Summer Vacation Week 8 & 9

Ah! Summer vacation is coming to a close. All 11-month employees are returned to school last Monday to get ready for the new school year. Here in 3 days, I'll be returning to work too! I seriously can not believe it! It's time to actually start thinking about my classroom again, even though my house isn't even ready for baby #2 and coming in 10 days. School starting isn't that far behind with only 14 days remaining. Let's pray I can do it all or get the help I need! :)

 Anyway, this past 2 weeks has me really fatigued so I did very little. I've cleaned a little and rested a lot! Josh has been busy with work and other projects. Little Miss has just been very active, but somewhat accommodating to this mommy needing her rest. Baby Girl is getting me ready for her arrival... I had about 3 hours of contractions Monday night and again yesterday. 

If you're reading this, I'd appreciate a little prayer for me and my family as there is still a lot to do! :) 

Summer Vacation Week 6&7

Summer Vacation is winding down though I really feel like mine is beginning with another possible 10 more weeks off still.

The last 2 weeks have been laid back. Baby Girl is getting big so it's getting hard to move as much as I want/need and my energy seems like it's been depleted but it doesn't help I'm not sleeping well at night... Though I think I may have figured out how to fix it in the last few nights (staying up later, less waking up in the middle of the night, waking up more refreshed). We'll see if it continues to work.

Josh has been busy with getting ready for Baby Girl and work. He has a gym membership so he can work out for those jobs he wants to apply for. He has been busy doing the honey-do list. He has been taking care of Little Miss when I have just been to tired to do it. He is amazing! 

Little Miss is more active than ever! Though she's a bit more cuddly now that everyone keeps asking her/talking about Baby Girl coming. It's really quite nice because she normally never cuddles with me unless she's sick. She is excited and fascinated with all things baby though, whether it be taking care of her baby dolls or seeing an actual baby at the store, she just wants to be near them. How she treats her baby doll, for the most part, tells me she's going to be a GREAT big sister! She's also finally showing interest in books... She's never been a big fan of being read too, ever (Except at Grandma Sheri's)! She is finally interested in books and actually letting Josh and I read and finish the book. 

Baby Girl is getting big and hasn't dropped. It's a good thing I've got a c-section scheduled since Baby Girl is doing the exact same thing Little Miss was, breach and refusing to drop. Her heartbeat is being picked up clear up by my ribs still. She is active and moving, all the time! I have a theory she's going to be a night baby. Whenever I have woken up in the middle of the night, she is the most active I have ever felt her, which will be fun once she comes! :D

As for me, despite being 35 weeks at this point, I'm trying to get some things done like the ward's Primary Program, last minute things around this house, and lesson plans which is scary that I've actually got to return to set up my room just for someone else to start the school year off. In that sense, I am very nervous even though I know I have a great sub. As far as everything else, it's only within my control that things get done or not so I'm not nervous because I can always shift and come back later. School planning, I've avoided (minus Pinterest and some TpT) most of the summer because I've been busy around the house but now it's time to start thinking and planning. I'll let you know how that goes! 

Anyway, have a good week! 

Summer Vacation Week 4

I can't believe it's been 4 weeks! 

Little Miss and Josh went out on a daddy/daughter date on Monday. They went to the bike store and Little Miss got really excited about seeing the seats you attach to the back of your bike. As soon as daddy went to work, mommy and Little Miss went 4th of July shopping. Little Miss got a cute new outfit with one of her favorite characters! Mommy also got her a complete set of sand toys! She was excited to be outside and play with them... even if it was in the rocks!

Tuesday, this mommy rested a little in the morning. We went shopping then came home, ate lunch, and napped. By the afternoon, this mommy had the energy to clean again so away I went. I decided to actually start on our bedroom. About halfway through the evening, Little Miss had enough and wanted some play/personal time with mommy so we headed to grandma's to take a break and get some stuff done. We got home almost 2 hours later and it was right back to work. This mommy finished cleaning by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping! No more dirty floor! I then folded some laundry, looked up some ideas for bed frames, and went to sleep. Today was partly disappointing and I almost didn't get my stuff done, but let me tell you, prayer helps! I'm so thankful for my communication with my Heavenly Father because it can call me to rest but, it can call me to get up and work and tell me when I'm beginning to overdo it. I need it because I can't seem to tell what my own  body needs anymore. Lol So I'm eternally grateful because he's protecting my Baby Girl and helping me at the same time. 

Wednesday we cleaned/organized some more until it was time to get ready for Little Miss' doctor appointment. We went and everything is spectacular! She's 30 lbs. and 3 feet tall! She is growing like a weed. She also got a shot and didn't even cry! We came home and I had to deal with insurance/billing stuff most of the afternoon. 

Thursday was a day of relaxing and hanging out with family. We went to Chuckie Cheeses. We had and awesome time! We came home and worked on more stuff. 

Friday we went to my doctor's appointment. Everything is looking and sounding good! Josh started a project, restaining all of our furniture to match. I can't wait until it is completely finished. 

Saturday, we went to The 4th of July Stake Breakfast, shopping, and swimming. We had BBQ hot dogs for lunch. Afterwards, I called my mom and found out that my grandma passed away. We then hung out at grandma's house and watched movies and baked cookies . We came home and cleaned/organized some more. 

Sunday, we went to church and then went to Grandma's again and worked on some church stuff. 

Milestones

Please try to ignore the bathroom pic. The hubby didn't want to take a picture, but I really wanted one... Particularly showing off my belly. It didn't turn out so good, but oh well. 

Today was a milestone... I am 6 months pregnant and Baby Girl is 18 months old! I honestly need to just start calling her little miss because she is not a baby anymore because she is just so grown up. She loves to help cook and clean. She loves to sit on the toilet and she will tell us when she needs to go. She loves to play with her friends, but she'll gladly play by herself. She is so very active and typically a very happy girl. That and we are expecting Baby Girl #2 and for blogging purposes, I don't want to call them Baby Girl #1 and Baby Girl #2. It just reminds me of Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Suess. Time will tell, but we have her name already chosen... we love it and hope that she'll grow up to love it too! 

Me on the other hand, I am so tired from this week. I've been getting about 5  hours of sleep per night and not by choice. I'm not sure if it's pregnancy insomnia, school anxiety, or a mixture of both. I also feel huge and have been told I look huge. Josh says I have the pregnancy waddle and it has been noticeable this week but I think it's because I'm so darn tired and exhausted. We did our last ultrasound for the pregnancy tonight. Baby Girl is weighing at 2 lbs and 13 ounces. We were finally able to see everything needed  so we do not need to return. She is stubborn, even more so than Little Miss which seems impossible but am discovering it's not. She is healthy which is a great thing! 

Now if only this momma can get some sleep so I'm going to put the phone down and try! 

May

I figured I better update my blog a little bit more so I can remember stuff.

This month has flown by. Josh and I have been busy with work. For me it feels insane because it is the end of the school year.

Baby Girl has been super sweet. She takes very good care of her babies: burping them, carrying them, kissing them, pushing them in her stroller, etc. She had a new tooth come through this week.

We went to St. George over Memorial Day Weekend. We went to the Children's Museum, which is totally awesome. There were shopping carts her size which she absolutely loved. We rode the carousel, which Baby Girl ended up not wanting to ride. We stopped at my parents house and just relaxed.

Anyway, my hubby is kicking me off because I need to get to work on my stuff for school. Until next time! :)

Family Home Evening: Week 2

Whoops... we missed a week.

We had a lot going on that week... :(

But....

We did it the following week, even though we were busy.

It was very short and sweet.

We went to the temple grounds and talked to our daughter about how special it was. I don't know if she really understood it, but we still decided to talk to her about the temple.

She really loved looking at the the water fountain and Angel Moroni on top of the temple.

Jan./Feb.

So much, yet so little has happened. 

We were all sick for weeks, literally. I got sick between Christmas and New Year's and I really didn't get better until just after President's Day Weekend. The worst of it was over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, I actually missed a day school even with the longer weekend. Baby girl was sick not quite as long and as for Josh, his sickness left and came back. So this cold season has just been terrible. It's made it so we can't visit some family which really sucks! 

Anyway, we've all been busy! Baby girl has been saying 2 incomplete sentences when she feels she needs too. "I want..." and I totally forgot the other. Lol. Whoops. 

We planted a garden, go to the park and play when we can, and have been trying to eat healthier. It's not working that well because when pregnant, I can handle only what I can handle. Which is sweet stuff and carbs... Seriously annoying! 

Anyway, Josh and I have been busy with church callings, work, and just balancing life. We both have been working a lot. Josh just found out he will be moving to a different shift which will be really good for everyone! 

Christmas

Hello all!

December has been pretty much the same as in my last post: sickness, busyness, fun, and love. I've also seen some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

 

Monday night, we went to Craig Ranch Park to see the Christmas lights. Baby Girl saw Santa and cried.

 

Christmas was awesome! Baby Girl and I went to grandma Ali's & grandpa Clark's for the day on Christmas Eve. Baby girl got lots of awesome things! 

 

That evening, we opened one gift: Christmas pajamas! She sure does look cute! 

Christmas Day was a cranky day... Baby girl was teething. We opened up presents at the house. Baby Girl gots some shoes and a book. I was busy making food all day. We took a long nap and then headed over to grandma Sheri's. She got the rest of her books. She also got more clothes and a toy. Sadly no pictures... But everyone opened there gifts at once. 

Josh and I also got a surprise, but it's on back order so I'll show you once we get it! 

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! 

November/December

The last few months have been crazy!

Illness has spread through this house... Multiple times! In fact, at Baby Girl's check up today we found out she's got an ear infection. :(

We spent Thanksgiving here at home! We put up our tree, did some Christmas shopping, and just spent some well needed time with each other. 

We celebrated Baby Girl's birthday. I got a new calling as first counselor in the primary presidency.

We've been fighting off colds, caught some amazing sunrises and sunsets, and had some crazy hair days. I've also broke my glasses. Josh has been working plenty of overtime. We got our new car registered. There have just been a lot of fun-filled days and plenty of love and colds to go around! 

It's been busy, but good. It truly is a blessing to live this life! 

1st Birthday

Baby girl turned one earlier this month and it was quite the celebration! 

She spent her birthday at home eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich and enjoying playing with her new bath toys! 

Then for the weekend, we went to see my parents and she got some new toys that she just loves! 

Sunday evening was Josh's family dinner. We had Mac n' Cheese with broccoli and keibasa along with a side of applesauce. We then had spice cake and chocolate ice cream for dessert. She got some new toys and a few books. 

It was a fun, fun, fun birthday!

First 2 Weeks of School

Oh my goodness!
The first two weeks of school have been fun, overwhelming, and just great. I have a very supportive grade level and my students are super sweet! I have been told, I have one of the best classes in 3rd grade. This school is using programs I have never used before so getting used to the programs have been and will be fun.
The school-wide reading program officially begins on Monday. It seems very overwhelming because there is a lot of pressure to follow this program with fidelity. After doing the lesson plans though, it doesn't seem like it's as hard as everyone describes. Of course, I need to teach it first!

Cookies from the first day of school from our admin. "Be Happy!"

Baby girl has adjusted well. She gets to hang out with grandma all day. She love driving her car, chasing the dogs and cousins, and playing with her toys. Her second tooth has broken through, she can scale herself across the room, crawl super fast, pick up foods with her fingers, and I know there is so much more I am missing. We can not believe how fast she is growing. She will have her doctor's appointment soon so we will learn just how much she has grown. We love this little girl so much!!! She is already 9 months.

Baby Girl 9 months old

Baby Girl feeding herself

My new haircut

My New Classroom

Day 1 (8/15/14)

Came in. Got what I needed from the office. Assessed the classroom. After thinking for awhile, decided I couldn't do much and left. 

Day 2 (8/18/14)

Came in. Found several pieces of furniture removed. Put desks together. Talked with grade level chair, have an idea what stations are needed in my room. Have an idea for floor plan. Left for family function. 

Day 3 (8/20/14)

Came in. Brought in some personal educational items. Rearranged furniture. Attended meetings. Ate lunch. Attended more meeting. Picked up school-purchased educational items. 

Day 4 (8/21/14)

Came in. Brought in more personal educational items. Attended a meeting. Picked up supplies. Got my writing and reading books. Rearranged my desks. Finalized my class schedule. Did some decorating, organizing, and setting up within my classroom. 

Day 5 (8/22/14)

Came in. Attended 2 meetings. Worked on lesson plans, copies, and a to-do list.

Day 6 & 7 (8/23-24/14)

Came in. Worked on setting up the rest of my classroom. Josh was awesome enough to help out for about 2 hours on Saturday night. 

Sunday night we spent some time with family. Baby girl's cousins thought that wearing a witch's hat would awesome!

Summer Vacation Week 9 + Our Vacation

Monday about noon, we headed out to see some friends in Rexburg. We just drove straight there minus one stop so Baby Girl didn't have to be stuck in a car all day. It rained a little but overall was a nice drive. We ate at Chick-fil-A for the first time. I got to meet a friend of Josh's. He has cats. We found out that Baby girl doesn't like cats... It's quite hilarious actually. Both Baby Girl and myself ended up super sick that night. 

Tuesday we drove from Rexburg into Grand Teton National Park. It was a beautiful drive. The park is HUGE! It was very stormy so we only ended up on 2 trails and were unable to complete the last half a mile on one which was okay because when we reached about 100 yards from the car, it started pouring! There were people hiking up as we were coming down and boy I sure thought they were crazy. We drove from one end of the park to the other and despite the cold, rainy, dark weather it was gorgeous. We then drove into Jackson and ate at Pinky G's Pizzeria. It smelled phenomenal and tasted great. Baby Girl met a puppy chocolate lab outside the restaurant and we could not get her attention for anything. We then drove back to Rexburg. 

Wednesday we headed back to Burley around 2. Boy, oh boy, we had an adventure driving home. We were hit with three major storms on our drive! With the first major storm, Josh pulled over and we waited for about 20 minutes for the worse to pass us. We still left when it was nasty but, we didn't have to pass through most of it on the highway. Then we had two smaller yet powerful storms we hit on the way home. We made it back to eat dinner and play "Ticket to Ride" with some family.

Thursday was a day I didn't want to be in the car but, I ended up in a car. We went around town. Got some ice cream, bought "Ticket to Ride", and just explored the area. It was a horrible night but, neither josh nor I really wanted to go home.

Friday we left. We decided to make as many stops as we wanted. We had to stop because Baby Girl was fussy so we got some Apple Beer. Josh is addicted to that soda! Then we went to Chick-fil-A and Cabela's. We ended up making a stop in Beaver, we went shopping in St. George, and stayed with my folks in Mesquite. It was a tiresome day to say the least.

Saturday we got to relax, played "Ticket to Ride" some more, then drove home. It was smooth sailing! We visited family and showed off our pictures and what we bought and played "Ticket to Ride". 

As Josh and I return to reality, we begin another school year and all that comes with it!

Pictures will be uploaded to a future post. 

Updates on Baby Girl:

*She learned how to officially crawl on shaggy carpet and now will crawl everywhere.

* She dislikes cats.

*She turned 8 months old.

Summer Vacation Week 8

Sunday, we had dinner with half the family. It was the last time we'd see Steven and his family for a short bit.

Monday was a busy day of researching, making lists, and cleaning. I really didn't get a lot of anything done because Baby Girl isn't feeling well but, I tried. We moved her into her own room finally. 

Tuesday through Thursday were cleaning days, washing days, packing days, and anything else you can think of days.

Friday we left for our vacation. It was a fun adventure. We made several stops but, what really made our 9 hour trip into 12 hours was the traffic delays. Once outside of Las Vegas and once before Salt Lake City. These both delayed us close to 2 hours. However, we made it safe and sound. 

Saturday and Sunday we hung out with family, went to church, and just had a relaxing time before our big day trip the following week.

Pictures will be on a future post.

Updates on Baby Girl:

*She can stand without support for about 3 seconds.

*She stood for a total of 7 seconds once.

* She can handle being in a car as long as it's not stop and go traffic.

Summer Vacation Week 7

I can not believe how time is flying by!!! It's hard to believe that I've been out of school for 7 weeks!

This week was another kick-back week. We had our last whole family dinner Monday night with a BBQ. People are going on vacation and then Steven and his family leave for home. Friday night we went to the 51's baseball game. It was awesome! Baby girl seemed to enjoy herself for most of the evening! 

Saturday was my 27th birthday! We slept in, went to the library, got a mani/pedi, had a delicious lunch at Beijing Noodle Cafe, and ice cream from Thrifty's. It was a spectacular day! 

Updates on Baby girl:

She is teething!

She is crawling!

She can roll 360*!

She won't sleep! Lol. 

She is opening everything!

She pulled a shelf full of DVD's to the floor. 

She can pull herself up using a couch or table.

She can scale the couch or table.

Yep. I think that is about it! :)

Summer Vacation Week 6

This week was a blur! There was too much going on and I didn't keep very good track. Josh's brother was in town. One day the whole family went to the Shark Reef. It was a lot of fun! Another day all the kiddos and mommies went swimming. For some reason everyone got sunburned. I cried when I saw Baby Girl got burned! It was a pretty traumatic moment! On Friday, the men had a game night while us women had the kiddos and ate pizza and watched movies. We were in Mesquite on Saturday and Sunday to visit family including great grandpa Pops. When we weren't busy, we pretty much relaxed.  I'll put up pictures when I can! 

Oh... And our a/c went out! It was kind of sucky but, we got it fixed.

Good news: we are planning an adventurous vacation. We are planning on going to Grand Teton National Park. Neither of us have been there and I am super excited because the pictures I've seen are breathe-takingly amazing! 

When we get back, it's high gear into prepping for the new school year! 

Summer Vacation Week 5

Monday was a kick-back type of day... We had to buy baby food and decided to see if I could find some baby shoes that would fit. Baby girl has thin and long feet so when we were at Meadows Mall a few weeks back, we were unable to find a pair that fit her. When we were at Walmart, we found a pair that fit well! :)

They should match most of her outfits. :)

Tuesday, we went to the library for Baby girl's first storytime. As a former librarian assistant, it is very weird to be on this side of the storytime program as a parent instead of being the librarian teaching and sharing stories. It was kind of cool though because I already knew most of the stories and songs. Anywho, Baby girl wasn't used to seeing so many kids, but she seemed to have enjoyed herself. She even made a little craft. Lol

I didn't get a very good picture. :/ 

Wednesday was another kick-back day. We spent the day at grandma's house playing and napping. We decided to go out and eat for dinner at Jimmy John's. The store echoed very much and once Baby girl discovered it, the noise making was on! She was quite happy with what she heard! 

It rained during the day on Thursday so, we got to play in the rain! 

Daddy made scones for breakfast. It was a great morning!

Friday was our day date time! For the first time in a very long time, I felt like a hubby & wife. We went to the movies and watched Blended. It was an awesome movie! Look for a review in the near future. It was great to have some stress-free alone time! Also Baby girl met cousin G & B for the first time at Grandma's house. It sounded like all the kiddos had fun!

Saturday was great! We went to the library and checked out some books. We did some grocery shopping. Smith's has some decent deals going on until Tuesday, July 15th. We went to a cycling shop, REI, and Target. Baby girl finally has some shades! :) She is going to be rockin' it! 

Updates on Baby girl:

More of her tooth can be seen.

She weighs 19.4 lbs.

She balanced standing up by herself for almost 2 seconds. 

Summer Vacation Week 4

Monday we went shopping at Babies R Us and bought a walker for Baby Girl. She loves it! She was waving her hands like crazy! 

She also got to spend some quality time with daddy! 

On Tuesday, mommy here accomplished organizing the kitchen so it wasn't full of boxes!

I don't remember much of Wednesday or Thursday. Daddy gave me some me time and took Shi out for a drive. I got to do Zumba for the first time in forever! I went shopping for the fourth too.

Friday was a kick-back day! Mommy made potato salad, daddy slept, Baby girl even helped make potato salad! 

We went to grandma's house and had a BBQ. It sure was yummy! Baby girl got dressed up in her 4th of July outfit that grandma and grandpa bought her. 

She also turned 7 months old! 

Saturday was the usual, errands day. Daddy found a new series to read at the library. Mommy discovered some baby storytimes! :) We went and watched the Tour De France... Baby girl was not interested at all!

Sunday, we had a BBQ with some friends.  

Overall, a successful week full of fun and laughter! 

Summer Vacation Week 3

I finally gave up with my list and did our "days" how I felt like it. 

Monday and Tuesday were days I caught up on shows on Hulu (Castle & Grey's Anatomy). 

Wednesday we went window shopping at the Meadows Mall. Baby girl absolutely loved the mirror in the play area! Thursday, despite the wind, we went window shopping at Town Square... I ended up buying 2 outfits for baby girl at Old Navy. I can't wait to show pictures! Friday was laundry day, then we drove up to Mesquite to see Grandma & Grandpa. Josh & I got to do "date night" on Saturday. We went bowling and shopping for baby things like diapers and food. We also went swimming and Josh even joined us! We left Sunday and celebrated Baby A's 2nd birthday at family dinner. 

Updates on Baby Girl:

Her first tooth finally broke through last Sunday. We can clearly feel it, but it's still difficult to see. 

She can pull herself up without guidance... Though sometimes she still needs it. 

With assistance from mommy, daddy, or someone else, she can walk wherever she pleases.

She is growing up way too fast!

Summer Vacation Week 2

This week was a bit off, but much better than last week. 

We went to the library on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday, I stayed in and cleaned the house. Thursday, I honestly don't remember. Friday we went swimming at the clubhouse pool. Saturday we tried something new and went clothes shopping.

Updates on baby girl: 

- She is very close to crawling

- She growls to let you know she isn't happy

- She is so adorable when she gets excited-- she will wave her arms every time but always includes one of the following- squishy face while snorting, clasp her hands together with an almost pouty face, or grabs me and hugs me. She is just too adorable.