happy friday! i get to hang out for three WHOLE days with this little girl.
can't wait!!

glue sticks and kleenex

i did it today... i finished my first day of student teaching. walking to school this morning i wanted to barf up the banana i was nervously eating. i felt like a giddy school girl... so ready to meet my cooperating teacher, worried if she would like me, and if we would get along. needless to say, she didn't bite me or stare at the big red zit that decided today was a good day to make a visit. i really liked her. she was energetic and funny and really had compassion for the kids in our class. she really appreciated all the quirks that each kiddo had. and oh, they had them... it was such a great bunch of eager second graders who were not afraid to show their personalities!

i remembered what i love about the classroom... the smells (come on- you know the glue sticks, the crayons, new school shoes, the muggy closets that are painted shut... all of it), the colored paper just ready to be cut up, pencil sharpeners, all of the ready minds waiting to learn more and find out all of the simple things about you... where do you live? how many brothers and sisters do you have? do you like to read?...

but it was a bittersweet day... the beginning of a new adventure full of learning and teaching ... but also one of separation and sadness... i left my baby for the longest time ever... honestly, the day was so packed full that i hardly thought about her... knowing she was with my sister and right down the street was quite helpful... but it was when i came home i realized my heart was quietly hurting to see her face and hold her little body... what a treasure it has been to be able to spend so much time with her...to flip through books and bang on drums... to clean up a box of dominoes fifty times a day.... mind you i haven't always been the mom i dreamed i would be....but today helped me appreciate even more the opportunity i have to stay at home with her....

the year is young (well the school year) and many dreams have been dreamt for what it will bring and i hope i get to play a part in helping some of them come to pass or at least, help someone discover their dreams....

swings, stairs and sweet tea

just a few things we've been up to these days...

so i've seen this invitation floating around the blog world lately... i saw it a few months back here and when the opportunity arose to use it my friend and i jumped all over it... i love the way they turned out... simple yet special.

also we have our new friend here (my little sister)... we are having lots of fun getting into the groove of having her here... we love you amy

sweet tea on the front porch

lots and lots of going up and down stairs

aren't her chubby thighs the greatest?!

more birthday party fun

here are a few more pictures from last saturday....enjoy!

think she liked her cake?!

i have a one year old

so i still feel like i'm in a fog of birthday mist.... i couldn't have done it without my family.. i am sad that they are leaving in the morning but happy they are leaving my little sister here for a while. i feel so blessed to have her come live with us this semester and spend time with sara. it's comforting to know that sara will be spending time with someone who will always be in her life and love her... anyway we are going to go through a bit of transition ... (new person in our house, new baby routines, schooling after a year and a mommy who hasn't left her baby for a whole day...) but i am very excited and happy with the new adventure that is unfolding... ok back to party stuff
i focused on yellow and white as our color scheme (can you tell?) with a bit of cupcake touches. i always debate when planning things like this as to how far i should take the whole theme/color scheme... but i decided that i hadn't done much for sara (no baby book, no big announcements...etc.) so i thought it would be nice to actually do all the things i think about. which in reality i still had to turn off my brain and the ideas that kept coming but i am so happy with the way it turned out and how fun it was to spent time with our friends and family.

the food table minus the burgers

first birthday bib

dessert and party favor table

more dessert/candy table

i wish i had taken a better before picture of sara's cake but i didn't... oh well... you can see it here in the middle- the huge cupcake... i found the mold here and at michael's ... it really wasn't that hard to make and sara loved it...

more pictures to come!

ps. i got placed for my student teaching at the school two blocks away! SO excited to get to walk to school and be close to home!

happy anniversary! (a day late)

happy anniversary Ryan!

it's crazy to think that it was four years ago that i was getting married... sometimes it seems just like yesterday and on others it seems like a century ago... make sense? anyway, it's been fun. and i would do it over all again... ryan is always able to make me laugh, put things into perspective and always willing to love over all else. thanks for loving me well ryan!

this was me last year on our anniversary... about to pop (i had sara 3 days later!)

and this was us four years ago! what a great day... cool (in august!...miracle) and filled with friends and family.

hope you have a good weekend... family is coming tomorrow and we are going to be celebrating a one year old!