Spring Fever

No new school stories to share. Today as I was teaching part of my poetry unit I looked out at my students and I could just tell that the lights weren't on. In any of them. Including me. I think I am more antsy than my students for school to be over. May seems like it's been taking its sweet time to get here.

Mostly for journaling purposes, here's a quick update of what we have been doing:

Blake: Is still recovering from shoulder surgery. He is supposed to get his sling off next week. But only having one arm definitely hasn't stopped him! I don't think he knows the meaning of the phrase "taking it easy".

Brooke: she is becoming quite the character. If she wants something, there is no stopping her. And if you do try and stop her, she has mastered the art of throwing a spectacular fit. She flings herself onto the floor, deliberately smacking head. And if she doesn't think she's smacked it hard enough she will just bang her head against the floor over and over until she cries. The other day she was doing that, but landed on a pillow. She kept throwing her body backwards and was getting frustrated that it wasn't hurting. I couldn't help but laugh. Then to counter that, she will come up unexpectedly and want to give kisses and sit in our laps and snuggle with us. I guess the good balances out the bad. :)

Here she is in the tub after putting her entire face into a bowl of ice cream. She did have chocolate all down her chin, but it washed off before I could get a good picture. And her crazy hair is the result of it being in pig-tails all day.
Courtney: You all know what I've been up to. But I do want to share a few thoughts I've had recently. Since blogging, it has allowed me to peek into my friends lives and share joys and sorrows with them. I've even shared some joys and sorrows with people whose blogs I've stumbled across. Recently I've been touched by 2 different posts. One involving a family whose young husband/father is dying from cancer and another where an old friend shared that she has finally been given the gift of motherhood through adoption. It it is times like these that bring me out of the bubble I live in and gets my mind thinking about other things bigger than myself and my small town. It it corny to say I am thankful for blogging? Maybe. But I'm saying it anyways.

It ain't over till it's over

I'm not sure why all my posts suddenly have to do with work, but I'm going with it. I wondered yesterday if my students have even learned anything this year because in one class period I had these two conversations:

student: "Mrs. M, what does 'selor' mean?"
me: "what? Selor?"
student "yeah. I read it in my book and I can't find it in the dictionary and I don't know what it means"
me: "you are going to have to show me because I have no idea"
student then flips through his book to show me the word--selor. I look and just start laughing. I say "It's counselor! Do you see how half of the word is on the other line?"
It looked like this: coun-
selor

Then, just a few minutes later I passed out a review worksheet on finding the main idea in paragraphs. That morning I had accidentally copied part of a worksheet we had done the day before that was about blind people who have guide horses instead of guide dogs. Instead of throwing away a whole bunch of paper I thought "oh well. It will just be easy points for them since we just did it yesterday"

So I'm walking around listening to the different groups work in partners and I overhear the following conversation:

student 1: "this seems soooooo familiar"
student 2 "yeah, it's like I've read it before but I have no idea where!"
student 1: " yeah me too! weird. I cannot think of where I have seen this!"

oh brother! Really guys?! We did this exact worksheet yesterday! Was that so long ago? Apparently they either weren't paying attention all that well or have short-term memory loss. Or both.

Then after school I almost chopped my thumb off using one of those giant paper cutters that have the meat-cleaver thing on the end. This time I was the one not paying attention. Good thing I was alone in the workroom because I screamed and did this little "pain-dance" around the room. My thumbnail has the beginning of a nasty bruise underneath it. I am just glad my thumb wasn't skin-side up. I probably would have cut my thumb wide open.

Only 5 more weeks of school. I can do it!

Go ahead, make my day

The end of the school year is always crazy. I've just come to accept it. It's warm outside after months of snow, the classrooms are getting hot (my chocolate stash in melting in my cupboard) and it's time for end of level testing. Remember those? The dreaded 2-3 tests that try to capture everything you have learned that year. Long gone are the days of scan-trons and test booklets. Now, they are all on computers. So of course that means nothings works. Yesterday I took my students to the computer lab and the internet server kept kicking kids out in the middle of the test. The pages wouldn't refresh and it was very frustrating. And that was the first of 3 days of this. Yuck! Luckily today went a little better. After school I was hot, tired and had a headache from all the "Mrs. M my computer won't work!" Then I saw a fellow English teacher in the hallway. She asked if I wanted to know what was written on her shirt hiding underneath her jacket. I said yes and this is what she showed me:

No, this guy wasn't hiding under her t-shirt. It's what's on the shirt:I laughed so hard! I won't be offended if you don't think it's funny. Blake was less than amused when I told him last night. I guess that shows just how nerdy I actually am. It's like engineers who laugh at computer jokes and think they are so clever. I am a sucker for English jokes and this one was the best I'd seen in a long time. Oh how she made my day! And I totally want to buy one those shirts to wear on the day I introduce my poetry unit. On another happy note, I just found out that I was approved to get my Level 2 teaching license--which is a pretty big deal. It means I'm not a provisional teacher anymore and can be tenured. Not a bad way to end the day considering how it started!

When Will I Learn...

That Brooke is my permanent bathroom buddy
Seriously. If Blake isn't around, I always leave the door cracked open a little so I can hear if she gets into mischief. I should just leave it wide open. Or better yet, just bring her in there with me in the first place because she always pushes her way through and wants to be a part of what is going on in there--even if I don't! It's fun trying to take care of myself plus keep Brooke from playing with the toilet paper, toilet cleaning brush, and trying to keep her from climbing into the bathtub all from a sitting position. (TMI, I know. But let's not pretend we don't know what goes in a bathroom)

How to dress myself
I've seen TV specials where 40-50 year olds are still trying to pretend they are teenagers and dress way too young for their age. I have the total opposite problem. I don't want to dress young. But it's not like I want to dress too old either. I like to wear cute clothes, but not necessarily something that has "AE" or "Hollister" plastered all over it. I don't want people thinking I am still in high school. I have enough problem with people thinking I am still in middle school! Case and point: Friday is dress down day at school. The teachers wear jeans and polo shirts. I had lunch duty and saw this kid trying to run down the hallway so he could jump and grab onto the door frame. I started yelling at him to stop and he ignored me. I went up to him reprimanded him for not stopping when I told him to. His response: "I didn't know you were a teacher. I thought you were a student!" So, where do I find cute clothes that my students aren't also wearing? (I've had that happen to me before, and I'm not sure who was more mortified: me or the student.) And don't say JCrew or Banana Republic. I love their clothes, but they are not exactly budget friendly.

To just take some pills for my headache already!
I started getting a headache Thursday night and figured I just need to get some sleep. Friday morning it was still there. I thought maybe I should just drink more water. Nope. Finally today, I took some Ibuprofen and 30 minutes later feel great! What took me so long?

To remember things
A few months ago we called our car insurance agent to make some changes to our policy. He asks "Do you want to change your homeowner's insurance too?" Immediately I thought Oh Crap! We had never cancelled it when sold our house! Oops.

Have you learned anything new recently? And if you haven't read my sister's post on "Think like a blog" you should, because it's totally true. I did it with this post. Been thinking about for a couple of days now!

Can't Get Enough...

Of this book:
If you are like me and love the Hunger Games series, you are probably well aware and counting down the days until the 3rd book is released on August 24, 2010. I use Scholastic book orders in my classroom and was so excited when I opened the May book order to find that you can pre-order the 3rd book for only $13!! No shipping! They will mail it to your house on the release date. If you can find a better offer, please let me know. And if you would like to participate in this offer and help me earn bonus points which I use to buy books for my classroom you can by mailing me a check for $13 made out to Scholastic (and your address so the book is mailed to you!) by the end of April and I will submit your order with the rest of my students' orders. I promise not to run off with your money :) Happy reading!

I also can't get enough of this girl:
The weather has been so nice lately, I just couldn't resist taking some pics of Brooke outside playing. I can already tell this is going to be such a fun summer. Brooke is really into exploring and loves playing with rocks!

She carried the container of chalk around with her all over the yardThis is a woman with a mission! She knows right where to go!

And for some reason, Brooke can't get enough of Gunner. She calls him "pa-pa" and lights up just looking at these pictures. That is, she loves him when he is in his kennel or she is safely indoors looking at him through the window. When he is not in his kennel, she is terrified of him and clings to me like he going to eat her.Perhaps you are wondering at Gunner's snazzy new haircut? Gunner ran away a few days ago and we could not find him. Blake went out searching for him and this lady heard him calling for his dog. She ran out and told him that they had taken him in and were planning to keep him so they shaved him because they thought he was hot. Doesn't he look so ridiculous? We laugh every time we see him.

Oh you poor, poor dog...

Just a little late...

I have to play catch up on important events in our lives. Well, Brooke's life anyway. We had a pretty low key Easter this year. With conference and still recovering from our trip, we didn't even dye eggs this year. There's always next year, right? Brooke did love her Easter basket, though. She got a couple of new books and some chalk. She is all girl, though! She loves carrying purses around and treated her basket like one too, even trying to wear it over her shoulder.

Before the trip Brooke had her 15 mo. check up. She'll be 16 months next Friday so I'll hit two birds with one stone on this update:

Weight: 20 lbs 7 oz (25th percentile. She is still a small one.)
Height: 30.5 (50th percentile)
Head: 18.2 (50th percentile)

She has bright blue eyes, but one of them has a brown streak through it. It 's been there since she was born and hasn't gotten any bigger. And it's only in one eye. Funny, huh?

*Brooke is definitely starting to get a flare for the dramatic. She has learned the art of throwing herself on the ground and crying if something really makes her upset.
*She gives kisses and loves to snuggle with us and her pink blanket
*Is getting 3 more top teeth, making her total teeth count 5. She is getting her top left tooth and her 2 canine teeth. I'm hoping top tooth #2 comes in quick because she looks pretty funny!
*can say "uh-oh" "wow" "yes" "dada" "mama" "baba" and "bubbles"
*is starting to "sing" along to the song itsy bitsy spider and mimics the movements
*can tell us where her eyes and ears are and can point to them on our faces. For some reason, finding her nose has been tricky :)
*even though she is on the small side, she eats everything! Some of her favorites are Gerber Pasta Pickups, bananas, string cheese, carrots, PB&J and chicken nuggets.

We love our little Brooke trout!

Tidbits

I just have a few odds n ends to wrap up our March adventures. I have had a couple people ask me how Brooke did during all of our travels. She definitely gets the biggest trooper award! Considering that Brooke spend most of her time in her stroller or in her car seat:
or sitting on someone's lap, she did great! My nephew even complimented me on my "ninja-like" skills as I was able to quickly get Brooke out of her stroller and the stroller folded up in the blink of an eye (this came in handy as we got on and off multiple subways). It was also definitely because of my awesome sister and her family that I retained my sanity during the trip. Going on such a big trip without Blake is something I hope to never do again! My family was awesome in helping keep Brooke happy and holding her/playing with her when I needed a break.

Carter & Ethan (not pictured) were a huge help making Brooke smile and laugh!

Brooke adored Olivia and it was fun to watch them play together. Livvie's name for Brooke was "Baby Brooke" I heard that all trip long, "Aunt Courtney, Baby Brooke needs/wants/says..."
I love seeing my niece and nephews!

As for the airplane ride, Brooke did get antsy when she realized she wasn't going to be able to get down and play for 3 hours. I did my best and we survived. I was dreading an hour and a half layover in Atlanta, but instead of fighting it, I just decided to let Brooke play & walk to her heart's content. I wanted to wear her out so she would sleep on the plane. Brooke did develop a bad habit on this trip though. She became the biggest mama's girl ever! She is perfectly fine until I walk into the room and now she'll cry and reach for me. This is a habit we are trying to break.

Brooke also became an expert at walking. This started on the second day when I gave Brooke a break in her stroller by letting her out during our visit to the Statue of Liberty. She immediately found the most disgusting thing around to play with
and I didn't want that, so every time she would fall down, I would pick her right back up again and encourage her to walk around. By the end of the trip she was a pro!

During our visit to the Jersey shore my crazy brother in law decided it would be fun to go swimming and somehow convinced my nephews to join him. I had to post this video because it makes me laugh every time I watch it!

Brooke is thinking that her cousins are crazy!
The girls were the only sane ones and looked for shells on the shore instead.

Blake had an adventure of his own while I was away. He had surgery on his shoulder. His awesome sister took care of him for a couple of days and so did our neighbors. THANK YOU!! He is feeling sore, but getting better every day. He'll be in a sling until the beginning of May and will much happier when he doesn't have to wear that anymore. Except then he won't have an excuse as to why he can't change poopy diapers anymore! j/k

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

This title seemed appropriate since we traveled by all of the above and by: boat, a short bus ride at the airport, and countless subways. Oh, and don't forget walking. Lots and lots of walking. After 10 days, 3 airplane rides, 5 states, navigating the big city (of which I was absolutely no help), keeping track of one active baby, wrestling with a 50 lb suitcase, and recovering from major lack of sleep (Brooke slept from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. last night) I am back in my small Utah town and the phrase "home sweet home" has never seemed truer. I have tried to condense all my pictures into collages, but there are still a lot! We crammed so much into 10 days and I had a blast! (Feel free to click on the collages to make them bigger and see all the things we did)
Of course the biggest part of this trip was spending time with my family. I got to visit with my dad and grandmother who I hadn't seen since 2006. Brooke also got to meet her great grandma. It was also a reunion for the 5 kids in my family. It's not very often we are all in the same state.

-We spent a whole day touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We were able to get tickets to climb up to the pedestal & enjoy amazing skyline views of NYC.
-We spent an afternoon in Philadelphia. We saw where Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross were buried. We toured Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell.
-Spent an afternoon at the Jersey Shore. It was pretty chilly & windy but that didn't stop us! Brooke loved the water, but hated getting sand on her hands.
-Went back to the hotel for a swim and got ready for the wedding rehearsal dinner. Dinner was at this Italian restaurant and by the end of the night we were stuffed!! Brooke was cranky, so I let her just dig into my plate of Chicken Parmesan & that made her happy.
-The next day was wedding day! Brooke discovered her love for bubbles and even added the word "bubbles" to her vocabulary!

I can't take credit for this collage. My dad put it together.

-Then it was off to NYC!!
We toured St. Patrick's Cathedral which was gorgeous! Then when we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center, we were able to see an ariel view. We had another gorgeous view of the Chrysler tower from our hotel room. We saw the Manhattan Temple and stopped at the American Girl Doll store too.

-We went to the Museum of Natural History (which looks nothing like it does in the movie, btw) and went to Times Square and spent most of our time in this amazing ToysRUS store.
In the store they had a ferris wheel, the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty built out of legos, a life-size T-Rex that moved and roared, and a huge Barbie house.-Went to the Museum of Modern Art and enjoyed paintings from Andy Warhol, Van Gogh, and Picasso. My nephew Carter was great with helping with Brooke. He was always able to make her laugh and smile. We spent a lot of time riding the subway and after a while, didn't mind so much sitting on the filthy floors if meant our feet got some rest :) We also spent a lot of time in our jackets. I guess it didn't matter that I stuffed my suitcase to the max since in all the pictures I am wearing my orange coat!

Needless to say, by the end of the trip, we were all exhausted!