Working Wednesday

Like I said in the previous post- there is no way this move would have been possible without the help of our family and friends! Here is a glimpse of the work that went on this past weekend

Painting

Changing door locks

Cleaning

Plumbing

Power washing 

Hanging of lights

And a little horse play :)

There was plenty of other work going on that I did not capture on camera such as landscaping by my wonderful brother in law Drennan, un-packing by yours truly, and lots of lifting of heavy boxes and furniture by our friends Tony and Dallas.  Thanks again everyone!

What Have we been up to??

Since I have failed to blog for the past week there must be something that has been taking up my time, right? Right! We finally closed on our first house this past Friday!

This is the picture that was listed on the realtors website ( I have yet to upload any images from my camera) 

We are super excited about this new chapter in our lives.  We are also very thankful for all the help we received from our friends and family this weekend, this move would have been impossible without them!

 I promise to take some time from unpacking to upload more images soon, but as for now- back to unpacking! 

Handy Husband Gets.....

An Easter basket!

Haha! Ok, since I can't quite make an Easter basket for unborn baby Cowan, I thought I would shower my wonderful husband with some much needed (and actually requested) landscaping tools, and of course some candy too- I mean what's an Easter basket without any candy???  I did however take some time to look at all the cool things I could buy for baby Cowan this time next year while I was shopping and decided that this is a must:

I may or may not have already bought it...... :) 

Baked Goodies!

 So I thought I would come home, be a sweet wife today and make my handy husband a cake. Not only a cake- but a funfetti cake!

 When he came home I was so excited to give him the cake that I didn't even notice the bag that he was carrying. He was very thankful for the cake and to my surprise, Mahlon had also decided to be a sweet husband and bring me a gift. A "Honey Bunny" to be exact.

What on earth is a honey bunny? A loaf of bread (honey wheat bread) shaped to look like a bunny! There is a restaurant close to Mahlons work called Great Harvest that sells loaves of bread shaped like a variety of different creatures. How cool is that! I hate to eat it because it's just so darn cute!

Home Improvement List

With the closing on our first home ever so slowly approaching, Mahlon and I have compiled lists of improvements and additions that we would like to make to the house. The only thing is.....there are a few differences in our lists :)
 Mahlons list looks a little like this:
1)Paint
2)Buy a mower
3)Mow the yard
4) Bring down woodworking tools
5) Set up all of the woodworking tools in the garage
6) Replace kitchen sink
7) Replace bathroom shower heads
Yadda yadda yadda.....

My list looks a little like this:
1) Mahlon build Ashley a Pergula
Like this one.....


Hopefully we can come to some sort of compromise :)

An adoption story

Since announcing our pregnancy to our family and friends, Mahlon and I have been overwhelmed with love and support from all of those around us. For which we are truly grateful.  We feel as though it is time for us to share some of this support with others around us who are also planning on expanding their families.

Meet the Borders:

 I will not try to tell their story because I am notorious for leaving out details, but please take a minute to read how this sweet family is answering God's call here followed by what you can do to help make this possible here.  

Pure Honesty

    As I returned to school today, well rested from a weeks worth of Spring break, I was excited to see the 18 little smiling faces that I had not seen for the past 9 days.  I greeted the students as they came in the room this morning with a smile and a hug, handshake or high five -whichever they prefer. Our day was off to a GREAT start as we whizzed through math reviewing non-standard measurement. We were discussing some of the reasons why it is important to learn how to measure. We created a list that included reasons such as
 "So we can measure how tall we are"
 "So we can build or make things"
 "So we can bake/cook"
 "So we can measure how much we weight".
All of which are very good answers. As we added the last reason "so we can measure how much we weigh" to our chart I saw a hand go up in the back of the room. I called on the student and asked if she had another reason that we could add to our chart, and this was her response " No- but Mrs. Cowan, you sure are getting fat!" Before I even had time to react to the statement another little voice piped up with " No, Mrs. Cowan isn't getting fat-the baby is getting fat". At this point I was cracking up! I responded with "Thank you sweetheart, and yes, Mrs. Cowan is getting bigger."

You have to love 5 year olds. They speak nothing but the truth......unless they are in trouble :)

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks 3 days :)

Total weight gain: 9 pounds


Maternity clothes? No, still wearing my regular clothes.


Sleep:  Great


Best moment this week: Getting the results of the Alpha-fetoprotine test from our doctor (a test they run to check for problems with the baby such as Down syndrome, spinal-cord problems and central nervous system 
problems.) The test was normal!  These tests they run always make me so nervous.


Movement: Yes. The kicks and jabs are getting stronger :)

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: no


Belly Button in or out? In


What I miss: Running long distances


Weekly Wisdom: When feeling "blah" get up and move around! Laying on the couch will only increase the level of "blahness" you are feeling. Haha!

 Going for a walk outside usually helps my headaches go away and increases my energy level. 

Baby's Size: The size of a Mango. Measuring 6 inches long and 1/2 a pound!

Milestones:

This week he is mostly growing in size. In the next two weeks he will grow 4 inches! 

He develops swirls and creases on the end of his fingers and toes that form finger and toe prints.

No Sun and Sand this Spring Break

This is how I will be spending the remainder of my spring break........

 Turning this lovely stack of empty cardboard boxes........

Into wonderfully organized boxes like this.....

Oh the fun! 

No sun and sand for this gal.

However, having only lived in the same place for 2 out of the past 6 years ( moving in and out of the dorms, apartments and my moms every year for college) has seriously cut down on the amount of junk priceless possessions that I am finding that I need to get rid of! If you are spending your Spring break on the beach- soak up a few extra rays for me! 

Perfect Example :)

Perfect example of reason #4 that I love teaching Kindergarten :)

Reasons why I love teaching

Often times when I tell people that I teach Kindergarten, and LOVE doing so, I am greeted with the response "Whew! Good for you! There is no way I could ever do that!". I just smile and say "There is no way I could ever imagine doing anything different!" And there honestly isn't.

Here are the top 10 reasons I LOVE teaching Kindergarten:

10. Kindergartners ALWAYS love their teacher!

9. They start the year barely able to hold a pencil or write their name and they end the year reading and writing like pros!

8. Kindergartners are excited about EVERYTHING we do in class!

7. I get hugs all day long!

6. Where else can you work where someone will tell you that you look beautiful every day?

5.Their unguarded remarks that make me laugh such as "Your hair is a mess today Mrs. Cowan"

4. There isn't a day go by that someone isn't bringing in a card, letter,or a picture that they have drawn or colored for me.

3. They do not care that I can not sing or draw worth a darn!

2. They always tell me that I am the best teacher they have ever had, even though I'm (for most of them) the only teacher they have ever had! (It's the thought that counts :) )

1. In teaching kindergarten I am able to start their academic career off with a success. I am able to give the students the tools that they need to be successful throughout their educational career. I am able to instill a good work ethic, positive attitude, concepts of respect and responsibility and the importance of education in the minds of an entire class of students each year.

What could be more rewarding than that?