motherly love... finally

Ok, so I'm officially 15 weeks and finally feeling great! Thank you Jesus! Just went to the doctor today and baby Hokie's heartbeat is great! Today was the first time I heard it and I am so glad I did because I suddenly feel maternal. Shockingly, the morning sickness, exhaustion, constipation, and back pain didn't do that for me! lol. I was really starting to feel bad that I didn't feel all that motherly. Today though, those few seconds completely changed it for me and I could not be more excited to be a Momma now. :) I even stopped by half-price books and got a few to start my collection... by time the baby gets here the nursery will probably be a baby room/library :)

I have been super slacking on the picture taking and the documentation so here is a quick pic of me at 15 weeks.

Tomorrow I am going to take an official one, and by official I mean taken by Chris, and I'll dress up cute for it. I'll also make sure to do it in the morning before my 5th graders have worn me out and made my face look aged... they do that almost every day.

On that note, two things.

1. I have some super funny stories for a future post of things my students asked me when I told them I was expecting.... oh the mind of a 10/11 year old.

2. My kids did pretty well on TAKS and I am so proud of them!

baby hokie

Chris and I, although very surprised, are so excited to become parents to our sweet little blessing. We are already so blessed with 2 loving and wonderful families who could not be more excited for us.

Here is the ultrasound from back in March. This was taken at 11 weeks. The doctor said that he/she is quite a mover so that should be fun in a few weeks when I can actually feel it!

It's amazing how many choices there are when your pregnant... 8,000 different types of prenatal vitamins, a bazillion different tests that you can choose to have run, birthing plans, birthing classes, types of bottles, brands of strollers, yada, yada, yada.

With all of the choices floating around, I am happy to just take it as it comes and not worry too much about making a wrong choice. I'm sure I'll make them but am super thankful to a few who already helped with my goofy questions. Thanks girls!

-l,c, and the bean

3 reasons why....

I'd like to be Paula Deen when I grow up.

1. She makes delicious food all the time! Need I say more?!?... I will. This proficient Southern cook it both an entrepreneur and a loving mom. She cooks with her kids in a career that started by cooking to provide for her kids. I love my mom but totally would have been comfortable if Paula had been my Grandma that lived next door.

2. Paula is adorable... let's just be honest and agree that Southern Charm... just like Santa, does in fact exist. I would like to be that adorable and likable when I'm her age.

3. She got to be in Elizabethtown (one of my favorite movies) and play herself. How perfect is that! She didn't even have to act. just be her quirky, over-the-top self. Love it! Love her!

Boring Books Galore

Here are the books recommended for grades 6-8 for the newly proposed COMMON STANDARDS:

"Little Women," Louisa May Alcott
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Mark Twain
"A Wrinkle in Time," Madeleine L'Engle
"The Dark Is Rising," Susan Cooper
"Dragonwings," Laurence Yep
"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry," Mildred D. Taylor
"The People Could Fly," Virginia Hamilton
"The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks," Katherine Paterson
"Eleven," Sandra Cisneros
"Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad," Rosemary Sutcliff

Does that list sound as terrible to you as it does to me? Imagine for an 11 year old. I don't think that all of these books are horrible but perhaps (i mean definitely) not the best choices. Why is good ya lit continuing to be written when "the classics" are still the only things allowed in the curriculum. I am s SHSU grad and now teach 5th grade Reading. We started out the school year with The Lightning Thief. My kids devoured it and now any book I start they have faith that it will be great because Rick Riordon's novel captured them from the start. Honestly, is not one of the biggest blessings we can give our students the love of reading? We have ample silent reading time with self selected books in my classroom because not only are the classics generally not relatable to my low SES kids but teaching a student how to read the blurb and self select a book is one of the strongest tools you can equip them with. Let's put some books in the curriculum like Rules, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Esperanza Rising or The Invention of Hugo Cabret... books were historical events and relatable emotions meet to form conversations about books that will linger in students' minds and leave them wanting more.

Stepping off soap box now...
Happy Spring Break!

here is the truth

As many of you know (and by many I mean Kim, Kelly, Becky and Annalee), Chris and I had the best dog ever! Her name was Zoe and although she was only with us for a few weeks, she was a part of our family and became a part of others' too. She was sweet and laid back and so pretty. Our sweet Zoe was the perfect dog.

I write the previous because although it seems like a whirlwind, Chris and I just adopted a new puppy. It's a bittersweet feeling. The continuous deja vus are hard and not as exciting as the first time. They are bittersweet and constant reminders of the newness and excited feeling we had mere weeks ago with Zoe in hand. However, we are so excited to have KATE and can't wait to love on her and be frustrated by her and have her be a part of our family.

I'll make sure Kate knows that she had a great big sister.

one

one. great. year!

W to the I to the TT, WITT!

Happy belated birthday to my favorite little man!