Back to School!

Well, the time has come for me to head back to the classroom and I have mixed feelings about it. I'm excited to see how the new Freshman Academy is going to work and if it trly makes a difference in the number of kids who graduate. I think it will, but there are sure to be bumps in the road. Many of the veteran teachers in the rest of the school are skeptical about it, but I have devoted myself to it and will do my best to help those scared little freshman become confident seniors some day! I've already made some new friends and am hopeful this year goes better than last.

With school and classes begining on the 5th (twice a week from now until June!) I haven't had much time to "run back to Washington" but I do spend my entire day walking around so that counts for something :) I'm trying to get into a groove so I can squeeze in some "me" time at the gym. I'll be in class from 5:30pm to 9:15pm in Henderson which is 30 minutes away from home, but at this point I can't afford to NOT take them. I'm going to top out on my salary scale soon so I need to earn credits as soon as I can. The good thing is these credits will put me at the PhD payscale! The only way to get there is through this program with the school district OR to get my PhD. I'm not that motivated and do NOT want to write another thesis, so this is the next best thing.

Will seems to be doing well with childcare. I take him to see Eva who has been doing this for years. She really seems to care about the kids and I've done a little recon work on her! I've even shown up at different times of day to see what's going on and if he's getting the attention he needs. I have yet to be disappointed! There are only a hanful of kids at Eva's and ALL of them are girls. I think Will likes this :) He gets LOTS of attention from the 4 year olds (2) and the 5 year old is sad to be leaving to go to kindergarten. Then there's a 2 year old and two one year olds. They all play in parallel (kids that small don't play to interact, they tend to group close, but play alone) so watching them is easy.

Jack has been transitioning into room five all summer and ends up in room six with the kindergarten class by the end of the day. He's a sharp one and getting the chance to hang with the older kids helps him get ready for kindergarten. Thanks to some tips from Tiffany, I'll be working with Jackson a few minutes a day to get him ready. Thanks Tiffany!

Jack has also discovered his HILARIOUS sense of humor. He thinks he is quite funny and his new favorite insult is to put "pickles" with everything. Example, "Pickle-pants, Pickle-face, Pickle-head" and his favorite phrase, "You smell like pickles!" He laughs hysterically at his jokes and I feel that our son is either going to be a great comedian some day or a pickle farmer :)

Dan is still working hard as usual and does a great job with the kids. Of course, Jack thinks Dan hung the moon (which I thought would wear off some day, but that doesn't seem to be the case) and of course, William thinks daddy is the bee's knees. Dan and I have been working hard to buy a house for the boys to stretch out in and we hope to be getting closer to our goal. We'll keep everyone posted when we get things figured out, but for now I'm keeping mum. The wheels are finally moving in the right direction but I totally feel that if I talk too much about something I'll jinx it!! Just keep us in your thoughts and send us "good house"vibes :)

Here are a few more pictures and a video of Jackson turning into a rock star!

Take care!

Love, Christine

Say Cheese!

Snoozing away :)

Will's new Bumbo seat that lets him sit up to see the world.

Will's first trip to Lake Mead...hmmm...he doesn't look impressed.



Jack decides to take the plunge...
and then chill out a bit and take in the scenery.

We brought the Bumbo and put it in the back of the car so Will could see what

everyone was up to. Again, he doesn't look impressed :)

My boys diggin' in the sand and making little forts.

Good gravy woman! Stop taking pictures when I'm trying to enjoy my spa!

Parrot for dinner anyone?

Our sweet babies!

My corner of the world in room 807!

Notice the family pictures with tons more to come!

Ummm....I think maybe Will spent too much time in the Bumbo...lol!

End of Summer....

Well, the summer is winding down and I have to say I'm a little bummed about it. School starts the week after next and I'll be there before the "real" first day trying to get my room ready. I went last week, but it's a little hard to get much done when you have a baby with you. Will decided to skip his usual nap time and get fussy instead so I did most of my unpacking with one hand while I bounced him around in the other.

I found a great in-home daycare with a very nice lady named Eva. She's been doing this for years and only takes care of six children. Compared to the "center" number of 8-10 that makes me feel better. He'll be the only infant so he'll be getting a lot of attention. The other kids are about 3 and 4 years old and pretty happy to play together in her HUGE living room so Will might be getting spoiled :)

Eva has turned her dining area into a play area and it's so big she has outdoor equipment in there! The living room area is connected and has a huge sectional sofa in there that literally could seat 10 people. She also has a giant big screen tv that she only uses to watch educational shows/videos for a short period of time during the day. Her place is spotless and she has a big backyard with lots of trees and grass. Grass! That's pretty rare in Las Vegas! I feel good about leaving him there even though it's a little heart breaking.

We are really sorry we aren't going to be able to see everyone this weekend. Dan has to work and we won't be able to make the drive. We are hoping to take a trip later in the year to see the family, but we are also going to be open for business for anyone who wants to come see us for Thanksgiving. We had lots of fun last year and would love to do it again.

Here are a few new pictures of the family to keep you up to date on the growing kiddos :)

Love,
Christine

Mr. Cool wearing his big brother's sunglasses

Lookin' good!

Will has discovered his hands!

Hiking at Mt. Charleston



Mr. Dan in charge of the grill

Mom and her boys!

Quiet time with Daddy

Will got to take a bath in his tub inside the BIG tub (the kitchen sink

was full of dirty dishes) and the best place to put a wet baby is

in his bouncy seat all wrapped up nice and warm.