School Days

Kent moved to Fayetteville to go to U of A today, so we had a cookout at Daddy and Momma's house last night.  We had a Razorback party:)

We had "Woo Pig Chewie" ice cream and "Hog Heaven" ice cream!  Yummy!

And today was our sweet Reece's first day of kindergarten! He was SO excited and had a great day!  He said he made a new "buddy."

I wore the necklace Aaron got me when Reece was born...and now he's going to kindergarten!

We had to have our first day of school photo shoot:)

Last night when I was packing Reece's lunch he said, "Momma, even though I am growing up, I'm never gonna stop loving you." :( I love that boy!

Aaron wanted to bring him to school today...here he is walking into his BIG school!

And going down to the morning room (the gym).  Such a big boy!

Tomorrow is already Friday!  It was a great first day for me too!  Remember the feeling you had when you were a kid the night before school?  Will they like me, will I know what to do, will I know what to say, etc? Well, I feel the EXACT same way to this day as a teacher.  It doesn't change.  It's scary for me too! :)  I seem to have some sweet kids, though!  But 21 kindergartners WORE me out!!! 

A Great Resource

Emily at The Inspired Teacher featured  my classroom on her new teaching blog.  This blog is a great resource for teachers.  If you are a teacher or know a teacher, go check it out!  I've already used several things from her blog!  I've posted a few pictures on here, but you can see a little more of my classroom here.

Kindergarten Open House

Reece had kindergarten open house today! It was so fun to see him at kindergarten.  I'm so happy I'll get to see him there everyday.

Aaron brought him to open house since I had to be in my room meeting my own classroom kids.

Here's Reece when he stopped by my classroom to say hello.

Here's Reece in his classroom.  He got to bring all of his school supplies and put them where they belong in the room.

This is Mrs. Henderson.  She is the sweetest teacher!  Reece is going to LOVE her!

And we had to get a picture of Reece's "super cool" cardinals backpack:)

I can't believe Reece is old enough to be in kindergarten!  It just doesn't seem possible.  I saw a few teary-eyed mommas today.  I am actually OK this year because I know I will be there to check on him.  I will be the teary-eyed momma next year when I have to send him across town to first grade.:(

Need a Laugh?

I LOVE going through old pictures! From 1 year ago or 100 years ago...I could spend hours looking at old photos.  Instead of going to bed early (which I should be doing since I start all day teacher in-service tomorrow) I went through some pictures from when Clara was a baby.  These pictures crack me up! It's amazing how expressive she was and still is!  (Clara is right at 2 months in all these pictures.)

"Hmmmm....let me think about that..."

Ummm...not sure what this look is all about?  And is she raising an inappropriate finger?

"He's touching me!!!!  HE'S TOUCHING ME!!!"

I don't think she wanted her picture taken with her brother, do you?  Or maybe it's the hat?

I would LOVE to know what babies are thinking!

I smile everytime I look at these pictures:)

Classroom and Clara

My room is all finished:)  Here's the "after."  Quite a difference, huh!?  I have to do this every year, but it forces me to clean and organize everything as I'm packing/unpacking.  It's always fun to see everything so shiny and clean.  Kindergarten is a great age.  It is definitely challenging some days, and my patience gets tested quite a bit, but not many people can say they get greeted with 20 smiling faces and hugs every morning.  :)

Here's my little corner of the world.

On a totally different subject....everyone always comments on how long Clara's hair is. She has pretty straight hair on top and curly hair underneath.  I always say, "you should see her hair when it's wet because all those curls and waves get straightened out."  Well, here is Clara's long wet hair:)

When Clara was little bitty, we would always tease and say she would be riding a four wheeler through the mud wearing a tutu. We figured she would be a girly girl but want to do everything just like Reece.  Well, we were exactly right.  Clara found this hat and has to wear it-just like Reece.  Wearing the John Deere hat along with her "princess" shirt:)

My Classroom: Before

Well, my summer is officially over:(  I am going to try really hard to have a "summer attitude" all year long.  Just because I'm starting back to work doesn't mean life has to end, right?  Cookouts and fun weekends will still be part of our lives:)

I wanted to share with you what I've been up to.  At the end of every school year we have to pack our ENTIRE room up.  Everything has to be boxed up and packed away so our carpets can be cleaned and our tile floors can be waxed.  As a kindergarten teacher, I have a LOT of stuff!  Well, this year it was a little harder because my room was being painted.  I had to take everything off the walls as well.  Posters, labels, everything. 

Here is what my room looked like when I came back.  Piles, stacks, bulletin boards coverd...a big mess!

And here is the furniture spread out and placed in the general area where the things belong.  Still looks like a lot of work, but looking a little better...

This weekend I will go by and take some AFTER pictures.  I arranged my room differently than I usually do, and I really like it.  Everything looks so shiny, clean, and neat!  It will stay that way for about 20 seconds once the kids start coming in:)

Want to know the BEST part about going back to school?  My sweet little Reece will get to go with me everyday!  He will not be in my class, but down the same hallway, so I will get to see him throughout the day:)

A few random things...

In the last few weeks, Clara has really started "pretending" when she plays. She loves carrying around a purse and filling it with all kinds of things.  Her new favorite thing is to take care of her dolls.  She gives them a bottle and puts them to bed. 

Get the blanket ready...

and cover her up...night, night baby!

Here's a YUMMY dessert for those summer peaches...

blend a whole peach, a little yogurt and a few ice cubes and you have a peach smoothie! It's so good...especially with the delicious summer peaches!

Clara couldn't get enough!

Here's an old shirt of mine and an old shirt of Aaron's....

Now, it's Clara's new dress! 

(I used this pattern.)

She didn't want to pose for a picture for me, but it really turned out cute!  It was really easy to make, so I'm sure you'll see a few more of these:)

Clara thinks she is SO big.  I'm pretty sure she thinks she is about 7 years old. She has to stand on a stool and "help" me cook.

She also has to stand on a stool to brush her teeth...

And then she has to brush her doll's teeth...

Deer season is right around the corner, and that means the bows have to get sighted in:) 

And that would be Reece pulling back and shooting a REAL bow.  Yes, he's six!  Bows are not easy to pull back, but when Reece puts his mind to something, he WILL do it.  He's really getting to be a good shot!

Right in the center of the square!