Just an update!

Yesterday Josh and I were excited to get to eat at Ichibans (we got reservations the past Tuesday). I was wrapping presents in my living room, and my dad calls and said "Where are yall at?" we of course said, "At Home, Why?"...Well aparently I got my days mixed up and we were supposed to be in Clyde for my dad's family Christmas. So I called my friends who we were supposed to go to Ichibans with and told them we wouldnt be able to eat with them tonight. BUMMER! We also ran around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get everything together to go to Clyde. We left the house around 1 I think and left about 10 that night so Josh could go to work this morning. AGH!! I couldnt believe I got my weekends mixed up, because I still want to go to Ichibans.
To make things worse, I had bought Josh a buck knife for Christmas. Well we do Chinese christmas in Clyde and when he went looking for a present, it just so happens that he picked out the EXACT same knife that I had already bought him. Well I thought to myself, no biggy he probobly wont get it back anyway. Well, thanks to my brother schemeing with him, he did. So now he is going to unwrap a knife for Christmas that he already has....BUMMER!

On a good note, I did have a great time in Clyde and got to see my family that I love very much! School is out for 2 weeks and I am looking foward to it!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

I feel so DUMB!!

Well, Wednesday I felt a little sore throat coming on, and figured it was my yearly runaround with strep. I went to work on Thursday anyway because I dont want to waste any days if not absolutely necessary. It was MISERABLE! So I went to a walk in clinic straight from work and sure enough, it was Strep Throat (i think this is year 4) The doctor said I qualified for a tonsillectomy which I dont really want to go through. Anyway I got home and layed down for awhile, and Josh went to Johnny Carinos for some Curbside potato soup, well as always, my garbage disposal of a daughter comes to me and say "bite" well out of habit I gave her two bites of the soup. When I got to the end of the bowl it HIT ME! "WHAT WAS I THINKING!?" I have strep throat (which is trasfered by saliva) and I fed my daughter after I had already ate off my spoon. I felt so horrible! So hopefully she has an awesome defense system thanks to my year of nursing, and will not catch it.

I am going to pick up my christmas cards today so if you are one of those that I send things too and you have a new address, please let me know ASAP.

ONLY 5 school days left before my 2 week break!!!!

Family Christmas Pictures

We had our 2nd year of Family pictures taken with Maddie on Monday, and I like the way they turned out. The first one is my favorite. This was my favorite pose, but Maddie has her head down which makes her look kind of evil. lol

this was Maddies sweetest face, but I wasnt as fond of the background as I thought I would be

I love Christmas and am SUPER EXCITED about this one since Maddie will understand how to unwrap presents, unlike last year. I am curious to see how many times I will have to pry Maddie away from the brightly lit Chirstmas tree!! So many things to be Thankful for (no I havent forgotten about Thanksgiving, lol) Maddie and I will be headed to Clyde by ourselves on Thursday since Josh has to work. We will go to my Memaws for a few hours then out to my Uncle Leo's newly built cabin at his place in the boondocks. Then we will turn around and come home that night, I guess I need to figure out who will watch Maddie on Black Friday when I am out shopping! After I get home from shopping, Josh should be off of work and we will be eating another Thanksgiving dinner at Lacy's house with Joshs family. Then Saturday Josh, Maddie, and I will probobly relax and revamp after such a busy week. Then Sunday Josh has to go to work again, so Maddie and I will continue relaxing (cause thats what we do!) I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Better Late than Never

For Starters I would like to inform everyone that Maddie is happy and Very Healthy! We went ahead and did the x-rays and sonograms to look at her kidneys and bladder to make sure they were working properly, and of course they were perfectly fine. One less thing for me to worry about.

Secondly, I promised to have pictures of Maddie in her Halloween outfit as soon as possible, well this is as soon as possible, lol. With work and doctors visits and my camera being out of commision, today was the first time we had a chance to put her back in her outfit and go outside to take some pictures. Enjoy!

Next on my blog agenda is to congratulate Mallory! Hereford won the state volleyball tournament against Highland! It was a great game, the UIL website has a link were you can watch the game live on the computer.

Also, I am SUPER excited that I have survived the school year up to this point!! This 9 day break is well deserved in my book. Also very needed for my children as well as myself.

Lastly, I am for this ONE time only going to root for the Oklahoma Sooners!! Being a true UT fan, this win for Oklahoma is needed in order for Texas to have a chance to make it to the National Championship....so that being said.....GO SOONERS!!

A little of Everything

• Well Monday we take Maddie to get the tests run to make sure all her inside parts are working correctly. I took a 1/2 day off of work so I can be there with her, but please keep us in your prayers because I am extremley nervous even though I think everything is fine.
• We went to the Junell Center yesterday and today to watch Mallorys team play in the regional volleyball tournament, and they won!! Which means next Thursday (and hopefully Saturday) they will be in Austin for the STATE volleyball tournament!
• I have 5 school days left until I get out for an ENTIRE week from school, Thank you God! Dont get me wrong, I love my job, but like I have said time and time again, these kids are a challenge. Right now I am in survival mode.
• Along with several other frustrations I have been struggling to get my house clean with the little amount of time I have to work on it. I finally broke down the other morning and cried because I have been cleaning non stop and you couldnt even tell the difference. So my loving husband, seeing how upset it was making me decided to clean the front room and other parts of the house as much as he could before Maddie woke up that morning. Once again, Thank you God! I got home from work and a big weight fell off my shoulders. I am so lucky to have a husband that loves me so much! Im not saying my house is where I want it yet, but it a BIG step in the right direction.

Thats it for now, I just got my camera back a few days ago, so I will put some pictures of Maddie in her Halloween costume up sometime soon!

Where Was I?

1 minute ago: listening to Maddie ask for a bite
1 month ago: figuring out what we were going to buy Josh for his birthday
5 years ago: been living with Josh for a few months at this point (and loving every moment of it), going to college, and working at Shawn's Custom Saddles
7 years ago: the beginning of my Senior Year of High School, filled with lots of good memories....I believe around this time we may have gone to state in Cross Country as a team. We ended up getting 3rd place team!
10 years ago: the beginning of my Freshman year of High School in Wink Texas. Playing volleyball and loving every minute of it, also got to go to state in volleyball and we ended up getting 2nd place!

You have GOT to BE KIDDING!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I want to throw up! The thought of what may happen in the next 4 years makes me sick to my stomach. I went and voted for the first time in my life thinking that it may help, well it didnt and now I want to cry! And Im not saying its going to happen, but I have a question. If something happens to him before his term begins does his Vice President still become President? Or will McCain get it? Or will we have to revote? I know thats not what I should be thinking about, but at this moment I am desperate for some hope that this will not work out. That may be mean or down right hateful, but oh well.

Whirlwind of Events!

I liked Amy's idea so much I decided to do it also. I got a little carried away and couldn't decide which pictures to put up, so there is a little of everything. This first picture is of me climbing a tree at my Memaws house. I put this one up mainly for the reason of showing people that think that Maddie looks like Josh, that she looks like me too. Yes she has Josh's features but come on, she is my daughter too! HEHEIm not sure if this was my Freshman or Sophmore year, but none the less its me in my prime at the State Track MeetThis is Amy and I hanging out at ASU. Can we say SKINNY?

This is Mallory and I at her house before she graduated.

This is some of the cross country team my Senior Year. I love the idea of me being in shape....to bad thats all history as well, lol.

And then there is my lovely husband Josh, this was him at his 4th birthday party. Dont you just love that curly long hair!

This is Josh's football picture, but I think this was his Freshman or Sophmore year because he was #1 his Junior and Senior Year. Once again...can we say SKINNY?

And then there is his team basketball picture, if you cant tell he is #21.

This is the highlight of his life...All smiles when he brings home a big buck!

That's the end of the Flashback pictures, but what fun it was to go through some old pictures!

On a bad note, Maddie was running a fever last Tuesday so Wednesday we took her into the doctor (it had got up to 103). We had been giving her Tylenol, but it was just making her temperature go on a roller coaster. So after seeing the doctor, they said her ears were clear..no ear infection, then they checked her throat and said it was a little red, so they did an emergency strep throat test...and they ruled that out. So they ended up having to draw blood and insert a cathader (not sure on the spelling) to get a urine sample. The doctor told us it was probobly just a virus, give her some motrin and lots of fluids...Ok....Then the next day they call to tell us that she has a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)....WHAT!? How do children get these, because at first I just broke down thinking of any thing we could have done wrong...but then I realized that she is 14 months old and this is the first time she has been to the doctor other than routine check-ups, so we must be doing something right. So since she has the UTI we will be giving her antibiotics for 12 days then take her back to check her urine again. Then on the 17th we will be taking her in so they can put dye into her and do an xray so they can check to see if all her plumbing is working properly. (It should be because she uses the bathroom all the time, but better safe than sorry) So that has been stressing me out for the past few days, then on top of all of that!

Last night we went to Iraan to watch my cousin Shea play football and he got another concussion in the first quarter...He was very upset, let me rephrase that, he was down right mad. He could not remember anything about that days events, like when he got dressed, going to school, etc. He did remember peoples names though. Then after the game we were waiting outside the locker room and my Gran got really faint, sweaty, and kind of out of it. Everyone else had already left so Josh had to check her the best he could with little purse flashlights as his only light. I was so proud of him that he could do that...I mean thats alot of pressure when you have to work on someone that you know. He was amazing. We ended up calling the ambulance, because her head dropped twice (like it does when you are falling asleep) Josh started asking her questions and she would come back too, but he just wanted to be safe. She eventually came out of it (after throwing up and shedding alot of layers) She didnt leave with the ambulance since she was feeling better. So last night was very intense to say the least. My mom called today and said that they took Shea to his doctor and he will be out for a week for sure maybe longer, but he is ok. Gran is feeling fine today too.

Ok, so I think for now this post has been long enough, there will be more to come shortly!

Love my Warranty!

Well, knowing my luck with electronics in the past Josh and I have been purchasing the extended warrantys on most of the valuable things we have bought. Let me tell you that they are worth every penny! I have already had to send my laptop back because the internal wireless card went bad, and that was fixed free of charge. Also, forgeting I had my camera in my purse I dropped it on the floor and lo and behold, the screen cracked all the way across...I FREAKED OUT! Then Josh told me we had bought the 2 year warranty and we called and it will be fixed free of charge in 7-10 buisness days!! Whoo Hoo!! What a relief, I was heartbroken to think about going without a camera for any amount of time at all.

Update on Maddie: She is walking much better now, the most I have counted with no stumbles or stops would be 15. She still has 3 bottom teeth, but the top one is going to be here any day now (I have been saying that for almost 2 weeks though). The last time I weighed her she was only 20 pounds....hmmm...I try not to worry, but I cant help but notice that she doesnt grow much. I dont know how though because she eats a TON!!! Well I am very excited about Halloween, her costume is going to be SO cute.

Update on Work: We just finished the 1st 9 weeks which in first grade means report card time. Here's my dilema..in first grade they do not get number grades so its all on observation and opinion. Well I am really good with Black and White, but this is more of a Grey area type grading system and it stresses me out. Anyway, I finished today and it was a big relief as well. So next week will be full of parent conferences so they can come get thier childs report card and the explanation that goes along with it. I am really looking foward to telling some of the parents whom I never see what they can do to help thier child improve.

My house is still a mess and I just dont have the time or the energy to get anything worth bragging about accomplished. BLAH

Thats enough for now, next week there will be lots of pictures of Maddie in her Halloween costume!!

My little walker (kind of)

This is a picture of Maddie's new playhouse that my mom bought her for her birthday, and since she cant walk or play outside yet we decided to build it in the living room.

She loves going in and out over and over...she will shut the door then open it and ring the doorbell.
This was Maddie's first time to go bowling! Well she just watched us, but she cheered us on. It was the first time that we have been bowling in about 3 years.
Maddie loves for me to read to her, she will sit so still and then I let her turn the page. Maybe she will like to read like me.

This is just a clip of us playing around, when she gets sleepy she starts to laugh alot and it cracks me up.

This is the first time I have been able to catch Maddie taking any steps, she still hasnt took more than 2 or 3 at a time, but I still get excited when she tries! Make sure to watch at the end to see her starving belly! HAHA

It has finally happened!

Last night Maddie finally took her first steps by herself. She has been able to walk holding your hand or anything else for that matter for many of months, but would never let go. Josh was holding her and let go and she took about 3 steps towards me...yes I know she is not actually walking around yet, but this is progress and I got so excited that I cried. I was so afraid that Josh or I would miss it while one of us was at work. Thankfully though we were both blessed enough to get to watch this monumental moment in her life!! She has taken several steps today too, so maybe in a few days or weeks she will be off to the races!!

Sad Day For A Teacher :(

I found out today that I will be losing a student tomorrow. Now when I decided I wanted to become a teacher, I never once thought about how attached to my students I would become. When his grandmother told me today, she and I both kind of broke down and started crying. She told me "Thank you for everything" and that just touched my heart. So I started crying and just couldnt seem to stop. THIS IS ONLY ONE STUDENT!!! What on earth am I going to act like when I have to say goodbye to the entire class! Granted he was very well behaved, incredibly smart, and such a sweet sweet boy, and no teacher ever wants to lose students like that. But for you other teachers out there, does it get better, or I am always going to want to cry when they leave?

Josh is at work and Im bored Sunday

Well, Josh is at work today so Maddie and I have been hanging out all day. She developed cradle cap about a month or two ago, and I started looking around to find out how to get rid of it. Apparently oil is the trick, so I put baby oil on her head and let it soak for a little bit, then she fell asleep, so I got a toothbrush and worked it out a bit, (she never woke up either). Then when she woke up we took a bath and washed the oil out...I would have to say that it worked very well, I think there may be a little bit left, but the majority of it is gone. I think it may help her hair finally grow some on top since we got some of that gunk off. By the way, I got to see Kylee on Friday, and she is sooo beautiful! It was a funny sight to walk in the room and see Jason on the bed holding Kylee as if he was the one who had to have her, lol. Shyanne was sitting in a chair next to her mom as happy as could be. I didnt get to take Maddie with me because she was in Bronte with Lacy so hopefully Maddie and Kylee will get to meet soon! Maddie is still not walking, but she is standing up without using anything to pull up on, so I dont think it will be long. My mom bought Maddie a playhouse for her birthday, but Josh has the camera in his truck so I will put up some pictures sometime this week. Well I guess she and I will take a trip and do some grocery shopping, FUNFUN

Congrats Shyanne!!

Today Shyanne and Jason Holik had their daughter Kylee. She is happy and healthy and Shyanne is doing good as well. Kylee was 6 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long. I wasnt able to go see them today, but you can bet I will be there as soon as I get off work tomorrow!

Pictures as Promised!

This is a picture of Maddie standing on her giraffe scooter, of course she does this while I am at work. She can get away with more when its just her and Daddy, lol. She loves her Daddy so much, and she just started laying her head down when she is tired.
From the Left: Amanda, Cassandra, Katy, Lacy, Tasha, Marlayna, and Jensen.
Josh, Maddie, and I taking a family picture while we are all dressed up.

Lacy's wedding went really well, and we had a good time. They also managed to get off to the Bahamas so they will be gone for the rest of the week. Josh took off two days so he could watch Maddie while Lacy is away. Last week was very stressful in school, but hopefully this week I can play catch up and get back ahead. Although I do have an all day training on Thursday so this will be yet again a 4 day week for me. It sounds good to think you only have to be there for 4 days, but its actually more work trying to get ready for a substitute.
On another note, Josh and I have joined the Wii community. We havent had much of a chance to play yet with work, and Lacy's wedding, but I would imagine in the next few weeks we will get more practice!

WOW!!!

The last few weeks have basically been a blur for me. Last week in school I was really only there for 1 full day due to TPRI testing and taking Friday off for Lacy's wedding. What makes that even better is that Monday we are having Walk Throughs (previously know as Sweeps). My room still isnt set up exactly as I would like for it to be, but until I get my laptop fixed there is no reason to rearrange. My school laptop worked for 1 day before it messed up, and they are brand new this year. So I havent been able to use the Elmo or projector for anything yet. As of right now I still do not have my lesson plans completed for next week, and I am supposed to turn them in on Monday (actually Friday but I wasnt there). So I am trying to do them by myself this time, but I am still unsure of what comes next. The first few weeks my co-teacher helped me, hopefully she will help me on Monday. I will continue this post later, I have to go to my Uncle Tobins for September birthdays and a fish fry. If I am feeling super productive you will even get pictures!

I will SURVIVE!!!

Ok, so for starters let me tell you about my first week of teaching. The very first day of school I had a student tell another he was going to "beat his a**" What a start! Let's just say I have an interesting group of children this year. Apparently the entire school thinks that the 1st grade class as a whole is a troublesome group. It made me feel a little better knowing that the other 3 teachers were in for just as much of a challenge as I was. So at the end of the week I had already sent 7 letters home and talked to 4 parents either on the phone or after school. Needless to say after the first week I was slightly stressed.
Secondly I am not used to being away from Maddie or Josh this much and I miss them terribly. I know that I have been spoiled by getting to stay home for Maddies first year, and I am glad that I am working, its just an adjustment that I will have to get used to. (It probobly wouldnt bother me so much, but I think she is starting to favor daddy more than me, and Im not used to that AT ALL).
Lastly, my daughter 1 year and 9 days old is officially staying the night away from me for the first time in her/my life. We dropped her off at my mom and dads around 8 tonight so Josh and I can wake up early in the morning and go to Miles and do some dove hunting. I know that this would happen sooner or later and I just need to let go, but MAN this is HARD!!! Josh and I have however done alot of cleaning tonight and are actually making some progress that would not have happened had we had Maddie here.

SO

All three of my new and exciting events in my life have caused me much stress, happiness, and emotional outpoor. I was good on Friday when I got home until I saw Josh and then for some reason I just started bawling like a big baby. I also cried tonight when we drove off from my parents house without my beautiful daughter. So please, say a prayer for me to be strong, not only for myself but for my students and my family. I know that I have lots to give, I just need to find a way to do it.

Maddie's Birthday!

This is Maddie showing us how old she is.
These are the cakes that I made for her birthday. Strawberry w/ pink icing, White w/ purple icing, and Maddies was strawberry also.
Maddie was still more interested in the decorations at this point, she had stuck her hands in the cake but wasnt sure what it was since this was the first one she has ever had.
But once she got a good taste....yummy! She ate at least 1/3 of that cake, I am shocked that she didnt have a tummy ache.

She got lots of wonderful presents and had lots of friends and family come to her party, I was very glad to see it turn out like I planned! I also think God was holding onto the rain for me because even though it was supposed to rain several times that week it didnt, and about an hour after we left the park it started pouring!

Happy 1st Birthday Maddie!!

Well, after being at a workshop all day long yesterday I got home at about 5:15, then started on Maddie's birthday cakes (2 flower cakes and a 6 inch cake specifically for her). I just finished 10 minutes ago, it is now 12:25 am. All for my dear darling daughter!! Anyway, I have to go to work tomorrow and finish everything that needs to be done by Monday for the first day of school, so I had to make the cakes tonight. I am exhausted!! I still have to put party favor bags together, wash some clothes, and I was going to do some stuff for school...but that will wait till tomorrow. So by the time I get to bed it will be 2 or so and then I have to get up about 7 to take a shower and get to work. As excited as I am for today to be Maddie's birthday, I am not being able to enjoy it as much as I thought because I have so much going on at the moment. Just keep me in your prayers tomorrow and pray that I get everything accomplished and with a SMILE on my face! SO....now that I have that off my chest, let me get to the original reason for this post.



My daughter is 1 year old today, and I have to agree with Amy when she says that the first year has flown by. I am so blessed that God made it possible for me to stay at home with her during the first year, so much happened and I got to be there for all of it! As for her history (copying Amys post for D'Laney :) She was born at 2:22 pm on Aug 22nd. She weighed 8 pounds 1 oz, and 20 inches long. We have been very lucky that this 1st year has been a healthy one, no trips to the doctor besides the monthly checkups. She is full of personality and seems to always be happy (unless she is teething, then she turns a 180 and becomes a screamer) I have baby pictures but they are on Joshs computer so i will finish this post tomorrow, and that way I can let you know how her birthday party turned out!

Then and Now

This was my first trip to Shreveport, LA about 5 years ago...during Josh and I's first year together. The waterfountain is at the Horseshoe Hotel/Casino that Joshs parents stayed at while we were there the first time. We were not old enough to gamble then so we just went to the mall and hung out in the hotel. Josh, Lacy, and I stayed in 2 different hotels while we were there, it was really fun.
This is our picture in front of the same waterfountain only 5 years later and quite a few pounds heavier, lol. We were actually old enough to gamble this time, and we had a great time! Josh, Maddie, and I stayed at the Horseshoe this time with Jeff and Sue which was nice because Sue helped out alot with Maddie so I could do a little gambling with Josh.
Maddie's 1st of many trips to Shreveport Im sure. If you are a Schoenfield you like to gamble.
Our room had a wall that was mirrors from floor to ceiling and Maddie spent lots of time looking at herself, she is easily entertained.
She also liked to look out the window. You can see lots of other hotel/casinos, and the river. She just kept pointing and saying....KUEL (which is supposed to be cool, but she says it kinda funny)


So as for our 2 year anniversary, it was so great! I have a wonderful sister in law who loves her niece and offered to watch her while we went to eat and to the movies. We splurged and ate at Red Lobster (Josh's favorite) and then went to see The Dark Knight, which was really good! Not romantic, but there really wasnt anything else out that I felt like watching. So after it was over we went to pick Maddie up at Lacy's and she had bought us a piece of cheesecake and a gift card from McAlisters! YUM, she is so thoughtful and we love her for everything she does for us!

The great thing about it all though is Josh and I are more in LOVE today than we ever have been and it just gets better every day.

Happy 2 year Anniversary

Today is our 2 year anniversary and I just have to say these have been the best 2 years of my life! Josh is so amazing and supportive in everything that we do. I have to go to work right now, but I will write a better Anniversary blog tonight!

One Week Down!!

• So this week was very interesting, I have learned a lot of new things, and I have met tons of new people. I am not very good with names, so I am having a heck of a time remembering all the teachers in the school that I work with. I have got quite a bit accomplished this week, but I still have a ways to go till my room is complete! I was given $200 as a new teacher to spend anyway I liked at the Teacher Store, and that was great! It went farther than I thought, cause I bought a $80 double sided pocket chart stand and still had lots of stuff after that. (Being a teacher also means I get 10% discount on all purchases there too)
• The hardest thing about this week has been being away from Maddie and Josh for so long. I get there about 8 and have been working on my room till about 6 so that only leaves me with 4 hours of time with Maddie before she goes to sleep. I know once things get going I will be able to go home earlier, but for now I am going through baby withdraws, lol.
• This next week is going to be soooo busy, but very exciting! It will be my last chance to get myself prepared for 1st grade, as well as my 2 year anniversary on the 19th, and Maddie's 1 year birthday on the 22nd! What a week!!
• Maddie is still not walking, but we have progressed to pushing the walker around the living room, she just wont let go! She stands on her own every now and again, but I wouldnt be surprised if she walked any day now. She has 3 teeth and they are all on the bottom.
• Maddie's one year appointment is on Monday which is my 1st day of school, so I will have to meet Josh up there as soon as I can leave work. I will be very upset if I have to miss it, because as strange as it may be I look foward to doctors visits.

Whoo Hooo!

A Great Day is turning into a Great Week!! After all the excitment on Monday, I did get the official call on Tuesday offering me the job! Then we headed to Shreveport, LA for 3 days. It was Maddie's first trip out of Texas, and my first time to gamble there. I didnt get to gamble much because I kept Maddie for the most part, but Josh's mom watched her some so Josh and I could go together. The first night Jeff made me play Craps a little, and I ended up winning 20 bucks and then decided I was good. Then I went to a slot machine and ended up 40 cents ahead. So I was a happy camper. The next day we went to Bass Pro Shop, and the Boardwalk which is like a outlet strip, it was fun and Maddie got to ride on a little Trolley. That night I got another chance to go gamling again, and this time I went straight for the Black jack table which is my favorite! It was awesome because our family and friends had the whole table. I ended up winning 200 dollars!!!! I couldnt believe it. We also ate many wonderful buffets, so needless to say I could not eat for a week and still be full, hehe. Maddie got her 3rd bottom tooth in while we were there so she had a rough night the first night, but it was better the second. Still no top teeth though.
Well I really need to get some sleep since I have some Curriculum, technology, and something else training tomorrow at 8:30. I also have to fill out my papers, but I guess I will have to do that when the training is over. I know that as much as I need to sleep I wont be able to for hours. I will just lay there and go over and over and over in my head all the things that are fixing coming up! The good news is that I have 200 dollars to get me started on a wardrobe for teaching, so I get to go shopping this weekend too! I just dont see how this week could get any better!?! I will fill you in on how my day goes tomorrow and also post a few pictures of our trip tomorrow! But for now I guess I will go lay in my bed and stare at my ceiling :)

What A DaY!!!!

• To start things off, this morning I got the official call from the Instructional Aid lady that deals with the hiring of all aids in SAISD. So right off the bat this morning I had to respectively decline and told her I did not want to take the chance of missing out of a full time teaching opportunity by taking the aid position. She then informed me that at this point in the year my chances of getting a job were not likely. So I finished that call feeling kind of down because I said no, and I hate doing that. Then about 3 hours later I get another call from SAISD, and it turned out to be the principle of Fannin Elementary. She was one of the 3 principles that I had interviewed with back in May. She said she just had a position become available and wanted me to come in and talk with her. So 1 hour later, I went to talk with her and I felt good about our conversation as I left, even though she still had other applicants she had to get with. I was told that I would find out by tomorrow one way or the other. So I am pretty excited at this point, you know...hopeful, scared, nervous...all balled up in one BIG EMOTION....what that emotion is called Im not sure? Anyway so I had a nice trip to get a pedicure with Lacy and Katy and then I went to the mall to get a few things and I just happened to be rummaging around in Belles when I see the Fannin Secretary...she apparently works two jobs. Well after beating around the bush for a few minutes she finally just told me that I got the job and I had to promise her I would act surprised when the principle calls me tomorrow!!! Yeah...You can now call me Mrs. Schoenfield! 1st Grade teacher....GOD IS GOOD!!!
• Secondly, I am supposed to head to Shreveport, LA first thing in the morning until Thursday. I am super stoked about that and hope that this new job doesnt cause me to have to return home on Wednesday, because apparently First Year Teacher Orinetation starts on Thursday or Friday and goes into next week. So there is a chance I will have to drive back on Wednesday, depending on what the principle says tomorrow. She knows of my trip and said not to worry about it, so Im not sure what that means. This will be Maddie's first official trip out of Texas!
• Lastly, I will start work on the 12th....that is only 8 days away, and I have NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA SQUADA!! So the next few weeks will be quite stressful, but a good stress!
• Having this job will be a big change in several ways, but I am ready and excited to get started, and I have to admit the money will be a nice Bonus, hehe!!

Trusting my Gut

Well today I went into the administration building to turn in my ESL certification and the lady that helped me was in charge of hiring Teacher Aids, and she asked me if I would be interested in that. Well, I figured why not since Im not going to get a job this year anyway. So she called a principle and I got a call about 30 minutes later and went to San Jacinto to meet with the principle. All I can say is KUDOS to Teacher Aids in Special Education. The position she had available was going to be in Spec. Ed. and would be dealing with Autisic and Down Syndrome Kids which would be interesting I think. I have always been interested in Autism especially. However she got into the details of the job which included changing diapers and potty training, and I was a little put off by that idea. I know someone has to do it, but I just dont think I went to college for 5 years to be changing diapers and taking kids to the bathroom on a schedule. So I called my student teacher mentor and asked her advice and she advised me not to go that route because if I take that job I may have to turn down a possible teaching job that could come available. So, I guess I will be substituting again this year, but for sure on a more regular basis.

And a side note: the principle at Fort Concho was talking to another principle and was suggesting to her that she hire me at her school since she didnt have any jobs available at the time. Its just nice to know that I have people out there that believe in me and know I can be a good teacher, and I still may have a shot!

Good Times!!

The cake that I made for Shyanne's Baby shower Group picture of everyone that was able to make it!
Shyanne, Lindsey, and Ella
The cake and the Diaper Cake courtesy of Jacque and Chelsey
Kysha, Susan, and Maddie.....Maddie loved Susans necklace and bracelet

Shyannes shower went very well, and it was good to see everyone that was able to make it! I was pleased with the way that the cake turned out, it was pretty cute. It would have been perfect except for the fact that it was very hot in the room we were in.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

Just so you know, thats the sound of time flying by as my daughter has already been in my life for 11 months! We just took her pictures this morning and I am going to be sad when we dont get to go each month. She now weighs 18 lbs and is 28 1/4 inches. I am excited she is even 18 pounds. I cant wait for the day she hits 20 pounds because then we can get her a foward facing car seat! I like the idea of being able to turn around and talk to her, and see her bright shining face on road trips. She doesnt even seem remotely interested in walking at the time, but she gets into everything anyway. I am very blessed to be able to enjoy my daughter growing and developing into her own little person. I am sure that next month when she turns one my post will be much longer, but I am going to enjoy every day of this upcoming month while Maddie is still officially my baby!

here's the article

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/jul/20/one-man-killed-one-injured-in-early-morning/

This is the news on the situation that happened two houses over last night. The guy that got shot in the side ended up not making it after all.

Super Sunday!!

• So last night was CRAZY! We were woke up in the middle of the night to sirens. It was so close we decided to go outside and see what was happening, well two houses over there were 5 or 6 cop cars, 2 ambulances, a firetruck, 2 K-9 units, a crime scene investigator, and a cop photographer. Luckily Josh is a fireman/paramedic and went to see if they needed help even though he was off duty and was able to get a little info from another fireman. Apparently 2 black guys broke into this house and opened fire on the people there. Well we know that the people at this house do drugs so we are speculating a drug deal gone bad. One guy got shot in the leg and the other in the side possibly puncturing a lung. They were doing CPR on him when they left in the ambulance. The neighbor in between us said they heard 7 or so shots. So needless to say, last night was very CRAZY!!!


• This morning we got up and went to church in Bronte, and two of our friends went with us so we had a great time. We also drove into Abilene to eat at Red Robin because Josh has been wanting to try it after seeing all their comercials they show all the time. Well Im glad we did because it was awesome!


• Then after that, the day only got better, my friend needed to go to James Avery to get her rings cleaned and repaired so since it was next door we went there. I have been wanting a bracelet for a really long time, just never really thought I needed one. However, Josh bought me one that I really liked and said it was an early anniversary present. It's beautiful!! Josh is a wonderful husband and spoils me, and I love him so much!!


• He also bought Maddie a cardboard book so she can read it by herself, she got really mad when I tried to take it from her so we could check out. So I guess she likes it! If she could talk, I know she would have said, "Daddy, I love you so much!" I cant wait till she can actually say that!

I passed!!

• I took the ESL (English as a Second Language) Certification Test in June and found out yesterday that I passed! I am excited cause when I walked out of the test I didnt feel very confident at all. Not only did I pass, I actually did pretty dang good. A 240 is passing, and a 300 is perfect. I made a 274, which I can honestly say was not expected. Anyway, San Angelo requires all their teachers to be ESL certified, but usually they hire you and then tell you to take the test ASAP. My thought, is that by already having the certification it may give me a better chance of getting any jobs that suddenly come up before school starts this year as opposed to someone else they are looking at. So Im keeping my fingers crossed.
• I went with Lacy and the rest of her bridesmaids to Abilene to Davids Bridal to pick out bridesmaid dresses. We went with a slight idea of what we wanted and ended up trying on every dress in the store, lol. It was fun for the most part. I do like the dress that we ended up getting and cant wait till I get to wear it. I love being in weddings and dressing up!
• As for Maddie, she stayed with Josh for the whole day, and its one thing to leave her while I am working, but just hanging out and taking a trip and not taking her along was weird. When we went to eat, I kept looking beside me at the table to check on her, and she wasnt there. Also getting in and out of the car and not getting her out of her carseat and lugging the stroller in and out was much easier, but still weird. The whole day of fun with the girls was nice and I enjoyed it, however, I felt as if a piece of me was missing! That is just crazy to me how much my life has changed in little daily routines. Dont get me wrong I know my life has changed as a whole, but I never thought I would go out of town for a day and feel somewhat lost. She is the reason I get up every morning and the reason I thank God every night before I go to bed. I love being a Mommy, and know already that I am going to have a hard time letting go each time she reaches new points in her life. The one thing that will help me is my loving husband, who is always going to be there with me to hold my hand.
• ALL I CAN SAY IS I AM TRULY BLESSED!!!

Just pictures!

Maddie and Chief, two peas in a pod, begging for Daddy's food!

Since Josh had to work on Fathers Day, Maddie and I went to the firestation to visit.
Josh also had to work on 4th of July, so again we went to the firestation, but it was good since he works out at the airport which is close to the lake and we could see the fireworks really well.
Trying to take a picture of Maddie's 2 bottom teeth, its hard to see but they are there.
Maddie kept pointing and saying, ewwww, at the fire works, I was so impressed that she actually paid attention to them.
Chief and I were taking a little nap in the living room. He is so cute!

Just thought I would be some new pictures up since its been awhile. I dont really have much to say today, what a shocker.