It's been a much busier week this week than last week! Time seems to be flying now, especially now that surgery is getting closer (we leave a week from today!)
About a month ago, I won an alumni award through the Drake University School of Education. I went to Drake for my master's degree. It was a special honor and I was nominated by a long time family friend of ours who has continued to work with my students and I since I became a first year teacher. My students are penpals with her education students and they write letters back and forth every semester. I also teach one of her class periods each semester and talk to the Drake students about classroom management.
Last night they had an awards banquet at Drake where I received my award and had to give an acceptance speech! I was so nervous. I am not thrilled when it comes to talking to large groups of people! People always ask how can I be a teacher then, but it is different when the large group of people are ten years old! Ha!
We had some drama right before we were supposed to go. Our babysitter cancelled because she was sick! Andrew had wanted to ask a special teacher from his day care, and he was so excited. He was so disappointed when he found out she couldn't come! We were scrambling at the last minute, because my mom was going to come to the banquet with us. When all other options failed, my mom ended up having to stay back with Andrew. Andrew was happy to have Ga Ga stay with him! But I felt bad because my mom and Jim came all dressed up, with flowers and cards and a gift. My mom assured me she didn't mind, she just felt torn because she wanted to be there for me on my special night.
I missed having her being there, and I especially missed my dad. He was a Drake graduate as well, and I know he would have been very proud of me. I felt him in the audience listening to my speech, though. I know he was there with me. He passed away the summer before I was supposed to begin my master's at Drake. I had talked to him at great length about going back for my masters, and he was very in favor of it. But after he passed away that summer, I was so angry that I decided not to do it. However, through conversations with my mom and my mentor and friend Dr. Sally Beisser (the person who nominated me- she also knew and loved my dad!) I was again encouraged to do it- I knew my dad would want me to.
Sally is a very special person in my life- she is a long time family friend of my parents, and she has also helped me get to where I am today by mentoring and teaching me so many valuable things. She is such a blessing to me!
Here I am with Sally and the Dean! Wow! I felt pretty important! Ha!
The other award winners and me. One is a principal, and the other a superintendent! I am not sure how I fit in a class with these people, but I was so honored and humbled.
These are the award winners and their "mentors" who introduced them, as well as the Dean.
I was so proud of this man. Having him there by my side was the most important thing to me. He isn't shy and stepped right in to talk to all the important people that were there, with a sense of humor too! He kept telling me how nice I looked and that he was proud of me and that I did a good job with my speech. I just love him so much. He reminds me so much of my dad, but especially on a night like this one. He was so outgoing and friendly, and I just kept smiling thinking how lucky I am to have him. Thanks for always being by my side, honey! I love you so much!
And of course I can't do an update without a picture of my little man!
He's been up to his old antics this week too! Always doing funny things! We went through the drive through for lunch yesterday and took lunch to daddy's school. His office is right inside the door so we don't have to be in the germy hallways! Then we went through the car wash. Those were the highlights of the week! Ha! That and his favorite teacher, Miss Erin stopping by to bring some special cards from his class and drop off some work we can do! I always said I could never homeschool my own kid. Now I'm being forced to! Ha! I just feel like kids never listen as well to their own parents, I know Andrew doesn't listen to me like he does his teacher. Not on school work anyway. He is with me for about 3 minutes and then he's on to something else. (This is not a homeschooling debate- just my opinion and what works best for me is sending him to school!)
The other morning he put socks on all his Toy Story friends. Can you guess why he has no clothes on? Yep! The Woody and Buzz jammies were in the wash! Ha! Sometimes I have to talk him into wearing something else, but only jammies! Laundry has been a cinch this week! I can't help but look at this picture and notice his scar. It is so faded and perfectly healed. It is so hard for me to think about what it is going to look like next week. I am prepared because I have seen it before, but that doesn't make it any easier.
This is his new thing. If I don't jump up right away when he asks for a snack, or I tell him he has to wait for lunch or dinner, he'll pull up a chair and get what he wants out of the pantry! Ha! We have child proof locks on the door, but that doesn't stop him! I'm always afraid he's going to break the handle because he basically hangs on it!
This is a typical sight! Just chillin, eating his marshmallows and watching a movie! Ha! Looks pretty comfy to me!
We are all excited for our big ultrasound today! Andrew is begging to go with us and see "his baby" again so we are giving in. We are keeping him in the car until they call us in, then we are running him straight back to the ultrasound room with us. I figure, it is an OB's office, so there shouldn't be as many sick people! My mom is going to come too and then leave early with him just so he can see baby for a little bit. I am praying baby is healthy and that we can find out the gender! We are so excited!
More to come soon...
We had some drama right before we were supposed to go. Our babysitter cancelled because she was sick! Andrew had wanted to ask a special teacher from his day care, and he was so excited. He was so disappointed when he found out she couldn't come! We were scrambling at the last minute, because my mom was going to come to the banquet with us. When all other options failed, my mom ended up having to stay back with Andrew. Andrew was happy to have Ga Ga stay with him! But I felt bad because my mom and Jim came all dressed up, with flowers and cards and a gift. My mom assured me she didn't mind, she just felt torn because she wanted to be there for me on my special night.
I missed having her being there, and I especially missed my dad. He was a Drake graduate as well, and I know he would have been very proud of me. I felt him in the audience listening to my speech, though. I know he was there with me. He passed away the summer before I was supposed to begin my master's at Drake. I had talked to him at great length about going back for my masters, and he was very in favor of it. But after he passed away that summer, I was so angry that I decided not to do it. However, through conversations with my mom and my mentor and friend Dr. Sally Beisser (the person who nominated me- she also knew and loved my dad!) I was again encouraged to do it- I knew my dad would want me to.
And of course I can't do an update without a picture of my little man!
We are all excited for our big ultrasound today! Andrew is begging to go with us and see "his baby" again so we are giving in. We are keeping him in the car until they call us in, then we are running him straight back to the ultrasound room with us. I figure, it is an OB's office, so there shouldn't be as many sick people! My mom is going to come too and then leave early with him just so he can see baby for a little bit. I am praying baby is healthy and that we can find out the gender! We are so excited!
More to come soon...
