A View from Second Grade

I snuck up to the school today (still no key yet) and snapped some shots of my new classroom with an incredible new camera that PawPaw just purchased. I'll give you a guided tour with commentary of my new classroom. I love the beginning of the school year when the classroom is all clean and the floors sparkle. There are no children to scuff the floors and dirty the sink. Although they bring their joys they also bring along their mess.

Come on and take a look at my classroom before my Second Graders arrive . . . . . . .

Fish wallpaper

Fish pond rug to go with the fish theme

20 cubbies

6 student computers

Motion sensor hand soap - What????


Motion sensor paper towels too!


A view into my office from the classroom

The office I share with another teacher

Teacher computer


My desk in my classroom

There are two large windows on the

same wall as the cubbies and my desk


A view of my classroom while

I'm standing in my office

Storage closet - A dream come true!

My almost completely empty storage closet due to the fact that I have never taught Second grade and my classroom was used as a preschool room last year. No complaints out of me about an empty storage closet because that means less junk to sift through. I know this closet will be full in no time!

Motion detector lights

There's a restroom in my classroom - this is a first for me!

Cute wallpaper in the restroom - little jokes about sea life.

A view from the front of the room looking back

Flat screen TV

Classroom printer and DVD player

Can you tell I'm getting excited? I know life is about to change - some hard, some easy - but I'm looking forward to getting my classroom ready and meeting my new students (and breaking in that motion detector hand soap and paper towels).

Abigail Grace

My sweet friend Katie had her baby girl, Abigail Grace today. I just wanted to share a few pictures of her. She was 6 pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long. She has a head full of gorgeous black hair and a sweet disposition. One thing that the nurse said was pretty common but I had never heard of - she has sucking blisters on her arms where she had been sucking her arms in the womb. I know they are so happy to have their little girl and I am so glad she is here safe and sound!

Second Grade or Bust!

It's official! No I am not pregnant (although it does seem kind of weird for me not to be since my youngest is now approaching his first birthday and I have always celebrated first birthdays' pregnant.) I signed my paperwork this morning and I am returning to the classroom this upcoming school year. I'll be teaching Second Grade which is all new to me. I am excited, overwhelmed, sad, happy, numb to it all. With this opportunity to go to work also comes the option of sending Connor to preschool at the Charter school. I went and looked at his classroom today. I just ache thinking about it. I am fighting the inevitable - I can't stop time or I would. He is growing up and he is so . . . ready for school. Tonight we watched a home video of Connor when he was Cooper's age. I don't think that was such a good idea for me to watch. They grow so fast. Craig will now fill my shoes on the home front for at least one year. He'll do an excellent job taking care of Caroline and Cooper while Connor & I go to school. That eases this transition a lot, knowing Craig is home with my babies.

So I got to see where my classroom will be and I took home a gob of Teacher's manuals. The classrooms are gorgeous!! Huge, nice storage closets, but the desks are so tiny. That was the first thought that struck me. I am used to large Fifth graders these Second graders are going to seem like midgets to me. After browsing through some of the curriculum I think I'll really enjoying teaching Second grade. Being there today seemed natural, I felt like the old me (pre-children.) Until I started thinking about my own children at home. This will definitely be a new challenge - WORKING MOM, one I am ready to face, one I know will be hard - yet rewarding. So I'll keep you posted on this new adventure - my life as a working Mom!

Making the Most of a Rainy Day!

It rained today. Most of the morning. So we made the most of it. We had already made plans to go swimming and spend time with friends. We carried on with our plans despite the rain and had fun in the midst of the showers. They caught rain drops in their mouth at lunch time off the roof of the porch (yuck)! They jumped in the pool over and over and over again and it never got old!

I guess as long as you have your friends around it doesn't matter how hard it rains!

Family, Friends & Fireworks!

Happy Fourth from the Cannon Kids!

We had a wonderful time today celebrating the fourth with family, friends, & fireworks! Connor & I spent the majority of the afternoon at our usual hangout our neighbor's pool. Then we headed over to the Symonds' house for some food, fun, & fireworks. Caroline especially loved the cupcakes!



Connor & Caroline both enjoyed holding a sparkler for the first time. Uncle Brant was there to lend a helping hand, Thank goodness!














Connor just had to have his picture taken with this tiny, dead snake we found on our driveway. If you knew had scared I am of snakes you'd know how I felt when he first found the snake and picked it up and came running over to show me exclaiming, "Look Mommy the bottom of this snake isn't the same color as the top part!" I felt like running from my four year old.




I had to post these pictures of Coop. It took me a long time to get him to look at the camera. He looks so adorable. He's 11 months old tomorrow - one month until he is one - when did that happen?




This picture of Caroline just cracks me up. She's like a swash-buckling pirate- Can't you just hear her saying, "Ay me mateys, where's me frosted cupcakes?"


So one last tidbit. I don't usually like putting pictures of myself on the blog. But I figured hey I got a tan so why not. I got a new pair of glasses this week. I was going for the Sarah Palin look. What do ya think?