GO RANGERS!!!

Since its been a couple weeks since my last post(face it, no one cares about my classroom pics!), I decided now was a good time. I am hoping that it will keep me from having a heart attack during this Rangers game. UGH!! 2-2, bottom of the 5th, PULL IT TOGETHER BOYS!!!

Ahem.

It may take forever to get it posted because my child is highly mobile now and requires an inordinate amount of supervision, and this computer is trying to go on strike. Dang! the Giants just scored.

Back to Carter.....he crawls!! And he has a tooth!!!! He has been crawling for about 2 weeks now and is a mad man. He is completely fearless and thinks he should be able to climb on anything or let go when he is standing and walk somewhere. We have already dealt with a couple of crashes that left marks on the face, nothing too horrible yet. Its only a matter of time though. So please refrain from calling CPS should he look a little bruised, he is just the definition of B-O-Y. As for the tooth, yesterday at Aunt Karen's he fell on his face while crawling and had a small amount of blood in his mouth, and today she spotted the tooth that the fall apparently helped to push through! It is the top left middle tooth. Does that make sense??

OMG its 5-2 now. I can't watch.

So 2 weeks ago we trekked to Southlake and met Matt and Brooke and the boys for lunch at Mi Cocina. Then we went to Shannon's to hang out with her and the kids and watch the Ranger and Baylor games. I miss my Brookie and the boys so much! Hopefully when Christiaan moves here(which is looking to be soon, yay!!! More details later.)we will have more free weekend time to get together.

Lord almighty, and 3 run homer. I'm going to cry. And why does the kid pitching look like the dude from Dazed and Confused??

This past weekend we were in Waco for Baylor's homecoming. Friday night we took Carter to the Midway High football game, which is Christiaan's high school alma mater. They kicked butt. As did the Rangers that night, which we made it home for the end of the game. Uh-maz-ing. Carter had an unusually rough night that night, and we went early the next morning to the Baylor homecoming parade. It was pretty cool and Carter was totally into the band's drumline! Uncle Micah, we may have a drummer! I took a short nap and we left Carter with Nana and Christiaan and I headed to the game. They were playing Kansas State, whom I usually cheer for, but I didn't that day! A minute and a half off the game clock and they called a delay for lightning within 6 miles. Dang. So we sat under an overhang to hopefully prevent getting struck by said lightning, until the announcer told us to run for cover, as the bottom was about to fall out. Under the stands we went, along with that half of the stadium's 40,000+ visitors. And our chosen spot in the cattle pen was directly in line with the vent of a random window unit, thus baking us for the 30 minutes that we were trapped. The storm passed and we emerged to find a 20 degree difference in the temperature(which initially felt wonderful after being in an oven). Finally, about 2 hours after the delay began, the game started back up again. There were scattered showers off and on until just before the sun went down, and it peeked through the clouds on its way down. It was during one of these many scattered showers that a bee decided to take shelter in my pancho, and apparently I sat on it, as he stung the back of my leg. Good times. Finally though, after the longest day of football in history, Baylor won!! This win makes them eligible for a bowl game for the first time in like 15 years or something. We were definitely glad that we did not take Carter to this game.

Ok, 8-4, looking a little better.

Sunday after church and lunch we all headed back to Dallas, Christiaan included. He had 2 days of testing for this job he is hopefully getting. Again, more details later when it all works out. Because it WILL all work out!! But him being here for 2 days has made this seem like a shorter week already, thank goodness because it has been a little crazy! Monday night we had dinner at Nannie's house and some guy backed into Mom's Volvo. It only made a small dent, but it messed up the back axle somehow. That same day Dad's truck died, and he hasn't gotten things straightened out from his wreck yet, so they are not having such good luck right now. Not cool.

Ok well, here is the part where I start loading the pictures and blogger goes beserk, so my game updates may or may not be outdated by the time I get done. Enjoy!!

We have a picture of Jack in this same spot at about this same age, although I cannot find it right now. Brannan didn't want to sit still and smile for me, so that is why Brooke is holding him down with a pillow!

Carter desparetely wanted to kiss Chloe, but she would have nothing of it.

Another cute picture of Carter and Auntie Brooke. I have a lot of them, not a lot of Auntie Aud and Brannan though...we need to do something about that!

A newspaper guy took this picture at the Midway game.

Um, hi. Have you met my mini-me?? He is also not a morning person.

He was trying to wake up for the parade!

He loves Jason!

He was chewing on Edna's hat

It rained a little

The cattle pen, AKA under the stands with 20,000 of our newest friends

Yeah, about sums that up

After the storms, Christiaan got chilled since we dressed for 80 degree weather so I let him wear my rain jacket since I had a sweater.

Bears win! Bowl eligible!

I don't even want to talk about how the game turned out. Tomorrow must be better!!

My kids and I made this today! They asked me to mail it to the Rangers so they could put it up in their locker room.....bless their hearts!!

Classroom Pics(Finally!)

Ok just in case you were interested, here are some pictures that show the basic four walls that is my classroom this year! It was a lot of hard work since I had to move all my stuff from my downstairs room on one side of the building to this upstairs room on the other side of the building. It is kinda nice for Kasi and I to be on our own hallway, but I do miss being down with all the younger kids!

The wall to the left just inside the doorway. Couple of color changes on the behavior chart already that day! We have a pet Beta fish whose name is Alex. The hamster cage is(and will furthermore remain)empty. I just didn't have anywhere else to store it.

Pocket charts for their take home folders. The labeled drawers("S" and "U")are for sharpened and unsharpened pencils. Prevents the pencil sharpener from running ALL DAY LONG....

The other corner of that wall. The bookshelves hold all of my reading curriculum and a couple others random items. The table is primarily used for reading groups. My window looks out over the covered atrium play area. The owl was given to me by a fellow teacher(thanks Aly!) last year when I decided to do Carter's room in owls, and in our current living situation there is no room for him. So there he sits, and rumor has it that there are cameras in his eyes....

Writing center.

Reading corner. Both sides of the bookshelves hold books(which at that moment were spewing off the shelves). Thanks to Mom and Caleb for making the tree!

Tooth chart for lost teeth. This is a very exciting thing for them, and for some reason I love it too! They like to come to my class to pull their teeth! Also the chart for checking out my books and the job chart. I need to redo this set-up since I got 3 new kids! The CD player is multi-use, mostly for listening center.

And my corner, AKA the Abyss. It is organized chaos! I took these pics on my birthday, thus the gifts and flowers, but behind all that is a sink.

A view from the doorway. Yes, those uneven rows drive me nuts, but short of duct taping them to the floor(which I have considered) there is no controlling that. I change up the positioning of desks pretty often to spice things up a little bit. They have been moved at least once since this picture was taken! Overall I like the set-up of my room better than last year, it always seemed crammed and didn't seem to flow or something. But all the things that I didn't like about that one, I made a mental note not to do again!

So thats it. I am proud of my hard work! I hope it shows and that someone appreciates it because I spend a heck of a lot of time in that room!!

The State Fair!

We have been very busy the last two weeks. Football season has added a lot of extra events to our schedule, and is currently ruling our travel schedule as well. Two weekends ago we went to Brad and Bri's to watch the Baylor game since we didn't get that channel at our house. Christiaan, Carter and I were all decked out in our Baylor gear.

Carter and Brycen also played with each other. They are becoming more and more interactive with each other. Well until Carter does something that makes Brycen scared or mad. Yes, I am afraid we have "that" child.

The next Tuesday was my birthday and Christiaan and Carter sent me the pretty flowers to school

That Friday was the day the Dad got in the accident, and after we checked on him and made sure that he was ok, Carter, Libby, and I headed to Waco. We had a full day of football Saturday, when we took Carter to his first Baylor game and then went to watch Julius play that afternoon. We stayed until Tuesday morning since I had 2 days off school. Monday I actually got out and did a little shopping for myself, something that I have not really done in a long time! But I realized that I must be totally lame in the fashion department, because everything that I tried on or bought was simple, plain cotton shirts with not a lot of color, and everything was on sale or clearance. I so wish that I had the energy to look cute everyday and wear jewelry, but it seriously just takes too much effort. I feel like an old lady because I am perfectly content to wear a plain colored tank top and a plain colored cardigan with jeans and sandals every day of the week. Am I crazy on this one?

We created shade for Carter using Christiaan's giant Baylor flag, and he slept a good chunk of the game with the fan on him! We on the other hand got a little cooked in the sun.

Carter with Uncle Jason at JuJu's game

Laughing at Nana

Jazzy

As usual, the last 3 days of the shortened school week were complete madness. Carter got his flu shot on Wednesday after school. I got 3 new students unexpectedly! I now have 16 in my class. Friday as soon as school was out I drove to Southlake to take Devin's pictures with her homecoming date. They all met up as a big group to exchange mums before the game. She has gotten sooo old!



Yesterday we took my parents to the Baylor-Tech game at the Cotton Bowl. It was an awesome game, very close, and mom and dad had a great time. They went home after the game and Christiaan and I stayed and walked around at the fair. We didn't get to do everything that we wanted to because it was so crowded, but I was satisfied just because I got to eat my corn dogs! Last year our first date was at the fair, so it was fun to get to go again when we were not both nervous to be around each other!

This old lady was standing in front of a house across the street from the fair. Her sign said "Granny's Parking House" and she was all dressed like Aunt Jemima!

This is for mom... the Tech band making the "T" during pregame

The Baylor team praying before taking the fieldMom and Dad all decked out in red and black


Howdy Folks!
The whole reason to go to the fair...Fletcher's!!

Our sorry attempt at a self portrait with Tex in the background

Hehe!

I have actually never seen this historical marker in all the years I have been to the fair.
We rode the DART train home. Christiaan was a little nervous since it was his first time. :)

At lunch today. I think this is my favorite picture of them ever!