Two and A Half!

It's hard to believe that Graham turned two in a half years old today.  It seems like it was just yesterday when he was born and other moments I look at him feeling like he has been that perfect puzzle piece in our family forever.  

Graham has definitely changed and grown up a lot in the past six month.  He went from speaking single words to now having a vocabulary we cannot keep up with.  One of his favorites is asking "why?" Be for warned no answer is good enough and he will keep asking until his focus shifts to a passing digger:)!

 His personality has also exploded.  He is outgoing, sassy, passionate, and beyond funny.  The minute he knows he has our attention, he 'commands the floor'.  All the while in new situations he wants to still be held and needs a little bit of time to warm up before leaving his mark.  Graham is a climber, jumper, runner, and all boy.  At the same time, he is incredibly sensitive especially when someone gets mad/upset.  His immediate reaction is to throw something, ekkkkkk (something we are working on)

(Graham's first time skiing.  Much like everything he does he jumped right in and didn't want to stop!)

 Graham loves his big brother, Beccie, like something fierce.  Graham thinks he is also eight years old and can run, jump, and play any sport just like Reece.  However, he also is strong willed and wants to be left alone to figure things out on his own!  Watching their relationship blossom makes my heart skip a beat every time!  

Graham is a great eater and very rarely complains about food.  We have eliminated all dye from his diet.  He now even understands when we tell him he cannot eat something and responds "why?, has dye".  

While this was a bit of a transition at first, we have really noticed a huge difference in Graham.  He sleeps great and is much more level with his personality. Gregg and I can tell within hours if he has eaten something he isn't suppose to because he become defiant, angry, and very aggressive, not to mention he will wake up in the middle of the night uncontrollably crying.  So dye free we are!  

Some of his favorite food are fruit bars, blackberries, cheeseburgers, lettuce (yes lettuce!!), donuts, and yogurt with Kashi (granola).  

Graham loves to read, play with any and all transportation equipment, look at pictures, and dance.  Boy does he have some moves.  The minute he hears a song he likes, he is shouting "Turn it up, turn it up"!

Graham has no interest in potty training.  He wants to wear 'underpants' and even says he will get a chocolate but when it comes down to it he won't sit or even stand at the potty.  So this will be a bridge we will keep working on crossing.  We are also working on getting rid of his binki.  I know I just need to cut the cord, but gosh it is a hard thing to do because it offers him so much comfort.  So keep working we will...

I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our little man then spending the entire day with him today because of the MLK holiday.  As a full time working parent, I often feel like time is fleeting as the boys grow up faster and faster.  We had such a blast just the three of us today, while Daddy is out of town.  We ended the day by celebrating with our best friends complete with ice cream and candles to blow out.  Definitely feeling extra blessed after today!

So while Graham is growing and changing before our eyes, I know with all certainty  that this little man has stolen our entire heart in his short two in half years!  

Our Girlie

Pressley 

April 15, 2002 - December 26, 2014

 I have struggled so much with the words to say which is probably why it has taken me almost three weeks to even begin to express our heartbreak.  Presley was the first member of our family.  I remember picking her up prior to marrying Gregg and it was at a time when I completely unsure of our future.  From that first moment she curled on my lap on our car ride home her gentle, kind, and loyal spirit became irreplaceable.  Sadly she is now "with Jesus" (Graham)

Pressley was the one constant in all the chaos of our growing home.  She had a true smile on our face ever time we returned home after the few times we had to leave her.  She never said no.  She knew when I was putting on my running clothes and she was ready.  She was at the door the minute we started to back a boat bag or heard Gregg pick up his keys at 5 am to head to the golf course.  She was the first one up to alert us that one of the boys was up in the middle of the night.  She helped us take out the garbage, she loved dropping the boys off at school, or just hang around as we did yard work, knowing exactly when we needed a break to throw her the tennis ball;)!

She loved to chase the tennis ball, or any squirrel within her sight ( she even caught one once and gently put it down as not to kill it)  She would stand on the edge of the greens and wait for Gregg as to not damage any soft turf.  She would be up in the back of the car before we could even tell her she could or couldn't come with us.  She waited for permission to jump up on the couch or the bed, all when knowing exactly when to nudge my hand to remind us that she had yet to be fed.  She loved nothing more than just to be with us!

After 13 years , we often spoke about that someday Pressley might no longer be here, but I never imagined what life would be like without her.  Pressley was never the dog who made her presence well know, yet at the same time was always there and made each memory that much sweeter with her loyalty.  

When we spoke to her, we just knew that she understood.  From the first moment I became so sick when pregnant with Graham, she never left my side.  All the while Pressley was making sure to never be in the way. She had no problem taking a back seat as we became parents to Reece and Graham, but was their first line of defense as she was being the protective big sister.

 Pressley loved the boys like I could have only wished and they loved her !  It really was a magical relationship to witness.  She was beyond special and we miss her tremendously!!

It is hard to imagine life without Pressley and sometimes I still feel like I am going to walk in the door to her greeting us!  So while we are on a new  bumpy path of dealing with explaining loss and grief to Graham and Reece, I hope that someday our tears will be replaced with smiles when we talk about her!  

 Until then, I cherish every picture I have which offers a small glimpse into her heart!

She sure was something remarkable and I feel so blessed that God blessed us with her for thirteen short years.

Thank you so much for teaching us the meaning of unconditional love Girlie, we will forever miss you!

Christmas

This holiday season has been different than years past.  In part because we both are working full time but more importantly because Gregg and I made the decision to focus more on others and the spirit of the holidays than simply overwhelming the boys with gifts.  

Last night, we did something we have been wanting to do for several years now, visit the Huckleberry Railroad and village.  It sells out quickly so while we wanted to go several weekends ago, we decided two days before Christmas would be perfect.

It proved to be beyond that!  Reece asked me several times what was my favorite part.  It took me a few tries from spending time together just the four of us, to watching the boys on the train, and finally landing on the fact that Christmas is so much better when we are experiencing it through the eyes of Graham and Reece.  Their eyes glistened as they ran around the village, to seeing Santa and the solider on the train ride.  It really was the most magical experience!

So tonight we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus as Reece plays the very special role in Mass of Joseph.  We anticipate watching him with the same awe as the boys experienced last night. We have been incredibly blessed this year and look forward to a very Merry Christmas celebrating it all!

From our family to your - a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Milestones

Now that we are parents we spend so much time focused on each and every little milestone of the boys.  The frst time each crawled then walked, their first words, then sentences, or the first time Reece rode a bike without training wheels, the first day of kindergarten, and even the first lost tooth.  However, we often overlook our own milestones as a couple.  

I cannot help to become somewhat sentimental in thinking about our own milestones, as husband and wife!  This week is a BIG one, it will be our ten year anniversary.  While it sometimes feels like yesterday, there are days if I ever wondered if we would get here (being honest).  I sent my mom a text tonight " ten years ago (exactly) we were headed up to Mackinaw Island."  

I find myself doing exactly what everyone told me to do ten years ago, soaking it all in.  I cannot help but reflect back on every big and sometimes little moments in the past ten years. If someone gave me a crystal ball ten years ago, I'm not sure I would have taken the challenge.  However, standing where I am now, I know for certain it is because of US that we are where we are.  Marriage is hard but incredibly rewarding all at the same time.  I am who I am as a mom, a wife, a teacher, and a person because of Gregg.  There is no one else in the world I would rather spend any free moment with than Gregg.  We have laughed harder, cried more, and grown beyond what I could have dreamt.  We have grown into an incredible team.  

I feel incredibly proud of our marriage, our children, and the family which we have built together.  

I love looking back at pictures of our amazing wedding weekend, sharing those now with the boys and seeing how much we have grown.  

As the saying goes the days are long but the years are short.  I cannot wait to look back 10, 20, 50 years from now and continue to celebrate this amazing milestone which all begin on October 9, 2004.  

I am beyond excited to celebrate just the two of us where it all started 10 years ago.  We are off for a long weekend this coming weekend to the same hotel we celebrated our honeymoon in Mexico. 

I think we need to celebrate OUR milestones more often;)

My Classroom Close-up

Well yesterday was Meet the Teacher and Open House.  I have to say it was a very surreal experience. While I have been busy the past two weeks with professional development and preparing my classroom, actually meeting MY students and families was exciting and emotional.  I really am a teacher!

I wanted to share the labor of love in creating my first classroom.  I hoped to create a space where my students wanted to come and learn yet also be functional.  So with no further ado... Room 207!

I am a big believer in the power of language especially with children.  Every student in my class is a reader, a mathematician, a scientist, a writer, and artist, an athlete, a musician.  So while each subject needs to have a bulletin board, using those titles students will hopefully also seem themselves as such. 

I am utilizing the big book shelf to hold the students textbooks as well as any of our center materials.  The desk situation proved to be challenging with only a small shelf below each chair.  Therefore the students will simply use that space to hold their notebooks/binders/ and planner.

Each week we will rotate student jobs so they also feel ownership in our classroom.

I purchased a nautical classroom set from Teachers Pay Teachers then had everything printed on heavy card stock and laminated to hopefully utilize through the years

 Besides the missing number strip, behind my desk is our captain of the week. I felt as though I was a good kick off and also allows the students to get to know me a little bit, outside of just being their teacher.

Being on a tight budget I decided to utilize a set of boxes to support the student mailboxes.  Another teacher suggested to make them look like waves.  

Above is where I wil be writing each subjects objectives for the day in student language, for instance in math one day I would it would say I can explain place value to the millions.  Also, the subject color will coordinate with the students notebooks/folders and paper turn in bins.

The big storage is going to be used to hold while you were out pages divided by subject and also our twitter wall we will establish the first week of school.  Students will chose their own twitter name and tweet in the morning and as an exit slip.

Our library and ready corner.

Eventually the big bulletin board will be utilized to display student work around the anchor. 

The goals will contain student data.  Data is very important at my school.  One thing I learned in my professional develop was for students to visually see where they are and where they need to be helps them in achieving those end results.  

I had a little something on each students desk as they came in yesterday.  I found the poem here on Pinterest and simply changed it to fit my nautical theme.

So I guess that means we are ready to set sail for our first day together in 5th grade!

A New Beginning

I have spent so much time wondering and thinking about what today would feel like.  It has been nine years since I have worked full time BUT I have never known the feeling of starting a career I have worked so hard to make happen.  Today is the day, my first day of school.  While I will spend the next three weeks in new teacher training and preparing my classroom, I cannot help but have a range of emotions.  While there is a ton of excitement, I would be lying if I didn't say it is bitter sweet also.  

In one of my interviews I was asked about my reflective practices.  I spoke about using reflection to help me grow and drive my teaching. I find that my best reflections come after having some time to let everything soak in.  Summer break 2014 has been much the same.  You see, while today I go back to school, both the boys have summer left.  This means that Reece will be going to camp and Graham to day care.  Our time together will become filled with the commonalities of working parents - coming home prepping for dinner, running small errands, and preparing for bed.

As I reflect I am asking myself did we make the most of every day together this summer?  I certainly know we didn't read the twenty five hours of our summer reading challenge, or work on our math workbook as often as we should have.  We didn't even manage to check off everything on our summer bucket list.  HOWEVER, we did manage to have a ton of fun, enjoy our lake, go on a lot of bike rides, stop often to get ice cream just because, and smile this big because we were enjoying our summer all together.  

With that said I am off to prepare for thirty five graders who I cannot wait to meet in a few short weeks.    I hope that our practices together have much of the same ending, smiling with contentment!

Graham turns 2 years old!

On July 19 our little man turned two years old!  While this post is a little late we celebrated Graham's birthday with one of his favorite people, Mickey Mouse!  On his birthday we had a small family birthday celebration complete with all things Mickey.  

Here are some of the highlights from his day....

I have been wanting to make a tissue paper garland for some time and thought that Graham's birthday would be the perfect time.  As you can see we used red, black, white, and yellow to accent our theme.  The garland took quite a while to make, but I am really happy with how it turned out!

Inside we had our sweets table complete with Mickey Oreos and pretzels.  

I also made a number two with some of our favorite highlights from Graham's last year!

Because the theme was Mickey Mouse's backyard BBQ we of course had to serve BBQ food.  We had  pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches, coleslaw, salad, fruit, baked beans, and homemade macaroni and cheese.  While I love cooking I continue to remind myself after the fact that ordering pizza would be so much easier next time:)!

Graham had a lot of help opening his presents!

And then a slightly overwhelmed birthday boy!

( I ordered his shirt from here and couldn't have been more please with how it turned out.  Definitely was the icing on the cake)

So while the highlight of the day was celebrating our little man turning two I could help but reflect on the past two years, specifically this past year.

Graham-

You have changed so much this past year.  You learned to walk, you learned to climb, and before we knew it you were running and pushing everything not pinned down across the street, sidewalk, and through the house.  You said your first word which has quickly become a vocabulary full of thoughts and opinions.  You cut your first tooth and now have a full mouth full.  You love all things trucks and Mickey Mouse.  You watch everyone and everything closely but have zero hesitation to jumping in and trying to do everything all by yourself.  

Graham, you love your brother "Eccie" and "Esley" so much but don't want either of them to slow you down a bit, or restrain you at all!  

You are opinionated and independent, yet also want to make sure that Mommy and Daddy are always close by.

We love watching you discover something new whether it be a new word, a new ability, or just noticing an ant walk across your feet.  

While you are beyond stubborn and strong willed, you can be such a cuddle bug.   Your smile is contagious.  will stop all you are doing to sit down and look at pictures or read a book. Just like your brother, you have your favorite five or six books and know every page that comes next complete with the sound effects. 

 Mommy and Daddy can't get enough of your silliness and curiosity to learn and discover.  We often tell you that we had no idea we could be so lucky to have a little guy like you!  You have been the answer to all of our prayers and the exclamation point to our family.  We feel incredibly lucky that God chose us to be your parents.  We cannot wait to watch you continue to reach "up up sky"!  

 Happy 2nd birthday Graham!

 We LOVE Boom Boom!!!!