style.

This was Sophie's outfit today...
(her after-church outfit)...



a swimsuit
pink skirt
Hello Kitty socks
black Mary Janes

I'm pretty open to whatever on the weekends. At home. This allows me to have a little more say in what she wears to school during the week, or what she wears out in public.

So far, it's working for us.
We'll see how long it lasts.

straight.

We had a Girl's Night last night, and my neighbor, Amy D., wanted to play with her flat iron...

craigslist

Corey spent most of the weekend doing this...



22 fence panels, approximately 150 feet of all American white picket fence.
It will be replaced this week with 6 foot cedar fence and wrought iron.
Miss Marley will be happy to run free in the yard.
Miss Miley won't be jumping the fence anymore.
Mommy will feel safer having little people alone in the backyard.

Corey just wanted to get rid of all this fence.
A FREE sign on the curb. A burn pile. Anything.

I wanted to try listing it on craiglist. Corey thought it was a waste of time, but was willing to humor me. I listed it for $75. After 2 hours, I had a phone call. Later, there were 2 more. This afternoon we helped a really nice guy and his wife load it up in a trailer and happily took our $75.
Yay for me!

our family.

Drawing by Sophie, age 5.

ladybug day.

Can you see the ornery written all over these faces?



Wednesday was Ladybug Day.
The other first grade teachers said their classes were crazy and off the wall all day.
My class? Seriously the best day we have had in a long time.
Now Thursday and Friday were another story...

Apparently if we do fun, special activities all day long, they will be the most delightful children ever. It's just when I try and do those darn things like reading, writing and math... then things get a little off the wall.

But, looking on the bright side... we still have Apple Day, Kansas Day and 100's Day to celebrate this year. I guess I can count on at least 3 more delightful days. :)

30 days down.
145 to go.
It's gonna be a long year.

school.

Someone asked me the other day how school was and said since they hadn't read anything on my blog lately, they were assuming it was better...

Yeah, not so much.
It's better. But still not great. Still not what I would consider good most of the time. We're making progress, but I feel like it's a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kind of thing. And sometimes we just completely forget anything we've ever learned about following directions. We're having more moments of fun, more moments of loving what I do, but still lots of moments where I feel like the grouchiest teacher ever.

I was spoiled last year. I had a great bunch of kids. My friend Kristi (who teaches 2nd grade) was telling me just the other day what a delightful class she has. Many of my old kiddos.

There was also more going on at school than just my class. Non-bloggable stuff. Incredibly stressful stuff. Stuff dealing with friendships, honesty, trust. Stuff that still isn't completely resolved and relationships that will never be the same. This, combined with my class, was pushing me a little over the edge.

But I was slapped in the face with a dose of reality when I stopped to think about the lives of some of my friends. Emergency surgeries, cancer, brain surgery, parents going in for routine outpatient surgery and nearly dying, children with serious illnesses, divorce, a 30 year old husband and father tragically killed, having to attend 4 family funerals in 2 weeks... I suddenly felt very guilty as I was hit with a "what am I complaining about" attitude. Very humbling. I have a husband who loves me. Two sweet and healthy children. Family and friends who care about me and support me. I am very blessed. Too blessed to be stressed. (although I may have to keep reminding myself of that.)

I was also humbled the other day when I stopped to pray for my students. Each one of them, by name. Thinking about each of them and the things some of them have experienced in their 6 years... divorce, abuse, neglect, hunger. Learning how to read is low on their list of priorities right now. Again, very humbling. A friend encouraged some of us at the beginning of the year to remember that each of these children were put in our class for a certain reason. God knew what He was doing. And I'm pretty sure He wasn't just trying to stress me out.

So, no more complaining.
Or much less complaining, anyway.
(This is my form of therapy, after all.)

********************************************************

Thank you for the sweet card, Vicki. It was just what I needed. :)

lawson says...

"Grandma works at a octor's doffice.
Grandpa works at a Kleenex."
**************************************************

"I love you, Mommy.
You're da best mommy.
You have fat cheeks."

*************************************************

(driving in the car)
"Can you leave my window down so I can spit my gum out?"
Me: "No, a bird might choke on it and that would be bad."
"No, cuz I could spit it in a bush with lots of leaves and so then the bird couldn't find it."

*************************************************

(playing outside, I came up behind him and swooped him up in my arms)
"No Mommy! Cowboys don't need holding!"

***************************************************

"Well mommy... lemme tell you something..."

***************************************************

"Okay... fine. I'll _______________."




Oh, how I love this little man.

brookelyn.

Look who I got to spend my afternoon with...



I helped host a baby shower for my friend, Lisa and her sweet, sweet baby girl.


Pure pink.




I love her little daisy pacifer.


Is there anything cuter than a giant baby yawn?


I think Megan hoped that she could hide Brookelyn in this John Deere blanket and sneak out the door with her. Her little face could make anyone want another baby.




And how cute is Brookelyn's big brother, Nicholas? She has two more brothers at home.


This is such a special little girl.
So loved. So cherished. So wanted.
We all have so many memories of her sister, Michelle.
I'm so thankful that God blessed Matt and Lisa with another baby girl.
She is perfect.

puddles.

Since it seemed like it would never stop raining...

Why not play in the puddles?

Love these little froggy boots.

These khaki shorts are currently soaking in a bucket of soapy water.

This was our backyard on Saturday. Marley is getting to use the front yard to go potty.

Corey says this isn't accurate, but it seems pretty close.

Cloudy and windy today, but no rain in the forecast.

Praying for outside recess this week!

the egg book.

I loved this book when I was little.
I remembered bits and pieces of it, and have tried to find it, but I couldn't ever remember the title. (which is pretty hard, huh?)
Last week I see a stack of books in the lounge that somone is getting rid of.
This was on top...



Once there was a little bunny. He was all alone.
One day he found an egg.
He could hear something moving inside the egg. What was it?

Maybe a little boy, Maybe an elephant, Maybe another bunny, Maybe a mouse.


My favorite part is when he throws a rock at it.
But because he was only a little bunny, it was a very little rock and he didn't through it very hard and the egg didn't break.

Then while the bunny is trying to watch the egg, he gets so, so sleepy. He falls asleep and doesn't see the little yellow duck jump out.

Well, what is this? said the little duck when he saw the bunny. What could this little fur thing be?

So the duck pushed the bunny with his foot
And jumped on top of him
And threw a little rock at him
And rolled him down a hill.



So the bunny and the duck were friends,
And no one was ever alone again.


30 years later and I still love this book.
And now my kids have a new favorite.

thanks.

Thanks Grandpa, for suggesting this new bone.
I love it!

new smile.

Sophie told me a month ago that one of her teeth hurt. She was sure it was getting loose and going to fall out soon. I went along with it, thinking, "No way." I have first graders every year that are loosing their first teeth in the middle of the year. The first month of kindergarten?

I was wrong...




She showed me Thursday at Jessi's that it was loose. Really loose. She wiggled it all weekend, but wouldn't let us pull on it.

Today in Sunday School, she ate an apple.

How cute is that gappy little smile?!



Now we just have to hope that the tooth fairy remembers tonight... and that Lawson doesn't try and hunt her down.

sophie's friends.

Sophie has been so excited about kindergarten.
Tonight she was telling me about all her new friends...

Keria
Nayeli
Estefania
Estella
Juan Pablo


I love that she's making new friends and I love that her friends are all different colors.
What I love the most is that she doesn't notice the different colors. Or if she does notice, she doesn't care.

Love that little girl.

first day of pre-school.

Yesterday was Lawson's first day of pre-school!
I took the morning off so I could take him and pick him up. (I really enjoyed our morning... sleeping until 7:00 instead of 5:45, leaving the house at 7:45 instead of 7:15... very nice.)

We took Sophie to kindergarten (and I peeked in at a few of my 1st graders... reminded them of my threats if they acted crazy for the sub) and then Lawson and I went on a date for breakfast!

How cute is he in his little backpack?

He had been asking me all week, "Are you going to stay with me for awhile?" I told him I would stay for a little while, but then I had to leave. "Will you play with me for a little while?"

I was a little worried, considering this is the little man who just recently stopped crying when it was time to go to the church nursery and Sunday School... which he loves... where he has been going for 3 1/2 years now. I wasn't sure how he was going to do today.

This was us playing... I stood nearby and took pictures. :)

After about 5 minutes I said it was time for me to go and used my classic, "Does Mommy get 1 hug or 2?" He gave me 2 big hugs and 2 kisses, and then started watching another little boy who was crying as his mommy left. (uh-oh) One of the teachers was holding on to him, hugging him and telling him all the fun things he was going to do. All of sudden, Lawson comes running after me, saying "Mommy! Mommy!" (here it comes...)

"I get to make a project!"

I gave him a big smile and a "Have fun!" and he ran off to play.

He had the best day!

But it was too sunny when I tried to take his picture with Miss Karri. :)

My little man isn't so little anymore.

shiner.

Lawson jumped into bed the other night...
and smacked his face on his headboard.

But don't you love that sweet face?

tea party.

It seemed appropriate that the monkey had to sit at a table by himself.

You know how monkeys can be at a tea party. :)

rodeo.

I have gone to this Labor Day rodeo for 25 years, maybe?

This was the first time we've ever gotten picked up in the parking lot (aka: grassy field) and hitched a ride up to the ticket gate.

Sophie and Lawson spent most of the evening switching back and forth between Grandma and Aunt Aletha's laps.

Corey and I actually got to watch the rodeo! I spent a lot of time talking to old friends... we sat beside an old boyfriend from my sophomore year of high school (15 years ago?! Wow, that makes me sound old!) and his wife and 2 kids, his mom, dad, sister and nephew. At one point (as I was taking pictures) his mom said, "I bet you always have a camera with you, don't you, Amy?" When I said yea, pretty much, she said, "Some things haven't changed." Which I found funny... I didn't remember always having a camera with me when I was 15 years old.

These guys are trying to be the first team to saddle and ride their cow into the circle. (The guy in blue on the right may be my cousin... it looks like him...)

See this horse? He's not really supposed to be looking out over the top of the chute like that.

At one point we had to explain to Sophie that it's not really appropriate to laugh when the cowboys get thrown off of the bucking broncos. Especially the guy that got thrown into the fence and didn't stand up right away.


Look at this sweet baby in front of us. 7 weeks old, 7 pounds. So tiny. (Her mom was tiny and skinny, too. I hate that.)

Mutton busting. Lawson's favorite part.

This year there were actually a couple kids that the rodeo clowns had to catch and pull them off the sheep! They weren't letting go!

Sophie spent some time on Uncle Pete's lap, too.

Calf scramble.

We had seen this act before...

but this part was new. Those 2 brown blurs... are buffalo.

2 buffalo that she quickly herded up on top of this big trailer.

Perfect weather, perfect night.