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!
8.09.2009
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. :-)
6.11.2009
Aaahhhh. Summer Begins.
Summer is here! It is all to wonderful to be finished with school for the summer. We had graduation last Saturday, and it was very nice. One of my students gave a speech at graduation and said she wanted to become a science teacher. Her mother pulled me aside afterwords and told me that it was because of me that she wants to become a science teacher. I think that is probably the greatest compliment I have ever recieved! It is sometimes very hard to imagine that I have any effect on students at all, but at the end of the day I must make an impression on some of them. The student also wrote me a little note thanking me, which is the best thing to recieve from a student. She has been through alot since I've known her, and she has shared many of her struggles with me, some of which are simply unbelievable. I am proud of her, and I know she will do well.
The kids have been in day care all this week. I like to have them go an extra week so I can have some time to myself to run errands and do things that are miserable to do when you have 2 kids along for the ride. I've been shopping for flower girl dresses, boys' suits, hair bows and some clothes for me. It's taken longer than I had hoped, but I'm finished. It took me most of the week, so now I'll only have 1 day left to myself. And, since the house desperately needs to be cleaned, it looks like I'll have about 5 minutes to myself. Oh well. I've had a pretty good time shopping and doing whatever I like without anyone naggine me or complaining.
So, although pretty boring, that's what's been going on since school's been out. Hopefully some inspiration will come my way about something interesting to write in the near future. I'm clearly still coming down from all the stress from the last few weeks of school! I'll get back to you soon with something more intellectually stimulating!
The kids have been in day care all this week. I like to have them go an extra week so I can have some time to myself to run errands and do things that are miserable to do when you have 2 kids along for the ride. I've been shopping for flower girl dresses, boys' suits, hair bows and some clothes for me. It's taken longer than I had hoped, but I'm finished. It took me most of the week, so now I'll only have 1 day left to myself. And, since the house desperately needs to be cleaned, it looks like I'll have about 5 minutes to myself. Oh well. I've had a pretty good time shopping and doing whatever I like without anyone naggine me or complaining.
So, although pretty boring, that's what's been going on since school's been out. Hopefully some inspiration will come my way about something interesting to write in the near future. I'm clearly still coming down from all the stress from the last few weeks of school! I'll get back to you soon with something more intellectually stimulating!
5.22.2009
The end is near, and TAKS Sucks.
It has been a very interesting year at school. We were out of school for 2 1/2 weeks for Hurricane Ike, I had 3 students become mothers and 1 become a father, I had a fairly serious situation with an irrational parent and a most unpleasant April full of TAKS review and testing. It's been long, exhausting and challenging, and I am very excited for the year to be over.
April was filled with TAKS review and ended with the TAKS tests the last week of the month. For a few seniors, this was extremely stressful because if they did not pass they could not graduate. It was somewhat less stressful for the 11th graders, but if they pass they don't have to worry about it next year. The 10th graders still have to take the 11th grade test, so it was more of a pain in the butt because they know they have to do it all over again next year. And so, the focus has been nothing but TAKS for April, and it looms over the school like a dark cloud for the rest of the year.
The test results came back this week and we were able to share scores with students and I found myself hugging and congratulating many students on the passing of the science TAKS. I was giving high fives, and in the midst of all the celebrations I realized that we are celebrating and focusing on nothing but taking a standardized test. Lawmakers and other officials like to say that teachers don't need to teach to the test and they should do just fine with regular knowledge they learn in class. This is complete crap, in my opinion.
I have seen old released science tests, and they are full of random facts that they require students to memorize. As a scientist you would not have to memorize such things as what the mitochondria does or how a virus reproduces. You might come to know those things because they are important to what you do, but science is not about memorizing facts. Science is about the process of questioning and discovering, and the joy of that has been completely removed from high school science classes because of these tests. We have to teach students how to memorize as much as possible, and how to answer tricky multiple choice questions. Again, I have seen old tests, and many of the questions are tricky and poorly written. They do not assess how well a student can do in science, but how well they can memorize and answer questions.
I felt very sad today when I realized the hold that the TAKS tests have on schools and teachers. We should be celebrating students asking interesting questions, designing experiments and wanting to learn more about something they find intriguing. Students hate science because it is very difficult to make it fun and interesting while covering everything we need to for TAKS, especially at my school. In the end the students at my school did fairly well, but we did extensive after school tutoring and review in class. And, we celebrated what a wonderful state 'report card' we will have, but it's all at the expense of learning to love learning so that politicians can have their numbers.
April was filled with TAKS review and ended with the TAKS tests the last week of the month. For a few seniors, this was extremely stressful because if they did not pass they could not graduate. It was somewhat less stressful for the 11th graders, but if they pass they don't have to worry about it next year. The 10th graders still have to take the 11th grade test, so it was more of a pain in the butt because they know they have to do it all over again next year. And so, the focus has been nothing but TAKS for April, and it looms over the school like a dark cloud for the rest of the year.
The test results came back this week and we were able to share scores with students and I found myself hugging and congratulating many students on the passing of the science TAKS. I was giving high fives, and in the midst of all the celebrations I realized that we are celebrating and focusing on nothing but taking a standardized test. Lawmakers and other officials like to say that teachers don't need to teach to the test and they should do just fine with regular knowledge they learn in class. This is complete crap, in my opinion.
I have seen old released science tests, and they are full of random facts that they require students to memorize. As a scientist you would not have to memorize such things as what the mitochondria does or how a virus reproduces. You might come to know those things because they are important to what you do, but science is not about memorizing facts. Science is about the process of questioning and discovering, and the joy of that has been completely removed from high school science classes because of these tests. We have to teach students how to memorize as much as possible, and how to answer tricky multiple choice questions. Again, I have seen old tests, and many of the questions are tricky and poorly written. They do not assess how well a student can do in science, but how well they can memorize and answer questions.
I felt very sad today when I realized the hold that the TAKS tests have on schools and teachers. We should be celebrating students asking interesting questions, designing experiments and wanting to learn more about something they find intriguing. Students hate science because it is very difficult to make it fun and interesting while covering everything we need to for TAKS, especially at my school. In the end the students at my school did fairly well, but we did extensive after school tutoring and review in class. And, we celebrated what a wonderful state 'report card' we will have, but it's all at the expense of learning to love learning so that politicians can have their numbers.
5.18.2009
A weekend without the kids!!
Paul and I had the most amazing weekend! We went to a wedding in Dallas, and it turned out to be the most extraordinary party we've ever been to, and probably ever will, for that matter! There were more orchids, peonies, roses, hydrangeas and little mini hydrangeas than I've ever seen!! There was a 10 tier cake, an amazing band, caviar, and an after party with scantily clad models handing out pink boas, blinking rings, pink hats, chocolate cigars and cotton candy and a lady who read everyone's lips!!! We enjoyed connecting with many of Paul's relatives who live in Texas and hopefully can get together with them sometime.
The best part was that we were able to sleep in until we were forced to get up at 10:15 on Saturday morning to attend yet another lunch celebration. We came home and literally slept all afternoon until we had to get ready for the wedding. It was so relaxing to not have to worry about the kids for 2 1/2 whole days!!!
The wedding was at the Ritz Carlton, and so we stayed there as well. When we pulled up in the car they knew somehow that we were Mr. and Mrs. Paul Niles - they had the parking ticket all ready and when Paul walked up to the front desk they said "Welcome Mr. Niles" - it was unbelievable!! There wasn't a single soul around the lobby or outside who knew us. We are still baffled as to how they knew who we were. I guess that's why they are the Ritz Carlton! After the rehearsal dinner we hung out at the hotel bar, which is quite the hot spot, even for locals! We got a glass of wine, and it was $16 for one glass!! That's probably more than the whole bottle it came from, and clearly explains how they (at least partially) make all their money!! But, the hotel was beautiful, and they did an exquisite job on the reception and the food.
It was so awesome to be away from the kids for 2 nights to refresh! They had a wonderful time with my parents and barely cried while we were away, which made me feel very happy!! In fact, they were really sad when they left today. Thomas told me he was very sad! I think one of the most important things in being a parent is to have time to ourselves as a couple, and to teach my children that we will always be there for them - I think going away for long weekends only strengthens that idea. They learn that even though we left we will definitely come back. Plus, they get to hang out with their grandparents, and everyone knows kids always behave better for others than for their parents!!!
Well, I forgot to bring my camera to the wedding, but have a couple pics from my phone of a particularly me and Paul next to a large flower arrangement (there were at least 8 of these), the cake (the pink wall behind the cake is made up ENTIRELY of pink roses) and a really awesome fruit sculpture from one of the three buffet tables at the cocktail hour (bottom pic - there are tomatoes, raspberries, some herb and blueberries in it!!).
5.07.2009
A few more of the outside
Here's a couple more. The one on the left is taken from our backyard looking at the empty lot next to us, and the one on the right is our backyard as seen from the back door. The sidewalk leads to the garage. Pictures of the new house
I've gotten several requests for some pics for the house, so here goes. We are still unpacking and so things are still a bit messy. But here are some pictures. From top to bottom it's the back patio, my fountain, the living room, the kitchen from the living room, and a different angle of the kitchen. We are getting settled and would love to have visitors anytime!!!
4.21.2009
The Sky was Crying . . .
I am clearly terrible at this whole blogging thing, but I'm trying to stick with it! I'm so tired at the end of the day that the last thing I do is want to write a blog, but I'll try to do better in case anyone actually reads this!
We've gotten all moved in to the new house, and we LOVE it! We moved in April 11 and sat down after unloading boxes and moving things all weekend, and I think Paul said it best - it finally feels like we are home! The neighborhood is great, the house is working out well, and it works so much better for us. The kids seem to like it, and I'm really loving our big yard! I can't wait to have a party - it's coming soon!
We moved in with no incident, but things have been a bit hairy as we try to get settled in. First, a floor length mirror fell on Sophia (she was not hurt), then she fell down the stairs (again, not hurt but they are wood with no carpet, and as an added note she fell down the stairs 3 times at old house and it doesn't seem to phase her), and then Sophia's dresser fell over after Thomas was opening all the drawers - it was really light b/c it was nearly empty. Thomas was only bumped on the head - I was changing Sophia only a few feet away. It's amazing how quickly some things can happen.
Then, last weekend it rained like I've never seen before. It was worse than Ike. I was painting at the old house, and then the power went out. I could barely see across the street and then I heard something that sounded like a mix between a siren and a train horn. I thought it was a tornado, but had no way of knowing the news b/c the old house is COMPLETELY empty. I found out on Monday that a tornado did touch down not too far from our house in Seabrook, and that several teachers who live close by heard the same thing. I was SO scared, but thankful that it didn't last too long. After a couple hours the rain stopped and I tried my best to get home. The neighborhood was flooded, major streets were flooded, water was up to the middle of car doors in some parking lots, cars were stuck in high water and the creeks and lake were VERY high! Paul told me not to come home b/c there was probably 1.5 feet of water in the cul-de-sac. However, by the time I cam home the street was clear. The creek behind our house, however, was like a flowing river! I would say we had about 6 more feet and the house would have flooded. It's been since Saturday, and I don't think the creek is down to it's original level yet.
At school I heard from many students and teachers of flooded homes and cars. Many people spent Sunday ripping up carpet and trying to get their cars to work. I heard Clear Lake got a total of around 11 inches in 2 days (Fri and Sat). It was one of the craziest storms I've ever seen. Luckily, our house didn't flood!!!
So, that's been the action around here for the last few weeks. We are slowly unpacking and getting things in order. I've been working extra the last couple weeks doing tutoring at our school for the state test, the TAKS, which is happening next week. I am going to be VERY, VERY excited when it's over and my life can return to normal. The pics are of the high water at our house and one of a street when I was driving home.
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