Last day

Today was the last day of school and my last day of work for 2 plus months! Today I said goodbye to two of my students. One has been with me for two years and will be going to Kindergarten next fall, and the other I only had for this year but his family is moving to another state. As I was saying my goodbyes to my students I realized that I have learned a great deal from these kiddos. This was the first year that I had non verbal students, non walking students, and students that are not yet independent in many of their skills. It was definitely a learning year for me but I had a great year and loved working with my class every day. It is incredibly rewarding thinking about how much these kids have grown over the year and how much they have accomplished. I look forward to working with my returning students in the fall but am excited about my summer ahead with Emma and Josh.

I love

in no particular order
* Phineas and Ferb
* iced tea
* Chick-fil-A
* when people tell me how cute my kids are
* Imagination Movers
* Disneyland
* eating out
* hot showers
* smores
* cleaning (I really do love this!)
* the way Josh gives kisses
* Emma's sassy look
* reading
* talking
* laughing at and with Eric
* shopping for clothes
* shopping for kids clothes
* my students
* hanging out with my mom
* laughing at my dad
* remembering good times
* Mr. Deeds
* Costco hot dogs
* Golden Retrievers
* The WB (I realized that this totally dates me as it's now the CW!)
* horses

Wow, this list could go on and on! It's fun to think of the things you love, makes you feel good inside.

Homies

Josh has a severe attachment to stuffed animals right now. Before he was born a co-worker gave me a blanket/bear that you put in a babies crib when first born to help with attachment. Emma had one too and never cared much for it, Josh on the other hand will not sleep without this bear in his hands. It is quite cute to put him in his crib and watch him search for it, latch on to it, and roll over to his side while cuddling it. Also in his crib, a bear my mom gave him when he was first born, a Pooh Bear that belonged to his cousin Barret, and a giraffe from his Godfather Sergio for his first birthday. Last night when I walked in to check on him before bed I found him surrounded by all of these things and thought it was adorable knowing how much he loves all of them right now.


Now that he is walking and the whole house is fair game, he likes to spend time in Emma's room discovering all of her stuff. He found the animals and dolls on her bookcase a while ago but recently has taken a liking to a Saint Bernard that Aunt Lindie and Uncle Dave brought back from Switzerland. He likes to carry the dog everywhere with him and loves to give it kisses (the dog's nose is mangled from sweet slobbery Josh kisses). He also has a bunny that we call Peter Cottontail from my dad for Easter that he loves carrying around when Dog can't be found. His attachment is truly sweet except when you try to take one of his stuffed friends away because all he** breaks loose and the true power if Josh's lungs is heard all over the neighborhood!

Crafty

Last week at the mall Emma mentioned how cute a flower clip looked in a little girl's hair and I got so excited. I think bows and clips are adorable and Emma has just started wanting them in her hair all the time so once I heard those words I was racing off to Once Upon a Child to get her some. The had a pretty decent selection there but unfortunately they were $5.99. Probably not a bad price but I have this thing with matching colors and I wouldn't have been able to buy just one. We would have needed a pink, red, orange, white, and well you get the picture. After standing in the store for about 15 minutes inspecting the clip, I decided I could make one myself. I headed to Michael's to look for some flowers, they didn't have much of a selection and I was looking for daisies but I did find four very pretty ones. After one last trip to Sally's for hair clips, I got out the hot glue gun that night and started working. By the fourth clip, I was in a grove and figured out how to make them work just the right way. I think they turned out pretty cute and Emma was very excited the next morning when I showed them to her. She wore one to school with me that day and got compliments (which she loved) from many of my co-workers.



That night I decided that I needed to make a few more smaller flowers so I set out to Michael's for more flowers. Unfortunately, the spring selection had already put on sale and the smaller bunches of daisies were gone. Luckily I stumbled upon a shelf of small flower pots each with two daisies of the same color in them so I bought a few and again that night got to working. Now Emma has a collection of flower clips for her hair and I am really proud of myself for making them and for saving a ton of money. Once I added up the costs for all the materials it came to about $2.40 a clip and I still have 6 gems and 5 clips left.



So now I have a new calling in life and the next step is to learn how to make bows and headbands! Josh better watch out or he might get accessorized too, I just know Eric would love that!

Flashback Friday

These pictures were taken when I was 8 and a half months pregnant with Emma. Our friend Carlos took them for us and I love them. First because Eric and I hadn't had pictures done since our wedding and second because I love seeing my pregnant belly. I think only a handful of people know that I love being pregnant. I don't really know how to explain why I love it so much but I do. I love the entire experience and luckily I have been blessed with two healthy pregnancies. Both have had their moments of roughness but overall I don't get to 38 weeks and wish for the baby to come out already. I see other pregnant girls and think I want to be pregnant too, its a sickness I know. Good think I don't really agree with surrogacy or I'd be in trouble!

Mother

What can be said about being a mother that hasn't been said before? It is the best job and the hardest job at the same time. There are days when everything goes so perfectly, when both kids are compliant and easy and other days when they are the complete opposite of easy. Today was the fifth time I celebrated being a mother and I can only hope that every time this day comes that I am a better mother than the last. My children have made me a mother and every day, even the hard days, I grateful for the gift of them. I know that they are on loan to me from Heaven and I know it's my job to get them back there. Each week my prayer at mass before receiving Communion is to be a better mother. To have the strength to teach my children right from wrong, to let them know how loved they are, to have patience with them, and to do my best to help them become the best version of themselves. Through God's grace, I know that I can do all of these things and be the mother that I was meant to be. I love my children with all my heart and am so blessed to have them in my life.

Game time

Right after Emma turned 2 her Ya-Ya (Eric's mom) bought Candy Land and played it with her when they spent time together. Emma picked up the concept of the game very quickly and asked to play it all the time. Before Josh came, Eric and I bought Chutes and Ladders and Memory for her so that we had a good activity for her to do with us when he was born. We played those games like crazy Josh's first summer and Emma is an old pro at 3 year old games now. We have moved on to the 4 year old games and her godparents bought Yahtzee Jr for her third birthday. She does really well with it and loves that it is Mickey Mouse themed but her new favorite is Old Maid. She has just started watching all the old Disney movies and this Old Maid game has the Disney Princesses on the cards. The Old Maid is Ursula from Little Mermaid and Emma calls her "the bad girl". The game is very simple but the challenge for Emma is holding the cards and not letting me see them when she makes her matches. Generally she ends up with the Old Maid but she is getting better every time we play and I am sure in no time, she will smoking us at this one too!

Emma playing Old Maid.


Emma getting stuck with the Old Maid!

Zapatos

Today we bought Josh his first pair of shoes! Now that he is walking more and more, we figured it was time to get his feet used to wearing them. We chose a pair of sandals not only because they were cute but because Josh has such chubby feet, it worked best to get something with straps on top so they could be adjusted. He wore them this morning and did great but after about 2 hours, he was done. Hopefully his feet will thin out a bit as he really gets going because I already have my eye on an adorable pair of sneakers for him!