All wrapped up and ready to go!

We started out slow this morning. Abby slept until 7:30! That hasn't happened since summer. I never thought there might be a day when I thought getting up at 7:30 was sleeping in! Ahh, the joys of motherhood. After a few cinnamon rolls, we headed out for MORE shopping! Can you believe it? We found a few more deals and after lunch I spent over an hour wrapping presents. We're going to go get our Christmas tree on Saturday, so for now the presents are sitting in the corner. I'm hopeful that both Abby and Maggie will leave them alone, but I have a feeling that I might have to use the tape to do some repair before Christmas. Here are most of the gifts. They're all wrapped and ready for Christmas. Let's hope that no little hands find their way into them. Abby spent the day playing in her kitchen. I think she was happy to be in her own space again after the chaos of the last few days. She spent much of the time talking to herself and cooking for all her stuffed animals.

Deals, Deals, Deals....

Today was a day.

I picked up my sister do go shopping at 6:45 am. We decided that we didn't need to get up with the early birds, we thought we might still find some deals by seven. When I picked her up she was already excited because she had found some deals. Apparently she talked my brother in law into getting up at 3:45 AM to get a few deals. He went out for an hour and a half and had some great deals waiting for her on the counter. He said that it was crazy, but that he really enjoyed all of the panicked frenzy.

Beth and I set out with mom for the store. We were there for a little over an hour. Then we brought my mom home and we went on to the mall for a few more deals. We were out shopping for about five hours. Then it was home for lunch and a little on line shopping. After the girls went down for a nap, we both ventured out again to a few more stores. Needless to say, I'm tired, but also completely DONE with my Christmas shopping!! WOOHOO!! After our five hour shopping spree, Beth immediately sat down with the computer to check out the deals on the internet. I think she might be addicted to shopping.

Mom became the world's best grandma today. She spent the morning watching all four girls. She played games, made play-dough creations, made butterfly crafts and baked cupcakes. When the two younger ones went down for a nap, she helped Lauren and Julia decorate the cupcakes. She had four different frosting colors, candy, chocolate and sprinkles to help decorate. She rocks as a grandma! Dad and Jeff spent the day fixing Abraham's two flat tires and his dead battery. Abe's car was at his apartment, so they spent the day in the city and had a good time together. They came home so excited because they got to visit all the "manly" stores and got to buy MAN things. We ended the day with round two on the Thanksgiving Day feast. It was just as good the second time around. Thanks mom for all the delicious food!

Give Thanks to the Lord, For He is GOOD!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Two Awards

Today I got two different surprises. Both were awesome! During school, I finally received the teaching finalist award. It's pretty cool and I'm excited to display it at school. When I got home, Abby had another surprise for me. When she was at church this morning, she made a craft for me. They traced her hand and had her list the things she is thankful for. Here's her list in order of importance: Mom, Jesus, Papa and Nana, Grandpa and Grandma. I was so proud of her. It's so cute and currently sitting on my refrigerator.

Both awards came today. One handmade, one professional. One endearing and one requiring hard work. One focused on me and one focused on others.

Thank you Abby for reminding me that life is about loving Jesus and others. Simple reminders from a three year old.

This is the award Abby made for me at church
this morning. Isn't
it just precious!

Here is the award I received for being a
teaching finalist. It didn't photograph very well, but it's a cool award! I'm
planning on displaying it at school somehow.

What a gift!

Yesterday Abby got her first Christmas present! Nana and Papa made a Nativity scene and it's SO cute!! My mom sewed all the characters and my dad made the manager. Each character has removable parts (hats, sashes, blankets, etc) They've made one for my brother's family and my sister's family. Now it was Abby's turn. She absolutely loves it! She played with it all day. She knows each part of the story and loves to act it out. What a hands on way for her to experience this Holy Night! I pray that this is the beginning of a life long love for Jesus. Thank you mom and dad for giving such a perfect gift! Here's a picture of the whole set. They made the stable (complete with a bright star), an angel, camel, donkey, 2 sheep, Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, three wise men (complete with gifts to bring) and a shepherd (with a staff). Here's a close up picture of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Aren't they adorable!! We also made puppy chow this afternoon. Abby wore her apron and helped by pouring in all the ingredients. Once it was made, she couldn't keep her hands out of it. She's one sneaky girl.

Who needs toys, when you can just play with the box?

Tonight Abby emptied the toy box looking for Maggie's toy. She didn't find it, but she did eventually find herself inside the toy box. She giggled and laughed at herself. Most of the toys were on the floor and she was playing with the box.

We didn't do much tonight. Our friend Jessie came over for mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. I read the newspaper and corrected papers. Abby played around with her toys. Maggie slept on the couch. An uneventful night in our home.

words, words, words

Tonight I sent Abby to bed at 7:30. We read our book, brushed our teeth, used the potty, said our prayers, hugged our doll and tucked in our covers. That was about an hour and a half ago. Abby is still awake and she's been busy talking with herself and her doll Susie. If people are given a certain number of words to use in a day, Abby must have been given three times the normal amount. She's as happy as a clam when she gets to share all those extra words!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

We have a lot of snow!! Yesterday we got about nine inches of snow and Abby officially put on her winter coat and new boots. Unlike me, she is in love with the cold snow. It's not that I'm against snow, I mean it does look quite pretty on the trees and the cold doesn't bother me. I just wish that it would be more selective in where it fell. I absolutely HATE driving in this stuff! Seriously, I drive like an old granny. I figure that's alright because I drive a mini-van and most people will mistake me for the slow elderly person. I'm fine with people passing me, I'll just smile and wave.

A Day of Rest

Today was a day of rest. For six days shall we work, but we shall rest on the 7th day. Thank you Lord for this day!
Abby and I went to the first service and then I served in the nursery for the second service. Abby attempted a nap (or rather mom said she should have one!) but we didn't get anywhere with that. So this afternoon we've been having tea parties, playing house, calling people on our princess phone and rolling around on the floor together. Here she is having a picnic with her friends: polar bear, monkey, baby monkey, rabbit, and her doll Susie.
We've just been together today as a family. I hope you have time to connect with your family soon!

One sick puppy

For the past week or so, Maggie (our dog) has been struggling with her bladder. She's had many accidents in the house especially during the night hours. So, today we finally called the vet. I had to bring a urine sample in for testing. Do you know how hard it is to get a urine sample from a dog? Needless to say, we didn't collect a whole lot, but it must have been enough because the test came back positive for a bladder infection. Now we're on meds, one pill twice a day. I'm hopeful that this will cure it. If the meds don't work, the vet wants to do an x-ray. Here's to hopeful healing!
Here's Maggie just hanging out on the couch. It's her favorite place to relax.

A Teaching Finalist!

Today was a great day! There was no school today in order for the teachers to attend an in-service. About two weeks ago I received a letter in the mail saying that I was a finalist for the Excellence in Teaching Award. This is basically the Teacher of the Year award for my district. I was one of 15 finalists in the second grade through fifth grade category. There are about 600-700 teachers who qualify, but there were only 15 finalists. My teaching partner was also a finalist! It was so great to be up there together!!

At the start of the conference, all the finalists had to go up on stage and state your name, grade and school. I was SO nervous! Talking in front of a couple thousand people is not my idea of fun. Then the winners were announced. All of the finalists received a Visa gift card and a plaque. The winners received a 7 days/ 7 nights trip for 2 to Jamaica!! I wasn't the big winner, but I still felt appreciated for all my hard work.

Then during lunch, they had arranged for a trolley to come pick up the finalists and take them downtown for a VERY NICE lunch! The rest of the schools stayed for a buffet dinner, but we dined on walnut cranberry salad, buttered rolls, and cherry pecan stuffed chicken. It was delicious. Then we took the trolley back to our meetings.

As a school we decided to head out for dinner after the conference. We headed to a local Mexican restaurant and made it there in time for happy hour. We had a huge meal and just laughed and laughed together. To top it all off, when I got home, my parents and Abby had a dozen pink roses for me along with a personal note. They were pink because that's Abby's favorite color and she got to choose. Even though I am an adult with a family of my own, having my parents tell me how proud they are of me still means a lot! I didn't cry all day, but I did with the roses. Thanks mom and dad!

It's all over (for now)

Last night was my last night with parent teacher conferences. It's a love/hate relationship with me. I hate the conferences because it's a terribly LONG day and by the time I get home, Abby is already in bed sleeping. I miss out on our family time together. I also have to eat dinner at 3:30 or wait until 9:00 before I can eat. I literally have conferences straight with a new family every 15 minutes. But I do enjoy the conferences because it's a chance to connect with my school families and it helps to explain quite a few things concerning my students.
But...it's done...at least for now. We'll start up the next round in February.

What a Mess!

So I heard today that the "stick" became part of the toy hall of fame. I know the cardboard box made it earlier and today was the day to induct the stick as a toy. But I'm wondering about refridgerator magnets. These are endless toys for Abby. We spend time putting things up, moving them around, and pushing them to sing songs. This picture was taken to prove to myself that I CAN make finger jello!! It's a whole story unto itself. Sometime I'll share...

Just Another Sunday afternoon

The weather today is yucky. There's no other word for it. Just yucky. It's half raining, half snowing and dark outside. It's a day to stay home and snuggle under a blanket.

Abby is finally down for a nap and I'm checking up on the email. Not much new has been happening here. Yesterday was spent running errands, writing grad papers, doing laundry (which we're still finishing today), grading papers, etc. It was a catch all day. I need those days to once again put life back into order. If you know me beyond the blog, you know that I am a very organized neat freak. Everything has a place and life is better when it's orderly! Since I've been so busy this week, I definitely needed a catch up day to put life back together.

Balancing Life

This is me...trying to balance life. We've been so busy lately and I'm one tired woman. Last night I was at work for 13 hours with no break! We had parent teacher conferences and I had 13 conferences scheduled for the night. I've also been dealing with report cards and writing papers for my grad class. Tonight I'm not going to open my school bag, there will be time for that later. Tonight I'm just going to eat all of the pretend food that my daughter has brought to our living room picnic and I'm going to snuggle with my dog. Tonight is just a family night.

Vote!! Vote!! VOTE!!

Today is the day you MUST exercise your right to vote!! We are so blessed to live in a country that allows the average citizen to have a say in our politics. As I went off to cast my vote today after work, there were many people who told me that I should just vote with an absentee ballot. But I disagree...there is just something patriotic about going to the polls to cast your vote. Absentee ballots are great for those who are unable to travel to the polls, or out of town, etc. But for some reason, I just LOVE standing behind my little walls and filling in my bubbles.

I'm glued to the news now in hopes that my presidential "man" has won. Although I must remember that God already knows the outcome and will give us the leader he deems appropriate for us at this time.

Oh, and here's a picture of Abby. We're still eating out of our Halloween candy. Tonight she choose to eat a little brownie. She loved it!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Today was my mom's birthday! We celebrated with a chicken lasagna dinner at my house. My brother and his family came over to help celebrate. They brought the cake. Yum! We had chicken lasagna, purple jello, corn, homemade applesauce and then cake and ice cream. It was delicious. The cousins all played and played and the adults all played with mom's new cell phone. She also got a Hope college sweatshirt. Now she has a blue one and dad has the orange one. What a pair!
If you know my mom, you know what I mean when I say that she's AMAZING! She has taught me so much about faith, being a mother, thinking of others and celebrating life. I only hope that someday I can be half of what she is to me. She is truly a blessing from God. Thank you mom for being everything God created you to be. We love you!!!

The cousins and Abby were busy all night. They performed shows, dressed up in costumes, had picnics and played hide and go seek. Here they are on the stairs getting ready to perform. Seth and Micah had fun wearing the Japan costumes they found in the basement. Our horse, Jeffofina, was also a big hit tonight.