Happy Anniversary!

Today is mine and Jon's 6th wedding anniversary! Crazy how time really does fly! Jon and I met in high school. He says he instantly knew he wanted to date me. I was a little more reluctant. Jon would call my best friend Callie at least twice a week asking about me. She finally told me, if you don't go out with this guy - I'm going to go nuts. So for her sake - I agreed. My famous last words to him? "This is just a date, I'm not looking for a relationship."  Here we are 9 years later celebrating our wedding anniversary! 

Just another perfect example of how everything happens for a reason. I could not have found a better partner for life. When he stresses, I'm calm, when I'm freaking out about details, he's easy going. I'm very lucky that he always puts me first. Just this week it was storming during the very INTENSE season finale of Grey's Anatomy and who is setting up rabbit ears when the satellite went out? Yep, Jon did! 

He is also the world's best daddy. Seeing him with Harper just makes me smile. She has him TOTALLY wrapped around her little finger. He gets up in the middle of the night, he changes the nastiest diapers and plays with dolls and tea sets (don't worry they play with softballs and cars too).  

I can't wait for the many more years to come!

Happy Anniversary!

Epiphany

This weekend was yet again full of home improvement projects! The siding is coming right along. The two sides are pretty much complete and the front has been completely ripped off and is half way finished. We were lucky enough to have friends and family come help and play with us. 

This is a picture of Harper and Aiden (You can see the new siding color on the right above Harper's head). This was the first time they'd played together in quite a while. It seems since we became friends with Lauren and Nate we keep moving further away from each other! Lauren and I became friends in college when we both worked for Lenscrafters in Columbia.  We were married within a month of each other and Harper and Aiden are about 8 weeks apart. Lauren and I were both pleasantly surprised that the two played really well together. They were sharing and there was minimal pushing!  This is a picture of the two of them "supervising" their daddy's working on siding.  

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I DVR Oprah. I can't help myself, I love that show. My sadness about her show ending should be a whole other entry. (I've been watching her show everyday after school for half my life!). Anyway, I was catching up on my Oprah over the weekend and I saw her show on the book "Women, Food and God". Now I haven't read the book (yet) but I find the whole concept very intriguing. For those who don't watch her show or missed the episode, in a nut shell the book it sounds as if it's about teaching women to love themselves again. Supposedly it's the new "magic" cure to being fat. If you love yourself, you don't use food as your drug of choice and continue to make yourself fat.

 As I watched the Miss USA pageant tonight with my family this book came to mind. Why do we (as a society) feel that in order to be respected, loved or worth recognition we must be tall, thin and "made up" to no end? God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that includes my belly and neck fat. I will admit I'm a closet yo-yo dieter. I try diets, I try working out, I lose the weight, then a year later I gain it back. But I would say in the last month or so I've done some soul searching. To me being the size I was when I was at 16 is just that. My dad used to call it a girl's "prime". When she was the queen bee or the apple of any man's eye. Recently though, I now not only understand, but I believe that size "6" is just a number on my pants or shirt, the lack of a bikini in my wardrobe. Does that make me sad? A little, but now I've realized it's not sad for my body, I think I just missed the free feeling of being 16. I am not 16 anymore, and I'm no longer sad. My joy comes from within. Not just the feeling but the belief that I am enough. I am beautiful, just the way I am. Too bad I didn't have that epiphany and write a book before this woman did. Maybe I would be sitting in Oprah's interview chair instead of her. ha! 

Ok- enough of my soapbox. Here are the promised pictures of OFL (from my previous post). Nathan is #80.  So cute!!

 

May Dayz

I know summer must be fast approaching because our life just went chaotic ! Between school coming to a close and home renovations we're constantly busy! 

This weekend Jon and his Grandpa Denny started working on re-siding the house. This is a going trend with us. We just can't seem to buy a house that we like out right. We're always making changes. With this house it feels like we changed everything! So far we've patched some serious drywall problems, repainted the whole house, ripped up the carpet and replaced some carpet, then tiled the rest, replaced doors and window treatments, ripped up the flower bed (at least one so far) and now we're ripping off the old siding and replacing it! WHEW! Plus, it's our intention to finish redoing the landscaping and replace the roof. (It's gonna be a long summer!) 

With school, we've been bombarded with end of the year crap. Probably not the best description, but I can't think of a better word. You would think this time of year for a teacher would be easy right? Well you're wrong. I will say there is a sense of "ease" in the classroom because testing is finished, however I'm trying to finish up units and bring the year to a close. On top of the fact the students are more than ready to be finished (which translates into CRAZY behavior) us teachers are desperately trying to check things off our list. Things like purchase orders for next year, placement forms,  thinking about changes for next year, taking down all your student's stuff so they can take it home,  thanking volunteers and room mom's, making sure all your students qualify to "end of the year" celebrations, gearing up for Science Olympiad, talking with parents about the need for summer school,and meetings, meetings, meetings!! I'm exhausted just thinking about it! 

Thankfully Harper has been sleeping well and not throwing too many tantrums. Today the Poo and I are going to watch Nathan (my nephew) and my other 4th graders plays in the OFL (Osage Football League) game! I'm so excited. This is one thing I look forward to at the end of the year. In 4th grade students get their first opportunity to play tackle football. Boy (and girls) get the whole get-up with pads and jerseys. They practice every day for two weeks after school and play one game. I love it because the kids that are usually "high energy" come to school so worn out! It's a nice change of pace and I know their getting to use up that energy somewhere other than my classroom! Today's game is super special because it's the first game on our High School's new turf! The kids are so excited about it! 

Hopefully the Binkley's will make it through the next two weeks. I'm ready for some one on one time with my baby girl! Pictures of the game and house will be posted soon!