Two down, 36 more to go...

We did it!  We survived my first two weeks back to work!  It was fun and exhausting and crazy and quick all at the same time.  It was also one of the easiest back-to-schools I have had in, well, the eight years I've been teaching.  This is my seventh year teaching fourth grade and my second year teaching with my job-share partner, and I felt like things went smooth like butter the entire first two weeks.  We are more in sync than last year, we've got our plans well-organized, we are able to go with the flow more between our two scheduled plans, and we have weeded out a lot of "extra" stuff that just didn't work for our class last year.  I actually left campus before 6pm each day (whoo hoo!) and even made it to the gym three of the six days I've worked (which is three more days than I worked out all of last year, so yeah.... I feel like I am going to make myself a gold medal or something....).  My class is not maxed out with students yet which is a huge plus, and I have several younger siblings of previous students, which was a happy surprise when I got my class list.  I really, really miss some of my last year's kiddos, but what a treat it has been to get to visit with them during recess or after school when I'm dismissing my new kids from the ramp.  What a joy it is being part of these kids lives!

I took a lot of random iPhone pictures over the past few weeks.  I took some on my "real" camera too, but that would require a lot of effort to walk to my camera bag to get out my memory card, so this mish-mashed assortment of pictures will have to suffice.  I am so happy I take so many pictures on my phone.  I don't think I would remember what I did this morning, let alone the past few weeks, if I didn't use my phone camera so often!

I participated in a mug swap through A Cuppa Kim's blog.  I had so much fun packaging up my little box of goodies and sending it off.  I was so ridiculously giddy to check the mail each day for my mug, too!  What a fun little event, I can't wait to participate next year.  You know I love me some mugs!

My first day of school outfit.  I bought this shirt on clearance two nights before school started because I was so desperate for at least one new thing.  I've avoided back-to-school shopping for myself the past two years because I'm part-time and am really trying to stretch the limited selection of semi-professional looking clothes I do have in my closet.  I happily went to school in my new turquoise shirt and my coral necklace wearing my very old khaki pleated skirt and shoes with floppy soles.  Hopefully my students won't notice that I'll probably repeat the same outfit every week for the next 36 weeks.  

Swee'Pea had his first soccer game.  He and cousin Grady played on the same team and they were adorable.  They snacked on grapes and water in between the 5-minute quarters and were sweaty little things by the end of the game.  We celebrated with Yogurtland afterward.  I may have cried at his adorableness out on the field.  When did these sweet boys get so gosh darn big?!

My favorite thing to do on a Saturday night is to have a little swim and then get showered and jammied up and enjoy a big bowl of fresh-from-the-stove popcorn with Swee'Pea while we watch a Disney movie.  I am so happy he likes movies and snacks as much as I do!  Usually I end up eating my whole bowl and then sneaking half of his, but he is kind enough to share.  Mmmmmm.  Popcorn.   

We went to Fresno last weekend to watch one of my bestest friends dedicate her baby girl at church. My aunt happens to be the children's church director at the church and was so happy to have Swee'Pea join her in class!  He got to attend Children's Church during the main church services, which he enjoyed greatly.  We went to Anthropologie afterward so I could buy myself an adorable new mug, which he obviously did not enjoy greatly.

This is what my fridge looked like the whole first week of school.  I may have eaten out one or two or seven meals that week.  I went shopping last weekend so I actually cooked a few times the second week and took my lunch every day.  I have decided that I can either cook every meal and have an impeccable house the first few weeks of school, or I can choose to be a functioning adult and take a break from cooking.  I decided to be a semi-functioning adult who takes her lunch and ruins dinner and then begs her husband to take her to cheap pizza.  I call it a successful two weeks.

Speaking of fridges, I'm starting to get stressed out every time I walk past ours and see my calendar.  When did life get so busy?  When did my four-year-old start having a social calendar??  Most of our days are filled with enjoyable things so that makes me happy.  Life is full right now but it is full of some really great stuff so I am thankful.  

Also, we really love Ronald Reagan and America, if you didn't know that already....

Also, I feel like it would be UN-American to not buy this beer cozy.  It just screams Patriotism, don't you think?

We went on a family date to Walmart (classy, I know...) and Swee'Pea and I discovered this monstrosity.  I do not feel safe thinking of my child sitting in this.  Not one little bit.

We went rafting on the river again last week and it was perfection.  A highlight of this trip was stopping for Mexican food and devouring the most delicious shredded beef taco I've ever come across.  I am still thinking about it and would like another immediately.  I really really love theses two guys.  How did I get so lucky?

I'm trying to consume liquids other than coffee each day, so I whipped up a big batch of some yummy fruity water I found on Pinterest.  Basically I just mashed up a bunch of fruit on the bottom of a Mason jar and then added filtered water and ice.  It is super tasty and you should all try this and experience the amazingness for yourselves.

And while we are on the subject of amazing things, please check out the file folder of my fourth grade work I found in an old Rubbermaid box under my bed.  I feel like it perfectly captures that obsessions of my youth: boys, Barbies, and books.  I don't know why the chocolate kiss is there as I pretty much detest chocolate.  It probably symbolizes my desire to chase and kiss boys on the playground.  Yeah.  I was one of those fourth-graders.... 

Do you guys know what Fry Sauce is?  I only know about it from my love of watching Big Love and the fact that everyone in Utah this summer thought I was crazy for not eating it with my fries.  For reals, a family was freaking out in front of me in line when the burger place said they were out and they almost went into seizures because they did not know how they could eat their fries without their believed sauce!  I was super confused about what it was and had to ask, which put them into even more of a tizzy that someone on this Earth wouldn't know what Fry Sauce was!  Apparently it is just a fancy name for a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise.  Which I find to be disturbingly disgusting.  Anyway, they sell it at WinCo now if any of you are interested.  I was super excited to see this and almost felt like I should buy some because it is so weird and because apparently it is gourmet, which means it is perfect for serving with fries on your fine china.

And finally, I purposely picked this coffee mug from all the mugs in the teacher's lounge the other day. I enjoyed my cups of coffee in it greatly and made sure to send a picture of it to my dear friend Katy.  I know she loves cats almost as much as I do....

the end.