Busy Bins

after 2 years without blogging and 39485738 minutes of figuring out how to log back in (college email, really?) I am back with a purpose: breaking down Cy's new busy bins.  While the last time I posted I was newly pregnant, Cy is almost 2 and is keeping us on our toes.  After hours searching Pinterest for sensory bin and busy bag ideas, I got over myself, loaded Cy up in the car and headed off to our local Dollar Tree in search of a few boxes to keep Cy occupied when he seems restless at home!  I was absolutely successful and found so many great things! (and spent less than $30! double score!)  I posted a picture of Cy playing to Facebook recently and had a few people ask about specifics of what's in the boxes...Cy has LOVED the boxes and I don't keep them out all the time, just so they're slightly forgotten about and I can pull them out when we're all about to go a little looney!  I'll do my best to break everything down. :) 

Bin #1: Pom Poms/old wipes box - this is by far the easiest and most entertaining box!  

I literally dumped a package of pom poms in a wipey box.  

 He learns tons of hand-eye coordination!  All the pom poms start outside of the box and he puts them in one or two at a time!  Rinse and repeat!  and it's QUIET! :)  

Bin #2: Cereal sensory/measuring.  I interchange this with colored water or different types of cereal.  This is my go-to while I cook and need to not chase my busy boy all over the kitchen.  Plus, totally edible!  You can use whatever cereal you like and get creative!  I just use Cheerios because I don't mind if he eats the whole box while he plays!  not really...but you get the point.  

 Bin #3: Oatmeal and rubber frogs.  

I'll admit Cy isn't the biggest fan of this one, but I'm sure it'll come along as he gets older.  Also took a plastic shovel that was attached to one of those beach buckets.  Good for digging!  I might use dirt instead and convert this to an outdoor excavation toy!  Boys love that stuff, right?

Bin #4: Oatmeal, measuring spoons, and funnels! 

 Cy LOVES this one, but it is MESSY!  So be prepared!  Anyways, also bought a set of funnels and the measuring spoons at Dollar Tree.  I actually have two bins here, that way Cy can transfer oatmeal from one bin to the other.  You could use rice, beans, or whatever you like.  This goes easily into the funnels, and Cy won't try to eat it.  So there's that.  Bingo! :)

Bin #5: Pom Poms and measuring cups.  Transferring pom poms from cup to cup and from cup to bin is Cy's fave!  Easy peasy!

 Bin #6: Pipe Cleaners and a collander!  Perfect for hand-eye coordination and cause/effect!  I only have a few pipe cleaners here, because it seems to be still effective without being cray-cray!  Cy puts pipe cleaners wherever he chooses, plus you can pull them from the opposite end. 

Bin #7: Pretend Cleaning

Kids LOVE imitating and while I wish he would see me cleaning more often, it's still super cute and works when you need a few to dust and they can "help."  Dusting cloth, mini broom/dustpan, duster, and scrub brush.  All supplies from Dollar Tree!







Hope this helps just a little bit!  I am by no means an expert on sensory/educational play, but just a momma who needs a little help entertaining her kid and will spend countless hours on Pinterest for fun ideas!  I will convert these to color sorting/counting when the time comes and I will maybe remember my password to do it more easily next time!  Happy bin building! :)

Update as of Lately!

Well...another summer has ended (including a trip to Boston and 2 weeks of MVCC!) and we are back in the swing of things as far as school is concerned.  This year felt like we had to rush a little to get our rooms and stuff in order, but we got everything done and things are going well so far.  Steven left his position in Loving to take a new job at the same school where I am here in Carlsbad!! I know it's a change, and I'm sure he misses some of the things that he grew to love in Loving, but the decision was pretty easy when it came to no commuting, working together, higher pay, and LOTS LESS hours coaching.  I spent a lot of my first trimester at home by myself, because Steven was in the middle of a long track season.  Working together has been a blessing, and I think it will continue to be.  As far as pregnancy goes, I'm starting to feel some 3rd trimester effects...I feel heavy as ever at nearly 31 weeks, and even going up the stairs to my classroom every morning has been a job in its own.  My kids (for the most part) have been really helpful and understanding.  Thank goodness. :) I think I'm starting to feel the "nesting" syndrome, though, and I"m feeling ready to clean and finish unpacking and paint to get ready for baby Cy's arrival!  We've had a busy, busy start to the school year, but we are continually blessed by an amazing God.

I've been terrible about posting baby updates and even worse about taking bump pictures.  It sort of just came out of nowhere, and now that I'm feeling a little more whale-like everyday, I'm glad I don't have pictures to commemorate every week of pregnancy.  I'm just ready to have our little guy here and not in my belly anymore!  (Cy, hope you don't mind I didn't memorialize every moment of my pregnancy!)

How Far Along: 30 weeks, 5 days

Baby Size: 18 inches, almost 4 pounds! WOWZERS!

Total Weight Gain:12 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? yep!

Stretch Marks? unfortunately yes

Sleep: decent.  body pillow has helped tremendously, but waking up for a lot of potty breaks at night.

Best moment this week: long weekend at home with hubbs!

Miss Anything? sleeping on my stomach, having energy for a full school day

Movement: oh yes!

Food Cravings: mostly sweets...oops!

Anything making you queasy or sick? not really.

Gender: baby BOY! (Cy Steven Morgan)

Labor Signs: not that I'm aware of

Belly button in or out? Still normal

Wedding rings on or off? off for a while. :( I miss them.

Happy or Moody most of the time: mostly happy I think.  I have my moments, though.

Looking forward to: next ultrasound, finishing up nursery, baby showers and Cy's big arrival! less than 10 weeks away!

Preggo Eggo!

This is ... I'm pretty sure ... our 2nd post of the year. :(  LOTS has been going on, but we have been loving life and staying busy. 

Since the last time I posted, we have had lots of change happening in our lives.  Steven has survived a season of coaching in Loving!  We spent lots of time apart aka he spent lots of time with the track kids and I spent lots of time with the cats and with the TV.  HA.  He worked his butt off and I have never been prouder to see his commitment to coaching 100%, even when the going got tough.  Thankfully, that's over and I get my hubbsy back! 

We have also been in the process of buying our first home, which has proved to be stressful and a rollercoaster ride.  We are still in underwriting for the 2485th time...hoping this time will be it.  Pray not only for our sanity, but also that we finally DO get the house we love - because we'll need the extra room for a BABY!!!!

That's right - we're preggers!  :) Our little blessing came a little earlier than expected, but we couldn't be more excited and faithful in God's timing.  We are due early November!  No gender yet, but we have our intuitions about what we're having; but really we just want a healthy baby Morgan in 7 months!  I finally have more energy than I did the first 8-10 weeks.  I really just wanted to take a nap about 80% of my day and wanted to scream at my students a LOT...but things are evening out (thank baby JESUS for 2nd trimester) and I'm feeling better.  I never really got much morning sickness (be jealous) and Steven has been the most amazing husband to me, and I know he'll be the best daddy a baby could ask for when our little bundle of joy arrives.  We have been to a couple doctor appointments, seen our little baby, and heard the heartbeat...which is the most amazing sound after an agonizing 6 weeks of waiting for our first appointment.  Can't wait to meet our new baby. :)

How Far Along: 15 weeks

Baby Size: 4 inches long, about 3 ounces

Total Weight Gain:3 lbs

Maternity Clothes? a couple pairs of stretch pants - God's gift to pregnant ladies

Stretch Marks? unfortunately yes

Sleep: terrible.  I cannot get past not being able to sleep on my stomach.

Best moment this week: hearing heartbeat for the 2nd time this doc appt

Miss Anything? sleeping on my stomach

Movement: a few flutters/bubbles that might have been movement?

Food Cravings: Strawberry Slushes from Sonic, and a few random junk food cravings here and there

Anything making you queasy or sick? first few weeks: BEEF. didn't like the smell or texture.  Couldn't have a burger for weeks.

Gender: idk

Labor Signs: Not even close

Belly button in or out? Still normal

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time:probably more moody.  but I teach middle school, which adds to the moodiness.  but when I'm happy, I'm happy...and when I'm emotional...I'm a basket case of emotion

Looking forward to: finding out gender, feeling for sure movements, getting a bump and not just chubby. lol

wowza...it's been forever

Not sure if this blog is worth pursuing lately, but we'll see as things progress! It has been so long since I've updated...not quite sure where to start! As of now - we're both FULL TIME teachers! Steven, as you know, is in Loving, teaching ms math and coaching basketball! He's doing a great job and I'm SO proud of him. :) We've enjoyed a few celebrations - our 2 year anniversary, Thanksgiving with the fam, and a great Christmas! We have been blessed beyond belief! Here are just a few pictures of what has been going on in the Morgan house!

Our first anniversary picture! Thanks to Pinterest :)

Open house and my name above the door of my new classroom!!



Thanksgiving with the fam!




Christmas on the Pecos date!

Steven coaching one of his first games!


Things are constantly busy, but we LOOOVEEE life! :) Be Blessed!!!!

seriously?

ok, so really? Has it really been almost 4 months since I last posted? SOOO much has happened since I posted during NM-SBA testing out in the hallway! ha! I will try to play catch up in one post and post new pictures of our house and classrooms in the next week or so! Since May, we have GRADUATED!!! finally. We had a great graduation filled with lots of family and friends, and super generous ones at that! This totally helped with our move...!

Right before graduation, we had a job fair and some really promising interviews with school much closer to home. Steven took a job offer about a week after we graduated with his hometown of Loving, NM. He'll be teaching middle school math and coaching basketball! After some really promising interviews, I applied with Carlsbad schools and hoped for the best! We moved on faith that I'd hopefully get hired - we pretty quickly found a house to rent in Carlsbad and got ready to start with the rest of our lives!

Now we've been living in Carlsbad for about a month and a half - Steven and I have BOTH been hired! I have been hired with Carlsbad schools (half-time for now - but trying to work me in full-time!) I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies! Both of us have been working hard in classrooms and trying to get ready for our first year of teaching. We are nervous, but excited! Steven will do an awesome job and I am hoping I can do the same.

We have been incredibly busy but incredibly blessed. Steven has started inservice and I start tomorrow! :) It will be crazy, but we are so happy! Pictures to come soon! :)

Grown-Ups

I'm a big kid now? It's been kind of surreal the past few weeks as we begin to fill out job applications, make online profiles for state hiring websites and get things together for job fairs, interviews and the final preparations for graduation. Can I actually be finishing college (for now)? As we begin wrapping things up and deciding what happens next, I get really nervous and almost sick to my stomach thinking about it - although this is what we've been working for for too long (ha), I can sadly understand why people become "professional students." It's almost easier to put off loans for a few more years, get a Master's degree and continue living the college life. But for us, I know we don't want to do that quite yet. We need JOBS! I'm just pretty terrified of living the real world! I'm sure it'll be great once we get hired, but this sort of limbo we're in between graduation and hiring is really nerve-racking. God is really teaching us to put our faith in him as we start a new chapter of our lives and begin looking for teaching positions around the state. Be praying for us as we wrap up college and begin living our lives as "big kids."

Time Flies...

Well, here we are in the middle of March and time is flying by! Both of us have completely taken over our classes (I'll probably start giving classes back after Spring Break, which I'm kinda sad about). We have started looking for job openings, signing up for job fairs, buying caps and gowns, graduation memorabilia...the light at the end of the tunnel is finally here! :) Be praying for our job hunt as it begins...job market is not so pretty for teachers right now.

We are still ridiculously busy, and completely ready to have our own classrooms! I think we talk about super great ideas for our future classes almost every day. :) Other than student teaching, we've had to deal with sicknesses galore, car problems - Bessie is aging quickly - and we have a new niece, Madilyn Elise! She was born almost 3 weeks ago and we get to visit/meet her over our Spring Break, which is really exciting!

Life is chaotic, but God is truly giving us the strength and energy to make it to the end of the semester. Keep praying for us. :)

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

Student Teaching and Life's Shenanigans

We are beginning week 4 of student teaching! So far so good! We keep crazy busy each day...loving the experience, but exhausted at the end of the day. I never guess I realized how much teaching all day can really take out of you! We're lucky to be awake after 10:30 lately. My cooperating teacher is really super great and helpful; the whole 7th grade team is pretty much awesome! I start teaching 1st and 2nd block this week. Steven will take on all math classes this week. Things are beginning to get busy, though! We grade and lesson plan more than we ever thought we would in a single day. But, I don't we would change our career choice for a second. :) Graduation is around the corner (May 7th)!!! and we need to start applying for "real world" jobs soon...how crazy is that?! It's finally here!

Aside from student teaching, we have been ... student teaching. It's pretty much consumed our lives, but I think that it's been really beneficial having Steven to experience this with...I don't know how I would vent if I didn't have someone to talk to that related to my experiences. God has really blessed me in that aspect. :)

Speaking of God's blessings...we have started to make some relationships with more members of the church lately, and it's been so nice feeling a sense of belonging in a church again. I often miss Denver City CoC, and having some church family here in LC really helps. We had lunch with a really awesome family a few weeks ago, and got some much needed help with some car trouble I had before the holidays. Today, one of the preachers prayed specifically for us after church for patience and energy as we tackle this week of student teaching. It felt so great to have someone think of us in such a personal way. Once we find a routine to better manage our time, we will begin going to the college small group on Sundays and hopefully build more relationships there. I can't wait to see what God's got in store for us. :) Although we don't know where we'll end up (job market is a little wacko with education lately) I'm glad we have a 3rd church to call "home."

Pray for us as we continue our fast and furious semester - I'll update as soon as I can :)

Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken

Psalm 55:22

Wrap-Up

It's almost Christmas time! Lots has been happening...we have been working hard and getting through the semester one day at a time and we're finally in our last week of classes! We are in the middle of final presentations, lesson plans and portfolios and are ready to have a restful Christmas break and get ready to STUDENT TEACH!! We had a student teaching meeting yesterday and are partway through getting our placements set up...Steven's placement is finalized, and mine is still TBA :(. I have a placement site, just not a cooperating teacher for the moment. It is hard waiting to find out where I'm going and not having a contact name, but at the same time, I am learning a good lesson in patience and faith in the Lord. :) Even though our placements aren't completely finalized, we are so excited to be moving into the final part of our education! God has blessed us exponentially through the past year, and we have lots to be thankful for! Family is growing, we're growing UP, holidays are bringing us together and life is good. New recipes are being made, pictures are being taken, teacher clothes are being bought, and Christmas is becoming evident in our home. Will update as regularly as possible!

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

Good Days and Bad Days

A lot has happened since the beginning of the school year. We have finally begun to re-adjust to the routine of being in a school every day. Our practicum is absolutely amazing...our cooperating teacher is one of the most caring and effective teachers I have met. She cares about her students, and cares about our future as educators. I really enjoy being in the class every day and look forward not only to teaching, but to learning something new from the students as well.

Class is taking a toll on me. I am learning some really great things that I will always carry with me into any classroom I enter, and some things that I really wouldn't use, or some practices that I really don't understand. I find myself praying about my classes quite often, and that's not a bad thing. Although I don't completely understand some of the situations presented by some of my professors, I trust that this is God's plan, and that someday I will fully understand it and learn an important lesson.

Today was a GREAT day. We taught our second lesson plan today, and it was the best lesson I have taught. We went over equivalent fractions, used fraction strips and played a relay game with Energizers. Every single student was engaged, learned about equivalent fractions, and the energizers got their energy out for the next assignment. Our practicum supervisor sat in on our lesson, and I feel that she was really impressed with our progress in teaching. Days like today make me confident that I have made the right decision to pursue education as my career.

Last week, we had our first student teaching meeting. We had to turn in a STOP packet, including a new essay, test scores, resume, etc. If our packet is approved, we will receive a student teaching placement at the end of November. Be praying that God's will be ultimately done, but also that we both receive placements and are successful in trying to graduate in May. We will also soon need to take our last NM education test, which will certify us to teach in NM.

A lot is going on, we have birthday celebrations, family visits, projects and life in general happening. Although our life is fast paced and leaves little time for rest and fun, but this semester has made us stronger as individuals, stronger together, and more dependent on our God to get us through. :)

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Practicum + School Lunch (breakfast)

We are going to start week 4 of our practicum for methods block B and so far it is going really well. Steven and I have been placed in a 6th grade self-contained dual-language classroom. Yes, we are working with the same class, but we really love it for a few reasons: we get to team teach our lesson plans for our classes, we get to discuss the same students after class, and we are both getting to work with upper elementary, bilingual students, which is what our first choice was for the semester. :) So far we have watched writing and math in our 2 hours/day in the classroom, and we have really learned a lot. Our cooperating teacher is an amazing teacher and we have really lucked out getting someone who truly cares about our future careers as teachers. Classes are going well, although some are more helpful and educational than others right now. Please pray we get as much knowledge as possible and retain as much as we can. We start student teaching next semester, and could use as much information and experience as possible to help things run smoothly. We turn in STOP packets in the next 3-4 weeks and go through a student teaching orientation, which will be the final meeting about student teaching before we actually begin in the spring. Be praying for us as we finish school and begin our experience as teachers in the next year.

Since last semester, I have been reading Mrs. Q's blog: Fed Up with School Lunch, watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and boy, has my perspective changed on both what I eat and what my future students will eat! School lunch has taken a turn for the worst, and this past week I had an opportunity to see in person what the students are eating for breakfast. Unfortunately, like Mrs. Q, what I saw was disappointing. This particular morning, the menu included a Chicken Biscuit, fruit juice and milk. I didn't taste it, because A) it looked disgusting - this can't be "real chicken" - it is probably processed chicken patty and B) I had already eaten breakfast, but was seriously bothered by this meal. Meals like this make kids tired within a few hours and the lack of fresh food or fruit doesn't really make this healthy. Here is a picture of the super amazing breakfast I was offered:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a health nut and still eat my share of Taco Bell and Burger King, but I have become more educated when it comes to food and we are slowly making changes with the food we buy and cook. It truly makes a difference in how the food tastes and how you feel after you eat it. Without trying to sound like a fatty, food is an important part of everyone's life. I love cooking, and we eat lots of homemade meals, but lots of kids don't have that chance and depend on school for their meals. I know I'm only one person with a super small blog following, but something needs to be done to meals to make them better for these kids. I remember having cooked meals from a tray with real silverware, and the majority of these meals being good!

I will step down from my soap box now...lots going on in schools aside from school meals. Be thinking of Los Morgans as we take on our final year (for now) of school!

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)

Back to School

It's a weird feeling to (hopefully) start the last year of college...finally! We know we will be in methods practicum this semester and then we start student teaching in January! I am excited to finally get back to a routine of being in the classroom, but at the same time, I am a little nervous to go into the "real world." With the state of the economy affecting the educational field, we are a little bit worried to find teaching jobs within the same area. Please be praying for us this year, as we prepare to student teach, take our certification test and interview for possible jobs. We know God will take care of us, but not knowing where we will be and what we will be doing in a year is a bit crazy! Although it makes us nervous, the excitement of having our own classrooms and having our own full-time salaries and living our life outside of college is a blessing. :)

Yesterday was our one year anniversary!!! We did a few things to celebrate one year:

-took a trip to The Lodge in Cloudcroft...amazing memories!

-got lost in the Lincoln National Forest (thanks TomTom)

-ate unique food

-re-created our wedding cake and fed it to each other, just like our wedding day :)

-had Sonic - just like we did after our wedding, since we didn't really get to eat that day

Here is the album of pictures we took over the weekend:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024335&id=160200358&l=ede4ed20ac

We are so happy about getting to experience things that are up and coming this year; I will try to keep this updated as things happen :)

Irony

Recently Steven and I have started 2 new things: New Recipe Day and we have started the C25K running program. Ironic. First with the new recipes: we always seem to get into a rut when it comes to cooking, and a while back, I downloaded the Epicurious and Betty Crocker apps to my phone. These are the best free apps a cook can get! I have been browsing through tons of recipes and adding to my favorites. Then we choose one together and go shopping and make it! It's always something a bit familiar with a twist. I haven't taken a picture of everything we have made, which I kinda regret but here are a few pictures of what we have recently made!



Thai-Style Marinated Pork Ribs with Jasmine Rice










"Red Lobster" Crab Alfredo Linguini
Our 3 year "dating" meal :)





Homemade boneless buffalo wings
(Sauce from BWW)










Here is the irony, in addition to new recipe days, we have started the C25K running program! C25K takes a basic "non-runner" and trains them to be able to run about 30 minutes continuously or roughly, a 5k in 9 weeks. We are halfway done with week 2, and we are really enjoying the exercise, spending the time together and getting in shape all at once! Aside from some really painful shin splints on my end, we are doing great and keeping each other motivated to keep going :) Looking forward to running long distance again!

c25k on Facebook

C25k Website

New food and running for the summer? Ironic to say the least, but are we killing our hard work with food? haha I hope not!

More recipes, longer distances and additional summer adventures to come!

Up-To-Date

This summer has unfortunately flown by! We are already almost a month away from school's start again! BAH! Although summer always seems to go by quickly, we have really made the most of it! I have finished one summer class and got an A! Yay! and I am halfway through the second one. We passed our content exam with flying colors, just got home from MVCC, are planning a camping trip soon and will be having our first anniversary in a month! Phew!

School this summer has been a blessing. It's weird that I say that, but without it, I would have to stay here an extra semester, and that would have been not fun at all. I am so ready to be done with school for now and move on to a real job! I am excited about having a name plaque (ha!) and my own class/classroom. Summer school blessed me in many ways: we got extra grant $ to which helped completely pay for my summer, I got summer workstudy to keep my job, and I saved time! This helps me stay on track with Steven so I don't have to keep him here longer! In other news, both Steven and I passed our NM Content Exam! We passed with flying colors and are in line to student teach! Next up, we have student teaching portfolios to turn in and the NM Competency (certification) to pass! We are excited about methods with upper elementary and then the light at the end of the tunnel becomes brighter! Please continue praying as we start preparing for a new chapter in our lives!

Our summer has been busy with traveling and other stuff too! One of the blessings we had this year was that of going back to MVCC and teaching for the first time! We re-connected with old friends, made new ones, and are so excited about doing this for years to come. :) God is really blessing this camp as it continues to grow. Steven did an amazing job teaching; I truly have an amazing husband with the gift of speaking to kids. I am so excited to see how God works at camp with us in the future. Here are a few pictures from camp:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022782&id=160200358&l=a1507bb027

We will be trying to go camping before July ends and then we have our first anniversary trip! We will be golfing and staying at the Lodge in Cloudcroft, NM, then going to Denver City to surprise my dad with a bday party! Then school starts! Our house is beginning to show evidence that we aren't home much on the weekends :-/ Although we have been busy, we have continued to learn and love more each day and it's been a blessing to have both the opportunity, time and resources to travel around a bit this summer. It's been so amazing!

Summer will wind down soon and we will be getting back to the grind of school for one more year! Pray for our adventures! :)

Summer!

Summer is flying by! We have been really blessed to have some actual time to spend with each other. :) I am taking 7 hours this summer - a 5 week Geology class which is both boring and intense (lame combo) and an English that lasts 10 weeks. I am loving that one so far! Plus the courseload is a lot lighter, which really helps. Class keeps me busy during evenings and I have also been blessed by getting summer workstudy because of my summer classes. Thank God I don't have to find a temporary job this summer!

Summer has consisted of a few weeks off, class and school work, ridiculously hot temperatures, new recipe experiements and fun adventures with both my family and sweet husband! We still need to find out test results (PRAY!), get student teaching portfolios started and YAY! we get to go to MVCC in 3 weeks! We are so looking forward to spend time in the mountains with great Christian adults, kids, each other and most importantly God. MVCC has obviously been a big part of our lives for so many reasons and we are excited about getting to go back as teachers! Be praying for our week there and for camp in general. :)

Summer this year has been one of the best I have had in a long time...I am so blessed!

Life's Happenings Lately

Summer is here (despite summer school) and we are so excited! Steven and I both got 4.0's this semester! We are going to be in Methods Block B next semester...then student teaching! Still a lot to do and learn before then but God is truly blessing us. We have lots of summer plans and when we don't have anything to do we will be enjoying the latest TWIN additions to our family!

Welcome Sofie and Emma!

Us with the twins :)

SUMMER! - ish...

We are FINALLY done with our first semester of Methods! It has been an amazing experience so far and we are SO happy to have a break from both our classmates (sorry) and schools. We learned so much about teaching, and looking back, this has been our favorite semester so far, mainly probably because we learned so much about teaching, unlike other semesters, where we will unlikely remember anything we learned. This semester, we learned about the age group we want to be teaching, what to do when we become teachers, and also what not to do. This year was unlike any other and gave us so much experience to take with us into Block B. Also, we might both get 4.0's this semester!!

Next up for me is taking two online summer courses to satisfy my lab-science requirements (blegh). We will be taking our next NM teacher content exam in June, have a student teaching portfolio to start this summer, need degree checks, and so much more before next Spring! Be praying we stay dilligent as we go into our last year (hopefully) of school!

On another note, we are excited about a couple more things this summer: 1) will be going to MVCC this summer as teachers! Well, more Steven than me probably, but either way I cannot WAIT to get there! We will be there for Session 1 with Leland and it's going to be different to be there as a married couple and not as counselors. :) and we are excited for 2) our 1st anniversary! We will have been married for our first year in August and have already booked our mini vacation! God has blessed with an amazing first year of love and marriage and we cannot wait to see what is in store for us next!

School may have temporarily ended, but we are still busy!

Learning

Lately, things at school have become really routine, which really tries my patience in my attempt to learn new things that will help me in the future. Although I probably shouldn't talk in specifics about what I'm doing or where I am or who I work with, I will say that I have been doing the same thing with students with a minor change for the past couple weeks. I am starting to get a little burnt out. :( I have learned that when I am a teacher (God willing), helping out college students that come to the profession will be something I will be so glad to do, knowing that I can help them learn so much from my classroom if I just take the time to teach them.

Another thing: I taught my first solo Science lesson in Spanish on Tuesday! The kids were engaged and a huge majority of them totally grasped the concept! I loved it, and although I was sick all night and morning before I taught, I was really ok with everything once I got started! It was really great knowing that if I can do this decently now, then it will just become that much better once I actually get my own classroom. I know I should probably be freaking out about my first classroom, but I am so excited to get to run everything according to my experiences.

I have also learned that communication is very important in a school setting. I have learned that regardless of that burnt out feeling right now for me, and a possible tension between me and the teacher that I am working with, it's not about me, it's about the kids. I will leave my personal problems and "grudges" outside of the classroom and still do my best to make sure they are learning at their highest potential. I have also learned to make a great impression on administration, whether or not they are holding a job opportunity for you. I have also learned to take opportunities that will make a lasting impression on the "higher ups" even though it may not be the most fun or cool.

I am not in the least talking down on my practicum. It is the most amazing learning experience I have been through in my college career, just has been really different than expected at times...

Hurry Up, Spring Break!

soooo...my mind is officially on Spring Break. Reading everyone from LCU and DC's posts about Spring Break is frankly a little depressing. I worked all day Monday and was really motivated and ready to finish out this week and move on to Spring Break as soon as possible. The school where we are doing our practicum is a year-round school so they have a 2 week Spring Break, starting this week. This leaves only classes at 10:30, which is great, and we get to sleep in! Weirdly I'm saying unfortunately...but unfortunately, our class yesterday was cancelled, and I wasn't working yesterday, which left a free day to do anything! We slept in, watched tv, had lunch, ran a couple errands, and went to the driving range! We basically got a premature Spring Break day...but that sadly means that I have lost all motivation for the rest of the week. I have two more classes and work Friday morning before we head out for a quick visit to both homes/golf courses. :) I am praying for motivation and for happiness as I go into the last couple days and classes before a MUCH needed break. I am so ready to to have zero assignments and much golf for a week!

Golfing Blessing

We haven't gotten to go golfing since we went in Denver City the weekend of Master Follies and this was actually pretty sad for us! We finally got the chance to go yesterday afternoon and got paired up with the nicest older couple :) I am still in my opinion a beginner golfer and I felt like the game wasn't going to be good after I missed the ball about 4 times off of the first tee. Anyways, we ended up grouping up with this couple on the 2nd hole. I am always a little nervous about grouping because I am so new to golf and being out there in general sometimes makes me really anxious, therefore stressed and this changes my swing for the worst. But, I figured why not? And my positive attitude worked out.

The first hole was the only one where I really didn't do too well. After this, things began to work themselves out, and I was worried about hitting the ball in the right direction and more importantly, was relaxed and having fun! We played 9 holes and I kept up with the group and felt that I did really well. When I had a positive outlook on playing in a maybe stressful situation and didn't worry about the others watching, and only about being relaxed and playing as I was taught, it wasn't bad at all! This couple was so nice and we actually had a really great time yesterday. God truly blesses us with good stuff when we have an open mind and a happy outlook.