Ahhhhhh *a good sigh*

Just a quick post.... to show I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth!! I just started working again....Ha! Story of my life. But anyways, quick update.

• I'm LOVING, LOVING, my job, SO glad I bid on this position. It's been a LONG time coming..... I feel like my old self again, enjoying teaching, enjoying my staff members/principal, enjoying my kids, putting that extra effort in to make it a great year..... I do believe in "Karma", wait...(ewww....I guess maybe I did something really bad last year...hmmmmm? haha!) Well, this year I couldn't be any happier :)
• Had open house tonight at school. Went really well, Don brought the boys by to say hi, meet my kids and principal.... Donnie had a little melt down, don't really know why?? Fun times let me tell ya! ....more on that later.
• Went out to Outback Steakhouse this evening afterwards with a few teachers.....YUMMO! Nice to actually eat a warm meal with grown adults.
• Sitting here putting a mini-schedule together for my cousin who's watching the boys tomorrow..... the only person Nolan really cries with, it's SO funny I have no idea why?? She's a little loud & crazy(so am I at times), but super good with kids & completely in love with my boys and for some strange reason Nolan always cries & won't look at her....he'll practically break his neck when she's holding him to look away...hehehe! This should be interesting, I don't know if I'll call and check in or not, I'm thinking I might be safer to just let them be and then ask when I get home or not ask.??
• Oh...LORD, I almost forgot... having some interesting house decisions. Val came over the other day to look at our house & give Don a little info. on the current housing market (I'm sure you all know that was real positive ;) To make a loooooong story short my hubby & his Dad bought a foreclosure, remodeled the entire house, put a new kitchen in, new bathrooms, etc ..... pretty much gutted it. Do you see where this is going....? Yup... my "salesman" husband is always looking for a way to make some a few extra $. At any rate.... we'd like our house to go up on the market soon (2-3weeks).... right after we have our bathroom redone in the next week or two, Lord knows we don't do our own home projects (unless it's just painting). Ahhhhh.... my life w/ Don will never be simple he's always got an idea floating around in his head. Can you tell I'm sort-of numb to this whole selling and moving process? Yes, it's a big decision, and yes moving is a pain, but to us it's just another move and it's just another house & it won't be our last (I already can tell you that .... this next house won't be the house we stay in forever, I've got some plans of my own for our future home ;). But, I guess to us a house is "just a house" I mean I love our homes, but I don't really get attached to them like other people do.... and it's probably because I'm married to my husband so I know what's in store for me...LOL!

**Okay, enough babbling, I'm off to bed ... night!! TGIF. YAY!**

"Chunk-a-roo"

Nolan
(aka: "Chunk-o-love", "Little Tank", "Nowan" (little D's version for Nolan))

Stats:

* 4 months

* Weight: 15 lbs. 8 oz.

* Height: 25 in. long

* Demeanor:
Nolan at this stage is a little gem. We just can't get enough of those squishy cheeks, silly grins, rolly thighs and perfect contentedness. He is just a big ball of love, literally and figuratively....
He's started rolling over, getting excited about things, laughing at his crazy brother, and snuggling up with mommy on the couch. Nolan is seriously just a wonderful baby....I mean it when I say wonderful. He rarely cries or gets upset, he sleeps 8-10 spans at night, takes decent naps, and is pretty darn content doing almost anything....go with the flow type of baby. All I can say is Thankyou Lord in heaven!! After Donnie I could easily see myself with an only child..... but, I never knew what the "good" baby was like.... and boy is it WAAAAAAAY better!! LOL!

**I'm ready to be a mom of three............ someday!!!!**

Just a quick update....

• Busy, busy setting up my classroom..... I spent the last two days working in my room, literally working from 8am -3 pm - until the janitor kicked us out! I am thoroughly exhausted between trying to move furniture, cutting out posters, punching out letters, making name tags, cleaning dusty shelves, yada yada yada.... ahhhhh, just a few more things to do on Tues. after my kids leave and it will be pretty well completed. Then I'll attempt to really look at the 2nd grade curriculum and start to do my lesson plans..... that'd be nice !
• We've started our new schedule as of last week, Don staying home on Mon. & Wed. until 4, when I get home and then heading into work from 4pm-8pm.....which is working out GREAT!
• Don and his family have the new business up and running .... check it out here. YAY!!! Good job & good luck guys!
• Went and spent waaaaaay too much money at Kohl's (I love this brand) & T.J. Maxx today, but it felt great to shop, finally able to fit into a somewhat good size for me :)
• Trying to get some projects finished around the house.... putting up pictures from Nolan's newborn session (I know 3 1/2 months later... pathetic!), hanging new curtains, finishing painting a mirror, cleaning a few closets....fun, fun!
• Attempting to go to the park tonight and make it through the night to watch the fireworks, with a 4 month old and 2 yr. old I don't know it might work.....ha!
• Going to the pool tomorrow to enjoy one of our last few warm weekends around here until the Michigan Fall hits and it starts getting frigid... brrrrrr! But ..... I love Fall :)

**Have a nice and restful Labor Day weekend, I know I'm going to try!**

A million little thoughts

Tomorrow is my first full day back at work, technically, but it's actually inservices Mon., Tues., & 1/2 day Wed.- gotta love those, like I haven't sat through enough motivational speakers... and then we get a WHOPPING 1 full day to work on our classroom...... how nice of them :) But, at any rate I'm going to be gone until 3:30pm. now that schools starting. Anyways, I have all these thoughts rushing through my head.... like, are the boys going to be okay (and yes, I know they will), but are they gonna miss me & wonder where I am ...... I need to have everything prepared the night before for G-ma's, bottles washed, clothes layed out (Lord only knows what Don would put them in), my clothes ironed ..... diapers & extra clothes in the diaper bag .... should I pack Donnie a little lunch since the last few weeks he's been sooooo picky, I want him to eat, I mean who knows what if his G-ma's let him starve ..... where do I have to go when I get to Jackson High for the inservice, I mean there's gonna be a bazillion teacher's there ...... am I going to enjoy my new school this year ........ should I eat breakfast or just have a muffin there ..... where the heck is my travel coffee cup, I can't find it anywhere, all I can find is this stupid Wells Fargo Bank one with a country western mirage on it - SO tacky, I'll probably be stopping at Target to pick up a new one tomorrow.

Gosh can you tell that I've been off of work for the last 6 months, you would've thought this was my first time back to full time work in like 10 yrs.!! I'm such a dork! I have no idea why I'm so anxious. I'm usually pretty good with new settings and new faces, I've been at three different schools in three different years and adjusted fairly quickly..... okay, so last year, different story there was no adjusting, it was just pure misery.... UGH! I can't bear to think of that place again... Eeeeeek! But, as for the other school I feel as though I was part of the staff almost immediately! Let's hope it's the same this year. Wish me luck tomorrow and the rest of the week ...... I'm hoping everything runs smoothly. I'll fill you in later on this week!

I may be crazy, but......

• It's 2 in the afternoon and I could use a cocktail...... okay, so I plan on fixing one after this post!
• I'm considering bidding on a preschool position at my new school building...... remember the room I just spent two days getting ready for 2nd grade, buying a bunch of stuff from the teacher store - for 2nd. grade, and moving all my goodies in! Yeah, I'm considering moving my room and getting ANOTHER room ready for preschoolers....ha!
• I really feel like telling someone off....someone who is just plain annoying at times and completely ridiculous and just really irritating me ..... but, this may be a very bad idea, I'm pretty sure it is..... but, I have a big mouth and speak what's on my mind (most of the time). Hmmmmm, we'll see what my mood is like when I talk to this person next??
• I feel like getting a WHOLE NEW WARDROBE for school, I'm not too inspired by my clothing options right now. I have about 10lbs. to get to my pre-baby weight, therefore making it really hard to fit my fat butt into most of my old, pre-baby teaching attire..... which leaves me NO other option, but to go out and buy NEW..... right?
• My lovely little Rocco (our Yorkie), who once was my baby is turning into a huge pain in my a$$! He's got a little yappy bark that doesn't stop, it's just great when you have an infant trying to sleep, let me tell ya..... he has this mind set that he has the size and strength of a pitbull...... he sleeps in bed w/us & not only in bed, but on our pillows by the top of my darn head - I wake up to Rocco breath in the morning, how disgusting is that?....... Urrrr....he's just a nuisance lately.

** I'm ready to skip to night-time.... husband home, mommy duty over, boys in bed, mommy w/a "special" beverage, ahhhhh...... the time can't go by quick enough today. **

No time....

I feel like the last few days I haven't had a minute to breath, let alone blog.....

I'm in the process of setting up my second grade classroom at Northeast Elementary and trying to find sitters here and there for my kids before I have to start back full-time next week (just teachers, no kids). And let's just say I'm THRILLED to be at this school, so far I've met a few teachers who have been more than helpful, super friendly, and have a sense of humor (which is SO needed at school)... the type of people that I would like to spend time with even outside of school -YAY!! I know it's going to be a much better year for me than last, I feel like it's a new beginning, and I'm going to remember why I became a teacher again (which I seemed to have lost somewhere along the line last year... UGH, it was truly horrible). I just have a really good feeling about what this year has in store for me, and let me tell ya.... I can't wait. The hardest part will be leaving my babies of course, but this year we're going to be lucky enough to have grandma's watch the boys only 3 days a week with Don taking 2 evening shifts at work and being home with the boys during the day..... ahhhhh *sigh* this is such a relief for me, especially having to leave my new little four-month old, at least he'll have some good one-on-one daddy time.

**Wiping my tears....Okay, I better stop with the guilty working mom feelings!**

Anyways, I'll try to check in at some point this week...... I've gotta go and finish watching the Summer Olympics, is anyone else hooked???

Our last HOO-RA for the summer

Vacation: Curtis, Michigan (The U.P. of Michigan)

• Absolutely wonderful, grande, great, fabulous!! Went by WAY too fast.....waaaah!
• We did a whole bunch of nothin', but playing in the water, laying on the beach, and sitting around the campfire at night, it was great.
• Donnie was in heaven..... he LOVED the water, LOVED the duck family that swam up for food every morning, LOVED catching Minos in the water, LOVED playing with his cousins, LOVED the fact that G-ma & Papa pretty much gave him whatever/whenever he wanted it..... what more could a two year old ask for?.... The kid was in HEAVEN!
• Nolan, as usually, was his charming little self, happy & content as a little clam :) Might I add Nolan accomplished a few milestones while up there.... 1) Slept through the night, 4 out of the 7 nights....8-9 hr. stretches (and still continuing). YAY!!!! 2) Rolled over from his belly to his back.... another YAY!! NOLAN!!!
• Don & I both enjoyed the last family trip for the summer until school starts... we ate too much, went to bed too late, got a little too much sun, bickered about the family just a little ....... All the things that make family vacations memorable :)
• Having older cousin's is the key to a GREAT vacation for parents of small children. The older cousin's were just old enough to want to play & watch the little one's (makes them feel like they have a responsibility, I love it ....remember those days.?)

Hannah & Jayla cheesing it up for the camera! (These two couldn't get enough "responsibility time" ;)


Look at those thighs.... chubba-wubba..... too cute!

Seriously Donnie, you NEED to come up with a new face for the camera........

Donnie liked to sunbath on the cement for some crazy reason....... and it's rare for him to have his diaper on, most of the time he opts for the o'-natural look (aka... buck-naked:))!

The day trip to Lake Michigan..... my gosh isn't the sand AMAZING on Lake Michigan!!

Our Curtis duck family :) We miss you.......