These are a few of our favorite things...

This year, Santa was good to us all! The past two weeks have been filled with large gifts for us all! Luke's favorite is his new train table which he loves! Now we just have to find a place for it. Molly got some new bones, which you can see she really enjoyed! Marc got his flat screen LCD tv for an early gift, and he couldn't be happier! I got a great pink iPod for Christmas, and now that I finally figured out how to use it (Is there a reason it can't come with instructions? I didn't even know how to turn it on!), I am loving it. I am representing Marc by putting on some good Bell Biv Devoe and Run DMC songs as my first ones. I'm still frantically searching for his Vanilla Ice CD... And finally, yesterday we (ok, I!) got a new toy - my new car. We've been looking for a while, and finally I convinced Marc to check out the Nissan Pathfinders, and 5 hours later we came home with one - fully loaded with leather seats, DVD, sunroof, and really anything else we could have asked for. It's not much bigger than our Xterra, which Marc has inherited, which makes it very comfortable to drive, but having that extra seating and just being new makes it perfect!

Thoughts from daddy to be

Since learning we're having a girl, our discussions haven't been centered around names and nursery as much as this child not being allowed to wear head scrunchies. Marc is very against it, and lucky for him, I'm not a big fan. Today at church there was a little baby with one on, and after pointing it out to Marc, he made a comment that I felt was worth sharing... "I'd rather put a sign around my child's neck that says 'I'm a girl' than put a head scrunchie on her." Doesn't that sound like a Marc comment? :) But, I will say, that last night we did buy our nursery bedding and I love it!! So that's one thing to check off the list.

Meet Our Baby!!

Today we had our 3D/4D ultrasound, and it was a really neat experience. When I'd feel the baby move, I'd see it's hand move on the screen too! We saw fingers and toes, and a nose that looks just like Luke's! And yes, a very clear shot that tells us it's a pink baby! :) If you can't tell what you're looking at, let me know! Most of them have a hand up by the face, but the baby also had a foot all the way up there most of the time too. There's a shot of just the two little feet and toes that I thought was cute!

I am thankful...

Ok, I know it's not Thanksgiving season, but I just have to put a quick note on here about how thankful I am that today starts my holiday break! I have so much to do, and even after sleeping in today, I am still exhausted, so I am hoping a few days of this will help me catch up on some much needed sleep! I have tons to do today, including a doctor's appointment, finishing shopping for gifts, baking, making a few gifts, cleaning (yuck... that never ends. Maybe Santa will put a housekeeper in my stocking this year!), and hopefully getting my new car! But even with all that to do, at least I don't have to be at work at 7:00 am! I know most of my readers are feeling my thankfulness, even if you have another day or two of work, at least the end is in sight!

The past few weeks

Last weekend, Carsyn and Marcus came over to make cut out cookies, my favorite of all holiday treats, and then spent the night. I think every cookie Carsyn made was pink, and I'm not sure where more frosting ended up - on cookies, or in 3 year old mouths! But they did great, and seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. Luke's favorite was the Thomas train cookies. There's also a photo of Luke's gingerbread train that he and I had a lot of fun making a while ago. And, for those who want to feel skinny during the holidays (and who doesn't??), there's the most recent shot of my ever growing belly. And finally, just because he never makes it on here much, there's a photo from Marc's district opener basketball game last night, which they won, showing Marc hard at work.

Holiday Eating Tips

A friend of mine sent me this list today of helpful tips for holiday eating. Ok, so I know most of us can eat just fine at the holidays without these tips, but I thought they were worth sharing. And Nancy, the carrots just keep coming up... number 1 is for you! Hope they are helpful to you all.
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table
knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave
immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly; it's rare. You can't
find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000
calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an
eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have
two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy.
Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed
potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or
whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an
automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control
your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other
people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's.
You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time
for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying
a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near
them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the centre of
attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind,
you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin. Mincemeat, have a slice of each. Or if
you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three.
When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory
celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.


10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or
get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live
by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and
screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"


Have a great holiday season

Another Chance

I am pretty excited, because today I scheduled a 3D/4D ultrasound, and it's on our anniversary, Dec. 22. I've heard great things about it from some friends who had one. One girl even said that she could tell that her baby had her sister's lips! How crazy is that?? I can have at least 12 people in there with me too... any takers? OK, just kidding, that's a lot of people to be in there! But I'm really excited that Luke can go too, as usually kids aren't allowed at ultrasounds, and he'll get to see the baby. So we'll see if the third time is a charm, and if this baby really is a little girl! We are pretty sure it is already.

Maybe + Might = Girl??

So I had my appointment today, and got another ultrasound. Everything looks good with the placenta - the doctor said it's high enough to not be a problem, so I'm very happy about that! Then he asked if we knew what we were having and when I said that the last person said that maybe it was a girl, he said "Yeah, it might be a girl." Hmm... is that enough to paint pink and buy frilly clothes?? So two iffy answers both saying girl. We think that it is a girl, but would love a straight up "Yes, it's a girl!" Oh well.

For Aunt Nancy

I had to put in the photo of Luke enjoying his carrots that Nancy did such a good job making!

Thanksgiving Trip

Here are the photos from my trip to Ohio.

Luke, Carsyn, and Payton playing in leaves at the park - something they don't get to do in Texas!


Grandpa and the girls at the park.



Me and my friend Vickie.


Luke watching grandpa's trains, which he loved!!


Returning to Texas on the airplane.

Here I am!

Ok, it's been forever since I posted anything, but I've been way busy, tired, stressed... what other excuses can I come up with? Here's the update on my way too exciting life. I will post again Sunday probably with photos from my Ohio trip.
1. Basketball season has started, so Marc is busy with practice and we've been going to some games. I'm trying to get in as many as possible at the start of the season, because I really doubt I'll be making the 2 hour road trip games while 9 months pregnant!
2. Luke and I flew to Ohio Wednesday morning with Brenda, Carsyn, and Payton. We were a site at the airport - 2 adults, one who is pregnant, 2 three year olds, a one year old, 5 suitcases and 3 backpacks, and no stroller. Fortunately, people were friendly and helpful! The time in Ohio was great, although I am extremely tired now that I'm back home, and I think I gained about 6 pounds. How can I say no to all that homemade, Ohio Thanksgiving food? And let's not forget about Aunt Nancy's carrots... Luke's favorite food from Thanksgiving!
3. My Christmas shopping is actually close to being done! Now if only I could come up with something for my own husband... No clue there! Ideas anyone?
4. I came home today to find Marc went to Hobby Lobby on his own and surprised me with a new skinny, prelit Christmas tree! That may not seem like a big deal to many of you, but first, it is very hard to surprise me. Even when Marc brings home flowers or anything like that, I usually seem to know they are coming. Plus, Marc at Hobby Lobby, on his own?? Impressive.
5. Tuesday I go back to the doctor for my glucose test and another ultrasound. Let's hope for great news on the whole placenta thing, and also that we get a successful peek at the gender of this baby. At some point we need to start coming up with names and a nursery!
I think that's about it. Oh, and Marc won his first game today. Yay for that! Pictures will come soon... keep checking back. I promise to have something to say or show you all more often!

Little Known Facts

Amy challenged her blog readers to create a list of 5 facts that most people don't know about themselves, so here are my 5. I can't promise they are exciting, and maybe you did already know them about me, but this is what I came up with:

1. My dream job is to be a public speaker. When I go to textbook committee meetings or inservices for interesting topics, I am envious of the presenter's job. I love to public speak, and feel that I am very good at it. I owe this to my parents, who forced me to take a speech class in high school to prepare me for college. I was very angry that I had to take it, but it turned out to be my favorite class! I considered in the past pursuing such a job, but I'd have to travel and being away from my family that much isn't something I'm willing to do right now.

2. I cannot sleep with socks on. Ever.

3. I am obsessive/compulsive about little things that seem to all have to do with the concept of time - making sure the alarm is set correctly, making sure I put in the right dates for a substitute, making sure I have the correct dates/times when ordering a plane ticket or hotel room, etc. I will check them over and over and still not feel like I can relax about it!

4. If I could wear one thing the rest of my life, it would be flannel pants and a hooded sweatshirt. Although I like how I look dressed up, those are my comfort clothes that I would seriously wear every day if the weather and my job permitted!

5. At Christmas time, I am still a child. I search for where a gift may have been hidden, and I can't help but to peek in the stockings ahead of time. And yes, I am still a gift shaker - I will find the ones with my name, and check them out ahead of time when noone is really looking! I guess the magic of Christmas has never died for me... it's not about getting the gifts really, but it's just that anticipation and the memories it brings me each year, and I get to feel really young for just a few days!

Trick or Treat!

Ok, so now this is attempt # 7 to post this blog! Something has gone wrong every time I've tried. Anyhow, Tuesday was trick or treating, and Carsyn and Payton came out to trick or treat with Luke. They did great, Luke yelling his typical "knock knock!" as he banged on the doors, saying thank you, and only being a little scared (ok, maybe Carsyn was more than a little scared!) of the spooky house with the monster that popped out of the coffin!

In other news, I get to have another ultrasound on Nov. 28. My doctor told me yesterday that he has concerns about my placenta being too low, so we have to watch it carefully. So, we'll take a look at it that day. The good news is maybe I'll get a peek at the gender, and see if it really is a pink baby! I'll update everyone that night with any news I have.

Friends and Coworkers

I have been blessed with awesome friends that teach third grade with me! We get along so well, and they are what gets me through the rough days, whether it's due to teaching, being pregnant, or just life! Today another coworker that taught third grade with us last year got married, so we went to her wedding together. Next year the 4 of us won't be together, as everyone but me is a military wife, and so we know at least Carrie will be leaving us, so we wanted to make sure to get a photo of us all together. From left to right, it's Jenn, Cassandra, me (with my newly browner hair!), and Carrie.

Sleepover

Last night Carsyn slept over, and with 2 three year olds in the house, there's not much quiet time! But they had a lot of fun, and I think even Marc and I managed to have fun too! Here are a few photos of Luke and Carsyn.

Just bloggin to blog

I have nothing to say really, so I'm just posting this blog entry to say that I have blogged this week. My life is pretty routine - work, play with Luke, watch some great TV shows that I'm sadly addicted to, get ready for the next day at work, sleep, and start it all over again. Since I mentioned TV, I will have to say that my top shows this week are Biggest Loser (as I think I mentioned before, I can watch that show without guilt while being pregnant, eating my ice cream while they all kill themselves.), Project Runway Finale, Ugly Betty (anyone else watch that one?), Grey's Anatomy, and then of course tonight, Men in Trees. Marc has been at Texas A&M for a few days for a basketball clinic, so Luke and I have been hanging out. I actually have a busy, but fun, weekend planned. Tonight my friend Jenn and I, and Luke of course, are headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. My stomach is growling just thinking about it... That is my favorite place to eat and I haven't been there in months! Luckily, Jenn loves hanging out with Luke, so it should be a good evening. Tomorrow is Payton's 1 year old party, and then we are bringing Carsyn back with us to spend the night. Luke has their whole evening planned, down to where Carsyn is sitting to watch a movie! He's so excited! It's fun to see him anticipate something, and plan for it. He's growing up so fast! The evening is packed with 3 year old activities... making Halloween cupcakes, eating pizza, playing trains, and then watching the Curious George movie and Over the Hedge sometime in there too. So that's my big weekend. I feel like such a mom this weekend - all my plans are centered around little kids, but I love it! I am sad to be missing my grandma's 90th birthday party, but excited to know I'll see her in a month for Thanksgiving, along with some of my loyal blog commentators! Can't wait! Alright, I doubt anyone out there is actually still reading this, but in case you are, have a great weekend. My life is so far from exciting right now, but thanks for reading anyhow. I'll be sure to share some photos from our sleepover!

By the way...

I was showing Luke the ultrasound photos tonight. If you've ever seen any, you know they are hard to understand sometimes, and especially through the eyes of a three year old! I was showing him all the parts, and he looked at one and said "That's not a baby. That's a snake!" It was the spine, which on the photo, did resemble a snake! So my poor baby has no gender yet, but so far it has been confused with a peanut and a snake!

Ultrasound

We just returned from our ultrasound. Almost everything looks great. There is something weird about the placenta, but hopefully it'll be okay in the end, and right now the baby is breech. And, although in one shot the baby appeared to be a girl, they couldn't tell, so we don't know. I'm a little sad to not know, as I was all set to start planning for one in particular, but there's nothing we can do about it. I was told the baby has a beautiful heart and something else - diaphragm maybe? The tech did scare me about 5-10 minutes into it, when she said "Oh my gosh!" followed by "Go to the bathroom!" Then she explained that my bladder was bigger than my uterus. They say to come with a full bladder, so I did! Thank goodness she let me take a break for a minute!! The due date is about the same - somewhere around March 5-8. In one photo the baby had it's hand up to it's head, in a pose she labeled "drama queen." If it's a boy, we'll have to dispose of that photo!

Deal, or No Deal?

Luke loves watching Deal or No Deal - he picks out the numbers, and almost always chooses "deal." Right now he's sitting there watching it, and out of the blue he says "Those girls are pretty mama!" He is WAY too young to realize that, isn't he?? It just made me laugh, and had to share it!

Photos... see previous post!

The photos wouldn't load on the previous post, so here they are!

It's the little things in life...

The past 2 weeks have been frustrating and tiring - a combination of things at work, student problems, out of control allergies, sleepless nights, and the typical pregnancy aches and pains and discomforts. So many things have just been weighing me down and I felt like I had just about had it with these problems. This morning I started thinking about a few little things that brought a smile to my face and realize that through all the yuck of the past week, several small things have occurred that have brought me joy.I want to focus on those good, little things that make life okay even through all the yucks. So here are my little joys from the past week.

1. Kohls. Kohls opened in Killeen this week, and I was very excited about it. I haven't been shopping much in months since all I can really buy is maternity clothes, so I made plans with some friends from work to have lunch then shop yesterday. We spent about 4 hours shopping, and it's not about how much money I spent, it's about knowing that I saved an extra $58 in the end! We had no kids and no husbands along, and it was a relaxing time. Even though we all teach at the same school and the same grade, I don't think we talked about kids at all.

2. I had a checkup Thursday, and my blood tests which check for birth defects came back with very low levels, so that is great news. Also, even though I feel huge, I've only gained 3 pounds this whole pregnancy so far. What women can't celebrate that??

3. Donuts. Marc went out to get us donuts this morning. Need I say more? (So much for the 3 pounds...)

4. "I want chock milk." Those are the first words Luke speaks every morning, no matter what. He has to start his day with chocolate milk. That is one of those things I will always remember about him at this age. For some reason, even though he says it every day, it still brings a smile to my face.

5. Thanksgiving Dinner. It was decided this week that Luke and I, and Brenda, Carsyn, and Payton, will go to Ohio for Thanksgiving rather than trying to work out a visit at Christmas. I couldn't be more excited. Thanksgiving in Texas just isn't what I'm used to, and I'm always a bit homesick for Ohio on that day. This year, I get to see my family, hopefully both grandmothers, do the day after Thanksgiving shopping with the family, and eat a REAL OHIO Thanksgiving dinner! I am waiting for the mashed potatoes and gravy, jello mold, cranberry shaped like a can, real stuffing, and maybe even grandma's cheeseball. And being pregnant, I don't have to make excuses for having several helpings of mashed potatoes and gravy! I am excited to take a photo of all the food, to preserve that memory, and to share it with Luke.

6. I have felt the baby's first movements this week. This morning, I think he/she poked his head out, because there was this really hard bump for about a minute. Just letting me know he/she is there and growing! I will get to see the baby Wednesday at the ultrasound. Check back Wednesday night if you want to know if we found out the gender!

Here are a few photos - me at about 20 weeks pregnant, Luke eating his donuts this morning, and a few other random photos. Enjoy the little things today!

Anyone ever been arrested for wearing a wig???

Ok, so my whole life I have had strange dreams - the kind that when I retell them, it seems like I'm making them up, but I really am not! While pregnant with Luke, the dreams intensified and I just remember every night towards the end having some crazy dream. I guess the pregnancy dreams are starting again. I felt the need to share this dream since it was about two of my loyal blog readers! Last night, Brenda and I were meeting my aunt Nancy and cousin Jessica in Cleveland to go shopping. We were all flying there together. (Cleveland=best shopping place in America, worth flying to? Hmm... Not sure about that. Also not sure why Nancy and Jessica would be flying there and not driving, but it's a dream remember). Anyhow, upon arrival, Nancy and Jessica were arrested under the assumption that they were wearing wigs. Brenda and I fought for you, but they had a strong case against you - they said that Nancy looked too young to have grey hair, so it had to be a wig. At least they thought you looked young Nancy! You'll like that part. Anyhow, since they were thrown in jail, Brenda and I met up with mom and Amy and after looking through our scrapbooks (of course we had to do that first) the four of us went off to the mall. Luckily, the others were released from jail the next day. So where did that dream come from?? I do not understand how the mind works while I am sleeping. Did anyone else have these crazy pregnancy dreams?

On another note, I know I have been absent from posting lately, but really there's not much going on! Keep checking back though... On Oct. 11 I should have the results from my ultrasound and Luke will finally know if he's having a blue or pink baby!

One Trimester Down, Two To Go

Here's a photo of me today, getting fatter. :) I thought I'd officially start the montly belly photos today. Hard to believe I'm a third of the way through this pregnancy. Hopefully everything continues to go well and be uneventful... I have no plans to repeat Brenda's last pregnancy! ;)

CHEESE!

Luke saw my camera out last night and wanted me to take some photos of him saying "Cheese!", so here they are!

Fausto, Julius, or Massimo??

Ok, here's your chance to offer up baby name suggestions for me if you have any! Marc and I have a few good options for girls, like we did last time around, but if it's a boy, we are right where we were before -nowhere. Marc hates any "trendy" names, or names that sound like race car drivers. I hate basically any boy name Marc comes up with... shall I share a few names that my little Luke could now be if it were up to Marc? Fausto and Julius Caesar come to mind right away. This time around it's names like Massimo (all I can think of is the brand of clothes at target, spelled with an "o" not an "a". Hate it). So I'm open to ideas... girls or boys, but preferrable boys! :)

Child Genius?

My child just amazed me, so I have to brag and share for a moment! Luke was playing with a big circle of cardboard that had come out of a new storage tub. He walked up to me with a shape and said "It's an octagon!" I have no idea where he learned that -not from us! And it actually looked like one. So I decided to ask him how many sides it had, and he told me 8. The reason this really impressed me is because a) my third grade kids last year had a question on their TAKS test that showed an octagon and asked how many sides it had, and several missed it, and b) my boy #2 didn't even know what a triangle was yesterday at school. So maybe Luke's not a genius, but to know an octagon at age 3 seemed impressive to this third grade teacher! I have photos to add someday, but my computer doesn't seem to want me to post them, because I can't ever get to them!

My turn for the survey...

So my sister and cousin did this, so I guess it's my turn now. I'll try not to cheat like Lori and change the questions..

Me from A to Z


A is for age: 32
B is for beer of choice: I'm going with root beer too
C is for career right now: third grade teacher
D is for your dog's name?: Molly
E is for essential item you use everyday: cell phone, mascara
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Blue's Clues Baby Brother (Oh wait, that's Luke's... it's on about 2 hours a day, so I got confused there)... also Treasure Hunters, Cash Cab, any stupid summer reality show
G is for favorite game: scrabble
H is for Home town: Killeen TX
I is for instruments you play: used to be flute
J is for favorite juice: now that I'm pregnant, orange juice daily!
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: Today it would have to be the person/school who promoted boy #2 (refer to other blogs), and Rodney, the jazzercise instructor who was way too tough tonight!
L is for last food you ate: spaghetti
M is for marriage: going on 6 years
N is for your full name: Jill Marie (Davis) Minatrea
O is for overnight hospital stays: One night when Luke was born, 2003
P is for people you were with today: Marc, Luke, my jazzercise class, and about 800 kids and faculty at school
Q is for quote: : "Mom! I had big ground pee like daddy!" (OK, so not as profound as Amy's. Did I share too much? It makes me laugh everytime. By the way, ground peeing is our latest accomplishment... Luke's way of describing peeing standing up.)
R is for Biggest Regret: that bad haircut senior year of college
S is for status: married
T is for time you woke up today: 5:40
U is for (Amy, you had no U, so I'll just pick one...) underwear: red today (Ok, I drew a blank on another U word!)
V is for vegetable you love: mashed potatoes
W is for worst habit: leaving my classroom messy at the end of the day
X is for x-rays you've had: teeth, leg after accident, stomach, finger (remember the sewing machine incident??)... I'm sure there were others
Y is for yummy food you ate today: banana moon pie
Z is for zodiac sign: Taurus

Boy #2 Update

Ok, since most of the people who read this are teachers or are related to a teacher, I wanted to update on boy #2 that was mentioned in my previous post. I apologize in advance for how long this blog is! I thought you could appreciate what I am dealing with. So this boy that I mentioned as not being able to write his name and being a behavior problem... Well, the past 2 days have been consumed with him and his grandmother. She has appeared each morning this week and taken up most of my conference time talking about him. Yesterday she told the assistant principal and myself that he is ADHD but she decided not to keep him on meds. Don't you love that? So when he spent Tuesday under his desk part of the day, and was in the office by early afternoon for being so disruptive, I thought she'd get the hint that meds are a good thing for students. A previous teacher emailed me about him and her words, and I quote, were "Bless you, and good luck." Huh. That's not too encouraging. Turns out he made 20s in her class, and we're not so sure he should even be in 3rd grade.But, he ended up at a Louisiana school, and the school doesn't exist supposedly today. Today was the best day of all. I had two favorite moments... Moment #1. Let me take after my cousin Lori and give you a play by play conversation.
Grandmother: So yesterday didn't go too well,huh?
Me: No maam, he had a hard time with following directions and he refused to do any work.
Grandmother: Well, I thought about it a lot last night - it kept me up most of the night - and I came up with something finally.
(Let me interrupt here and say that I assume she will tell me that she realizes he does need to go back on meds or something similar. I'm way wrong...)
Grandmother: I think the solution is no chocolate milk.
Me: Excuse me? What do you mean?
Grandmother: I think that he needs only white milk at lunch, not chocolate or strawberry. The sugar in those is causing him to have these problems.
Me: (Trying to pick my jaw off the floor...) Um, maam, I don't think it's the milk. He was in a buddy room by 9:45 yesterday (last step before office) and that was long before he had any milk.
Grandmother: Really? Wow. I thought that was the problem.

Ok, so she told me the day before that she's not in denial to his issues. I'm having a hard time believing that. This child is severely ADHD, and can't write his name, and she thinks it's because he had chocolate milk 2 days at lunch? That has to be one of my favorite parent moments to date.

The other moment today was when a reading teacher tested his reading level. He couldn't pass a level 2 (they should be on a 22... Kinder kids can read a 12 or so). The story had balloons on the cover, and he thought it was about bears. He also doesn't know his ABCs. Um, Luke knows his ABCs.

So I know this was long, but I'm just in shock that this child has made it to a regular ed 3rd grade class. I think we may be working to get him emergency tested for special ed, and possibly put in 2nd grade. Suggestions teacher friends? I am at a loss!

First Day of School

First days are so not what they used to be. It used to be the kids were all on their best behavior, and that was the one day everyone got along. Today was one of the longest days ever! I had only 16 kids show up, but that was more than enough today! For the most part, they are good kids... but then there's boy #1 and boy #2. Boy #1 summed himself up as being a rapper... and has the personality and behavior to go with it. The only times he addressed me, it was "Hey!". Nice. You don't hear that much in Killeen, where the military influence has kids saying "Yes Maam, No Maam". Boy #2 is enough to have cracked me if I was a first year teacher - I would have been in tears by 10:00. Let's sum him up by saying that in the one hour my kids were out of the room, 6 other teachers and the assistant principal had to correct him and let me know about it. Nice. He had such an attitude! I had to call home on him on the first day! The best part is that he can't write his name. He spelled it wrong, and didn't know his last name for most of the day. Let's hope there's an IEP floating around somewhere for him! He's a Katrina evacuee, so his paperwork could be gone in the flood still... The really good news is that he's not the only one in my third grade class who can't spell his name... luckily, boy #3 is special ed and won't be taking the dreaded TAKS test. Other than those 3, and a few VERY talkative kids, I did get some wonderful kids. I am doing inclusion this year, so I've been told, so I expect some lower kids. Just thought they'd know their names by age 8...Here's to an interesting year. Low kids, misbehaviors, pregnancy hormones, swollen ankles... I'm ready for it all! One day down, 179 to go...

We're Still Here!

I just wanted to let the world know that the Minatrea's are still alive and kicking! I don't think I've sent an email or made a phone call since I had to report to school this past Monday! The first days back are always tiring, but balancing that with the pregnancy and getting Luke adjusted back to early mornings and not so late nights has made it a little more exhausting than usual. Hopefully once the first week of kids is over next Friday, I will rejoin the world of technology and keep in touch a litte better!

New Job

By now, most of you know that Marc got a new job last week, but I wanted to give him a spot on this blog as he is part of the four of us! He's been the head basketball coach in Cameron for the past 2 years. While he loved having his dream come true of being a head coach, and his team did pretty well, it was hard on us as a family. He had an hour commute each way, and was also a football coach, so on the average week, Luke and I wouldn't see him each Thursday and Friday at all. Then when he was home, he'd be trying to catch up on sleep. An opportunity came up back here in Killeen at Shoemaker High School very late in the summer, but we didn't think he had much of a chance at it. However, the interviews kept getting postponed, and as they did, his chances at it improved to the point that he got it! For our family, this is the perfect timing. Marc has about a 10 minute drive to work, gets to sleep in more each day, and has NO FOOTBALL!! And for those of you who know Texas school systems, he's now at a 5A school, which is the biggest school there is, so really, he can't get a much better job. We're so proud of him for working so hard to get this job. Although it'll still be a tough job, and he'll be working hard, it's just an awesome situation for our growing family to be in this year! Marc asked me a few weeks ago when he'd get blog in here, so here it is. There's no picture to attach (he's not exactly the kind of guy who has me take his photo all the time!) but you know what he looks like!

It's a ...

Ok, so you can't really tell yet if it's a boy or a girl... looks more like a peanut to me. But, here's my baby. The doctor said it must be a girl because it has a brain! (Not sure if you can tell, but it's the 2 things that look like big eyes!) Everything looks great according to the doc, so I couldn't ask for more right now.

Corpus Christi

Monday night, we decided we needed to get out of Killeen, so we packed up and left for the beach Tuesday morning. Our hotel was a block from the beach and it had a nice pool (which Luke said was "our pool" since often we were the only ones there) so we spent most of our time just relaxing by the water. There was a really nice aquarium, so we spent some time there as well. The photo of Luke on Marc's shoulders was at the dolphin show - very crowded, so that was the only way he could see. At the beach, Luke loved "hiding" in the sand, so Marc had to bury him over and over. The trip was very relaxing and restful. We returned Friday night and are ready to face the upcoming school years and all their chaos now!

Fourth of July

Here's a few photos from the fireworks that we went to when Amy and her family were visiting.

New York Trip

This is my first attempt at adding a photo, so we'll see how it goes! In June, my mom and sisters and I took a trip to NYC for a few days - no husbands, no kids. Even though the weather was cold and rainy, we had a wonderful time. I had never been there, and absolutely loved every minute of our trip! This photo was taken at the Italian restaurant that we ate at before seeing "Hairspray."

I'm a blogger!

Thanks to a quick tutorial from Amy, I have figured out how to start my own blog. So now everyone can keep up with the oh-so-exciting life of a Texas teacher, coach's wife, and mom. I had some trouble thinking of a title for my blog, but decided on "And then there were four". For those of you who don't know, I found out a few weeks ago that I am pregnant with baby #2, due in early March. Yep, that's right - perfect timing for a third grade teacher (TAKS testing right at that time) and a basketball coach's wife (playoff time!) But besides the timing, we couldn't be happier. Luke is a little confused about the whole concept of me having a baby, but he did express that he does want a blue baby. We'll see what we can do about that one! I will attempt to figure out how to add pictures another day. For now, welcome to my blog!