I am SO behind!

So, I freely admit that I have let my blog become an utter failure. Life gets in the way of all my plans. I'm going to try to recommit. Here's a list of the blogs I need to write:

1. Lincoln's 1st birthday (bad mommy!)
2. Christmas
3. My renewed effort to live a healthy lifestyle.

Those are the ones I'm promising to write. By publishing this particular post, I'm committing myself.

Don't forget about your husband (aka Breckenridge Trip)

This trip was a huge first step for me. It was the first time I left my baby boy overnight...for two nights, in fact. I feel like I handled it all rather well. I missed my baby like none other but also had a blast with the most important man in my life, Dylan.

We went on hikes, explored Breckenridge, had a blast at Oktoberfest, and just plain enjoyed spending time together...with just the two of us...and no other outside influences.

Lunch in Breck

Hiked up to the top of a waterfall - Mohawk Lakes Trail

Mohawk Lakes Trail

OKTOBERFEST!

Waterfall at McGullough Gulch hike

Don't get me wrong, I missed my little man like crazy! He is the light of our lives, but it's always a great reminder for me that he can't be our whole lives. After all, what will life be like 18 years from now when he leaves us to go explore the world on his own? I would hate to look back and see so many opportunities where I let our relationship go and didn't work at it.

So, while life gets busy and so easy to focus all my attention on our baby, I have to keep in mind how important it is to nurture my relationship with my husband. After all, if our relationship is healthy, that makes for a much healthier family environment! I know Lincoln will thank us some day for that!

A Sobering Thought

This Friday Dylan and I went to a fundraiser in honor of a little guy who is no longer with us.

His parents said it best:

"Super heroes reside in the hearts of small people fighting big battles."

Logan's life was cut short due to the side effects of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy in 2013 after just 17 months, but the strength and courage he demonstrated will never be forgotten. "Logi Bear's" calm and peaceful demeanor, as well as his infectious smile and beautiful eyes lifted the spirits of those around him. His happiness and love of life, even through difficult circumstances, provided an inspiration that will carry on through the work of the Logan Baker Foundation.

The Logan Baker Foundation is dedicated to curing Congenital Muscular Dystrophy and supporting organizations that help children to reach their full potential.

If you feel the call to donate, here is the link for donations online:

Logan Baker Foundation Online Giving Page

 

 

I've also known others who had children that have struggled with cancer or other diseases/illnesses. These children are fighters, and the saddest thought of all is when they lose that fight.

 

Sometimes we become so comfortable with our lives that we forget to count our blessings, and having a healthy child is definitely one of those blessings!

 

Labor Day Weekend

I've been absent from the blogging world for a while. Since I went back to school, I found it very hard to find time to blog. Plus, I didn't really have much to say other than day to day school stories. So, here I am...back at it...finally!

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to St. Louis to visit some friends we hadn't seen in ages. We had a great time catching up, playing games, and meeting their new little one.

Lincoln and Ian

Isaac was such a little helper!

Lincoln and Isaac (L loved Isaac!)

Back to being a working mom

It's that time of year again...waking up early, school supplies, students, school. I love the beginning of the school year. It happened a bit early for me this year as I changed districts and had to undergo new teacher orientation...again...for the third time...I've got to stop changing districts! But, the school year has started. I'm beginning my 10th year of teaching. As I say that, I can't believe it's been that long. Where have the years gone? I am excited to say, though, that after 9 years, I'm still loving what I do and am looking forward to a bit of a change...going from 7th grade to 8th grade language arts. Gotta love those middle schoolers! (I know I do! I couldn't imagine teaching any other age group.)

With going back to work means that Lincoln went back to daycare after being away from it for two months. I was surprised at how nervous I was when we dropped him off for his first day. I had those thoughts every mother has like:  Will he get along with the other kids? Will he make friends? Will the kids be nice to him? (However, usually those thoughts are when your child is a 5 year old not a 7 month old.) Needless to say, there were no issues with the other kids, but there was the issue that he didn't really nap ALL DAY LONG! You have to understand that my baby takes two naps that are at least two hours a piece! For him not to nap was a pretty big deal. Well, every day it's gotten steadily better. I think he just needed to settle in, and hopefully he'll get back to his normal napping routine.

Life is going to get really crazy here soon, and I'm looking forward to every moment!

Summer 2013 Recap

As the 2013-2014 school year is quickly approaching (I go back on Friday...Yikes!), here's a recap of our summer.

To start with, I always make a to do list in the spring of things that I don't have time to accomplish during the school year, and to make my husband feel like I'm accomplishing something over my break (not that he asks for it, but it makes me feel better). This summer's to do list changed a few times due to the unexpected move. Here is what ended up on the list:

1. Organize photos - DONE! I downloaded all my photos and videos off my phone and organized those into folders. (If you are an iPhone user, you know how time consuming that job is! When you have 500 some odd pictures, it takes a bit of time to organize.)
2. Update Lincoln's baby book - sort of done...this is really an on-going project through his first year.

And that's it. What I didn't have down was the obvious when you move to a new place...unpack, organize, put up pictures, etc. The list is pretty sparse this year, but I give myself a free pass since we moved.

Now, for the fun part...what did we do this summer? Usually, we go on at least one vacation away from home every summer, however that did not happen this year. With moving and Dylan starting a new job, it just wasn't in the cards. So, we spent this summer at home. (We are going to Denver in September though, so I'm super excited about that - sans Lincoln!)

We started our summer off right by visiting my brother's family in Texas. The whole family made it down, and we had a fabulous time!

Lincoln meets his cousin, Presley, for the first time.
 

Lincoln's first trip to the zoo. He loved looking at the animals, and then got tired and took a snooze.

Fort Worth Zoo
 

I moved out of my home away from home classroom at Washburn Rural Middle School. This was a sad moment. I worked with the BEST group of people and loved every minute of my four years there. I became a better teacher because of my colleagues who constantly pushed me to improve!


We also moved out of our first home as a married couple. This was a bit sad as well. This was the home where we became a family.

the last picture in front of our Topeka home

We went to the pool in the new neighborhood. Lincoln loved watching the little kids splash and jump in the pool.

Lincoln started solids! He loves his food!

Sweet potato mustache

We went for lots of walks around the neighborhood and park.

On July 4th, we went to Lincoln's first Royals game. You can see that post here.

Kaufman Stadium

Dylan's family came to visit before Adam and Nicole headed out to Ireland. This visit corresponded with remodeling our new kitchen. (Phase 1 and Phase 2)

Aunt Nikki protecting L's ears from the loud noises!

We spent time at Sea Life Aquarium. Lincoln was absolutely enthralled with the fish!

And last, but not least, we played.

It may not have been the summer of exciting trips, but it was the first summer where I got to be a mommy to my little man, moved to a new house, and tried to enjoy the small moments of summer.

Shawnee Mission Park

When Dylan and I were looking at houses, we realized over time that the Shawnee, Kansas area was more our style. We didn't like the hustle and bustle of Olathe, where we spent most of our house hunting time. It was just too busy, too trafficy (yes, I made that word up), and too populated. So, we geared our attentions to the north a bit and fell in love with the quiet of northern Johnson County, specifically Shawnee. We have really enjoyed our little area of Kansas City, and yesterday we checked out Shawnee Mission Park for the first time.

This park is a little gem in the middle of the city. It has pretty much everything you'd want in a park...nice walking trails, a small lake, biking trails, hiking trails, and a dog park. I do have to mention that poor Sadie does not frequent dog parks. We're afraid that something will happen or she won't listen to us. They make me nervous. The poor girl will have to live with going for a walk with us instead.

Shawnee Mission Lake - you can catch up to 50 crappie at one time!

Lincoln and I in front of the lake

walking trails

If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking it out!