Jeff's 36th birthday!

We all enjoyed celebrating Jeff's birthday! Even Haley's Pre-K class. Since Haley was star of the week Jeff chose his birthday to go and eat lunch with her, he took her McDonalds and provided cupcakes for the whole class. They sang Happy Birthday to him.

That evening I made him his FAVORITE meal! Chicken N Dumplins, Peas and Pistachio Pudding. From us he got 4 pairs of underwear with candybars wrapped inside, and a gift card for a massage. The girls tried on his underwear! Thus the first picture.

"Good" Morning?

Good Morning!- or should I say "not so good morning". It was a really shaky one. Jeff is gone all week, he left yesterday morning. Last night was very stressful. We got home around 4 and then had to do homework, make supper, practice sax, homework, homework, catch bugs with Haley, Homework, ride bikes with Haley, homework, clean up supper, take Haley to dance, Jenna to the library to check out books so she could do her homework on Ancient Greece Mummification, then back to pick up Haley and drop Mikayla off, back home to take Jenna and Haley, get Haley in bed and asleep, homework, back to pick up Mikayla at dance, back home to get Mik in bed, more homework with Jenna. At 10, Jenna and I went to bed still unable to finish 3 questions about Ancient Greece because we just couldn't find the answers in our sources, we were not happy about that!


This morning-

Up at 5:30, had devotions, drank my coffee, got the girls up at 6:15, was informed by Jenna that I HAVE to wake her up at 6 because she can't get out of bed for about 20 mins. (sounds like her father)...ok so I won't go through all the gory details but by the time we got out of the house at 7:30, which I really should leave at 7:10, I think that all of us were in tears (including me). Mikayla just cried all morning, Haley cried a couple times, she is is not used to the rush as she doesn't go to school that early. Jeff brings her in at 8:30. Jenna had to throw all 4 lunches together, so who knows what we have. I ususally try to get them packed the night before but that didn't happen. No one got breakfast either. I have a major stress headache this morning. Luckily my class has art at 8:30 so that I can try to collect myself. I pulled into the parking lot at 7:44 and I have a meeting at 7:45, so I was late for that!!


Please pray that today goes better for all the girls, Haley was really clingy as I tried to "pass" her off to her teacher. Mikayla was pretty teary and her face looks like she has been crying all morning. Please pray that my headache goes away and I can feel like teaching today. Please pray that our evening goes better. Jenna has volleyball practice until 5, so perhaps I can spend extra time with the other 2; catching bugs, riding bikes, reading practice with Mikayla, making lunches, making supper, baths, while she is at practice. 5th grade is a HUGE step up and Jenna has been very stressed. We needs lots of prayer this week basically, with Jeff gone.

Ok- so now I am going to go grab a Diet Pepsi and try to get myself organized for the day.

p.s.- At recess, which I have duty today, Mikki came up and told me that she forgot her p.e. shoes so she will have to sit out. Sigh...

Ginger Jar and Fruit!

We are gearing up for a busy weekend, as the day was busy.

Jeff spoke in chapel today. He spoke about Sponge Bob which got the kids excited. I promise, he made it spiritual. :)

The pictures of Haley are of her and her art project. All I have heard lately from both her and Mikayla is of their art class. Their teacher is teaching them about Paul Cezanne's painting called "Ginger Jar and Fruit." Both their classes then went out into the parking lot and did their own rendition of this famous painting. I didn't get a picture of Mikki's because it rained and so was washed away before I had my camera to take a picture of it. The parking lot was covered with their work. It was VERY cute!

There are a couple of pictures I snapped of Jenna and her friends coming out of a classroom, and then they say a song in chapel, so a picture shows some of her class singing. There is also a picture of Haley waiting for her daddy to speak in chapel.

Our church is having a Fall Festival this weekend and so Jeff picked up the jumping castle. We have it at the house and Jeff and the girls enjoyed it.

Have a good weekend!

Back to the Grind!

Yes, It's Thursday. And I haven't posted since Monday. The week has been extremely busy, as you can probably guess. It has been extremely s-l-o-w also. All the teachers are just exhausted and each day really just seems to take an eternity. Probably because everything is so new to the kids that you feel like everything has to been explained in such details that it takes forever to get anything done and we can't teach anything fun, it is just a week of pounding out the routines etc. It's boring. I am ready to get in there and assign fun projects etc. ( I know, I know, most of you are boo-hooing because you feel soooo sorry that I haven't had to work all summer and you feel sorry for me now that I do...when you have had to get up every day and work all summer!)

To add to all the hoop-la of a new school year our family has decided to move again!!!!!! Can you believe it!? Well, we are going on 3 years in the same house, so ya know we need to get moving. We have bought a "lot"(otherwise known as a parcel of land) back in "town".(The name of the town is not going to be exposed since I don't want to be a "weak link" in the safety of my family) But most of you will know what "town" I am talking about. We have bought a lot, a wooded lot. It is beautiful. We will have neighbors across the street from us, but not on the sides because our lot is pretty spread out. We are anxious to have neighbors a little closer again. Like I told my sister, we are looking for another Ray and Carri. ( Ray & Carri, we don't want to replace you!-we just want another one of you!:) ) I can't wait to hear all your responses to this latest news! :) You can leave me a comment and tell me how crazy we are, but we already know crazy we are, so you wouldn't be telling us anything we don't know! :)

Well, I should go- I have staff meeting in 10 mins. and haven't done a think to prepare for my day. Pray I get through this day/week. I have been staying up rather late to write curriculum and am exhausted.

I will add some pictures tonight of our new land and also some pictures! Thanks for being faithful readers!! Love you all! Amy

First Day of School

Well, today was the big day. I was up around 5:30 and left by myself this morning and got to school before 7. I will soon take the girls with me so it was nice to get only myself ready. It was a very busy but overall good day. We are all just exhausted tonight. I caught Haley nodding off on the couch tonight around 6 so I asked her if she wanted to ride along with me to go back to my school because I had forgotten my camera on my desk. She was then ready for bed at 7 and I fell asleep with her for awhile, I woke up around 7:50. That will give me a second wind to get some stuff done this evening. We had a staff meeting after work and I am just overwhelmed with all the stuff to do. Our school is going through accredidation, and this school year is the end of a 3 year project to get that done, and as we near the end the fire heats up. There are 6 huge projects that we have to get done, all individually by grade level, by the end of the year. We were given those deadlines today! So, my response to that is to lay down and take a nap!!!

Ok- to back up and tell you about the day. Jeff got the girls to school around 8:00 this a.m. I was pretty impressed, as school doesn't start until 8:25. It was great because I got to see the girls and take pics. before all my students got into my classroom. Jeff got them ready and out the door. He was very nervous about their clothes and hair. I told him that I just have too many other things to worry about things like that and if they were happy with what they wore and what their hair looked like than I was too! Boy have I changed!!! Haley did great early on and then when it was actually time for Jeff to leave her with her teacher she got teary. But tonight at dinner she told me that I did not need to keep coming into her room to check on her because she was doing fine!! (I in there taking pictures)

I asked all three of them at dinner tonight, a gourmet meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, what their favorite part of the day was. Here are their answers: Haley said, "Going out onto the playgroud." Jenna said she loved going to her locker between classes, and Mikayla said, "Lunchtime!!! Because I was starved!" :)

I consider it such a HUGE blessing that I do not take for granted to be able to see all three of my kids now several times during the day. I snuck into Haley's room a few times and snapped pictures. I promised the teacher I wouldn't do it again. Mikayla's room is diagonally across the hall from me and she ran up and gave me a couple hugs today. And then Jenna, who this summer told me I could NOT talk to her in the hallway, actually stopped me a couple times as I passed by her to talk to me!!! Good old mom is still needed on the first day of school! :)

Well, I have tons of stuff to do tomight so I had better close. Have a great day tomorrow!
(I snuck in a picture of my students. I will not do that often as I do not have premission to post their pictures on my blog for all to see. So you will probably not see them again)