i love my job!!!

This week has been one of the most stressful but wonderful weeks of my life! God knows how much I can handle and he did a beautiful job of balancing the good with the bad this week. I won't even talk about the bad (because it's over and done with), but I would LOVE to talk about my PRECIOUS second graders!!! Last year was hard. I had some tough situations in my class, and I really did not have my classroom management down (which is an understatement!!). This year has been at least 100 times better so far!!! When you combine 17 sweet kiddos with a teacher who somewhat knows what she's doing, you get a wonderful school year!! I'll write more later but so far my kids have made me laugh and love. I think I forgot how little incoming second graders are! They are just babies! I have some funny stories, but I'll have to save them for later. I'm going to Abilene!! Have a great holiday weekend!!

can't wait til monday!

This time last year I was completely overwhelmed and scared. I am still scared, but I actually feel prepared for the first day of school! I am so excited for the first day! I met some of my kiddos last night and they are completely precious (of course!!). I just have to have the control to be firm next week and consistent. I want these kids to know that I mean business!!:) Here are some pics of my classroom:

I'll put students' work on this bulletin board.

These are my jobs, rules, etc.

I moved my reading center this year and I really like it.

Here's my calendar, which I really hope to keep up with this year!!

I'm trying to stay more organized and to have better classroom management than I did last year. Enjoy your week!!

on a deeper note

I am an emotional person. Always have been, and I'm sure I always will be. I can't help it. I cry at movies, weddings, funerals, greeting cards, sweet commercials, TV shows, songs, when I step on my dog's paw, during church, when I see babies, and sometimes I even tear up at school when one of my kids says something sweet. I honestly wish I weren't so emotional (or sensitive and I prefer to call it), but I guess it's just something I was born with. What I never realized, however, is how much being in love would make me cry. I cry when we fight, when I think about our future, when we've planned a fun activity for a while and it's suddenly over, and sometimes for no reason at all! Has this happened to anyone else? Love is such a wonderfully complex emotion, and I think it causes different reactions in different people. I mean, Matthew certainly doesn't cry because he's in love with me!! The poor guy doesn't know what to do about all of my blubbering, but thank goodness he is patient. I wasn't sure if I should blog about this, but I'm just so excited that I've put my finger on the reason I've been crying so much lately. Here's a cute picture of us to wrap things up:

Thanks for reading and enjoy your week!

bored

So, nobody tagged me to do this or anything, but I thought I would anyway because I'm so bored!! 4 Jobs I've Had: 1. the filer at a dr.'s office 2. Registrar's Office at ACU 3. Day Nursery of Abilene 4. Children's Ministry Intern 4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over 1. The Notebook (I've never not cried when I've watched it...it's sooo sweet!!) 2. Home Alone (So funny!) 3. School of Rock (I love Jack Black!!) 4. Phantom of the Opera (love the music) 4 Favorite TV Shows 1. American Idol 2. Friends 3. Everybody Loves Raymond 4. Full House (I want to own the seasons!!) 4 Places I've Lived 1. Mom and Dad's 2. ACU 3. Bruce Way (fun college house) 4. Here in Richardson 4 Places I've Been 1. Calgary, Canada (what a fun and beautiful trip!) 2. Mexico (on a cruise) 3. Georgia (family vacation) 4. Oregon (SBC) 4 Favorite Foods 1. pineapple 2. enchiladas 3. Reese's Pieces 4. Grilled hamburgers 4 Least Favorite Foods 1. onions 2. mushrooms 3. peppers 4. most Chinese food 4 Most frequented websites 1. Facebook 2. My blog 3. Other people's blogs 4. webkins.com :) Enjoy your week!

lately

I can't believe that two weeks from today I will have met my new precious second graders!! I am so excited! I went up to school today and worked in my classroom. There is tons of work to be done, but I'm feeling so much more confident than I was this time last year. I want to change lots of stuff that did not work last year, but I also have a few things I'm going to do the same. I'll post some pictures when I'm done with my room...it'll be a cute place to learn!!

I am trying to become creative in the things that I cook. Last week I made salmon and veggies...and it was really good! I wasn't too sure if Matthew liked it--until he had three helpings! Yes, it was a little expensive so I won't be doing that too often, but it's fun to be adventurous sometimes! Here's a picture of the finished product:

Yes, those ARE oranges...they gave the salmon a really nice taste I think!

This weekend I went to Abilene. It was the first time I'd been all summer, and it was really good to be back. I finally got a car...it was much needed. It's a really cute Toyota Corolla and it has a sunroof! Here are some pics:

Thanks mom, for helping me to the whole car-buying thing. I will NEVER do it again!!

Enjoy your week!!

la-z-ness

I am being so lazy right now. I should be cleaning, going through my school stuff, taking Max for a walk, doing laundry, but instead I get addicted to playing with my... WEBKINZ!! Have you heard of them? You buy these little stuffed animals at the store, look at the "secret code" in their tag, go to webkinz.com, and play with them!! You can feed them, decorate their room, buy them clothes...it's TOO MUCH FUN!! Mine's name is Tucker and he's a little golden retriever. I bought him some blue jeans and a red baseball cap. I also bought him a treadmill and trampoline so he won't get bored. Keep in mind that these toys are meant to be played with by probably 1st to 6th graders, and here I am 24 years old, and I enjoy it just as much! Hopefully I won't be so bored this week. I'm going to a Ranger's game tomorrow night, cooking SALMON on Tuesday (yes, I am trying to be Ms. Suzie- homemaker), and heading to Abilene on Wednesday through the weekend. I hope my webkinz won't miss me too much!!:) Please keep reading my blog. I promise it'll get better and won't be so silly once school starts!! Enjoy your week!