He's 6!

Jaron turned 6 yesterday!~ I can't believe my baby is so old.! We had a great birthday! We had a party at Grandma's and then partied some more with Daddy at home! A great day with fun presents! Jaron got a Swampfire action figure from one of his favorite cartoons...Ben 10
Daddy bought Jaron a guitar, drum, harmonica, and tamborine!
2 new books!
Grandma made a Spiderman Cake!
My baby is 6 years old!

Halloween Fun

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

It's a busy time of year

I love fall...but we are so busy. We have many different events that are keeping us so busy.

We have school events, church events and then trying to get a few last things in as a family before the weather turns really cold. It's nuts! Add into the mix the last minute stuff like the van repairs and crazy kids and it feels like we are running in 5 diffferent directions at all times. I was so tired last night that I just crashed after getting home from the Fall Festival at my school. It was fun but boy I am tired today...on today's agenda...go pick up the van and maybe carve pumpkins this afternoon while starting Jaron's birthday celebrations!

Another chunk of change...

So Dan called last night and tells me that the van died...the serpentine belt fell off. We got it towed to a mechanic and not only does the belt need to be replaced but the tensioner is loose...so it would cost about 283 to fix it...we can handle that! So I have them make the repairs...and tell me it'll be done tonight. We go to pick it up and low and behold the power steering pump also needs to be replaced since its what's causing the belt to slip and come off too...so that'll be an extra 317 and now it won't be ready until tomorrow...it makes me stressed!

5 things I love about Fall...

1. Cozy jammies, hot chocolate with reddi whip and lazy afternoons....

2. Sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts and cozy socks on chilly days

3. Pumpkin patch trips with the kiddos!

4. Raking the leaves and jumping into them...

5. Being able to bake yummy goodies that make your kitchen too hot in the summertime!

Family Fun Scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Family Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

This being a most beautiful weekend here in the Midwest we decided to spend the afternoon at the local pumpkin patch! We could not have asked for a more gorgeous day! We had lots of fun!

Jaron with the sun in his eye!

Jaron picks out a cute little pumpkin

Following Daddy across the pumpkin patch!

Hurry Mom, the suns in my eyes!

Some of our little pumpkins

I fell in a hole!

Sliding through the straw!

The Pumpkin Popper--launches pumpkins at high speeds!

Pumpkin flying through the air!

Dan and the kiddos watching

Janea is so cool!

Jaron going through a hay maze!
Riding a big rig!

Milking a cow!(pretend cow)

See I was there too!

Fall Field Trip

We took the students from school to a local pumpkin patch for some Fall Fun! Here are some pictures of the beautiful day we got to enjoy! It was a lot of fun...as a teacher I am unable to post the pictures of the kids without parental permission so here is some scenary pictures. We had a great day!

Hooray

The phone rang off the hook today...I hate that!

Good News...the furnace is going to be looked at tomorrow!

My mom and dad came over for dinner! It was really nice to see them and enjoy a nice meal. I made turkey, stuffing and potatoes and green beans!

Good night of Awana...both kids passed their sections and did a good job!~ Jaron absolutely went nuts at Game Time.

BZZZ..

That's what we hear when we turn on our furnace. BZZZZZZZZZZZ in this loud obnoxious sound that is headache inducing...the only problem is its getting colder and the house is colder and I can't stand the noise so I am not turning it on and it's kinda cold.! I really hope that we can get it looked at in the near future...we were supposed to do a test for our community and report any problems so I let them know and I hope that it gets looked at in the next couple days! In the meantime...warm blankets, socks and comfy clothes will help us stay warm!

Fair???

I give Dan credit...he stepped up took the day off and watched the kiddos today since they did not have school. Plus he has been working some incredibly long hours..50-54 hour weeks...that'll wear you out. Well, he got sleep today, didn't do a whole lot, and he's resting again...whereas I worked an 8 hour day and then cooked dinner when I got home and I am doing laundry...so I'm asking the question...is this fair??? I don't want to complain but sometimes it's harder at night when he's home for the day then if he had just gone to work! I'm tired so I think I will be going to bed earlier tonight! I do appreciate him watching the kiddos, they hadn't broken anything and everyone was happy tonight when I got home so it's not all bad...I'm just jealous!

Saturday Fun

We took the kids to the local pumpkin festival this weekend. We toured all the different booths, played a few games, ate some food, had a good time but spent more than we like but its hard to say no to everything and food is over priced for what you get. All in all a fun day. The kiddos won some prizes, and had fun so I guess that's all that really matters.

Before and After...

Since I didn't have to work today I spent the day cleaning house and I went out and got my hair cut~! I also got a few new fall decorations

So here is my hair before...

And my messy Kitchen table before...
Here's me and my snazzy shorter 'do!
and my festive fall Kitchen table!



I bought Smarties for the kiddos since they both like them!

Thursday...or Friday?

It's technically Thursday but since I don't have to work tomorrow it's really my Friday! YEAH!

The kiddos and I decided to celebrate(and since tomorrow is payday) and go get McDonalds for dinner! We also had to run a couple of errands and rolled all those into one.

Tomorrow I am cleaning house and going and getting my hair cut! Yeah for a day off! I like my job and class but a day off is always appreciated!

Today is finally over

Our sweet morning turned into a chaotic evening and I am glad to get to go to bed and relax!

Awana was good tonight and Jaron passed a section. Janea had to buy a new AWANA book since we can't find it anywhere. She had to pay for half of it with her own money. Hopefully she will take better care of this one. Goal for next week...finish Discovery 2!

Words for Wednesday

This morning it was cold in the house and Jaron woke up really early. Dan was home from working a 12 hour shift and unwinding watching TV in the recliner and Jaron decided he needed some good ol daddy time. So I came out this morning to find them sitting in the recliner, watching TV and under a blanket...such a sweet picture but my camera was not available this morning and I missed the shot...gotta love cold mornings and warm blankets!

Totally Tuesday

It's been better than Monday still rather hairy!

Thank the Lord that my co teacher was back today...made the day go a whole lot better but we had a major weather change that wreaked havoc on the classroom!

I love going through my thick socks and pulling out my fall wardrobe...clothes I haven't worn for months are much more appealing than tank tops, shorts and my hot weather clothes! I know I will be tired of them in 3 more months but right now I am ready for the change!

Good News Club for the kiddos today! I got an extra few minutes all to myself...bliss!

It's definitely Monday!

It's been a crazy day! Here's a run down of the craziness:

*Overslept, on a cold morning!~

* Go to pack Jaron's lunch--can't find his lunchbox!

*Pack lunches, put Jaron,s in a gray bag--he freaks out!

* Jaron refuses to leave house without his lunch box...have to physically help him on the bus!

* Leave for work and call the school to talk to Jaron's teacher...find out lunch box is at school on his desk!

* Get to my work, my co-teacher is sick today and I am on my own, the closet and desk are locked...no lesson plan, no copies nothing. No big deal normally, but I usually just assist, not run things, and I am still adjusting to a new place where I am not the lead teacher... our challenging kids decide to be a little more challenging since things are different!

*Make it through morning, and nap and get things done then told can leave early....get busy forget to leave...stay til 3:25 Find myself already clocked out at work. Not sure how that will effect my pay check but I don't really care anymore!

So that's a little bit of the craziness...Iam so thankful to be home and relaxing! A good nights sleep will make everything feel better! Good news, Jaron brought home his lunch bag! YEAH! Tomorrow should be a better day...and I am completely planned for tomorrow in case my co-teacher is still sick!

"Magic" Bean Soup

Dan made Ham and 15 bean soup. In order to get Jaron to try it we told him it was Magic bean soup and that he could make wishes about his birthday with it. He was very excited to try this new "Magic" bean soup. The plate and bowl of soup and chips

Jaron is so excited to try it!


The first bite

He's tasting, contemplating the flavor!~

Keeps on eating...we think he likes it!

My house needs a bath

It's dirty...unorganized and needs a good cleaning...

I'll post pictures of my handiwork if I get around to it!

In a nutshell

I am feeling overwhelmed at the moment. I am slightly stressed and upset. I am feeling like the world is in the process of righting itself after being topsy-turvy for a long time. It's not a bad feeling nor a good feeling but it is a different feeling. I am adjusting to finding my place in the classroom where I am not stepping on the lead teachers toes. I am adjusting to my new work schedule and the rushing that I now do in the mornings and getting home from work. I am adjusting to finding time to clean house and developing strategies to keep it from becoming a chaos situation. I am trusting God to meet our needs until the two paychecks become a regular occurance. I am struggling with not seeing my husband every day and having to do all our communicating by phone or email again. I am adjusting to being a good mom and not knowing every little thing that happens at school and having to trust that the teachers are dealing with things in an appropriate manner. I am so glad that life is once again becoming what it needs to be, I am working on making it the best it can be and enjoying the place that we are in our life right now.

One day later

Yesterday-- Janea and I spent about an hour together working on the next sections in her T&T book for Awana Tonight. She was ready, worked hard, the works. Tonight we are getting ready to go to AWANA and she can't find the book--15 minutes later we still haven't found the book...now we are going to be late...not a huge problem except I am the Sparks director and I run the club and I'm now late! I hate being late! We still haven't found it, left without it, and she still said all the sections tonight....they made her copies...I was ready to hit something!

So tomorrow she gets to find the book...hopefully once the stress is gone it will be easily found! I'm hopeful!

Kids say the Darndest Things...

I was laughing out loud today at work...

My co-teacher was dipping her snack of pretzals in a cup full of all the extra salt that is in the bag and one of our students asked her why she was dipping her pretzels in glitter...before she could answer him he said so matter a factly " We don't eat glitter...glitter is not a food."

Gotta Love the concrete thinking of kiddos~!

Creating A New Normal

We are trying to create a new normal. We had a normal day that was going on this summer and it worked. We had a normal when I wasn't working and that too worked. Now we are developing a new normal. One where mommy is working again, the kids are in school and we are all adjusting to our schedules. I think its getting better, it still needs work but we are working together to get it adjusted!

Sin's little curse

There are days I wish I could go back in time and yell at Eve from the Bible! I would yell at her for eating that forbidden fruit and causing all women for the rest of all time to have problems that are strictly for women. God added to the pain of childbirth and other women centric issues because of her sin. I know that God made our bodies to work perfectly and to glorify Him. I also love all the complex systems and workings of the body...I don't like the things that have come with sin....all the many problems that women get the challenge of facing...these are things that have come with us falling away from God and His perfectness and I really don't like them. I love God for His faithfulness and I appreciate all that He has given us but I do wish that we could have stopped Adam and Eve and their sinning so that we could live in a Perfect World...makes me wish for HEAVEN all the more!

Randomness

My blogging friend Kati tagged me to post 6 random things about myself. Then I am supposed to tag 6 more people...however, I am not sure exactly how many people read my blog but if you are reading this I tag...you!

1. I like to eat carrots and mustard together...I think it makes carrots more palatable! Raw carrots, I don't touch cooked!

2. I can eat half an apple in one bite! It really hurts my jaw but I can do it!

3. I have a thing for initials and I was scared that I would marry a man whose last name began with the letters f, k, m, and i..then I would have the initials that spelt the words eli, elk, elm, and elf....scary thought!

4. My husband thinks I enjoy torturing him by leaving my shoes in bad place and subconsiously I think I secretly do!(Don't tell him)

5. I really enjoy reading both Star Wars and Star Trek books...I am a total sci-fi geek!

6. I really like names that start with the letter J...I had 30 teddy bears as a kid and each and everyone of them had a name that started with a J...several of my best friends have names that start with J...both of my children start with J...and I married a man whose last name starts with J...

Oh my word...I'm tired

I forgot how tiring it can be to go to work every day, come home and take care of the kiddos and everything...I'm so exhausted. Praising God that it is Friday! Dan is working again tonight so it's me and the kiddos home alone!

I realized it is the last Friday of the month so I decided to Reward the kiddos with new items since they both have done awesome this month! I don't reward weekly but I did feel that since they both have been getting up, getting dressed, being helpful around the house and doing what is expected of them at school that they deserved something new and special. Jaron got a new game to play here at home. It's one where you go fishing, the mouths of the fish open and close as it goes around in a circle! Janea has been begging for a new watch and loves to do arts and crafts! We totally lucked out, in the craft department we found a beading kit which lets you make 5 different watches! She is excited to craft herself some new and exciting jewelry.

As for me, I got a new pair of comfortable brown shoes to wear to work and some ribbon so I can wear a shirt I bought that needs a belt but I don't have a belt so I thought some wide ribbon would look really good! I also bought a cooked chicken for us to eat for dinner since I am really tired and don't feel like cooking a complete meal!

All in all it's been a good week. I am currently the assistant in a K-4 class but in reality I am mentoring the lead teacher from the Assistant role to help her to be a better teacher. She is great at relaying information and teaching the kids, she needs help with things like transitions, age appropriate techniques to keep the kids focused and ready to go. This is her first year teaching preschool and she doesn't know enough to be as effective as she would like to be so I am there to help push her in the right direction. She is liking my ideas and methods and we are seeing progress already so I am glad to be able to pass on my experience to others! And no lesson plans for me!(I hate lesson planning)

Well, that's a little bit of what is going on with us! I'll keep you posted on how life is going!

One of those weeks

It's only Tuesday but I am as tired as if it were Thursday!

Work has been good the past 2 days. I am enjoying it and I am glad to be productive again...

Kids have been doing good, but today there was a mix up with Good News Club and poor Jaron got stressed out...next week it should be better...

Jaron lost his first tooth last night! So he's got a cute gap on the bottom!

Camera Finds

So Janea found the camera and took some self portraits so I turned them into a scrapbook! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

He's Growing Up

So here's my little man! He was chilling in the living room tonight when he tells us that his tooth hurts...lo and behold he has his first loose tooth! He's not a baby anymore!

You know your a mom when...

you start singing weird songs at weird moments.

you finish your kids food for them.

you eat alot of the same foods over and over and over since your children refuse to eat anything else.

you roll out of bed and find a child snuck in during the middle of the night

you can just tell when a child is about to puke!

you can do seventeen things at the same time but then stop in the middle of said activities to kiss a boo-boo or kill a spider.

your washer and dryer sigh when you walk in the room

your husband starts kissing your forehead like he does to the kids and you don't care.

you aren't put off by dirty diapers or spit up!

a hug or a kiss at just the right moment makes your day so much brighter!

Working 9-5

Well not really 9-5 but certainly more than an hour or so! I found out today that I start at the school I interviewed at 1 month ago on MONDAY!!!! HOOORAY!!!! Praise God for His Provision!

I'm Bored~!

Yes, I am bored! I need something to do besides read, watch TV and clean house....any suggestions on how I can stay busy until I get a job....

They can be helpful!

Janea is determined to be more organized, on top of everything, helpful girl this year. Here's some steps she is taking to make her life more organized: She created a daily chart or checklist of things she needs to do...One page is enough for 5 weeks!

Here's a closer look at the chart...
Her chore for today was to clean and vacumm the living room...Not bad! I think I could get used to this...we are still working on getting the remaining boxes unpacked but she did a great job on the floor!

Jaron's into playing with odd things... yesterday he was playing with the case of bottled water...and today I found them all in a circle without the labels!

Their experiments were over before I got out the camera and they didn't work the way they had planned...oh well! They had fun creating things! I love my busy bees!

Creativity in Action

The kids are working on inventions....I don't know what they are going to be good for but they sure are working together to create stuff! I will post pictures tomorrow when we perform our experiments! I love the way they work together, help each other and bounce ideas back and forth! Right now we have used plastic, cardboard, paper, tape and I think water will be added to these inventions!

Silly Song...

Jaron has been singing the following song...

The B say's Buh, The B says Buh every letter makes a sound the B says buh...

over and over and over and over and over....

So now at weird random moments I find myself singing the same song under my breath! On the one hand I am glad he is learning his letters but I am tired of this dang song!

Stormy Skies

It's been raining here for a few days and let me tell you since we have moved my panic level during rainstorms has gone down. Since the flood we get more nervous when it rains but we know that God is in control and is taking care of us so we get through it. I'm also alot calmer now that we are no longer living on the banks of a creek!

Last night the kiddos were watching tv and the National Weather Service kept breaking in to inform us of Tornado watches, warnings and flashflood warnings. We are in a flood watch currently and have gotten quite a bit of rain. Jaron was getting very upset by the thought of severe weather and had trouble being calm. Tornados make him nervous and there were about 11 in the Kansas City Metro area. We were never in harms way and I was watching the weather very closely to see if we need to seek shelter in a basement. Jaron would come and watch with me and then would leave and come back. I kept reminding him that God would take care of us and at one point he asked to Pray. It was very sweet to see him trusting in God to take care of our family.

Today it's still cloudy, I am thankful that we are not directly in the path of IKE but we might get a little rain from him later tonight. We are going to focus on house cleaning and grocery shopping and getting ready for next week.

Remembering

I am reminded that today is Patriot Day! Today I am praying for all the families who lost someone in New York and Washington D.C. on that day 7 years ago. I am also praying for all the men and women who are serving our country overseas to help keep us safe. To all the people left at home, wondering if your family member is safe, I am thinking of you as well. We need to be supportive of all the members of our society who's job it is to help us stay safe! Thank you to our police officers, firefighters and emergeny response personnel!

God is in Control

I have been reminded of this truth this week. I am not in control of what happens in our life. It is out of my hands....and you know what that's okay. I know that God has plans for us and that His ways are better than ours! It's a hard lesson to learn and not one that I do well but I do accept and realize that God is bigger than our stresses, that He is stronger than our problems and that He wants the best for us. So I continue to trust that what He has in store for us will be more than sufficient for our life at this point. He has brought us to a new place to live, given us a vehicle to drive and will provide the jobs that we need to make our bills and glorify HIM. I am thankful for where we are now and the feeling of contentness that He has given us. I can't always say that I am content but right now I truly feel content! Thank you God for all that you do for us!

One question

Why is it that when I spend time cleaning a room and then work on something else when I come back to the room the kids have messed it up?

I don't need an answer I just need them to clean up!

News!

A new month...yeah for September!

A new vehicle...my dad helped us finance a new old vehicle for us! It has a lot of miles, but it runs and will get us where we need to go!

A new Awana club for both kids...Janea is starting Truth and Training and Jaron is joining me in Sparks this year....

A new job??? I don't know it looks good and I have a meeting tomorrow with the school! I am hopeful!