Have a Terrific Tuesday!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen lives in a future America, a nation where twelve distinct districts are ruled by a fearsome Capitol. To keep their citizens obedient, the Capitol has established the Hunger Games, which require each nation to send two of it's children every year to fight one another in a big arena on live television. The winner is the last child alive. When Katniss's sister's name is drawn to fight in the games, Katniss bravely steps forward to go in her place.

Because this young adult novel was recommended to me by Erin I knew I would like it, but I had no idea just how amazing it would be! The characters were so well-developed that I felt a real connection with Katniss and the other Hunger Game participants. The story line was completely compelling and the fast-paced plot sucked me right in and plummeted me to the stunning conclusion! There aren't many books that have kept me on the edge of my seat the way this one did. I was reading this book on the couch, in the car, at family events, and even during midnight feedings with my one-month old. I couldn't put it down and would recommend it for anyone. It's premise may be hard to stomach, but the compulsion to read will never be stronger. Do yourself a favor and find yourself a copy. You won't regret it!

(And after you finish this one, there's the next two books in the trilogy to check out as well!)

August's Dinner

Last night's dinner was special for a couple of reasons. First, I was finally able to host something- for the first time in over a year! It was so fun to have the girls over to my place.

(Drew- getting blessed by God!)

The other reason this month's dinner was so great was because Erin and Ben were able to join us for the first time! Jack and Ben hung out on the couch for a while together. It's been quite a few weeks since they've seen each other and I know they were excited to catch up. I love these pictures that show just how happy they both were!


Jack seems to have developed his first crush! Amber had him laughing, spitting, and blowing bubbles- you know all the real signs of adoration. Here he is looking admiringly at her.... What a gal!

The whole gang (minus Drew- he was too busy, and Danica- she is too far away)

Roll Reversal

A mere three days later and Jack is already on to the next stage of rolling. This boy wants to move! I laid him on the bed in preparation to swaddle the kiddo, ran to the bathroom to wash my hands (I had just changed him), and when I came back he looked like this:

Can you believe he started out on his back?! With a little encouragement from Mom, the little guy pulled his arm out (which I believe makes it official), and completed the roll from his back to his stomach!


We were so busy celebrating this new accomplishment that Jack didn't get to bed on time. But, then again, maybe that was his plan all along!

Ready.... Set..... ROLL!!!

Jack rolled over for the first time this evening!

I have been waiting for this day for weeks! My anticipation became especially intense after last Monday when Jack and I had dinner with Sarah, Chase, Tawnya, and Analeyna (picture coming soon) and we found out that both Chase and Analeyna had already mastered the art of rollin' rollin' rollin'.

I was so excited to witness this feat that I even made Nathan promise not to practice rolling over while I was at work because I wanted to be around to witness this most miraculous event.

And, finally, tonight Jack did it!

Was it amazing?

Was it miraculous?

Was it inspiring?

Well, I could tell you the answer to those questions if I had actually seen Jack's first roll. But, as luck would have it, my back was turned.

I set Jack down on the blanket for tummy time, turned my back to get a toy out of the basket, and, when I turned around again, Jack was on his back! The little stinker sneaked the roll in while I wasn't looking!!

Lucky for him, he repeated the process immediately after I set him on his stomach again.

After that second time, I got out the video camera so we could record Jack's new talent for Daddy, who was at work (and all the other Jack fans out there who care about these accomplishments). But, Jack didn't want to perform under that kind of pressure, so instead we've re-enacted the entire event in pictures so you can get a taste of the experience for yourself....! Enjoy.

Tummy Time

"I'm as fast as a race car!" said a kindergartner, after performing well on a timed reading test.

"Well, I'm faster than a mustang," responded a nearby kindergartner who had just completed the same test.

"Well, one day let's have a race," suggested the first kiddo. Then, as if a brilliant idea had just occurred to him..."Maybe at recess we can have a race to see whose the most fastest!"

Love This!

The Last Brunch Bunch in Boulder

(I like this picture because Elias and Jack seem to be checking each other out!)

Nate and Liz will be leaving in September to do service in Nicaragua for three years so this was the last brunch with Liz for awhile. :) We are sad to see them go, but excited for the adventures that await them!

An Evening at Home

(Thanks to Lauren for taking these great pictures!)

Pumping Debacle

I am now officially a working mother, and with that status comes some working mother trials (as I've mentioned before) and, as I found out firsthand today, embarrassments. To any readers that may not be interested in reading about a mother pumping at work, that's what this post is about. And it's an embarrassing one (at least for me), so you've been warned.

As a nursing mother who is gone for much of the day, I have to pump at school. My school is very large and very full, so there really aren't many rooms to spare. This means that I have two options for where I can pump- a small office on the other side of the building from my room, or the bathroom a few feet from my desk. I was not crazy about the idea of pumping in a bathroom and since there are no electrical outlets to plug in the pump in the bathroom, I have been pumping in the office across the building. It's slightly removed from most of the other activity in the building, and the door locks, so I thought this room was a good enough choice.

After a few days of pumping safely in there, I was surprised this afternoon to enter the room and find that the chair had been removed and boxes of supplies covered the table and floor. So, instead of setting up my pump as usual, I left to find my assistant principal and asked her if I should find another room to use. She assured me that the PTCO just needed to drop a few things in the room, but they had left the building so the room was all mine.

I felt a little nervous that there was any other activity at all in that room, but I headed back. I pulled a chair over, then carefully closed the door and locked it, shut the blinds in the small window overlooking the hallway, and deliberately positioned the chair away from the door (you know, just in case the lock on the door didn't work and somebody was able to barge in). I set up my machine and began to take care of business.

Imagine my mortification to notice out of the corner of my eye a shadow cross the wall, then to look up and find that the blinds in the window on the other side of the room were wide open and the custodian, Bob, was walking past!

I about died of embarrassment. And, in my rush to cover myself, made a loud racket and quite a mess. Ugh. My face feels hot thinking about it even now.

I won't go on and bore you with the details of how the PTCO president then tried to enter the room where I had continued to pump, or how her face flushed with embarrassment when I told her what I was doing in there with the door locked but, needless to say, it was a humiliating day all around. So much so, that I'm sad to say I considered for the first time how it might work to discontinue nursing my son.

Instead, I went straight to the store after work and bought batteries for the pump so I can begin pumping in the bathroom in my office.

And I'll probably never again be able to look at Bob without blushing.

An Empty House

We are so happy to finally be inhabiting the home we bought 14 months ago! We still need to do a lot of finishing touches on the main level (i.e. rods and shelves in the closets, screens on the windows, putting in a window near the door, etc.) and the basement is not ready for Lauren quite yet, but we are slowly making this house into a home! Yeah! Here are some pictures of the house before we started moving our stuff inside.

(Living room- Thanks to Lauren for painting the accent wall while we were gone)

(Looking from the living room to the library; the window overlooks the front of the house)

(We got our lovely white appliances moved inside and, with the exception of the dishwasher, they are all working after 14 months in storage! Hopefully the dishwasher will work once the electrician fixes a connection of some sort.)

(Inside the cabinets- I LOVE these drawers that pull out!)

(Jack's tiny room before my paint job; front door and a little bit of the staircase seen through Jack's door)

More pictures to come.

Why I can't wait to get home after work...

The last couple of days have been no fun at all but, in an effort to keep things positive, I won't dwell on that and instead will offer up this adorable naked baby for you to oooh and aaah at! :) Isn't he cute?!

Thoughts on Returning to Work

I have always considered my years by that of the school calendar so, for me, a new year is beginning tomorrow. As much as I enjoy being a teacher and feel proud of the work I do with kids, I never look forward to returning to work. The end of summer is always tough for me. I admit it, I am not somebody who feels like she has to work outside the home. I could be very happy staying at home full time! I love being at home (which is why not having a home for the past year has been difficult).

I have been especially weepy about the end of this summer as I think about spending 8+ hours a day away from Jack. I am tearing up at random times and my stomach clenches when I think too much about it. I also have irrational thoughts like, "What if he thinks I don't love him anymore because I am gone so much?" or "What if he forgets that I am his mom?" and, I'm embarrassed to admit it, I am even concerned that he will love/respect/look up to Nathan more than me because Nathan will be with him more often.

What I will miss most about Jack is that hour or so in the morning when he is in the best mood. No matter how much sleep he got the night before, he wakes up so cheerful and happy (unlike his parents!). His smile stretches wide across his face and he giggles and laughs so much. That is my favorite time of the day with Jack. And for the next 10 months I will be spending that time of the day with other people's children. It's hard to think about.

When I let myself, I can get pretty choked up about going back to work, so I have been trying to steer my mind toward the positives about our current situation. Considering the rising cost of child care (as much as $19,000 a year per child according to Good Morning America yesterday morning), Nathan and I are extremely lucky to have a schedule worked out where a parent is able to be with Jack all the time, and we don't have to pay to have somebody else watch him while we work.

Also, in this economy I recognize that it is no small thing to have a job right now. And I am very fortunate to have one that I enjoy (most of the time!) and I get to work for a principal who respects me and feels that what I do is important enough to keep me around (many literacy coach positions are considered non-essential and have been cut in our area). And (although teachers work FAR too hard for FAR too little pay) we do have good vacation time. I will cherish those days off to be with my family more than ever before.

Finally, I take comfort in knowing that I am in good company. Many of my closest friends and family members are in the same position I am. As a working mom, I will have people close to me who I can relate to and rely on when I am feeling especially down. And I will learn that if they can do it, so can I.

So, ready or not, here goes....

Popular

Jack has been popular with the kids these days. Stranger kids, at that.

The other day, Nathan and I had Jack in the grocery store with us. A kid (probably about 10 years old) looked at Jack, then looked at me.

"Nice baby," he said.

A couple of days later, Nathan, Lauren, Kirk (their cousin) and I walked with Jack down to the Drive-In for dinner. A little kid (probably 5 years old) glanced at Jack in his stroller as he hurried past us.

"Awww, he has little lips!" he said, to nobody in particular.

So cute.

Forced Hiatus

We are back in Colorado and attempting to move into our new home! As a result, internet was not connected for a week, and now that it is, we seem to have a selective server. Only certain sites will cooperate. For example, I can get onto my gmail account to check my e-mail but Nathan is unable to check his hotmail account. I can now (finally!) get on my blog, but not facebook. In fact, we can't get onto most websites. Our internet connection is strong, so we're still figuring out what is causing this. Any ideas from you techies out there would be greatly appreciated (especially since Qwest doesn't know how to fix it)! Regardless, hopefully more posts will be coming soon.