Saturday, March 29, 2014

Life Lately....

I got really behind on posting again........so at this point I am just going to talk about what has happened recently instead of stressing myself out about going back in time and trying to remember everything.  I honestly can barely remember things from two minutes ago let alone months ago!

Anyways, I started student teaching at the beginning of January after getting back from christmas break......

side note: Novaley and I flew into Chicago the first week of Dec to see Alex.  My mom and steven came and got us, and on Sunday I went to the Drake concert in MPLS with my friend Marissa.....it was amazing.  I'll post a video montage sometime this weekend............if i get around to it. gotta get the video clips off my camera...but find the camera cord first.



Now that I think about it..........I'll do a separate post for xmas break (dec-jan) because we went to phoenix to see my dad and patrick too...hopefully this Sunday or tomorrow. 

Anyways. 

So I started student teaching in a 3rd grade classroom which I looovvveee!

I am student teaching full time, and taking 5 graduate classes so I will be done in May. It's funny when people tell me they're "so busy, and stressed about all they have to do....", but I always do this to myself, so I can't complain. 

Mondays I student teach 7:25 until 3:45, and get to go home...Tuesday and Wednesday I student teach all day then I have to drive 45 minutes to U of H for class until 8, then drive home. So I'm usually home around 9.  Thursday, if I don't have class (ELA) all day, then I'm in the classroom all day...same with Friday, minus the on campus meetings and such. 

Needless to say I am quite busy/tired. 

It's a lot of work, but I'll be glad when I'm done in May and don't have to drag things out an extra semester. 

I took my PPR state test yesterday and ended up with a 278/300--a 93%.  Pretty good for answering 100 questions in 53 minutes lol. 

I take the EC-6 content exam on April 10th and that will be much more difficult, so I really need to start studying for that as well.  I would hate to pay another $120 to take it again.  

Joe also is taking his ESL certification exam the same day since his district (and almost every other Houston school district) are starting to require it because we have so many Hispanic students.  He has taken a few classes related to ESL certification and teaching, so I'm sure he'll do fine. 

As for Novaley, 

She started at a private Montessori school in January when I started student teaching. 

The first few weeks were hard for her when we would drop her off, and for the first few weeks she would start crying when we came to pick her up, but she loves it there now.  

Every morning she wakes up and gets ready to "go to school and see her friends and teachers."  She doesn't cry anymore, which is great. 

A few weeks ago we started potty training her, and kind of quit for a while because I had some personal things I needed to deal with which threw her off, but she still tells us if she has to go "potty" or "poo poo" so slowly but surely she'll be potty trained.  Hopefully by May, but she's still young so we're not going to force anything if she isn't 100% ready. 

Within the past month and a half she has had an "explosion of language".  I'm sure its not just from her getting older and her brain developing, but also from being at school and around 13 other kids that are all at least 6 months older than her (she's the youngest in her class----and smallest lol).  She sings songs, knows most of the alphabet, knows almost every farm animal sound, can tell you where her nose, mouth, ears, hair, eyes, belly, toes, etc. are, tries reading books, and says many other general words in 3+ word sentences.  She calls my brother Steven, Stevie.  It is so funny! She just loves him so much, and always wants to call him on the phone lol.  Her favorite word is probably "Marshie" for Marshall.......aka her bestfriend.  My favorite thing she says now is "i love you". it is sooooooo sweet I could cry thinking about it.  

Novaley is still very "mellow," and we have noticed that while around people she is familiar with--ie my mom and brother, she is very outgoing and talkative, but around people she doesn't know, she is much like me--very shy, reserved and observant.  She even gives people some of the same looks that I have been known to give (even if I don't realize it).  She's quick to warm up to people though, so that's good.  

She loves going outside, playing with the cats, drawing all over herself, walls, paper, wherever she can whenever she finds a random marker, pen or pencil around the house.  She loves ''helping'' around the house, throwing things away, helping us cook, and playing with her friends (stuffed animals in her tent).  

It's crazy and sad! to see how fast she is growing up.  Sometimes I can't believe how smart she is becoming.  Well....I think she's smart, but I really have no clue since I don't compare her to other toddlers her age.  The most important thing is she is happy and learning new things every day!

Oh, at 18 months, she was 24.5 pounds and 31 inches.  

If I didn't have so much homework to work on, I would write 100 more things.  But for now, that's all. 

Feb 2014: 



megan putting lipstick on her lol 



this monkey goes to school and sleeps with her every single day.



v-day card we sent out this year


new boots



Went to the dance at her dad's school...

 Her Valentine's to her class:
 her valentines



bffs........



playing with her friends...

exhaustion.

happy, happy, happy.........






 always helping



 baby burrito 

 19 months

Go Texan Day (thanks Deb for making these for her!):

March 2014:

lunch date with my love bug




so many flights to MN......







one of her friends at grandma's house.....


 Ash Wednesday:

 Riding the escalator with grandma


 hahaha. eating a burrito 


 lunch with joe's parents




walking with her new friend tahani
 NO WAYYYYYY!
 trying to lift our 54 pound suitcase lol

waiting patiently for our flight back to Houston


 this girl loves ice as much as I do. 


 going to the children's museum 







one of the nights we went to Sam Houston Race Track 


rodeo day...

at the rodeo eating dippin dots for the first time 




 we went with our friend Rachael...another mid-westerner! :)






 always blowing bubbles in her drinks. 



 got another pair of cowgirl boots at the rodeo



working in the garden

forever finding cats

after 2.5 hours of yard work................


texas hair 


hahahahahahaha. 

 3/28/2014

does this about 5 times a day. 

eats grapes, blackberries and blueberries allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll day



I just had to re-upload all these photos and videos three times........................shoot me. 

Bye y'alllllllll. 







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