Surprise, surprise!

No, there is not any major news in our home but I'm sure it was a great surprise to my followers to see that I have finally updated my blog after many, many months. In my defense, my card reader quit, then my hard drive on my computer crashed, and finally, my special camera battery stopped charging up! It has not been a good few months in technology around our home:( We are currently working on Dave Ramsey's plan to get completely debt free so we are following a strict budget. It is going pretty well but with the holidays coming, there is not room in the budget to replace everything yet. Oh well, I will get caught up eventually. Luckily, my dad is good about taking pictures at all the family gatherings, so I will try to get to their house and upload some pictures when I get a chance.

So, here is an update on all of us for those who haven't' completely given up on reading my blog:

Nathan and I are very busy at work but having good years. He has 2 extended classes, which means he gets 1 1/2 hours with those kids instead of the usually 50 min. He likes getting to do more in depth work with them. He is still doing a great job of being a mentor to boys in the school's Gentlemen's Club. He has now taken charge and is doing wonderfully teaching these boys good behaviors and manners. I have a very smart group of kids who have wonderful and involved parents. It is so nice to know they will continue the work we do in class at home. Their children's performance shows their hard work! I have not always been so lucky in my teaching career to have so much support from parents.

Madeline is in her last year of preschool and is loving it. She is a very social little girl and loves being with her friends. She is learning to read and has really come far in her handwriting. She is also taking dance and gymnastics and is doing very well. She turned 5 on September 22, the same day she came down with the dreaded H1N1 virus. She gave it to Will as well but Nathan and I managed not to get it. Luckily, she got better in time for her birthday party that Saturday. I still can't believe I have a 5 year old who will be starting kindergarten next year!

Will has been growing and changing rapidly. He had a bit of a tough transition back to school but he got into a routine pretty quickly and now loves to go and see his friends and teachers. He is a homebody at heart but I am glad he has the opportunity to be social while he is at school. He is really starting to talk a lot. For some reason, he loves to say, "chicken samich" and "chicken spice." He is using more sentences and communicating more clearly everyday. He is still very sweet and affectionate. Unfortunately, he had his first emergency room trip last Friday after hitting the bricks on our hearth with his head. Maddie was trying to pick him up and they fell backwards. He split his forehead and had to have 3 stitches. Luckily, his Uncle Robbie the pediatrician, was in town for Thanksgiving and took his stitches out for him. It healed nicely and I don't think the scar will be too bad.

Well, that's all I have for now. I will work on pictures when I get a moment. Thanks for your patience everyone:)