Prayer Request

One of the teachers that I student taught under has a son serving in Afghanistan. His name is Ryan and he is in the Special Forces. While I was in Diane's classroom, she talked about him constantly and the students were curious and concerned about him. The school's special project for the holiday's was to send packages to Ryan and the other members in his unit. The project also focused on sending items for the children of Afghanistan. Ryan and others in his unit often saw the children and liked to share candy and other items with them.

This morning I received an e-mail from another teacher at the school that Ryan was hit with shrapnel in the shoulder and leg. He was air-lifted to Germany for surgery. I have been told that everything should be okay. Your prayers are appreciated.

Happy Shpanks-gibing!

At least that's how it's said at my house! August just loved making these Oreo turkeys. I asked her if she wanted to make turkeys. She was so excited at first and had no idea what she was actually going to be doing. I put the icing on the Oreo and she put on the Kisses and candy corn. I put on the eyes. If you look at the last picture, you can tell which ones I made and which ones she made. She was kind of upset when we were done. I guess we'll have to make more tomorrow when these are gone!

Things that I am thankful for: (in no particular order)
1. August and baby number 2
2. Travis
3. Almost being done with school (although sad I have to go back to work)
4. My family
5. When the students manage to keep all gates closed and the cows don't get loose and run across Lincoln Avenue!
6. Chocolate and all things sweet
7. Memorable experiences (like the ones below)
8. The fact that I think I am almost done Christmas shopping (although I am sure I am missing someone!)
9. Playhouse Disney
10. My friends

Happy Halloween

First of all, Happy Halloween. I know I am a few days late. I should have had these pictures up over the weekend. August was a cow. We only went to a couple of places but she had fun saying "trick-or-treat!"

I took August to get a flu vaccination on Monday. They didn't have any of the traditional flu vaccines left, so she got the mist. I told August that the nurse would be putting "water" in her nose and that she would have to sniff. We practiced a couple of times. After the nurse put it in her nose, Aug hopped off my lap and looked at the nurse and says, "Oh thank you I feel better."

I went to the doctor yesterday for a check up. We took August along so that she could hear the baby's heartbeat. We talked to her about it in the car on the way there. While I am talking with the doctor, August looks at her and asks, "We hear baby now?" It was in a tone of voice that said, "lets get this moving, I'm ready to go."

Having seen Amy's blog, I decided to ask the other teachers about this planetary alignment thing in the lounge yesterday. Every last one of them made fun of me! They looked at me like I was nuts! All I wanted to know was if anyone else had heard of it. The teacher that I am working with tries it last night and it worked for her. Ha! She made a public apology...so now I'm not the crazy one at school. (At least I didn't try to do it with my Swiffer like one of the other student teachers.)

Check it Out

You have got to check out this site! Mom found it and she is getting some great ideas for different things. This woman is sooooo crafty! Her stuff is so cute and thrifty.

http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/

Sunday Afternoon

August and I went to this little garden that is near our house this afternoon to take some fall pictures. The worst thing is that I could only upload one picture at a time. There are several more that I wanted to include but it was taking forever. Oh, check out my new profile pic. It is August riding the carousel at the mall.

Five Things I Love About Fall
1. The smell of the air.
2. The fact that I am sleeping with the windows open. I love the cool air when I sleep.
3. The color of the leaves.
4. The way August says "thank you" for everything. (I know its not really about fall, but I love it anyway!)
5. The sight of combines in the field. (Except not now cuz its too wet.)

Baby's First Pictures

We had our first ultra sound today. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Apparently baby wasn't exactly cooperating and they had a hard time seeing the spine and the top of the head. These aren't the best pictures but you kind of get the idea.

By the way, my due date is still March 3. The baby weighs about 8 oz (so I don't know where the 15 pounds I have gained is at). According to the baby's size, I am due March 8. However, my doctor thinks I will have a February baby. So, March 3 give or take a week or two is when to expect baby. And no we don't know what we are having.

This is a profile of the baby. The head is to the right.

These are baby's fingers. They were up around the face about the whole time. About half of the pictures they gave me are of the fingers.

Cankles

Enough said.

(By the way--This is the world's shortest blog post...and very upsetting to me!)

Anyone know where you can buy time?

I know, it has been almost a month since I have posted anything. It is amazing that now that I am actually "working" less and don't have homework on top, I actually have less time to do things. This little thing growing inside me is completely exhausting! All I want to do when I get home from school is lay down on the couch. But no...August won't hear of that. She insists we go for a walk to see the girls...every night...no excuses. Too tired? Not good enough for her. Headache? Too bad. Too hot? Whatever. Were going out.

I am really liking the school I am in right now. I like the teachers and the staff. I am learning so much from all of the teachers. They are all very willing to share what they know. I am learning alot about special needs kids. I am especially learning about all of the "backstage" work that teachers do. There are plenty of meetings and dramas that teachers have to deal with. I am finally starting to take over my class full time. At the end of next week, I will have them all morning. By the end of the next week, I will have them all day. Mid October I am switching to another class in the same building. She is a teacher who just looks so cool. And bonus, she is retiring at the end of this year. (Maybe that's a bonus...we'll see where life takes us next spring.)

I finally got to take some pictures of August. (Mom, I know you wanted the other pink shirt but I think this one looks better on the brown backgrounds on the farm. Maybe I'll use the other shirt next time.) No matter what I did, I could not get her to look at the camera and smile. She sees me with the camera and completely ignors me. It was all I could do to get her to stand still.

And now for the pregnancy update. Normal pants don't fit. Normal shirts don't really fit, unless they are stretchy. Maternity shirts are way to big. I'm tired alot. (Hence needing more time. One more hour to sleep would be great!) I have headaches that kill me. Nothing will knock them out. I had one yesterday for five hours! And the wierd dreams are in full swing. I don't remember having quite this many with August. Let me give you an example.

Last night I had a dream that Amy and Rylan got married again. They still had the first wedding, this was like a second wedding. I was in charge of the cooler this time, not Jesse. Instead of buying stuff to put in it, I raided Dad's fridge (which was at the old house we lived in). Three Bud Lite, three Coors Lite, three girly malt beverage, and three sodas (incase someone didn't want to drink). And I dropped it when I got to the church. Thankfully, only the Bud bottles broke. Speech time. I forgot mine and told Jesse that his had better not be better than mine this time. The end. Oh, did I mention that the inside of the church looked more like a bar?

Maybe my dreams are trying to tell me something...

Look at how bored she looks with me!

This is my favorite.

This is Travis' favorite.

I can't get the girl to smile at the camera!

Too Busy!

I had really good intentions to take pictures of August today. I even put her in a cute outfit for it. Then she deemed her jeans "too big" and took them off. She traded them in for more comfy pants. Then the sun never came out and it has just really been a yucky day. Maybe later in the week I will get some pictures of her.

So while Aug's pants are too big, mine are too small. I have grunted around all day in a pair of jeans that used to fit quite nicely. Maybe I should have changed. This little thing has been the cause of much frustration lately. I thought I was past morning sickness (or rather all day sickness). Nuh uh. Now it happens at night. I get really hungry and start to fix supper. Just about when we are ready to eat, the nausea hits. Blah! I haven't eaten a full supper in about a week. (But I eat like a horse all day, so I guess that makes up for it!)

I started student teaching last week. We had two inservice days and then three days of students. I am in a second grade class. So far I have two really funny stories. (I know in only three days I have two great stories!) Sorry, I can't share them on here becuase of privacy for my students. I like the teachers that I am working with and the school. Today, I ironed all my laundry from last week. Do you know how long it has been since I ironed?!?!?!? What a pain! Oh, well. I guess it comes with the territory.

Aug counted at me today. We were both upstairs getting ready for the day. I went downstairs for more coffee (decaf, ew). She told me to "get up here now!" She then counted to ten and stomped both feet until I went back up with her.

We have watched three movies today. Well, I watched three movies. She watched three halves of movies. She kept wanting to watch them and then never made it the whole way through. She got really upset when I tried to turn them off. I mean threw herself on the floor and cried upset.

For those of you haven't seen, visit our photo blog. I took some senior pictures of my cousin, Serena. She did a really great job. I would pose her and then she would change her expression for every shot. I took almost 300 pictures of her and got about 100 usable. Some of my favorites are on the blog. Looking back, I see what I should have changed in some instances. My technique will improve. She was the first person I have shot that wasn't August! It was different having someone actually pay attention to me with my camera. Aug usually ignores me!

TTFN! Ta ta for now....

Misadventures of a Farm Wife, Part 2

Have I told you how much I love my farm life lately? I only wish I had pictures to prove these things. I swear they really do happen!

Let me set the stage...

Monday night. It's raining. We had just finished supper. I grab August's pj's and start to put them on her. Travis says, "oh, sh**!"

"What!" I yell back.
"Cows are out."
"You need help?" I question.
"It would be nice."

I tell August to put her shoes on. What does she grab? Her rubber cow boots! I put on my tennis shoes and situate August on my hip. As we walk out the front door August reminds me that it is raining and that she is getting wet.

The jerseys, enjoying the rain and their new found freedom, take off across the farm...as does Travis. I see the open gate and head for it. Four, five, six cows are out that I can round up by myself. I coax them gently using nice words like "stupid jersey get back in there" and "good holstein, you know what to do." They're in. I lock the gate, rain dripping down my nose, August still telling me that it is raining and that she is wet.

I walk around to the other side of the farm to help Travis and the students round up the last ten or so cows. Kid still on my hip. Only a farm wife would be able to achieve such a feat!

Riding Horses

These are some of the pictures I took this weekend at Dennis and Linda's house. August got to ride one of the horses. Travis took her up into the hay loft so I could get some pictures. After I had taken a few she looked at Travis and said, "Ok daddy. Now jump." I guess she wanted him to jump out.

See my Photo Blog for more pictures.

Where's Auggie's Tools?!?!?!

Travis changed the oil in his truck tonight...and August had to help. He gave her a couple of tools so that she could help him and work on her tricycle, too. She handed him rags and watched him under the truck. When he was done, I picked up the tools that he had given her to put them away. If looks could kill! She pointed at me and said, "Where's Auggie's tools? You put away? A (meaning give) back!" It was too funny. She is so sweet watching him pouring the oil in.

(By the way, whoever made the cake...its really good! All I need is a can of whipped cream!)

He Does Know How to Fish!

Let me illustrate last night for you.

Travis: Do you care if I go fishing?
Me: No, not really.

He leaves. I put August to bed. I do some homework and fall asleep.

Front door slams.

Travis: Erin! Put some pants on and get your camera! I have something to show you!

I slowly put pants on. I'm tired. I suppose I was having a nice dream. I don't really remember. I was quite startled when he came in.

Travis: Look at these! I told you I could fish! (I have been teasing him about not being able to fish. He has been going a couple times a week and has not caught anything.)

So I take his picture.

Travis: Put this picture on your blog tomorrow. Could you get me one of your good knives?

One of his friends comes to the house. Travis had called a bunch of people he was so excited. Are you kidding me?!?!? I am in my pajamas. And you want me to help you? So I get the knife and sit on the kitchen floor by the back door. (Remember, I'm tired.) He comes to get the knife.

Travis: Can you get me a gallon bucket?
Me: You do not need a container that big! You did not catch that many fish!
Travis: Just get it, please.

This morning he showed me, these two fish and a smaller one filled the gallon bucket. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life?

July 4th Weekend

We had a good Fourth of July despite the rain. We were going to see Derek race but it was canceled. Instead we got to spend time with family. August had fun playing with her cousins. I got to witness the difference between boys and girls. Simon picked up a toy gun and August had no idea what he was doing. She just looked at him like he was crazy. After supper we took the kids outside to let them litterally run off some steam. Then we had S'mores! It has been years since I had had S'mores. I forgot how good they were! August and I went to my Aunt Janet's to watch the fireworks. The first one scared her but after that she loved it. She is still talking about them and how they went "boom." She uses her hands to show the fireworks going up in the air when she says it.

Dennis and Linda with Tori's boys and August.

Kids: August, Perrin, Simon, Stephen, and Rolande.

August petting one of the horses at Dennis and Linda's.

The only time these two got along Saturday. They are just the right age that everything is "mine" and they don't want to share.

August trying to blow out her sparkler.

August and Alex watching the fireworks. August said they were "pretty" and "I yike it!"

Aug's First Haircut

August had her first haircut this weekend. She did such a good job. She sat still for the most part and proclaimed herself "beautiful" afterwards. Mom didn't cut very much off, just the really long pieces to make it more even.

August spent a whole week with mom, and Amy. She has quite the farmer's tan now! The pictures on Amy's Blog are really cute. She had a great time swimming at mom's. She also had quite a big day with Amy on Friday. They had a tea party, played with water balloons, and painted a picture. My kid came back spoiled. I guess you'll have that when so many people love her.

Misadventures of a Farm Wife

It never fails. Every time we go out something stupid happens at the farm. I won't go into detail about some of the previous incidents (because they are quite disgusting and could possibly be considered x-rated). Saturday night was no exception. We went to Radmakers, a bar in Tolono, to see two bands play. The first, White Trash Rodeo (click the link to see their MySpace page, we know the guy on the far right), the second Feudin Hillbillies. Travis gets a call. One of the workers got a tractor stuck in a manure pile. Seriously! We finally get a night out with friends and this happens. We take our time leaving, the tractor can wait...just not until morning.

We change at the house. The first thing I see to put on is a white tee shirt and shorts. I run down stairs, put on my socks and rubber boots. I race to the truck and we drive out to where the tractor was stuck. It was seriously in halfway up the back tires. Travis walks out to see if he can unstick it in 4-wheel drive. No luck. He gets out and gets stuck. Stupid me thinks I am going to rescue him. He told me not to walk out. Hmmm. Maybe should have listened. I fall in up to the bottom of my shorts in liquid manure. My boots are full. I stink.

Needless to say, we pulled the one tractor out with another. All I can think is how this is going to be a really great story someday...I'm sure there will be more.

These are pictures I took last night. Travis yelled when I started taking the pictures of the cows because they were trying to put them away. Me and my camera were oblivious to what was going on. I saw great shots that had to be captured! The second is from earlier in the night. We went fishing at this lake in Champaign. One would think that fishing at a lake would be peaceful and relaxing. Not this one. Being in the center of town, there were some people who decided to share the music pumping from their minivan with everyone at the lake. Some rap song about things I shouldn't mention. However, the picture here shows the serenity of the sport.

Water Coloring

I got August some water colors for her birthday...or maybe it was the Easter Bunny. Anyway, we finally got them out a couple days ago. I knew we would have paint everywhere so she is wearing one of my old tee shirts. It was waaaaaay to big so I tied the sleeves up with ribbons. I just love the toga look on her. I painted on her nose a little bit so she also painted on her face. Then she painted my toes and declared them "beautiful." The first picture is probably my favorite.

Aug is with my mom and Amy (later in the week) for a WHOLE WEEK! She only left yesterday but I miss her already.

Letter to August

I was going through some things on our book shelf this morning when I found a journal that I made for August when we found out I was pregnant. I had forgotten all about it. We started out writing things about our lives and our jobs. Our parents, Amy, and Derek all wrote something in it. We had hoped that August would be able to look at it when she grew up and really understand what it was like when she was little. Most of the entries are from before she was born. There are only a few after. I will have to start writing in it again. The image below is a letter that my dad wrote to August before she was born. I had forgotten about all the things that were going on that summer. I cried like a baby when I read it. I read the journal twice and there are huge tear stains on my shirt now.

Hopefully you can read what the letter says. Double click the letter to see it bigger. Remember the book is open to anyone. Let me know if you want to write something to her.

Enjoy.

Weekend Pics

These are some pics I took of Aug this weekend while we were waiting for Mimi to come to our house. I LOVE the first two pictures. In the last picture I can still hear her yelling "MIMI" and running to her car. You can almost see how fast she was running. My kid is so damn cute!

It has come to my attention that I may have misspelled a few words in my last post. I was just soooo excited about Amy's wedding pictures that I must have typed them incorrectly. Oops! I can't help my fingers sometimes. They type faster than my brain can think...or mabye they are too slow for my brain. I do not know.

Anyway, enjoy the pics. The first one really tugs on my heart strings.

OH! I put a guest book on our photo blog. Be sure to check us out and leave a comment. We would love to hear from all the people who visit the site. http://amy-n-erin.blogspot.com