Happy Birthday!!

I love being able to celebrate birthdays with family.  We had three very special birthdays within the last couple weeks...... Great Grandma Nancy, Grandpa Buzz, and Uncle Boomer!  We were able to meet in Statesville for lunch today to celebrate these three extra special people! I wish them many more happy birthdays and may we have many more years of celebrating together!

Fun Facts about Mommy

So... I have been thinking lately about some random, quirky facts that I would like Zander to know about me one day.  These little facts are nothing special... they just make me who I am..... so here it goes....in no certain order....
1.)  I love the moment after the whole house is cleaned...... I wish I could live in that moment forever.
2.) I like running to Rascal Flatts (their music is not necessarily up beat so I think this is very strange..... I also like running to the Les Miserables soundtrack.... random... I know!)
3.)  My hair looks pretty terrible right after I have washed and dried it.... before applying a straightener to it!
4.) One of my favorite times of the day is picking Zander up from school and him stopping whatever he is doing to come to me.... he has gotten so good at looking at the door that I no longer have to even speak a word..... he recognizes me by my outward appearance... that is just crazy!)
5.) I love dessert and Mountain Dew and mocha frappes! I wish I could live off these things and they were actually healthy!  I definitely give myself permission to have as much as I would like of these three things while on vacation.  (I also like any type of sour candy).
6.)  I love the feeling of putting in a good run.... that moment I finish 7 miles and give my sister a high five.... signaling we are DONE!
7.) I love the way Zack cracks his knuckles for no good reason!
8.) My favorite season is summer.
9.) My favorite sport is college football. (Go Gators!)
10.) I could eat pizza every day of my life if that were healthy!

Well.... Zander has woken up from his nap.... so I will report back on some other fun facts later....
Until then.... here are some pictures from our week....

Eating some French toast for breakfast

 Keeping mommy company while she puts away groceries

 Just "chillin'"

 All dressed up for breakfast and waiting for daddy!

 Family night at the park

Zander's Only Mommy

The sermon at church this morning has really stuck with me today.  We were looking at the life of David and how he didn't place his family as a high priority or protect his family unit.  Because of this, he did not have a strong family dynamic.  So even though he was one of the very best kings, he was upset and burdened by many of the outcomes his decisions had on his family members.  Our pastor went on to say that we need to place our families as the highest priority.... and as a mom, I need to think about the impact my decisions and actions will have on Zander.  Zander will grow up to see how to treat others based on how I have treated others.  He will know the love of a family based on how I treat him and his daddy.  There really is no greater job or responsibility than that while here on earth.  Our pastor gave an example of how he was trying to get to his son's ball game and a person stopped him in the parking lot because he needed to talk to the pastor.  In that moment, our pastor had to make a decision.... does he miss his child's ball game or not help a man work through his problem?  Now a ball game might seem insignificant to many and the man's problem seemed quite large..... but our pastor in that moment.... told the gentleman that he had to leave to make his son's game in time.  Our pastor went on to say that the man could go see a counselor or another pastor at that moment about the issue he was having, but the pastor's son would not have another father waiting for him at his ball game.  The lesson to me was made very simple...... the teachers at my school will always be able to find other colleagues to collaborate with and the students will always find other teachers to guide their learning.... but Zander will only have ONE mommy..... and I have been blessed to be that mommy!  So.... when I get a call from the daycare (like I did this past week) that says I need to pick him up because he has a fever and has been crying for three hours (since I dropped him off).... I don't have to think.... I have to go..... I have to pick that cute little boy up and hold him all afternoon if need be (which is what I mostly did) because at that moment.... there is no one else that he wants but his mommy.  So everything else just doesn't matter as much.  Work will get done the next day......someone else can do my job if need be.....there are days where my job as mommy must come first...... and I hope that every day I see myself as a wife and a mother first..... the job comes after all of that!  Our precious little family is an example of Christ's love for us..... that example must show that we care about each other more than ourselves and we are willing to sacrifice other activities to put our family first.  God loves us as His very own.... we must model that love when spending time with our husbands, wives, and children.

Now..... to some pictures from the week......

Zack and I went to the UNCC-Elon Game on Saturday night at Elon

 Zander loves playing at the park after church

 Grammy came to visit while Grandpa Buzz was golfing and daddy was working! :) She is such a big help! I was able to mow while daddy worked.  She also watched Zander so we could help our best friends, Bri and Chris, paint their baby boy's nursery!!

 My co-pilot on his way to get his nails trimmed!

 Exploring the backyard with daddy

Getting Caught Up!

The last couple weeks have been super busy!! Work is going well, but I feel like I am just not finding a balance right now between work responsibilities and home life.  I love my sweet little family and it seems like we just can't find enough time to be together!  The last two weeks have had me planning a curriculum night with 744 RSVPs (I arranged to have a free hotdog dinner for all the parents and students at my school... this task was a lot harder than I imagined... but we had a good turn out and I have never felt so supported by my office friends!!  They helped purchase food items and hand out tickets, and serve dinner to all these people!)  I was able to get a $1,000 grant for this endeavor so it felt great to use the money for our school community.  Needless to say, I was excited when Thursday evening was over and I definitely needed this weekend!  Last weekend, I went on a work retreat with 22 of my co-workers.  We were in Ocracoke at NCCAT.  I loved driving down with my principal, assistant principal, and office mate, Anna!  It was also fun to catch up with the teachers at our school in a different setting.  The weather was gorgeous and the views were incredible! 

Here is a picture of Zander the morning I left for the weekend...

 A picture from the ferry ride over to Ocracoke... I just love this picture!

 Anna and I practicing "selfies"! ;)

 Mr. Wyatt and Mrs. Warren

 Cheesing it up before school bright and early one morning last week.....

Today, I took my boys to the air show so Zander could have his first experience with some big planes!! It was so cool to see them flying overhead and watch Zander point to the planes as they flew by.  Zander even got to ride in a school bus (his first bus ride) to shuttle over from the parking lot to the airport! 

Labor Day Weekend

It was a very long and busy week so we were all excited about the three day weekend!  Even though we worked a lot, we were able to grab dinner with Aunt Lindsey on Tuesday night while daddy participated in a fantasy football draft with his friends.  We also saw Kelly for dinner Thursday night.  Zander even tried to help mommy drive home from dinner on Tuesday!  (Just a disclaimer...we were in the parking lot and in park.... feel like I need to put this although I know it is very obvious!)  

 Zack had to work Saturday and Sunday so we kept him company in the evenings and today while he worked in the yard.  We have three planters filled with new fall flowers, and he is working to get some grass seed to grow in a few empty patches.  Grammy and Grandpa came to keep me company while Zack was at work.  I needed to clean the house so they were able to entertain him with toys, books and college football.  Our little guy is taking shorter naps these days which makes it hard to get anything done around the house.  I am pleased to say that the house was successfully cleaned and ready for my boys to dirty it up again!;)