Name Change

My poor, neglected blog will be looking for a new name in October. For those of you who haven't heard- we are expecting another baby around Halloween. I'm taking name suggestions. And no, we don't have a name for baby #2 yet because we aren't even finding out the gender until it's birthday. I know this sounds crazy, but I think there are so few surprises in life, that why not? I'm almost positive Rob is dying to know, but he has been patient so far.
Other than that, life has been pretty normal. Louis is almost 2 1/2 years old. I just cannot believe it! Now that school is out for the summer, I'm going to attempt to begin potty training. At first, Louis would just cry every time we mentioned the word potty. Now he will at least sit on it and watch TV. He also loves to wear his Cars underwear.
We went to the pool for this first time this summer today, and needless to say, it's going to be a long two months at the pool. Not only do I look super cute in my tankinis, but Louis insists on jumping in the pool a thousand times, which means I have to catch him and then help him out of the pool a thousand times. I'm not sure who was more exhausted at the end of the afternoon.

Have a great summer!

Christmas photos

Here are a few shots from our holiday shoot with Becca Stewart. I think she did a great job!

2012 Christmas Card Photo. Love this little guy!

I hope that you and your families all have a very Merry Christmas!

The Leader in Me

I am super excited for school to begin this year. Not only am I moving to 1st grade with the opportunity to work with a teacher that I look up to so much, but our school is implementing The Leader in Me. Some of you have not heard of this so I wanted to give a quick overview of the amazing opportunity our students will have at Bowmar (and also at Bovina Elementary) thanks to the Chamber of Commerce and some amazing community sponsors.
The Leader in Me is not a program. It is an entirely new way of thinking. It is based on Stephen Covey's bestseller "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". If you have not read this book, I've heard it's awesome. The 7 Habits are: 1. Be Proactive. 2. Begin With the End in Mind. 3. Put First Things First. 4. Think Win-Win. 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. 6. Synergize. 7. Sharpen the Saw. I'm not going to go into descriptions of each habit right now. But if you want more info, go to www.theleaderinme.org for a simple overiew and to see some awesome schools that have already implemented LIM at their schools.
If you have a chance, come visit Bowamr this year and see all of our amazing changes! I feel that just going through this training has made me a better person. I cannot wait to see what it does for our already awesome students. This is going to be so beneficial to each and every one of them.
If you live in the Vicksburg area and want to sponsor The Leader in Me, contact Christi Kilroy at the Chamber of Commerce. It is our hope that LIM will be so successful at our two pilot schools that other sponsors will want to help it grow to each school in our district. Thank you SO SO much to those of you that are already sponsors and to those of you who believe in this program, believe in our students, and believe that we as teachers have the ability to instill these habits into our students. It will all be well worth the extra effort.

On another school related note: our school district has moved from "At Risk of Failing" to "Successful" in just two short years. This is amazing progress and amazing news for our district! Being a part of a state recognized "successful" district is so awesome. Everyone involved with the Vicksburg-Warren School District has worked incredibly hard this past year, and the efforts paid off. Thank you so much to all of you that support our schools. You are greatly appreciated!

Now time to enjoy my last summer weekend! I hope you all have a great one!

Louis's First Trip to the Beach

This past week Rob, Louis, and I went to the beach. We left early Thursday morning, and planned to return on Monday. Mother Nature, however, had other plans. Because of The Great Monsoon of 2012, we returned on Sunday. After sitting in traffic in Mobile on Thursday and driving super slow in the rain on Sunday, we spent more time in the car than on the beach. But...Louis LOVED the time we spent on the beach. His face and his reaction made the trip a success. Plus it was really nice to get out of town for a few days. Enjoy the pictures!

First taste of ketchup!

It's the Final Countdown

As the 2011-2012 school year winds down, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you a few of my favorite memories of my 2nd graders.
This semester, we studied world cultures and ended with a study of our ancestors. My students were supposed to go home and ask their parents where their ancestors lived. Here are a few of the more memorable responses:
1." Some of my ancestors were from Africa. And some from China. I think you can see the Chinese a little bit, right?"
2." My mom said my ancestors are from Jackson because that's where my grandmother lives."
3." I forgot to ask my mom, but as far as I can remember my ancestors have always lived in Vicksburg."
4. "We are from England. And there is probably a little Pocahantas in me too."
5. "I was born in Jackson, but I live here now. That's all I know."
Apparently we need a refresher course in what an ancestor actually is...

One day, we were talking about President's Day, and more specifically Abraham Lincoln. We were trying to figure out how old he was when he died, and my students decided they needed to know how old I am. Most popular guess for my age: 19.

The Three Trees

Just in time for Easter I'd like to recommend a book to anyone that reads my blog. It is a children's folktale, but it has such an amazing message that adults will enjoy it as well. It is called "The Three Trees". I don't want to spoil the story for any of you, but I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Sometimes things come into your life at the exact moment you need them. This book was one of those things for me. Love it!

Spring Sunday

Today was a great day! We woke up super early (thank you, Louis) and headed to Jackson. Rob was on a mission to find a golf club. We spent a long time in Dick's Sporting Goods and found what Rob was looking for. Then, we had lunch at Cane's, which reminds me of college and also of being pregnant. (We would stop at Cane's after every Dr. appointment during my entire pregnancy. Not my craving- Rob's). Louis loved the fries. Then, we went to visit Rob's sister, Casey, her husband, Sam, and their sweet baby Gracie. Louis and Gracie are exactly a year apart, and they had a lot of fun together. After we got home we sat outside, ate crawfish, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Someone refused to take a nap....so we decided to go to the Country Club to play golf. Louis had a great time riding in the cart. When we would stop, he would jump out and run straight towards the ball and pick it up. So much for the golf game! This was the perfect way to end the weekend. Only 9 weeks left until summer!!