Happy Birthday Evelyn!!!

So today is my niece's (Evelyn) birthday! This is a very special birthday for Evelyn as she is turning 1 year old!!! I can't believe that a year has already passed! It seems like she was just born! Here are some of my favorite pictures of her from the year!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY EVELYN!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR FIRST TRIP TO THE ZOO AND THAT YOU MADE A BIG MESS FROM YOUR CAKE!!! UNCLE ELI AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!

PARENTS...UGH!

I have come to the conclusion that teaching would be the perfect job if I didn't have to deal with parents! I can't go into details about what I'm currently frustrated about because this blog is public, but all I can say is, I wish that parents would allow their child to fight their own trivial battles. I'm sick of parents who constantly try to save their child from failure....especially when failure at the age of a kindergartner is a lot more gentle than failure when you're an adult and your parents can't save you anymore.

If you are a parent, please remember that your child is able to learn and recover from things that may be "difficult" for him/her. Let him/her learn coping skills to survive so that his/her future may be more successful and promising.

There...I think I'm done ranting...at least for now!

Glucose Test

Well, in approximately one hour I will have my blood drawn to determine whether I have gestational diabetes or not. This is the one test that I have been worried about since I got pregnant. More than anything I want it to come back negative. I'll keep you all updated, but please say your prayers for me....

(I just took my last sip of the orange sugary drink...now it's just a waiting game...)

****UPDATE!!! So, I got my results back AND....they're normal!!! YAY! I was really worried that I would have this really large child due to gestational diabetes...and well, let's face it, no woman wants a large child emerging from such a small space! (Just so you know what I'm working with, Eli weighed 10 lbs. 1 oz. at birth! See why I was worried?!!!)

Our most recent happenings!

I've been meaning to post an update for over a week now, but time seems to be flying away from me! I can't believe that I only have a few more months until Baby Cann's arrival! While I'm so eager to hold her in my arm, we are no where near ready for her! Things are slowly coming together in her nursery. We've got her crib, changing table, and glider, but we still need a shelving unit. Last weekend my sisters threw me a beautiful baby shower! Baby Cann and I were SO spoiled! She got lots of clothes, diapers, homemade blankies (so special!!!), toys, her baby bedding (yes, the one that I posted about earlier!!! I am SO EXCITED!), bath time goodies, and nursery decorations! I had so much fun catching up with family and friends! I'm really glad that Eli and I live away from our families, but I sure do miss being together especially at this time in our lives! We have had so much support from EVERYONE and for that, we THANK YOU!

In a few weeks we will travel to Seattle to celebrate my sister's graduation from med. school! We will also be celebrating my niece's 1st birthday! How as a year already passed?!!! These are two very special events that everyone is eager to celebrate!

Also, all of my kindergartners will "graduate" on June 2nd! The last day of school isn't until June 10th but we're celebrating a little early for various reasons! I'm so excited for them all to be able to move on to first grade, but I am SO sad to see them go! I have truly had an EXCEPTIONAL class! I'm so scared for next year because the chances of getting another class this great 2 years in a row is very rare! I am so thankful for my job, the children I work with, and my co-workers! This has been a wonderful year!

As you can see, we are busy, but it's all for very EXCITING reasons! Thanks again to everyone for everything! We are truly blessed!

(Oh, and the weather has been BEAUTIFUL! I might die this summer from the heat, but at least the sun is shining and every one's mood seems to be a little sunnier as well! I hope you are all enjoying the early days of summer!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES!

So, in my traditional fashion, I'm late posting this, but I just want to say HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to Granddad and Uncle Jeff; both celebrated another year younger!

(Jeff, Granddad, Grandmom, my mom)

And in the hecticness of the last few months, I failed to wish my cousins Staci and Caitlin Happy Birthday! Courtney's is also coming up, so I'll be early for hers! Happy EARLY Birthday Courtney!

(Staci)
(Caitlin)

(Courtney)

Phew, I think I'm covered for a few days!!!

=

AND HOW COULD I FORGET??? HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU MOTHERS OUT THERE! ESPECIALLY TO ALL OF THE BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS IN MY LIFE: Mom, Rena, Grandmom, Grandma, Grandma Betty, Megan, Brittany, Linda, and the many, many others! I love you all!!!

I survived!

I have been longing for today! I knew that if I made it today, I could make it through the rest of the school year! Only a few more weeks...I can't believe it! Anyway, I've survived parent-teacher conferences (which I must say went WONDERFULLY...whew!), Mother's Day Celebration (Mother's joined us for some fun festivities), the science fair, Week-of-the-Young-Child, and our annual auction! All of these things began piling up in April and it has seemed like we have been going full throttle since! BUT, I have now reached the light at the end of the tunnel! It should be smooth sailing from here on out!

Now, I just need to finalize the many loose ends of the finance stuff for my chapter and finish cleaning up our apartment and I'll be home-free! Literally! Next weekend Eli and I get to travel home for the weekend! We'll get to: meet our new niece, Ellery (who is SO cute!); spend time with both of our families (both of my sister's will be home then too...a rarity in our family! YAY!); and I get to celebrate Baby Cann's impending arrival with a baby shower thrown by my sisters! I am really excited to get out of Moscow and spend time with our families! It seems like it's been a long time since we've all been together!

I AM THANKFUL IT'S FRIDAY, BUT I'M EVEN MORE THANKFUL THAT MONDAY WILL BE A STRESS-FREE DAY!!! (Well as much as a Monday of teaching can be stress-free....)