Tuesday, September 30, 2008

just so you know...

some how we lost our battery charger to our camera so there will be no pictures posted any time soon. I've bid on one in ebay so hopefully we'll get it by next week or so. Until then...sorry, no pics. I'll make sure we have something so we can post her super cute Halloween costumes.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Name Help Needed...

many of you have asked what our baby boy's name will be. Honestly, we really don't know for sure. We thought it was "settled" but then...we still are not sure. So, I'm asking for comments, ideas and suggestions. Go for it.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

As promised...

I promised I would post pictures this weekend and here it is, Sunday at 10:15pm, posting pictures. These are just a few pictures from the last few weeks:



Arianna eating Speghetti-O's...enjoying every last bite.




After church, nursery wears her out totally!




Saying "cheese" for the camera




Why one should never leave two 20 month olds together in a room, alone




Thursday, September 18, 2008

Check it out...

if you want to see the development of our baby boy, check out the bottom of this page. The ticker is pretty cool!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

7 things...

I've seen this on a few of the blogs that I regularly check and it sounded fun...so here are 7 things that most of you don't know about me (feel free to comment or create your own 7 things)
  1. I used to HATE the color pink and now it's my favorite. I seriously, hated it. I thought it was the uglies color ever created...now, I wear it almost daily and if I don't have it on, Arianna probably does.
  2. My secret dream is to be a Broadway star...never going to happen. If I could sing, I would totally be on stage someplace. However, my car is my audience (and Arianna).
  3. I'm totally addicted to email. I probably check my email 30 to 40 times a day...maybe more.
  4. Although I teach English and I read daily, I cannot spell. I think it's genetic. My dad can't spell either.
  5. I have road rage. Serious road rage.
  6. I hate being around sick people. I hate feeling sorry for sick people. I hate how sick people whine. I have no sympathy for sick people (I mean adults who have a cold, exempt from this rule are: children and people who are seriously sick). And, when I'm sick, I like to be left alone.
  7. I'm a total germ-a-phobic. My school has a new "idea" of how to build positive relationships with students -- to stand outside our door and give every kid a handshake, say their name and then say 'welcome to class'. I think it's totally dorky, but besides that, GROSS! I'm not shaking 125 hands a day, can you imagine all those germs?! I just can't do it. I can't.

So, that's 7 things that most of you didn't know about me...now you are all a little smarter than what you were before reading. You learned something. Have a good day.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Slacker Blogger

Sorry I've been such a slacker blogger...in reality I've been a slacker everything lately! I haven't even taken new pictures of Arianna to post, this week, I promise. Things are going well. I'm getting readjusted to my new schedule and I'll be honest, it takes it right out of me. I'm exhausted by the end of the day. Last week every night I had musical auditions/casting so that made it even busier. This week we start actual rehearsal which is a little less time consuming, but not really. My schedule is as follows:
Monday -- school all day. Rehearsal 6-9:30
Tuesday -- school all day. Rehearsal 3:30-6:00
Wednesday -- school all day. Rehearsal 6-9:30
Thursday -- school all day. Rehearsal 3:30-6:00
Friday -- school all day.

Obviously, things are totally crazy over here. So, please forgive my "slackerness"

Arianna is doing wonderfully. She is feeling better and is also slowly readjusting to her new schedule. I still have to wake her up in the mornings, but she is usually happy. I do feel that the long drive is starting to get to her. I would say at least two mornings a week she cries for part or all of the drive and at least three afternoons a week she cries. It makes for a long drive seem longer. Please pray that she can get readjusted. It breaks my heart to listen to her cry and not be able to do anything about it. Also, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who email me words of encouragement and saying that you're praying for me with this crazy schedule...and for reminding me that I'm not only taking care of myself, but this little babe inside. Thank you for all your love. Keep sending it, I'm going to need it!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

tag...

this is on my friend Kristin's blog and I thought it looked fun...

5 Things on my list to do today:
  1. musical auditions
  2. create a call back list for reading
  3. eat dinner as a family
  4. pick up the house so it can be cleaned tomorrow...YEAH!
  5. organize my lesson plans for tomorrow
5 Snacks I enjoy:
  1. french fries
  2. chips
  3. ice cream -- any kind
  4. cheese
  5. cottage cheese...I'm pregnant
5 Things I would do if I was a sudden Billionaire:
  1. Pay off all of our debt
  2. Take my family on a cool vacation
  3. Build an auditorium for Unity
  4. Give money to Right for Life
  5. Quit my job
5 Bad Habits:
  1. Bite my nails
  2. Get angry too quickly
  3. Little bit OCD
  4. I eat crappy food
  5. I don't get enough sleep
5 Places I have lived:
  1. Hudsonville
  2. Holland
  3. Jamestown
5 jobs I have had:
  1. Babysitter
  2. Waitress
  3. Nanny
  4. Daycare worker
  5. Teacher
5 things most people don't know about me:
  1. I'm terrified of spiders but I don't want Arianna to be so I act like they don't scare me around her
  2. I'm scared of the dark
  3. I was a cheerleader for a VERY short period of time at Hope College until they decided to throw me in the air...then I quit
  4. I don't get stage fright, in fact...I LOVE being on stage
  5. My favorite thing to wear is comfy pants. Whoever created sweatpants is my hero...

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, YOU ARE TAGGED AND IT IS YOUR TURN!! I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Is this normal?!

So, I'm very sad today. No reason as to why, just sad. I've been watching Arianna play all day and I realized something. She doesn't need me nearly as much as she used to. She's getting so big, so fast. I feel as though time is just slipping past me and I can't quite grasp it all. I want to soak in every moment and I still feel as though I missing everything. Today we were in Old Navy and she refused to try on these shoes for church...she actually told me that they were "not pretty". Oh my word...is she old enough to pick out her clothes?! She curled her toes and no matter what I tried, those shoes were not going on her feet. It made me sad. Not because I liked the shoes so much, but because of the realization that she is growing up. She's not a baby anymore, she's a person. Okay, I know she's always been a person, but you all know what I mean. So, I wonder if this is normal. Or, is this being caused the the pregnancy hormones? Life is crazy isn't it? When she was a teeny-tiny baby I couldn't wait for her to start sleeping through the night and telling me what she wanted...I would give anything to go back to those nights, just once. Hold her, rock her and smell her sweet baby smell. I know I have another one on the way, but it won't ever be the same. Maybe I'm crazy. But, I miss her "babyness"...is that normal?
Maybe this is all because I'm headed back to school and I'm terrified I'll miss even more of her life. I know this is what is best for my family, I know that Arianna LOVES daycare and receives excellent care...but it still makes me sad.
Sorry to dump all this on you, my blog readers. I just had to get it out. Thanks for letting me share.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Much better, thank you

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you who emailed and made comments, Arianna is doing much better. The sores are pretty much gone from the inside of her mouth and her fever is down. I still have no idea where she got this from, but...at least it's over and done with! I finally got a complete nights sleep last night so that was excellent as well! I'm still feeling pretty good, but I'm very tired. Next week is going to be totally crazy. I have musical auditions every night so it's going to be a long, but exciting week. Once again, thanks for the prayers...they worked!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Oh my word...

So, yesterday I had one long day. It was my first official day of school, which was very long and exhausting. Being 5 months pregnant and teaching 120 8th graders in one day just makes for a long day! After school I picked up Arianna from daycare. She wasn't super happy and the daycare lady said that she just woke up from her nap kind of crabby. I was thinking it was because she was just off her schedule a little. I had to make a few quick stops after school, so Arianna and I went to Walmart...
While in line at Walmart she started to act really odd...and all of a sudden she puked all over. When I say all over, I mean ALL OVER. Down my dress, on herself, in my shoes...everywhere. I felt her forehead and she was burning up. I left my cart at Walmart, walked out with as much dignity as I could and rushed home. I took her temp and it was 102! She stayed home today with Grandma and Grandpa. When Jason got home this afternoon I talked to him and he said she still wasn't good. So, I called the doctor and got her in yet this afternoon.
The poor girl. She has a lesser known form of Hand, Foot and Mouth. Only instead of the blisters forming on her hands and feet, they go down her throat. The doctor said that this was one of the worst cases he has seen this year. So, she needs to stay home all week.
What a way to start the year...

Favorite Things...

Up North