Back to School!

I really do love the beginning of a new school year. It's a chance to get back into a schedule and make a fresh start by changing routines that didn't necessarily work the previous year and continuing the tried and true ones. In our house, the change will revolve around rearranging when homework and playtime take place once the boys are home. Especially since all 4 boys are each playing a sport requiring at least one practice during the week!


A huge change taking place this school year is Carter starting kindergarten! It was a hard morning for me as I walked my last little guy to his class, said good-bye and watched him leave to go hang his backpack up on the hook labeled with his name. It took me a minute to turn around and walk away, and when I did, I felt overwhelmingly sad because I know my tender days with the boys are dwindling right before my eyes.

Based on the picture below, I think it's safe to say the first day of kindergarten wore Carter out! Precious little boy...

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!

Excited and Exhausted

I have been so incredibly busy with getting my classroom ready, lesson plans written, paperwork completed and staff development attended that I have hardly had a chance to sit down and breath. Although it has been a lot of work, I thrive on the excitement of a new school year! Tomorrow night is Meet the Teacher, and I can't wait to meet my new group of 5th graders! They are so much fun! A few pics of my classroom:

"Dream" is our part of our school motto.

My team is doing a movie theme this year, so we bought these cute popcorn boxes and put a pencil, a star and real popcorn in them...tomorrow it will have the popcorn...at each students desk. The popcorn is in a Ziploc bag that says,'Don't forget to bring a healthy snack to school."

I think they turned out really cute!

My small group table where I do guided reading and writing conferences with my students.
I love having a big window in my classroom.
My bulletin board outside my room. Keeping with the movie theme, each teacher on my team will pick a boy and a girl student to be the "stars' of the month, and their pictures will be displayed in the frames. The recipients will be chosen not just for academic achievements but for exhibiting good character as well which is just as important!

Right outside my door!

I'm trying something new this year. Once assignments are graded, I will put them in the slot of the correct student, and they will be responsible for collecting their graded work to take home every Thursday.

My new lamp! I love having them in my classroom. =)
I decided to keep the Twilight saga, that I read this summer and LOVED, not for my kids to read but to illustrate my love of reading which I continuously strive to pass on to my students.

HERE'S TO THE SCHOOL YEAR
2009-2010!!!!!

Unbelievable...

One word...UNBELIEVABLE...That's what our trip was...We laid in the sun, laughed til it hurt and danced to "our" song under the stars on the beach...It was perfect!

Beautiful Riviera Maya...

The resort...awesome! No swans this time...only rabbits!
I think we needed one more pillow!

On the boat after our snorkeling trip. I haven't been snorkeling since my senior year in high school, and it kind of freaked me out at first because the fish are literally swimming with you! Ryan and I saw countless fish, turtles, stingrays and barracuda. It was incredible to see them in their natural surroundings.
After the trip, they took us to a small private beach to hang out and enjoy the view...

Kicking back =)

Love this picture...and this one...

At dinner on the first night. Every night after dinner, we grabbed a bottle of wine, our ipod and little portable speakers, a couple of towels and headed to the beach to sit under the stars for hours...so romantic...=)

Ryan being goofy..."Say hello to my little friend."
So happy!
These birds were awesome. They just sat there and allowed people to take pics.

These guys were ALL over the resort, and they were HUGE!!!

Waiting on the van to pick us up on the last morning...so sad!Ryan wrote this in the sand and didn't tell me...He's so sweet like that...a true romantic.

Ryan,

Thank you so much for making this trip happen for us. I will never forget the memories we created. A few come to mind...the first night on the beach, the 2 white guys dancing at the snack bar, the song "Make love and listen to the music" that they played over and over and over every night in the "circle" (lol!), finding our own little spot on the beach away from the crowd, the "mullet man", the "bottles" of wine, the crazy lady from Holland, the mosquitos, the snorkeling trip when you swam underneath me and scared me to death, the adults only pool AKA "The Library", the bees, the shooting stars, the ENTIRE bottle of tequila that spilled in our suitcase on our flight home, the endless romantic moments, the laughs....I will never forget them!

I love you so much!

Alli

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the day...We will board our flight on American Airlines and will land in paradise just a few short hours later! Ryan and I have been talking about our getaway for a month now, and the day has finally arrived...the sun, the sand, the fruity drinks with little pink umbrellas floating alongside the salty rim, romantic dinners and late night strolls on the beach...Heavenly...

This is awaiting our arrival...

and this...

And who doesn't love swans configured from hotel towels greeting you after a long day on the beach?!

ADIOS AMIGOS!!!

Relaxing Weekend Fun!

I cannot even begin to express just how wonderful it was to have a relaxing weekend at home with the whole family...Even the teenager managed to tear himself away from his active social life to grace us with his presence...at least long enough for me to take him to football equipment/uniform fittings and school clothes shopping. Last week was so busy, so 3 days without a jam packed schedule was absolutely refreshing....for ALL of us!

The theme over the past three days!

There were lots of random moments of rough housing between the boys!

Ryan taught Austin how to mow the yard! He is now responsible for mowing...supervised for now...loading and unloading the dishwasher, putting up his own laundry, keeping his room and bathroom clean and feeding the dogs at night. It is so nice having an extra hand around the house, and he's learning responsibility at the same time!

I cannot get over how much his looks are changing...My little boy is turning into a full-blown teenager!

HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

The Hardest Part...

The separation from your children is the hardest part of divorce. I miss all four of these little guys in this picture. With my boys being with their dad more during the summer...which is so very important, and I would never take the importance of that father-son time away...it never gets easier. It's hard not having your family together every day...Needless to say, Ryan and I are so looking forward to having our whole crew in tow all weekend to celebrate the little slice of summer remaining. Now that's GOOD TIMES!!!

Hanging With Pop!

Last night Ryan's dad came over while stopping through on route from New York to San Diego on business, and the boys were ecstatic when he walked through the door as they haven't seen him in 6 months! What a special treat!

Pop and Trysten...T is telling him all about our trip to the zoo!

The boys showing Pop all the pictures of the animals Preston photographed! WE MISS YOU POP AND GRANDMA!!!

The Fort Worth Zoo!

You can't go wrong with a trip to the zoo, and we weren't disappointed after our adventure to the Fort Worth Zoo last week! We had the best time, and I was so proud at how well behaved all of the boys were and how much fun they had together. I decided to take them by myself so that I could spend some quality time with each one of the boys, and at the end of the day when Austin said, "Mom, I had fun hanging out with you today," I knew my goal had been accomplished!

I love these boys...They all decided to wear the T-shirts Pop and Grandma sent them after their recent trip to the Adirondacks. Can't wait to take them there when we all visit them in New York over the Christmas break this year!

The boys' favorite exhibit...The Primates!!

The boys were amazed at how human like these animals are!

Playing in the sand! This exhibit taught the boys how sand is "made" and educated all of us on the amount of trash found yearly on our beaches. Carter said that people need to be arrested if they litter! =)
I love how the zoo keeps the height of the little visitors in mind when building the exhibits so that everyone can see!
Carter and Mom...Look at him holding the map...So sweet!
Trysten telling Austin, "Look Austin! This is tight!"
Who has the largest wing span? =)


GOOD TIMES...

So Much to Do, So Little Time

I cannot believe just how quickly summer is slipping away. In the infamous words of my little Carter, "I don't love it!" We have a lot planned for the remaining weeks, starting off with a trip to the zoo tomorrow. Yes, I am taking all four of my darlings to see the primates, snakes, raptors, penguins, giraffes, and elephants just to name a few. Between the heat and the pricey food, drinks and souvenirs, I'm sure it will be a blast! My boys go to their dad's after our excursion with the wildlife, so Thursday before he returns to his mom's, I'm taking Trysten to see Ryan at his office and have lunch with him in Addison. I remember visiting my father at his office when I was little and thinking it was the coolest place ever. I can recall thinking, "So this is where he is all the time!"


Friday night Ryan and I are going to listen to a band we love and a double date with some of the baseball crew on Saturday for sushi. Monday and Tuesday mark the beginning of obtaining my staff development hours for the quickly approaching school year....That's enough about that...Preston and Carter start baseball practice for the fall season just a few days later and Austin begins daily football practice for his school the following week. We have dentist appointments and well check-ups to attend, school supplies to buy and I have to decipher how to wrap my brain around the fact that Carter is starting kindergarten! BUT....before the big day back to school, Ryan and I still have our trip to paradise, otherwise known as Mexico. One last hurrah before the grind of homework, sports and schedules commence once again!

So much to do...so little time!!!

Thinking Outloud...=)

I woke up to the sound of rain on the windows, a dog snoring quietly at the foot of my bed and laughter coming from upstairs. As soon as the boys realized I was awake, they piled in bed with me, and the day began. I'm such a sucker for the simple happy moments that put a good life in perspective. I guess when you go without simple happy moments for so many years, once you finally have them, you appreciate the gift more than having never gone without. Life is funny that way. =)

Happy Monday!