Just Another Day in Paradise

It is only Tuesday, but this week has already got me WORN OUT! It doesn't help that Rylee and I are both fighting chest colds and I haven't been sleeping well due to coughing. But I feel like work has been crazy too. My kiddos have been off the walls and we have a ton of tests right now: ESA, Star Reading, and Aimsweb all in a 2 week period. Ick! Plus we have to do Instructional Reading Level benchmarking this week, too. My kids are worn out, I am worn out, and we all hate being so off routine. But such is life. Rylee had to come to school at 3:15 today because Ryan had to get stuff done for his new job (Yay! Yay! Yay!) and she made it a bit difficult to get work done. She told every teacher on my wing that she wanted to go to the park, so around 4:30 I gave in and took her to the park. It was much needed fun! Maybe the rest of this week will be easy on me. I have a half day for a drs appointment on Friday, so maybe that'll help.

An Easy Week

     This week has been great! Due to icy conditions, we were out of school the second half of the day on Tuesday and all day on Wednesday. Rylee was so excited when I came home early on Tuesday. I got to play with her for a little bit and then it was her nap time. I worked on school work to make sure I stayed caught up even though we were missing school, but then I got the call that we were going to be staying home on Wednesday, too. Luckily, I had thought ahead and brought home anything that needed to be done before Thursday, so I stayed caught up.

      Wednesday, we enjoyed a lazy morning at home. By noon, all of the ice had melted, so we headed to run a few errands, and then we went out to lunch. It was a lot of fun. I love family time! When we got home, Rylee took a nap and I took a bubble bath. Thursday we were back to school and my kiddos and I worked very hard, but we learned everything that we needed to, so this week definitely didn't go to waste. While I was working hard at school, Ryan had a job interview at a local factory, we should hear back in the next few days, so prayers would be appreciated!

     Because of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we had a 3-day weekend this weekend: even more family time! :) Saturday we went to the park with Mary, Bailey, Liz, and Kade. Yes, it was icy on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it was sunny and in the mid-fifties on Saturday, so we got to spend some much needed outdoor playtime. We stayed at the park for about 2 hours while the kids played and played and played.

      Yesterday, we went to church in the morning and then came home so the kiddos could nap. After nap time, we headed to Liz and Brandon's to watch the NFL playoff games. The kids had a blast playing together while the adults talked, laughed, ate deep fried junk food, and enjoyed the games. Today, we are simply being lazy. I will have to do some more school work in a little bit, but not much, and after that I'm thinking it may be the perfect time for a bubble bath! Ha!

A New Adventure

      Sometimes, it seems like this was just yesterday, but sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. I can't even remember what life was like before becoming a mommy. I love my Rylee-bug so very much! She has grown so much. Because she has gotten to be so mature, Ryan and I decided that our family might be ready to grow. We talked about it a lot. Even without him working, we are so much more financially stable than we were when we got pregnant with Rylee, and we have faith he will get a great job soon. I have good medical insurance. We have plenty of room in this house, whether Mary and Bailey decide to stay or go, we have plenty of space. Everything just seemed right. Plus our hearts were just ready for another sweet baby. We didn't want to do the whole "trying to conceive" thing and try to plan something as magical as a new life, we just thought that we would stop trying to not have a baby, and when the time was right it would happen. We liked how Rylee was a wonderful surprise, and we wanted the same experience for our next child.

      I guess the time was right right away because we are going to be parents again! It is almost more terrifying this time than last time because now 3 people's lives are going to be changed forever, not just 2. Like I said, we wanted this baby to be a surprise, but he/she had other plans. At week 3 (which is a full week before it is recommended to take a pregnancy test) I already had pregnancy symptoms including intense heartburn. I got suspicious and on 1/16/13, bought a test, and sure enough, we're on our way to being parents of 2! The line is faint because I took it early, but I took another a few days later and it was much darker. It is still surreal to me right now. We are going to wait until we go to the doctor and hear a heartbeat and make sure everything is okay before we announce it. I'm sure the secret will get harder to keep over the next few weeks, but right now it feels kind of intimate just keeping this little miracle between the two of us. From what I have researched I am due around September 30, 2013. This will be just before Fall break next school year, so the timing should be pretty good.

     I can't believe my baby is going to be a big sister! She's going to be great at it though. She is so easy-going and independent. She's going to love helping take care of her new baby brother or sister. She already kisses my belly and says, "Hi, baby sister!" That's what she insists is in there. We tried to tel her it could be a brother or a sister, but she's set on sister. She doesn't really understand what's going on because she was too young to remember when Mel was pregnant with Austin, but she will understand more once my belly starts growing. :)

Back to the Grind

 

     Well, I've made it through the first week back at school after Christmas break. I must say, I am worn out, but I have actually enjoyed being back. I missed my kids while I was on break. I don't know what I'm going to do when May comes, and they are gone for good! I am halfway through my first year teaching, and I already feel like I have learned more in this half a year than I did in all 4 years of college combined, and I am so thankful for this experience. I love my job, I love my kids. It is HARD work, and things don't always go how I would like them to go, but I have come to the conclusion that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. 



     I have worked late everyday this week. We technically get off at 3:15, but no one actually leaves then, I usually leave around 3:45 or 4, but this week I have been staying until closer to 5. There's just so much work to be done! That has made it hard on Rylee, though, so I have been making sure that when I am at home, she has my attention at all times. She's acted out a little this week, but she will get used to me working soon.

           I sure am glad it's the weekend, though! I have missed this baby girl. She is so full of life, she just fills me with joy. I love her more every single day! I have kissed her and hugged her about a million times today. That's what I like about being a working mom. I never take my time with her for granted, even when I have breaks, I know they will end and I will go back to work, so I never take my time with her for granted. She is growing up way too fast as it is, I can't waste a single minute that I have to make memories with her! :)