Children's Museum/Natural Science Museum

Making music

We love that frog at Natural Science Museum!

Picking up logs!

Milking a cow.

Driving a tractor.

My bestie and I took the kiddos to the new children's museum on Wednesday and oh, my! It is a wonderful place with tons of interactive exhibits. There were just. too. many. people there! I was overwhelmed and Jenna had a couple of melt downs which is so out of character for her. We purchased a membership, so I hope to go back when there aren't so many people. We went next door the the natural science museum afterwards which is always a favorite of ours. They currently have a Megaladon exhibit. This shark could be as big as 60 ft. long! The mouth was enormous! It was a great day.




Digging up dinos!

~~Happy 2011!~~

Tea With Santa

Yesterday we got to go see Santa and have tea with him. Jenna wasn't too sure at first if she really wanted to get near him. She gave in so that she could see if her brother was on the naughty or nice list. According to the big guy, Ryan made the nice list this year. Santa read stories, ate and talked with the girls for nearly two hours. He then gave out gifts. Jenna and her best friend both got jewelry boxes and initial necklaces. It was a fun way to spend Black Friday.

Thanksgiving

I've been thinking lately of things I am thankful for. It goes with the season. It's almost embarrassing the amount of blessings in my life. I am very fortunate and sometimes get hung up on things that really don't matter. I take my life for granted. How many of us are guilty of this? It is so easy to get bogged down in the drudgery of everyday life. I was lamenting the fact that my house is never truly clean (by my standards). It's down right depressing at times how cluttered my home has become. The other day as I was thinking of this, I remembered having a spotless house and years of not having to spend much time to keep it clean. I then was reminded of how there were no toys, no childish laughter, no artwork crowding my refrigerator door. I was humbled that I have been given two wonderful little blessings. Today I am actually thankful for my messy home and all that goes with it. May you all count your blessings and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Rembering 9/11

Who could possible forget? I remember even small details of that day. The Today show opened with a story about Michael Jordan making a return to basketball. I thought to myself that it must be a slow news day. The sky was a beautiful blue with white puffy clouds as I drove to work. My students were great as we worked on phonics and large-group reading. As we were transitioning to small group, our asst. principal brought in a note that told a little of what was going on-I started shaking as my heart dropped. I didn't know anyone even close to the attacks, but this act shook me to the core. We immediately tried to access internet news, but of course, so did everyone else who needed news. Finally during my planning time around 1:00 DST I was able to make it to the library and saw footage of the towers falling. Who can every forget that sight? I thought that I should go get gas after school, because I actually needed gas, but the lines were so long. The town was eerily quiet as I ran a few errands that could not be avoided. Our tv stayed on CNN for most of the night and I cried and cried for those lost, for their families, for our whole country. Would we ever be the same? A good friend went into labor early on the 12th as she watched news footage. She wasn't due for a few weeks. I am happy her precious son was born the 12th and not the 11th. That thought crossed my mind several times over the next few weeks. I don't think many of us will forget the emotions that we felt on that tragic Tuesday. I don't think we should ever forget what was lost that day. May God bless America!

Failure as a blogger

Once again, I have failed as a blogger. After school started I just haven't had the time to do much but work, eat, sleep and care for children. Our school district has lost 5 little angels since school began. Two were students at my school. My heart aches for the mothers in our town that have buried children in the last month. Five doesn't seem like a huge number, but when you are talking about children and death, that number is staggering. All five deaths were unrelated, but they have shocked and devastated our community. On top of this, I lost a former student last week. I remember her as a precious 6 year old. She lived to be a beautiful 21 year old young lady, struck down by a fast growing cancer at the beginning of her adult life. I am so sad. My hope for the remainder of our school year is that all our children live to comb gray hair. I realize that God had greater plans for these children and I don't question that. My heart is just a little heavier these days. I will do my best to be a better blogger and a better person. Love and peace to you and yours!

School Year Eve

School starts for teachers tomorrow. Usually on this night each year, I panic because of all the things I didn't accomplish during my time off. I go into summer with a mental to-do list and check off the items as I get to them. This summer, I really didn't create that list. I am not panicking. I accomplished much. I vacationed for the first time ever with my children. I helped my husband clean out our garage (thank you Mr. Snake!). I spent time with friends and family. I actually read many wonderful books. I tried new recipes. Tonight I will not think about all that I didn't do. I will take joy in the things I did accomplish and enjoy the last night of summer vacation with my precious children.

Hard lessons to learn/teach

Today was one of those days I had to teach my children a hard lesson. Our house looks like a toy factory explosion. Well-meaning friends and family (whom I love) like to express their love for my children by purchasing every toy known to man. While I appreciate this, I don't enjoy the fallout. Ryan and Jenna have not learned the importance of picking up their things. The only way they will do this is if I yell, scream and threaten bodily harm (I'm only half kidding, here). I asked them to pick up today, while I ran errands. When I got home, the house looked worse than before I left-Thanks, honey! I have packed up the majority of toys in the playroom. Some will find new homes, some will be stored and brought back at a later time, and the rest that were really beyond repair have gone to the garbage can. My children are currently in their rooms picking up and putting away. I think (hope) I have made an impression. Fingers crossed.