New job.....

So I can't really officially post anything about a new job yet, but I have announced to my staff so I want to tell friends and family - I have accepted a new position next year 2012-2013 as a Math Content Coach and Consultant for TEhama County Department of Education. I will be on loan from RBUESD for one year, I still will return there the following year and nothing will be lost. Hopefully lots will be gained from this amazing, exciting and very scary experience. I will be coaching other teachers in math and helping to introduce the Common Core Math Standards to many districts in our county. I will be on my site a minimum 2 days a month and doing some Math Lab type stuff in my old "current" classroom. I will add some summer days, which will probably be hard at first, but they are to do some really cool stuff so I think I can handle it. THis job will be out of the box for me in a major way and I am excited. So of course this means a crazy spring of cleaning and packing...again...but only for a short term time and one that I think will better me as a teacher, professional and a mom who might not have as much to grade to a year every night I come home:) Wish me luck....

A Christmas Story

Sweden turned this boy into a pirate loving, knight-action figure maniac!

Gifts galore!

Thank you Em and Johnny for the piano and GUITAR

A tired boy look!

The infamous Pirate Scooby Doo

With Aiden Christmas has always been, at least, interesting would be the word. Wether it was the first Christmas that we weren't expecting him to be here for, or the this one, he keeps me guessing and loving every minute of it. TO be expected he decided he would sleep in on Christmas morning! Seriously I was up at 4am and he finally had to be woken up around 6:30 since everyone would get here around 7. He absolutely died over his Scooby Doo Pirate Ship- I mean it really isn't a ship, its a fort but this kid has waned this thing for over 6 months and told every living soul (and Santa we visited) that this is what he wanted. When the nana and papa arrived he opened like 2 things and then just wanted to play so we let him and then gently coaxed the other 9 million gifts out of him. We had a really great day, slow, great food for breakfast and dinner and we loved seeing Christmas through Aiden's eyes. It truly is a different experience as a parent. The Monday after we were all home together and got to put away things, clean out things and purge for the new year. Aiden gets very easily distracted with all the new birthday and Christmas presents but he plays with each one slowly and lovingly. This week him and I have been lazy, putting away Christmas was sad for him and he told me "he really likes lights and is sad they have to go". But we talked about how this time of year comes back again. So now it has been little adventured, lots of pirates and knights playing and some long afternoon naps. I am so lucky.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (I haven't explained that holiday yet to him- way too confusing!)

Birthday Extra Time!

Aiden turned the BIG 3 on Dec. 20th this year. I am learning how to balance the whole birthday before Christmas thing and I just roll with whatever happens. This year he had a real "friend and family" birthday party at Galaxy Gymnastics Sunday afternoon. THe cake was amazing (thank you Auntie Em and Cake is the Best Part), the superhero capes a success (yah for no sew pinterest ideas) and a very blessed and happy boy. He has wanted to be three for so long that it was very difficult to explain even after the party he had a few more days...so we just let it go! Monday Aiden went to daycare so he could have a party with his friends, and was given a huge new sandbox with digging equipment for the backyard- woohooo! Tuesday was our first mommy and Aiden day where as Aiden says, " we get to stay together." So for his real birthday we packed a picnic and

just the two of us went to the park for the afternoon. That night Kellin and I took him to Chevy's and had a little treat just the three of us. Then the birthday celebrating was over...finally right? OH no of course presents keep coming in the mail and then the Christmas parties have started....so this kid just keeps on getting. At least he says thank you and I love him so for it. SO finally he is THREE and all is well in his world because three is very important:)

November Time Really Flies

So I'm sitting here on December 2nd very early in the morning (my only quiet time that is mine:) wondering what the heck happened to a whole month. I know I even took some pictures but are they even uploaded to a computer....Nope. I can barely remember the month without looking at a calendar. So to let you know we are alive.....we had a busy November, but a nice get-away weekend to Tahoe with mom and dad over the three day weekend. We had a visit from my college roomie Kathleen to start off our Thanksgiving week-off and Aiden and I got to hang out and do lots together. Every weekend was full....every night had meetings and here we are at December. Aiden is very happy the Christmas is here and that means his birthday too, and he really wants to be 3 like his friend Wyatt- so it should be good. He is developing quite the opinion about EVERYTHING! People kept saying he is so good at two, three might be different and if this last 2 weeks has been an indicator.....I am going to get gray hair. He just has an opinion about his dinner eating, his movie watching, his clothes, if he wants to go pee, the list goes on and on and I sort of got used to making every decision for him:) So now we are transitioning to you have the right to make that choice but there are consequences for every choice-tough lessons for a then "sometimes" emotional three year old. So here's to a happy holidays, hopefully getting some pictures up and a chance to say Hello!

Boo! 2011

Seriously they are so cute. We had a great time eating dinner, walking around and then coming back for fun with the family aunts, uncles, grammas, grandpas, great grammas and great grandpas- NOthing like Halloween with the kids! Aiden had a little costume change after being a knight which he liked, thank goodness. Then it was on to skeleton pajamas and Super Why capes. Overall a very successful night.

Pumkpkin Patch 2011

This year we decided to go back to Hawes because Aiden would be able to do more and my parents hadn't been there. It was a great Sunday afternoon. I love the changes they made where one price for everything and really the $12 was worth it. Aiden loved it so much and there was so much to do. WE were there for 3 hours and we probably could have done another hour or two if he wasn't needing a nap at the end. I love fall and I love taking this kids picture, today was a bit warm and Aiden wasn't up much for smiling at the camera because he just wanted to play mom! We are so lucky and it will be a memory for a long time!

Air Show- our way this year

Our chairs
My adorable son

Some amazing shots

Aiden telling me "I'm tired of saying cheese:...thank god for the girls in this picture otherwise I would have deleted it!

So instead of paying to go this year...we drove out to the Z&H Dersch jobsite while the boys all stayed and watched football at the Chandlers' - the boys were happy, the kids were happy and we didn't have to be worried about any of them getting lost. It was awesome and they thought it was pretty cool, sometimes scary, sometimes neat and VERY LOUD! IN two years when it comes back, we will be ready again!