Tacoma visit

Dinner with Marc and Rachel


Visiting with Aileen, Mike, and Aunt LoRene




Dinner at Aileen's with Rocky and Caesar


And we made some time to go to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Here's Katie looking at the meerkat.


Watching the show


My little monkey


At the aquarium




The petting zoo


This monkey was putting on quite a show, climbing around and sliding down poles. Jared also like the porcupines.


Just checking to see if Katie is as big as a 2 year old polar bear


Reindeer trying to pretend it's not hot out


Katie liked the seals. They were swimming all around.


Jared really liked the eagle. This was part of the show, and he got some great pictures of it.


I really liked the elephants!


I hope we get to go again soon!

Someone to watch over me

This was not the way I planned to end our vacation to Tacoma.

We had a great trip there. I'll post pics, if I get the cord to the camera out of the car. Coming home, however, was not good.

The front passenger tire blew just south of Benton City. I think it just shredded. I was driving, and tried to take the car to the shoulder, but I lost control pretty badly. We hit the dirt on the shoulder and rolled twice. Everyone is doing pretty well, considering the circumstances. They took the three of us (me, Jared and Katie) by ambulance to Kadlec. Jared and I both had neck/back pain, so we were strapped down to get x-rays, but everything is fine. Probably just some pulled muscles. Katie was strapped into her Britax and just has a couple of bruises from the straps and a cut on her finger, probably from the shattered windshield. She is spending tonight at her cousin's house, so Jared and I can get some good rest tonight. I miss my baby, though! This is her first night away from us!

I can't believe everyone was able to walk away from it. The car looks terrible, but we are all ok. I know there are a couple of angels looking out for us!

Happy Father's Day

Reasons Jared is a fabulous father:
1. He decided to leave his job to stay home with our daughter.
2. He likes to wrassle.
3. He has a good tummy for blowing baby raspberries on.
4. He is very patient.
5. He likes to take walks with the baby in the backpack, so she can see everything there is to see.
6. He makes up funny games with a Nuk to make Katie giggle like crazy.
7. He has brilliant ideas to keep Katie in bed.
8. He know instinctively when it's time for a cup of milk and a nap.
9. He also likes WALL-E.
10. He loves our Katie more than anything else in the world, and I love him for that.

Another year down!

The last day of school! Looking back, it was not a bad year at all. I was really fortunate to have a great group of kids overall, and even taking on the extra class wasn't that bad. I didn't really hit my wall until about four weeks ago, which was awesome, considering all the extra work I had this year! I decided to take the building coordinator position next year. I have mixed feelings about it, but I think it'll be ok.



And right now, I'm looking forward to a pretty lazy summer!

In the lazy summertime...

Come over and play!

Descions

I do not like making big decisions. I am always afraid I'm going to regret it, so I'd rather decide to do nothing. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work.

I have a rather large decision to make soon. I have been offered an extra position at school, and I need to decide if I would like to take it. Currently, I am the grade level facilitator for our TRIBE program. That means that, this year, I am in charge of planning and organizing lesson plans 12 times a year for the junior class advisories. Additionally, I train the 20 or so staff members who have junior advisories. The position I've been offered for next year is the Building Coordinator position. This means that I would be in charge of organizing everything for all of the grade levels, ensuring that the GLFs have everything they need, preparing for a workshop at Focus on Instruction, communicating with parents and administration, and putting all of the lessons on the website. I would have to meet once a month after school with the Building Coordinators at Kennewick High and Southridge, and once a month or every two months with central admin. Some of the stuff--organizing and communicating with staff--I'm great at, and would really enjoy. Other stuff--parents! executive decisions!--I don't enjoy.

I am very flattered to be offered the position, but I can't decide if I want to take it. I don't yet know what the additional compensation would be, but I'm not sure if I can do all the after school meetings. I am on site council again next year (one meeting a month) and really am interested in the district science curriculum committee, which will be having more and longer meetings in the evenings, since we are choosing a textbook. I'm already missing so much of Katie's life, and I think that is worth more than any compensation. It seems to me that the main reason that I would take the position is that I don't know who else would do it, and I think I would do a good job. And really, my daughter is more important than that.

It sounds like I've decided, and I really almost have made up my mind. So why do I feel like I haven't?

Mother's Day

For me, Mother's Day is a celebration of my child. She is the reason I am a mother. She is what makes me special.

We've been having a lot of fun the last few weeks. I have been super stressed with work and school, and my baby girl just brings me that light she knows I need.

Lately she's been waking up with me, and will sit on the bathroom counter while I do my makeup and dry my hair. She likes to brush her pearly whites, while she's at it.

I get such a kick out of these curls!


And she is so silly. Such a sense of humor! She hung her sidewalk chalk bag off her ponytail, the other day.

And she's getting so grown up. Turning into a little girl before my eyes...

I can only hope to live my life in such a way that she always wants to walk in my shoes.


And a very Happy Birthday to Colleen! We love you very much, and hope to see you soon!