Family Date Night

Last night we had a fun date night, however this time was a little different because we brought the kids along.

Now that I'm back at work I have such a hard time leaving the boys with a sitter, especially on a Friday night.  I miss them during the day while I'm at work and they're at school so I like us all to be together on Friday nights. 

Our first stop was the Hershey Hotel to eat at the Harvest Restaurant.  We hoped to sit outside and figured the boys could run around on the big grassy area in front and then maybe even roast marshmallows in their fire pit, however when we got there they were doing some renovations and we had to sit inside.

It was still nice and afterwards we gave the boys a few minutes to let loose outside and run off the three chocolate bars they had for dessert.

They were loving life running through the "maze".

Owen snapped a picture of Mike and I on our "date".  Not the best angle.

Mike took this picture after dinner.

Haha!!  See that red plastic suitcase???  That was key to our successful date night.  It's full of Legos and while we look silly carrying it from place to place (Mike says we look like we're going to a Lego convention), I don't care because it allows Mike and I to talk to each other and finish our sentences.

This was actually Mike's Lego case when he was little.  He carried it everywhere.  I love that my boys are now using it.

Our next stop was to Cassel Vineyards.  They have wine tasting and a jazz band once a month all summer.  A friend from work is a pourer (?) and invited everyone at work to stop out.  She promised me that kids were welcome.  We brought a blanket and our handy red Lego suitcase and actually had a really nice time.  If the boys got a little antsy there were miles and miles of rows of grape vines for them to run through and explore.


The weather was absolutely perfect... crisp and cool.

By 8pm we were in the car headed home from our fun date night and proud of the boys for helping to make it so enjoyable (and thankful for Legos too).

Happy Weekend!

Oh, and this is Mike's new sister... Lilly.  His mom rescued her and she's such a sweet dog.  Adam loves taking her for "walks".  Owen loves hearing us talk about how fast she can run and how many races she ran in and how many she won.  Maybe one day we will be able to take her to an enclosed barn so we can watch her run.  For now, she's enjoying her pampered life with Nana Way.

Farewell to Summer

Last week was loooooong.  We worked all five days, but I will be thankful for short holiday breaks come May 30th since that is our last day of school!

We celebrated our last weekend of summer at Raystown Lake with Papa, Finney, and the Habalars.  Lots of swimming, tubing, water skiing, kayaking, fish feeding, fun!

 Such fun parents!!

 Adam attempting to take a nap

 knee boarding

 kayaking

 feeding the carp... they like to eat dog food

 Attempting a dare.... feed a fish with your toe.  Captured on the Go Pro (of course). 

 Petting the carp

 Tubing

 Wake boarding

 Driving the boat

 Water skiing

It's hard to say good-bye to our fun-filled summer, but I look forward to pumpkins, cooler weather, jeans, and sweaters.

first day of school

Owen started first grade today! To be honest, he wasn't all that excited about going back to school.  He'd much prefer to stay at home and play Legos.  But summer ends and life goes on:)

Mike and I weren't able to be there when he got on the bus this morning.  In a way, I think sometimes he does better when we aren't there.  I texted a friend that I knew was at the bus stop.  I asked her if they had to carry a crying Owen onto the bus.  She thought I was joking.  She texted me back a picture and said he was fine and seemed really relaxed.  Relaxed?!  Owen and relaxed are rarely used in the same sentence, but I couldn't have been happier knowing my little buddy was happy on his first day of first grade.

Aunt Beth drove all the way home from Baltimore to pick up Adam from daycare and greet Owen as he got off the bus.  That's love :)

Classroom Tour

This week has been TOUGH.  The change in routine has been hard on all of us.  I guess that's what happens when you have a really fun summer. 

My room is mostly finished so I thought I'd post some pictures!  This is really the only time I post something that's not related to our boys.  I enjoy looking back at previous year's pictures to see how I set things up.

 Listening center and empty shelves!  I doubt they'll be empty for long.

 I love my new fabric.  And I don't know how I ever taught without a Smartboard.

All three teachers in second grade, myself included, are up to 28 students!!!  That's just insane.  It would be great if they would hire another second grade teacher, but our numbers fluctuate so much that we could be down to 24 by the end of the month.  I also learned this week that we are the 11th poorest school district in the state. 

 I love that our students don't need to bring any school supplies except a backpack.  We are fortunate to have everything they need.

 The neon bags on top of my cubbies are birthday bags.  They are already stuffed with goodies so when a student has a birthday I just take one down and put it on his/her desk.  I went with a chevron theme this year.  The tissue paper inside the bags is rainbow chevron. I really like it!

 I still need to organize my library.

 My mom helped me make my curtains.  I really like them!

That's it!  Monday morning it will be filled with 28 second graders!