Here are the first four pages of my book....

For any of you who may read this, I apologize for leading you to the edge of a cliff and leaving you there! 

 

            She turned the page quietly and put down the book, frustrated to realize that not even Ayla and her cave bear clan could take her mind off of the inevitable.  Tomorrow was coming, and there was nothing she could do to slow down its arrival.  Even the week’s vacation had not been the respite it should have been because the clock was ticking incessantly toward tomorrow morning.  She had spent precious time with her family, read three novels, and focused wholeheartedly on rest and relaxation.  None of that was sufficient.  Her mind drifted to her sleeping children, her husband working diligently in his home office, the latest status updates on Facebook, and finally settled on the lesson plans that were a necessary part of her career.  The thought made her soul cringe.

            Teaching used to be a joy, really.  She would go home at the end of the day thinking, “I can’t believe I actually get paid to do this job!”  She went into education, like countless others, because of the wonderful teachers she herself had been blessed with in life.  Her mother, who read countless books to her, repeated books often enough that she’d memorize them; Mrs. Chaisson, her first grade teacher, who lovingly changed the letters on the page to words and sentences that told stories; Mrs. Conques, her third grade teacher, who allowed her to assign parts and hold rehearsals for a play she had written.  (It was a very bad play, and an equally unmentionable performance, but Mrs. Conques took her seriously, valued her as a writer and a learner, and set her life firmly on course towards becoming a teacher.)  High school English teachers Mrs. Maher, Mrs. Mouton, and of course, Mrs. Delcambre, poured themselves into her, helping her to find her voice and project it loud and clear for everyone to hear.  Her first job as a resource teacher for a group of students with learning difficulties cemented her resolve that she was doing what God had created her to do. After 14 years, the fire was gone, and she agonized over the injustice of it all. 

            She had always been an avid reader.  Summers were spent staying up all night reading, and her father’s weekly trips to the library with her fueled her appetite.  The librarians in her small town library knew her by name, and they had figured out very early that the two book check out rule wasn’t going to work for this little girl.  Her father had assured them that she was actually reading them, and that she treated them like treasured friends, so they allowed her the special privilege of taking home as many books as she could carry.  How often had she met her father the day after the library trip, with all the books stacked near the front door, ready for another trip downtown. 

            She smiled nostalgically as she remembered her parents scolding her for reading her books at the dinner table.  “Put that book away and visit with your family,” they were always saying.  Of course, she could see the wisdom in that mantra now, but at the time it just annoyed her because they didn’t understand.  Not many people could understand the relationship she had with books, and more specifically, the characters in those books.  Closing Little House on the Prairie to sit down with her family and eat was leaving Laura in the clutches of that mean girl, Nellie.  Did her mother honestly expect her to close A Wrinkle in Time without founding out of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin were able to rescue her father from the clutches of It?

            She often lost herself between the pages of her books, and as an adolescent, being lost was preferable to being unnoticed.  As a character in whatever book she was reading she mattered, more so than she ever felt she did in reality.  Identities tried on while reading were experiments in boldness, humor, and angst.  She became so much more than the band nerd misfit she was on the outside.  The characters in her books were her friends, and it was crucial that she be understood and accepted.

            By the time high school graduation rolled around, she was fairly certain teaching was in her future.  After all, she was a great reader, and desperately wanted to impart that desire on her future students.  Her writing was strong, her voice even stronger, and she felt she had something important to share. Her English teachers encouraged her, saying it was a noble profession, and that they believed in her ability to be a good one.  She graduated from college, taught a year of resource, and then finally landed her dream job as a high school English teacher.  The butterflies in her stomach the night before her first day of school were not just fluttering…they were turning somersaults and karate chopping like ninjas.

            Her first English job wasn’t just at any school; it was at her school.  The fact that some of her high school English teachers were now her colleagues made her even more anxious to do an outstanding job.  Her classes were filled with reading, writing, and discussion, and content was taught through thematic lessons on the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement, Individualism, and JFK’s assassination, just to name a few.  Was she perfect? No, of course not, but she was effective. 

            A former principal once told her that her teaching methods were the most unorthodox he’d ever seen, but they worked, and she should continue.  She carried that description of her around with her like her very first trophy.  She’d worked hard for that identity, and was almost arrogant about the reality that she didn’t fit into a box.  Textbooks?  You must be kidding.  They remained stacked in the corner of her classroom, pining away for use.  She had purpose, drive, ambition, and moxie.  Read the story and answer discussion questions?  Only when she was sick and needed work for the sub to do with her classes….        

            One day she was reading a Holocaust survivor’s autobiography, and the story moved her to tears.  Physically she sat on the stool in front of her sophomore English class, tears silently falling from her eyes, but mentally she was in that abandoned warehouse in World War II.  Mentally she was Gerda Weismann Klein, and it broke her.  Her chest hurt as she tried in vain to hold in the sobs that threatened to break free.  Suddenly she remembered that she wasn’t alone, and she began to decipher the whispers that were making their way into her conscience…”Y’all, look.  She’s crying,” they whispered.  “For real, she got tears running down her face.”  I heard one of my students say, “I wonder what she readin’, I ain’t ever cried over reading nothing.”

            She came back to reality and shared what she was reading with her class.  As she passed around a signup sheet for the three or four students who were fighting over who was going to get to read her book when she was finished, she sighed a sigh of complete and total fulfillment and joy.  “This is why I became a teacher,” she thought.

            It was hard for her to determine exactly when her passion began to cool.  Pinpointing the cause of the decline was even more difficult.  There were lots of external culprits that were easy enough to name.  Her divorce kicked her ass.  Seriously.  There were days when she didn’t even brush her hair for work, and if it hadn’t been for her son she would have remained hidden from the world until she ended things.  Her divorce caused serious financial problems that her teacher salary wasn’t able to fend off.  Her pantry was bare, and her checking account was as empty as her heart.  She spent her time in the desert, and was a stronger person for it.

            But time heals all wounds, and that was as true in her case as it is for anyone.

            If that wasn’t the cause, then what was? 

 

 

           

I'm a principal...

Yes, it occurred to me today that I am a school administrator.  That has never been one of my career aspirations, but since I have a homeschool with other people's children, I have become one.  I love being able to interject, interrupt, or even replace the plan of the day with some real world learning.
My student and I started talking today about life after high school.  This of course was followed by some budgeting questions and sincere interest.  Guess what?  I decided to move my plans onto tomorrow's box in my lesson plan book and go with my student's line of thinking.
  He was shocked to calculate that he'd need to make at least $34,000 a year to afford a very modest one bedroom apartment and a fixer upper vehicle.  He was even more shocked to learn that he was not qualified for any of the current job postings in that salary range!  I guess it's time to look into post high school education plans.
  How do you guide a student on the right path when he really doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up?  Well, it's important to keep in mind that even if my student doesn't know what his plans might be, my God does.  After all, the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

  So on my first day of realizing that I am a principal, I will tell my teacher this....stay calm and be flexible.  It's more important to educate the student than to check off a box in a lesson plan book.

P.S.  On this marvelous day of realizing that I'm a principal, I also realized that I'm the janitor.  Gotta keep it real.

Definitely time for an update!

So it seems that I've forgotten about blogging.  How have I been processing events, feelings, and other junk without a written outlet?  I haven't been journaling or blogging elsewhere.  Perhaps my Facebook page has gotten a few additional status updates.  Oh wait.  I remember.  I've been grouchy Gretchen.  I think a concerted effort to blog again may help me let off some steam.  I hereby vow that there will be more than one blog entry for 2012!  :)
  I've noticed that in all of 2011 I wrote ONE blog post.  Just ONE.  That's absolutely terrible.  So much has happened in 2012.  For one thing, I had a baby.  Beautiful baby Elanor joined our family on May 14, 2012.  Oh, how we love that little girl.  She makes everyone around her smile.  The baby factory is officially closed, so we are treasuring every moment of her babyhood.
Secondly, I quit my job.  That's right, I'm no longer a public school teacher.  I grew insanely tired of being the scapegoat for all that ails society, so I decided that I no longer wanted to play.  David was on board with my decision, so I resigned.  Life is still not perfect, but I really feel like I made the right decision.
Thirdly, we have had some additional additions to our family.  It's a long story, and I don't want to put their business out there for the world to see (or for the three people who may read this blog), but for a while this year we had a single mom and her son living with us.....then we had a 17 year old boy and his 18 year old sister.  We liked the two of them a lot, so we decided to keep them. :)  The 17 year old lives and works on a local horse ranch, but we still count him as one of ours!  The 18 year old is currently in basic training.  Boy, do we miss her!

I'm also now homeschooling other kids in my house.  (Not our kids, because that may be bad for their health!)  I'm homeschooling because I get to decide what they learn and how they learn it.  I get to make those decisions professionally based on what I see them doing (or not doing).  There is no pacing calendar, or terrible curriculum that I am forced to follow.  I call the shots, and I like it.  I'm the boss, and I have business cards and a business bank account to prove it.  So far I only have one student, but I have built my school, and they will come!

Spring is here!

Spring is here, and the news is bittersweet.  Of course, there are glorious things like beautiful weather, extra daylight, azaleas, Zumba, and healthy and happy kids.  Then, there's the calendar moving steadily towards the end of my sabbatical!  My mom keeps updating her facebook status with her countdown to retirement, which is awesome for her, but kind of sucky for me.
School is going great.  I'll be done mid-May, and I've been enjoying my classes, especially the literature ones.  All this reading I've been doing has been great.  I've had the time to get so much reading done that my normal life just doesn't allow.  The next goal I'd like to achieve is to land a librarian position somewhere in the parish.  Feel free to pray about that if the mood strikes you :)
This has been a semester of reading, visiting with friends, hanging out with family, and slothfulness.  Yes, I said it.  Some days I am just downright slothful.  I seriously am going to ask for some bloodwork at my next doctor's appointment, but I also need to get more sleep at night.  I hate that I'm a nightowl though, because I don't want to go to bed, and when I do, I often can't sleep.  Then that messes up my whole next day as I'm struggling to stay awake while I get my school work done. 
I have been going to Zumba classes about 3 times a week, and I love it.  At first, I felt (and looked) like a white girl having a seisure, but I feel much more confident and capable now.  Suzi Kahn has been coming, as has Jenny Langford, and it's a blast being able to dance and act crazy with friends.
Nadia, who is finishing up her first year of school, is reading.  It amazes me to watch my little four year old patiently (well, sometimes not so patiently) sounding out words and reading them.  I am positive that I was not reading at four!  She doesn't like getting up early for school, but she loves her teacher, Mrs. Comeaux, and loves her friends.  I've heard that her school had 100% re-enrollment for next year, so she'll likely have a lot of the same kids in her class next year. (There are three pre-k classes, so hopefully they mix up the kids a little bit).
Dawson, Mr. Toddler Tantrum, is two.  He is speaking very clearly and in full sentences.  It sometimes catches me off guard to hear these big long sentences come out of that little body.  Just this morning, he overheard Nadia discussing our lunch plans.  Dawson piped in, "Momma, I want to go to eat lunch at Applebee's with you and Nadia today.  Can I go with you too?" 
Dawson also has a temper that involves much screaming when it is set off. 
Not. Fun.
What seems to work the best is that we just send him to his bed when he starts that screaming business.  (This doesn't work out so well when we're out shopping).  He goes to his bed, calms down, and comes out of his room saying, "Okay Momma, I stopped crying so I came out of my room." 
He, like Baylor, is very affectionate.  His latest thing is to come running towards me and hug my leg really tight.  Then he looks up and says, "Mom, I love you."  Oh yeah, I'm a total sucker for it.  His favorite expression these days is "really bad."  For example, "Momma, my feet hurt really bad." or "Oh, I'm cold really bad."  It is so cute.
Baylor is enjoying 6th grade about as much as middle school can be enjoyed.  He's hit the age of school drama, and comes home regularly with stories of his friends cutting themselves, fights at school, bullying, etc.  He also comes home with stories of how much fun he had in band, jokes his teachers/friends told, the rare good cafeteria meal, and an occasional test paper marked with an A or a B.  He's really growing up, and enjoys our church's youth group.  He's reading more now than he ever has in his life, which has me so very happy.  Our relationship is changing, and it's been a struggle for both of us. 
This past weekend was my church's women's retreat, and I am so glad I went.  We had a choice of 5 topic tracks we could follow, and I chose the one on parenting.  Trish gave us a lot to think about, and I'm so glad I took notes because I want to revisit the material regularly.  Basically, the thought I need to carry in my heart and my brain is this:  God specifically designed each of my children exactly the way He needed them to be.  Nothing in their personality is there by mistake, and He's going to use that for His glory.  It's my job to partner with God in shaping and molding my kids and guiding them to the right path.  Those things in them that aggrevate me are there for a reason, and I need to focus on the positive, praise readily, and enjoy them as the blessings from God that they are. 
I want to be much more intentional in my parenting.  To a large extent, I feel like I've been largely reactive, and I want to move to a more proactive approach.  The other Gretchen from church and I have agreed that we are going to hold each other accountable and check on how we are handling our children and our tempers.  So far, I feel that things have been a lot better in that area.
David's hours are still crazy.  He has joined a gym, and goes to work out at night.  I think that's a great thing.  You know the expression, "All work and no play makes David a dull boy."  :)
He enjoys working out, exercise is also a good stress reliever, and David has been mighty stressed.  We both have some more weight to lose, and the gym  and Zumba classes are going to help us make that happen!
Well, I've procrastinated long enough, and it's time for me to get back to my school work.

Orientation

Baylor had orientation today at his new school. I would have been a nervous wreck, but he was cool as could be. Nadia's orientation is tomorrow, and I can't wait to see her in her school uniform.

Dawson has started his new daycare, and so far I'm really pleased.

My sabbatical has officially started, so I'm missing all the beginning of the year workshops, inservices, and meetings. I'm so happy I am almost giddy. My stress level seriously hasn't been this low in about four years. (Even though we are currently building a house and all the paperwork and stress that entails).

The kids are about to have birthdays, and I'm struggling to accept that Baylor is about to be 12, Nadia will be 4, and Dawson will be 2. I'm not going to discuss how old that makes me!

My Sabbatical Starts!

I have been smiling for two days. Why, you ask? My sabbatical has started. The school year from hell has ended. My wonderful husband has sent me to Baton Rouge for three days by myself. I've been reading, relaxing, shopping, eating, and shedding the toxicity of the last 9 months.
As each hour goes by, I can physically feel the weight of my stress easing off. I feel like I can breathe, and it is good.
Mom is driving to meet me tomorrow, and we're going shopping for bedding for our new bedrooms.
Oh yeah, another reason for the smile is that David and I are buying our first house! We've already sold our house, and apparently have to be out by June 3 (we're going to stay with my mom and dad until our house is ready)....but I'll worry about that when my minivacation is over.

Brokenhearted

Baylor went to live with his dad for the rest of the school year. We've been having some serious issues with him (he's been passive-aggressively insisting that he go live at his dad's house). He's been there about two weeks, and I've talked to him a couple of times.
I was counting on him having a lot of homework like he did in school here to make him see that the grass isn't greener. Unfortunately, apparently Church Point Middle School doesn't believe in the value of homework because he hasn't had any yet. So his dad and stepmom don't get the joys of spending four and five hours a night making him do homework...
He also has two kids his age in the same house, and a plethora of kids his age in his neighborhood. I can't compete with that either. Maybe it's too early and I'm just being pessimistic, but I have a feeling I'm in for an even rougher emotional road.
I miss him, and I want him to come home.

Life Updates

I turned 37 yesterday. It's really hard for me to accept the fact that I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I don't want to get old.
Nadia was running fever yesterday, so David took off the first half of the day, and I came home to relieve him after I lined up a substitute for school. (My students are so BAD this year that I can't just leave them with any sub. There are only a few subs that can handle them.)
We called the pediatritian for an appointment, and they didn't have any openings until today at 9:45. My child is running fever and complaining of an ear ache and they can't squeeze us in? Ridiculous.
I brought her to the Lourdes after hours clinic, and we find out that she has strep. It had spread to her bloodstream. Nice, huh? She got an injection of penicillin, and within 30 minutes the rash on her body was gone.
I'm staying home with her today, and David's going to take off tomorrow. It'll be nice next year when we won't have to stress about this.
Why is that, you ask? I'm taking a sabbatical next year. I'm going back to school to get certified in library science, and hopefully I'll find a librarian position the next school year. It's already been approved, but won't be officially recognized until the July school board meeting. There has been such a reduction in my stress level since the decision has been made.
Nadia will be in K4 at Lafayette Christian Academy, and I will homeschool Baylor. Hopefully I'll be able to catch him up to grade level so that he can attend Lafayette Christian Academy the next year. I'm going to do the 6th grade Abeka curriculum. We're going to start 5th grade math next week, and hopefully have it finished by the time we start school in August.
Dawson will go to Kasie's again next year (and probably the year after), and then he'll start at LCA as well. It is the plan to have all three of them at the same school eventually!

More kid-isms...copied from our facebook updates!

David: Today at boudin cookoff, there was live music. Great weather with a nice breeze. Nadia says, "Look, Daddy. The trees are dancing!"
October 18

David: Baylor says to me this morning, "Hey, I'm wearing size 14 and they are not even falling off." I'm thinking, "Wow, I'm like 250% bigger than that." Hmmm.
October 14

Gretchen:
Nadia crawled out of her bedroom wrapped in a blanket. I fussed at her and told her to go back to bed. She stood up, and her pajamas were GONE. I asked her to go put her pajamas back on and go to bed. Her face crinkled up and she cried, "But... Momma, I was pretending to be a boy!" (This girl is ALWAYS trying to be like her daddy.)
David's Comment: Gave her g'night kiss, D: I'm going to sleep in my room.N: I want to sleep on floor next to you. D:OK, but I don't think mom's going to let you out of your room. N: I know, you go now & I'll hide under a blanket go later. D: OK, is that going to work? N: Oh yeah! She can't see me under the blanket.Part of me is laughing at cute, clever, and slightly naive 3 yr old, and part of me crying cuz if she is this crafty at 3, what do I have in store down the road???

Gretchen:
I was doing some school work with Baylor, and he was reading aloud to me about how God sent Abraham to Canaan. He looked at me and said, "Hey, isn't that where you went?" I said, "No, I've never been to Canaan." He ...replied, "Mom, aren't you and Granny and Papa from there?" The lightbulb came on...I said, "OH, you mean CANKTON!" Now that is Facebook funny!


Nadia News: It was her turn to pray tonight before supper. Here's the transcript: "Okay, Here I go....God. Thank you for our food. Thank you for our food. Thank you for our family and for Dawson. Thank you for our house, and thank you... for our breakable stuff. Ok God, Amen." When she was done, Baylor looked at me and said, "Mom, that was Facebook funny!" I agreed, so here it is.
October 13, 2009

Gretchen:
has been up since 3:30 am...Dawson started screaming. I gave up on letting him cry it out when I started hearing the other two kids waking up. When I walked in his room, he looked at me and did the sign for more (which is his way of saying he's hungry). After about an hour of eating he went back to sleep, which was just in time for my alarm to start ringing. I'm thinking today is a good day to stop for coffee...
Sept 23

Nadia News: We were watching Golden Girls today (which Nadia calls the Grandmas) and Dorothy was fussing at Sophia. Nadia listened for a little while, and then she turned to me and said, "Mom, that Daddy-Grandma is fussing at that little Grandma."
September 20

Gretchen: is outside Nadia's dance class. she comes out the room and says, "Mom, I want you to leave me like that dad left that other girl."
September 14

Home today with the little kiddos...

Today is fall break. For some reason the school board decided we needed a day off in October. Okay, I'll take it! Tomorrow is parent-teacher conferences, which means I'm going to spend the day tomorrow thanking parents for doing the great job they are doing (because only the parents of the good kids show up generally!)
I enjoyed sleeping until 7 am, and I'm enjoying watching Nadia discover the joys of play-doh. She is having a ball! I'm not sure why I never introduced her to play-doh before. She is so creative, and is making me ladybugs, rainbows, and a carseat. It's precious to watch her little imagination working overtime to come up with new ideas. She did start out with the cookie cutters, but she's branched out on her own now.
Dawson is walking all over the house now. I'd say running is a better description! He still isn't talking much, but he is walking, running, and climbing all over the place. He does say "Momma", "Da-Da", and "Nayia"...So cute!
Baylor went on his first retreat this weekend with the middle and high school kids from Trinity Bible. He had a blast, and is already talking about going to summer camp this summer. There is a mission trip to Alaska, and he wants to look into going on that as well. I can't believe he's old enough to be going on retreats already. David went on the trip as a chaperone...partly because they needed chaperones, and partly because I wasn't quite ready for him to go alone!
We are taking the pictures for this year's Christmas card this afternoon. I've been brainstorming about this for about three months now, and I think what I've come up with is a winner. I'll post pictures later, but for now I don't want to spoil the surprise.
We signed up to attend a parent information meeting at Lafayette Christian Academy in December. Nadia needs to be in school, and she needs some structure. This school comes highly recommended, and is affordable and close to work. I hope it's a good fit for us. (Ideally, we'd send Baylor there as well, and then Dawson when he's older, but we'll see how it goes.)
Baylor is still being homeschooled at Mrs. Elaine's, but I think it's time to put him back in school. We decided when we pulled him out of public school that this was only going to be for a year or two to catch him up. This is his second year there. I've signed him up with a program called www.time4learning.com, which is online lessons in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. I'm having him work on several lessons a day. This is partly to fill in some more gaps in his educational experience, and partly to make being homeschooled a little less attractive so he doesn't fight me on going to school too much next year!
David and I are in the middle of a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Class at church. We are really enjoying it, and especially enjoying the benefits of paying off debt. We are hoping to be in a house this summer, and getting out of this neighborhood!

Birthday Birthday...and a bunch of Nadia funnies transferred from facebook!

Today was Nadia Blair's 3rd birthday, and Dawson Nicholas's 1st birthday. Yes, time flies! We had their birthday party at the Baton Rouge Zoo. The weather was dreary and misty, but temperatures were cool, and we got to see a lot of animals. Overall, we had a very successful day. I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that my little baby is not so little anymore.

Nadia News... N: Can I have some water? D: yeah, baby in a minute. Several minutes later N comes into the living room with 2 cups. N: Momma, do you want some water? Momma: sure baby. N: OK, here is a cup for you to get some water, and when you get so...me water for you, you can put some water in this other cup for me.Read More
Wed at 7:54pm

Daddy: Nadia, finish your broccoli, baby. Nadia: ROAR!!! D: What?!? N(in her dinosaur voice): I'm a dinosaur. D: you're a dinosaur? N: I'm a dinosaur... and dinosaurs don't eat broccoli.
September 7 at 3:40pm

Swimming at an indoor heated pool this morning. When heated water started coming out of the pool jets, I had Nadia come feel the warm water. Her response... "Feels like my leg is in a microwave!"
September 7 at 3:30pm

Last night, she was punished on her knees and immediately had to go potty. When she was told she couldn't get up, she waited until parents were not looking, then kneel-walked down the hall to the bathroom and kneel-walked back. She didn't get off her knees, but she managed to get her way. It was priceless!
September 7 at 4:04pm

Nadia: whine, whine, whine. Daddy: Nana!, dry it up...quiet pause. N: the cries are coming. D: you have to tell those cries to go away. you are the boss and not them. N: (full authority in voice) CRIES, YOU GET OUT OF HERE AND GO OUTSIDE OR I AM GOING TO SPANK YOU. DO YOU HEAR ME? ... long quiet pause. N: (as a matter of fact) Well, Daddy, I guess it didn't work. I still feel them coming.
August 31

End of supper: Gretchen,"OK David time for invoices." Nadia,"Momma, I have to do my invoices, too." then runs to her toddler laptop and "gets to work". Momma,"time for bed." Nadia,"BUT MOM, I am not finished my invoices yet!"
August 6

Checkers combos for supper tonight Start of supper: "Daddy, can I pray?" asks Nadia. "Sure, baby". Nadia,"Dear Jesus, we really love you. Thank you for good family, good food, paper, and these really big cups of drink. Amen"
August 6

Sundays

I love Sundays. We start off Sunday with church. Then it's home for lunch and visiting, followed by an afternoon nap. It's important to have some down time, and Sunday seems to be our day for it.

Baylor had his friend Vaughn spend the weekend this weekend. I'm glad he's been able to maintain this friendship since he no longer goes to public school. The kind of take turns spending time at each other's house. Baylor is 11 years old now. That hardly seems possible. I know it is, but when I look at how much my life has changed since he was born it kind of overwhelms me.

Nadia is a little stinker. She is so independent, and fights us on everything. It's such a challenge, but it's also such a joy. She is so strong emotionally that we are going to never have to worry about some guy taking advantage of her. She would hurt that poor dude~

Dawson is walking. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. He and Nadia have a birthday in two weeks. He has really been growing a lot in the last few months. He's starting to sing and hum, but not much talking.

Nadia is starting dance lessons!

Yes, that's right! I found a Christian dance school in Scott, and little Miss Nadia will be starting ballet and tap in August. She is so pumped because she'll be doing ballet like Angelina Ballerina on PBS. The school does a dance review every other year, and this is a dance review year.
I mentioned to her that she was going to take dance lessons and learn ballet and tap. She got so excited. She started running around the house screaming, "Woo Hoo, I get to wear a tattoo! I get to wear a tattoo!"
It took me a minute to realize she meant tu-tu! It was so cute.
Dawson is crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. Last night we had the suitcase from our weekend trip to New Orleans/Baton Rouge in front of the couch. He climbed up on top of the suitcase, and then climbed from the suitcase onto the couch. He was so proud of himself.
This past weekend we went to New Orleans on Saturday for Marissa's 1st birthday party. It was so hot, but we had a good time. It was at the park, and there was a really nice play area (if you ignored the homeless guy sleeping on the stage!). Then we drove to Baton Rouge to spend the night in a hotel. We spent the evening swimming in the pool. We got some Cici's Pizza, and ate in our hotel room. It was very relaxing, and some good family time.
We got up Sunday morning and drove to the Baton Rouge Zoo. It was nice. Dee Ann, Mark, Marissa, and David's parents came too, and we spent the day. We rode the train and the tram, and ate lunch in the outdoor cafe. I was pretty thankful for the double stroller!
I'm thinking about having Nadia and Dawson's birthday party at the Baton Rouge Zoo instead of the zoo here. The party package is much better, and it's the same cost. Plus, the zoo is much bigger. I have a couple of more months to decide, but as of today, their party will be in Baton Rouge.
Baylor is thinking he wants to have his party at the Rock Haus with just two or three of his friends. I can't believe he is about to be 11. How did that happen?

Why do I get writer's block?

Seriously, everytime I have a minute or two to update my blog my mind goes blank. I think several times a day about something I need to blog about, but when I'm blogging....nothing!
David is working hard right now putting the straps back into Nadia's carseat. We had to remove the cover to wash it in the washing maching. Apparently she had an accident in her car seat that I didn't notice until the scent of old urine hit me in the face when I opened the car the next day. Wow, what a potent smell.
Baylor is at his dad's again, and has been there for almost a week. I think he may be coming home tomorrow. Nadia has been asking to go pick up her Frere. She's lonesome for him too.
I've been home yesterday and today with Nadia and Dawson. It's been nice to just stay home and do nothing. (Well, as close to nothing as possible with 2 little ones on the loose!). Dawson follows me around the house crying all day. The ONLY time he isn't crying is if I'm carrying him. I give him formula during the day so that I don't have to readjust my milk supply when school starts, and he doesn't really like it. I think that may explain some of the whining.
Nadia found a new way to dry Penelope today. She called me into the bathroom, and was very proud of herself. She was standing over the floor vents drying her Penelope. If this paragraph doesn't make sense to you, or doesn't seem that funny, then you need this important piece of information: Nadia calls her private parts "Penelope". Now read what happened again and laugh.
It's almost midnight, and I'm going to bed. Dawson hasn't slept past 7 am yet this summer!

Finally: An Update

I haven't updated this blog in a while. I rarely have two hands available anymore, and it's really easier to type with both hands.
School finally ended this year, and I've really been relaxing and enjoying my summer. We've been spending time at the pool, hanging out at home, and just taking it easy.
Baylor has to do about a week and a half of summer school, I have a week of training in Baton Rouge in July, and a 3 hour Poverty Presentation in August when school starts, so I want some time to just do nothing. Last summer I overbooked Baylor, and then had to spend hours each day in the van bringing him from one place to another. It was not fun or relaxing.
Baylor spent a week at his dad's house, so he's only been home for a week since school let out. He bugs me daily to go swimming. I guess I'll have to figure out a way to make that happen. It's just so hard with the little ones. He's been playing video games and sleeping late. I'm making him read some, and he's not happy about that at all. My parents came over and planted some seeds/plants with him in our yard, so he enjoys going outside to water and take care of them.
Nadia is as rambunctous as ever. She is a full time job. Seriously. The girl is fearless and tireless. I can't imagine what she's going to be like when she's older when she's such a handful already. We will have our work cut out for us. She's also extremely funny. Today we were riding in the van and Baylor was saying that his room still wasn't clean. Nadia piped up, "Well My room is clean." (I cleaned it for her yesterday!)...Then, as if she realized that she was making him feel bad, she said, "But, my room IS a little bit smaller than yours." It was cute.
Dawson is crawling, rolling, and pulling up on everything. He has two bottom teeth that came out last week. He has a big, bright smile that lights up when he sees his Momma. Yes, we have a Momma's boy.
We are going on a little mini vacation in July to Houston. I think it'll be nice to get away for a few days and do some fun stuff as a family. We'll be going to the Children's Museum, the zoo, the jAquarium, and a few other family friends places. Plus, we'll be sleeping at Nanny Nola's house and hanging out in her pool in the afternoons. Ah, the joys of vacation time!
We sold some of our baby stuff today. After the fact David tells me that he's sad about getting rid of it because it seems to be officially saying that we are done having kids. Honestly, I am spread about as thin as I can handle, especially while still working full time. If I happen to get pregnant again, we can buy more stuff. Meanwhile, our house has a few less large items in it, and we have a few more dollars in our pockets! We could have made more if we'd have sold the items ourselves, but I just wasn't in the mood for the hassle.
I can't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer to update some pictures. As soon as I do, I have a lot of pictures to post!

Dawson is now mobile!

Here's the video to prove it!

24 days

That's all we have left of this school year. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
We're trying something new at our house. Dawson is asleep right now in the pack and play in our living room. I think the sounds of me tossing and turning were waking him up. Then, he'd sit up in his bed and peek through the bars with his cute little head and SCREAM his bloody head off until his Momma would pick him up. Of course he was not going to cry himself to while he was LOOKING at me.
We started our experiment last night, and he only woke up once at about 3:40 am. Maybe tonight he'll sleep through the night. Maybe tonight Nadia won't wake up and join us in the middle of the night. (That happens almost everynight, but I'm not even fighting that battle until my 24 day sentence is up.) This summer I'll get up and put her back into her bed everytime she gets up. Right now, I'd rather sleep.
I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook finding old friends and current ones. It's been so much fun reconnecting with high school people. We're even talking about planning a band reunion for sometime this summer. I hope it works out!
Nadia has been trying her hand at knock-knock jokes. Unfortunately, she really doesn't understand the concept. Here's her attempt today:
N: "Momma....Knock Knock"
Me: "Who's there?"
N: "Me!"
That girl is a laugh a minute. Really.
I've been reading the Twilight books, and quite honestly, even though I'm not a teenaged girl, I'm hooked. I read the first one in less than 10 hours, I read the 2nd one in about the same amount of time, and I'm anxiously awaiting my turn with the third one from the library or one of my students. If I don't find out soon what happens to Bella and Edward I'm going to lose it.
I wish I could come up with some brilliant idea for a book.
Dawson made an important announcement today. He's been babbling lots of sounds lately, but today he put two very important ones together: "Da Da" I actually got it on the video camera on my phone, so I'll be posting it here soon. He's sitting up really well, and will be crawling around and talking before we know it. He has changed so much since his birth. He actually has blond hair to go with those big blue eyes. His hair was black when he was born. I was so excited that I finally had a child who looked like me, and his hair all fell out! I thought brown was the dominant color???
I had an appointment after school today, and I was running so late that Baylor missed his tae kwon do class tonight. He was sad about it, and I feel really bad. We'll definitely make it next week. His teacher told him today that he was to have a certain amount of work done by the time May is over, or he will have to do some summer school with her. I'm pretty sure that was the extra incentive he needed to bust his butt to get his work finished. I'm anxious about his iLeap scores. I am so hoping that he did well. He says that he thinks he did okay on them.
I talked to an old band friend today, and he had the idea of maybe trying to get the band people together for a band reunion this summer. I am "friends" with about 25 former band members on facebook, and I have phone numbers for about five or six more.
Well, the kiddos are asleep, and I'm going to try to join them. Hopefully I'll get four or five hours of sleep in a row.

A few photos...

Dawson and Kiki at church. Dawson is wearing an outfit that was Baylor's when he was a baby.
Nadia with all her eggs at the zoo's Easter egg hunt

Nadia on the search for more eggs
Daddy with Nadia and Dawson at the zoo. We love our stroller.

Dawson in his new jumperoo. He loves the one at church, so we bought one for our house. Of course, he doesn't like it as much. So much for peace and quiet!

Don't bring a toddler to a Weight Watcher's meeting....seriously!

David has been working like crazy for days now, so I had to bring Nadia and Dawson with me to my weight watcher's meeting tonight. I knew she couldn't be quiet or still enough to stay for the whole meeting, so I had planned from the beginning to just go weigh in and leave.
In the 4 minutes we were there she managed to really embarrass me.
First of all, she notices a man standing against the wall, and while pointing at him says really loudly, "Momma, that man has a big, fat belly!" I grabbed her arm as quickly as I could and practically ran to the weigh-in line. While in line, she charming everyone asking them their favorite color and stuff, when she looks at me and announces to the room that she needs to poo-poo. Immediately afterwards she lets out the loudest and longest fart I've ever heard from a human being (including my brothers when we were growing up). She laughs and says, "I farted!"
The lady in front of us says, "That's okay, baby, we all do it."
I was mortified. I realized in the moment that it was a funny story, and I even chuckled on the way to the van, but I was still embarrassed.
Needless to say, we definitely headed straight for the van without staying for the meeting. If David ever has to work on a Thursday night again I'll just skip the meeting.
I lost 2.8 lbs...for a total of 22.8! Go me!

Baylor started Tae Kwon Do

Tonight was his first class. He seemed to really enjoy it, and his teacher seems like he knows what he's doing. (I, on the other hand, have no idea what it's supposed to be like!) He's been asking for about two years to take some sort of martial arts, and I just couldn't find any place that was astronomically high in the financial area. I discovered recently that UL has a Youth Tae Kwon Do class at Bourgeois Hall, and I signed him up today. He was so cute. He was a nervous wreck on the way to the class. It's only once a week, so I figure it's a great way to see if he really likes it before we look into a "real" class.
Pray for him this week. He starts his iLeap test tomorrow, and doesn't finish until Tuesday. I think he'll do okay. I'm hoping to see some radical improvement in his reading ability since last year. Well, radical isn't the right word. I'm hoping for any improvement. Ms. Elaine says he's really doing well with her, so we'll see!