Summer- Week 1

I thought I'd recap each week of this summer, just for fun!

Our summer bucket list.

So, I just posted about last weekend and going to the mountains.  That's where our week started. 

Another side note.  I mentioned in Parker's 8 month blog that he had his first modeling job.  This is quite hilarious how it started, but my friend recommended for me to send Parker's picture into a lady she saw on Facebook looking for baby models.  I did it half-heartedly.  However, within 3 days of sending it, Parker had his first job booked!  It was in Buckhead for a toy company called Taggies.  That was last Friday.  Since then, he had jobs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday!  Let's just say they pay a ridiculous amount, that it was hard to pass up.

OK, now that you know that information, our week was a little crazy.

I took both girls to daycare on Tuesday (I'm taking all the kids 2 days each week this summer).  I ran at the park with Parker in the morning, and then I took him into Atlanta to do his photo shoot.  This was a "lifestyle" shoot with a model mom and a model dad, and Parker was the baby.  It was shot at this mansion house in Atlanta.  Quite humorous.  Parker seemed enamored by the tall, blonde, Swedish looking model mom who so kindly fed him puffs.

On Wednesday, I took Parker and Taylor to daycare, and Sydney stayed with me.  She and I ran at the park and then walked and fed the ducks.  Then, we went on a few errands.  I picked Parker up around 1:45 and we went to his photo shoot that was from 3-6.  They were running so behind today that he didn't even get photographed!  We didn't get home until late.  My friend Erica came and joined us at the photo shoot, since she lives just around the corner.  She entertained Sydney while we sat there and waited... and waited...

On Thursday, I wasn't going to have Parker do a shoot that day, just to give Parker (and me!) a break, but I had left his Bumbo chair there on Wednesday.  We're leaving town soon and will need that, so we went on in.  This shoot was back in the Buckhead office, and Taylor came with me this time.  (Sydney's class went bowling today).  Afterwards, Taylor, Parker, and I had a picnic at the park and played on the playground.  When we got Sydney, we went and got frozen yogurt.  Then, we played in the sprinkler and on the slip n' slide at the neighbor's house, and ate dinner there. 

They didn't want to leave the froyo place.

Today, no photo shoot!  Parker went to daycare, and I kept both girls home.  We did "school" in the morning, and then we had a playdate with Sydney's BFF Raegan.  We played outside and the girls did movie and sleepover night. 



On Saturday, I spent a lot of the day packing, so we hung around the house.  We played outside and then Sydney's friend, Savannah, came over to play and stay for dinner.

Damsel in distress.

Painting toenails.

Silly girls.

It was a busy but great first week of summer!

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday was a good day... last day of school!  WOOHOO!  What a good feeling!  And where better a place to decompress than the peaceful mountains?  That's right, we headed up Saturday morning to the mountain house. 

My favorite view.

The weekend was a ton of fun... the weather was perfect during the day, though a little chilly in the morning and at night!  Actually, really chilly now that I'm thinking more about it.

I must admit that I had headaches and slept a lot... it was nice to be able to do that (thanks, fam, for taking care of my kids!).  There is some serious decompression that has occurred for me in the past few days after ending work! 

Anyways, the kids had a good time playing in the lake.  The water was freezing, but the kids played in the little baby area.  We had the annual picnic/square dance Saturday evening, which was fun.  The kids stayed up way too late, and Sydney had her first official spend-the-night at her cousins' house.  She slept in until 9:15 the next morning!

Parker's first squaredance!

Sydney dancing with Camilla.

Off to the sleepover!

Sunday, the fam went to church (I woke up feeling sick, maybe a mini-migraine) so I slept until noon myself.  (I'm telling you- I was lazy, lazy, lazy!).  Then, we hit the lake again.  Stephen and the guys went to play golf, and Sydney found herself a couple of cute teenage brothers to hang onto.  Literally.

Sydney and Jamie.

Getting love from Allen.

That night, we went to the clubhouse to hear a country singer perform.  Apparently, this guy used to have a record contract and was on the radio (Jameson Clark?) but I had never heard of him.  Anyways, his mom has a house in the colony and she asked him to perform.  It was fun!  Sydney slept over at Madeline and Kerrigan's again that night. 

Sweet sisters.

Parker's first concert.

Monday morning, I felt better and attempted a jog.  We packed up, ate breakfast at Cendy's, and headed home.  Besides the speeding ticket I got on the way home (grr!), it was a wonderful, relaxing trip.  Can't wait to do it again!

Beautiful site on my jog!

Sydney chowing down.

Parker and Uncle Mashoo.





Big changes!

Well, folks... changes keep life exciting, right?  Actually, I'm hoping this one dulls life down a bit.

After a lot of thought, prayer, and discussions with loved ones, I decided, back in April, not to sign my contract in the county where I currently teach.  I have absolutely loved my job- I have been out of the classroom for two years in a leadership role.  It has given me so much perspective on things in education.  I have been able to support three schools, 11 special education teachers, 3 speech pathologists, work with 3 sets of administrators, work with the kids, and also work with county office personnel.  It's been a great experience.

Do you hear the "but" coming? ;)  But... it's been a real challenge for me lately.  My days are meeting after meeting after meeting.  Meetings, as you all know, will last until necessary.  It called for a long, somewhat unpredictable day.  This was difficult with Stephen traveling so much, and having the three little ones at daycare.  Also, it called for trouble when I had a sick child, and I had to cancel all the meetings that were scheduled for that day.  Not a good feeling.  Lots of frustration.  It was also difficult to balance the almost "24/7" feel of my job.  Teachers and administrators called/texted/emailed me at night, on weekends, on days I took off with a sick child.  It was hard to take a break from it, and it caused some anxiety of having to get back in a timely manner.  (This wasn't the expectation, but I just had the personal feeling that I needed to get back ASAP).

My thought process all started when one day, when Taylor had a fever... my first thought wasn't on Taylor... it was, "Oh no, what meetings do I need to reschedule for today?"  I got to thinking long and hard after that point about what I needed to do for next year.  That just wasn't right.

So, I weighed my options.

1.  I could go to the classroom in the current county I am in. 
2.  I could stay home.
3.  I could apply for another job in another county.

Then I made a pros and cons list.

1.  I have learned that I am not cut out for teaching elementary.  God bless those people who can.  I don't have the patience.  As cute as the kids are, they are very needy.  I do better with a higher level of independence in my students.  So, I knew I didn't want to go back to elementary.  If I went to middle school, which is where my heart is for teaching, I'd be starting all over in Rockdale.  Completely new.  Not knowing other teachers, administration, etc.

2.  Staying at home would be nice in some ways.  However, I really enjoy working.  As stressful as it can be, I love it.  Also, Sydney and Taylor are in great situations with their daycare.  They have their friends there, they learn so much.  Parker could totally be pulled out and not even notice, but it wouldn't make sense for me to stay home and just keep him. 

3.  I could apply for another job.  This was my main focus.  And the only place I was interested in- my old middle school.  While I was still figuring out what to do, I made a trip over there after my work day ended (they were still in school) and talked to my old principal about any possible options for next year. 

Long story very short, he worked me in!!!  I got a job back there!!!  And I am SO excited... I loved that place and am glad to be going back somewhere familiar, somewhere I know I love.  I will be teaching Title Math, which is a class taught during connections classes for kids who are struggling in math.  I know that the classroom has stressors of its own, but I think that, at this time of my life, it will better suit me.

I'm thinking back to my 5 years in Newton, and my 3 years in Rockdale.  I thought- what if I had never left Newton?  How different would things be?  But, I wouldn't change a thing in my journey.  I know that I would have regretted not taking a chance at the offer to teach elementary school in Rockdale.  I would have always been thinking... what if?  And, my experience in Rockdale led to an awesome position that taught me so much. 

And now, I'm getting to go back to the school that I love.  Yes, I missed out on 3 year's worth of experiences there.  But, I built some really great relationships in Rockdale, I learned a TON, I met some wonderful students and parents, and now I can return back to a place with warmth and friendships.  I really am very blessed.  I feel like I have two great educational communities surrounding me.

And, I have to say... after a few days being officially "done", my headaches of stress are gone. 

Here's to my new adventure!

8 Months!

Parker is 2/3 of his way to a year!!!  How is this happening so quickly??

I'm 8 months old today!

Parker has had a really exciting month!  Accomplishments include:

• He has basically mastered the whole "sitting up" thing!  He still rolls over sometimes, but it's usually because he's trying to reach out a grab a toy, and has to lean all the way forward or all the way to the side.  He also loves to rock back and forth- so sometimes he'll rock so hard he'll fall backwards. 
• He is getting into crawling position, but no crawling moves yet!  (though this boy can roll and flip and turn so he somehow gets where he needs to go)
• His two little bottom teeth have poked through! (and there's a lot of pain... and drool... there :( )
• He was sick one day this month- he threw up at school.  Thankfully, it was just the one time and he was all better that day!
• Eating some table food!  He has had some mashed-up peas, rice, mashed potatoes, and eggs. 
• Grabbing things- he seems to have really good hand-eye coordination.  He can spot something that's in reachable distance, but somewhat far, and he'll lunge for it and grap it perfectly. 
• He is all about his surroundings.  He'll turn his head to look at all different sights, sounds, etc.
• This may be a fluke, but I'll ask him- "Where's Sydney?" and he'll look at Sydney.  Then, I'll say, "Where's Taylor?" and he'll look at Taylor.  He's done this about 3 times. 
• He took his first trip to the mountain house in SC!
• He has started to grasp the concept of feeding himself!  He does better with the cheeto-like puff things than the little puffs.  Those, he usually just palms until they melt in his hands.  Yum.
• Had his first modeling photo shoot... totally more on that later!

Chilling with Melissa.

Cigar? Anyone?

Hangin' with my sis.

Feeding myself.

Yo yo yo.

First time in the lake! (It didn't last long... it was FREEEEZING!)

Drying off.

Parker and "Uncle Mashoo" at breakfast.

What a year!

Sydney has graduated from Pre-K! 

She has come such a long way this past school year.  I am so excited to know how much she has learned.  It is amazing.  This girl is reading K-1st grade level books!  (with help on big words, like "thief" or "loyal")

Her teachers sent home a big packet of work for Sydney to do over the summer.  They also included this:

First handwriting paper- 8/15/12 (age 3)

Last handwriting paper- 5/13/13 (age 4)

She is also writing our last name- that's a feat for most adults!

Yes, she is!

August 2012- First day of pre-K

New shoes, new bookbag, still sweet and naive.  Let mommy fix her hair, pick out her clothes.

May 2013- Last day of pre-K

Sassy, smart, only wears headbands and flipflops.  Has the final veto of what mommy picks out to wear.  A little tired of the Dora bookbag.  So much older looking!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what her K-5 year brings!

Happenings

We have been crazy around here lately!  We seem to have something going on every weekend, starting a couple of weekends ago and going through late June.  Plus, the last 2 weeks of school are going to really be rough, finishing up all these meetings/paperwork.  The end is in sight, people!

We've had our share of seeing friends, going out to eat, birthday parties, enjoying the nice weather, neighborhood get-togethers, and more.  Here are some pics of the latest and greatest.