9/11

I hate to start of the weekend with a post of something sad. But really, I have to say something about 9/11. It's hard to believe that it has been 9 years. I know most of you know exactly where you were when you heard the news. I was in 10th grade Theology and we were watching TV (Big surprise at St. Al). Our teacher had a moment of sanity and told us we had to watch the news and not MTV. The second we turned to CNN the second plane hit the twin towers. At this point, none of us knew the back story. The more we watched, the more surreal it all became. The rest of the day the whole school watched as the sad story unfolded.
I was thinking about 9/11 yesterday, and I realized that none of the children in my class were even alive when it happened. That doesn't seem possible that they never lived in the same America we did. Because like it or not, everything changed that day. A lot of the changes were bad. But I think that it made a lot of us realize how wonderful it is to be an American. How privileged we are to have been born here. Instead of talking to my students about 9/11 and all the terrible things we saw (and were lucky enough not to see) that day, I decided to talk to them about what it means to be an American. Sure they all know we are free, they've heard it a million times. But what does being free really mean? It means that everyone has the right to an education. Everyone can pray however, and whenever they want. You can become absolutely anything you want as long as you put your heart in it. No one can silence your opinion or your voice. If my students take nothing else away from the 2nd grade, I want it to be the knowledge of what it means to be an American. I want them to have an appreciation of our country and what we stand for.
So today, when you think about 9/11 and you pray for the families and the victims of that tragic day, please pray for the children in our country. Pray that they will grow up knowing the America we all knew before 9/11. Pray that they will be proud of their country and they will appreciate the freedoms given to them at birth. But mostly, pray that as they grow older, they will instill what it means to be an American to the next generation.

**Drive past the Military park if you get a chance. Breathtaking.

Boy Oh Boy!

Yesterday was filled with wonderful news! First, Rob and I went to the Dr and found out we are having a boy! Rob's reaction to the news was priceless- he literally jumped out of his chair and shouted "All Right!". Ha- I think he scared the sonogram lady a little bit.
I had to buy a baby shower gift since we were in Jackson, so Rob and I went to Babies R Us and bought all kinds of blue clothes (as well as some Saints onesies for next season). Then when ran by and picked out the baby bed. I have been looking for months, and I am so excited that we found the bed I really wanted :) I don't think it's quite what Rob had in mind, but he was really sweet and agreed to get the one I had my heart set on.

(This picture makes the bed look really girly, but I promise with the right bedding it will be perfect for a boy. Also, I don't think we are going to use the canopy poles. So try to imagine it without those.)

Then, at 7, our family came over so we could announce the news. It was so nice to have our parents and siblings there. We were also glad that Rob's (and my) Aunt Judy and Uncle Richard were in town so they could be here for the announcement too. I had cakes made that were either pink or blue inside. When we cut into the blue cake everyone went crazy. I wish I had them on film! Perfect way to make the announcement :)

Another great thing happened yesterday- my Pepaw got news from his Dr that he doesn't have bone cancer. We have been really worried for over a month now, but we are SO excited to get this great news!!! Prayer really does work.

Thank you Lord for so much wonderful news!

Just Like Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas football fans! The day is finally here. Football season 2010 (yes, I know it really began Thursday. But I don't count it until LSU game day.) Here are a couple of videos to get you even more excited than you already are. I have also included a little something for my MSU friends:

Turn up your volume. 1:27 Seconds is where it all begins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiZoYQSqu-A

Only because I love my MS State friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wniNWNT3Zo

Finally, Some New Clothes!

Yesterday, my mom and I went to the new maternity store here in town (Good Mommy Maternity). It's right by Heavenly Ham in case you haven't seen it yet. I was a little skeptical to go in because you know the normal clothing situation in Vicksburg is not good. I was very pleasantly surprised! They had just put out some fall clothes, and they were really cute! Granted, I am no fashion plate, but I would tell all of my pregnant friends to go there. The man that owns the store is super nice too. He said that he has new stuff coming in all the time, and that the next batch of fall/winter stuff is priced really well. I didn't think the prices were bad at all yesterday, but of course I think that because my mom paid for it! So, if you are pregnant and need a cute dress/skirt/shirt, try it out before driving to Jackson.
P.S.- I found this really cute "strapless dress" that I wanted to buy to wear to a wedding. My mom kindly told me that it was a skirt and the "top" was actually supposed to go over the baby belly. Oops. I have much to learn!

And so we wait

Today, Rob and I went to another Dr. appointment. We were really, really hoping that we could find out the gender of the baby. No luck. We go back on September 20 and we can find out then! I am extremely impatient about everything, and this is no different. I was in the mindset that I didn't want to find out, but after Rob convinced me otherwise, I need to know now. Oh well- I guess at 20 weeks we still have plenty of time to plan a nursery. If we can't do that in 20 weeks, we have a problem.
On another note, our house is officially on the market! Don't ask us where we will move if we sell it. We are just putting it out there to see what happens. We really love our house and our area, but we would really like an additional bedroom. But, if we can't sell right now, we can for sure make it work. (At least until baby #2 comes along, which will be a long while!)
School is still going great! I love my sweet little class. They are so precious and they are so good! No behavior problems at all. They are super hard workers and they are very smart. I think this is going to be such a great year.

We Will Miss You Gran!

As some of you know, Rob's grandmother, Mrs. Amborn (Gran), passed away on Sunday. She was such a sweet and loving person. From the first time I met her when Rob and I started dating, she made me feel like a part of her family. I am so glad that I got the chance to know her over the past few years. She will be truly missed by everyone that knew her. Please keep Rob's family in yours prayers this week, and especially Saturday during her funeral.

Welcome Back!

School starts TODAY and I can't believe how fast the summer went. Here are the pictures of my 2nd grade classroom. Even though it's complete, it still is a little bare until I have student work to post!