New School Year!!

Well I lost touch again with you all and I hate to say it but I'm sure my posts will be far and few between this fall.

Its been a busy start to school. Cody is entered 6th grade this fall and at this point seems to be liking it. Payten is in full time daycare and has her first homework assignment this weekend. So the two of us will be doing an "All About Me" poster tomorrow.

I'm doing 8 credits at MSU this fall so that I will be lined up to student this spring. But even more exciting I was offered a full time position and I took it with Sibley East Elementary. So a few weeks ago I started setting up two classrooms one in Gaylord and the other in Arlington. I'm a special education teacher teaching children with autism.

So you now see why I stated that our post could be far and few between. We are super busy for the next 13 weeks.

Talk to you all soon -----

Where does time go??

July is almost over, so sad! We are looking forward to our family vacation next week to Rainy Lake. Should be lots of fun not sure how Payten will enjoy the car ride. But we will make it.

Here are some of the pictures I promised you a long time ago:

Payten's first hair cut. Yes is was June 3, 2011 and she was almost 2 and 1/2 years old. Not even a little trim this was her first hair cut!

Well Nana cut Cody's hair for the first time too but there was a big age difference between their first hair cuts. Very cute to see Payten looking at her toes to keep her head down.

Even a little smile out of her!

Payten and her pool taking a little time out her day to take a little deep. So much fun to see her play in the water. This past weekend "us girls" enjoyed a little float time in the lake.

Its coming to a end....

Class is coming to a end! I'm working on my last project of the summer. So excited to say that I survived both classes.

I have lots to share with you all including this video of Payten and her brother, hopefully I can figure out share it with you.

Going to finish up on the project and then next week I will share good stuff with you!!!

So Sorry!!!

I know everyone I made it a goal to be better at this and look its June 23 and not one post since May! I'm Sorry, forgive me.....

Here is my list of excuses:

June 5-12 Hannah's Graduation Party- I had to finish her scrapbooks before her party and do all 4 of her picture boards. I almost got finished with 9-12 grade in her scrapbook and finished her skating book. And not to toot my own horn but I thought her boards turned out awesome :)

June 13- to present 2 MSU classes- actually I started the classes the weekend of Hannah's party since I had homework due at 5 pm on the 13th. (read 3 chapters, 3 quiz questions written and answered, and another assignment) not to mention every due for class on Wednesday. Then to throw a great twist in there I decided that on top of that 5 week online/meets in class every Wednesday I could handle a 8 day law class. Let's just say the earliest I've been to sleep is 11:30 since Sunday night waking up at 6:30 (remember Otto's are not morning people) classes and homework have taken over this house hold.

Thank goodness for Hannah coming to help with the kids this week. She did a bit of cleaning and laundry, too!

Oh but on a cute note-- Payten started a DANCE CAMP this week, its been going pretty good. She is struggling to stay out there for 60 minutes and has to come and dance by me since I sit in the doorway (I know I'm not suppose to do this but she'd never stay if I didn't). I'll bring the camera tomorrow and try to get a few pictures of her to post.

Other then all of that I sure am looking for some sunshine so if any of you can order it for the next 2 months -- 1 rainy day per 2 weeks would be great! I would like sun in full force with hot days to hang by the pool and lake once these 2 classes are done plus the water to be warm so the kids will play for hours!

May Pictures!!!

I'm teaching my little girl how important it is to eat veggies! She is now right up there helping me clean the asparagus.

My kids were great helpers when we planted out flowers! It was lots of fun to see both of them want to help and they were great helpers at that!

First Offical Weekend of Summer

Last Thursday was my last day of school! Classroom all cleaned up, put away (except one box), and ready for next year, it felt really good on Friday to walk way and say all done. Now I'm a reading pen pal with 25 students, should be interesting to see how many postcards I get this summer.

We went to the cabin this weekend wish the weather would have been like it is right now. Sun is out hardly a cloud in the sky the wind is a little much but I can deal with it :) It was so nice not to have to worry about cleaning and laundry not to mention work and classes at MSU. Just hang with the family -- Perfect! Got out on the lake for a few boat rides, cards, sat by the fire and bean bags, just a nice quite weekend.

Summer will start for Cody on Friday, that gives me 4 days at home with Payten to spring clean the house from top to bottom and organize the scrapbook room. Once Cody is home from school I have to finish Hannah's scrapbooks and do a few boards for her graduation party on the 12th. I can wait to say so long to Hannah's scrapbooks. Its a lot of work doing life books and skating books for her for the last 18 years. Hannah will have to take that job over for herself.

Oh I'm on the deck typing away, I just ask Cody what was that ...... he said a goose just pooped on the deck, right on the other side of the fire pit. Not sure its safe to be out here?

Did I tell all of you that I'm taking classes at MSU? Only 4 more to go and on to student teaching for my Special Education License. I'm taking 2 of them this summer, one of them for 8 days and then the other class meets on Wednesdays for 5 weeks. I'm looking forward to getting 2 more out of the way and not having balancing work at the same time.

See you all soon!

6 days.... but not counting

You might be asking yourself 6 days Sarah, what does that mean? Well since I'm not counting it means that's the amount of days left I have with my groups at school. Yes I'll be sad and miss the kids but I really love being at home with my kids in the summer! I also have so many project that need to get done that its not even fun. Not to mention that I'm taking two classes this summer for my masters program. So we have a busy summer!!

Well on to the beautiful weather. Can we say we love the sun, hey I just counted and we are just finishing our 4th day of sunshine without rain. Hate to say this but I'm not so sure we will be that lucky for the weekend, its worth a wish though. Actually I'm outside right now typing enjoying the night with the kids. We planted the flowers, (oh my gosh sorry to be so random but picture this: a two year old yelling with a big boy voice "Zoey get inside" and slapping her legs while she is yelling... too funny and no the dog didn't listen to her) fixed the pond and saved a fish's life, did some trimming of a plant, and well now typing and having a "soda". I think that Cody has forgot what a water hose is for, serious he's 11 and is acting as if he has never seen one in his life before. We watered the flowers in the front of the house with the sprinkler and he was running through it fully dressed as Payten is yelling at him "get out, get out!"

Last night I got to go golfing with the girls. First night out for the season and let me tell you not as near as bad as I thought it would be. I chipped one in!! I even impressed myself. So when I was gone and Cody was at baseball practice I gave Dad and Payten a job. Take down the baby crib, since we are still sleeping in a big girl bed. The tears came and came. That was for the babies she kept telling dad. Its a good thing that her new bedding and blanket came or I'm not sure she would have gone to bed in there. Still I'm not sure how naps this summer are going to work once she figures out she can actually get out of bed herself. For now she still thinks that someone needs to come and get her out.

Hoping I get the camera issue figure out yet tonight. I have a full camera card and can't seem to figure out why it won't let me download the new pictures that I've taken in the last month. I have some of our new bed, last weekend of Stacey and Darius, and some other random ones. Wish me luck on that one!

Still Here!!!!

Hello-

It's been the school year almost since my last blog that I actually posted. So much has happened that well I'm not even going to try to share with you all that has happen.

So let's just start with the last few weeks. As many of you know we had big plans before baby Payten was born, we were going to have the basement bedroom/toy room/scrapbook room finished so that Cody could move down before she came. Well 2 and 1/2 years later I can officially say the project is complete, Cody is now moved into his new room!

Let me just say it was an terrible job having to clean that room of his. Toys were knee high and we won't even talk about the clothes. But I now can walk down the hall and glance into the room and think to myself it's clean! Kind of gives me the bug to deep clean the rest of the house. Before that can happen I must finish up the last days of school (12 days till mom's summer starts) then the deep cleaning will began.

So joking to Payten, when I was making Cody's old bed, I said "do you want to sleep here tonight?". My baby (to my deepest sadness) replied "YES". So for the last 3 nights I've been tucking her into her brothers old bed in his old room and that's where she has stayed. Ok so the thunderstorm on Monday morning she woke up at 4 am and was scared. But I think if she was in her bed she would of done the same - for goodness sake I woke up to the storm. With my baby growing up way too fast we will be moving the bed to her room by the weekend. Her new girly bedding has been ordered. In a very short time she has become very protective of her "new" bed. Yesterday she was in the doorway yelling "Down Zoey, that's my bed!" She quickly changed her mind and decided to call the dog back since she really wants nothing more then to snuggle with the dog. She got her wish even though she didn't know it, but we found the dog snuggled into the blankets as she was sleeping this morning. It was super cute.

As summer is fast approaching us I'm going to make some short term goals:
1) kids scrapbooks caught up by summers end - in my new room that should be easy, right?
2) cleaning is up to date sooner then later - I'm so sick of a messy house
3) blog stays current through August (I said short term goals, remember)
4) and most importantly wonderful memories with my family and friends!

Bye, Bye for now