Sloane got glasses!

We got a letter home that Sloane did not pass the school's eye exam. I was a little surprised because she has always passed her exams at the pediatrician and she has never complained that she couldn't see. I also got the paper and was more than confused because I know nothing about eye exams and what those numbers mean!

Nonetheless, we took Sloane in and she indeed needed glasses.  She SERIOUSLY looks adorable in her glasses.  She chose black frames (mainly from us (Mandy and me) pushing her towards black and away from pink or purple).  We know how finicky Sloane is and I could see pink glasses not matching an outfit and that leading towards a GIANT fight at 6:15 am....so black was best. Any-who...She narrowed down her choices and chose an adorable pair of glasses.

When her glasses came in she was BEYOND excited.  She literally began to sob with excitement.  I was so confused by her reaction but she said she is just "so happy!" She has loved having them.  My hope it the joy continues and that her eyes correct themselves over the year and then we can be done with the glasses :)

Fall Break

Kyle and I went to Key West for fall break.  Alone.  Sans kids.  It was amazing.  It wasn't amazing because we didn't have kids, but it was indeed amazing because we got to be Kyle and Whitney for 6 straight days and do whatever we wanted when we wanted. That part was definitely amazing. I think when you have kids and a job you never can fully focus on your spouse like you should.  Aiden, Sloane, and Kailyn drive our schedules day in and day out and for 6 days we didn't have to worry about a schedule.  The day was our to conquer with no worry over where we needed to be at any particular time. Did I mention it was amazing?

We spent the week sitting on the beach (a very tiny beach), riding bikes, eating delicious food, swimming, snorkeling, shopping, and drinking.  It was a great week to fully focus on us, we needed it and it was 100% perfect. I am very thankful to have a husband who wants to take the time to focus on us...a husband who makes an effort to make sure we have what we need.

 



After Kyle and I went on our vacation it was Aiden and Sloane's turn to head to Florida.  The kids and I drove to Pensacola to spend the week with my dad and Lucy.  Yes, I drove, alone, by myself, with no help.  It was insanely...easy.  I couldn't believe how well the kids did and how well I handled it.  Yep, kudos to ME.

Anyway.  This TRIP (not a vacation when kids are there) was great too.  We spent every day at the beach (even if it wasn't HOT HOT HOT). The kids had a blast and I loved spending time with them.  I really missed the stinkers after being gone a week.  However, I really missed Kyle not being with us.  I am not a fan of being apart from my husband in any capacity.  I call it a healthy obsession...he might call it annoying.

The kids and I loved dad & Lucy's new house.  It was really big and new and fun to discover new things.  The kids had a lot of fun being around dad and building things.  Sloane got to help Lucy cook (while I did crossword puzzles and didn't help). It was just really a good week.  Dad drove back to Indiana with us, so that was an even easier drive...although I think the kids knew how stressed I was about driving there so they were especially good....this was NOT the case on the way home.

 

Aiden is 8

So this post is a little late!

On October ninth at 12:15 Aiden turned 8. EIGHT.  Sheesh that happened fast.  I remember when he was little thinking that time does not go by fast.  Being a new mom was not easy.  People would always say, "enjoy it while it lasts" and I always thought they were CRAZY.  Nothing was enjoyable about being a new mom.  It was hard.  It was new.  It was unpredictable.  I am not laid back, so none of that was easy for me. Now Aiden is 8 and I think, "damn, that went fast." While I truly can't say I wish he was little, I do miss having him little.  I am too busy loving who he has become to want him to be anything but 8.  I love his personality.  He has such a big heart and loves to play with his friends.  He loves getting his way and becomes very loving when he gets what he wants (yep).  I am ok with it.  He has learned that throwing fits are pointless and that talking things out is usually a lot easier.  He has learned that I am always right and when I am wrong I am working on apologizing.  He has learned that mommy has a temper and even when I yell at him I still love him immensely. He has learned that he is good at sports, but doesn't love to practice to get better.  He has learned that being sneaky, while easy, never ends well for him.

I can truly say I love who Aiden is.  I wouldn't trade him being a baby again for anything.  I hope his 8th year brings him as much joy as he brings those of us around him!

Kids and Life

Aiden is a second grader.  I am so proud of how he has done in the three weeks we have been back in school.  He has had good behavior and is making friends.  He is playing tackle football this year....this has been interesting.  He is such an athletic kid.  I am SO SO SO SO SO biased, but I really see a lot of talent in him.  I hope that he finds the motivation to stick with sports (all of them) and use sports as an outlet over electronics and friends.  I see so much happiness in him when he does well.  The smile he has coming off the field is like no other smile he gives.  It is pure joy for me to see him do well.  I am and will always be THAT mom on the sidelines.  I am proud of him and I want him to know it. I hope he does well in school this year too....although he did tell me he is good at math so there really is no need for him to need to learn how to read better.  OOOOk, kid.  Aiden needs a lot of help with reading, he really dislikes reading to me, but doesn't mind being read to.  I hope that this changes for the sake of his sanity going through school. I definitely don't make him read to me enough at home, but there are just some battles I can't fight.

Bailey  is officially a freshman in college.  IN COLLEGE.  Just in case you didn't catch on to the "in college" part Bailey is in college.  Tiny little Bailey is in the real world fending for herself.  She is living in a dorm with two other strangers and is loving life.  Granite, this is only day 3 of her college life, but she hasn't complained once since being dropped off.  My mom was literally shoving me out of the car as I was crying and Bailey was not fazed.  I can only dream that Aiden and Sloane have their heads on as straight as Bailey does.  She is so responsible for being only 18 and so much more aware of other people and other peoples feelings.  She is truly a diamond in the rough!  I am super proud of her and her outgoing personality.  I can't wait to see what great things she does!

Kailyn is a freshman in high school.  She is on the varsity volleyball team and starting.  She is kind of a big deal.  Kailyn is really good at volleyball so watching her play is something I truly enjoy.  She is in her element out there and I love seeing that.  Kailyn doesn't have a lot of passion about things (other than her phone and shopping) so when she is on the court you get to see a different side to her. Kailyn is also super smart, without trying much she can bust out good grades...reminds me of Coleman.  I on the other hand would study for days and barely pass, if pass at all.  I hope she works hard these next four years so that there are lots of opportunities for her!

Sloane is in kindergarten.  It simply hurts to write that.  I was not and still am not ready for this girl to be old enough to be in school. I miss her when she is gone, every second of every day.  She is like my partner in crime at all things so having her at school is painful (yes, even though I have to work). I want great things for her but I worry that her sass is going to hold her back.  Sloane gives me a lot of happiness because she loves me A LOT.  To her I am her world and that does nothing but light me up.  I love how much she loves.  I want school to be fun for her and I want her to have a lot of friends.  I want her to be kind and to think of others.  I worry about all these things with her.  I am very excited to see what the future holds for her.  She started gymnastics again and is rocking it.  She has the body of a gymnast and the upper strength of a ballerina....the girl needs to lift some weights!

Kyle is in his second year as the principal at Decatur Middle School.  He LOVES it.  He is so damn good at what he does.  It is pretty amazing to sit down and have a conversation about education with him, he truly is gifted at what he does.  He has started his doctoral program at Indiana State University.  I am excited to see him complete this.  We will definitely throw a party when it is over...he won't want a party, but I will!  I am so proud to call this man my husband.  He is an amazing dad who has raised two amazing girls.  He works really hard and is really good at it.  He loves me with all of his heart.  He takes great care of Aiden and Sloane and I see both kids light up when he is around.  I am lucky to be his wife. I am lucky to have him to look up to.

A Deep Rut

I have been a teacher for 12 years.  12. Years!  I don’t feel old enough to even be out of college and I have taught long enough to see multiple students graduate high school and go to college!  It is crazy how quickly the time goes.  You don’t realize it has gone by until you look back and see so many milestones behind you. 

I love working with kids.  I love seeing them learn something new and grasp onto a new idea that they have never thought of before.  I love seeing the excitement in their eyes when they do something well.  I love the break, man I really love the breaks.  I love the amount of time I get to spend with my own kids because my schedule allows for it.  I see parents that don’t get off work until 5 and work in the summer and I simply can’t imagine what that is like.  I am very thankful for what I do. 

I am also tired of what I do.  I am in a rut, deep in a rut, stuck and trying to work my way out.  I really believe it is boredom.  Doing the same thing day after day leads you to feel like a maniac some days. Working with kids can lead some to be bonkers.  It is exhausting knowing that these kids NEED to know what you are teaching but don’t care to actually learn it.  It is exhausting meeting the needs and them re-meeting the needs of kids day after day after day.  I am finding that I am losing my patience for repeating myself. 

I wonder how people like my mom and grandma did this for well over 30 years.  I can’t imagine making it to twenty years in this day and age.  I will say, in my defense, that education has changed in the measly 12 years I have been teaching.  The focus has moved away from teach kids to love school and learn math to make kids pass a test over all the standards that is given in February.

There have always been standardized tests.  I remember taking them in 5^th grade…you know the kind where you tore open the test with your pencil?  Maybe that was just a Texas thing. 

I don’t have the answer for why schools have so drastically changed, but I do know that I don’t love it like I did back in 2004 when I started.  I hope that the spark gets back to me sometime because this truly can be a rewarding job.  When moral is low it impacts ones desire to do well.  My hope is that a light switches and I can get back to the passion that drove me.

My Mama

There is not a day that goes by that my mom doesn't cross my mind in

some capacity, whether it be a fleeting thought of what she is doing

or a memory of some sort.  With her living in Texas and me in Indiana

months will go by where we don't see each other. We talk often, almost

daily. She has kept herself very busy in retirement, which is good. I

miss her often, but I love that she is getting to live a good retired

life with our family.

My mom is quite frankly the most selfless person I know. She puts

others before herself on a daily basis and wouldn't Have it any other

way.  She volunteers her time weekly if not daily to helping others in

her community.  She works tirelessly (by choice because she doesn't

know how to sit down) on new projects around her home. My mom is a

giver, she wants everyone to be happy because I truly believe she

feels happiness from other peoples joy. She doesn't bat an eye when

someone calls to ask for something. She's a good friend and loves to

have a good time. She loves her grandkids (even the really naughty

ones) with every part of her heart. I have made a few crazy decisions

in my life and my mom has never judged or questioned me, she has

simply stood by my side. I hope to be half as patient with my children

as my mom is with me. She is a good woman.  I'm proud to call her my

mom.

Time doesn't stop

Do you ever look around and feel like life is flying by but you are still 20 years old and nothing has changed?  The only things that remind me that I am not 20 years old are the two little people that follow me around everywhere I go.  I never feel old, which I’m technically not, so I guess that makes sense. 

I have been teaching for 11 years now.  Eleven years, that is a long time.  Yet I still feel like I am on year three.  I look around at these first year teachers and I am reminded that I am not 20, yet I still feel like I am. It is crazy!

Bailey is getting ready for Prom.  I instantly go back to my prom years and it feels like it was yesterday…it wasn’t.  It was 15 years ago!  15 years has gone by since I had my hair put half up in a little bird’s nest on the top of my head and I wore the world’s most unflattering dress to our senior Prom. 15 years!  Courtney had allergies and was a mess, I had strep throat and looked ridiculous…it was a good time! Thankfully I don’t remember what anybody else’s dress looked like, therefore they (hopefully) don’t remember mine.

Time goes by fast it never feels like it in the moment but looking back on things, it all goes by very fast.  In the moments it feels like turtle speed, but years later it is just the opposite.