You know those days..

You know those days where you are running super late for work, even though you don't have to leave until 10:30, but you got caught up in cleaning the house and restoring your iPhone and then the outfit you planned to wear is still drying from being washed last night and you're running around trying to change at the last minute and when you finally make it out the door to your car you realize you forgot your glasses and can't drive without them so you book it back up 3 flights of stairs to retrieve them only to realize upon making it back to your car that you have almost no gas and have to stop and fill up and you are starting your 40 minute commute 20 minutes before your first class starts and so you drive like an absolute maniac and reach your classroom door literally the second the bell rings for 5th period and you are feeling like a champion for making it on time and then one of your students mentions how we are on that "weird assembly schedule" and your heart stops as you realize that on "weird assembly schedule" day, all the periods are shorter and in a weird order (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 5, 8, 3) so you realize that even though you are on time for 5th period, you actually have already missed TWO of your class periods and even though 6th period is your prep and 7th period is a class you co-teach, you realize that you suck at life so you email your principal and he laughs at you but now it's assembly time during 3rd period and you don't have a 3rd period because you only work in the afternoons and you have 2 hours of absolutely nothing and your life is just out of control and it's only Monday? Yeah, it was one of those days. So here are my random thoughts.

+ I feel like I need to teach Robin Thicke how to rhyme. I know the song is old now, but I've always had a terrible obsession with "Blurred Lines". But it drives me crazy when he says, "I feel so lucky, you wanna hug me. What rhymes with hug me?" I'm assuming he means something sexual, but nothing sexual rhymes with hug me. Bug, dug, jug, mug, lug... those all rhyme. Sorry Robin. Doesn't make sense.

+ When we have free time at the end of the day, one of my kids favorite games is to get out the dictionary and try to find words I don't know. Now I'm no genius, you should see what happens when my kids ask for help with their math homework, but I do have a pretty big vocabulary. They have stumped me a couple times, but I almost always win. It's really funny to see them get frustrated.

+ I really love the people I work with. From meeting with other schools and other teacher friends outside my school, I've discovered that what happens at South Hills Middle School is actually pretty rare. Now we're not all BFF, but there is not a single mean person in the school. And the teachers who have become my BFFs, are just the grandest people in the world! They make me laugh. They cry with me. There are a lot of weird group text messages. I just couldn't ask for a better work family. (Case-in-point, one of my dear friends, Rodger, just sent out an email to all the teachers asking to borrow something and signed it "Loving each one of you more and more obsessively than I did yesterday, Rodger." Come on. I love this place).

+ This morning while Lady was in her usual position, staring out the window, when a giant grasshopper jumped on the outside of the window. I have never seen her so freaked out and nervous and excited all at the same time.

+ Have you guys heard of the Target app Cartwheel? Because it's the best! It's a place for all target coupons and you choose which ones you want and it creates your own special coupon so you only have to scan one! You should download it. That, combined with my Target Red Card, means trouble. But at least I'm saving money! Kinda.

+ Today for lunch I had a sandwich, a plum, and carrots and I was like, "Who am I?"

+ Speaking of that, we are eating a lot healthier these days, though not near where we probably should be, haha, but we have made some simple changes. No microwaveable foods. No "instant" meals. No sugar cereals (that was Nathan's addiction, not mine). Fast food only once a week. (This one is sometimes hard to keep but we're working on it). No ice cream kept in the house. And we've increased the amount of fruits and vegetables a TON. We are cutting out "snack" foods like chips and crackers and candy and eating grapes and carrots instead. So no, we're not clean eating (hahaha), but for us this is good! It's not necessarily to lose weight, especially in Nathan's case, but more that we just want to be healthier.

+ Nathan is so busy all the dang time! We love the money he is making, but boy is he working hard for it. Throwing school on top of it, and I know he gets overwhelmed sometimes. He's so patient though. He will finish up with his associates degree in April, and then we are looking into a few different options. I'll discuss those more as more serious decisions are made, but it's exciting!

+ For people who keep subtly making hints and asking questions that beat around the bush and making assumptions and telling other people, I want you to know that no, I am not pregnant. I don't really feel like I should need to say this, but people keep bugging me and my friends for information or just assuming that I am. It's nice to have people care about me, but it would help a lot if you didn't talk about me being pregnant, until it is confirmed, by me, that I am pregnant. Just makes it even harder to think about the fact that I am not.

+ Sorry to get serious on you, just felt like it needed to be said.

+I've kinda become a city snob in some ways. Well, mostly one way. Drivers. There are very specific rules and ways of driving in a city. It becomes quite clear when you are driving behind someone who is not a local. And it's super annoying. Salt Lake isn't even a huge city and it's definitely not confusing to navigate, but these Utah folk drive around like they're lost in a snow storm. I would love to see them try to drive around LA or New York City.

+ We just finished 30 Rock. People have been telling me to watch it for years, but I could never get into it. We finally pushed through the first season and I fell IN LOVE!! I am already going through withdrawals. Pretty sure I am Liz Lemon. I have a huge crush on Jack. And I wish Kenneth was my BFF.

+ I can't believe this week is the end of the first quarter of the school year! It has gone so fast.

+ I really should go start planning my unit on argumentative writing. I have a feeling it's gonna kick my kids' butts. And when their butts are kicked, they are usually huge whiners. Which means this unit is gonna kick my butt too. Horrah!

+ Oh wait, I didn't go get started on that. Because that sounds like ZERO fun.

+ For two years, I have this one student, whom I love with all my heart, who flicks my lights on and off every time he leaves my classroom. When he does this he yells, "Just kidding!" I still cannot understand how turning lights on and off is something that you can kid about. 

+ I wish it was still appropriate to go trick or treating. I feel more justified in eating a whole bag of candy if it was free and I did a lot of walking.

+ Nothing meaningful has been said in this blog post.

+ I have to pee. Maybe I'll take a nice, long walk to the bathrooms on the other end of the school just to waste time and procrastinate lesson planning.

+Yep, that's what I'm gonna do.

sunday funday

Sometimes I think, "We go on way too many drives and take way too many pictures. People probably think we're weird." But then I'll all, "WHO CARES?" We love drives. We love taking pictures. We love each other. Sundays are my favorite days and we usually have a post-dinner drive around and these drives are some of my favorites moments in our lives.

"You didn't want me to smile normal, did you?"

did you really think those were the only pictures I took over the weekend?

PA-LEASE.
Don't you know me at all?
Those were only my iPhone pictures.
Here's the ones I took with my camera.
Did you know I like my niece and nephew?

 

I tried to do a little photo shoot for Kelsey of the kids in their Halloween costumes but Carson was NOT having it. I just kinda chased him around and tried to grab any shot I could. That's why a lot of them are kinda blurry. This kid never stops moving!!!! Ava was all for posing though.

Ohhh I love these babies! Thanks for burning a hole in your stomach, Kels, so I could hang out with them ;)

the one time my weekend was crazy

So I had Thursday and Friday off work for Fall Break.

Originally, Nathan and I were planning on a trip to Canada for my BFF Lauren's wedding, (AHHHHHHLAURENISMARRIIEDDDYAYYY!!!!!) but it was going to be super expensive and then Nathan couldn't get work off and I didn't want to drive that far alone and we couldn't budget the plane ticket so that plan had to scrapped.

And I was super bummed :(

Then a new plan arose which involved my sister, Kelsey, flying me to Arizona (she is seriously the bomb) to spend the weekend with her and her kiddies while her husband was out of town.

Simple enough, right?

I got there Thursday afternoon.

Early Friday morning I was taking my sister to the emergency room.

She was having terrible, terrible stomach pains to the point where she could hardly breathe.

I threw the kids in the car and dropped her off.

It was really hard to just leave her there, but she didn't want the kids coming in. Luckily she was wearing a hot pink shirt so we could easily see her through the glass doors and watched until she was taken back.

Then we went home and played and then had some lunch at McDonald's.

While the kids were playing at the McDonald's play-place, Kelsey called me.

I was fully expecting her to say they gave her some medicine and she was ready to be picked up.

Instead, she was telling me (in slurred, drugged-up speech) that she was heading into surgery and to call Blake and let him know.

WHAT.

I could get almost no information out of her because she was already so drugged and then she said she had to go because it was time for surgery. 

 I called and told Blake and he managed to speak to a nurse and get some more information but we were all still a little confused about what was actually happening. 

But we learned that she had a perforated ulcer, surgery would be a few hours, and recovery would mean several days in the hospital. 

So I became a mother of two pretty quickly, and I was thanking the stars that I had taken the trip down there.

We had a fun day and only had one little tantrum when I told Ava we could eat our dinner in the back yard like a picnic and she quickly decided that "babies" (aka Carson) weren't invited, and he got shoved down several times.

Blake got on the soonest flight he could so he could be with Kels while I watched the kids. He didn't get in until around 1 am and went straight to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Nathan dropped everything and his friend (whose mom works for an airline) found us a killer deal on a flight and he was in Arizona a little after dinnertime to help me out with the babies. (Ava told me that Nathan coming to Arizona was like "all her dreams were coming true")

Saturday we spent the morning playing hide-and-seek and watching lots of The Wiggles. 

Blake came home to watch Carson during his nap so we could take Ava on a special date and boy was she freaking stoked. (She whispered to me several times "Do you know I just love your Nafin so much?!")

We did Chick-Fil-A and ice cream and the park and a bike ride and a long walk and make-believe camping and playing with a boomerang. 

Nathan did most of the playing while I soaked in sunshine. That guy is such a natural with kids, especially when it comes to playing make-believe. They just adore him. And Ava reeallllyy adores him.

We got home to get Carson up and eat some pizza and play some more before bed and baths.

Blake came home from the hospital that night so we got a chance to hang out with him which was wonderful. I just missed being with Kelsey!!

The picture on the left is how I felt about watching "Toy Story of Terror" for the third time that day.

Sunday morning was spent with the kids and then we got to go see Kelsey for an hour before we had to leave for the airport. I am so glad we got to spend some time with Kels, but it was hard to see her in so much pain. She was laughing and making jokes though; she's basically a super hero. I am bummed I didn't get to spend the weekend with her, but I am glad I was able to take care of her kids so she didn't have to worry. And I won't lie, I love those little kids so much and I didn't mind spending so much time with them. Carson became attached to my hip! I loved it. He always wanted me to hold him and tickle him. He would follow me around the house and just play in whatever room I was in. He even cried when I left him to go see Kelsey at the hospital. I could just squish him! And Ava is Ava. And if you know her, you know exactly what I mean. She is sassy, smart, hilarious, adorable, and so sweet. Everything that comes out of her mouth makes me laugh. Plus, she has the cutest little voice in the world. She was very into giving me compliments and she loved to talk about how her dreams were coming true. Here's some of her greatest hits from the weekend.

"The airport is so bright and golden! It's just like a dream! The airport is making all my dreams come true!"

"Aunt Kaity, you know I just love something. And it's you."

"Uncle Nafin is coming to play with me?! Ohh all my dreams are coming true!"

"Aunt Kaity, I used to dream that you would come and play in my house."

"I think all these cars are going to airport. Yes, everyone goes to the airport tonight to pick up their sons. And their husbands. And their sweeties."

"Aunt Kaity, when you drive our car, you are the best driver!"

"I think your head is just an oval like dad's. Mine is round, like Bubba's. Yours is just an oval."

"When I dance, The Wiggles laugh at me and make fun of me." (This was when she was having a private Skype conversation with Aunt Jessi. Things got weird).

"When I am big, maybe I will just be a cat babysitter."

"Oh Kaity your hair is so pretty like a princess' hair!"

"Nafin, the boomerang always comes back to us because it knows that we love it."

"Thank you for bringing me Uncle Nafin. I just love him."

"Wow Aunt Kaity, you are so smart! And your iPad doesn't even look weird. It just looks good!"

Kelsey is home now, which is wonderful because her babies missed her so much! But she is still recovering, so keep her and her little family in your prayers. They're the greatest.