Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for so many things...where to begin? I am thankful for what a wonderful man my husband is. Sure I can talk about all the things about him that make me crazy but that's not what this is about tonight. He deals with me which I am often amazed by. I can be difficult at times but he has helped me through so many things...I only hope that I've been there when he's needed me just as much as he has for me. I am also thankful the through one blog that I've been enjoying reading I got a chance to read an incredible story that brought tears to my eyes. It is a birth story like no other I've heard. So honest and filled with love. I promise it is worth the read. Katie, thanks so much for sharing. I'll end with that I'm thankful that I don't teach one of the upper elementary school grades and I will NOT have to be giving the CMT's next week :)

What are you thankful for?

A Beautiful Weekend and then bad news

On Sunday I received my Rite of Election at my church and then headed up to the Archdiocese of Hartford. I was there with my sponsor to receive the same Rite from the Archbishop. It was a beautiful and so was the cathedral. Growing up I attended a Congregational Church but I went to church services with friends and I always felt like being Catholic was so serious and it is but I really feel like I have found the church where I belong. They are my family. It is also the church my husband grew up in too. After I received the Rite from the Archbishop, the priest and nun from my church took a bunch of photos and were smiling almost like proud parents. Now I am able to begin my final steps and then will receive full communion in the Catholic Church. That will happen at the Easter Vigil. It has been a very long process but so worth it. Here are a few more pictures of the stained glass windows which were amazing.

The after a wonderful weekend, I feel like this week began with terrible news. A good friend's uncle passed away a few days ago. I also found out the another friend's husband passed away Monday night. One was expected and they had time to say good bye because he was in end stage cancer and an older man. The second man was in his thirties and has two young children. Both are terribly sad but when I heard the news about the loss of the husband I felt sick. I just can't understand why and my heart is breaking for her and her family. It puts me in the place of imagining what would happen if that were your family. It also makes me realize how precious life is and to make every moment count.

Snow much fun

I am really so done with the snow but leave it to my girls to get me excited again. Now we got a surprise storm because the weather forecasters can't seem to get it right this winter and since we were on February break we obviously did not have school. I mean look at that face...how can I not have fun playing in the snow. Watching them took me right back to my childhood and the many winters of snowball fights, building forts, and sledding. We had such a fun morning together in our front yard.
Alyssa even tried to make a snow angel after watching her sister. She's almost got it.

Our snowman may be little but we had a lot of fun building him. So I may be sick of the snow but this morning I put that aside and played like a kid with my girls.

A quiet weekend and a sneaky valentine

We had a wonderful weekend together. Not much happened but I think we needed that. We've been rushing around so much that it was nice to just slow down and relax. We spent Valentine's Day appreciating being a family and I really did feel loved. Here's my girls enjoying their Valentine's Day gifts. They each got a set of little people. I know they don't need anymore, I feel like everywhere I go I'm surrounded or stepping on them but they were cute. One set is princesses and the other is mickey mouse.

As I mentioned Alyssa has been quite a little jokester lately. She has also been finding it funny to sneak up and yell boo. Most of the time I know she's coming but every once and a while she gets me. So I had to share her peeking and trying to sneak up on me :)

Super Teacher

I really love being a teacher! I obviously enjoying working with kids and teaching them something new. It is a completely exhausting job but well worth it. I cherish those teachable moments when I can stop and really reach that child...aka the aha moment. I love when I assign projects that my class seems really excited about. When my kids feel that sense of pride in a job well done and I know I helped give it to them...that's more of what I love. Most days I feel like I am super hero. Here are some of my special talents.

Super Teacher~
can be in multiple places at once.
has eyes in the back her head.
repels the germs of all the sick students in her class
can complete all her paper work, lesson plans, and report cards in the blink of an eye.
can fit everything that has to be done into a 7 hour day.
doesn't have to use the bathroom for hours on end...or at least until her special or lunch.

And those are just a few of her many talents. But seriously another awesome thing about being a teacher is the vacation time and snow days (although remember we actually have to make snow days up).

She makes everyone smile

I often wonder. What my girls will become as adults but I can just imagine the possibilities. Lately though I am noticing that Alyssa loves to be the center of attention and it makes her happy to make people laugh. She is sure to be something where she is in the spotlight. I can pictures her being an actress or a comedian. She really makes me laugh and she does have jokes too.

This morning she had to go to the bathroom and she really had to go so we are rushing over and I say come on my little lovey and she says your little lovey has to poop.

Then there is her dancing. Everywhere she goes she dances and sings. At the last family get together she got into her cousins dress up clothes and came out as a fairy. She started turning everyone into a horse, a witch, or some other random thing. Then she added a song and dance of I'm a fairy and no one can stop me now. She had the entire family cracking up. I wish I got it on tape.

Most of the time, childrens jokes don't make sense. My five year olds jokes often ends with the punchline underpants on your head no matter what the joke was. Alyssa told me yesterday why did the chicken cross the playground...to get to the other slide. She knew it was funny too.