We like Dessert!!

We made a gingerbread house as a family-the boys, me, Aunt Melissa and Grandma.

It was really fun! These snowman melting cookies were a hit for the kids parties at school-and so fun to make!!

Josh made the most delicious cheesecakes for teachers and neighbors.

For Thanksgiving I was in charge of dessert. Yummy!

Josh also shared cheesecake with us-I really liked this one a lil' almond flavor with a homemade strawberry sauce. Mmmm.

November Birthdays

I had a great time planning this party. I told myself over and over again to keep it simple and I think we did. The Lego pops were fun, but easy and the cake was simple too!

November 2010

Orlando turned 7 on the 7th and Ammon turned 4 on the 3rd. We celebrated with a very fun, very awesome Lego Birthday Party. In addition to getting a good start to a great Lego collection, we had Lego games-the most fun being building a bridge to hold an egg!! Then on the porch testing them-having an earthquake and letting them crack open!! The pinata was also a hit!

We made Lego pops, Lego cakes, and had a "loaded" hot dog lunch. I'm glad I threw the party and they had several friends able to enjoy their special days.

My mom came into town which was great 'cause usually with Thanksgiving and Christmas she doesn't make the Nov. Birthday celebration.

My boys are growing up...

Crime Scene

When the weather is warm, and the mom is nauseous, children are left to create their own games outside. Crime Scene has been a favorite this fall.

Highlights of Teaching

My students had the opportunity to enter a gingerbread contest. The benefits went to help a center for the sexually abused in Little Rock. It tied in perfectly to our unit on child abuse, and service in the community-plus it was fun. Two of my favorites were the AR Stadium and a Starbucks. The kids worked hard, raised a little money, and the stadium got first place in the high school age division.

The sign, garland, and little green umbrellas really show how they got into the detail!!

My sewing class also went well with students finishing up their fleece blankets. I'm still a novice sewer, but I love the thrill of a finished product. Seeing them go from turning the machine on, to a complete blanket is so rewarding. I know some of them will take up quilting in the future!

Other highlights can't be shown in photos. Things like students asking you for advice, and actually listening, confiding a pregnancy or STD, or abuse. Having a student give up alcohol or tobacco, or premarital sex. (When you teach things like Parenting and Human Relations-stuff comes up). Being a trusted adult in their lives is a blessing for me. Not sure how having another baby will affect my career, but I know this was right for this year!

August 2010

Time for some updates. We've got snow on the ground here in Little Rock ,which is rare, but exactly what I needed for a little Blog-Mojo.

Pictures of the first day of school. Orlando is in first, Ivan in K, and Ammon is going to a wonderful little Methodist preschool near the house that we love. Orlando loves math, but detests writing, though a decent speller. Ivan has tested out of any therapies and is doing great. His teacher works them very hard, and I worry about him getting too tired and then off balance, but he is doing well. I am so glad and remember often what a blessing it is for him to be doing so well. He is in the advanced reading group in his class. Ammon has his teachers wrapped around his fingers, and often earns the most "good behavior" stickers.
I love raising boys!
Josh started his pathology residency in July. He has a love/hate relationship with it. So glad he is doing it, but still missing the hands on a patient contact that came from surgery.
I went back to work. A perfect decision, with an ideal job that allows me to drop off and pick up my children from school, teach what I love, and hopefully influence some of the youth. Two days after starting this "perfect" job which I am sure the Lord put in place for me-we discovered I wasn't late due to stress of the job-no, I was pregnant!! HUGE SHOCK!!

Oh Boy!

Oh boy
oh boy
oh boy
OH BOY!!!

I am so sad. Not because I'll have a son. My sons are amazing and my relationships with them so tender, but I'm sad I won't have a daughter. For several reasons, some more personal than others, this is probably the last kiddo for our family. I always wanted a daughter and so I am in mourning. I'll get over it (today is already better than yesterday). Still I cried. And I chose the restaurant where we ate. And bought myself a new Christmas picture that I really love.
Josh is fine with a fourth son. Would've liked a daughter, but doesn't feel it in the same way as me.
Boys are estactic. Ready to wrestle him already.

I'm tired of blue. What have you seen cute for boys? Camo? Cowboy? Other ideas? We've done sports, and dinos, and trains-I need something different this go around...

Boy or Girl?

It is easy to tell I'm raising boys. I have a Bat-Man and a Robin in my purse right now. I took them to the book fair at school-which individually they enjoy-but together it was much more fun to give the decoration, a beautiful Frosty the Snowman, a good power punch! I take them to basketball. (I wasn't going to mess with an organized sport, but then I realized my house becomes the gym if they can't be more physical). It is so cute to see them learning to dribble and shoot. They fart and laugh. They burp and laugh. They wrestle and laugh. They jump off of furniture and want to get further and further.
Individually, my boys are pretty well behaved-it is the collective boy mentalitly that is a challenge. Having them all at once they become a gang-imagine the football team jumping up and down, patting each other's butts and getting ready to run out of the tunnel!! That is my life!
In short, they wear me out!
So, do I want a boy or a girl? Most people say "either" "if it is healthy we're happy" or "I don't care."
Well, guess what? I have a preference. I would like a girl. I think it would be fun to get into "girly stuff" after 7 plus years of boys. I was dissappointed Ammon was a boy, but I don't think I love him less. If this one is a boy-I will love him--
but, if it were just up to me, I think I'd take a girl. For variety if nothing else-oh and we'd have a name.
We find out Friday!!