CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!

Whew I made it to Christmas break, there for a moment I wondered if I would.  I love that we get 2 full weeks off.  I also love that we got out the week before Christmas, unlike my poor mom who gets out this Thursday.  Can you imagine trying to finish your shopping with only 2 days before...NO, thank goodness we have this whole week.  So what's on the list for our Christmas break...a MILLION things! Ha, Ha, Ha,

To Do's

• purchase final Baby R items
• organize Baby R's room/ closet
• hang the decor in Baby R's room
• put together all of Baby R's items
• finish Christmas letters and mail cards
• finish grades for school
• wrap all family gifts for Christmas
• pack our hospital bag, yikes!
• oh and REST, REST, REST!!! 

Okay so as of this past Saturday we have accomplished a ton! We can check off the list many of those items. (thanks to my friend Alison for helping out...she is the best)

• we purchased the last 5 must have items on Saturday
• put together Baby R's items

• Cleaned up Baby R's room

I am so embarrassed to even post this...but this was after our last shower! 

Looking better...that is just the closet, and those doors are gone!  I'll post final ones this weekend! 

• Oh and also, I have wrapped all of the gifts that need to go with my sister to my parents! 

That is well as far as we are for now.  I plan to finish our Christmas cards tonight to mail out by Friday! Abby and Co will be here for a quick drive through tomorrow so I will have to love on my Little Bear and Monkey quick...as they will be off to my mom's for Christmas.  Then Winston and I have big plans of hanging pictures and curtains in Baby R's room....we might even let Chris help some! :-)  Now I leave you with a picture of what Winston and my Dr. would like me to be doing everyday!  

Nothing but chilling, blogging, texting, tivo catching up, and well sitting! Winston is enjoying the warm sleeping spot if you can't tell! 

Slowing down,

Sorry for the lack in blogging this past week...but my life is so crazy busy now!  I am suppose to be slowing down...per my doctor however that is just not possible! I mean come on really I have to plan for a sub to be in my classroom at any moment now.  We have a baby's room to finish! We have baby items to buy, build, install, and prepare! Oh and in case you didn't notice...its the HOLIDAYS!  HA HA HA, slow down really.

Thus my blog week recap from last weeks crazy adventures: (a little long, sorry)

First of all our last week of school we have "singing in the halls" every morning for the first 30-40 minutes!  Yes, even though you may have heard that FWISD did not allow "SANTA" or "Christmas" in their schools, we still do it.  Our school is very huge in traditions and well it would take an ARMY to bring all the traditions to a stop. Anyways, the first 2 days of singing in the halls are a little crazy as the kids are getting the hang of which song to sing when.  We sing on average 10-12 songs....we cover all religions even :-)  Here is a cute little piece of singing in the halls we were singing Jingle Bells....oh and did I mention all 450 plus students and parents crowd into the main hall!  It is a blast promise!

So after singing for 40 minutes then you are suppose to have class, HA HA HA.  Not only are you to have class but you also have to give test and such!  Needless to say the last few days of school last week were a challenge, but we made it through!  

Chris even joined us for singing in the halls! 

On to the other aspect of teaching!  I love my job and I love my kids, but man does it suck to have to plan for some person to step in and be you!  I hate missing one day of school, but weeks!  YIKES! I have been really stumbling on how to prepare my lesson plans for my sub while I am out with sweet Baby R!  I started and restarted lesson plans like 4 times.  However, I finally buckled down last Wednesday and just did it.  I don't know if they are amazing or not, but well I did my best with what I could.  I mean every morning I would wake up and realize I forgot to mention something or the procedure for this or that! Not only that but I have also begun winging my sweet babies!  

Yes, I have begun to show them that if I don't arrive back after Christmas break they will manage and ACT NICE while I am gone!  HA, HA, HA, easier said than done right.  Especially my sweet S in class, he was my biggest worry.  He like Winston can tell that the end is near and has been extra needy in class.  Last week I had to look at him and say:  "S you will be amazing and wonderful while I am gone because I don't want to hear other wise....then I will have to come back up here to have a chat" Of course in true S style he said back: "Well I don't want to have a chat, but I do want to see the baby."  I then had to inform him that the baby and I would come only if he promised to act nice...otherwise he only got me and my "chat" voice!  He smiled and agreed he could do it while I was gone!  Such a sweet boy! 

Why all the fuss on making sure SCHOOL is 100% ready to go....well last Wednesday Baby R and I had our weekly visit to the Dr.  Things are moving right along, actually moving along so much that my Dr. asked over my 2 week break that I well....DO NOTHING!  Her exact words were: Spend more time on my bottom than on my feet!  Really, thus the rush to make sure we are ready at school for my sub to jump in, just in case I don't make it back to school on Jan 2.  However, I had a small "chat" with Baby R and told him/her that coming before Jan 2 would not due!  Ha like the baby cares what I think.  Now I can blog about being on CHRISTMAS BREAK!! WHOO WHOO!

Watch me grow, Week 35

Pregnancy Highlights:

 Looking bigger by the second over here!

How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of the baby: Baby R is now the size of a honeydew.  He/She weighs in at 4.8 -5.2 lb. and is 17.2- 18.7 inches long!    

Total Weight Gain/loss: Thus far 30 lbs as of our last visit! I go to the Dr. this Wednesday, and dread the scale.

Maternity Clothes:  Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.  

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January! 

Movement: moving and a grooving like crazy

Sleep: Doing great thus far, I mean as great as you can between the 4 trips to the bathroom.  

What I miss: Now that it is Christmas I really miss all my cute Christmas shirts...and such! For some random reason I just don't think they would look as cute on this year :-)

Cravings: Since we had the baby shower this weekend...

I got to eat all my favorite foods~ mmmm!! 

Symptoms: Swelling....good bye ankles and hello sausage fingers!  

Best moment this week: Baby R's baby shower!  Having both my family and Chris' in town...it is the best having family around.  Of course I can't wait till Wednesday to see what the Dr. says!

Showered with love

All of the wonderful hostess for our shower! 

This weekend my friends threw Baby R and I a wonderful shower.  This is our last big event before sweet Baby R arrives.  I am so grateful to them for the beautiful day.  Also, we are very bless that we got to spend the weekend with both my family and Chris' family.  Thanks families for making the trip to see us!  Nothing like a sweet baby to bring the world together.  I have a billion pictures (thanks to Abby and Kara) but will keep it narrowed down a bit for your sake.  Plus I think they do the shower justices more than me rambling on about how great it was.  Here you go!

Here are all the sweet decorations and yummy food.  P.S. if you want the info for the
amazing breakfast pizza click here.

 All of my sweet guest that came to spoil sweet Baby R!  Baby R has no idea how great all these people are....and will want to squeeze him/her up! 

 The kiddos

 Chris' sisters and Mom, I am so angry that I didn't get a pic with them...

 Abby, Mom, Little Bear, and I

 Oh heavens all the goodies!  

 The Taft family....with sweet baby Jake who is only 4 weeks old...Hannah looks amazing already she gives me great hope for the after the baby look. 

 Look I finally found a good use for the "girls" up top....besides the feeding thing they will do later!  They are excellent at showing off cute clothes and such! 

 After the shower we got tot meet up with my FAVORITE Oklahoma gals!  I love the Flax's they are the best, I can't believe how old Abby is!  She will be driving soon....holly cow, she was 5 when I first started nannying her!  Oh yeah, wonder what's going on here...well Abby killed her toe on our front path!  Not to worry the Dr was here to help out!  

 Here we are tying to make Abby feel better (and act silly) and "cover" up her crazy toe.  Ha ha ha.... I love this family so much. Thanks Flax's gals for making the trip for Baby R!

Happy Birthday

To the world's best dad! I love that we got to spend your birthday with you this year.  I hope that our new addition to the family can be wrapped around your finger as much as I am. I love being a daddy's girl to the most amazing daddy in the world.  Happy Birthday Dad! We love you.

Happy Birthday Little Bear

All of us girls at Little Bear's party yesterday!

Little Bear I not believe you are already 8 years old!  Amazing how the time goes so quickly.  You have grown into such a wonderful young lady.  I remember when you were just a tiny baby and now you are almost as tall as me! Thanks for being such a sweet, kind hearted little girl.  You are the light of my life...I couldn't have asked for a more precious niece!  I love you to God and back! Happy Birthday Little Bear!

Watch me grown, Week 33

Pregnancy Highlights:

Another random weekly pic, so here ya go! 

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of the baby: Baby R is now the size of a honeydew.  He/She weighs in at 4.8 lbs and is 17.2 inches long!    

Total Weight Gain/loss: Thus far 30 lbs as of our last visit! Looks like I am about done with the fatness, at least I hope.

Maternity Clothes:  Just enjoying it while I can...and hoping that soon I'll be back to normal.  

Gender: SURPRISE!! We are not going to find out till Baby R arrives in January! 

Movement: Seems like the closer we get the more it move....I just wish there was a camera in there so I could see these great moves.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good, between my 3 times a night bathroom breaks.  

What I miss: Being able to reach things easily!  Seems like everything is just an inch out of reach with this stinking belly.

Cravings: Nothing too much this week! 

Symptoms: Swelling....but so far it's not too much to handle 

Best moment this week: Going to the Dr. and hearing the heart beat...I so love that.  Also I don't know if I mentioned it but....my stomach has finally out grown my HUGE girls up top! :-) Not sure if that is the "best moment" but it is a funny one! Finally being able to enjoy my LAST TRAVEL to Little Bear's birthday!  What a way to end my journeys until Baby R arrives.

One more pic so you can actually see my fatness.  Here we are after Little Bear's Tea party.