Ceremonious ceremony

It was beautiful. It really was quite a sight. All dolled up in these geourgeous renaissance costumes, we gathered around a pond, with the leaves turning yellow all around us. Jay and Codie professed their love, exchanged their rings, and filled us all with a new sense of love in the world around us.
Can you think of anywhere more beautiful to surround yourself with love? Well, and to take these lovely, lovely pictures, too? What a back drop.


The whole crew... The whole family was officially decked out in this garb... costumes galore. Some home made... some custom made, some borrowed, rented, or bought... They were colorful and really made the day fun.

Meet the in-laws

My two-hour fog delay this morning gave me a bit of extra time at home to sort through all of our trip photos and pick out those that I wanted to share. Before I get into the wedding, I wanted to share these fun pics of the in-law family and the fun that we got to have while Todd and I were out there.


Meet Aiden. He's a charmer. This little character is polite and intelligent and funny. He gave us lots of love and told us many stories. He is telling his own version of The Three Little Pigs here and also shared Goldilocks with us... complete with voices. Melt-your-heart voices.

Meet Corinne. We just did. She met the world just three weeks ago and is just one little tiny package of love. A little crying... a lot of sleeping and a lot of love from her aunt and uncle.


Meet Taylor. This little girl with a lot of hair is just as sweet as can be and she really trucks along. She has to to keep up with her brother. Her facination is the green tomatoes in her yard and the best way to carry them? Well, that was in her shirt. A whole belly full of green tomatoes to share ith her aunt Jill and Uncle Kevin. Can you believe all that hair???



And last, but not least, there's the rocket of energy, Dylan. Ah, what a trip... he's batman and spiderman and superman all rolled into one and has the energy and quick wits of them all.

Oh, if only we lived closer... We love you guys.

The autumnal view of Maryland

Happy fall y'all. Wish you were here.
xoxo.

Let's leave it on a positive note...

I am feeling the need to put some of my positive energy out there today.
Things at school feel a bit better...
We had a 90 minute "fog delay" yesterday... apparently they are pretty common here on the eastern shore. It took that long to lift from the roads... up until then you couldn't see out our windows. Sheer white. Of course, I am always up for the late morning. The extra hour to sleep in was just what I needed to try to rest away this illness.
I am still a bit under the weather here... but sub plans are written for tomorrow and things are set for our rendezvous to Colorado. We leave the house at 3:00 a.m. tomorrow to make it to the airport in time for check-in and a 6:00 flight.
I am feeling super excited to see the family, be a part of a wonderful couple's wedding, and to take many, many pictures. :-)
I'll be sure to post!

SPC: Imperfection

Well, I have a toothache.
I have an appointment tomorrow to check it out... but for now it is achey and throbbing and after my last post you can imagine how happy I am to have just one more thing making me miserable.
I love this photo because it shows so many of my imperfections... My worked on teeth, my nose hair, my mustache hairs, and maybe even a small booger. Hmph.

p.s. Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of the inside of your mouth? I mean all the way back in there.
Try it. You'll see.

Ugh.

Another one of those days.

I should have known that I wanted to be a school teacher when I watched and enjoyed Reading Rainbow as an adult.
Now, maybe I am not so sure.

I had my first official review today and had two "marginal" categories. One, instructional time used wisely (i.e. all I do is redirest, redirect, redirect) and one for behavior management, rules, and routines.

I am stuggling. I admit it.
Its frustrating because I always felt pretty good at these things before. Now, with a new set if expectations, new set of curriculum that is not at all flexible, and a more challenging group... all of the fun has been zapped right out of me.


I am tired.
I am sick (again).
I am tired of being tired and sick.
The worst part is that the only one who can make this work is me... and no one can tell me how to do it.

I take it day by day... and have generally felt it getting better... I just need to stick with it, stay consistent, and keep on trucking.

Ugh.

Self Portrait Challenge: Imperfection

Nothing shows imperfection like a school photo.
A what? you ask.
A school photo.
I thought this nightmare of terrible pictures was over when I graduated...
(Glaring flaws. Zits. Hairs. Quirky grin. Bags under ther eyes)...
yet when picture day came to the elementary school, the teachers were in line, too.
My kids got a kick out of it.
I think the pictures are terrible... or lets just call them imperfect.

Welcome to the world!

Big brother, Aiden, welcomes his little sister, Corinne Cecelia, into this world. What a doll. Two dolls!


And I adore this photo of the proud daddy holding his little bundle.


We can't wait to meet you, sweet princess!

Feeling Blessed

I made it through the week and can only give credit to all of the lovely lovlies out there that have written comments and e-mails and made phone calls to give me that extra support and love that I needed. I feel blessed to have all of you in my life, routing for me when things get so bad I am not sure I will make it until June.

Update: Thursday was a bit better and by Friday afternoon I had a few moments of rejoicing... I could again look around and see everyone on task. I had to bribe with candy but you gotta do what you gotta do. Each child working so quietly that you could have heard a pin drop. it lasted for three to five sumptuous minutes when I was just able to praise, praise, praise. Ah... There little minds were a flutter as they wrote "My favorite candy is..." in their journals. So I am hoping next week will again bring progress and hope. 26 school days down makes 154 to go. :-)

This week-end is also a well needed rest. Yesterday Todd and I took the boat out with some new friends (a girl that I work with and her husband). We piddled around, ate sandwiches and chicken, and enjoyed the sun and some rain. It was restful and calm and fun and a chance for us girls to vent to one another.

The cloudy sky meant it was also a great day for playing some cards and we got some use out of our Phase Ten deck. It was an all around good time, and we are happy to have found some cool people to hang out with down here.

Today I will finish up my planning for the week and run a few errands. There are more clouds overhead after a hard rain during the night. I hope to cozy up with some quilting as I begin Willy's big boy quilt. Can you believe that he is almost 3?

I can't stop crying

Today was the day from h*!! at work.
We had parent conferences on Monday and then yesterday I had a sub in for me while our team had meetings and visited another school... That meant four days without me... and that meant chaos.
I felt like it was the first day of school, only worse, because I felt like they should know better and on top of that I was observed by three professionals who were ready to give me constructive feedback.
My morning was rough and the pressure was on. We sat down in the afternoon to discuss the observations and I just broke down. I couldn't stop sobbing. I mean body convulsing, feel like a little kid, sobs. So on top of feeling overwhelmed and fighting fears of failure, I was embaressed. Ah, these are the days.
They reassured and advised and reassured again... but I just can't stop crying.
If I make it to work tomorrow it will be an acomplishment.
If I make it through the day, a miracle.