One of my favorite pics of all time

My inlaws when they were dating.

Do you see the resemblance between Jake and Mike?

Bathing Buds...aka Blackmail Pics

This morning

I guess it really hasn't rained ALL week. Today we finally got some sun. This is when I first walked into my classroom this morning.

Luke and Jake a few days ago before daycare.

This has been a depressing week. A co worker's baby died of SIDS. I do not know this family personally but nevertheless this is just heart wrenching. I keep thinking about it and cannot understand why things like this happen. I find myself checking in on the kids a million more times than normal...

I found out about a friend's illness, and another friend is battling hers as well.

The incessant rain hasn't helped either.

Girls, I'm sending good vibes AND prayer your way.

Lukeisms on Tuesday

Wipeout is our family's new favorite show. We laff and laff...
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On the way to school today, we pass the kids' new doctor's office:
Luke sez, "That's where my doctor is."
He sighs and adds, "He put four holes in my legs."
Then shrugs like what ya gonna do?
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He gave me another "one day when I was a big man" story.

"Mama?"
"Yeah?"
"One day...when I was a big man, I played football. And never had to go to school again."

Sigh.

Special Message to Paw Paw D

Realized that I could use my phone to take pics and video until I find my upload cable for my camera. Duh! :)

Here's Jake playing in our driveway in his new kicks. He says, "Happy birthday Paw Paw!"

Pride (hopefully my next entry won't be "Fall")

So Friday night we (the family) were going to go to the high school game, but I was absolutely worn out and Jake has been cranky, so we decided to do that another time, maybe when it's cooler out and we have one set of the in-laws with us or something. I can't wait to attend one though. It seems like a really big deal, a real family event around here. Signs of businesses had "Go (team mascot)!" which is weird to me, coming from Mtown, where such things did not happen. It's like Friday Night Lights. I even saw a family setting up some kind of tail gate thing near the school when I left work at 4:30. (Still not quite caught up on grading, planning, etc. Ugh.)

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Speaking of school, we had our first pep rally on Friday. I know this is going to sound positively stupid, melodramatic, whatever, but it's the truth and I don't mind sharing it: I had tears of joy come to my eyes during the pep rally. This is what a real school is. This is what I want to teach in, this is what I want my boys to have. The kids are clever, full of spirit, silly without being vulgar, full of school pride. The faculty doesn't go around correcting discipline problems, simply because there aren't any. No one is humping the ground, the air, or someone else. No one is cursing and throwing their hands around. I thanked God during that pep rally---thanked Him for another chance. Another chance at a real school after I threw away a fantastic school nearly ten years ago. I won't be leaving this one. No sir.

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Saturday morning I woke up before the baby did and got ready for my debate meeting in downtown 'ham. It rained the whole 30 minutes there, but it was good. I had a chance to "be still" and just think thoughts without interruptions. When I got into the city, I got a little nervous because of all the streets, and "busy-ness" of it all, but dealt with it, found a spot to park, and got my business "satchel" out and my laptop and headed into the huge hotel where the meeting was held. It took a while but I finally found my room. It looked like the freakin' UN to me at first and everyone pretty much knew each other, it seemed. There was a man in a bow tie, a Laura Ashley type, three husband/wife teams, an old man who I felt an instant pal connection with (blame my grandfather issues), and some quirky individuals in general. Nervously, I got some coffee and pretended to look through stuff in my papers that I had brought with me. A minute went by and people started to talk to me, I put my papers away and made small talk. The meeting was from 9-3 and I feel so much better about the debate stuff now. I learned a lot, made some new friends I think, and I'm excited about the first debate tournament (in a few weeks) when I can see some of my new pals again. Sitting among them, I felt proud again. Proud that I was no longer in the muck of a certain school system, wasting my energy and time, being "put down" all the time because of the school where I worked, where a good portion of the city thinks you suck because of where you teach. Again, on my way out to my car, when the rain was coming down harder, I couldn't help but feel those ridiculous tears coming to my eyes again, the thankful tears. (You probably think I'm a total moron now, don't you?)

Anyway...

Karen H---you need to join this group! I have so much to share with you about this stuff!!!!

WITW???

Student 1: We really had to work hard in weight training. My abs hurt.

Student 2: You have abs?

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The other day, a kid thought "A Cask of Amontillado" was about an armadillo's burial.

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Luke: Is what in the world a bad word?

Jen: No it's not.

Luke: Well, what in the world???!!!!

Laughter from backseat of car.

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We read "The Scarlet Ibis" in class today. I have to say, that story is a freakin' tearjerker!!! Go read it if you dare. Poor Doodle.

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Michelangelo---autistic?

The Flip Off

This week I've managed to catch up somewhat on school stuff. Staying an hour later at work several days in a row will do that for ya. It's awesome that the only negative thing I can say about work is that my room is too cold. :) For some reason the temp is controlled from somewhere else and it's arctic cold. I've started brewing coffee in there during lunchtime and wearing a coat at times. :) My poor kids are freezing too. I've asked the powers that be about fixing the air sitch and it should be handled soon.
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In Jake news, he's wearing a size 5 wide shoe. That kid has a huge foot.
In Luke news, he still tells me, "Mom, I don't like my school" on our way to said school.
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Chris and I have started watching the Olympics, after ignoring it for a week.
While watching the Monday night's gymnastics:
Chris's analysis:
"I think she has balls...Oooh, look at her balls!"
"Man. She looks like Beavis flying through the air!"
"They should break the tie with a FLIPOFF. They have to fling themselves in the air and do as many flips as they can. The crowd can count. The one that does the most flips wins. Also, they have to land on their feet. In the event of a tie in the flipoff, you just do it again."
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Sorry no pics lately. I can't find my upload cable. Damn.

Three By Chris

"Our kitchen is an absolute disaster. If this were a restaurant, the score on the wall would be an 81!"

*****

Luke shows Chris the miniature Buzz Lightyear that Vickie gave him.

"I see you have a little Buzz. I wish I had a little buzz right now."

(After a stressful day.)

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"I'm in the man room. If I wanna fart, that's exactly what I'll do! Don't come into the man room and tell me not to fart."

(After I cussed him for the pungent greeting I received upon entering.)

db8

We have the baby gate up so Jake walks around the top part of the house a free man.

He has learned a new trick: dropping things down the stairs just like his brother. Lucky me.

He always laughs, claps, and looks around to see if we saw the clever thing he just did.

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I'd forgotten how often you have to repeat instructions for 9th graders. Man.

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I'm learning a lot really fast about debate stuff. I would have never had it in me to do something like debate in high school. No way. I'm so impressed by my students, all but 5 of them male, because they love getting in front of people and discussing (!) political stuff. I sit and nod, thinking, "Dang. Really? That's what's going on in the world?" I have a feeling I'm gonna learn a lot from these kids and hopefully they will pick up some knowledge from me. Something. Anyway, next Saturday I have to go to the ALL DAY meeting for debate coaches. I hope to see you there, KH! (Li'l shoutout to a non commenting blog reader.) Maybe my adventure in debate will be amazing. Maybe they will make a movie about it! The Master Debaters? Sounds too gross. I got it! The Great Debaters!

Do you realize that technically, I'm a coach now? A debate coach is a coach! I'm Coach______________. Hysterical. I never in a million years would think I'd be that. Hahah. Aren't you Coach too, Max?

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My 9th graders were born the year that OJ killed his wife. Jus' saying. Do you feel old?

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Bumpersticker on student car: THESPIANS DO IT ON STAGE.

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I have to get up at 4:45 every morning. The 15 minutes before five are all mine. That's usually when I check emails. I get ready between 5-6. Kids are up at 6 and we leave at 6:30-6:45. I'm not crazy about the traffic, but it could be worse.

Hey all. Update soon. I was sick as a dog for two days. Today I'm much better. Obviously, as it is the first week of real school I didn't call in for a sub. It would look bad---especially being one of the newbies.
Later

PS Debate class is kicking my arse.

Weekend Full O' Laundry, Tap Out, and Lifetime

"Unzip it a little more."
Luke to me when I handed him a partially unpeeled banana.
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Grant Show is so hot. I was flipping through channels and saw Sex and the Single Mom and watched a few hours of it (watched the sequel too. I'm sad! Haha!)while cleaning the house, doing lessonplans and laundry this weekend. Gail O'Grady saying, "I'm 38 years old!" to her teenage daughter? Made me lol. Yeah, Gail, you wish. :)

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Chris had Keith, Tanner, and Lindy over last night for Ultimate Fight stuff. I kept making lewd comments about "the full mount", as seen below:






I got tired and went to bed.
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What in the world has happened to that Caylee girl and what's wrong with her mom????
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Depressing on lots of levels. Listen to some of it! I'll send you a razor blade.

Jake's First Bday

Taking over the world...
Originally uploaded by lukesmom

We finally celebrated Jake's big day only a week or so late. Here he is with his cousins Dylan, Mercy, and his big bro Shifty Eyes. More pics here.

I don't even know what this was about.

I don't even know what this was about.
Originally uploaded by lukesmom

Very strange pic of me and my sister.

Tired

VERY tired but will list some stuff.

The kids at the new school are polite. I can't believe all the "yes mam, no mam, thank you, excuse me" I'm getting. Freaky stuff. What's bad is...I got used to rarely hearing it at the other school.

Got a Power Point projector (brand new) and my own laptop to use for work. Unreal. I can't believe I'm being treated as a professional...and what? You mean the faculty lounge is a real lounge? Not a dump? Say it ain't so!

I miss being one of the old guard and "knowing everything" about where things are and how "we do things" but one day I'll get all this new stuff down and things won't seem so weird.

My 9th grade students are the class of 2012. They were born in 93/94 and have never known a world without a cell phone. Does that make your head spin or what? They have never known a world without the internet either. They were in second grade when 9/11 occurred.

What passes as hobbies for this generation: Myspace, Facebook, and "texting" :)

They look like such babies, guys! They are just precious. I've never seen so many Alexandrias, Alyssas, Laurens, and Sydneys in my life. :) They are into the Twilight books and I love all the "punk" rock kids with their "alternative" clothes.
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I like the fact that I drive past a white horse grazing every morning in a field near the high school. There is also a smoke stack that Luke and I see every morning. I call it the "Cloud Maker" and he calls it the "Dragon".

Luke was asked what made him special in his class yesterday, because they were listing all this on the board as they studied the letter "A" and were talking "ALL ABOUT" Me. I saw on the board: "Luke is special because he drops things down the stairs." Made me smile.

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We met the neighbors on the other side of us tonight. They came over and invited us to their church and Luke ran around with their four-year-old daughter, Laura. Sweet family.

More later. My whole bod hurts.

69

That's my assigned parking number.

I know I turned red when the asst. principal gave me my number. :)

New Kid

I'm the new kid on the block at work. Well, one of several new kids. I find it amusing that almost all of the new hires are from AU. Chris said, "That's the good ole boy network workin' for ya!" :)
I was so impressed with everything today, our first real day at work. The principal is so positive and builds us up and doesn't drag us down with negativity. We had Panera bagels and coffee while we watched clips of Ferris Bueller's teacher show us how NOT to teach. Ha.


I'm tired. Got a lot on my mind and tons of stuff to do before the students get there on Thursday. I'll post pics of Jake's first bday party soon. Until then, know that I am VERY happy so far at my new job and that I feel so lucky and so blessed.

Discussing Sippy Cups at Target with my Mother-in-Law

Jen: I found this kind! It's soft! See, it'll be easier for him to suck on a soft one instead of a hard one.
Donna: (Silence)
Jen: Okay, that sounded reallllllly bad.
Donna: It's okay, I know what you are saying.

Love that woman.

I hope I wasn't talking too loud and anyone heard this!!

Knees, Toes, and Elbows

Many years ago, Rob referred to his ex-wife as the EoF ("Enemy of Fun") and I always thought that was pretty funny. I wonder if she ever found out that she was the EoF...anyway, I've decided that our new house, while spectacular in my opinion, is the EoK. The Enemy of Knees. My knees ache. Chris's knees ache. I think in my case, it's a big ole combination of having stairs for the first time in my life and of a)arthritis b)past encounter with dashboard in car accident c)two pregnancies and d)the cold cold air conditioning. I told Chris about the house being the EoK and we decided that my parents' house is the EoT (Enemy of Toes) because we always jammed our toes against the foot or leg of some piece of furniture (usually when our toes were really cold so the pain was doubled). Chris's parents' house has been dubbed the EoE (Enemy of Elbows), specifically the dining room with its high backed pointy chairs. :) No offense, Donna!

What's your house? The enemy of...what?