10.03.2009
Garden Pictures
Here are some pictures of the garden. I've planted tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, gourds, basil and squash. You can see some of the plants that I've planted and then I planted a bunch of seeds in the empty spaces. I planted them last Saturday and there are aleady a few squash and gourd sprouts! I've got a couple more things to plant and I'll post pictures later when everything is (hopefully) growing!
10.02.2009
Landscaping!
We had to have our front yard re-landscaped recently for several reasons. First, the soil in the flower beds was too high and covering the weepholes which can cause termites and other unfriendly problems. Secondly, the yard sloped up away from the house, which caused some drainage problems. Thirdly, the 2 trees in the front yard died over the summer. And, lastly, the existing landscaping was crowded and not very well done.
So, they fixed the soil problem, added some rocks for drainage, rearranged some plants and added some new ones (there are a few left to be planted), added some trees and made me a garden in the backyard (pics yet to come). They also added some planters in the front to make it a bit more invited and friendly to look at. So, here are a few before and after pictures. We still have some annuals to be planted. We ended up getting 4 new trees for the front yard - 3 varieties of Oak, and one Crape Myrtle was replanted from next to the house to the front yard. Also, Paul transplanted a Magnolia tree that was too close to our house to the neighborhood common area in front of our house. I'll post a few more pictures as soon as I can take them - I ran out of light today.
Landscaping before
Landscaping after - pots in front
Landscaping after
Replanted Magnolia
So, they fixed the soil problem, added some rocks for drainage, rearranged some plants and added some new ones (there are a few left to be planted), added some trees and made me a garden in the backyard (pics yet to come). They also added some planters in the front to make it a bit more invited and friendly to look at. So, here are a few before and after pictures. We still have some annuals to be planted. We ended up getting 4 new trees for the front yard - 3 varieties of Oak, and one Crape Myrtle was replanted from next to the house to the front yard. Also, Paul transplanted a Magnolia tree that was too close to our house to the neighborhood common area in front of our house. I'll post a few more pictures as soon as I can take them - I ran out of light today.
Landscaping before
Landscaping after - pots in front
Landscaping after
Replanted Magnolia9.22.2009
Honda Odyssey Update!
Well, it turns out we ended up winning the black Odyssey! I think what happened was the lottery winners before us turned it down and so we ended up getting it! Paul's Dad John went to inspect it yesterday b/c it is in the LA area, and everything looks good. We just have to pay for it and then John and maybe Marian (Paul's Mom) will drive it here!!
I'm really excited - it's a 2008, but only has 6000 miles on it and it's about 10-11K less than buying a new one of the same model. It's black with tan leather interior and a DVD system (super awesome for the kids on long road trips!!!). I'll post pictures when we get it!
I'm really excited - it's a 2008, but only has 6000 miles on it and it's about 10-11K less than buying a new one of the same model. It's black with tan leather interior and a DVD system (super awesome for the kids on long road trips!!!). I'll post pictures when we get it!
9.19.2009
School Days, School Days
This school year is going so incredible, not just for me, but for the whole school. For me personally, my students are doing so well - they are working well, not complaining, learning stuff, and attending for the most part is pretty good (this is usually a big problem at our school). If you're not familiar with my school, we are a charter school in a large district and so students have to apply to come to our school. We are very small (240 or so kids), and that is the draw of our school. We also have no homework which attracts kids, but is a problem in my opinion (that's a whole separate blog!). The students who come to us are failing at the big (3000 or more kids) high schools for a variety of reasons - ADHD, falling behind, drug/alchohol problems, pregnancy/teen mothers, family problems, etc. Our students are officially at-risk, so it can be a number of things.
In the past as the school has been building it's reputation the administration has been forced to accept certain kids from other schools, and generally those kids don't want to be at our school and cause problems. Since we are so small (max class size 12), one disruptive student very seriously affects the whole class and the students in general (many kids have many classes together). But, this year we haven't been forced to take students and only took students who applied and interviewed well (each kid must interview with principal). As a result the year is going very well.
Last year, the whole school had a bad vibe, and I believe much of that had to do with Hurricane Ike. It really messed up our whole year and students seemed extra lazy, full of complaints and overall we had a hard time getting students to work and participate well.
I have at least 1 pregnant girl (she's due in April and is pregnant a 2nd time after having a miscarriage in the spring - I actually asked her if she knew how pregnancy happened) and possibly a 2nd (not 100% sure, although counselor said she was). It is wierd answering questions about pregnancy in my class, but this particular girl is living with her boyfriend and his family and I really don't know what kind of information she is getting. Other than that I have a great set of students. And, I've been working in the morning when kids are generally better behaved (they universally get crazy in the afternoons), and I have been loving it.
I did lose at least one student yesterday to drugs. We have drug dogs come to our school regularly and search classrooms and cars. I had one student sent to AEP (alternative education program - a school for the kids in trouble - they 'serve' time there and if goes well can return after some amount of time like 60 days) and another student who I don't have this year, but had for the past 2 years. That particular student had a decent amount of marijuana in his car, and the former had paraphernelia (I think, not 100% sure). Two others were sent to AEP as well, although I don't know who they are (it happened in the afternoon) and if they are mine or not. It's very disappointing when this happens because the dogs have already visited the school twice this year, and my former student has been here for 3 years and seen many students kicked out or even arrested (actually led out of school in handcuffs) for having drugs.
It's an interesting place and there's always alot of action, but I love it. One of my students actually told me this week "I don't hate you Ms. Niles. I think you're an amazing teacher, I just don't like your personality", which I find very funny. Essentially he's mad at me for not bending the rules for him and allowing him to answer his phone in class, leave class to call his veterinarian or play the guitar. It's hard for students to adjust to the rules at our school when they've come from schools where rules aren't enforced or are much more difficult to enforce because the school is so big. I truly say every day that I have the best job ever, and I am so lucky to have found it.
I've added some photoshop fun some of my students had in another class. They're pretty cute, except for the major man-hands I have in the 'Bill Nye' one!
Sophia's Interesting Day!
Sophia had quite the day on Tuesday. First, I picked her up from school and she was sitting at the table with a paper in front of her with freshly distributed paint just waiting for her little hands to dive into. She normally sees me and drops everything and runs to me, but this time she did not want to leave and was not happy to see me - she refused to get up from the table and then started crying and fighting me when I picked her up and took her paint shirt off. 'Painting, painting' she kept saying and she cried all the way to the car. She was very unhappy.
We went home, ate dinner and then played outside. She then fell face first on the driveway scratching the tip of her nose, the space between her nose and lip and had a pretty bloody lip. She cried, but recovered pretty well. I really thought her lip had to hurt because it was scratched on the outside and I think her teeth cut the underside as well. But, she is a really tough girl and after a few minutes of recovery and sucking on a frozen 'Nemo' icepack she was back to business. Then a little bit later, Thomas threw a rock that ended up hitting her in the head near the temple. She had a huge bump and that drew some blood as well, leaving a little cut! Thomas got in trouble for throwing rocks and we ended our outside playing at that point!
I didn't take a picture and I really wish I had. I took her to daycare the next day with a scabby nose, fat lip and cut on her head and she looked a little pathetic. But, she was in the most amazing mood - even her teacher commented on how happy she was! She is such a trooper! She consistently has bruised/scabby shins, and I was exactly the same was as a kid. She's very busy all the time and never seems to let a little injury get in the way. Like I say, she's my little pistol!
We went home, ate dinner and then played outside. She then fell face first on the driveway scratching the tip of her nose, the space between her nose and lip and had a pretty bloody lip. She cried, but recovered pretty well. I really thought her lip had to hurt because it was scratched on the outside and I think her teeth cut the underside as well. But, she is a really tough girl and after a few minutes of recovery and sucking on a frozen 'Nemo' icepack she was back to business. Then a little bit later, Thomas threw a rock that ended up hitting her in the head near the temple. She had a huge bump and that drew some blood as well, leaving a little cut! Thomas got in trouble for throwing rocks and we ended our outside playing at that point!
I didn't take a picture and I really wish I had. I took her to daycare the next day with a scabby nose, fat lip and cut on her head and she looked a little pathetic. But, she was in the most amazing mood - even her teacher commented on how happy she was! She is such a trooper! She consistently has bruised/scabby shins, and I was exactly the same was as a kid. She's very busy all the time and never seems to let a little injury get in the way. Like I say, she's my little pistol!
9.13.2009
The Inevitable - a Honda Odyssey!
We have reached the time where the inevitable is necessary - a Honda Odyssey. Yes, a mini-van. We will be trading in our very cool Chevy Tahoe for a very stigma-attached supposedly uncool Mini-Van. Although, in the world of mini-vans, the Honda Odyssey has got to be the best. I like to refer to it as my new Mom Limo.
The problem with the Tahoe and all other large SUVs is that the 3rd row is nearly inaccessible unless you pull the middle row seat down (impossible with carseats) or climb over the 3rd row to sit inthe 3rd row. Also, there is no back storage room once the 3rd row is up and in use. The Tahoe certainly looks cool, and we love it, but it just isn't going to work with 5 of us!
So, we looked at the Odysseys, and there is so much room! This is underfloor storage (yes, like a secret compartment under the floor!!), removable middle seat for the 2nd row so the 2 other seats can be pushed together leaving a space to walk to the rear row, a spacious 3rd row with headphone hookups, still more storage space behind the 3rd rown and something like 15 cupholders! The model we will get will also have a DVD player and headphone jacks so the kids can listen to a movie and we can listen to the radio/cd/ipod. We discovered the importance of this after driving more than 5000 miles with our computer rigged up to show movies in the car - not the most awesome situation.
Other features include automatically opening side doors that I'll be able to push with a button so that the kids can just run into the car and not have to wait in a parking lot while I fumble to open doors (also good if my hands are full). There are also many other safety features that really do not become important until you have kids, but they will useful. The car will also be able to allow others to ride with us without having to maneuver and climb over seats.
Paul's brother works for Honda and is helping us get just the right car. There is a used one (available to Honda employees) available that we will be in a lottery for (if more than one person are interested they do a lottery) next week. If we do not win that one, we have placed an order for one that will be available probably in December.
I am very excited for this car (even Paul liked it when we looked at them) - it has all the little features that I wish the Tahoe had on a daily basis when I'm carting the kids around and doing Mom stuff. I very seriously never thought I would be the mini-van Mom, but it seriously makes things so much easier. I am also soliciting ideas on how to 'pimp my ride' - no stick figure families on the back windshield, please!
The problem with the Tahoe and all other large SUVs is that the 3rd row is nearly inaccessible unless you pull the middle row seat down (impossible with carseats) or climb over the 3rd row to sit inthe 3rd row. Also, there is no back storage room once the 3rd row is up and in use. The Tahoe certainly looks cool, and we love it, but it just isn't going to work with 5 of us!
So, we looked at the Odysseys, and there is so much room! This is underfloor storage (yes, like a secret compartment under the floor!!), removable middle seat for the 2nd row so the 2 other seats can be pushed together leaving a space to walk to the rear row, a spacious 3rd row with headphone hookups, still more storage space behind the 3rd rown and something like 15 cupholders! The model we will get will also have a DVD player and headphone jacks so the kids can listen to a movie and we can listen to the radio/cd/ipod. We discovered the importance of this after driving more than 5000 miles with our computer rigged up to show movies in the car - not the most awesome situation.
Other features include automatically opening side doors that I'll be able to push with a button so that the kids can just run into the car and not have to wait in a parking lot while I fumble to open doors (also good if my hands are full). There are also many other safety features that really do not become important until you have kids, but they will useful. The car will also be able to allow others to ride with us without having to maneuver and climb over seats.
Paul's brother works for Honda and is helping us get just the right car. There is a used one (available to Honda employees) available that we will be in a lottery for (if more than one person are interested they do a lottery) next week. If we do not win that one, we have placed an order for one that will be available probably in December.
I am very excited for this car (even Paul liked it when we looked at them) - it has all the little features that I wish the Tahoe had on a daily basis when I'm carting the kids around and doing Mom stuff. I very seriously never thought I would be the mini-van Mom, but it seriously makes things so much easier. I am also soliciting ideas on how to 'pimp my ride' - no stick figure families on the back windshield, please!
Pregnancy update
The pregnancy has been going OK so far. The baby is healthy - we've had 2 ultrasounds and the heartbeat is good and my risk for genetic anomalies is that of a 20 year old! Can't get any better than that! I've had pretty yucky nausea (still no actual vomiting), although it's getting a little better in the past week or 2. I pretty much have to eat high protein foods (meat, cheese, yogurt, etc.) to best ward of the nausea, and yesterday was a perfect example. I didn't have my normal breakfast or lunch foods and was pretty sparse on the protein (cereal for breakfast, salad for lunch) and I felt awful last night. Even after I ate a piece of cheese and some crackers and dinner I was nauseas. So, this is unpleasant in many respects, but mostly because I have to eat all these foods that are probably going to cause me to gain more weight than I would like. However, I cannot stand feeling so awful in the evenings and it makes it very hard for me to take care of the house and the kids. Thankfully Paul is very helpful and Sophia likes to sleep alot!!
I have my 'big' ultrasound appointment on Oct. 19, so I am looking forward to finding out if it's a boy or a girl!! Then I can start planning! We have to figure out how to arrange the kids and probably get a new bed somewhere - we will probably use Thomas's crib because we don't have the conversion set to make it bed. Paul drilled some holes and was able to make it a big boy bed, but the holes are just far enough apart that the mattress slips through and falls sometimes. So, it will be easier to just put it back to a crib.
I'll try to post an ultrasound picture if I ever get a chance to scan it in.
I have my 'big' ultrasound appointment on Oct. 19, so I am looking forward to finding out if it's a boy or a girl!! Then I can start planning! We have to figure out how to arrange the kids and probably get a new bed somewhere - we will probably use Thomas's crib because we don't have the conversion set to make it bed. Paul drilled some holes and was able to make it a big boy bed, but the holes are just far enough apart that the mattress slips through and falls sometimes. So, it will be easier to just put it back to a crib.
I'll try to post an ultrasound picture if I ever get a chance to scan it in.
8.09.2009
The Big Announcement!
It's official - we are expecting another baby on March 17!! We found out July 4, but wanted to wait until we had the first Dr. appt. before officially making an announcement. I finally had my doctor's appointment and all is well so far. The Dr. did a quick ultrasound to make sure everything is OK, and there is thankfully only ONE baby in there and it's heartbeat is healthy.
I have been feeling pretty crappy in the evenings, and I hope it goes away in another month or so. I have a generally nauseous feeling, although I haven't actually thrown up. I told Paul it kind of feels like I've been on a really turbulent flight and it just doesn't go away. Eating doesn't seem to help, not eating doesn't seem to help and so I am continually trying different things to see what might make me feel better. All the books say that morning sickness usually goes away after the 1s trimester, so I hope it does for me. I didn't really have this with Sophia.
So, that's our big news! Nothing much else is exciting around here at the moment. I'm just trying to make it through the evenings, school is about to start soon and we are starting the process of getting a mini-van!! I'll keep you posted!
I have been feeling pretty crappy in the evenings, and I hope it goes away in another month or so. I have a generally nauseous feeling, although I haven't actually thrown up. I told Paul it kind of feels like I've been on a really turbulent flight and it just doesn't go away. Eating doesn't seem to help, not eating doesn't seem to help and so I am continually trying different things to see what might make me feel better. All the books say that morning sickness usually goes away after the 1s trimester, so I hope it does for me. I didn't really have this with Sophia.
So, that's our big news! Nothing much else is exciting around here at the moment. I'm just trying to make it through the evenings, school is about to start soon and we are starting the process of getting a mini-van!! I'll keep you posted!
7.25.2009
A Very Long Road Trip
We just returned from our month long, 8 major stops, 5461 mile, 97.5 hrs in the car, 306 gallons of gas road trip. We are exhausted. Sophia has had a fever for 2 days, Thomas has had several meltdowns that I think are just a release of stress, I can't seem to get enough sleep, and to top it off, Paul is going out of town tomorrow. But, overall, we had a great time, and so I'll share some of the highlights.
First we stopped in Waco for a reunion on Paul's side. We stayed only for a day, but enjoyed meeting many of the Texas relatives and T and S were convinced that one of the cousins was their Grammy. They have the same hair and some similar features, and it was just hilarious. Thomas kept wondering where Grandad was. I finally had to tell him he just couldn't make it. Also, just as we were heading out the door to the reunion dinner we saw that Michael Jackson died!! I was a HUGE MJ fan as a kid, but I was pretty excited that we were headed to L.A. We decided to tell anyone we talked to that we were road tripping to L.A. in mourning of MJ.
From there we headed to Los Angeles making a stop in Phoenix to visit my brother's family where we met my new niece, Gianna, who entered the world June 14. T and S had a great time with their cousin Bella, but it was a short stay and we moved on to L.A. Paul and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by going to a fabulous Japanese restaurant, Yamashiro, that overlooked Hollywood and had an awesome outdoor bar overlooked by a Pagoda from Japan. Lucky for us, the restaurant had a shuttle that we convinced to take us down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame so we could walk by MJ's star (this was much easier than driving and trying to find a parking spot)!! It was INSANE - full of people, police, newspeople and his star was covered in flowers, notes, posters, etc. We took some pictures, and I'm glad we went. Then we went to little bar near Paul's parents house and had a few drinks and ended up listening to the bar tender tell us all about her out of body experiences and how Jesus saved her from them. Or something like that.
The next day we went to a Dodger game where we had the most awesome seats EVER!! they were the 1st row behind the visitor dugout, and the Rockies 1st baseman threw Thomas a ball!! Very cool! After that we headed to San Francisco for Paul's cousin's wedding. The kids were the flower girl and ring bearer, and they did awesome! They were a total hit and actually walked down the aisle! Thomas carried the actual rings (!!) and Sophia refused to carry the flowers, but they held hands and everyone loved them. They did have a hard time sitting through the ceremony, but I guess you can't have everything! The next night we were able to see the San Fran fireworks display right from our window! It was awesome. We were also able to squeeze in 2 visits with several friends who live in the Bay Area. They all have kids now, so it was cool to have all the kids together.
From San Fran we headed to Stockton, CA to stay with my 94 year old Grandmother on her farm for a week. My parents were there, and Paul left to do a week of field work in the Black Rock desert, so it worked well. T and S were able to play with my cousin Michelle's daughter, Elianna, as well as my other cousin Marc's kids. It was great to see everyone and spend a little time in the country. And, we were lucky enough to catch some of the MJ memorial on a TV in Sacramento while taking Paul to get his rental car. After that we headed to L.A. again for a couple of days. It was pretty low key, but we hung out with Uncle Matt, Grammy and Grandad, as well as Paul's 95 year old Grandmother.
After that we headed to San Diego with my parents (they drove down from Stockton) for a Skaff Family reunion. There were 125 people there!! My brother and his whole family came as well as all my relatives in Omaha, so it was really great to be all together. Plus, SD is just an awesome place to have a reunion! We had a picnic on the ocean and just enjoyed time together.
And, if that wasn't enough, we stopped one last time in Phoenix for a couple of days to hang with my bro and Sis-in-law. Bella, T and S had a really great time playing together. I really wished we all lived closer, but I suppose we have to go where the jobs are. After that we spent a very long time in the car driving through AZ, NM, and Texas to get home. It's so much worse driving home than when starting vacation! Thank goodness for ipods! And, thankfully we had some MJ downloaded on the pod! We picked up my grandmother's old antique Singer sewing machine, some new toys, and our car was literally filled to the brim. There was barely enough room for the kid's feet!!!
Overall, the kids saw and met more relatives and friends on this trip that probably either one of us ever have! We literally saw almost everyone we know and/or are related to in this month long journey. So, as I said earlier, we are tired, exhausted and run down, but very happy to be home. Now I just have to unpack, do laundry, clean, organize, and grocery shop. But, I do have a month's worth ofmail to sort and magazines to read, including all the MJ gossip I can possibly handle!
I need a vacation. :-)
First we stopped in Waco for a reunion on Paul's side. We stayed only for a day, but enjoyed meeting many of the Texas relatives and T and S were convinced that one of the cousins was their Grammy. They have the same hair and some similar features, and it was just hilarious. Thomas kept wondering where Grandad was. I finally had to tell him he just couldn't make it. Also, just as we were heading out the door to the reunion dinner we saw that Michael Jackson died!! I was a HUGE MJ fan as a kid, but I was pretty excited that we were headed to L.A. We decided to tell anyone we talked to that we were road tripping to L.A. in mourning of MJ.
From there we headed to Los Angeles making a stop in Phoenix to visit my brother's family where we met my new niece, Gianna, who entered the world June 14. T and S had a great time with their cousin Bella, but it was a short stay and we moved on to L.A. Paul and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by going to a fabulous Japanese restaurant, Yamashiro, that overlooked Hollywood and had an awesome outdoor bar overlooked by a Pagoda from Japan. Lucky for us, the restaurant had a shuttle that we convinced to take us down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame so we could walk by MJ's star (this was much easier than driving and trying to find a parking spot)!! It was INSANE - full of people, police, newspeople and his star was covered in flowers, notes, posters, etc. We took some pictures, and I'm glad we went. Then we went to little bar near Paul's parents house and had a few drinks and ended up listening to the bar tender tell us all about her out of body experiences and how Jesus saved her from them. Or something like that.
The next day we went to a Dodger game where we had the most awesome seats EVER!! they were the 1st row behind the visitor dugout, and the Rockies 1st baseman threw Thomas a ball!! Very cool! After that we headed to San Francisco for Paul's cousin's wedding. The kids were the flower girl and ring bearer, and they did awesome! They were a total hit and actually walked down the aisle! Thomas carried the actual rings (!!) and Sophia refused to carry the flowers, but they held hands and everyone loved them. They did have a hard time sitting through the ceremony, but I guess you can't have everything! The next night we were able to see the San Fran fireworks display right from our window! It was awesome. We were also able to squeeze in 2 visits with several friends who live in the Bay Area. They all have kids now, so it was cool to have all the kids together.
From San Fran we headed to Stockton, CA to stay with my 94 year old Grandmother on her farm for a week. My parents were there, and Paul left to do a week of field work in the Black Rock desert, so it worked well. T and S were able to play with my cousin Michelle's daughter, Elianna, as well as my other cousin Marc's kids. It was great to see everyone and spend a little time in the country. And, we were lucky enough to catch some of the MJ memorial on a TV in Sacramento while taking Paul to get his rental car. After that we headed to L.A. again for a couple of days. It was pretty low key, but we hung out with Uncle Matt, Grammy and Grandad, as well as Paul's 95 year old Grandmother.
After that we headed to San Diego with my parents (they drove down from Stockton) for a Skaff Family reunion. There were 125 people there!! My brother and his whole family came as well as all my relatives in Omaha, so it was really great to be all together. Plus, SD is just an awesome place to have a reunion! We had a picnic on the ocean and just enjoyed time together.
And, if that wasn't enough, we stopped one last time in Phoenix for a couple of days to hang with my bro and Sis-in-law. Bella, T and S had a really great time playing together. I really wished we all lived closer, but I suppose we have to go where the jobs are. After that we spent a very long time in the car driving through AZ, NM, and Texas to get home. It's so much worse driving home than when starting vacation! Thank goodness for ipods! And, thankfully we had some MJ downloaded on the pod! We picked up my grandmother's old antique Singer sewing machine, some new toys, and our car was literally filled to the brim. There was barely enough room for the kid's feet!!!
Overall, the kids saw and met more relatives and friends on this trip that probably either one of us ever have! We literally saw almost everyone we know and/or are related to in this month long journey. So, as I said earlier, we are tired, exhausted and run down, but very happy to be home. Now I just have to unpack, do laundry, clean, organize, and grocery shop. But, I do have a month's worth ofmail to sort and magazines to read, including all the MJ gossip I can possibly handle!
I need a vacation. :-)
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