TGIF and then some...

I think this has been one of the longest weeks of my life. My feet hurt, my head hurts, my back hurts, in fact I don't think there is one inch of my body that doesn't hurt. Thank God it's Friday and even better - Monday is a holiday!

I always forget just how baby the kids are at the start of the year. My final count for the week is 19 students, 13 girls, 6 boys, and 320 new gray hairs (oh and 182 days left of school, but who's counting???). I just about hyperventilated when I had one tell me that ice cream starts with the letter "a" and that "a" says "I"... what the f... I mean what the heck? I wanted to say, "You are kidding me, right?!?!" But I really didn't think she'd get it and even more so I was afraid she wasn't kidding. *sigh* The joys of teaching first grade. Oh well, suck it up and teach 'em to read Kahla.

On a funny front my mom is watching my almost three (going on 12) year old niece for a few days. Yesterday was my mom's birthday (let's just say she's 20 years older than I am, you do the math) and she was telling Madison how old she felt. Madison responded, "Old like me Duchess?" To which my mom replied, "No Madison, I feel REALLY old." Without skipping a beat Madison said, "Oh, old like Uncle Jeff!" You gotta love her!

Happy Birthday Duchess!!

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
We love our Duchess
And want to tell her "Happy Birthday to You!"

Happy Birthday Duchess!!!! We can't wait to see you this weekend and celebrate (not to mention have a very strong drink after this week)!

Alive and kicking.... well really it's more of a twitching

Eighteen. Eighteen is the number of eager, small, shy warm bodies that I have in my class at this time. Eighteen six year olds that were very deceiving while they looked around at all the new things surrounding them, took in as much as their little brains could handle after 11 weeks of summer vacation, and sat quietly following directions. All I could think was that I had hit the jackpot and training the troops would be a breeze. It took all of one hour for them to come out of their shells, wreck my beautiful illusion, and the quietness become a buzz. Unfortunately, that buzz quickly turned into more of a loud humming noise. Oh well, there's always next year.

I always wonder if I'm the only teacher that has such talkative students and feel much better at the end of the day when I run into my teammates who are wide-eyed and frantic, looking around and asking anyone within earshot if their kids stopped talking for even one minute today or if they had inherited the only class in the school that thought talking was a subject of it's own. Thank God I'm not alone.

Of course it did dawn on me that while last year I was boy heavy (13 boys 8 girls) this year I am quite the opposite and we are at 12 girls and 6 boys. I think I'm looking at some cat fights down the road and a rather chatty room of *social butterflies*. None-the-less we did manage to make it through the morning with only a few tears during goodbyes (and those were mainly from the parents) and even through recess with only minor infractions. I believe that I have two that will be a huge challenge this year, along with that whole aide thing which I won't even mention anymore about right now. Lunch went much smoother than I feared and I don't think I had a single kid eating their mashed potatoes with their hands (although a third grader across the table from us apparently feels that is his preferred way of dining... ugh). Things were running nicely until the end of the day when about half of my kids decided they were tired and ready to go home. Sad thing is, I was tired and ready to go home too so I really couldn't blame them.

So while I'm still alive and kicking, or at least alive and twitching anyway, we'll just have to see how the rest of the week goes! Why oh why couldn't we have started on a Wednesday! *wink*

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's On The Potty We Go!

I never thought that poop and pee would be such a big topic of conversation around our house, but not only do we discuss it now, we celebrate it! Chase is becoming quite the big boy and is using his own potty multiple times a day! I wonder if other households with little ones have the same topics of conversation as us. Man to be a fly on the wall. Oh and just more proof that Chase is his father's son, he proudly announced, "Look Daddy, I pooped a snake!" Two peas in a pod. *wink*

On a school note, the kids return tomorrow so wish me luck!

8 Years Ago Today....

I was a blushing new bride. Ok maybe I wasn't blushing, but I WAS a new bride! I can't believe that it's been 8 years since our wedding. I swear that sometimes I feel like I blinked and life is trying to pass us by and then other days I feel like it's been more like 80 years (just kidding honey). *wink* In all actuality, even though I didn't think it was possible I love Jeff even more now than I did then. I always knew that Jeff was special, but after everything we have been through I realize just how special. I mean he's put up with me for 8 years... that would make anyone special! Seriously, I know I'm the lucky one. I know that he is a great husband and a great father. I know I've been blessed and will be forever thankful. Happy Anniversary Honey!!! (we can really celebrate this weekend if you know what I mean - that was for you Mom)

On a side note, you'll have to forgive my lack of bloggingness (is that a word?) lately, but this whole back to work thing is a killer the first few weeks! I think that everytime I turn around we are being instructed on one more thing we'll have to do and one more type of testing we'll have to give. If I'm lucky, I may be free around February 21st! I promise to do my best to stay on top of things, but try not to miss me too much if I'm gone for longer than you would like. You just wouldn't believe how much work 22-6 year olds could be for a a gal (or as is the case right now, getting everything ready for those 22-6 year olds)!!!

In Loving Memory of "Chloe" 2000 - August 13, 2007

The hardest thing about having a pet is that they simply don't live long enough. They become more than our pets, they become family.

Yesterday afternoon Duchess' sweet baby girl, Chloe, went to join our angels Kallie, Sonya, Cassie, and Johnny in heaven at Rainbow Bridge. We all loved Chloe very much and will miss her dearly. After her ruptured vertebrae and surgery in 2003, she continued to live a very happy life until her body just couldn't take it anymore. Duchess gave her the truest gift of love and let her go so that she would never be in pain again. Letting go of our beloved furbabies is such a hard thing to do, we have been there and it is one of the most painful things to do. Our hearts go out to Duchess and we hope that she knows how much we love her and that one day Chloe and her will be reunited again at Rainbow Bridge.


The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Gone Fishin'

Jeff's dream job would be to be a Captain of a fishing boat. I would LOVE for this dream to come true, but we both won't be holding our breath on that one. Of course, since I love to fish too I'd be the co-captain! ;o) We live near both several lakes and the ocean so there are boats everywhere. Lake Conroe is literally just down the road and on a pretty Saturday you're lucky if you only have to wait 10 minutes to get to the gas pumps because there are so many boats getting ready to go out on the water. For years Jeff would look in awe and say how much he'd love to have one. In June of 2006 we happened upon a spectacular deal and became the proud owners of a 17 foot, 2 inch center console Sea Hunt (a.k.a. Chase N Dreams - like the name play!). You'd think that since the lake is so close we'd be out in it constantly but life always seems to get in the way and we don't get out near as much as we'd like.

Recently Chase has decided that the boat is no longer Jeff's and is actually his. When it comes into view he screams, "Wook at my boat!" or "Ders my boat!" It's actually quite amusing and very cute! Even cuter is when Jeff is pulling the boat and Chase begins to scream, "Where my Daddy go wit my boat?" I think I have another fisher on my hands!!

From the time Chase was born Jeff couldn't wait for him to be big enough to fish (and hunt). He has been teaching Chase to reel the fish in using his Shrek pole and on the PS2 with the pole that went with some fishing game. If you tell Chase to reel the fish in, he knows EXACTLY what to do. Chase has been out on the boat several times, but we haven't actually fished with him on it. He loves going out on the boat and has been telling us he wants to go fishin' for a couple of months now. So, since my cousin that likes to fish came in to town this morning and the weather was nice (if you can call 101 degrees nice), we figured we'd go out fishing this afternoon.

I am happy to announce that Chase has indeed once again taken after his father and is a true fisherman! With a little help from Duchess, in the casting and hooking department, Chase has caught his first fish!!!! He was so excited and concentrated very hard on getting it into the boat. It was pretty darn adorable! When I went to release it he wanted to help, but not before giving it a kiss and telling it, "Goodbye Fishie!" Now how many guys do you know that not only care about the environment and *want* to release it, they also give it a kiss just to let it know how much they care! That's right ladies, get in line, I can already tell that my little guy is going to be a heart breaker!

Oh the places we go....

Since summer vacation is quickly coming to an end we are certainly doing our best to make the most of it. Chase and I have been going nonstop and having lots of fun on the way! I still can't believe that this time next week we will have just finished our first day back at work/the sitter. It makes me so sad to know that in the blink of an eye our carefree summer days are gone.... until next year of course!

So, lets see what we have been up to this past week. First, Chase got some awesome new Mickey pajamas. Mickey is definitely one of our favorite fellows, so the pj's were a BIG hit! Of course we insist on wearing them just about every night, so that can be a bit of a challenge!

We also went to Galveston for the day on Monday. Our friend Andy turned the big 0-4 and we went to celebrate her big day with her! We had so much fun, but were certainly worn out by the end of the day! Celebrating birthdays is hard work!

We began by blowing bubbles on the balcony and then we went to Moody Gardens to see the life-size dinosaur exhibit. It was awesome if I must say so myself! The dinosaurs looks so real and were huge!!! Unfortunately they were a little *too* life-like for Chase's liking and he was pretty sure that at any moment they would make a meal out of him or one of his buddies. It was pretty cute, although I don't think he thought so! At the end they had a dinosaur dig that Chase adored. He dug and dug and dug and then dug some more just for good measure. The only thing he wasn't impressed with was the sand in his crocs. Apparently we need to get to the beach more so he can get used to the feel of sand between his toes! That evening we went to the Rain Forest Cafe for dinner. It's amazing how much they have going on in that place. Fish swimming in the walls, waterfalls, rainstorms, gorilla's banging their chests, it's just so busy! Fun was definitely had by all!

Moody Gardens is pretty awesome and has a neat white beach that you can buy tickets too. The water is actually pools and chlorinated so it's soooo much cleaner than Galveston. Not to mention the whole flesh-eating bacteria scare that's going on there right now! It definitely made the Moody Gardens Beach look much more inviting! It was not crowded at all and the breeze made for a really nice afternoon. Chase finally gave in to the sand feel too and decided that maybe it wasn't so bad after all!

Tuesday we went to a small water park in Houston and met up with a couple of other friends. Too bad I never took my camera out for pictures! Thursday we went over the Aunt Stacy's and Chase played in the kiddie pool while we visited. So simple, yet he has so much fun. It's a good lesson to slow down and enjoy the little things! He also got a haircut and loves to have it spiked. I think it's pretty cute myself, except he looks way too big! Where is my tiny, little baby?!?!

I guess that about sums this week up! Tomorrow we'll be going to Andy's birthday party and then just taking it easy. Hope everyone else had a great week and an even greater weekend!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is Jeff's birthday!!! We won't say how old he is, we'll just tell you that he's now closer to 40 than 30. *wink* So Happy Birthday to the best Daddy and Husband around!!!

Mommy, I farted from right there!

**disclaimer: this post may offend some - farting and burping mentioned**

Yep it's official, my son is as all boy as his father is. Farting and burping is a constant amusement around our household. Since I know that *everyone does it* I'm not too offended as long as there's an excuse me or pardon me afterwards and it's not done outside of our house where other humans can witness the act. My son has apparently inherited the joys of this from his father and recently began working on his own skills. You can hear him throughout the day pretending to burp and then congratulating himself on a job well done. When a real one pops out, he lights the room up with laughter.

Even happier is the occasion when he lets a *toot* out and then goes on to tell you that he farted from right there, while pointing to his hiney... all with a huge smile on his face. Yes, I am a proud Momma! Of course, my MIL is mortified by all of this, but surely we can't be the only household that is like this. I always assumed that it was a male thing and a trait that went along with that gene. And don't worry, if you come to the house for a visit we'll do our best to make sure we have good manners at least long enough to not expose you to any toxins. Actually, I'm kind of just hoping we outgrow this before we hit elementary school, I could just imagine what my co-teachers would think!