Some post-Christmas cheer to share...

I thought I would post some pictures from Christmas to share with you. Hope you all are still recovering and gearing up for a Happy New Year.

Reed and her new shirt, beanie, and plaid scarf.



Allie was taking a break from opening presents. She is sitting on a beanbag chair one of my nephews got at Na-Na's house.

Reed was absolutely over the moon to get her blue DS!! She hasn't stopped playing it.

Allie and her tri-bot. She started asking for this thing back in July.

I celebrate my 13th anniversary tomorrow with Billy. We were kids, basically, when we got married. We were almost 23 and had never lived away from home. I had graduated from college in May and Billy had graduated 2 weeks before the wedding. Looking back on it, as a parent, I am shocked that no one tried to talk some sense into us. We had the world by the tail. We soon had reality slap us in the face. But, that's another post for another day. We've had some major things happen (the post I mentioned), and some miracles (our girls) have occurred. We have been blessed by family, friends, and good memories. Then, Billy has a birthday on Jan. 1. I have one on Jan. 11, Allie on Jan. 14, and Reed on Jan. 25. Yeah, we really know how to plan. : )

If you click on it, you can really see how young we looked!! Especially Billy.




On a side note, why can't I get my scans to be normal size anymore? I need a tutorial!!

Have a great day!!

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to tell everyone Merry Christmas!!

I hope you all have a great holiday and create some memories to hold on to for years to come.

I am trying to remember this as I watch my almost 10 year old cling to Santa, but I think she secretly is questioning things.

I need to remember this as my 5 year old says over and over and over that she is so excited that it is Christmas.

I need to remember this as I watch my girls perform in the Christmas program at church and I smile so much my face hurts. Reed did an excellent job narrarating the program and Allie was a lamb. Before the program, the children got to do an individual act if they wanted. Reed read a poem that she wrote and Allie sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Merry Christmas!!

I made it!!!

It's Friday afternoon, and I have officially began my Christmas break!

Needless to say, I am excited. However, I still need to do some last-minute shopping and hope to get it done! If not, then I guess they didn't need it. Haha.

Some exciting news-- I went to the mall last night to pick up teacher gifts for my girls and was wandering around Bath and Body Works. I looked up and saw this woman and thought that she looked familiar. She walked off, then I ended up where she had moved to. She looked and me and recognized me, and it was Lulu!!!!!

She had come over into my neck of the woods for something with her husband, and I ran into her. That was so fun. It sort of made this blogging thing more real. When I hear about weather in certain areas I think of some of you, when I hear a news story I think of you, or if we are going somewhere I will think, well that's close to so-and-so. You folks influence and uplift way more than you will ever know!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Hope you make it through the crazy winter weather, the crazy people at the store, and the crazy families that you are visiting or are visiting you.

Merry Christmas. May you feel the Lord's presence in your life.

I told you I'd be back...

I survived my conference and had a great time. Is that even possible at a work event? I heard some great speakers, got some good entertainment from these brothers from Nashville, The Standards. They sing, well, they sing standards. They were great for these type of thing, wedding, receptions, and that stuff. They were really, very good, actually.

Lesley and I shopped some, ate well, and saw a movie. I "had" to buy a new pair of shoes because the ones I took rubbed some mammoth blisters on my toes. =) The weather, however, was not very nice. It rained most of the time, and we both are paying for it this week. I can't breathe and my throat tickles. I hope that's all it does.

This past weekend was great. My family (my mom, her husband, my dad, his friend, my granny, my sister and her family, and my crew) went out to eat to celebrate my niece's 14th birthday and my "graduation." I didn't walk but we wanted to mark the event!! I got some pieces for my WillowTree navity set. I was quite excited about that.

Hope you all are having a good week, and wish us school teachers well as we finish up before the Christmas break. Most of the little kiddies are so excited about Santa that school work is NOT on their minds. We are having fun activities this week to help, so that's added excitement.

Also, please pray for the little ones that don't have much this year. I'm not talking about just presents under the tree; I am talking about not having shoes or a coat for the winter. Sometimes, I get so bogged down with what I feel I can't do for mine, that I forget what I actually do for them and what "doing without" really means.

I'll be back!!

Hello all!! I am very excited this evening. I get to go to a 3 day conference in Gatlinburg, TN in the morning. That means I get to leave the classroom for 3 whole days! Don't get me wrong I enjoy being with my kiddos, but sometimes a chance to do something different is good.

In teaching, my day is so set on schedule. I can tell you what I will be doing at 9:12 am on Monday, March 9, 2009. I will be teaching the comprehension skills of my large group reading lesson for the day. If I had my manual here, I could even tell you the skill, the SPIs I would be covering, and the story we will be on. So, like I said, a chance to do something different, but still in my field, is exciting stuff!!

I'm also going with a buddy of mine from work, Lesley. Hey Lesley!! We will have 2 evenings free to shop, eat out, and just hang out. This is my idea of a vacation. Who cares that I will be sitting in workshops for 3 days? It will be different!!

I will miss my own children, and I was frantic trying to gather clothes, medicine, and dance gear; but, I will call them and IT WILL BE OKAY. I have to keep telling the mommy in me that the Robin in me needs this too. =)

Sooooo, happy hump day!!

Time for a new post.....

Just realized that I hadn't posted in December yet and it's the 6th!! Not much is going on, praise the Lord! No heat pump problems, no flooded bathrooms, and no major issues. Sure as I write this though, something will happen. Quick, say a prayer for us that nothing like that happens for awhile.

Thanksgiving was great. I felt like our break was just long enough, I loved getting to see Lynette and her crew, not having to take Reed to any dance practices, and just getting some time with family.

Since then though, things have been hectic. Billy was out of town this past week, school and other schedules were back to normal, and I had early morning duty at school. I think I was on time 1 day! LOL. I was 5 min. late the other days. We have to be there 15 min. earlier than usual for morning duty. Thank goodness, it's only like every 9 weeks.

Oh yeah, we left school early on Monday for snow, that was a great surprise! Then, we went in late on Tuesday. My kids at school were so out of sorts because of the schedule changes. They will be this way though until January. They are so excited with the least little thing. I put up lights in my room, and you would have thought it was Speedway in Lights .

Do any of you on-line shop? I did on Cyber Monday. I didn't get loads of fantastic deals, but it is so convinient! I was on the computer 2 hours though trying to make decisions on what to do. I love Christmas, but can't stand it at the same time. I don't like deciding what to give. I don't seem to really be in the mood this year. I'm listening to as many Christmas songs as I can trying to drum it up. Maybe it will work?

And to finish the week off right, Allie had to go to the doctor Friday. She has strep. It's going around school, and her room especially. I hope she's the only one to get it. Reed wasn't home last night so that's a plus. She went to see a play that her friend was in and then spent the night with her. My 9 year old has a better social life than I do. When did that happen???

Have a good day/weekend!!!