Quick Catchup (and not the kind you eat)

I feel as though it's been ages since I've posted anything noteworthy on here.  I've had a busy last couple of weeks with bunco, book club, a jewelry party, three long but great day of classes, and reading an excellent book.  Oh, and also trying to find time to spend at my school to get ready for this next year.  I had to switch classrooms at the end of last year.  It was a pain, but I was excited to move to a classroom that was twice the size of my previous room.  I taught in a closet last year with 24 kindergarteners.  (it wasn't really a closet, but it was teeny)  So I've upgraded for the moment.  Only now I am threatened by the fact that we might hire another full time kindergarten teacher, so poor little half-time kindergarten teacher me just might have to move classrooms again.  But I'm crossing my fingers that we will have to hire a full-time kindergarten teacher (so our class sizes can be smaller) and that I can stay in my classroom.  Fat chance of both of them happening, but I'm hoping!  And in the meantime, I'm setting up my classroom with the hopes that I will be there to stay.

On Saturday, Sammy and I took Savy to the fireworks show in American Fork with my family.

I must say it was the best fireworks show I've seen for awhile. American Fork certainly knows how to but on a great show.  There was blaring music during the whole thing, and I got to sing along to my all-time favorite patriotic song "I'm Proud to be an American."  (and I only teared up for a second.) Savana zonked out a little bit before the fireworks show started, and she slept like an angel in the arms of her Grandma while the music was blaring and the fireworks were booming.  It was a great night and I certainly enjoyed hanging out with my family.

But I realized something that day...my baby is no longer a baby. It seems as though she's grown up sooo much in the last month.  She's walking and running around and saying all sorts of things.  Here are some of her favorite things to say...

Ball
Shoe
Where is it? (and she'll hide something behind her back) There! (as she pulls it out and shows it to you)
Mommy
Dada
Mallory (it's surprising, but she can say Mallory's name quite well)
Baba (for Brynn, Grandma, and Bompa)
One, two, three! (and she loves to do this while we're walking so I can toss her into the air.)

She also loves to play peek-a-boo, talk on the phone, dance to music, point out planes in the sky, read books, run away from anyone or anything coming towards her (she always thinks Sammy is chasing here), and follow her mommy around anywhere I go.  Oh, and she's really good at making a huge mess in EVERY room.

I've loved being able to hang out with her so much all day long, and it's going to be hard to leave her when it's time for school to start.  At least I only have to be away from her a few hours each day!

Well, it's certainly turned into a much longer post than I was planning on.  But, oh well!

If any girls are interested in a girl's night out and fabulous jewelry, come and join me Thursday night. There will be delicious food, beautiful jewelry, and lots of girly talk.

Can I just say, I love Bunco nights! Thanks, girls, for getting together and making Bunco night a wild and crazy night!

Only downer is that now I have a ton of junk food left over from last night. Do you know how hard it is to not eat sugar when there's bowls of hot tamales, swedish fish, m&m's, and muddy buddies around? Talk about impossible!!

4th of July Weekend

For the 4th, Sammy and I invited a bunch of friends and their kids up to the cabin for a nice little get away. It was the first time in quite awhile we were able to get a vast majority of friends together for more than just dinner. The kids were able to entertain themselves fairly well, and once they were asleep, us adults had a chance for some much needed adult conversation. We mostly just ate good food, had good conversation, ate more good food, watched good photography in action, had a good butt-kicking run, and had a good time. Thanks, everyone for taking the time out of your busy schedule to spend with us! We'll do it again...soon!


Although the picture may not portray it, and the bedhead may hide it, these are the three most gorgeous little girls I've ever seen! They were also accompanied by the three most handsome little boys!

After a night at the cabin, Sam and I went to watch fireworks at Thanksgiving Point with my family. Sam's sister, Carrie, got to join us for the festivities. The finale was somewhat of a let down, but it was super fun to play yuck, eat even more good food, and hang out with the fam. And, Sam strategically parked our car so we could get out of there fast (although we had to walk a mile to our car).

Carrie loves her little Savana, and she spoils her rotten with her sweet kisses and good taste in clothes!

Brynn, me, and Mallory...every time I see a picture of me and my sisters, I'm amazed at how much we look alike. There's no hiding the family resemblance!

And after all the festivities, Savy was pooped! I was in the middle of changing her bum, and she rolled over, stuck her naked fanny in the air, and fell fast asleep! I made Sam run out to our car and grab the camera so we could capture the naked bum!

And to top it all off, the Maxfield's invited us to go boating Saturday! My body got rocked from my timid attempt at wakeboarding...my muscles are still incredibly sore! We love having friends and family close enough that we can have super fun weekends!

As I was walking out of Walmart this morning, a cute old man was getting out of his truck. I smiled at him and he said to me "you won't have a problem." I smiled back at him, with a little nod of my head and a mumbled "good morning", unsure as to what his comment meant. Getting into my car, I looked down at my shirt and it said in big gold letters...ALL I NEED IS LOVE.

And I don't have a problem. I've got plenty of love from my fam.

The Biggest Loser

So I've started the biggest loser. It really shouldn't be called the biggest loser, because it's not about losing weight (that's just an added bonus), but it's about a healthy lifestyle. It's pretty simple. I get a point for various things (like working out, eating fruits and veggies, drinking water, getting enough sleep, avoiding sugar, etc.)
I've found it's hard to motivate me to be healthy, but I love writing "to-do" lists and checking items off of it, so this allows me to check off things I do each day to be healthier. Maybe my to-do list will motivate me. The only downfall is I get 1 point for no caffeine AND 1 point for no carbonation. That means my beloved Diet Coke costs me two points (because caffeine-free Diet Coke is pretty much sacrilegious)! So I have to save it for special occasions.
Right now, I'm the only one doing it (besides my mom and dad...but they're no fun, because they kick my butt at being healthy), so it's not really a contest with anyone besides myself. But if anyone is interested in it, let me know and I can send you my biggest loser list.
Who knows how long the motivation will last, but it's worked for 2 days!