News

So... Instead of trying to give the many, many reasons why I haven't blogged in 9 months, why I have unpublished posts in my post box, I will tell you the best reason why I have been absent----

Sweet little Levi will make his appearance in April! 

We were shocked and surprised to find out we were having a boy. I felt for sure it was a girl again.

Lucy has named him "George" after my daddy, and that is many times what we call him. She is very excited to be a big sister to a boy baby! 

This has been a trying pregnancy. Lots of morning sickness in the first trimester. I am finally feeling better. Still very tired, but overall, doing well. 

If you can please excuse the mess of clothes behind me in the mirror, this is me today. I sang at a wedding and it took me a few outfits to find one that fit! 

We are half-way there... only 19 more weeks till we meet our sweet one. 

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the page is blank. 5 months is a long time. i let my little blog fall to the wayside of life. i could tell you i didn't really miss blogging until a day last week when i went back and looked. looked at all the memories on here. and i was sad. sad i haven't captured a spunky 3 year old and all her glory. so here i am staring at a blank blog screen (now covered with these word of backtracking) and i don't know where to start. well..starting where i left off might be a good place.

I started my new job. It was and is not what I thought it was going to be. I was going to change the world! Make teachers fall in love with my amazing and funny personality and my ever expanding wealth of knowledge. That did not happen. not for all, just for some. and I took it really hard. really hard. Doctor visits full of stomach ulcers, late night prayers, and daytime trips to the bathroom to cry. That was how my new job began. slowly, it has changed. I am doing better and the amount of children who I have fallen in love with is larger than I could have imagined. That's the best part. working with 350 students who all know your name and want hugs and ask when it is their room's turn for Mrs. Burns to visit. I like that part.

In all of that drama, I was still a momma and wife. Lucy has changed so much and is growing so much before my eyes. She will be 4 in July and I sometimes can't believe I have a little girl on my hands. She is now sleeping in a very large full sized bed. She doesn't need my help anymore to do little things like put on her shoes, brush her teeth, go to the bathroom. She's independent and working hard. She is taking gymnastics on Monday nights and loves it. She tells funny stories, and remembers every single thing you say to her. She is mastering the skills on her report card with flying colors. I am impressed with her knowledge and quick thinking skills!

So much more I want to say about her. Gonna have to make a list of all the funny things she has said. I want to be blogging more and remembering these special and precious times I have with her!

♥nikki

Busy days.

Hello! It has been a very long few weeks in our household. First of all, summer came to a screeching halt with the start of school. We spent 2 weeks in our classrooms without children doing cleaning and professional development. It was long, but fun. Then in the midst of all that, I interviewed for a job as a reading coach at another school. It was a long-shot, but it is something that I have always wanted to do. I love teaching teachers how to be better teachers. Well, I got the job! That meant I had to prepare to leave the school I had come to call my family and home to move across town to another school. I was emotional and a pure basket case. Then I realize that until they hired someone for my current job, I could not leave my position. So back to my classroom I head, getting things ready for a wonderful group of 2nd graders. I have been very distant and stressed, trying to get my head around being a teacher for the next 2 weeks and thinking of the new job. I am still not "officially" at my new job, but will start next week sometime. I am excited, nervous.... and well, overwhelmed. I love teaching and I am dang good at it. Leaving the classroom scares me and excites me all at the same time.

All of the emotions come baring down on me and then my little baby girl starts PreK at the same time. Talk about emotional! But, she loves her "new school" and she enjoys her teacher and learning and all the wonderful things that come with school. I am so blessed we have found a home for her during the day. I love hearing her talk about her friends and teacher. It just warms my heart. I am so happy with her new school.

So, here are some pictures of our life in the last 2 weeks! : )

Lucy and her bestie Foster at dinner. She was offering him a cherry. He didn't want it obviously! We love that little golfer! 

 

Girl baby in her big girl uniform on her 3rd day of school. She was upset she had a hangnail. But dang, she looks so cute!

 

Her happy smile at Open House. This makes me so proud. And those dimples!

 

 

First day of school! And a fun pose. Love this munchkin!

 

Celebrating TaTa's birthday. Yes, I dressed her in Alabama gear just for him!

 

Her first dentist appointment. She loved this. We practiced for weeks and talked hundreds of times about the importance of teeth and why "sugarbugs" are so bad for us!

 

 

I am so blessed to have had a wonderful summer. I enjoyed every minute of it. Now I am in panic mode as I settle into my new job and new environment. I am so happy the Lord has given me such a peace about Lucy's education for now. We will cross another bridge when she is ready for Kindergarten. As for now, she can rock it at private school!

She is growing up before my eyes. Some of her favorite words right now are "comfortable and serious." She cracks me up with the things she says.

The other night I told her to thank Jesus for living in her heart. She said "Jesus doesn't live in my heart, He lives on the wall!" (Meaning her crucifix on the wall!)

Then we had to discuss how Jesus does live in our hearts because He loves us so much!

The next day, she asked me if Jesus lived in my heart under my black shirt! How funny the mind of a child!

 

I'll try to update more as things settle down. Praying for peace and an easy transition for my new career choice. Praying also for my new staff that they will be open to me. And really, praying for my old staff as they manage life without me! Who's going to DJ all the pep rallies, teach Zumba at field day, run all the technology in the school, keep up with the safety plan, and make the faculty meetings more fun?? :) I know they will do just fine without me!

 

Thank you Lord for blessings in abundance!

Pictures in our house linky!

Today I am linking up with Kelly over at her blog for a SUYL topic of how you display your photos in your house. I love pictures. I am almost a bit obsessed with how many pictures we have up of ourselves (vain? I don't know!) I just know looking back at pictures of our lives brings back such good memories! Sometimes I get so sad when I think of all the times when I was in high school or college that I don't have pictures to remember them by! No facebook back then...just those old disposable cameras! ha! Now it is so easy to take a picture with your IPhone and it will travel all over the Internet (scary!) or to any of your friends in an instant. What will my child have when she's in college? So exciting!

Anyway, I digress! Here is a little peek into how I display some of our favorite pictures!

This is the wall when you walk into our house. I have an amazing photographer friend who took all these pictures for us. I love the look of the different colored frames. I was given our last name picture as a gift and I love the way it looks with these frames!

Most of our pictures are housed on shelves. Our entertainment center is full of pictures. Some are Lucy as a little baby and you can see the picture under the "y"...it's a picture of Scott and I on one of our first dates! I love how young and tan (and skinny!) we both look. Brings back such butterfly-in-your-stomach memories! (We usually don't have a birthday banner up...I had just made that for her birthday and have not taken it down yet! Same for the cards! )

Finally, this is an area of my living room I love. The picture of Lucy between us, looking up at us...melts my heart. I love how different it is in the fact you cannot see our faces. I have got some strange remarks on this picture, but it just captures her love for us. It really is all about her!

I also love the picture of she and I laughing. It shows how we are in our daily life! I just completed the picture with the bird and I am madly in love with it. I like to think I'm a painter! Ha!

It says: "Your love, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies."

One of my favorite verses and favorite Third Day songs!

Well, that's about it! I hope you enjoyed peeking into my house and seeing how I show off our pictures!

Thanks for stopping by!

I've got to get back to the Olympics now! Super pumped after watching the opening ceremonies. How about you??

The last bit of summer...

Summer break is coming to a close for me. I'm sad, but ready to jump into my new position in second grade. We have been busy. Besides have a birthday for Lucy, we did some traveling and now I'm back up at school every day getting ready for the new year.

Lucy had her 3 year old checkup today. Here's what I learned:

1. Lucy is in the 70th percentile for weight (at 33 pounds.)

2. She is in the 25th percentile for height. (I'm hoping this does not mean she will be short and squatty!...and really, I have never had to spell the word "squatty." Did I spell it right? ha!)

3. Night terrors happen about 2 hours after sleep. Nightmares happen from about 2 am on. So, this means we are having night terrors. Screaming and crying for a few minutes. Then telling me monkeys or bugs are in her room. And for the record, neither of those things are really there!

4. She's smart, but I already knew that!

 

Here are some pictures from our month:

Lucy's birthday banner. (thinking I might need to dust that star way up there now!)

Learning to write. Here is her number 5 and 6. She did great!

New pajamas. Rockstar hair and a rockstar stance. a.mess!

The Toy Story entry table. I changed it more before the party but I never even took pictures at the party!

New pose and new sparkle shirt from godmomma Beebs.

Baseball game with mom and dad!

Sitting in the stands...

Swimming at Gigi's house!

Lots and lots of birthday ice cream! I mean, a girls got to get her calcium from somewhere, right?

Ready to start a new year, and ready for Lucy to start preschool! Can't wait. Soak up the rest of summer, friends!

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i have just totally messed up all my posts. So this is a test!

Birthday baby

My sweet girl will be three years old on Monday. Three years of my life that I would not change for anything. Three years of love that I did not know my heart needed or could even be prepared for. She has brought so much joy to my life. Keith Urban has a song called "Without You" and my favorite verse says this:

"Along comes a baby girl

And suddenly my little world

Just got a whole lot bigger, yes it did

And people that I barely knew

They love me cause I'm part of you"

This could not be more true. Lucy Clare, I have said this many time before on my blog, but dear, you are the musical masterpiece my heart had been singing long before I knew the tune. And the music you bring into our lives now....how precious you are. You fit into this world and bring such a light to others and to us, that is indescribable. I prayed so many different (and still do!) prayers for you, and it is so amazing to watch God work in your life. To see little things you do and wonder if that will be your calling, already just at this young age! 

To brag on your singing ability already, your quick wit, quiet humor, your ease at picking up new tasks.. I know you are smart, but dang, you amaze me sometimes! I just laugh and pray that while you get some of my left brain creativity, that for the love, you get your daddy's quick math skills and directional knowledge! (I also really hope you get your daddy's legs!) You are funny and so dramatic. (her momma's child for real!)

So, three years ago I was waiting every so not patiently for you to make your arrival. I was fat, swollen, and miserable. And then you came along and rocked our world in such a good way.

And now, when I ask you if you'd like to have a baby at our house, a brother or sister, your reply is always "No, I'd like a puppy." ha! (which neither is happening anytime soon, people! The baby or the dog!)

You have us wrapped, little thing. Thanking God for the past 3 years, and praying for many, many more with you. My little "bootsie" and daddy's "sugar plum." May you always know the love we have for you. That so many people have for you. Thank you, baby, for teaching me about a love I didn't know, could only have wished for, and for helping me to be a better person, a better teacher, a better everything.

Happy almost birthday.

I love you to the moon and back.

Loving on "monk-a-licious"

Birthday desert at Mexican Connection!

Learning how to fold washcloths. "Fold it, smooth it, fold it again!"

Beach time with my girl. Love that face!

Happy birthday present. A new pet fish named "Nemo." I love her face there. Every day she runs into the kitchen and checks him, talks to him, takes pictures of him. Happiness in the fishbowl!