123.... It's easy as 123!

B's dad took her to get her ears pierced Sunday! She was a trooper. I took her the previous week, and she would not get them done. But, the next week BAM she gets it done! This is her best friend Lilo! They are always together!

B can ride her bike now!

M is riding all over the place too!

It is so nice to live in a closed neighborhood! One way in, one way out! With 30 houses there is no traffic when we get home from school. And this year, one of B's classmates actually lives in the house at the end of the street! What fun they have bike riding together!

Two days in a row, I am on a roll!

We are having a great year at school. We hired the nicest new teacher this year, although she moved to "K" (uck!!, I can tell you the gross things they do) she has really added to Liz and my day! She is so fun to talk to, and she is just such a great teacher! Check her out http://thecupishalf-full.blogspot.com/

Where does the time go?

Didn't you grow up like this? Playing on laptops?

Well the maid may have quit, but the chef is still working!

Our "son" He fully thinks that this is his bed!

M and B played all day Saturday while I cleaned the house for 6 hours! It was quite dirty, I guess the maid hasn't come in awhile!

The weeks are flying by, and sometimes it's hard to keep up! I have 2 semesters of school left and that is a good thing... because while I want to quit, I can see the end. I now totally understand the lawyer who does not take the bar.... I am just about there!! Derek is gearing up for basketball season, and we are gearing up for a big trip to Franklin for Thanksgiving! It should be fun.

I had two really big papers due this weekend, they about did me in! I took today off to run some errands and visit a few doctors- so I finally have a minute to update the Blog. I will share some more pictures from this evening!

Life and Times.....

M has been so busy this weekend working on her "book". She is such a great writer! She has been under the weather somewhat just complaining about her stomach- So we are back to a very bland diet with absolutely NO Dairy and limited gluten. This was B talking to her dad about being "flexible" about the watermelon he ruined (picture below). I cut the watermelon in slices and hand her a slice. Well Derek, cut the entire watermelon up and put it in a Ziploc thinking B would be able to get to it easier. Well, she wasn't having any of that.... So when he asked her to be "flexible" she went into her long dissertation about how she is flexible (from a dancer's point of view!) and ended the conversation by saying "You still should not have cut the watermelon!"

And true to form, with each bite she took, she reminded her dad that she liked her watermelon sliced, not cut-up like babies eat!

Such great vocabulary the kids have.

The weather is actually getting cooler- high 80's! What a relief! We are going to Franklin for Thanksgiving and I can hardly wait for cool weather and colorful leaves.

Looking forward to a great week!

Turning things over....

My personality causes me to over analyze way too much- in fact, I can spend hours thinking about things that when it comes right down to it, really doesn't matter to the people I think it should. Over the last few months there have been "7" items that have caused me to really question what direction I am going- Things big and small, but in a combination have driven me to levels of great frustration. Why I carry this around thinking about it every free second, I have no idea. Probably because my personality believes that I to can conquer these "7" items - I have realized that these items have caused a great deal of worry and confusion, when really I just needed to hand them over - So I did that Wednesday sitting in a workshop thinking about these items in no significant order. I just thought, you know, God is so much bigger than me, and he is a PRO at handling all these worries,- Psalm 55:22 says "Give your worries to the Lord and he will take care of you. He will never let good people down". Just like that, handed them over- and has he taken care of me!
Thursday when I arrived at school, I arrived with peace and no worry. Having had a great nights sleep, feeling rested, and worry free. It's amazing we carry that worry for no reason at all... kind of like pushing a mower, when you can buy a self-propelled! It just takes some of us longer!
On a much lighter, but important note, my coteacher Liz and I were again awarded for the 2nd year in a row the distinction of being in the Top 25% of teachers in our county! We have about 9000+ teachers in our district! A nice little bonus, and the acknowledgment that we are working hard with our students and families to further their academic success! It was a great Thursday!

Sometimes you are the BAT....

sometimes you are the ball! This week I feel like the bat. It seems we are settling down into our routines, B isn't crying everyday at school, and dance has been confined to just 2 nights! That is huge for us having been at the studio for 4 nights a week for the last three years. We are getting better, and it seems having more time to cook dinner, work on school work, and clean the house. Things that in the past just felt like constant motion! Living 2 minutes from school is also an added bonus because we can be home as early as 3:20 if we want. The forecast says that a cold front is on the way! We can only hope. It has been so hot in the afternoons when we take the kids out, we are looking forwards to highs in the 70's. Let's just hope it last more than a few days. My little brother "G" turns 30 Thursday. Funny how you remember little things in your past life- I can remember when my mom's friend Elaine brought my mom and brother to school to pick us up at Wesconnett. (Mom and G did not get out of the car, but they were parked by the side of the cafeteria. It seems strange that I can remember that, but not what I fixed for dinner last week. I guess that was the moment that we met "G" because back then you didn't go to the hospital- it was strictly for grown-ups! Now, everybody comes to see the new baby and mom. "G" turning 30 means we are all getting older- it does seem that time just goes so fast the older you get. And to think, the funny things our mind stores throughout our time here on Earth.
Have a great week!

Flocking!

Isn't this just the cutest thing? The teachers (and significant others ) at our school gathered Friday night at our Principals house for a night of food, fun, and fellowship. Boy, did we have a great time! To surprise (and thank) Annetta for opening up her house we "flocked" her yard. This was just the cutest idea!

We are all feeling better. Still tire easily, but the headaches are gone, and the breathing is getting better! Last week was a rough week for us.

We were looking at the calendar today and almost flipped when we realized how close we are to Thanksgiving and Christmas. It just doesn't seem possible that the holidays are almost here again. Especially when it is still 100 degrees outside.

Great things come with the passing of time- one more full semester of school, 3 nine weeks in the school year, another full summer. It seems as we get older time just goes by so fast!

In Sunday School today we talked about Noah building the ARC for 120 years! That just amazed my class since we were only 100 with all our ages together! Can you imagine building something that big for that long? And.... never complaining- just doing as God ordered? So, I commanded my Sunday School students today to go out into the world and be like "Noah"- don't complain, don't grumble, just do what you are asked with a smile on your face thankful for allowing God to lead us where we are supposed to be!

We will see what this week brings, but hopefully health and peace!

Have a great one!

We are SICK!!!

As with many teachers across the country we are sick at the Rowan household too! So sick, that B and M missed school today! I believe it started with B (2 ear infections) and then went to M (cold, headaches) and then came to me. Of course I have had kids out in my own room for Strep, colds, viruses, etc. so the germs are alive and kicking at Beauclerc. Hopefully tonight the thorough LYSOL wipe down will knock out all remaining junk! And hopefully we have had the YUCK for this year. I think I am actually going to start taking some Vitamin C-
On a lighter note, our new dance studio is going great! We are only dancing Wednesday and Thursday instead of 4 nights like last year. What a difference that makes! We are actually home in the evening!
E is doing well in school- because of their tracks she will finish two classes the 20th of October- Good for her- she has a million more to go! Meanwhile with 2 semesters left and that big dissertation my classes are kicking hard this time. Probably because I have been sick, and the start of school, etc.. but Lisa and I question this crazy quest everyday. Hopefully it will be over soon!
We are waiting on COOLER weather, it is still 96 everyday, and M-U-G-G-Y- Asthma flare-ups are CRAZY!!! Wheezing and feeling light headed just drain you. I did find a new ENT to shed some light, so we will see how that goes on the 29th~

A Rare Moment

When all three girls are home and AWAKE at the same time! Unfortunately for E she missed out on dinner because she said she wasn't going to be home- so she is digging in the good old pantry for some soup and bread (LITERALLY!) I am off to sleep! I think my sinuses are getting the best of me!

Condensation is what EXACTLY???

And today, we actually weighed the frozen Blue Ice to compare it to its thawed out state tomorrow! You just have to LOVE 5th GRADERS! Especially SMART ones!

Who would guess that these little bubbles could generate 3 days of Science lessons for 5th graders! We all know this is condensation, but having a 5th grader explain where it comes from is quite interesting. Of course, the first suggestion is always from the inside "via the escape method" DUH!! We have quite the smart class this year, and they always think we are trying to trick them (because they are just so smart!)- so we have frozen Blue Ice twice now to try and figure this mystery out (Of course Liz and I know) because our 5th graders are loving Scientific Inquiry.

Thoughtless Thursday (HA!)

M is working on her story before she is off to bed! I think she finally has her school routine down. This is the first night she has actually worked on her writing, the past three she has been busy reading books to reach her 25 book goal. "They won't be afraid of bad news; their hearts are steady because they trust the Lord" Psalms 112:7

Well B has been coughing and complaining about "being sick" and "not feeling well" for several days. More than usual for her, and her cough was getting worse... so off to the doctor we went. B has had so many ear infections, it is hard to remember when they start and stop, which ear, which is worse, etc. Last March we thought we had "fixed" the problem with the removal of her adenoids and tubes in both ears. We were told that these tubes would last "at least a year" if not longer... well let's just say no more than 5 months and one tube is gone, and the other is "hanging on". Both ears have fluid, one is blocked, and another RX for antibodies. Now we wait - 10-14 days to see what happens and then back off to the ENT for another consultation. Not sure what we are going to do. We are looking into some diet options to see if that helps, but it just becomes extremely frustrating when we thought we had fixed this problem. B is a trooper though, she never complains about her ears, just seems a little more teary and clingy.

So, I think of this verse..

"People make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true" Proverbs 16:1

and

"Think about what I am saying because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything" 2 Timothy 2:7
So while we wait these 10-14 days we are not going to worry about what is to come, rather focus on getting B well and rested. We will wait to see what the doctors say rather than worry about what they might say. We will stay positive and not WORRY!

On a lighter note, M loves her new dance studio- the teachers are great and she is really getting a lot of great instruction. This is the first time she has had three teachers with three different styles. It is fun to watch her practice at home and "repeat" the sounds of her teachers!

School has started back for me, so it's off to finish papers-.. only three classes after this semester and that BIG nasty dissertation!

A No-Picture Post (RARE!)

However, we have been very busy at the Rowan Household. The storms and the weather days have made us all a little crazy-- What day of school is this anyway? (Today was the 8th if you are counting) We are now watching a new storm "Hannah" make her way towards us- last check we may have another weather day soon. It is really too early in the year to appreciate time off, especially since they are taking GREAT days from us later in the year. The weekend flew by - could hardly tell we had 3 days off! Saturday the Rowan's officially did NOTHING.. NOTTA, not even a little! I did receive (as a gift last year) Block Buster by mail and we have been watching some great movies. I had not viewed all of Tyler Perry's movies, but they are hysterical. So true to many families, and they just crack me up one minute, and then make me cry the next. Derek should be out scouting for players in the next few weeks- basketball will start back up- and Boy,,, have we missed being in the gym. Hopefully he will have some of the same kids from last year.
Enjoy your week!