Nesting Instincts Meet Me a.k.a. Easily Distracted Procrastinator

Shaun left for New Orleans to help lead a high school mission trip last Sunday. Before he left I had this large list of things that I was going to get done while he was gone. I figured if I did a few things a day it would all get done no problem.

Well, this morning I realized that Shaun gets home tomorrow and I only had a couple of things off the list done. So, I got up with plenty of energy and started cleaning and organizing my house (things that were on my list). After a little while I went outside and noticed that the stairs leading up to my door were horribly dirty. Which began the first time today that my crazy nesting instincts and me being easily distracted met. I then spent the next hour cleaning the walkway and stairs leading up to my door. Not long after I went into the house and sat down on the couch for a quick snack and spilled my chips on the couch. Rather than just vacuuming them up like I would usually do I decided to clean all of my couch cushions (distraction #2). This ended up being a very time consuming job as taking the covers off of the cushions and putting them back on should be a two person job.

I then forced myself to finish a couple of things that I actually really needed to get done. Once about 6:00 rolled around I was exhausted and I have done nothing productive since. My kitchen is a mess (due to my distraction meeting my want of banana bread), the stuff from the closet in the nursery is pulled out but not gone through or put away, and my list is still there with not near enough things crossed off; however, my stairs are clean and bug free and my couch is beautifully clean. Good thing tomorrow is another day, maybe I'll stay more on task then!

Little Ethan is moving! And I can feel it!

I have been feeling small little movements in my tummy for about a week but I wasn't sure if it was Ethan until today.  I was sitting at lunch visiting with my coworkers and I started to feel popcorn popping in my stomach (yes, I know it isn't really popcorn, but that is what if felt like).  I was sure that I would feel it for a few seconds and then it would go away because that is what it has done in the past.  However, little Ethan had another idea.  I could feel him moving off and on for a good twenty minutes.  It is the coolest feeling ever!  I can't wait until he is big enough that Shaun can feel the movements also.   

Being pregnant is so amazing!!!

One of the Happiest Times of My Life

After many long years of trying to get pregnant, Shaun and I found out that I am pregnant on Valentine's Day. I had taken a pregnancy test the night before but didn't believe the positive result until I took a second one the morning of Valentine's Day. Since then I have been in complete joy as I think about and prepare for this baby. I love all of the firsts that we have been experiencing and will continue to experiencing.

Although my doctor wasn't sure if we would be able to hear the heartbeat right away due to my uterus being slightly tilted back, we were very happy that she was able to quickly pick up the babies heart beat. It was amazing to hear such a quick heartbeat beating along side mine. pregnancy is truly a miracle!

Last weekend we went to Fetal Studio in the mall to get an ultrasound. We would have rather gotten the ultrasound done at our doctor's office but they don't do the first ultrasound until around 19 weeks and last week I was only at 13 weeks. We were excited to see if they could find out the gender so we would know if we needed to return the girl clothes that Shaun had bought or the boy board books which I had bought. It wasn't long before it was clear that we are going to be having a boy!

As we have been trying to get pregnant for so long we have also been discussing names. Within a week or two of finding out I was pregnant we had it decide that if it was a girl we would name her Anna Marie and if it was a boy he would be Ethan Michael. I am now greatly enjoying being able to call our baby Ethan Michael rather than just "the baby."

My next step is now combining our office and spare bedroom so we can start to paint and prepare the nursery! I'm so excited!

Little Ethan's cute profile! It is hard to believe that something so small can have such distinct features.

Another profile picture, this one not near as clear as the last.

Proof that it's a boy!

Our little Ethan Michael!

Endless planning

I have spent hours planning, shopping, and preparing for this coming school year. Only, to look at my plans and wonder how so little planning has taken me so long. Really I still am wondering exactly what I am going to be doing the first day of school.

Lucky for me I have 2 weeks left to be completely ready to welcome my students. I also am very fortunate to have many family members which have volunteered to help me. I hope that I will have it all ready by the 27th and really I only have to be ready for the first 6 weeks because after that I will be off-track for almost a whole month.

I have been having a lot of fun planning. It is so nice to enjoy what has to be done. (Maybe if I enjoyed house work it actually would get done.) Every day I get more excited about getting to start the year with my own class and getting to share with them the adventure of learning! No doubt about it God knew what he was doing when he directed me towards the path of teaching!

Teaching Job

Next year, I will be teaching 3rd grade at Hayden Peak Elementary in West Jordan, Utah.  Hayden Peak is a year round school and I will be teaching B track meaning that I will teach from July to July but will get long breaks throughout the year.  Hayden Peak is the school which I student taught at and which I have been long term substitute teaching at.   I love the school and I am really excited to now be an actual teacher at the school.

The first day I came back from vacation my principal, Dana, called me into her office and asked me how my vacation was.  Then, after a very quick interview she offered me the job.  It seems as if everything went so fast.  I know all the basics for next year but I am slowly learning all of the details.  I wish that new teacher orientation would come a bit quicker so I could figure out all of the little things I am wondering.  I know that I could ask the other teachers on my team but I don't want to be a pest.  I feel like I have to bother them enough already with all of my questions about how to do all of the end of the year stuff.  If I am still left with any questions after new teacher orientation I will ask the questions to them.  Hopefully by then I will also know who my mentor teacher is going to be and I can ask him/her the question which I need answers to.

I will be on a team with 8 other 3rd grade teachers.  We are a really large team and I am really curious to see how the team dynamics will change with the changes the team has gone through this year and will go through next year.  I really like the other teachers on the team and I am excited to have the opportunity to learn more from them as well as continue to teach along side them.

I have been saying for awhile that I would enjoy teaching 2nd or 3rd grade.  I love the third grade curriculum (and I can actually do the math which is a plus).  I can't wait to get to set up a classroom of my own from the beginning of the year.  It is a dream come true to me!

Vacation continued

After 3 beautiful days in El Yunque Rainforest, we are leaving today to tour Old San Juan and then we board our cruise ship! I wanted to get some pictures loaded before I am unable to use the internet for a week due to the high prices the cruise ship pays. However, due to us being in the rainforest and the internet being slow I could only upload a few pictures.

These flowers are all over the place. Some are just pink and some are pink and orange. They are huge are gorgeous! These cute little lizards are everywhere!

A Coqui frog. These little fellows made such a lovely sound which sang us to sleep ever night. This quy is on a brink. They are all small some are this translucent yellow, some are translucent green and some are translucent brown. They are quick and are very difficult to see even though you can hear that they are everywhere The beautiful view which I woke up to every morning. A little piece of heaven which we were able to take part in for a few days.

A coqui frog

The cute little lizards which were all over the place

El Yunque

We arrived in Puerto Rico today. It is so different here. Although this is a territory of the United States you would hardly know that from looking around. Everyone speaks Spanish, all the signs are in Spanish, no one knows how to drive and there is this amazing rain forest here.

We are staying at this little bed and breakfast in El Yunque National Forest which is a rainforest. This place is just the vacation which I needed. We were greeted by the owners, a very nice couple and their three dogs, and shortly after our arrival they had pina coladas ready for us. I can look out the window from my bed and see an amazing view of all of the different trees in a valley, if I look past the valley I can see the ocean. Off of my room is a balcony which has gardenia bushes(my favorite flower) at the end of it. I am typing this right now listening to the sound of coqui frogs (I even found one in the kitchen sink earlier!). And Shaun found a cute little lizard watching us from the mantel earlier. I can't wait to see what other little critters we will find on our hike to a waterfall tomorrow. I am so glad that we choose to start out our vacation by staying at here as I am sure to get some much needed relaxation and rest as I enjoy the nature around me.

I am excited as I think about what the rest of this vacation holds for us and I am so greatful that I get to spend this time with my family!