Changing Seasons

We've entered another "season" in our life. Doug and I have often said that fall does not begin on September 21. It begins the day school starts. The day our schedule comes back into our daily lives. The day Jani heads back to daycare. The day that utter chaos takes over! We both knew this fall would start out challenging, and probably continue to be challenging until football was over....and the challenge has begun. But we're trying to embrace it, trying to embrace these last few weeks as just the three of us. Fall is truly our favorite time of year so it makes it a little easier.

The last time I was pregnant, I was a reading teacher. The demands of the job are much different. Your daily schedule as a reading teacher looks completely different than that of a classroom teacher. I am finding out that my body does not enjoy this. My nights are spent dealing with swollen feet/hands and contractions. My days aren't bad but I can tell that it is much more difficult for me to get around, to get things set up, and to tolerate the behaviors that challenge me. We're at a point that there is about 5-6 weeks before we meet this baby. I'm starting to want to see her. I am wondering what she'll look like...wondering if she's going to look and act like Jani. If we could decide on a name, I'd be a very happy camper :)

Doug's football season has been more challenging this year. His staff wasn't assembled until the last minute and that put a lot of stress on him as the head coach. We both love football and both love being involved in it, but sometimes this stress just doesn't seem worth it. He's back at teaching, he has his two favorite classes to teach this year and will hopefully be able to settle into his schedule before the baby comes.

Jani is elated to be a big sister. She constantly kisses my belly, talks to it, sings to it...she's embracing this role already and we love seeing this in her. We got her registered for dance and she can't wait. She keeps asking if it's time to go to dance class and we have to tell her she's got awhile to wait. We hope it's a nice distraction once baby gets here and something special for just her to do.

Unfortunately, my camera was dropped and is currently in the shop. I feel lost. I hate not having it with me and I feel like I'm missing part of our lives! A belly picture will be first on my list when it is back in my hands!!

Sweet Summertime!

The time is going too fast. Way too fast. It's what we say every single summer. The days seem long at times (a 2 year old's attitude can definitely make some days feel like an eternity!) but when I look at the calendar, time is slowly slipping away. I hate that it's happening because our days as a family of three are numbered. I'm shocked that we are already at week 28 and I feel like we just found out I was expecting!

In baby news, the nursery is coming along. My dad and Doug created an amazing closet that is allowing me to get a little more organized...something I seriously struggle with. I've enjoyed getting out all of Jani's old baby things, washing them, and getting them folded in the drawers. Seeing how small they are gets my excited but also has me completely terrified to have an infant in the house!! The only thing I wish we could figure out is this child's name! We're having a really hard time getting that narrowed down...

In Jani news, she continues to be a typical two year old. Happy go lucky one minute, completely crazy and psychotic the next! She can go from angel to devil in a matter of seconds. But we're having fun watching her and learning from her along the way. She's quite the conversationalist, loves talking to anyone she can get in contact with, and has had a serious love for board games lately. We are trying to expand our collection because Candy Land and Cootie can get old after about 100 plays!

As for Doug and I, he kept busy in June with a class and turning 30!! and Jani and I had fun swimming, going to Kindermusik, and supervising the Reading Clinic for a week. This month we get to go on family vacation, celebrate my birthday, and take a little trip to Omaha. We're pretty excited to travel as a family and make some memories before baby comes!

We had a mini photo session with her after church since it's been so long since we've taken her picture. Doug teased that he's amazed I even want to take her picture anymore because every time we try it goes the same way...Jani and I arguing and me not getting what I want! But we got a couple we can frame...until next time :)

Our Summer Bucket List

I was inspired at our small group tonight to make a summer bucket list. Doug claims we don't need one...that we do fun things all the time. But I think if I write things down I will have to stick to it. It also keeps us motivated to do more than the normal "fun" things we always do. So here goes...this may get adapted as I come up with ideas. Consider this draft #1.

1. Make play-doh.
2. Make sidewalk chalk.
3. Have a water balloon fight.
4. Go paint pottery.
5. Mommy-Jani date.
6. Daddy-Jani date.
7. Watch fireworks.
8. Go to a parade that actually throws out candy.
9. Go fishing.
10. Go on the canoes with Gma and Gpa.
11. Tye-dye shirts.
12. Fly a kite.
13. Go to the zoo.
14. Stay at a hotel.
15. See a movie in the theater.
16. Shaving cream fun.
17. Catch fireflies with Gma's nets.
18. Slumber party in the living room.
19. Wash the car by hand.
20. Go on a picnic.
21. Run through the sprinklers.
22. Bake cupcakes.
23. Turn our slide into a water slide.

Daddy's and Their Daughters...

We found out baby #2 is a girl. The ultrasound was so much fun! Seeing that little person was just as novel this time around. Doug and I were both convinced it was a girl so we weren't surprised when the tech told us the news. We were actually both pretty hopeful it would be a girl since everything we have is pink!! It's funny to tell people we're having another girl, though. I think that people expect you to be disappointed, like you should have wanted the other gender. I get very mixed reactions. Some people are excited but some people say things like "Well there's always next time" or "It's okay that it's another girl". Of course it's okay! It's downright exciting!! Leading up to finding out, I had mixed emotions. Finding out it was a girl would be a trip into the known...we've done this, we know this, we got this. If they would have said boy, a tiny little part of me may have panicked! That would be a trip into the unknown! It would have been a welcome trip but a new adventure nonetheless. Our friends who have boys kept trying to convince me that boys were fun, so much more fun than girls. This always left me confused because those same people had never experienced raising a girl. So it was hard to take what I know, combine it with what they were telling me, and form my feelings about the situation. Raising a girl has been more fun than I ever could have imagined and I am so excited to do it again. The bonus? My little punkin is getting a sister! Does it get much better than that???

What They Don't Teach You In College....

It's been a long hard week and it's not over yet but I'm getting to where I feel like I can start writing about summer being here. When I decided to become a teacher, no one talked about what it would feel like at the end of the year. You talk about making connections, teaching curriculum, etc. But no one speaks about the void you feel when your kids leave for the summer. You spend so much time with them for 9 months, and then they go on...move on to another teacher. They leave the "home" you've created in your classroom and move on to other things. It's a very bittersweet feeling. You feel proud, proud of what they have accomplished and done, but sad because you know your time is ending. I know not all teachers feel like this. Most teachers relish in knowing summer is here. They may feel slight sadness but overall they are happy to have some free time. On the last day of school, I am a complete wreck. I sob...and sob...and sob. My colleague and I decided we set ourselves up for this kind of a day. We may such a big deal about the end of the year....memory books, class pictures, slideshows to music that summarize our year. Our only option is to cry! But she truly said it best...the minute I end a year and I'm not sad to see my students go, I need to get out of the profession. Teaching is about the connections, the love for your students, and the family that is created in those short nine months in the classroom. It's about cultivating a love for learning and helping students see themselves as successful. It's okay that I cry and don't want to see them go. I'd like to think it means that the room was more than just a classroom for everyone involved.

Wordless Tuesday???