deep breath

The happy emotion hit me! I am so relieved that I am free for (almost) three months. It is bittersweet saying goodbye to the kids - they can wear you down but you build a relationship with them and spend so much time with them that they grow on you and it is sad to see them go. But then, they joy sinks in and takes over the sadness as I realize that I can sleep late and if I don't want to fix my hair or put on make-up, I don't have to. And, living in a small town means you will see the kids at church or around town. All is not lost.

My main goal every summer is to get a good tan. I can't wait to get started. My in-laws have a pool and we will be visiting often. Cindy and I decided last night that we want to set aside Wednesdays to get together with friends and family and let the kids play while we enjoy some grown up conversation. I look forward to that. Get out your calendars and pencil me in for every week :)

One more day at work and I am completely set free (except for 5 days in June). I may not feel the childlike excitement but I am pumped, to say the least!!

I'll settle for a slow down

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Can I believe it? No, the year has gone so fast. There were days that never seem to end but when looking at the big picture, the year has passed so quickly. I just wish I had the feelings that I had as a child - the excitement, the anxiousness, always looking forward to something. The older I get, the less happy emotions I seem to have. I am excited and more than ready but I have nothing to show for it. Does this make any sense at all? I just want to bounce off the walls and be giddy. I am not taking any medicine any more, so I can't blame it on that. Where has my happiness gone? Maybe if I put things in perspective - after you have something in your life that is an amazing experience, like having kids, you become a grown up and know that summer time means being home with the kids, being responsible and feeding them three times a day, lots and lots of housework and laundry that does not have a good reason for being put off and the stress of daily life - instead of 6 hours of it there will be 12 hours of it. Gosh, this blog is not going as planned. Let me back up and say that I look forward to summer, I just want my heart and my mind to show this excitement but I guess they have matured. Just one more part of getting older, I guess.

Let's plan to go to the water park next week before the big schools get out. I need some Vitamin D.

Things to note:

If you have not already, see the blog below about Ashlyn's graduation. I hate to do two in one day, afraid one will be missed. Also, if you read the blogs, leave a comment - you can do this without an account. I am not feeling the love or getting the attention that my friends Jennifer and Allison get and I am a little jealous :0)

* Friday afternoon we learned that we would not have Mr. Dennis Eastep as our principal next year. He will be at the 2nd grade campus. Ginger Sikes will be coming from the elementary to serve as our principal. This is all in preparation for the new movement of K-5 schools beginning the 2009 school year. It leaves many unanswered questions but I know that the decision-makers must see a reason for the change. It's hard for anyone to accept unpredictable changes, such as this one. I will stay true to my job and support Mrs. Sikes as she comes on board.

* We have three days of school left and a teacher work day. Woohoo! I am ready for summer but if days are like the one that we had this morning, it will not be an easy ride. The boys fight all the time - over the dumbest things. They start in on each other the minute they get up. Clayson is the instigator and Trey has learned to defend himself. Geesh. I am the punisher. Today they thought I was calling daycare to find out how much it would cost to send them. I had them scared. What they don't realize is that I may resort to the drop-in availability some days, just to prove a point. I cannot be stressed out over their behavior everyday. Otherwise, the job that Jared suggests I get to go to Mexico may become more and more appealing. Ashlyn woke up at 10:00 and asked if it was morning, I told her no so she went back to sleep until 11:30. Her and Trey are my sleepers. Clayson is the early bird. I like to sleep in and stay up late most summer nights.

* Friday night we bought most all of our electric fixtures. That was fun. We have also been choosing paint colors this weekend and Jared will go buy the paint tomorrow so that we can start priming and painting. Our house is moving so fast. They should be done with the stone and stucco on Friday. We have painting, cabinets & trim, plumbing finals, electric trim, staining the concrete & upstairs flooring and that's about it. We should be moving in in July. I will take packing and moving at the hottest part of the year to get out of this love shack. I'm even fine with Jared wanting to decorate rustic and have an antler chandelier hanging in my entry. Whatever it takes...

Here's to a great summer - with so much to look forward to!

The graduate

It's time to catch up on some noteworthy happenings with the Davis family. There is never a dull moment, which is why I can't blog as often as I would like. Summer vacation is just four days away and I will be set free from the job I get paid for and homebound with the the 24/7 job that isn't a monetary payment but I receive joy from it (most of the time). I look forward to summer 2008!

ASHLYN'S GRADUATION

Ashlyn graduated from the Lil' Lighthouse preschool on Thursday, May 22nd. She had been so excited about this and knew all of the songs that they were going to sing, how to walk down the aisle to receive her diploma and how to act on stage. She shared tidbits of each of these but a lot of times she did not want to tell me much about school. She would get tired of my questions and would never expand on anything unless she brought it up. I learned more from my friend, Allison, because her daughter would tell her things. Ashlyn started this preschool the summer that she was three years old and really enjoyed the summer program. I decided to move her from our church's Friendship School because it seemed to be digressing in the number of kids and there was no curriculum, so to speak. Ashlyn has always had a big desire to learn and does not forget anything that she is taught. So, I felt that moving her to this 9:00-2:00, two day a week preschool would truly benefit her. My good friend Cindy also had so many good things to say about it so we went with a good reference. I'll never forget my Mamaw, who keeps Ashlyn for me, saying that if she cried - I would have to find someone else to take her. She would not be able to stand it. Ashlyn, with the outgoing personality that she has, never cried and always looked forward to going to school. (That is a blessing since I cried a lot when I was dropped off at school.) Cindy took her and picked her up for us. I thank her for that.

Graduation from preschool means several things: Ashlyn is out of school for the summer, it would be the last time that her and Anna would go to school with their friend Alex, and the reality that she really is big enough to go to "big" school. It would have been very sad if she had not kept my family and I laughing throughout the program. She would make faces while singing, she took her bow that is supposed to be tied in the back of her dress and tied it in the front (while performing) and she would kind of sway back and forth with a silly grin. Seeing her in her cap and gown produced a lump in my throat but she quickly changed that to a smile, too. She smiled big when she received her diploma and turned for the picture, she took the diploma and put it to her mouth - the boys both used it as a telescope - and she sat making more silly faces. She always makes us smile with her adorable personality. I hope that when she goes to "big" school her teacher will enjoy this about her and will continue to challenge her, as Mrs. Rebecca has so willingly done. Mrs. Rebecca has some pretty big shoes to fill.

Here are our A girls. We hope that because of the friendship we as moms have, these girls will always be friends, too.

This is Ashlyn and Corbin. These two have a brother/sister kind of friendship because they are together so often!




stay tuned for more Davis happenings to come....

From the mouth of Ashlyn Brooke (and Mrs. Rebecca)

Last night Ashlyn was telling me that in class the other day one girl told another girl that they had an ugly shirt. (man does this start early) Ashlyn said that this girl had the devil on her tongue. But she assured me that she has Jesus on her tongue. It makes me think twice about what I say and who I want to be on my tongue!

Today, I was asking Ashlyn where the devil lives. She said, "is it in the black heart or in the red heart? Oh yeah, it is in the BLACK heart."

Her preschool teacher, Mrs. Rebecca, is an amazing woman who teaches our little girls Biblical standards and education way beyond their four and five years. I appreciate her so much and all that she has done in the life of my baby girl.

As Ashlyn was swimming yesterday she said that Jesus was not the only one that could walk on water. She put her flip-flops on and tried to walk on water - we all know how that went, wasn't happening for her. I told her that I guess Jesus was the only one who could walk on water!

She loves to sing and put on a show for anyone who will listen. We enjoy her so much and she brings light into our lives and Jesus to our tongues!

Workin' 9 to 5

Today Jared said something to me that shocked the pants off me (not literally by any means). He told me that I needed to get a job this summer and make $1,000 if I wanted to go to Mexico. Shocked one - because I did not know he had even been thinking of a way to go and shocked two - because I have never even considered getting a part time job! I am glad that he is thinking about this trip that I want so badly but darn, I don't want to have to work for it!! George W. issued a nice tax rebate for us, that ought to cover it. But then again, there is the house going up - and quickly I might add. See, Jared thinks rationally and I am a spontaneous decision maker. He thinks about how much we could do in and on the house with the rebate and I am thinking vacation.

I considered his suggestion for about thirty minutes. I thought about teaching summer school for a couple of weeks. It is good money but ..... Well, no reason that I list here will make any sense because it is good money for three hours a day. I may suggest being a sub but the four week commitment scares me. There is no other job that I could take and have child care that would provide any income. I don't want to work this summer!! That's the three perks of being a teacher - June, July & August, right? Some might think.

Jared may look into some other side jobs since no one is needing a fence right now. It has freed him up to really manage the house construction and that has been a good thing but he is looking for work. Within our occupations there is just little opportunity for extra income. Jared depends on side work and tutoring is over at school. I'll keep thinking. Feel free to offer any suggestions :0)

It truly makes me sad that we may not get to go on this trip this year. If you have never been to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, oh my goodness - it is the greatest trip ever. We have so much fun, eat a ton and get dark in the sun! Here's to Cozumel....

Negativity Breeds Negativity

I heard this catch phrase at our mom-to-mom Bible study group. I have thought about it all day. Which makes me sorry for posting the previous blog. It's easy to get down and out when someone else is occupying your mind with their problems and complaints. I have been in quite the funk, until today. I was smiling and laughing with my students, that's when I know that my stress level is on the decline! We are down to 14 days of school, I can't believe that it is almost over. We are writing checks, paying bills and balancing registers in Math. The kids are so amazing while doing this. They are saying things like no wonder my parents get so stressed out while they are paying bills and they are worried about running out of money. I just laugh and love those little light bulbs going off. This is the time of year that we teachers can teach what we want and make it fun without the test pressure. That's a big part of my reason for feeling relief. In Health we are studying self esteem, friendships and feelings. It's a good refresher for my own personal well-being and I was able to incorporate this catch phrase with the kids today. 5th grade is such a hard year for kiddos trying to grow up and then again wanting to be kids. I keep this in mind as I love them and teach them.

We have a few plans for the summer. Our house will be finished in July. The kids and I are going to Durango with my mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins at the end of July. I'm almost tempted to send the kids and stay home but I think about all the fun I would be missing with them and I cherish every minute I spend with my grandparents. I hope to get to go to Cozumel with Jared. That is something we always look forward to and we enjoy our time together being footloose and fancy free. Those plans are temporarily put on hold as we build the house of our dreams. Beggars can't be choosers, right?!

So, I am better. Thank you to those who have had to hear me moan and groan, gritch and gripe! Things are good in every aspect of my life. I love my husband, I love my kids, I love my students, I love my friends, I love my family, I love Jesus!