A Note to My Almost First Grader

Dear Eli,

It's late, but I couldn't go to sleep without writing you just a quick letter like I always do the night before you begin school. I know tomorrow will be crazy busy, so I'll burn the midnight oil a little longer because it's for you :)

Eli, what a summer we have had! I think this has been such a memorable summer for me for so many reasons. First and foremost, I didn't have the weight of being fully responsible for our school's yearbook resting on my shoulders so that was such a huge relief! I am so glad that I didn't have to spend my mornings working on the computer while you entertained yourself. It's been so fun to wake up and not have anything planned. I loved every minute of that! Second, our summer was filled with so much fun! I looked at all our pictures that I took over the summer on Instagram and what happy memories we made! I have loved marking things off our "Summer Fun List" with you and deciding what we're going to do next. I'm pretty sure the "Summer Fun List" is here to stay :) Third, just being able to spend time with you has been such a joy. You're such a good kid and I love being able to have that time with you to get to know you better.

Tomorrow you are starting a new grade...first grade. I think I'm taking it a littler harder this year than last year because first grade is the grade I taught for 11 years. To think that you're finally old enough to go is incomprehensible to me. You on the other hand are extremely excited. You know most of the kids in your class and I'm very thankful for that. I'm glad you're going to be with your buddies but it's my hope that you meet some new buddies this year too. I hope you find the classmate who needs a friend and you become that friend for them. Your heart is so sweet and so tender and I know you'll make new friends fast.

Eli, I love you with all my heart. I tell you this all the time but I'm going to say it here too, "You are my greatest blessing from God." I am so thankful that he chose me to be your Mommy because it's such a joy! You are one of the sweetest boys I know and I really hope you always will be. I'm so excited to see what you learn this year and how much you grow academically, physically, socially, and more. I love you sweet boy! I hope that this year in first grade is your best year ever. You are such a joy!! I love you so much!

Mommy :)

A New Teaching Adventure for Me

*This is one of those LONG posts with lots of words. Readers who "read" for pictures might be disappointed. I just needed to record everything the way I remember it :)

Those tens of you who read the blog might remember when I did the post at the end of the school year about me, Torri, Judy, and Sarah. We were all going in different directions for the upcoming school year (2014-2015) and I was reminiscing about the years we had been teaching together. At the end of the school year, the plan was that Torri was moving to Kindergarten, Judy was retiring, Sarah was going to teach at another school in our area, and I was staying in my same position at the same school. Like I said, that was the plan...

During the last few weeks of May and the month of June I was busy working on the school yearbook, going on vacations, working VBS, working in the garden, and spending all the moments in between with Eli. I didn't even think about going up to school or working in my classroom. I wanted to prolong my summer with Eli as much as possible. July came and I still was not in classroom mode. I went to see my family for Jameson's birth and soaked up every minute with them. I came back home and decided that I probably needed to go to my classroom and start getting things together. I honestly wasn't looking forward to it. I was missing Sarah, Judy, and Torri but that wasn't just the end of it. I was very nervous about everything-my new teaching partner, all the new teachers in my hall, this new curriculum we were being told we had to teach, and to top it all off I had just recently found out that I couldn't drop off or pick up Eli anymore. Because of our new start time and end time at our school, there wasn't going to be anyway that I could get Eli to his school in the morning and be on time to get back to mine. I was very depressed about that, but there wasn't anything I could do to change it so I decided to make the best of it and move on. Eli would enjoy Josh getting to take him to school in the mornings. As far as the afternoons went, I still didn't have a plan but knew something would eventually work out. 

I got back from Jameson's birth and decided to go up to my school that following week to start working. Eli came with me and we really only piddled in the room for a couple hours each day. I still had several more weeks before school started to really get my room together and I didn't want to spend it all in my classroom when I could be doing things with Eli. On Tuesday, July 15th, I came home from my classroom and Eli and I went to the garden to pick lima beans. (Our norm during the summer.) The weather was unusually cool and nice so we took our huge bushel basket of beans and went to shell them on the front porch. Josh came home from work and joined me while Eli played in the front yard. Our neighbor, Shannon, walked over with her kids and started talking to us. She had just finished her first year of teaching at Eli's school and she was telling me just how great the atmosphere was compared to the public school. She mentioned how excited she was that Sarah was going to be there with her in the fall and that made me just a little sad. She asked if I had started getting things ready for my upcoming year at my school and I started to tell her how I was very apprehensive about my year and hadn't really gotten excited about it yet. She jokingly said that I should come join her at Eli's school and I just laughed it off. There was no way I could change schools in the middle of July. I did tell her that I would probably go see the principal at her school at some point during the year just to start networking and getting to know her in case I did decide to switch at the end of the year. 

The next day was Wednesday. After a lazy morning, Eli and I rode our bikes to my school so we could work in my classroom. We stayed there for about two hours or so and when we were getting back on our bikes to ride home I received a text message from Shannon. It said that the teachers at the school had just had a meeting and realized that there was a need for another teacher. Shannon mentioned my name to the principal and the principal said that if I wanted the job it was mine on the spot. No interview needed. SAY WHAT?!?! I almost dropped my phone. I just couldn't believe it. I told Shannon to let her principal know that I was interested (just to get some more information about the position) and the next thing I know I was getting a call from the principal. My entire bike ride home I talked to the principal. She told me that if I accepted I'd be teaching fourth grade with (and this just took the cake for me) my best friend, Sarah. I mean is that not crazy?? My stomach was doing acrobatics the whole way home. I told the principal that I needed to take the weekend to think and pray about it, but I would definitely let her know by Monday. 

I called Josh to tell him and he was just as shocked as I was. We just couldn't get over how this was all happening without me even applying for the job, meeting the principal, interviewing, and so much more. I told some family and friends about the opportunity and told them to just pray that things would work out the way God wanted and for me to know what to do. I started praying and making my list of Pro's and Con's for each job. Josh and I decided that I needed some more information so the next day I went and met with the principal to find out more about the curriculum, the position, the salary, the benefits, and all that other kind of stuff. We walked around the school and she showed me the classroom that would be mine if I accepted. I was getting really excited, but told her I'd still take the weekend to make sure this was where I felt God was leading me. 

After making my list of pro's and con's, praying, and discussing with Josh where the best teaching  position was for our family, it was really quite simple the see what my choice needed to be. All the pro's of staying in my current position were quite small and the con's were rather large. On the flip side, all the pro's of going to the new school were quite extensive and the con's were quite small. This was one of those times in my life where I felt like God didn't just open a window, he opened every window and door in the house and pushed me in. I felt that this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing and that was saying something because the planner in me was FREAKING OUT that I had to move a classroom and set up a new classroom in two weeks. 

Sarah, who was in Ohio at the time, sent me a text out of the blue Friday letting me know that she had just found out there was a position available at the school if I wanted it. (She had no idea that I'd already been offered the position, met with the principal, and toured the school.) I told her I knew about the position because I'd already met with the principal and she freaked out. Neither one of us had ever imagined that after teaching together for 10 years we'd get to stay together at a new school teaching in a new grade. It was just crazy that we were going to get to stay together.

My only hesitation was breaking the the news to my current principal. He and I had been teaching at the same school for eight years. We had a good rapport and I was very pleased with his leadership and vision for the school. I told Josh it was like I was breaking up with him and that gave my stomach knots! By Monday, I was very sure of my choice. Josh came home to watch Eli so I could go break the news to my principal. His first words when he saw me were "Come in Mrs. Wilson! We'll talk as long as you're not resigning, retiring, or bringing me more kids for your classroom because right now you have 26 first graders." (That was confirmation itself when I heard that. 26 first graders without ANY HELP?? Oh my word!) I guess he could tell by my face (a poker player I am not) because he immediately quit joking and got serious. I let him know everything that had transpired since the week before and told him that Josh and I felt like me changing positions was where we felt God was leading me and where we felt it'd be best for our family. He was very gracious and understanding. He didn't make me feel like a traitor or anything for which I was very glad. He even said that as long as he was principal I could come back anytime if things didn't work out. That made me feel SO much better. I came home and told Josh the good news as well as my family and friends who knew what was going on. I was so excited about my new job! (I was also scared to death about how I was going to get everything done in two short weeks, but I knew I could make it happen!)

By Wednesday afternoon, my first grade classroom was cleared out. I worked hard for two days to box up 10 years of my life. It was very weird clearing out my classroom, but I didn't have any regret at all. I had 10 wonderful, amazing years teaching so many first graders. I met teaching friends who are now friends for my life. We shared so many wonderful memories and I'm thankful for each year we had together. I was sad to leave the friends at my school, but I was excited about the new adventure in front of me. 

One last look at my 1st grade classroom

I loved my room :) 

By Monday of the next week, I was in my new 4th grade classroom. EEEEK! I was so scared and so nervous about going from teaching first graders to teaching fourth graders, but before I could even begin to worry about that, I had to get this room ready. I had to "Amandafy" the room and make it me :) Here are the BEFORE shots. 

Here are the AFTER shots. My new principal said I could paint, decorate, and do whatever I wanted to make my room look nice. It took a full two weeks to make it all happen, but I did it :) Whew!

I've now spent 8 weeks in my new classroom, at my new school, with my new fourth grade students. Lots of new! I am loving it so far. The sense of community and family is so apparent everywhere I go on campus. It's one of the reasons why we chose to send Eli to this school three years ago. Now I'm proud to say I'm part of that family. I love being trusted as a professional to do my job. I'm so thankful that I don't have to walk the tightrope and do "dog and pony shows" to prove to people that I can teach. I'm thankful that my teaching worth is not equivalent to my kid's scores on a standardized test. I'm so very thankful that God's word is spoken here every single day. I get to pray openly with my students anytime I feel the need. I LOVE THAT! I love that I get to invest in the lives of my fourth grade students and meet new people. I love that my bestie is here with me. I love that we can navigate these waters together :) I know it's not going to always be rainbows and roses though, but I'm thankful for my new school family that is there to support me through it all. 

1001st Post-A Look Back at My Blogging Journey

(Note: Originally this post would have been the 1000th post, but since I'm a blog slacker I left it in the draft folder until the night before my son started Kindergarten and I had to use the 1000th spot for my letter to him...he's the reason I started this whole blog anyway :) )

1,001 blog entries. That blows my mind. I can't believe that I've had enough to say to fill up 1,001 separate blog entires over the past 6 years. When I saw that I was approaching this milestone number I started thinking about how I wanted to commemorate and celebrate this special event. I decided that I wanted to look back and see just how much life I've been able to witness, experience, and document through this blog. When I started my blogging journey back in March 2008, I saw this media outlet as a way to keep out of town family and friends updated on our lives. This blog, however, has become so much more. It's a personal diary, memory keeper, anecdotal treasure, and so much more. I can't tell you how many times I've gone back and re-read posts I wrote in years past or how many times I've woken up to Josh doing the same thing. I love that the past 6 years are recorded forever. This blog has documented a lot over the years and I thought it would be fun to tally up all the fun memories we've had and gotten to experience. Time for a little blog rewind :)

Since starting this blog, our circle of family and friends have welcomed lots of babies into this world. I love these sweet, precious babies and watching them grow up together has been such a joy. I'm so excited to see how God is going to use them to impact this world.

Hannah-September 2008

Eli-November 2008

Grant-May 2010

Addison-May 2010

Brett-March 2012

Tinsley-August 2012

GraceAnn-June 2013

Harley Clare-August 2013

Finley-October 2013

Jameson-July 2014

There have been weddings...

Jessie and Will-November 2009

Josh and Andrea-July 2010

Allison and Spencer-October 2011

Jordan and Jim-August 2012

We've watched our baby go from staying with sitters at home to going to real school. It's been fun watching Eli grow and learn! He's so smart and I hope he continues to enjoy learning as much as he has so far! It's hard to believe that he's in KINDERGARTEN this year. OH.MY.WORD! How did that happen??

Loving on Mammy (Spring 2009)

Staying with Hayden and Ms. Ashley ( Fall 2009)

Staying with Molly and Mrs. Dara (Winter/Spring 2010)

1st year of "school" (Fall 2010)

Mrs. Cathy always took him

First year of PreK-3 with Mrs. Paige (2011)

2nd year of PreK-3 (2012)

PreK-4 with Mrs. Rosemary (2013)

Kindergarten with Mrs. Baroni (2014)

Since the blog started, we've lived in three different houses where we've made and shared lots of memories. First was the house where we became a family of three, then the rent house we lived in while we were building our dream house, and then finally our dream house. I have loved each one of those houses in their own special way, but watching the entire process of our dream house being built was my favorite for sure!

Just as we've welcomed so many babies into our little circle of family and friends, we've also had to say good-bye to some amazing people. The memories we shared and made with Tommy, Cliff, and Papaw will always bring a smile to my face. I'm thankful for the hope we have in Jesus because it means we'll see them again one day. That's a reunion I can't wait for :)

We've made so many wonderful memories together as a family and with our extended family and friends. All the birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and get-togethers we've hosted in our home have been so much fun. I pray for many more years in this house where our family and friends can gather together and celebrate all the many blessings God has given us. This is just a small snippet of the past 1,000 posts. I'm thankful that I have so many memories and fun times written down so I can always look back and remember them. The blog is a lot of work and I do sometimes neglect updating it because life just gets in the way, but it's something I really enjoy doing. I can't wait to see what happens and what memories we make in the next 1,001 posts! 

Just a Few Random Thoughts...

1. One of the things I pinned on Pinterest way back when was the idea to do yearly interview with your child starting at the age of three. At the time I pinned it, Eli was weeks away from turning three and I remember thinking, "Okay, I'll make sure to interview him a couple of days after his birthday party." Well, I did interview him, in fact, I actually videoed him, but I never did anything with that video. I uploaded pictures and video from my phone, moved them into their appropriate monthly folders, and somehow completely forgot to blog about his interview. The other day I was going through iPhoto deleting photos that I didn't really want to save and had already blogged and found the lost interview! Seeing that reminded me I needed to do an interview with my now four year old child! You see how my brain works, people? It's like those "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books...one thing just leads to another. It's scary! So I did Eli's four year old interview and now I have two interviews to blog about. I'm going to try my best to post both of those interviews (not the videos because those require WAY too much patience to upload) but we'll just see how it goes...

2. I've started running. Yeah, I know. I used to be one of those people that always said, "If you see me running, look behind me because someone is chasing me", but now I'm actually running for exercise. WOW! I actually used to run in college, but that was only for a couple of weeks while I was trying to snag my husband. He was one of those exerciser types and actually ran at night. In order to spend more time with him, I had to morph into a runner. Ugh! I'm so glad we fell for each other quickly because I don't know how much longer I could have kept up that facade. So pretty much since I met Josh I haven't run or actually exercised. I mean it's not like I just sit around all day, I've been active, but I just haven't really dedicated time to exercising on a regular basis...until now. My friend and neighbor, Angela, asked me during the holidays if I would be interested in doing the Couch to 10K program with her. I'm one of those people who have a really hard time saying no, so I immediately said yes. I really did think it was a great idea and since I've noticed my metabolism is not quite as fast as it used to be I figured I needed to exercise. I can't keep eating everything I want and not exercise anymore, which is another sure way to tell you're getting old. We started running after the holidays and we've actually been pretty consistent. I love the Couch to 10K app, because I like someone else telling me when to run and when to walk. I'm using too many brain cells as it is convincing my body that what I'm doing is actually a good idea, so I'm glad I don't have to use any extra to figure out when to run and when I should walk. Angela is a much better runner than I am, so I'm challenged every single time we run. We actually have been throwing around scary words like half-marathon. More than anything I'm really enjoying the friendship that's developing as a result of this running and I'm actually excited to run every other night of the week. Plus, buying cute running clothes helps, too :)

3. We're a juicing family now. Josh got an Apple TV for Christmas and we've signed up for a free trial of Netflix. He discovered the documentary section of Netflix and has been watching one right after the other. The other day he started watching one called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. It tells the story of this guy who goes on a 60 day juice fast to cleanse his body and get healthy. He was overweight, sick, taking tons of medication, and had other health issues. He drinks nothing but juice that he makes from fruits and vegetables for 60 days and goes on to lose 90 lbs., gets off all medication, and inspires lots of people around him to get healthy with him. Josh and I like to think we're healthy eaters, but I know the carb loaded bagel smothered in cream cheese I just ate kind of negates that previous statement. Anyway, after watching the documentary and seeing just how good juicing is for your body, we are now the proud owners of a juicer. Josh made his first drink last night and that was his supper. This morning he made another one and drank that for breakfast. I have yet to try one, but I think I'm going to make one for lunch today. I don't think I could drink juice for every meal, but I think it's reasonable to say I could replace one meal a day. We'll see how it goes :)

4. I have so many painting projects I want to complete but I have yet to get started on any of them. I wanted to make a cute burlap snowman for my door for January, but now it's almost February so I scrapped that idea. Now I've started a burlap heart with chevron stripes for February, but I haven't put one ounce of paint on it yet. At this rate, it'll be March before that gets started and then I'll be in the same situation I am now. I did have a friend ask me to paint two canvases for her son's bedroom so maybe that'll inspire me to finish the projects for my house. I enjoy painting and crafting but sometimes life takes over and it'll be weeks before I go in my craft room to do anything.  I'm hoping to change that!

5. I haven't read a book in FOREVER! This summer I consumed books left and right, but once school started I no longer had time to sit and read during nap time like I did during the summer. I subscribe to two daily emails that send me lists of discount and free books and I've downloaded tons of those, but have yet to finish a book. My mom even got me a $25 gift card to Amazon for Christmas to use for Kindle books, but I haven't spent it yet. I'm hoping Nicholas Sparks or Karen Kingsbury will write something soon so I can use my gift card on one of their books. I used to read before going to bed every night, but I haven't done that lately either. It's time to change that...any good fiction book recommendations out there?

Okay, I think that's it for now. I've had all these random thoughts in my head for weeks and it feels good to get them out. I'm off to enjoy my day with my son. He's out of school (again) and I didn't have a babysitter, so I'm with him today. We have lots to do and it's time to be productive!

Tales from the Rent House

We've been in the rent house now for a about a month and a half and things are going really well. Eli is head over heels in love with the 900 square feet that we now call home and that cracks me up. I think he's going to have more issues leaving this house than when we left our previous house! He loves driving down our street and spotting our new house. I'm so thankful that we haven't had any issues with him adjusting to this temporary home. He's done incredibly well!

Just like all houses ours has lots of character and I thought I'd list some reasons why we're having fun in our new abode. (Please note: I say all this in good fun. We like the house we're in, and we know how blessed we are to be in it. These are just some fun memories about the house I don't want to forget.)

1. Our house can prep you for a potential earthquake. Want to know how? When our washer is on the spin cycle, our entire house shakes...NO LIE. My stackable coffee cups in the kitchen rattle back and forth; all four walls start trembling, and you feel a sudden desire to run for a doorway. Eli has quite enjoyed this because he likes to sit on top of the washer during the spin cycle and say, "Ahhhhhhh!" It's quite funny. Everything about our day is now arranged around the washer. We can't put Eli to bed (because the washer and dryer are in his room) until both spin cycles are finished, so I have to plan when I'm going to do laundry quite meticulously.

2. My dog has adopted the crawl space below our house as her new home. In all of our previous houses, Maggie has always had a window where she could look in just to make sure we were all okay. This house doesn't have a window low enough for her to look in from the backyard though. My thoughts are that she feels closer to us when she can hear us walking around the house. It may sound crazy, but that's how I explain her neurotic antics. She comes out whenever we're outside in the yard, but as soon as we go back inside the house, she immediately goes underneath the house.

3. Since our house is kind of old, it's not insulated as well as some of the newer homes; therefore, it doesn't cool or heat very well. We've also found that certain smells make their way up through the floorboards and seep into our houses...particularly skunk smells. UGH! One night I kept dreaming that I was smelling skunk and when I woke up, I found out why. Apparently a skunk had sprayed near our house (it probably got scared when it saw Maggie underneath the house). It's awful odor wafted up through the floorboard and seeped through our walls and made our entire house smell. I went to work and kept smelling skunk. I grabbed by teacher bag and my purse, which had been left out on the hook by the door, and they both had apparently soaked up all the skunk smell into them. I was thoroughly grossed out. I came home and washed everything and sprayed Febreeze all around the house. We are skunk free for the moment, but I'm sure it'll happen again :(

These are just a few things we'll remember forever about this particular house. We are very thankful that we found this house and that it was available for rent until our new house is built. We are having a blast in it. I think I'll end on a few positives about our house, just for balance :)

1. Cleaning is a breeze. Not much you can dirty in such a small space :)
2. I'm literally 1 minute away from work. I can leave at 7:44 and be at school by 7:45 right on time. Church is the same way :)
3. We live close to our new house we're building, so we get to walk and check on the progress often...something we love to do!

Teacher Brain

When I was pregnant with Eli I had pregnancy brain for 9 months and several months after I delivered him. I literally felt my I.Q. losing points every month. Simple questions stumped me and I forgot EVERYTHING, still do in fact! So my question to you is if there is such a thing called teacher brain? All kidding aside, I walked into my classroom this morning and felt like it was my very first day on the job again. My classroom looked nice and neat, all my papers were in order, my books were laid out and ready to read, but for some reason I felt like a first year teacher all over again. I told a co-worker that I felt like I had amnesia and didn't have a clue where to go, what to do, who to talk to, etc. Great way to start off my 8TH YEAR OF TEACHING, isn't it? I mean it's not like I'm a new kid on the block (all you 80's kids will love that), but for some reason this morning I felt disconnected from it all. Maybe it was just a combination of nervousness and excitement though...

Somehow I managed to gather my wits about me, push the absent-minded teacher to the side, and I made it through the first official day of school with my new class. From what I can tell already, it's going to be a WONDERFUL year. My students are so sweet and barely talked at all today. Don't worry, I'm not naive enough to think that's going to last! We only went half a day today, but tomorrow I'll have them all day long, 8-3, with no breaks. Say a prayer for me when you read this :) Just kidding, well, not really! You may want to just keep me on that prayer list this year...especially if there is such a thing known as "teacher brain!"

Back to the Real World

Tomorrow I officially become a working mom again. I've spent the past 3 days sitting in workshops, meeting parents, meeting students, organizing my room, printing labels, making lists, making more lists, and trying to keep my head above water...and that's just my job at school! I come home and try to squeeze as much time as I can get with my two boys while cooking dinner, cleaning, giving Eli his bath, and putting him to bed at night. Needless to say, my days have drastically increased in fullness, but I'm perfectly fine with that. I seem to sleep much better when I've worked my booty off all day :)

Today I met most of my first grade class and I think it's going to be another great year. My kiddos seem really sweet; in fact, a lot of their parents mentioned how shy they were...we'll have to see about that one though. Only time will tell! Tomorrow I report for work bright and early and get to meet more parents and students. Then I get the awesome job of taking these young little minds and teaching them and filling them up with lots and lots of enjoyable and memorable first grade experiences. It's going to be a great year!

My little boy is doing really well at his new sitter's house. Mrs. G has been very accommodating to us and has been so patient with Eli. He goes to her very easily in the mornings and doesn't actually cry-though he does kill me with his pouty face and eyes he gives me every morning. He's eating well, playing well, and sleeping well there and seems happy. He's happy so I'm happy :) He is supposed to start pre-school sometime next month. I'm excited about this for him. We just have to work out a few drop off and pick up kinks and everything will be set. He's going to learn so much and make some sweet new friends. It's going to be a good year for him, too.

I don't have pictures to post, but I wanted to at least update you with our lives. I've got lots of posts (with pictures) started, but I haven't uploaded all the pictures yet. I'll try to do that soon because I know no one reads words. You're all here for pics of my cutie :)

Say a prayer for me and for all the teachers you know out there. Pray for us to have wisdom and patience and for us to be true examples of Jesus to our students all day long. Pray for my little boy, too. Pray that he keeps having wonderful days at Mrs. G's and that he makes a smooth transition to pre-school. Thanks, everyone! I'll be posting soon...well, at least I hope so!