blog-pause

2 months and 2 days
since my last post

i've been
sidetracked
hijacked
derailed

i promise i'm working my way back
wait for it
it won't be huge
but i'll be back
promise....

you know you're an old married couple when...

...your dear husband tries to

pay you a compliment like

"you look hot"

and you reply by saying,

"no actually i feel just fine"

...your husband refills your

bottomless margarita glass

right after the last drink

without even being asked!

...he politely threatens to break

your arm if you bid at an auction

and it is considered being affectionate!

...shared desserts are a

highlight of your date!

...you attend a function that lasts until

midnight but you are home by 10:30!

1 down...179 to go!

for teachers, it's all about the countdown!

give me another day and i will have worked

out how many days until winter break!

anyhoo...here are the cuties from this am...

according to mason,

K is awesome

the only flaw?

he took an apple for his snack

he "ate it all, but meanwhile,

i missed all of recess cuz it took

me that long to eat it!"

different snack packed for tomorrow!

and the second grader?

stoked about no homework all week!

as am i!

baby steps please!

pass the tissues please

this handsome young lad
is officially a kindergartner



and this beautiful young lady
is a big shot second grader



and this is their mama
.

she is sad to be returning to work

but loves that the two cuties above

are with her at school!

lasting impressions

twelve years of teaching
that's a lot of kids
and every year
i hope i make an impact
on them
but what i bet they don't know
is that they make as much
of an impact on me

i remember them
the funny stories
the laughs we all shared
their personalities
they leave an impression
on me
it doesn't go away

so when i hear from them
after they move on
or they come back to visit
it is beyond wonderful
to just listen to them
to see how they've grown
it always makes me smile

so when i hear news
like the tragic news i got today
it hurts
it's beyond sad

a young person's life
cut way, way too short
he sat in my classroom
2 short years ago
but it feels like yesterday
he made quite an impression on me
but i bet he never knew that

so as a new school year dawns
i made a note on the last day
in my plan book...
it reads
"tell them how much they mean to me"

{PS...last night, i recounted a funny story about him
to some friends. the same night he passed away.
gives me chills.}

{oh no he didn't!}

if you know our
little big guy
in real life
you know he is a boy's boy
he is rough and tumble
he is hands on
he is passionate!

he loves nothing more
than wrestling with daddy on the floor

so about six months ago,
when he also wanted
to wrestle with his friends in preschool,
we decided to give him an outlet for his energy:
martial arts!
and a match made in heaven they are!
he loves every minute of it!
he is learning to defend himself,
when it is appropriate to do so,
and that discipline and hard work pay off!
he earned his yellow belt {with white stripe}
recently and is so proud of his accomplishment!
he has also filled us in on his plans...
to become an mma fighter when he grows up...oiy!




so last week, he went to
vacation bible school
on the first day he comes home with a shiner!
apparently he was intentionally
pushed by another
energetic young lad
{this according to the teacher}
and did a face plant on the play structure.
okay, those things happen, he shrugged it off,
and i was just thankful he didn't start it!
the next day i am buckling him in the car
and i see two red scratch marks on his neck
i ask about it and he says some boy did it
but he conveniently couldn't remember the rest!
alrighty then...maybe a lesson
on love thy neighbor
could be covered in vbs???
so a few days later, he asks me to feel
the back of his ear.
i do, and much to my surprise, it is all scratched up
and scabbed over!
i ask what happened and this is the conversation:


him: well remember the day i had the scratches on my neck?


me: yes...


him: well, i might get in trouble for telling you this...


me: just tell me, you will not be in trouble!


him: well, this boy, he scratched me on the neck
i don't know why, but i did what sifu said to do when
we get attacked...


me: {as the blood drains from my face} and that is?


him: i put him in a full mount



me: you what?!?!?!


him: i put him in a full mount


me: i heard you! why on earth did you do that? and at bible school?


him: cuz i was defending myself


me: ummm...okay...


him: it ended when he grabbed my ear


me: at bible school honey?!


him: yeah, and when i get older i am going to do it in one of those cages!


o heavens...a conversation followed
concerning the fact that he is going to K
in a few weeks
and he is NOT to touch another person
even if he thinks he is defending himself
i gently reminded him that mommy
works at the school and i will know
what goes on...
except i don't think he cares!
this might be a long school year!

he's ferocious, and he's five!

our little big guy

is 5 today!

this boy is 100% full of:

action

unbridled energy

humor

animation

sweetness

cuddles

physicality

cutness...

the list goes on!

have a great day sweet kiddo!

we love you!

mommy, daddy, and big sis

{mason got to navigate yesterday when daddy took him fishing!}

P.S. for a special story about his day of birth click here!

friday faves

{these are a few of my favorite things...}

i eat so many of these during the summer

and the only place to get really great ones

is the local farmers market

i eat them with everything...yum!

this little guy is a must!

especially with kids...

and speaking of kids,

they are well trained in its use!

especially the boy!

remember this post?

well i changed gears a little

and joined the women's class

OMG...addicted to kickboxing now!

i have lost several inches all over

in a matter of weeks,

have so much more energy

and just feel better!

i hate working out

but this class i love!

{and yes, hubs bought me the rockin' pink gloves!}

this salsa is to die for

it is fresh and yummy on

just about everything

i eat a lot of it...

and a neat fun fact...

the one i love was designed

esp for disney theme parks!

how do i love thee?

let me count the ways...

i cannot live without my cell

and look forward to upgrading soon...

i smell a blackberry curve in my future!

so what are some of your faves???

what the...?

i have uttered this phrase a lot lately...

like when we went to the park last night
and within 10 sec of being there
the big girl had two bites on her legs!
seriously, this girl attracts all bugs
of the biting variety!
she is always the only one in the fam
to get bites
no matter where we are!
and she has a tendency to
have a reaction to them
so much so that in the beginning of the summer
it warranted a trip to the doctor!
it is nuts!
i mean, i know she is sweet,
but give the girl a break!

and today, i thought what the...?
when we went to the free movie
and the four young children next to us
were being dropped off
by a relative to watch the movie while
that person ran errands!?
seriously? the kids ranged in age from
6-9, {i asked!}
and as soon as said adult left
they were at each other's throats!
thankfully the movie started soon after,
but am i the only one who frowns on using
the local movie theater as a babysitter
for such young ones????

oh, and then there was my announcing
what the...? loud and clear
in the grocery store
when the son, who was carrying the
loaf of bread, hands me a half
loaf of bread at the register!
oops!
i asked what happened,
{after saying what the...? out loud}
and he says,
"mommy the thing came off
way back there"
clearly meaning the twist tie,
and well, half the loaf!
i turn to look and here is a bagger
following us picking up bread!
we left a good trail!

so what has made you say
what the...?

{and would you participate in a weekly
what the...?
post if i hosted?}

happens every year...

but this year it is early.

i get this dream

before school starts back up

every year

it is a stressful dream

i wake up worried and anxious

every teacher has probably

had them...

the dreaded

back to school dream!

i remember my first one...

THE night before my first day

of my teaching career!

nice timing!

in the dream, i was a teacher

in the fifth grade classroom

in the elementary school

i attended as a child

and the kids were unruly,

outta control

and the easiest task of the day

was proving too much for this

novice teacher: attendance!

i just couldn't get it right!

every year since

i have had some sort of school

dream

but it is usually closer to the start of school

and they have become dreams about

bigger and bigger

issues...

like last night's...

i was teaching history to hs students {prob #1!}

and i had no clue what i was teaching

and the kids knew

and as you can imagine

hs kids love a weak spot

it was a feeding frenzy

and i was their lunch!

and no matter how many times

i woke up

and

went back to sleep

it was still there!

{why does that happen with bad dreams but not good ones?}

i am sort of hoping

that since this dream

arrived early, i might not have

another closer to school...

so what about you?

any dreams of the sort

that are recurrent???

i know i'm not the only one...

right???