More Snow Days!

I would not have believed anyone who told me that by Feb. 9, we would have taken 4 snow days so far this school year! But, here we are, at home again! It is getting to the point where us teachers, who usually enjoy a good snow day, are ready for Spring. We live so far south that we have no built-in snow days in our calendar. That means we will be adding almost a whole week on at the end of May:(
I posted about our first snow day (Jan. 10th), which actually turned into 2 days as we were out that Tuesday as well. The 3rd snow day happened on Feb. 4, to our surprise. We woke up to a slightly snow-covered lawn but assumed we would go to school. Apparently not all of the roads were as clear as our own because they did cancel. We were excited about going out to play again when it started raining and ruined the snow before we could play in it:( So, we spent the day inside, starting our weekend a day early. One of the good things about the snow days is that Madeline and Will have really been playing so well together. That Friday, I was doing some housework in our bedroom and Nathan was on his computer. We noticed that we had not heard from the kids and went to the living room to see what they were up to. This is what we found:

Madeline wanted to fix someones hair and Will went right along with it. He thought he was pretty funny too!
Now, less than a week later, we have had our 4th snow day! We were told yesterday that they might cancel school even before anything fell, and they really did. It started sleeting around 8:00. We were afraid that we might not get much snow, like the last 2 times. So, as soon as some flakes started falling, we ran outside to check it out. Madeline caught a few flakes on her gloves.
Will was so excited to feel the snow!
Then, they wanted to catch snow on their tongues:

Finally, around 3:00, we had enough accumulation to go play outside. Here is the view down our street.
It is amazing just how much fell in a few hours.
This is the best snow Will has ever gotten to play with. He was amazed by it on his gloves:)
The snow was pretty dry and did not pack very well. But, we were determined to build a snowman this time, no matter how tiny it was:)
I hope everyone else enjoyed their snow day too. Our whole state got quite a bit of snow. We are now just waiting to see if we will go to school tomorrow. I think I am ready for Spring now!

Another Sick Day

I guess my title makes it sound like I have taken a lot of sick days this year, but that is not really true when I compare this year to last. I think I took 9 days last year and have only taken 3 so far this year. I hope I haven't jinxed myself by saying that:) Sick days are hard for a teacher because there is so much to do to prepare for a substitute.
Anyway, Madeline was sick for 2 days this week and I stayed home the second day. Nathan and I try to trade off so that neither of our classes is left with a substitute more than one day at a time. Even though I hated that Madeline was sick, I truly enjoyed my day at home. Luckily, she started feeling much better by about noon and was able to have fun herself. At one point, she came out of her room, got down the play dough, and entertained herself for a good 45 min. That was my first sign she was all better:)
I enjoyed getting caught up on laundry!

When she got bored with the play dough, she wanted to get down a Hello Kitty scrapbook set a friend had given her for her birthday. I had been saving it for a day that she needed something new and fun, and this seemed like a perfect time. At first, I was going to sit down and help her do each page, but then I realized that she really wanted to do it herself. So, I gave her a few pictures, showed her the basic way to set up a page, and let her go to town. It totally made her day! She was so proud of her pages and so was I. She even spelled out titles with stickers all on her own! I'm so glad I decided to let go and let her be more independent with it.
We sent Will to preschool that day but it was so nice to pick him up at noon instead of him staying for day care. He was very happy and spent lots of time playing. He loves to get his trains all set up and then lay down when he plays so that he can see the action close-up.
He sure loves these adventures and plays contentedly for a long time:)
Madeline was glad to be all well and go back to school the next day. It was just in time as she was invited to 2 different birthday parties this weekend! We have had a busy and fun Saturday and are looking forward to a restful Sunday! I can't wait to be a SAHM next school year. I hope to have many pleasant days at home without having a sick child to make it possible:)

Yay! A Snow Day!

We have been excited all week because we had a chance of winter weather on Sunday. You see, we live in South Arkansas and very rarely see any winter precipitation. So, on Sunday morning, as we were getting ready for church, we heard the tapping of sleet hitting our windows. The kids were so excited! We were supposed to get a lot of snow too, but, as you can see in these pictures, we mostly got ice. Still, it was a pretty scene the next morning, especially because school got canceled! Here is the view across the street:
Here is our house:
The kids couldn't wait to get out and play. They kept asking if they could build a snowman but we had to explain that the ice and small amount of snow would not make that possible:( The first thing Madeline did was to scoop some up and taste it!
Will didn't know what to think and at first was very cautious about walking around on the crunchy ground.
Madeline was thrilled and wasn't cautious at all!
There were quite a few icicles around, especially on my van and the plants.
Here is Nathan checking out the frozen street. We sure are glad they canceled school because I would not have wanted to drive on this!
Will kept picking up handfuls of the snow/ice and throwing it:)
He decided this was a lot of fun!
Madeline had broken off and icicle and was checking it out.
Since we live so far south, we feel no need to invest in a sled, especially when a trash can lid will do the trick!

I love this shot of Will. We were worried that the sliding might scare him, but he loved it!
As expected, our more daring child had so much fun in icy driveway!
I am so glad we decided to go out early today because there were already signs of thawing. This doesn't surprise me because it got up to 52 degrees on Saturday and I'm sure the ground is not as cold as the below freezing temps we are having. I still can't believe we had almost continuous precipitation all day Sunday! We plan to stay in and enjoy the extra day at home, a real bonus in a 2 teacher family! I assume we will be back to school tomorrow. I hope everyone else enjoys their winter weather!

2010 in Review

Well, as usual, I have gotten very behind on my blogging. That is because our fall and winter 2010 have been so busy! So, as I did last year, I will just catch up with a 2010 recap, starting where I left off at the beginning of August.

On August 19, the whole family began a new school year. Nathan went off to teach 8th grade English for the 4th year and I started teaching Kindergarten for the first time.
Will began another year at his preschool by moving up to the "older 2's" room. He was excited to have a new backpack and lunchbox! He has transitioned well and is learning a lot. He is also now fully potty trained with the exception of night time.
Madeline reached a huge milestone by starting kindergarten this year! I really can't believe she is already in big school. She was nervous and excited all at the same time and Mommy and Daddy were a little teary. Her Nana offered to walk her in for her first day as I had a group of my own kindergarten students to greet.

Madeline was very excited to see so many of her friends from preschool! Here she is with her friend Miriam. She had a great first day and really loves school. Her grades are good and she is really reading well already!
On the night of the 1st day of school, just as I was collapsing into bed, we got our first foster care placement call. So, very late that night, we took in a 4 month old baby boy. It turned out to be an unexpectedly emergency over-night placement, so we didn't get a picture of him.
One week later, we got our next call, this time for a 4 month old baby girl. We thought she would be here to stay for a while, but she ended up leaving after one week. We were so sad to see her go but enjoyed the time we had with her.
One week later, we were asked to take a newborn baby boy. We knew this one would only be temporary, as he really needed a placement with one stay-at-home parent. We took care of him for 2 weeks and Madeline really enjoyed having a baby that was so easy to hold!
During that time in September, our precious girl turned 6 years old. She was most excited to have her name announced on the school intercom as they do for all students on their birthdays!
She had a fun day at school and even brought Popsicles for her class to share as a birthday treat. Here she is with her favorite gift, Bitty Twins from her Nana and Paw-paw. Later that weekend, she had a joint party with her best friend, Haley, at an indoor swimming pool with all of her friends from school. It was a blast!
At the end of September, we got our 4th foster placement. A 9 month old baby boy. He stayed with us for one month before going to live with another family member. At this point, he is the last placement we have taken. After 4 very quick placements, we realized that being foster parents was too much for us with 2 young kids and 2 jobs. We plan to continue again when I stop teaching after this school year. We have really worked the Dave Ramsey plan and are finally ready to take the one-income plunge. I am excited at what the future will bring to our family!
Both kids really enjoyed Halloween this year. Madeline knew right away that she wanted to be a black cat and Will got great use out of the costumes he got for his birthday!
Some friends invited us to join them on a trick-or-treating hay-ride and the kids had such a good time with their friends. Here is Madeline checking out Miriam's costume.
Will was excited to ride with his friend, Clara Beth.
Sadly, I did not take any picture of Thanksgiving. We spent the holiday with Nathan's family and it was wonderful!
Finally, we celebrated Christmas! We had a great time setting up the decorations and buying gifts for children on the Angel Tree. Now that my parents have moved so far away, we were on our own this year. So, we had a nice small family Christmas. Here are Madeline and Will all dressed and ready for Christmas Eve mass.
Madeline insisted on a funny face picture and this is what I got. Will does this a lot when he gets overcome with shyness.
Nathan took over my dad's tradition of reading "The Night Before Christmas" before the kids went to bed.
Then, in the morning, the kids were so excited to see what Santa brought!
Here are Will's gifts.
Here are Madeline's:
The bikes were a big hit and they had to try them out right away! We later exchanged Will's helmet for a bigger one:)

After a few turns, they were ready to open some more presents. As always, our family gave them so many thoughtful and fun gifts. Here is Will in his latest dress up outfit, a Disney race car driver outfit!

We always celebrate with Nathan's family the weekend after Christmas and were able to also do a dual New Year's Eve celebration. As usual, I forgot to take any pictures as I enjoyed all the fun!
Happy New Year to everyone! It was pretty eventful for us and I am excited about the coming changes for our family. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2011!!!

Will is 3!!!

I am having to play catch up a little because I have been so busy enjoying the last of my summer vacation and getting my classroom ready for the start of the school.
So, first, I have some news regarding this precious little boy! He turned 3 on July 27. This is him when he first woke up. We had planned to give him his present from us in the morning because it was something he has waited for and wanted for a long time.

He loves Toy Story but most especially, Buzz Lightyear. He has a small Buzz action figure but has wanted "the real Buzz" for some time. He was so excited when he opened his gift and found him in there. He had to check out all of Buzz's gear and try all the buttons. This toy provided so much fun all day!
We usually have a big 1st birthday party for our kids but then wait until they turn 4 to have a big friend party. We opt for simple parties at home with family instead. So, later that night Nana, Paw-paw, Uncle John, and Aunt Lindsey came over to watch Will open his presents and enjoy some cupcakes. Of course this big sister was in on all the action too!
Last year, we had a hard time getting Will to want to open his presents or look at his cards, but this year, he was great about it. I can't believe there is a rare picture of me posted on this blog:)

Uncle John and Aunt Lindsey got him the "real Woody" to go with his Buzz. You can see he felt a lot of joy about this:) Look at that sweet dimple!
He also got several books that he loves so much, one must go to bed with him every night!
Let me preface this picture with the fact that Will loves to play dress up. But, with an older sister, most of our dress up things are very girly. He doesn't really mind but, this year, Nana and Paw-paw decided to fix the problem by getting him his very own Buzz Lightyear costume! The wings even light up!
Uncle Robbie and Aunt Gina thought that was a great idea and added a Woody costume to the mix!
Madeline is never one to turn down a good dress up session, so she joined in right away!
His Granny Henry added to the Toy Story gift theme by getting him the first 2 movies on DVD. Up to this point, he had been watching an old VHS version that Nathan had from college:)



Now that Will can have eggs, it was a little easier to make his cupcakes this year. They still had to be dairy free, but it was much easier. I went with chocolate cupcakes and decorated them with Toy Story characters and a few number 3's. Will looked impressed:)
He was very focused on that lit candle!
With a little help from Daddy, he blew it out. I hope all his wishes come true!
I would say that these pictures prove the cupcakes were a success!

Will, the past 3 years with you have been a joy and a blessing! God knew we needed a little boy just like you!
This year you have really developed a voice of your own. You are still pretty laid back and calm but speak up when you really need to. You went from talking very little when you turned 2 to speaking in full sentences now! You had a good year of 2 year old preschool and started really making some friends. You are so content to just play with any toy put in front of you but really love any car, truck, or action figure. You can sit for a long time just looking at books and talking about the pictures and love being read to anytime. You have a sweet nurturing side but can also be a rough and tough boy when you are in the mood:) This summer you have really enjoyed playing in the water and digging in the dirt. You have become a pickier eater but are willing to try a few bites of almost anything, especially if a dessert it waiting:) You are starting to try to identify shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. You know and like to recite or sing a couple of songs and prayers. You decided during this year that you don't really like or need a nap but are willing to quietly lay and read books during rest time. You are an amazing sleeper at night and even play quietly in your room if you wake up before Mommy and Daddy.
I love my little boy with all of my heart! You are so different from your sister and I love that! It is such an adventure watching you both grow in your own ways:) I can't wait to see how you change and grow this next year!