Happy Anniversary!

Happy 9th Anniversary to my best friend and husband, Darryl!

This past year will definitely be hard to top, won't it?

Love you!


Also, I have to tell everyone how sweet he was today...he sent a dozen roses to me at school. It made my day. :)

Two quick things

1--I know, I know...you thought the run for the Democratic Party's nominee was exciting, but let's face it, it just pales in comparison to my Diaper Bag Decision '08. Well, the decision has been made, and I'm going with....(drum roll)...the funky floral bag!!! (I think I really wanted that bag the whole time and just wanted validation for my choice. How pathetic is that? Oh, and Jess...if you decide you want kids, you'll be happy to know that the diaper bag will open up a whole new accessory world for you!)

2--We just came back from a long weekend in Florida that included family pics on the beach (with four young children, I might add), family dinners, meeting our newest addition to the family (sweet Mary Katherine), Easter services, and tons of other stuff. I'll do an official post later complete with some great pics, but I need to read about 40 more pages for school tomorrow.

Humor me

I'm in the market for another diaper bag. Kim gave me a great "every day" bag that I think I have used every single day since I first took Amelia on her first outing, and I also have a small tote that holds just a couple of diapers. (I'm not counting the tote you and Max gave me, Tim...I use it for all sorts of things...it's currently packed with clothes for this weekend.) I'm looking for a good "in between" bag that is good for some 2- to 3-hour outings.

I've found the bag I like, but I can't decide on a design. Please help! (You may think this is nonsense, but the diaper bag just opens up yet another branch of handbags for a mom!)

Here's a point to note: I don't like diaper bags that look too baby-ish...no Winnie the Pooh prints for me. (If you carry a Winnie the Pooh print bag, I'm not judging. Just not my style...like Vera Bradley bags are not my style.)

Here's choice A: Basic brown with Pink Lining:

Pros: muted; sleek; looks great with Amelia's brown/pink stroller; Darryl wouldn't object to carrying it in public
Cons: possibly boring; looks like every other brown purse I've bought (but maybe that's a good thing?); will clash with black...and I wear a lot of black; and if I ever take it to daycare, it will blend in with the other seven brown bags on the shelf

Here's choice B: funky floral

Pros: fun; Spring-y; has more colors to match what I'm wearing (does that matter?); a different look for me; will definitely not blend in with the other bags at daycare
Cons: Darryl probably wouldn't be caught dead with it; is it fun or babyish?; is it funky or tacky?

I can only keep one. Give me your thoughts. (If you really don't care...just pretend like you do.)

Crazy week

I'm glad it's Wednesday and this week is almost over. It' s been crazy busy over here.

This weekend with my parents was good except for the crazy weather. We actually had to get in the hallway twice because of tornadoes passing through. Fortunately, we didn't have any damage.

Saturday evening, Darryl and I celebrated an early anniversary dinner by going to Chops. We'd never been there before, and while it was okay, it was probably toward the bottom of the list of "better" eating places we've been to. It was nice just to go out together, though.

Yesterday was a big day for Amelia. She rolled over for the first time at daycare. I'm experiencing a bit of working mom sadness over that one, but I'll live. I'll probably be pressuring the poor girl to start walking in June so I can see her first steps by the end of the summer. :)

Yesterday was a long day for me. We had "Parent Night" last night at school, and leaving school at 7:15 in the evening just makes the day seem endless.

Today was also crazy because I had to help give two back-to-back Honor Roll pizza parties. They went well, but they stress me out.

On top of all that, I started new books in all my classes, and that always requires energy. Being the cheerleader for a new book in attempts to get ho-hum students interested in reading is tough work.

Is it Spring Break yet?

Stormy Saturday

I was awakened at 6:00 by loud crashes of thunder. (I've determined I'm never going to get to sleep past 6 a.m. again.) I'm watching news reports of the horrible weather that took place in downtown Atlanta last night. Crazy.

Here are some other ramblings...

--It looks as though we have some changes coming our way at school next year. I'm kind of excited about them.

--My juniors are starting Gatsby Monday. I'm in no way prepared. I want to do it justice because I love, love, love that novel. I found some interesting things online I may attempt. Jen, do you have anything good that has been successful when you've taught Gatsby? I'm planning to immerse myself in all things Gatsby tomorrow to get it all thought out.

--My mom and I watched Lost last night. I love that show. There were several moments where I just said, "WHAT???" I will say, though, that I had the "spy" on the boat figured out weeks ago, but everything else definitely threw me for a loop.

--I'm not watching Idol. I've given that show the boot.

--I will watch Dancing With the Stars, but I'm already dreading the big fuss everyone will make over Marlee Matlin's (sp?) deafness. A couple of seasons ago, I grew very weary of Heather Mills and her leg. I mean, yay for overcoming obstacles and handicaps, but can we just address it once and then leave it?

--Darryl and I might have a date night tonight!!

Four Months!

Amelia is four months old today. We've had a big afternoon...

I made Amelia sit in the chair for an official four months pic:




Then because of the nice weather, Amelia and I took a stroll around the neighborhood. The pediatrician said that Amelia is holding up her head well enough that she can ride in a forward-facing stroller. You know that has to be a nice change from facing backwards all the time. What a big girl!

After dinner, we had a little playtime with the Boppy gym. Amelia had a blast...she shrieked and squealed the entire time:


Let's hope that with all this activity, we can look forward to a full night's sleep! :)

Saturday Ramblings

I'm so glad it is Saturday. I'm also glad that this week is a "short" week in a way...Friday is a "work day" (and let's face it...we never really get the opportunity to work because we have to go to meetings and workshops all day long), but at least I don't have to deal with students.

In all honesty, this week hasn't been bad as far as school goes. Yesterday, though, I became a bit annoyed with my 10th graders, but I've since calmed down about it.

My parents are coming next weekend, too. They can't get enough of Amelia these days. I can't say I blame them...she is really in a cute phase where she's "talking" quite a bit and smiling and laughing. I'm loving it. Yesterday, she "talked" all the way to daycare and was still talking when I put her in a swing and left to go to work.

I went off my diet big time last night...we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise because I have been craving their mini-cheeseburgers and sweet potato chips for about two months now. We also had fried pickles for an appetizer. Delicious!

Amelia had her four-month check-up yesterday. She's 17 pounds (!) and 26-1/2 inches long (!). We actually had to buy her a bigger bathtub last night because her feet touch the end of the one we had been using and she can't kick her legs the way she likes to. The girl loves bath time.

I hope everyone doesn't mind my Amelia stories. :) (Tim, I guess I tell them all here instead of in the teachers' lounge.)

It is snowing right now. Two days ago, it was 70 degrees. Weird.

Not the same

I spent the past five days without Amelia.

Originally, Darryl, Amelia, and I were planning to go to Florida to visit our families. To make a long--and not very interesting--story much shorter, Darryl needed to tend to some business with his dad on Friday, and I really wasn't in a position to take time off from school that day, so Darryl decided to give me a bit of a break and let me catch up on some sleep by taking Amelia with him to Florida. They left Thursday afternoon. (Leaving her that morning at daycare was much worse than when I left her the first day of daycare.) Friday, Darryl called to tell me that they wouldn't come back until Monday because he and his dad had an appointment Monday afternoon. They finally came back around 11 last night.

I'm not going to lie--I greatly enjoyed my full nights of sleep...and I slept until at least 8 every morning.

But my awake time was not so fun. I missed my girl desperately. Up until this point, I had not spent a single night away from her. Going without her for four nights for our first separation venture was not pretty. I did get some projects done around the house and managed to look over rough drafts (does that sound like a good time or what?), but the house was too quiet.

I'm glad she's back. (Oh, yes, I missed Darryl too, but I have experienced being away from him before.)

Me time just wasn't the same, I guess.

In other news, I finally got a much-needed haircut today. This is big news, people. I hadn't had a haircut since THANKSGIVING. I didn't get anything too shocking done, but I did get a few inches cut off.

And that's about all that's going on here.