The End is Near 2013-2014

The end is near. 4 more days until the final dismissal of the 2013-2014 school year. 4 more days until school is out for the summer....finally. The final day of third grade for my students.  The final day of my third full year of teaching third grade for me. I can see that the end is near  in their inability to sit still as they on their grape chairs, as they try with all their might to focus, I can tell by the glazed over look in their eyes, as their minds are drifting to summer things; swimming and going to the park, Holiday World and grilling out, 4th of July. I hear it in their voices as the voice level in my classroom goes up, and up, and up, "Which pool do you swim at?" "Are you going to summer school?" "I'm gonna be at the Y every day." "I'm gonna play video games for eight hours straight." I see that summer is almost here in their short shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. I can tell that it is near by the Venti iced coffee that I thoughtlessly ordered this morning, to help get this teacher through. I never order a Venti. The end must be near.

It is truly bittersweet for me. This year more than ever. Each year, I come to truly love and care about the sweet kiddos in my class. They are my 20 babies. They are special. They are smart. They are talented. They have gifts. And talents. They are silly and bubbly. They have learned. And grown. And succeeded. I wonder, have I told them that enough?  Have I shown them? Have I been everything I could for them as their teacher? Do they know what they have taught me, not only what I have taught them? I pray that they do. Will they remember me when they remember 8x8? Will they remember me when they read, just for pleasure? Will they remember me when they find figurative language in poetry? Will they remember me when all of those things fade, and they have jobs and families? Will they remember me with special thoughts of third grade. I pray that they will.

This year, it is truly bitter sweet. As I say good-bye to 20 9-year-old faces eager for summer break, I get to shout, "It's summer!" to one joyful one year old who will be thrilled to have her mommy home. I envision summer days full of swimming in her baby pool, reading book after book, popsicles and ice cream, long walks, CMOE, sidewalk chalk and painting, the list goes on and on. This summer will be gone in the blink of an eye, just like this school year is.

 It is bittersweet for sure.

Sweet Little Moments

Last week, my dad was flipping through 6+ photos of Eden eating her first chip. (A whole grain tortilla chip, which she loved!) , and he jokingly said that if I take that many photos of her first chip, he's anxious to see what I do when it's actually something important, like maybe her first time walking, first day of preschool, high school graduation, wedding day, etc., etc.  (He definitely was not complaining, as he is one who requests photo of her on the daily---the man really needs to be on facebook!)

It got me thinking. Yes, I fully admit that I am a little camera (well, iphone camera) happy. I love to document the little moments that are special to me (the moments that I am sure have my facebook friends rolling their eyes and thinking, seriously, another photo of her daughter smiling at a cheerio or crawling around the living room.) But, it makes my heart happy to document the little moments of her sweet little life, as these little moments go extremely fast. I've heard it said that time spent behind a camera turns into moments that were not treasured and that are hard to remember, but I disagree. I love having the photos to look back at and reminisce, while also living in the moment of, wow, look what she can do today!

Yes, I realize the little things that Eden is doing are things that many babies, okay, all babies before her have done. I get it, but they were not my baby. I love looking the video of the first time she laughed as we poked her belly and tickled her chubby little baby thighs. I'm glad that we have the video of when she learned how to play peek-a-boo with a pillow and the picture of her little butt as she crawled in the bathtub (although, that one won't be posted to facbook..you're welcome) I'm thankful to have the picture of her smiling up at me bundled up in her snow suit on a snow day and the one of her sitting criss cross on the living room floor patting her puppy.

I also love the sweet little moments that can't be captured by a photo. Like teething in the middle of the night that calls for cuddles in mommy and daddy's bed, yelling momomomom at the top of her lungs  on an early morning Target shopping trip, playing peekaboo behind mommy with a stranger while eating dinner at Zuki, kisses to every baby that she sees. I love these moments with her. I love them, captured or not. On that note, it is time for this blog post to end, as sweet Eden is no longer content with her corn snacks and sippy cup. She is ready to play a game of I drop it. You pick it up. Repeat. Over and over.

 

 

 
 

 

 

On Being a Teacher Mom

Today as my third graders loaded up their foam trays with chili, cheese quesadillas, chips, and corn, and headed back to our classroom for lunch before our early dismissal, one of my third graders asked me if I was excited to be leaving early. I responded, "Well no, I wanna be here at school, teaching you.. "Really?" he asked, "Wouldn't you rather be with Eden," or something along those lines.. It made me think.

Before I became a mom, I was a teacher. I have been known to say things along the lines of, "I could never be a stay at home mom. I love my job way too much." Then came Eden. Before I had Eden a normal day for me was arriving at school at 6am, teaching until 2:05, teaching after school until 4:30 and getting things ready for the next day until 5:00 or 5:30. I ate, slept, and breathed school, teaching,  and my relationships with my kiddos, and I loved every minute of it.

When I was 24 weeks pregnant and my doctor advised me to stop teaching until after my little one arrived, due to high blood pressure and fear of preeclampsia, I was devastated, to say the least. I couldn't imagine spending weeks away from my students before my little girl arrived, and I had a hard time giving up control. It was a trying and stretching time for me and God taught me a lot about trusting him, being patience, and having peace in his presence.

After Eden arrived, I enjoyed every minute with her, and I treasured the days of being a stay at home mom. Maybe it was for me after all. . . . Thinking of going back to school and leaving Eden at daycare left a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. How could I be a teacher and be her mom. Would I ever stop thinking about my baby while I was at work? Would being a teacher be what it was before?

Today, the fact is, I am not just a teacher, and I am not just a mom, I am a teacher-mom. I feel that it is the profession that God has called me to. Sure, being a teacher is different than it used to be. Now, I drop Eden off at daycare to arrive to school as early as possible, so that I can leave as early as possible, while still being organized and prepared for the next day. I take a bag full of school work home, papers to grade while she naps, lessons to plan, printing to do.  I am still a teacher. I still cherish the relationships with my class, love their excitement when I bring in donuts or make slime during fun friday. I still get excited when a child moves up a reading level or when a light bulb goes on in math. I love sharing my life with them, and I love how they beg me to share pictures  and stories of Eden.

I love how my two important jobs have intertwined.  I couldn't have known a year ago, how great, and how rewarding, being a teacher mom would be.

Christmas Break

What a good break this has been. Thankful to still have 3 days left, although, Josh has to go back to work tomorrow. Not in the mood to do a long post, so here are the highlights from my break so far, in no particular order.

Baking

Brake Christmas

Christmas Eve Service at Crossroads

Starbucks and Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights with my parents

First Christmas morning as a family of 3.

 Christmas Eve with my family

Kerkhof Christmas day

 Bowman Christmas

 Seeing my Bolen family- some of them met Eden for the first time.

Seeing Eden open presents and play with her new toys.

 Newport mini-vacation- dinner at Hofbrauhaus, aquarium, lunch at Tom+Chee, Cincinatti Natural History Museum

Being home

 Eden giving kisses

Looking forward to spending time with Katie & Eli, lunch with Heather, New Years Eve, and 3 more days spent at home with my little girl.

Best time of the year.

I love this time of the year. Every  single little thing about it. I love making memories with my family, snow days (even though I will not enjoy extra school days in the spring), Christmas movies, celebrating with my class, finding out what adventures our class elf, Elvis has gone on each day,  Christmas parties with friends, Christmas devotionals, Christmas music on K love on the way to school, Donut Bank Peppermint Mocha coffee,  holiday decorations, Christmas lights, and taking the time to give to those less fortunate. I also love picking out the perfect gift for each of my family members, best friends, support staff at school, and students. It is so much fun thinking about what to get each person, and finding cute/creative ideas on Etsy.

On giving--This year, Bethel Manor chose to bless a family of four students at Evans with gifts for Christmas that they otherwise would not have been able to have, through a program that our school counselor started at Evans. It was so much fun seeing all the things that they had bought for the family, buying some things ourselves, and them wrapping all of the gifts to take to school.  The mom contacted me and let me know how grateful she was for everything Evans had done for her kids over the year and how excited they would be to receive their gifts on Christmas morning. She has promised to send pictures of the kids opening their gifts. I can't wait to see the excitement on their sweet little faces. I think that the Christmas season is so magical for kids, and I am so thankful that we were able to play a part in blessing some of our sweet Evans' kids.

On snow days-- I was a little stressed/bummed about missing school for three days, just because there is already so much to do and teach and so little time, but I decided to enjoy every minute of the days at home with my sweet little girl. We spent time playing and cuddling, shopping, and baking. Eden saw snow for the first time, and she kept wanting to touch it and put her face in it. It was sweet.  We spent two of the days shopping with my mom and we were able to get most of our  Christmas shopping done.

On  Elvis the Elf- Our class Elf showed up to school last week, and the kiddos named him Elvis. So far, he has climbed into our Christmas tree, hung from the top of the promethean board, tp'd the Christmas tree, dove into the skittles jar, and brought us donut bank airbrushed holiday cookies. The kids get so excited each day looking for Elvis. It is so much fun!

Today, I am trying to be productive--cleaning, finishing up wrapping, and getting things ready for the Christmas party with Erin and Cassie tonight. Sure will miss the other 3, who aren't able to make it this year. Eden is in Santa Claus. My brother picked her up to take her in the Santa Claus parade on the Holiday World trolley, but then it ended up being too cold, so she is at my parents' house spending some time with them, until they bring her back later this evening. Tomorrow Miss E will meet Santa for the first time, we are going to the St. Peter's church Christmas dinner, and we are going to the light show at Lake Rudolph.

Feeling very blessed each day for so many reasons, and trying my best not to take a single second of it for granted.

'Tis the Season

My last post was over 5 months ago. Boy how time has flown. I have been enjoying every little moment with my sweet little girl who is growing and gaining more and more personality each day, it seems. The holidays are quickly upon us, and this year they hold an even more special meaning for me, because I get to experience it all through Eden's eyes. I get to experience the awe as she reaches for the twinkle lights on the Christmas tree in her room, the excitement over shiny paper, boxes, and toys, her intent listening as we read her the Christmas story for the first time, her peaceful snoring after she has fallen asleep to the sound of her new Christmas lullaby cd. I can't wait to make her a part of all of our Christmas traditions.

 They also seem even more special this year, because of trials that my family has gone through in the past few months, and will continue to go through over the years, and the tragedy and sadness that seems to be never ending in the world around us. I am realizing now just how precious and special family is, and I treasure every moment that I get to spend with them.  This world is a broken world, that will not be restored or renewed until Christ comes back for us, but I believe that that special feeling that only comes around Christmastime is a teeny tiny sliver of what heaven will be like.

'Tis the season to remember all that we have to be thankful for, to focus on the gifts God has given us and to give to others less fortunate than us, and to thank him for his Son Jesus. 'Tis the season for get togethers with family and friends, egg nog, and cheese balls, laughter, and stories. 'Tis the season for decorating the house, drinking hot chocolate, watching Christmas movies. 'Tis the season for peppermint mochas, cookie baking, and Christmas cards. 'Tis the season for elf on the shelf and Santa's first visit to the Bowman house. 'Tis the season that truly is the best time of the year.

Puppy love

I chose Riley from the Spencer County Humane Society about a week before Josh and I got married.  There were four puppies bounding and leaping through the grass. One puppy even followed me around the yard playfully licking at my heels. That is not the puppy that I chose though. I chose the shy little guy, keeping his distance, and hiding behind the others. The one that would have been easy to miss, easy to overlook and leave behind. He walked clumsily, cautiously, taking in everything around him. He is the one that I chose. Riley. Long legs. Chocolate colored fur. White markings on his neck. Skeptical. Slow. He rested his head on my lap on the way home. I knew that I had made the right choice.

I kept that in mind when he chewed up the remote control, dug in the landscaping time and time again, helped himself to my chocolate and my gum, and our leftover rotisserie chicken from dinner. I remembered that when he did his business in the living room  on the shaggy brown carpet after eating that chicken. Yuck. I kept that in mind later when he chewed up baby clothes and got sick on the rug that I had spent hours upon hours working on for the nursery. He was still the right choice for us.

When I was pregnant, he was my constant bed rest companion, resting his head on my belly. He never left my side and he loved Eden even before she was born.

When we brought her home from the hospital, he stood like a guard at her pack n play, watching, wondering about the tiny little creature that we had brought home. He was curious and skeptical, but it was love at first sight. When she cried, he looked at us, as if to say, "Help her!"

As she has become more interactive, he has become more interested in her, and she in him. Luckily she enjoys it, smiles and laughs even, when he sneaks in a lick.  :)





 

As I was writing this blog today, Riley was laying his head on the edge of her activity mat, watching her play. Eden was reaching for him and trying to get closer to him, and she happened to have her first back to belly roll over, trying to get closer to her puppy, her best friend. How perfect!