see all of my family and my husband's family (which is mine too, so I don't know why I felt the need to clarify :) Despite that we were missing Grandpa and Aunt Penny, we were all counting our blessings that we could still get together.

Now, as we are preparing for the celebration of Christmas, and God's most precious treasure He gave us, my home is bustling. My boys have enjoyed cutting down their Christmas tree (first real one we have done as a family!) making their Christmas lists and visiting Santa, all while learning the true meaning of the season.

Just yesterday, they were able to watch the Polar Express and help me wrap a few Christmas presents, and you should hear them sing! Nolan had made up some of his own words, which he will defend until he is blue in the face. "Let Kevin and nature sing" (He has a cousin named Kevin) Simon sings the 12 Days of Christmas from start to finish perfectly. We are having so much fun!

Never Coming Back?

Last week, I was fortunate enough to visit Baltimore, Maryland for the National Middle School Conference with a few of my co-workers. Now, some of you may be thinking: Baltimore? Wow. Whooptee-Do. And you are sort of correct: aside from Fort McHenry, the amazing Harbor, and Edgar Allen Poe's grave, I cannot say much else about the city. I will probably not be going back any time soon. (If you are from Baltimore or have a soft-spot for the city, I am not knocking your city: it was just not for me) I did enjoy the conference though, and am glad I went.

A few weeks prior, my home was Germ-City USA. (hence the LONG time-span since my last post) My oldest had a double-ear infection, and my younger boy had a sinus-infection. Eventually Daddy and I had to fight off the same stuff. My little one needed two rounds of antibiotics and I was still unconvinced that the meds actually worked. Needless to say, he was whiny and clingy for several weeks, so leaving for a few days did him good, as he rarely whined to anyone but me.

So, the trip came and went, and I could not talk to the boys over the phone. The first night (4hrs after I had seen them) I called to say good-night. Both boys were hysterical. So, the next night, Daddy decided that it would be better not to talk. (He was in charge and taking great care of them...and I was not the least bit worried) Finally, when I returned, the boys were so happy to see me and we really enjoyed being together as a family the majority of the weekend.

Almost three days after my return, Simon (oldest and worry-wart) broke down in tears because he did not want me to be away so long. (I had been away here and there for a night or two, but this was the longest) I was taken a-back since I had already been home for a few days prior to these emotions. I assured him that I knew he would be safe with Daddy (Grandma and Grandpa helped too) It too him a few minutes to really understand. I tried hard not to dismiss his feelings, for his feelings are serious stuff to him: after all, he was really worried that I was never coming back!

Pretend Pirates and Friends

Today, I have spent the majority of my day wiping my nose (thank you, little ones for passing the germs on to Mommy! Or, I guess I can thank the 8th graders who still think it is acceptable to pick their noses, cough into thin air wipe snot with forearm: they, too, could be the culprits!)

Once I returned home from work, though, after picking up Simon from pre-k, I have spent the other part of my day taking care of pretend pirates and a pretend friend. Yes, my friends, you read that right: my boys' imaginary creations have been more high-maintenance than they have been! Nolan, my 2.5yr old has had me help tuck in his pretend pirates for bed, but then instructed me to "just sing them a song if they cry, Mommy," while he left on his pretend wheelchair! Nolan never returned. to care for the pirates. I too left the pirates alone, and have yet to hear even the slighted peep from them.

Simon, my 4yr old, has a pretend friend named Katie. This just so happens to be the same as his bff, Katie, from pre-k3 and pre-k4. Since Friday evening, I have made dinner for pretend Katie, tucked her into bed, brushed her teeth, bathed her, and read her books. Today, Simon asked that I move over to allow room for Katie to sit beside him. Just when I thought that I had been replaced, Simon sang me his new song he made up:
I love my Mommy
She is so great
She is the wonderfulest
I have to pick up fate.
* Not bad for a 4yr old. He sang the words with rhythm that tended itself to rhyme!


Katie did not go to preschool today, for Simon feared he might get confused and play with the wrong Katie. Where does he get this stuff?

So, I am sure that pretend Katie will be around for a few more days, at least. However, I think the pirates will have to go hunt for a treasure.

My new love

Well, I have successfully made it through two whole weeks of my second year of 8th grade! (I buzzed through eighth grade a few years ago and for the first seven years of my teaching experience, I taught 7th grade) And. I. have. a. new. love.

No sick-o's it is not an eighth grader...it is my SmartBoard (an interactive white board)!

I have been lucky enough in the past to beg borrow and steal) time with a smartboard over the past several years, but this year, I have my very own: mounted in my classroom, nonetheless! Because of this, and my new responsibility of 8th grade language arts and math, I am pumped about the start of the year. This also translates to me spending all of my free time teaching myself how to use the SmartBoard. I am turning into a real techie.

I have also started another EDA class for my masters titled Leaders in Diverse Communities. It is too early to tell how this class will unfold.

Needless to say, gone are the days of taking my boys to the park outside to play in the sprinkler...school is in full swing! Plus, Simon starts his second year of preschool on Tuesday.

I miss my boys terribly, but also treasure the time I do have with them during the day and maximize the quality as best as I can. (Yes, this sometimes means that the boys may help me do laundry, but we make it fun!)

Happy Labor Day everyone. Enjoy your long weekend! I know I will!

My Favorites

This summer, I have been blessed to spend some quality time with my little boys. While it has not always been a walk in the park, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with them. Hopefully they would articulate the same about me. We have had our fair share (maybe more than our fair share when considering my 2.5 yr old) of meltdowns, screaming/crying/whining fests, tantrums, and arguments, but in between all of these were laughter, joy, learning, and great memories being made.

I hope I never forget these special moments and words my boys have shared with their mommy and daddy. So, as I reminisce, I also appreciate the smaller things in our summer: the boys' words.

Nolan (2.5yrs)
"That's a Holy Cow!" In reference to a very low plane.
"When my finger is hurt and it gets dead and I go see Jesus I will show him my silly bands."
"You need pridacy?"
"Oopsie. I have to go potty!" Every time he has to take care of business, it is oops!
"Simon, you are not the boss."


Simon (4yrs)
"Certainly." His answer when I asked if he wanted a drink.
"You're flying! ... No I am not, I'm falling with style." First attempt at a movie quote.
"Since God is up in the sky, maybe we can wave to him when we fly in an airplane someday."
"I want some pop. My tummy hurts. Not like throw-up hurt, just a little hurt."
"You know that there are animals and bugs that hybertate? So, they could just go to a warm building instead of going to warmer weather."

I know that as soon as I post this, one of my boys will inevitably say something memorable, but alas, I post anyway.

I go back to the grind on Thursday and am NOT looking forward to it! Then my class starts too. I am not going to lie though. Having some adult interaction (in-between dealing with 13-14 year-olds all day) will be nice.

Time Marches On

During the past two weeks, we have been busy buzzy bees in our household. (Thank you one of my ultimate faves, My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss for the fabulous alliteration and great metaphor.) My hubby kindly, and quite fabulously finished painting a few rooms in our home with the help of his dad. This translated to rooms being torn apart and the untouched rooms providing the space for those displaced items. Bottom line: our house was a disaster! Alas, most items have made it back to there appropriate places which was one of three options: back to where it came from, the garage sale pile, or the trashcan/recycling bin.

I also took the little boys to visit my parents and my maternal grandparents. My littlest sis looked after my boys while Mom and I went to visit Grandpa in the nursing home and then capture Grandma from her home for some lunch. Mom treated everyone to Mumfords for lunch while my boys provided a little comic relief and perhaps a few headaches from screaming and playing so loudly! It was a great visit.

While Daddy was bailing hay/straw, I also took the boys to our local splash pad. I must say that this was a trip well-worth it, because for the first time all summer, I decided to visit it in the evening, after dinner. I highly recommend visiting your local splash pad in the evenings! We practically had the place to ourselves!

We were able to join my hubby's grandma for her 90th birthday celebration at Der Dutchman She really enjoyed herself and so did everyone else. The food wasn't half-bad either. You know, if you like the perfectly cooked, hormone-free chicken YUMMY!!!

I finished up my School Finance Class!

And, my hubby treated me to a date night last night! We went to Easton to do a little shopping/browsing and then to watch the movie,Grown-Ups . Afterward, we ate at Fado

Oh, I did not mention the time I was utterly embarrassed in the grocery store as well. My boys were absolute monsters! Now don't get me wrong, they are never perfect while trudging up and down store isles, but typically the good heavily outweighs the bad. Not this day, though. It was rough. I will spare you the details in attempt give no glory to their awful behavior. And as a sad attempt to erase their devilish day and my mortified moments from my memory.

I can hardly imagine school starting again in a few weeks. I have started sleeping-training myself and actually setting my alarm in the mornings (although it seems as though my boys are up before the alarm, mo matter what time it is due to go off!) Slowly, I will inch my way to the 5:30 rise time I prefer when school starts!

Happy Anniversary +One Day

Yesterday, my hubby and I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary with swim lessons and a lunch at Wendy's with the family...how romantic, right? Within the next few weeks we will be able to enjoy an evening out, so I am ok with it. Plus, we had a pretty low key day, which seems to be less and less with two busy little boys. So, it was just as well. Did I mention that my hubby spent the evening clearing out our office/playroom and filling in nail holes so that he can paint later this week? Seriously, a girl would not be in her right mind to complain about that! (Believe me, I would typically help with this kind of project, assuming that the boys would cooperate, but I donated blood in the afternoon and my arm was a bit sore...wink)

Anyway, happy anniversary! Thank you for all that you do for me and for our family! I am proud to call you my husband! I love you!

Below, you will see a few of my favorite moments that were captured by our camera over the past year. Unfortunately, we did not have digital cameras at the time of our wedding. In the summer of 2003, this idea was still a little new. Our photographer (who was amazing by the way!) did not have a digital option at the time (or was too expensive due to the new technology) and we opted for the traditional, but now old fashioned film. :) So, in light of that, I have decided to include what our lives together were like over the past year!