Bitter sweet...

This past Monday was bitter sweet for me....I headed back to work for my first day back since Miss H, and my last day of teaching!  I am so excited and thankful that I am able to be a stay at home mom!  I couldn't imagine missing anything that Miss H does....yes even the blow out poops.  However, it was a little sad to clean up my class room.  I mean I have been teaching for 6 years.  I have taught K-2 through out the years and at 2 different schools.

The bitter sweet part is that I had finally found an AMAZING school and family there. I love, love, love Sweet Lily B.  There really is no other school like this one.  The staff and work environment are over the top.  Not to mention the outstanding families and PTA.  I have never seen a community like Lily B....and am sad that I was only able to enjoy it for the past 2 years.

I had a heavy heart leaving my kids for many reasons.  1) this was by far my sweetest class...they were so loving and wonderful.  I had no real behavior issues, which was so nice.  2) the families...man my families this year were just as amazing as their children.  They were so supportive. 3) Sweet S (my special needs child), he had such a bad rap at school for his past 2 years...and well needless to say he and I were wonderful together.  He was succeeding and making progress acadmically and socially as apposed to spending everyday in the office.  I knew once I left to have the baby things would probably change with him and that broke my heart.  Not a day went by that we didn't talk about how when I left I would still be checking on him...and that I had to be gone with the baby for a while.  Come January he was so prepared he could give me the speech by heart...."Mrs. Roberts' has to be with the baby and I am going to continue to follow the rules and do my best work even if it is not fun or kind of hard...so on and so on."

When I did leave in January, it was just for maternity leave (at least that is what my parents were told...for contractual reasons I couldn't say more)  Finally at spring break I was able to inform them that I had made the choice to stay home...by this time they were good with my sub and life seemed to go on pretty good without me.  That made my choice of staying home so much better...and it showed me that my kids were pretty prepared for the new teacher to step in.  Thank heavens...I did worry about that all year...actually I think I probably taught harder this year than the past just because I wanted to make sure every child was well beyond where they needed to be when I left.

Now, where does this leave me....excited because I get to see my beautiful daughter grow everyday. I just can't picture myself leaving her with someone else and heading off to teach.  I mean I loved my job as a teacher.  I loved seeing my student succeed and grow, but I just couldn't do that rather than be with my own little one.  When we found out I was pregnant last May we knew right then and there I would be making a choice to stay home once she was born.  Chris and I both come from families were our moms were there for everything...I can remember to this day going to 1/2 day kinder (yeah when that was around...I know I am old) and then spending the afternoon with mom.  I want Miss H to have those same wonderful memories. I know she wont remember it all now, since she only 4 months old....but in the long run she will.


Thankfully mom wonderful mom made the trek back up here to help me out.  (I feel like every time she leaves from helping me with something, she is turning right around to come back and help again) She is the best mom ever....I really wouldn't have been able to do it without her especially since Miss H was with us.  It took us 3 days but we managed to pack up all my MUST HAVE school items and move them out.  I am sure we could have done it quicker but we had the time....plus Miss H had to eat and nap in there a few times.  I left some of my teaching stuff behind for the new teacher to use, but kept the stuff I loved. You know like things I though Miss H could enjoy one day in her playroom or that her mommy may want to teach her.  The fun things....and well don't kid your self I took all my SHARPIES home when I left in January.  Yes, I love them so much I couldn't stand the thought of my sub using them.  Ha ha ha.  Here are some pictures from the GREAT MOVE!

Day1: We cleaned out all of the cabinets and sorted...

 Here is what my room looked like BEFORE we began the cleaning out!  All my wall decor and such I left behind..

My Door...I decorate my door every year with a new fabric. I love it because it is different from the others.

mom removing my door fabric

Miss H taking a nap as we worked

Amy and Emily enjoying a break from there rooms in mine! 

I love this pic of mom and Harper...so sweet

 Day 2: Putting it all in boxes and containers....

 Day 3: Pack all boxes up and take them to my storage unit.  Small side note...we had to rearrange my storage unit to make room for it all. HA HA HA Yes my storage unit is holding all my apartment from when Chris' and I got married. 

Thank you dad for the van...it was very good for the move! It only took 2 loads to get everything there.

 We had to take majority of it out to rearrange.  Good thing my unit is on the corner, we used all the halls! 

Miss H being a trooper in the heat, look at those cheeks.

The unit all rearranged and organized! 

 My class room on the final walk through...and last few items picked up!