Around the house: The kids love to be at home. There is no more running the streets looking for somewhere to go, something to do or something to eat. As soon as we get home from school, I don’t see the boys until it’s time for dinner. There are neighborhood kids always ready to play or the PS3 in the game room – which Clayson has learned to play “live” through the internet. Ashlyn has a friend next door so the girls are typically back and forth playing dolls. I have gotten back into the habit of cooking (even using the grill and the crock pot on occasion) and cleaning (I am still obsessed with having a clean house). I love mowing the yard and cannot wait to go buy Fall flowers and add some color. Now I wish I would have paid a little more attention to my mom as she worked in her flower beds and went flower shopping. There are pictures that need to be hung on the wall but I am a little hesitant, waiting on someone to come and tell me where to hang them. I still have a few furniture items to buy but other than that, we are good to go. As of Saturday, we added two more mouths to feed. For someone who is not too crazy about dogs, I am a sucker for cute little puppies. Trey is also a good little beggar. He and I went to First Monday to shop for decorative stuff. Joey asked me to look at the yellow labs for him, this landed us in Dog Alley (where you see all walks of life, might I mention). I knew that we would not walk away empty handed. As it turns out, we bought an “off brand” dog – Rat Terrier/ Pug – and decided it needed a Beagle for a playmate. So, two puppies later, we headed home to surprise Ashlyn and Clayson. They were both so excited. I guess from now on when we mow the back yard, we will have to watch where we step…
The kids are happy in our new little world, I am super happy and I am so thankful that, once again, God has brought us out of the valley and into happiness. I count my blessings every day.
In the classroom: Trey is in 5th grade, right across the hall from me, with one of my very best friends as his teacher. He does not get away with anything – he’s thrown food and not completed homework and I knew immediately both times. Ashlyn is in 2nd grade and one of our closest family friends is her teacher. Patti Mitchell has known me since I was little and was always my very favorite VBS teacher. She has always been a big part of my life due to her friendship with my mom. Ashlyn has always known her and may have been a little too comfortable at first – two frowning faces in her folder for not obeying and leaving the classroom without permission…what?! Clayson is in 7th grade and has learned the relationship between academics and athletics. We are having to watch his Math grades and make sure he is doing all that he can do to keep that grade up. I am thankful for the motivation. He made the “B” football team as a starter. This works for me, that just means more playing time. Being aggressive (in sports) is not one of his strengths. (At home it is just the opposite.) I am hoping that he will gain confidence and become a great athlete, like his dad.
It’s hard to believe that I am starting my tenth year of teaching – all at Crandall and all in the 5th grade. It has been an awesome ten years and I know that I am right where I am supposed to be, living out my childhood dream. We did face big changes this year. We went from teaching two subjects and switching classes to being self-contained – all subjects, same kids all day. I have such a great class this year and am enjoying having them with me all of the time and I enjoy teaching Reading – the only subject that I have never taught.
So, school is going great and all is well on the home front. We stay pretty busy and pretty tired. I am ready for a change in the weather, a change in wardrobe and a change in scenery.
About the boy: Joey and I are just perfect. In four and a half months, he has made me happier than I have (ever) been. (I don’t mean to discredit anyone when I say this, I have been happy many times, thanks to many people – with him, it’s just been a constant four months of happiness and that’s a long streak for me.) He came along when I needed someone and whether he realizes it or not, he carried me through an emotional time due to unfortunate circumstances. Geez, I didn’t mean to backtrack. Okay, what I really had in mind to say here is that we are still having so much fun together and it’s even more fun when we add all of our kids into the mix. My kids love to be around him. Ashlyn always manages to sit near him, Trey is always teasing him and Clayson likes to talk football with him. One of my favorite memories was last night – Joey was talking smack (shocker) and Clayson was smiling, laughing and agging it on. I love to see that kid happy. (Because when he is not happy, he is backtalking or being mean to Ashlyn and Trey.) So, even though he was poking fun at me… it was worth it to see the happiness in Clayson. (And, I knew he was kidding.) My kids know that there is never a dull moment when Joey is around. I love being around him, too. He’s everything I could want in someone – fun, outgoing, loves kids and loves me. It’s also very important that my kids like him and he likes them – thank goodness we all like each other. His family has become very special to me, too. Our kids are friends and have many things in common. We all look forward to our times together. A table for seven… it’s a good thing.
Despite how close we get and how serious we become we promise to always keep it real, keep it simple and keep it fun.
About the week: This week is Cotton Fest. Woohoo for the carnies coming to town. It’s also Clayson’s first football game. Go Pirates!
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