Book Talk

Our recent book club pick was The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain.  Two women, who have been life-long friends, uncover shocking and heartbreaking secrets when their friend, a midwife, unexpectedly commits suicide.  I found myself simultaneously wanting to read during every free moment and wanting to put down the book for good because the midwife's confessions were almost too much for my heart and head to comprehend.  Although it was somewhat predictable and sort of soap opera-y, I thought it was a decent read. 

This James Patterson book was a gift that had been sitting on my shelf for a while, so I picked it up for a quick read.  A widow brings her four children and their families home for the holidays by announcing that she'll be getting married on Christmas Eve, and that the groom will be revealed - to them and to him - at the ceremony.  This definitely wasn't your average James Patterson thriller; it was an easy, enjoyable - if predictable - read; good for a lazy Saturday.

J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults received a lot of harsh criticism, but I wanted to read it anyway.  When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly, his seat on the town council is vacated.  As different townspeople weigh the possibility of a candidacy for his seat, skeletons start seeping out of every closet.  In the end (a sad ending, by the way), what you have is a town full of dysfunctional people who spend a lot of time trying to mask their pain, their fears, their realities.  While not the best book I've ever read, it was a good story that certainly was worth my time.  I enjoyed the British dialogue, too.

"Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world."

Voltaire

Emma's Big Day

At Kroger today, I picked up a box of banana-flavored Baby Mum-Mums for Emma.  She was so excited to try her new treat for the first time!

She thoroughly enjoyed her mum-mums, and gnawed away until there were just little bits remaining on her tray. 

In other BIG Emma news, her first tooth is poking through on the bottom!  We knew it would be coming soon because for the last couple of weeks, she's been chewing on her fingers and toys like crazy.  Last night we noticed little white bumps underneath her gums (top and bottom), and today we can feel the tip of a first little tooth making its appearance. 

Sara has spent today working on a family album homework project.  She picked a few pictures to put in it, and then came up with and wrote captions for all of them.  I am really proud of her final product; her writing has come a long way.  I know she'll be excited to share her project with her class.

Life's A Beach

I'm ashamed to say that we arrived at Marco Island without a camera.  I assumed my mom would bring hers, but she forgot, too.  So we have whole bunch of phone pics, which do the trick, I suppose.

We stayed in a 17th floor condo, which was unlike any place we've ever stayed on the beach.  The view was amazing, and the convenience of a full kitchen was just what we needed.  This is the view we enjoyed out our windows and from the balcony, where we spent a lot of time.

First night: tired girls!

The last time Sara was at the ocean was when she was two, and she really wasn't a fan.  This time she was so brave.  She loved jumping the waves with Grandpa, and even practiced her real swimming with Daddy.

First sand castle of the week ... thumbs up!

Grandma brought lots of art projects to keep Sara busy.  It's hard to see here, but Sara is painting and using sand and shells for her beach art.

More artwork ... it took over the kitchen table!

Enjoying a sunset.

It was so exciting to watch Sara enjoy the ocean!

We had to pose on the Yuengling bench at Tin City in Naples.  We made sure to drink enough Yuengling to hold us over til we can get it again.

Steve and I had a day date.  We walked down the beach to Sunsets Grill to watch ISU beat OU in the Big XII tournament.  We were thrilled to see other Cyclones at the bar! 

Emma had one rough day when she was wheezing a lot, so we took shifts staying inside with her.  It paid off because she got better quickly ... and never stopped smiling, of course!

Dancing at the Snook Inn.

Sweet daddy/daughter pic.

Before heading to the airport on our last day, we visited the beautiful Naples Zoo.

The Florida gators were the hit of our zoo visit, and even though you really can't see them in this picture, I made the girls pose in front of their habitat. 

This is the backseat of our car after pulling into the driveway upon our return to Texas ... I guess it's the sign of a really great week!

When Sara realized we were home late last Saturday night, she began to cry and said, "But I wanted to stay at the beach."  We can't wait to go back!

Lucky Me

In a recent issue of People, Tina Fey said the following regarding her daughters as siblings: "Your first child looks at you [adoringly], and the second one is like, 'Move, I have to see my sister.'"  Funny and true, and pictures like this encapsulate that sentiment for me.

 I was briefly able to capture the attention of my lucky charms this afternoon ...

 ... before they turned back to Disney Junior.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Outta Dodge

It's time for spring break, and we are beach bound!  I plan to be on a blogging, Facebooking, and e-mailing hiatus as we enjoy Marco Island, Florida.

We are ready to get the heck outta Dodge.  I'll be back here soon with pictures (and hopefully a tan).

Six Months

Our sweet Emma Grace is six months old!

The other night at dinner, Sara was talking about the maze at the pumpkin patch.  It occurred to me that the next time we're at the pumpkin patch, Emma will probably be able to walk through the maze with Sara.  When I said this to Sara she said, "Yes, but Emma will have to hold my hand."

 

 Emma is a happy baby, quick with a smile (except, of course, when I have my camera in her face).  It is so fun to be in the stage where Emma lights up when we go to get her out of bed in the mornings or pick her up from school in the evenings. Although she's not stingy with her beautiful smiles, so far Sara has been most successful in earning Emma's giggles.  One day recently Sara was kissing Emma's toes, and Emma thought it was the most hilarious thing ever.  I laughed and laughed just listening.

 

 Speaking of her toes, Emma goes for them in any position, even in a rocking chair as evidenced above.  She rarely keeps her socks on for increments longer than two minutes.

Are we done yet?

At six months, Emma weighs just over 14 pounds.  She is in 3-6 month clothes, and just moved up to size two diapers.  Emma is becoming a pro with the spoon, and typically eats three "real meals" per day.  While she's a fan of fruit and orange vegetables, she could do without the green veggies.  Emma is a rolling machine.  Yesterday morning I was doing a couple things in the kitchen and I heard Sara say, "Mom, Emma just rolled under the couch."  She wasn't so much concerned about the fact that Emma was stuck as much as she was about the fact that she's pretty sure she saw a spider web under there once when she was three and she didn't want it to get Emma.  I reassured Sara that there are no spider webs under the couch, and then I sort of scolded myself for failing to realize that - just like that - our ship has sailed on the put them somewhere and they stay phase. 

Emma has become a not-so-great sleeper.  A while back, she was sleeping wonderfully at night.  I'm not sure what happened, but we're back to being up multiple times most nights.  Sometimes putting her pacifier back in her mouth does the trick, but usually only for thirty minutes or so.  This is new for us because Sara never was a pacifier baby, and once she started sleeping through the night around eight weeks, the rest was pretty much history.  I guess this is our reality check.

This week we'll be busy preparing for Emma's first trip to the beach!

The Things They Don't Teach You

When I started student teaching, I realized very quickly that little I had learned sitting in my courses would translate to practical application.  This became even more evident when I got my first teaching job.  While I learned a lot in college, not much of it mattered in a seventh grade classroom.  That first year, I survived on instinct and with the help of a really awesome team.

I wasn't so surprised when I experienced this same phenomenon upon entering administration.  Although I had learned a lot in my classes, and much of it comes into play from time to time, it's the things they don't teach you that seem to come to the surface more often than not.  For example, one day last year, a stray dog snuck in at 7:00 with the boys coming for basketball practice.  I think I posted a quip about it on Facebook, and the fact that no textbook told me what to do when a stray dog walked into the building.  I know that example is trite, but it's true that handling that issue at 7:00 one morning wasn't something I'd necessarily been trained for.  The boys wanted to help the dog, but my mind was racing: What if it bites a kid?  What if it is carrying a disease?  It can handle the basketball team, but what will happen when the other 980 kids show up? The point is, new and unexpected situations arise every single day.  When it's a student issue, I know which route to take (and when I don't, I know who to call).  Lately, though, I have found myself encountering many new and unexpected situations with teachers.  And that's a whole 'nother beast.

Ask me any day of the year, and I'll tell you every time that public school teachers are the hardest working people on the planet.  You won't convince me otherwise.  I think one of the most important parts of my job is supporting the teachers on my campus because I believe that the way I treat my teachers impacts their performance in the classroom (it's not that I think my influence is that important, it's just that an unhappy, poorly supported teacher will have a hard time performing to his or her potential).  I believe that the teachers on my campus, many of whom were there when we opened our building - started from absolute scratch - know that I support them and believe in them.  Even when I have to sit down for a crucial conversation with someone about a performance issue, the way a situation was handled, or the like, I believe he or she knows my intention is to help grow them rather than scold them. 

This morning, I was at an off-campus meeting until about noon.  When I got back to school, I went straight to see a teacher who is expecting her first baby any day.  She had asked to meet with me yesterday afternoon, but a student issue prevented me from being available.  She just wanted me to know that she may have to sit more than normal because of the swelling in her legs and ankles.  She wanted to reassure me that her priority is her students, which I already knew.  I then went to see another pregnant teacher who was told yesterday evening that she is being assigned to bed rest - effective Friday - until her due date in June.  She was in tears over having to leave her students.  In what other business would you ever find people so dedicated to their clientele that they almost forget about their own health and well being? 

Later I stopped by to see a couple of teachers who teach our most high-needs, low-functioning special education students.  After a rough situation yesterday, I knew I needed to check in.  As soon as one of the teachers heard me ask how she was doing, she was instantly in tears.  She quickly recovered and said she was embarrassed for crying, but I told her not to be.  I knew that she needed to release some frustration, which is why I showed up to begin with.  Shortly thereafter, a teacher asked me to come see her about a conflict she'd had with another teacher (it was over something that was easily fixed, but it caused her stress nonetheless).   

When I got in my car this evening and had a few minutes to reflect before picking up the girls, it occurred to me that dealing with so many emotional situations had exhausted me ... and although I have a few years of admin experience under my belt now, nobody really "prepared" me for all of this.  I tell teachers often that the work we do is incredibly emotional: we are highly invested and take any failures very personally.  There is a reason we ended up in our line of work; if we weren't emotionally connected, we wouldn't be the right people for the job.  Going into this, though, I don't think I anticipated spending so much time working with (counseling, mentoring, whatever-you-want-to-call-it) adults.  I know that probably sounds silly and naive (and it is); it's just that the level of my potential for impact on teachers has been eye-opening to me.  I've found that the time and energy I've spent working with adults has really shaped who I am as an administrator. 

In dealing with and working through the situations nobody taught me how to handle, I'm discovering my own strengths, and hopefully encouraging some incredible teachers to stay the course, even when it's really tough.  That said, spring break is a week away ... thank goodness!