Top 10

We were moved from our usual seats this year and were worried about our new location. Our fears have been laid to rest.

Top 10 Reason we Love Section 111:

10. It's breezy
9. Justin can sit close if he joins us for a game
8. More leg room
7. Great view of the jumbo-tron
6. Great view of the field
5. Close to friends
4. Close to restrooms
3. Close to concessions
2. More freedom to move (we're close to a walkway, not trapped in between 20,000 people)
1. Great view of the tower glowing orange

Happy New Year!

A very small, very unimportant reason I love my job:

One Fourth

Meet Doak. He's 1/4 of the animals we have around here. Maybe the others will earn a post someday too!

Doak is 9 and Russ bought him from a roadside toothless wonder. Seriously. I love this dog as if I brought him home myself.

He loves to cuddle, has to be touching someone. The closer, the better.
He has old man hips.
He loves visitors.
He is the reason Magic Erasers were invented!
He has a serious underbite.
He loves to have his belly rubbed.
He loves to have his ears scratched.
He'd rather be with people.
He's tolerant of Riley. Sometimes.
He's something to look forward to every day when we walk in the door.
Doaky Boy.

Excuse Me While I Rant...

This is all I can think about right now, so boring as it may be, I gotta get it off my chest.

So, I went back to work last Thursday. Teachers have SO much to do to get ready for the kids, I don't think anyone really has an idea. Amidst all of THAT, we have meetings, trainings, ARDs (for special ed. kids), LPACs (for ESOL kids), more trainings, Meet the Teacher, and believe me I could continue.

We lost a teammate to bigger and better things Friday, a week ago. So...add look at resumes, interview 4 people, and make a decision to hire one to my short list. So, we hire this wonderful new teacher. Great--we have so much to tell her.

She can't come into the building. Yes, you heard me. She has to be fingerprinted. All of us teacher folk were fingerprinted and FBI checked for security reasons (that makes complete sense to me), but let our new friend in the building please--legitimately, so we don't have to sneak around!! She missed Meet the Teacher last night and was in the building briefly today to drop of a load of stuff. She can come for a short time on Monday, but has to drive to New Braunfels to get fingerprinted (because our district's appointments were full) OR she could wait until Wednesday and have a sub the first 2 days of school. You would want your child in that situation, right? So...Monday she can come, but not for long, while she spends 5 hours in the car to get fingerprinted. Sweet. Oh, did I mention she's a preacher's wife? That adds a bit of humor, doesn't it?

So....I've been teaching for 13 years now and I've never had more than 21 students. I started with 17, then it was 19, then 23! 23 is one over the legal limit (and it's okay). Last night, during Meet the Teacher, I was given one more. 24 isn't okay. I lost one, gained one, we switched a few. (To make a class list, we look at: boy/girl, ethnic background, academic level, behavior issues, conflicts between students, high maintenance parents, special needs, etc.--it's not just a random drawing). We had 4 new first graders register the day of Meet the Teacher! As we are putting names on bulletin boards, homework folders, clothespins, writing folders, name plates, word walls, daily folders, etc., they're still pouring in!!)

**Register your children before the week school starts PLEASE. Don't contribute to this epedemic.**

A week ago, we each had 18ish. Today we each have 23. Two seasoned teachers, two brand new faces, and now it's looking like we'll have to hire another. That means the kids I'm already attached too, the kids I've already assessed, the kids I've speent 14 days making a relationship with and trying to build trust with--some of those kids, MY kids, will have to leave and go to yet another fresh face.

Each of us will be better off with fewer kids, but the transition is guaranteed to be challenging for each of us as well.

Wish us luck!

Rileyisms (of late)

*We went to visit Justin (our nephew) at BAMC and Riley asked if Justin and his stroller (wheelchair) could sit next to him in the truck.

*Howdy Pardner (but only when he wears his cowboy hat)!

*While he sits on the potty, he tears a square of tissue, then tears it up into tiny pieces and tosses them into the toilet saying "I feeding the ducks!" (We did feed the ducks. Once. He threw the whole piece of bread into the water, so I showed him how to tear of little pieces.)

*"Come here little guy." he says to Dog (that's his woobie).

*"I don't wanna go!" (Go where?) "I don't wanna go Las Vegas!" (I went a couple of weeks ago.)

*After eating a bowl of cereal, he wants to "do a trick." That means he wants to drink the milk. Russ told him, "Let me show you a trick" and drank the cereal milk from the bowl.

*Rudy Petals = Fruity Pebbles (He loves cereal almost as much as his daddy!)

Babe in Toyland

Russ is in his truck alot for work, driving around in his neighborhood. With gas prices being the way they are....and me thinking $3.50 a gallon is "cheap," we thought a bike would be good for getting around while he was at work--saving that gas for the trek to and from work only.

The bike was good, but not good enough. If he needed tools to fix something for a buyer walk or an inspection, he couldn't carry them on his bike.

He had to have THIS toy:


He brought it home for a spin and Riley loved it.


Well, not just Riley.

Bittersweet

Today is my last day of Summer Vacation and it's been hard deciding what I should do. I've enjoyed my last day with Riley--we've been pirates, we've hidden, crawled, cooked, danced, watched Backyardigans, sang, read, and I've snatched more hugs and kisses from him than usual.

Part of me wanted this week to myself....to run the errands I never got around to, to have a pedicure, or to clean and organize.

I'm happy with my decision to stay home with Riley and just be.

For me, it's back to work full-time, starting tomorrow. For Riley, it's back to school full time. We'll both be happy with our new schedule and anxiously await June 5, 2009.

Meet My Bunco Girls

Tina, Rachael, Shauna, Christa, Stephanie, Karen, Kaley, Norah, Valerie, Sonia, and myself.
Together for 7 years now.
Live in Wimberley, Buda, Kyle, LaGrange, Round Rock, Lago Vista, Lakeway, and Austin.
4 weddings.
15 children born since we started (but 18 total...for now).
Two sets of twins.
Meet at least once a month.
Hosted 7 Boy Buncos (where our husbands come too).
Have a Christmas party every year at Carmelo's.
Have weekends away in Rockport.
Are an amazing support system for each other.

I'm so lucky to have them in my life. What an amazing group of women.

We met at Chris and Shauna's for our annual Boy Bunco last night and were missing a few players, but we had a lovely evening. Everytime we get together I love them (and their families) a little more.

The Cutest Cowboy

Uncle Mike bought Riley a new cowboy hat and gave it to him this weekend at The Ranch. He left it on all day and everything, just like a real cowboy!