Nature In the Backyard

Look what we found in our backyard today! 

This is first time we have seen or found a crab.  We normally see deer, birds, rabbits, raccoons, & bobcats.  We think maybe a bird picked this guy up out of the marsh and accidentally dropped him in our yard.  We gave him a little water - even though that little boy right there wanted to keep him - and put him back in his marsh home. 

It's almost over!

It's Friday and today marked the last full week of my summer.  Not really, but I have decided it will be the end.  We are going to Summer Waves on Monday as our last "Hoo-rah", but Wednesday I am heading back to work.  I really need to get my classroom in order since moving rooms.  I would love to have everything finished in there before I actually have to be at work, then it would give me time to get things organized for Open House and the first few days of school. 

I am going to be sad to leave my two sweet boys - it gives me lots of anxiety just thinking about it.  Especially taking Colin back to Baby School.  He is going to be miserable the first few weeks and it breaks my heart to think about it.  I just want him to be happy and have a fun time.  I have talked about Baby School all summer and how he will be going back when I go back to work, but he refuses to have any part of it. 

I mean really, look at that sweet face... he is going to be heartbroken and so am I!  

Cade, I am not so much worried about.  He will be right back at school with me, just one door down.  I am having a little anxiety about him going into 1st grade but not like last year with kindergarten.  I know, he will have fun being back with his friends and having a scheduled day. 

I can't believe how quickly summer has flown by, but I know the school year will fly by just as quickly once I get there and get started.  

Fun Days

What more can I say!  We are just having ourselves some fun days...

wearing our Woody Boots

Riding our Inchworm

Front yard relay races

It's Monday!

Oh yes, it surely is!  I am thoroughly exhausted from the pool with the boys and a good friend of mine. 

I am declaring this my last full week of Summer break.  It makes me a little sad to say that, but I need to go back to work early this year.  I moved classrooms and I am afraid if I don't go in early I will never be finished in time for Open House!  I have already made my word wall cards, labels for baskets, purchased my CC items and Essential Questions that I am planning to use.  So Friday night, Kathy and I decided to go out for dinner and a little Target shopping...we were in search of the 25 cent glue sticks, that inevitably were NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! 

I did find these beauties though...I am pretty sure I did a little squeal when I saw them!

I was beyond excited to find my "Teacher Binder".  I am going to cut some vinyl out and put my monogram on the front of that beauty!   The bins were cheapies but will be PERFECT for the tables and for Daily 5 storage. 

And so it begins!

Today, it was overcast and rainy!  One of my team members and friend, Kathy,  decided to come over and get started on some school work!  We actually got quite a bit accomplished.  We started making a list a couple of days ago with things that we needed to get done.  I love LISTS!!  We were able to start checking things off as well.  That is always an accomplishment. 

We are almost done with our locker decor - which is seriously the hardest part of preparation for Open House!  My team member and friend, Kathy is doing "Welcome To My Pack!"  So today we created her crayon box as well as her crayons.  It was a lot of fun! 

I decided that I would do "Poppin' Into 1st Grade"  so I started on my popcorn bucket.  I got the bucket cut out and the stripes glued on.  I am planning on cutting my popcorn tomorrow evening.  I am also going to make those tissue paper pom-poms in white with a hint of yellow to look like popcorn balls on my locker!

We finished up our slideshows for Open House as well.  Just need to put our daily schedule in there, which we don't have yet!  :)   But we will have them soon enough.  We also ordered a few units off of TPT!  LOVE THAT SITE!  I can't wait for us to do the Fun With Firsties Unit by Abby Mullins.  I made a large "Jitter Juice" Cup today and I am going to add the "label" so it is all ready for the First Day! 

I also started working on number cards today, since number sense is such a HUGE part of our first unit and every unit after that.  I really want to hit this part hard but also in a fun way.  So I started making these and I am going to put them up on my wall in my classroom so that my students are able to see them at all times. 

 

I will make the same set for my friend and team member using a different background which will be the same background I used for her wordwall.  She hasn't made her final choice yet.

 I think I like the one with the paisley bunting... but we will see!  I actually think that is the one I added to her slideshow today.  I guess it will just be her Wordwall now, because it is my FAVE!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Colin!

Colin, I can't even believe that you are 3!  My, oh my!  You have grown so quickly. 

 Where did my little, tiny 6 lb 13oz baby go?

I remember when I first saw you and I thought you looked just like a little Cabbage Patch Doll!  You stole my heart immediately.  Now, you steal my heart every single day when you say, "I lub you, Mama!"  or when you are running around the house singing.  You are so full of yourself!  

But you still like to cuddle with "patsy" and blankie. 

That was your last nap as a two year old and I will admit I still get a few little tears in my eyes when I say it to myself. 

This summer you have had so much fun being at home with mama!  Most days we spend at the pool swimming and you are a regular ole' fish! 

You love your daddy too!  As soon as he walks in the door from work, you are all over him.  You two have a special bond, that's for sure! 

This year, you really understood your birthday.  You knew it was ALL about you!

We had two small family parties for you.  One at Nana and Poppa's house and the other at Grammy and Rich's house.  You loved both!  

You loved it when we sang Happy Birthday to you!  And blowing out the candle... you had that figured out quickly! 

Your favorite gifts this year...a bucket of bubbles 

Tangled on DVD

  Jake and The Neverland Pirates Ship

Colin, I love you so much!  You have brought so much joy and happiness to my life.  You are my sweet, baby boy!  I am so thankful and blessed to be your Momma!! 

The smells of summer...

My kids smell more like sunscreen & chlorine than soap this summer! 

They have been on bike rides, played on the back porch, & been completely exhausted from too much fun!  

 I have come to the conclusion that I must be doing something right!

10 Years

Happy Anniversary to us!  

We have been married 10 years today.  10 wonderful years!  I can't even believe how quickly time has gone by, it's amazing to me.  I remember our wedding day like it was yesterday - it was a gloomy day and we were waiting all day for the bottom to fall out at any given moment.  Yet, it didn't until after we said our vows and left the beach!  We have had some ups and downs.  We have been there for each other through hard times, easy times, fun times, worst times, even worst times, and the best times.  We have become stronger as a couple and as individuals because of each other.  And to think that things are only going to get better.   I can't wait to share the next 100 years of our life together.  

Crazy Few Days

I LOVE summer!  I think I have told you guys that a few times, but the past few days have just been CRAZY!  Crazy as in I am trying to finish decorating the house before school starts back, NOT HAPPENING!  I am trying to organize areas of the house before school starts back, NOT HAPPENING!  I am trying to get all of Colin's stuff ready for his party, this WILL happen!  Even if I haven't bought one single thing for his "party" YET!  

My last craziness.... 

I am not even sure what I was thinking with these things.  But I know I need to get the stuff out, ironed, and listed - ASAP!!!  Two bins, two boys... doesn't seem like it is too bad.  But it looks and feels so overwhelming right now at this moment. 

Cousin Cookout

What's more fun than cousins?  

This weekend we had a small cookout with the cousins on Larry's side, his sister's children and his brother's children.  That is a total of 7 children including ours.  Cade & Colin are by far the youngest of the bunch, but they love their cousins! We started the day off with some swimming at the pool - sorry I didn't get pictures of all that fun!  

BUT we did try to take a picture of all the kids together... and well, have you ever tried to get 7 children to look at the camera... yes, DISASTER!!  But all at the same time, FUN! 

 

Look over here!  

 

Let's try going to a different spot in the house... 

 

Does it look any different... which kids aren't looking at the camera?

 

Last one! 

 

We just had hamburgers/hotdogs for dinner which was a hit for everyone.   When dinner was done we decided to cut our watermelon!  We LOVE watermelon around here! 

 

 Colin waiting patiently for his piece of watermelon! 

The sweet, sweet taste of summer...

 

Bekha enjoying her watermelon! 

 

 

Colin enjoying his watermelon...he loved his almost as much as Bekha did!  Haha! 

 

No one else wanted me to take their watermelon pictures... I am not sure why!  But it is okay, I got some cute ones of Bekha and Colin.  They surely didn't mind at all!  

Don't forget if all your cousins are together, then you must do a little chit-chatting! 

 

And Colin can do a little entertaining, by painting his face with purple chalk.

 

Just because they are too cute together...