Back to School

This week was the official back to school week for DPS61!  It's hard to believe that we've started the 13-14 school year.

Monday was a work day for teachers.  This was the day to put the last minute touches on the classroom, get lesson plans made out for at least this week, and help Mrs. Burns, the new kinder teacher who was JUST hired, get her room sorted out and ready.  Here's a glimpse of my classroom ready and waiting for my kiddos!

Our new "Under the Sea" behavior chart

OCD Paradise!  Books organized by topic with bins and books labeled by number

Tuesday, my birthday, was the annual rally (which was enjoyable), meetings with the staff in our building (that included the Hope staff singing "Happy Birthday" to me, and the K teachers working like crazy to get this new and improved kinder classroom ready for these kiddos!  Mindy and I helped Chierstan get all of her curriculum out of boxes and sorted, her room somewhat organized (by stealing borrowing shelves), and much, much more to get her room ready.  Open house was this evening and the room needed to be ready!

Open house treat - "You're o'fish'ally in Kindergarten!

Open house was so enjoyable.  I had 7(of 24) students come ... many excited but some scared.  I was able to talk to them and their parents to help ease some fears of starting kindergarten.  It was SO wonderful seeing some precious faces that would be joining my classroom.  With all the stress of getting the room ready and helping set up a new classroom, these precious faces brought me back to what I LOVE about my job.  Not everyone gets to hang out with Kinders all day .. and boy are they FUN!

After pulling almost a 12 hour day on my birthday, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve! I was anticipating the meeting of all my new kinder faces!

Wednesday was it!  The first full day with students, and man, was it CRAZY!  I seem to always forget just how hard the beginning of the school year is! These poor kiddos come in after having never been to school all day before, and some haven't even been to school at all.  It's all about teaching them to raise their hand to talk, stay in their seats when asked, and all of the school-wide expectations.  The first experience at lunch was NUTS!  It's not easy to get 72 kinders through a lunch line for the first time in a timely manner.

We made a ca-yoot "1st Day of Kindergarten" sign to get all the kiddos pictures with this day.

Jill - an AMAZING teaching assitant

Myself

The Lovely Chierstan

The Lovely Mindy!

Thursday seemed to be a bit better than Wednesday.  My kiddos were beginning to catch on a little bit to the expectations and we seemed to make it through the day a little easier. I did add a new student who has never been to school before ... I began teaching him all about school expectations...

Friday was extra crazy!  One kinder student tried to run away because she wasn't allowed to play during recess. We came to the rescue to find help for that. Then, Chierstan had a severe allergic reaction and ended up leaving in an ambulance.  Thank goodness she is doing just fine now!!  This meant I was taking 20+ kinders out to get on 19 buses .... and I didn't know all of their names ... talk about a MESS!

I'm glad the first week was short ... I'm not sure I could've done more than 3 days.  I put in lots of hours this week .. not getting home before 7 any night but Friday.  Needless to say, I was completely exhausted!!  I was heading to bed around 8:30 or 9 each night ...

I'm ready to bring on week 2!  Every day should get just a little bit better in this crazy Kinder class, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!  I really do LOVE my job ... there's nothing better than spending my days with precious kiddos ... even if they exhaust all my energy!

A special shout out to my SIL (and bro) who got me an AMAZING book for my birthday. That book was my "get away" every evening this week.  I spent a little time each night reading... It's nice to have some "me" time this week! :) 

The Last Supper

which is actually a weekend recap; however, this is the last weekend before beginning the 2013-2014 school year!

Last week was full of prepping my classroom for a new year!  I spent hours getting posters out and up, labeling items, putting up the bulletin board, and organizing the majority of my classroom books. Organizing books = OCD nightmare but it now looks wonderful with labeled bins by topic and books in the bin are numbered.  Let's hope these kinders understand my craziness OCD and are capable of keeping these books organized. 

I knew I had to get lots of work done because I had a full weekend planned!

Friday morning consisted of getting on a big yellow school bus and walking some streets in Decatur to welcome some new students to Hope Academy!  I wasn't looking forward to going, but it was a good time.  Tip for next year = wear comfortable shoes!

Friday afternoon, we were on the fast track to finding a new kindergarten teacher.  It was decided last week that we would open a new classroom due to the 60 kinders registered. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get this done ...  We chose one .. and I'm SUPER excited to add her to our K team!  Looking forward to a good year! 

Friday evening consisted of a much needed mani and pedi with Chrissy and heading out for a bit with some co-workers to ring in the new year.  Good time! 

Saturday started by heading to my nephews first JFL jamboree!  It was very hot sitting in the bleachers, and he didn't get to play .. but it got me ready for football season.  It makes me proud to see my nephew out there playing ball!  Of course, after we left, my SIL called me and they had put Dyl in!  Grrr!  Next time, I will see him play! 

Saturday afternoon, we packed up and headed to the Illinois State Fair.  We used to visit the fair every year, but have slacked off a bit.  We hunted for the chickens (my Mom REALLY wanted to find them) and were very unsuccessful.  Needless to say, the Roe's aren't familiar with the livestock barns ... who is shocked? 
We walked around and visited some normal stops while at the fair - the hypnotist, high dive show, butter cow, and ice cream. It was fun to spend some time together, but I felt like the fair was kind of a let down.  We didn't get to meet up with my cousins because of lack of phone service.  Sad  news ... 

Sunday brought a wonderful gathering of most of the family!  Having almost 20 of the most special people in your life all together in one place is just simply amazing. We were able to gather the RoCo's together as well as my Grandma and Aunt.  We were celebrating my SIL and I's birthdays. It was such a fun time together.  

Do you think I took pictures?  ... No... I was too busy talking.  Use your imagination and check Amy and K's blogs for pictures. I'm sure they'll have some shortly!

Here's the only two pictures I took this weekend ...

I am not proud of this precious girl at all ... can you tell? 

Tomorrow is D-day!  Happy School year!

P is already practicing what he will do when I head back to work ....

Next up, a Back to School post!

It's the Little Things...

...that remind me exactly how much I have to be thankful for. 

School is quickly approaching .... T minus 1 week until the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, and as of right now I have 30 students on my list.  Yes, you read that right ... THIRTY .. but we'll save that for a later post. 

With my mind going crazy trying to get things done for school, attending two trainings this past week, on top of having a few sleepless nights this past week .... my emotions were flying high.  I seemed to find the "poor me, pity me" emotions, that I just don't like having.  It's kind of the "grass is always greener" way of mind. 

Yesterday brought me back to reality to remind me how great life can be (if you don't focus on the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days!)

I was so lucky to make another trip to Tilton yesterday.  A place that I referred to as "home" for the first time yesterday.  It caught me off guard, but it truly is my 2nd home. 

The drive began by taking these country roads to the interstate.  Roads with corn and beans growing tall and healthy along side which could only bring my mind back to Robert who simply admired that.  He's take two lane roads all the way to Tilton if it was up to him .. just to check out the crops.  (Sound like Richard Roe?) I can't remember the exact song that came on my iPod at this time. .. but it was perfect and reminded me that Mr. Robo was right there with me in the passanger seat.

Stop 1 - Elite Bridal
I met Laury, Chelsea, and Chelsea's Mom at Elite Bridal to try on her wedding dress and pick it up.  The dress is BEAUTIFUL!  I won't go into too much detail .. to save some of that for the wedding.  Fit very well ... very minimal alterations .. can't ask for much more. Also, I brought the cake topper, that my sister bought and bling'd for Robert and I.  I'm passing it onto Chelsea and Doug for their wedding.  Very, very bittersweet to let it leave my possession ..but I know that they really appreciate it. 

Stop 2 - Hometown Buffet/Meijer
From there we went to brunch together, and then Laury and I headed out to find a birthday gift for Miss Peyton.  Can't believe she'll be 5 tomorrow! 

Stop 3 - Tilton
Pulling up to Grandma's house just feels like home to me. I was able to spend some time with Grandma yesterday. Many times she's not around when I come to visit, but I always enjoy getting to spend time with her.  Even if she spent quite some time counting (and recounting and recounting and recounting ...) change to see if she could afford a pizza for her and Jim for supper (even though Jim planned on buying anyway) .. Too cute! 

Jake also came over to hang out for a bit, once he realized that I was in town!  Next time, I'll be sure to give him a heads up! 

Stop 3 - Covington, IN
Laury, Jake, Doug, Chelsea and I headed over to celebrate Miss P's 5th Birthday! It was quite the party with a Luau theme. It's so nice getting to visit with various friends and family members while attending parties like this. Of course, I spent some of the time entertaining that little ones. I love all these little "nieces" of mine so much .. and soak up all the time I can with them. Little Miss Addison and I shared a plate of fruit .. and that may have been all she ate the whole time. I was also on Sawyer duty while Peyton was opening presents.  There's nothing better than chasing around a 1 year old ... She's soo precious and such a social butterfly! 

Of course, the Kindergarten teacher in me had to get Peyton this as part of her present. 

 There's nothing more exciting than going to Kindergarten!  I am soo VERY excited for her! 

At one point during presents, Katie caught my attention and wanted me to watch the next gift being opened which was ...

 
These!  These are the exact boots that Robert decided Peyton HAD to have for our wedding. I actually had to stop him from buying them the first time we saw them, because it was still so early and we weren't sure what shoe size she would be in by then.  

Seeing Peyton get these boots brought tears to my eyes... Robert wanted her to have them soo bad, and now she does. Another simple reminder of his presence in our lives. I hope she thinks of her "Uncle Bobbo" every time she has them on her feet!

Here's the only two pictures I took at the party ... slacker, I know! 

Great look for John!

Lookin' great in those shades!

The time seemed to fly by ... and it was already time to head home. After finagling our way out of our parking spot ,(Chelsea-that's for you!  You said you wanted to see it in the blog!) Laury and I made our way back to Tilton, so I could head back home. 

I say this over and over and over .. but spending time with family and friends over that way is just what I need when I get down.  I am reminded to count my blessings that through Robert, I gained countless family and friends!  I couldn't be more lucky than that! 

The drive home last night brought more tears.  Tears of thankfulness .. and tears of missing Robert.  I just wonder how life would be different had he been here and we could be celebrating these milestones together!

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend, my Mom, my youngest nephew, and I loaded up the van and headed to Indiana to celebrate my niece's baptism. We went on Friday, so we were able to spend some extra time with Nathan, Kristin, and Brynzlee.  What a fun weekend. 

Friday night, we had dinner and went to Orange Leaf for some froyo ... yumm!! 

Saturday, we began by hitting up the farmer's market.  Let me just say that it doesn't even compare to the Decatur farmers market ... Then, Kristin and I had some girl time running all over to find some white bloomers for Bryn to wear with her baptism dress.  I can't stress enough how wonderful it was to have some time with just Kristin.  I love Nathan and Bryn too, but I've dearly missed my Kristin time!  <3  K's parents and 3 dogs joined us on Saturday. That made 6 adults, 1 kid, 1 baby, and 7 dogs in the house ... not too crazy!!  

Sunday was Brynzlee's day!  KT Mae and her bf came, and we all headed to church to celebrate her baptism.  The service was very, very nice.  It was one of my few experiences in a non-Catholic church, but I enjoyed it and can see why N and K have found a home in that church.  During the service, there was a point where people were called to share with the congregation anything that they wished prayers for. Jacob (my nephew who used to be painstakingly shy ... and hide behind chairs from people he didn't know) raised his hand to get the microphone. The pastor was kind of shocked that Jacob wanted to speak.  In his sweet 9 year old voice he said, "My name is Jacob Roe and my Dad just got out of the hospital on Thursday.  He's in a lot of pain. He had back surgery on Monday." How sweet is that?!  He even was choking up talking about it.  I was so proud of him being brave enough to ask N and K's church to pray for his Dad.  What a sweetheart!  

After church, we went back to N and K's for one amazing lunch and spending time together.  What a great weekend!  

We dropped Jacob off on the way home Sunday.  He was with us for 7 days straight .. and I was beyond exhausted.  I'm so thankful that I was able to spend time with the boys last week when it was needed.  I'm grateful to have time off to do so. 

Here's a few pics from this weekend ... that I may or may not have stole from my SIL

Jacob was sooo proud of Brynzlee .. and she loved him too!

Love this baby girl

LOVE this one!

Sweet and precious baby Bryn

Cute Family Pic .. captured by me :)

It's so sweet to see my brother who was such a pain to me as a Dad.. Heartwarming!

Cute Girlies!

T minus 8 business days until I return to school to kick off the 2013-2014 school year! I had a meeting to work on the K report card today and walking in ... it hit me.  Yesterday was the 29 ... meaning it would have been Robert and I's 10 month wedding anniversary ... 2 months away from a year.  I still miss that man like crazy, but he's definitely been making his presence known in my life.  I'm so thankful for his love and to have my own special angel watching over me!  

Here's to taking in every last minute of summer vacation!

Hello Wednesday!

There was a point today in which I thought "it's ONLY Wednesday" .. and then there was a point that I though "it's ALREADY Wednesday'.  How can both of these happen in 1 day?! 

Here's a little recap of what I've been up to these past few days: 

Saturday night I went out to celebrate the birthday of a very, very special man in my life, my wonderful boyfriend! 

*Don't mind the blue gum in my mouth*

Now, I know you think this man may look slightly similar to my wonderful friend Chrissy's husband .. and you're right .. he is!  Harrison used to work with Robert and he met Chrissy and Robert and I's house. It's always been a thing between the two of us that we're boyfriend/girlfriend.  Don't worry .. Chrissy is okay with it! :) 

Love him!

Sunday - we ventured to Grandma's to help her celebrate her upcoming 76th birthday! It was so nice to see family and celebrate a wonderful lady!  She's every bit of sassy and sweet!!  Love my Gram! 

Monday - My oldest brother had back surgery which consisted of getting a cadaver bone!  He's been in quite a bit of pain since then, but he will be better off in the end. I've been saying lots of prayers for him (and his wife) to make it through. 

Since he's been in the hospital since Monday and I'm still off for the summer .. I've been lucky enough to be playing Mom this week to my two nephews. They sure have kept me busy!

Dylan's bee sting

Jacob's dinner of a veggie tray and string cheese

We've been spending countless hours in the pool and playing Mariokart and Super Mario Bros on the Wii ... what a fun week! 

I've also been dragging them to my classroom to help me prepare for my 29 kids ... in 3 weeks!  That's right .. I said TWENTY-NINE kinders in one room ... I'm soo scared excited!!

Kinder puzzles are soo fun

Getting the room ready ..

Happy Wednesday!!

Camp Erin

I had the privilege of having a slumber party with two very precious little girls this week. I refer to it as "Camp Erin" because I told their Mom that she could send her girls to Camp Erin anytime she needed a break .. between now and when I have to go back to school. 

Peyton, the oldest of the two, is Robert's Goddaughter. He loved this girl as if she were his own and he spent countless hours with her and her parents before moving to Decatur. In fact, we had just begun talking for the first time about a month before she was born. He was so proud to share that he would be a Godfather very soon, and he did send me a picture of him holding her the day she was born.  He was just SO proud!  Peyton was going to be the flower girl in our wedding .... white dress, cowboy boots, and all. 

Robert was only able to meet sweet Sawyer one time. One weekend while visiting Robert's family, we stopped by to see John, Katie, and the girls on the way back to meet sweet, sweet Sawyer.  I still kick myself that I didn't capture a picture of the moment they met. He instantly fell in love and was so proud of her too. He would repeatedly say that "when these girls start dating ... I WILL be sitting with their Dad on the front porch cleaning my gun when that sorry boy comes to pick them up ..."  oh my! 

Because of the bond with these two ladies and their parents, I feel like I owe it to Robert to keep a close relationship. I love this little family so much, and I'm so grateful that they accept me as one of their own.

Back to the slumber party, I picked up the girls Tuesday night for a slumber party. Peyton was OH SO excited to swim!  We stopped by the store on the way home to grab their favorite for dinner .... fried chicken!  Went over so well! 

Sawyer and Peyton enjoying dinner

Sawyer is such a sweetheart and proceeds to tell everyone in the store "Hi".  She's such a social butterfly and just so, so sweet. 

After dinner, we got in the pool for a while with my Mom and just had a blast. Came in for a quick snack of chocolate cake and ice cream ... then it was time for baths and bed.  I was a little worried about bedtime since the girls had never stayed over here before, but they did fantastic.  We watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ... and fell asleep.  Peyton did tell me "I miss my Mom a little bit" before going to sleep. 

Two sleeping beauties!

The next morning consisted of cinnamon rolls for breakfast, playing with fun toys, and going to Walmart to buy some water wings for Peyton.  Luckily they had pink mermaids ,so she loved them! 

Enjoying her breakfast

LOVES these toys from when I was a kid

Sweet Sawyer

After lunch of peanut butter and jelly, chips, and watermelon ... it was time to swim again!  I lathered these beauties up with lots of sunblock and we were off to the pool. 

Having a blast

They were sooo much fun swimming!  Sawyer started to get tired, so she layed down for a nap out on the porch in the shade and I had some one on one time with the adorable Peyton.  She was full of advice for me. Here's our conversation:
P: Erin, how old are you?
Me: 27 .. almost 28
P: Well, don't you think its about time for you to get married?
Me: I guess. I was going to marry Bobbo (what she calls Robert)
P: You can't marry Bobbo anymore because he's dead.  It looks like you'll have to find another man.  There's lots of men in this town.  You can't marry my Dad because he's married .. and you can't marry (another guy she knows) because he's not a husband .. but he's a boyfriend.  But, Erin .. there's lots of other men.

What great advice from an almost 5 year old! ha! 

These two were wore out .. and both slept all the way in the car to go meet their Mom and Dad.  I had a blast with them ...and hope to do it again sometime soon!  

I definitely felt Robert's presence the whole time they were here. I love having these little reminders of such an amazing man that's watching over all of us! 

Thanks again, John and Katie, for letting me spend some time with your precious and sweet girls!  <3

Celebrating a Wonderful Man

Since I met Robert, I always heard about his epic birthday parties in his Mom's backyard. I was only lucky enough to experience one party with him and boy, did I regret that party before the end of the night ... and almost all of the next day. I definitely drank was served tooo much!!  

Last year, his brothers decided to continue this tradition of getting everyone together for his birthday. What a great way to gather everyone together to drink, talk, and reminisce about a very special man. It was definitely a good time! 

Here's a few of my favorite pics from last year: 

This past weekend, we had our second annual memorial birthday party for him.  It's so fun to gather with these people all in one place.  There's some that I don't get to see too often, so I love having the chance to visit and catch up. 

Amy, T, and I headed over early in the afternoon to spend some extra time with Laury and the boys as well as my bro, SIL, and niece.  Adam and Jamie also brought their precious little girls over to hang out for a bit as well.  We started our party early! 

3 year old photography skills ....

Playing roller coaster

We decided to make a tradition of going to Gross Burger. It's an amazing hometown burger joint over there that I would highly recommend you visit!  There's nothing like their garlic salt on the fries ... yumm! We may have been slightly tardy back to the party, but it turned out just fine.  

Here's the pics I captured with my phone:

Sweet P and Roxy .. Roxy strongly dislikes LOVES kids! 

N and precious Brynzlee

Adorable S

Here's a few more courtesy of my awesome sister and her camera! 

<3 this RoCo fam more than words can say

 T ended up turning into the life of the party before we left. I may or may not have some incriminating videos of him on my phone ... 

It turned out to be such a fun evening with family and friends. Thanks to everyone who came!