Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Butler, PA

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Butler, PA

Today was a day of rest for the Hauguel’s we got up, ate breakfast and watched some good ole morning TV. I was in heaven watching all of those terrible talk shows like The View and Rachel Ray. Of course Reece & Raine enjoyed some serious PBS time. They love to watch Super Why, Dragon Tales and Sesame Street. Raine loves Elmo much more than Reece ever did! It is all we brought book and toy wise.

We finally got ourselves moving and went for a walk to a nearby park. Reece and Raine thoroughly enjoyed the swings and sandbox. There was a rec center representative there ready to do crafts or play games with the kids. Reece, Raine and Hailey finger painted a Frisbee. Matthew and Grant played kickball with some other boys. It was a really fun time. We walked back to the house and put the kids down for naps. I took a break on the back deck ready my 9 magazines that I haven’t had time for. It was gorgeous weather and so nice to sit on the back deck in the middle of the day and not melt to death. Last night’s rain cooled things off a bit so it was perfect temperature outside. We had a full evening of baseball ahead of us; since Grant’s game was cancelled last night. Hailey and Grant both had games right next to each other. It was going to be fun trying out the zoom lense on my new camera. Did I mention I have taken over 300 pictures so far? It is so great having a huge memory card and a camera that doesn’t miss a thing.

The baseball park was a blast. Mo took some amazing pics of the kiddos batting and pitching. I think he likes my camera more than I do. The concession stand served the best real potato french fries. They were so stinking yummy. Mo & Reece took a walk in the creek and had such a terrific time. We headed back home for baths and bed. Reece and Hailey played into the wee hours of the night and then Reece asked if he could have a sleep over in her bedroom. It was so cute! We enjoyed another game of the College World Series and some delicious Yeungling lager. It was a wonderful day. We are blessed to have amazing family that puts up with us.

Mon. 6-23-08 Peoria, IL to Butler, PA

Monday, June 23, 2008 Peoria, IL to Butler, PA

Yes, yet another good night’s sleep in the cool hotel room at another Comfort Inn. I woke at 8:30 and the boys were still sleeping. Raine was awake in her crib just waiting for someone to get her out. I jumped in the shower hoping she didn't see me but she cried out for me the whole time I was in the bathroom. Mo woke and got the kids ready for yet another FREE breakfast. I hopped out of the shower and we ran down for some free food. We all ate really well again and off we went. Reece asked if we were going to Starbucks and then reminded us that we need to pray after we get our coffee. It was so great. Reece prayed for our travels, thanking God for the nice weather and good nights sleep and a yummy breakfast. He was awesome! I was reminded once again about the amazing faith of a child. Don't you wish we could all have that!

The dude at the Starbucks was yet another super Starbucks employee. He had this incredible radio announcers voice and acted like we just ordered the best Starbucks coffee ever. We have really enjoyed our morning Starbucks runs; they certainly start the day off right!

We have about 6 hours on the road until we hit PA. We are hoping to see my cousin Alicia and her beautiful family. They have baseball every night of the week; it will be fun watching her sons and daughter play some ball. I hope the kids do as well in the car as they did yesterday.

The scenery around us is getting greener and greener. I love all of the trees and wildflowers we see along the roadside. We have seen some awesome wildlife also. Mo spots them all the time since my nose is usually in my book or turned around helping the kiddos. We have seen a lot of deer, horses, cows, birds and even those crazy prong horn antelope. Its been pretty neat seeing all of those animals.

We are about the cross over another state and it think that makes 10 states we are driving through in 4 days. What a crazy thought. It has been a great day. The kids were getting a little restless and so we stopped for lunch. Yep, McDonalds again! Reece was a bit disappointed though he received another Mantis character and we already have 2 of those. He was so sad he cried. We told him we would try and trade it for another toy at another restaurant. So far Reece has collected: Mantis, Tigris, Fox and Viper. He still needs Crane, Panda, Monkey and the bad guy. It would be fun if he collected them all, not quite sure that's going to happen.

The kids had full bellies and fell fast asleep in their seats. Reece only napped for a lil bit because we started to go through this crazy rain storm. We were driving along the Ohio river taking the scenic route to cross over into PA and the rain came pouring down. It was so bad we almost had to pull off the road. It lasted for quite some time and made me very nervous. I closed my eyes and took a little break from it all. It was all over and we were trying to cross into PA. My hubby took a wrong turn but quickly fix the situation. I was ready to be done with this leg of the drive. Reece was getting really cranky and so was I. We had about 45 minutes to my cousins house and I didn't think I was going to make it. I asked Mo if it would be faster if we got back on rt 79 and headed north that way. He said no we needed to go east not north, so curvy country roads it was.

Finally at 6:30 we pulled into my cousin's house. It had stopped raining but their baseball game was cancelled due to the downpour. We let the kids out to run around their awesome yard. Reece found Haliey's scooter and rode all over the yard. He has become quite agile on those things lately. He loves them. Mo played a quick game of wiffle ball with the kids before our pizza arrived. We enjoyed some yummy east coast pizza while watching the College World Series. It was great to relax in someones home again. The Hauguel family settled in at the Metzger home just as if it was their own. Thank You so much Alicia! We had made it to the east coast HOORAY!!

Sun. 6-22-08 York, NE to Peoria, IL

Sunday, June 22, 2008 York, NE to Peoria, IL


Yay, finally a good night’s sleep in the cool hotel room at the Comfort Inn. It took some time getting the kids to sleep but by 11:30 everyone was snoozing. We woke at 7:53am to Raine calling my name again; boy does that lil one love her mama. After a long hot shower and a quick run through the room, we were almost all packed up and ready to hit the FREE continental breakfast. Mo & Reece went ahead to get started and leave me alone to finish packing up the stuff. Raine hung out with me and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a favorite of my kiddos. The girls met up with the boys just as they were finishing their scrumptious Belgian waffle; thankfully they had made us one also! It was a tasty treat even with all of the syrup my hubby put on it. Raine enjoyed it too. After breakfast Mo loaded up the truck and we were on our way to the local Starbucks. The barista was so hilarious. She kept getting everything mixed up or wrong and had us cracking right up. We couldn’t figure out if she was a ditz, new or just dumb; either way she seemed to be the happiest barista we ever met. I guess working at Starbucks in the middle of nowhere Nebraska will do that to you.

After a couple hours and the entering of another state, we had to pull over and let lil man pee. Raine was ready to get out and stretch her legs too. We were standing on the side of state route 6 in the county of Pottawattamie, Iowa. It was quite a humorous pee break. Mo decided the kids were doing great so he gave them one of their wrapped presents. Tuesday night before we left I pulled out tons of dollar store toys and wrapped them for the kids. It felt like Christmas Eve. Reece’s gifts were all wrapped in monster truck paper that said SMILE. Raine’s gifts were wrapped I in a boring yellow paper. When we feel like the kids need something new to play with or when they are doing exceptionally well then we give them a present. Reece loves it! He was very excited about the ball he can play with in the swimming pool or on the beach. He thought the Todd Parr book about underwear was hilarious and asked me to read it over and over. I think that will be one he memorizes and reads himself.

A few more hours passed by and I called my dad to let him know our new plan. We are going to skip visiting Buffalo on the way out to the shore and visit all of the friends & family in PA the rest of this week. We have 2 families to see in the Pittsburgh area and about 5 families to visit in the Philadelphia area. If we hang out with all of them this week then we can go visit my friend Andrea and my sister right after the shore. This sounded much more logically to my spouse as well as my dad. He told me he thought we were dumb to be driving north 4 hours to say hi for a day and a half. That we should just stay on I 80 or I 276 through PA. I am so glad my Dad agrees because that will make it easier when I talk to my mother; who always thinks I prefer to stay with the Hauguel’s rather than the Myers/Bumpus family.

It was lunchtime and Mo chose McDonalds again. Thank goodness we ate at Cracker Barrel yesterday. I think Mo wants Reece to get all of those silly Kung Fu Panda toys; at least I hope that’s why he keeps taking us there. We were all in good moods and ready for some greasy grub. The kids share a 6 piece chicken parts Happy Meal. Mo and I share a chicken select meal and he gets an extra fish filet sandwich. $14.00 later we are all fat and happy. Good thing we only eat one meal at a restaurant.

Fruit snacks come in very handy when the kids are getting antsy and need some sugar to calm them down.
Reece was ready to rest and take a break for a while. Note the collection of Kung Fu Panda toys on his lap. He would sleep with his head on the cooler. It was very funny.

YAY a picture of the super mom who would turn around every 5 minutes to serve her children and all of their needs. My husband even pointed that out. He said he was very grateful to all that I do during the drive.

Mo snacking on some pringles. I asked him if he was hungry or bored. He obviously didn't eat enough free breakfast or yummy Mc Donalds.

The kids finally fell asleep after quite a long afternoon. It was about 3:45 before they finally crashed. Raine slept hard but Reece was very uncomfortable. He was very over tired and couldn't fall asleep. He watched the Curious George movie. Raine seems to love that movie and calls George a monk monk. It is very cute. We were making great time today. The wind was at our back and we got great gas mileage. Ever since we left Nevada gas cost less than $4.00. I think the last tank we got was $3.84. Mo said we were getting 18 mpg. He was so glad we didn't bring that canoe across the country. Our drive was going so well, we could have driven a few more hours but wanted to crash before we hit at more expensive Springfield, IL.

We found another Comfort Inn and called it quits for yet another day on the road. We knew better this time and got the pack n play ready right away for Raine. It was too late to take Reece swimming so he took a nice long bath instead, that boy could bath for hours, he seems to think it is his own personal swimming pool. We all made it into bed and were fast asleep by 10:30 pm.

Sat. 6-21-08 Denver, CO to York, NE

Saturday, June 21, 2008 Denver, CO to York, NE

At 5:40 am Raine was wide awake and calling, “Mama, Mama” from her crib. I lay down in Lucy’s bed while Raine played with all of the neat toys in her room. She became bratty & tired so I laid her back down in her crib to rest some more. Soon enough everyone woke up and we got ready to go to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. Mo’s choice and boy was it yummy! It took FOREVER to get seated and even longer to get our food but the kids hung in there and did awesome! Mo taught Reece how to play checkers. It was his first time learning and he loved it. Dad was very kind and let him win! Raine loved rocking in the cute rocking chair and played with her pooh toys.



We all ate like champs and then headed to Boarders book store to use the gift card my students gave me. I bought the Cold Play CD for Mo, an Elmo book for Raine that laughs like Elmo when you move the big Elmo head and a 4 pack of Chicken Little books for Reece both for a smoking deal $3.99. Then as I was headed to the register I saw the summer beach reads section. It had an interesting book called Pack up the Moon. It’s written by an Irish gal and sounded awesome. I got back in the truck and started reading it right away. The kids were very excited about their new books too. We drove along interstate 76 until we reached interstate 80. I only made it through chapter 1 of my book because I was so sleepy from my full belly and poor night’s sleep. Raine & I fell were fast asleep before we made it to I 80.

We drove a good while and then Mo needed to pee. The kids were sleeping so we pulled off the highway and while Mo peed I stretched my very achy legs. Reece woke up so we had him make a river in the mud also. He was in great spirits. He has been a real angel so far. He gets a little antsy toward the end of the day but all in all is quite the trooper. After every nap he asks, “Mama, did I take a good nap? Can I have a treat?” While on the road, he gets a package of fruit snacks. If we were at home he would get to pick a treat from the candy tin. I have no problem rewarding 2 hours of quiet in my home. Once back in the truck and on our way again; Raine continued to sleep and Reece asked to watch his Transformers DVD again. I am so tired of that movie, I need to pull out Brother Bear or Curious George. Nebraska is a pretty flat and boring state. I told Mo it reminds me of the middle of New York state, flat boring farm land.

The rain was horrible and we were so close to Lincoln that we decided to stop in York. It would be less expensive than Lincoln and we were ready to get out of that truck. The night was relaxing Raine played in the tub while daddy and Reece took a swim in the indoor pool. We tried to have the kids sleep in the same bed but Raine didn't know what to do with her self. She kept kicking Reece and he was very annoyed. Finally I had enough and made go out to the truck once again and get the pack n play for Raine to sleep by herself. Once she was in her bed she fell asleep and so did the rest of us. We all slept pretty soundly since we were so tired from our Denver night and the long long long drive!

Fri. 6- 20-08 Park City, UT to Denver, CO

Friday, June 20, 2008 Park City, UT to Denver, CO

We left Brian’s house after some waffles and cereal. It was about 10:30 by the time we finally made it onto route 80. We had to have some Starbucks and drop some over due thank yous in the mailbox. It wasn’t but a half an hour into our ride that our kiddos fell asleep. They must have been pretty tired from the hike and playing with their uncle. It doesn’t matter where you are in Utah it is simply an amazingly beautiful state.

Mo & Reece had to pee so we pulled off the highway and found a place to make rivers. This was the perfect spot to test out the zoom lens. I took pictures of these enormous windmills with the beautiful Rocky Mountains in the distance. It was breathtaking.


The drive was a hard one. Raine was so uncomfortable. She seems to be teething, battling allergies or getting a cold. Whatever it is, it makes for a horrible 8 hours in a small confined area. She can’t really get comfortable and just cries a whole lot! Mo decided to stop at McDonalds in Rock Springs, Wyoming for a late lunch. It gave the kids a chance to run around the play place and expend some energy. Reece was very excited he got a new Kung Fu Panda toy. He now has 3 out of the 7 available. I won’t be surprised if we bring home a whole slue of those darn things. $13.00 later we were full of grease. Good thing we only eat one meal a day there! I cleaned out the pantry so we would have plenty of good things to eat. Some of our snacks include: apples, carrots, cheese sticks, pbj sandwiches, granola bars, peanuts, Doritos, Cheetos, animal crackers, Chex mix, Cheezits, and a gift bag full of CANDY!! These snacks are also perfect for the beach.

Once back on the road with full bellies; we all fell asleep for an hour or so, while Mo drove through a wild rain storm into Colorado. During the last hour of our day, Raine continued to sleep and Reece asked to watch his Transformers DVD. I picked up a $5.00 DVD with 3 episodes of the old school cartoons on it. I am pretty tired of listening to that theme song.

We made it to Terry & Cindy’s house by 6:30 pm. The night was nice and cool, perfect for a BBQ and margaritas. The kids made M&M cookies with Cindy’s sister Meg and boy were they yummy! Sleeping arrangements were tough but we got some rest and can’t complain when it’s free! Reece and Raine took over the little girl’s room and Mo and I slept in the living room. Raine was having hard time settling in but finally crashed. Reece woke in the middle of the night not sure where he was. He came out the living room and stole my couch. I should have gone in the girl’s room and took his bed. At about 1:30 am we were all finally sound asleep.

Road Trip 2008

We are off!! We left Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 18th at 3:34 pm.

I wanted to leave at 8 am but we were hardly ready to go. Mo relaxed Mon & Tues night instead of packing so we took most of Wednesday to get all our gear gathered and put in the truck. I really tried to minimize what I bring with us since I am a well known over packer and tired of keeping track of so much stuff. Mo said, " Are you sure we have everything, cuz there seems to be some extra room back there?" We can actually see out the back window and watch the bike tires spin as we drive. Little does he know there is extra room so we can bring a 58 year old baby doll crib and my 30 year old hand made dollhouse back with us! :) We are letting my brother Brian use Mo's canoe while we are gone. Mo thinks it will cost too much extra gas money to haul it with us. It's a pain driving against the head winds with that massive thing on the top of the truck. Not sure how I feel about that. Both of the kiddos would love to ride in the canoe at my parents house on Lake Ontario and on the Bay in New Jersey. We arrived in Park City, Utah last night around 11:30pm. We were all exhausted after a long day of preparation and then a 7 hour drive. I out the kiddos to bed and then had a yummy beer with my lil bro. I was just what I needed since my lil man seems to be growing like a weed. The whole drive he complained about his legs hurting and how he just wanted to get to Uncle Brian's house. Mo had more patience for his crying than I did; probably cuz I was up late the past few nights packing...


THURSDAY, JUNE 19th I woke with two lil ones in my brother's huge California King bed and Mo no where to be found. Reece was ready for breakfast so he headed down to find Mo, who was playing on the computer. He made the kids breakfast while I got them dressed for a fun filled day. We played in the backyard, walked to this great playground area and then came home to gather up gear for a picnic in the mountains.

We didn't realize there would be that much snow left. So we just made the best of it. It was perfect weather for making a snowman, or an Hauguel Snow Family :)

Reece thought I needed a hat. He said that was the biggest one he could find. Notice my arms down on the bottom of my body. When I asked him why my arms were so low he just laughed and moved them up. He was having so much fun making these little snowmen.

We could of played up there for hours but the kids really needed a nap. Raine fell asleep in the car up there and then the whole time we ate and made snowmen. I just held her in my arms and cuddled with my baby girl who is soon to be 2 years old.

We came home relaxed and made a delicious BBQ dinner of grilled potatoes, veggie kabobs, steak kabobs and chicken kabobs. It was marinated in our favorite Chavetta's marinade from Buffalo, NY. I can't wait to get some more and bring it back with us!

The kids played with chalk in the front and then we ate some yummy ice cream, took a bath and got ready for bed. It was a jammed packed day! I think I would like to spend a week here, instead of just a day and a half. I love it here. Tomorrow we are Denver, CO bound...

Playing with my new Nikon D60

Ya gotta love when you get a new toy, right? I've been wanting a new camera for a year or so and finally purchased it. I bought the Nikon D60 and am in love. I still have so much to learn but that's my summer time goal. I found an online class for beginning SLR users. I also have some free classes I will get to take at Ritz Camera when I return from my summer travels. Be prepared for lots of posts with lots of fun pictures.

Happy Father's Day Mo

We had such a nice time celebrating our Daddy today. A few presents and lots of tears before church. A wonderful teaching about leaving a legacy to be proud of by our friend Pastor Eli. Mini Grand Prix for some rides on the fast race cars and some yummy pizza for lunch. At 1:00 I put Raine down for a nap and Mo took Reece to see Kung Fo Panda. They both loved it and had a great time chilling out in true father and son fashion. Reece and Raine played while Mo watched some golf on TV. We finished the day hanging out and eating ice cream with the Russo family.


Top Ten Reasons Mo makes a great DADDY
#10 His good looks helped make two beautiful babies.
#9 Reece has a great name because of him.
#8 He teaches the kids about manners and proper pronunciation of words.
#7 He often comes home with lil gifts he knows Reece would enjoy.
#6 He wrestles with the kids more often than I would like him too.
#5 He reads & prays with them before they go to sleep.
#4 He still loves to travel and can't wait to bring the kids new places.
#3 He sacrifices his wants and desires so he can spend time with his family.
#2 He gave me children even when he was reluctant about raising them in this crazy world.
#1 He loves his kids more than anyone would know.

I love you Mo! You are the BESTEST DADDY in the whole wide world.

NEW DO

I am ready for simple summertime hair. Mo wanted me to cut it shorter than last time so I did! You can't really see the cool red highlights. :(

What do you think?

Days of excitement

I can't keep up with daily bloggin on summer break because our days have been pretty jammed pack with fun. Here's a brief update:


WEDNESDAY 6/11/08
Tried to organized my home in the morning then met some friends to go swimming. Home for lunch and naps. Visited with more friends for a BBQ and more swimming. It was a Memorial Day camping trip reunion full of funny pictures and stories. We had so much fun just chilling and chatting.


THURSDAY 6/12/08
Stayed home all day trying to allow for some serious rest and relaxing for my exhausted kiddos. Is it bad that they watched three movies? Well, Raine only watches a little bit, she doesn't sit still. Reece on the other hand has a great Little Einstein mat that he lays on and enjoys a snack picnic style while he watches a flic. I was doing even more organizing than Weds. It feels good to see my list of projects getting accomplished. I can't believe the week is over already though. I still have so much I want to do before we leave on our trip. Mo and I were able to go out on a date. We used some gift cards for dinner, a movie and a new shirt. It was so nice to go out and chat since we haven't been able to do that in a very long time. We finally saw Indiana Jones, not sure I really cared for it as much his other movies. I was full of delicious Cannelloni from Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant so it was a little tough keeping my eyes open.

FRIDAY 6/13/08
Stayed in bed until almost 8 am, feed the kidlets breakfast, threw in a load of laundry and vacuumed. Walked the kiddos to the playground for a break from our house before it got to hot. Reece was very helpful walking Dublin Dog. After lots of running around we walked back home. Reece was warn out and rode in the umbrella stroller while Raine toddled behind us. She was so cute trying to keep up with us. Mo came home for a few hours so I could go purchase my camera and get my hair cut and colored. It was a nice 3.5 hours away doing things I needed to do. My hair is so short, but the spouse loves it just as much as I do. I played with the kids while Mo went back out to landscape and buzz his head again :( Then we all went swimming before dinner. It was a very fun filled day! Now, I am just waiting for the battery to charge on my camera so I can play with it!

There is the week's update and hopefully I won't skip anymore of my daily bloggin. How was your week?

Thank you girls

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people that treat you right and forget about the ones that don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance take it. If it changes your life, let it! Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised that it would be worth it.

This quote is dedicated to girlfriends who make all things in life fun and carefree. Thanks for taking me out last night! I needed to get away and have some girl time without kids. BJ's was a blast, so much fun dealing with that awful waiter. Let's go again for Jess's b-day but later in July so I can attend! (Sure) Bingo was also so great, but when are we going to win? Thanks again girls for all of my letters, my movie, my moving day breakfast and help, and my night out. Mostly of all, THANK YOU for being there for me when my family is so far away. I love you guys :)

Super Sunday

Don't ya just love when all signs are pointing to you not making it to church but when you do it is wonderful! The morning was a bit hairy scary but we made through the church doors just as Kiko Campo, an amazing man starting his sermon. It was his last Sunday at our church as he is moving to Virgina to work at a university there. He is a dynamic public speaker, he has a theater background so it is always entertaining! We will miss you Dr. Campo.

After service the kids ate their doughnuts and played on the playground with their best buddies Timmy & Cross. It was nice being able to chat with one of my best buddies Wendie while they played. We ran to Babies R Us to return something and pick up a few new baby presents and then headed home for naps. Raine fell asleep in the car and was easy to move to her bed. Reece on the other hand watched a 30 minute movie, decided he was hungry and then finally made it to his bed. Reece must be growing because he is eating like a horse lately.

All he wants to eat are the Rice Krispie treats we made yesterday. He wants to bring them to the beach with us. I told him they probably won't last that long. :) Then he asked if we could make some more when we were there but wants to bring everything we need with us. I told him that all we would need to do was buy the ingredients and he was finished with that in-depth conversation. When Mo asked him if he was excited about going to the beach in 3 weeks Reece said yep and we will get to make those delicious Rice Krispie treats. Mo didn't understand Reece's new found love of those delicious snacks and laughed right out loud at him.

After dinner we headed out on a family bike ride. It was about an hour long and the kids did great, maybe tomorrow we can get out there a little bit earlier and go someplace new.

One jeep sold, two to go...

Mo sold Kristopher's jeep last night! PRAISE THE LORD!
That means I get my parking spot in the driveway back, well until Mo has to park his landscaping trailer in there. If only he would sell that other jeep taking up space in my driveway; parking in the driveway wouldn't be such a problem. PRAY he sells that one by August since he won't be around much to work on it during June or July. Off to tumbling class with Reece, then maybe some more swimming today. I love to swim and hope to do a lot of it this summer.

First Day of Summer Break

Today was the official start of my summer break. I woke, threw in a load of laundry and then made some breakfast for my kiddos. My friends do coffee and massage Fridays, so I was headed over there for a birthday massage and some yummy coffee.

The kids swam, Raine napped, Jess drew a picture and Erin worked on breaking up all the knots that accumulated in my neck and shoulders over the school year. Boy did that feel good, but it also hurt really bad! She said I will be sore tomorrow. I bet! The kids played really well so we stayed a little longer. Then I looked at the clock and it was already 2:00, I was tired and ready for a nap. Reece needs his naps or he is the crankiest kid on the block. Home we went and by 2:30 all of us were resting in our beds! I even fell asleep for an hour or so.

Dinner came and I made a yummy pasta salad, corn, and flank steak. Then since I had some apples to use up I made an apple pie. Never did that before, but will definitely do it again. It's pretty easy, especially when you are using a graham cracker crust!

While I folded laundry and tried to clean out Reece's closet Mo went to bid on a job and then took his son to Golden Spoon and brought some home for me! It was a relaxing but productive day. The first of many to come this summer...

34 years old!

Wow, I am old. Ice cream is melting as I type so I will keep this short and maybe come back later...

I moved 11 years of teaching stuff from 4 different grades levels into a new classroom today with the help of my dear friends Erin & Jess. THANKS SO MUCH GIRLIES :) Surprised my kiddos and took them swimming and then Mo bought me take out and I will now go enjoy my ice cream and watch my new movie PS I Love You. I hope I don't fall asleep.

Summer break is officially here so do be surprised by an overwhelming amount of bloggin. It's my journal ya know! :)

SCHOOL'S OUT

EXHAUSTION is setting in. I was up way too late last night and certainly could be tonight. My house looks like a tornado blew threw it, so does my classroom. My students did great today. While I tried to get some stuff done, they enjoyed some cake & a movie for my birthday. My AWESOME room mom Jessica Baldwin coordinated a class birthday present for me. A Borders gift card and notes from each of the kids; summer reading here I come. Thanks Jess!

I layed down to watch a movie with Reece and totally fell asleep; this was at 7:45 pm. I knew if I stopped moving I would crash. I woke up a couple times when Mo came home and when I realized it was 9:00 and Reece still hadn't gone to bed. Spoke with my hubby, did the dishes, tucked my son back into bed and here I sit.

I need some sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of work until August 20th. Jess & Erin are going to come in and help me finish moving the rest of my room. THANK GOODNESS FOR GREAT FRIENDS!

Accomplishments

Don't you just love when your to do list gets done and then some. I never make mine too long; that way I will feel a sincere sense of accomplishment.

Called my sister and dad.
I filed all the projects my kids did throughout the spring.
I handed in 20 report cards for critiquing.
Paid a couple bills.
Got gas.
I had Jess take pictures of the kids and I, got them developed and made my scrap page for each student.
Finished the students scrap books.
Brought chips and nacho cheese to school.
Took down a little bit more of my room.
Cleaned out a few more files, supplies, and cupboards.
Taught about Father's Day and had the kids write awesome letters to their dads'.
Taught about tan grams and had the students play with them.
Cooked dinner~Pasta is quick and easy~Reece and Raine love it!
Bathed the kids, read books and put them to bed.

I bet there is a bunch more but I can't remember right now and my list to far away to check it.

1.5 days left with students

Yep, since Monday is all over, I only have Tuesday and half of Wednesday left with the best class of kids I have ever taught. I had a bunch of first graders two years ago and they were pretty awesome also. God seems to give teachers easy classes then harder classes; it's what makes us come back to teaching after our short summers of relaxing.

I will be going back up to 5th grade to teach two of my favorite subjects, reading & language arts (writing). There will be four core teachers and the kids will rotate between us. I will get to teach 60 kids reading & language arts (writing) while my dear friend teaches the other 60 kids reading & language arts (writing). The math & science/social studies teachers will have to teach all four classes (120 kids). I used to teach 5th grade 3yrs ago and loved it, but was ready for something new, so I went down to first grade.

I will miss the little guys, but change is always good for me. Just not on my birthday...

Birthday Month is Here

YAY! It's JUNE, my favorite month of the year! June means so many things, most importantly my birthday! June 5th is the best day of the year. You all must agree, you love me and if it weren't for that very special day, you all would seriously be missing out.

So on my birthday, I get to check out of my second grade classroom and move in to a much larger fifth grade classroom. Yay for me. :) I am going to bust my tail so I can go to work at 8:00, check out and walk out those doors until Aug 18th.

SUMMER VACATION is also a big reason I love the month of June! Road trip to the Jersey Shore plans start to really come about and lounging at home with my kiddos is an everyday thing, not just a weekend thing.

In honor of my birthday month, I am challenging myself to post something great about the month of June each and every day of it!