Trying to Breathe

Do you ever feel like you are
drowning? Do you ever feel like
you have so much on your plate
that you just might lose it???
Welcome to my world!

In the past
six months, I have gone from
having a principal that could NOT
have cared less about our school and
our students, to having a principal
who loves and adores our students
and wants only the best for them.

Then, we meet Race to the Top, a
lovely piece of legislation that has
earned our state lots of money to
help improve our education system.
Problem is, NONE of that money is
going to ever be seen by me, the one
who must meet the high expectations
of individuals who have NEVER stepped
foot inside a classroom, and who do
not have a clue what these children go
through in their personal lives.

The combination of loving principal and lovely
legislation is that I now spend approximately
5 hours per week simple DOCUMENTING
how I teach. Very little about my style of
teaching has been affected, I've tweaked just
a few activities, but I now have 5 less hours
of my life to enjoy each week. You know, I
always thought I had too much free time on
my hands!

On top of all of this, due to my
lovely schedule at school, I have very little
time to grade papers, which means I take it
all home. Again, more personal time is being
pulled away from me. Open House was Tuesday
night. I did enjoy it, but Chris had class, the kids
were 45 minutes away at my mother-in-laws, and
I did not get home last night until 9:30.

All of this said, I'm choking. I think I really am
drowning. I am looking for the nearest ladder
to climb out of this pool...

LoLo's Lovin' School!!!

Logann has always
loved school...that is, until she
stayed home with me ALL summer.
When she started back a couple
weeks ago, she was so pitiful when
I left her. It broke my heart! The
past few days, I have noticed that
she is not crying anymore when I
drop her off in the morning. I have
also noticed that when I come to
school to pick her up, she is having
a blast dancing, playing with the
bubble machine, and coloring!
LoLo's lovin' school again!
See for yourself!

Logann's Artwork

A Big Day!

Friday was Matthew's
first day of 4-year old
Kindergarten at our
church. I went to this
same program when I
was his age! Here is a
quick picture we took
before we left for school!

A New Tradition!

Every summer, I will

make sure that Matthew
and Logann have their
picture made together!
Here are some pictures
from last summer...

Here are a few from today.
Neither of my sweet, little
angels felt the need to
cooperate, but we still
managed to get a few
good shots. Enjoy!

(They had had enough by this point!)

What a difference a year makes!

It's About That Time

It's the last week of summer...sigh.

It's that time. It's time to get
backpacks ready, and lunchboxes,
too (if your son can make up his
mind which one he wants!)
Here are the backpacks, ready
to go!


This year, Matthew is going to
a 4-Year Old Kindergarten
program. They use thick mats,
instead of cots. I made this cover
and pillow for his mat. If you
know Matthew, you know he
LOVES fish and sharks!


Last week was my sister's birthday.
She is about 18 months OLDER :)
than me! The other night, we went
to my mom and dad's for her birthday
dinner. Here are a few pictures from
Aunt Shea-Shea's birthday.


Aunt Shea & Uncle Mark

Dr. LoLo Jones

Time for Cake!

Deshea and Dad

I won't include the one where our very
own mother misspelled her daughter's
name on her cake. I can only share
this hilarious story with you, as I know
none of you will say anything to my
mom. I think she was quite embarrassed!
It was a great laugh though!
Happy Birthday, Deshea! I love you!

Newness

On my fabulous getaway with my sister last
weekend, we found ourselves at

It was a great little cabin at the top of a
big mountain.

We had a fabulous time. I don't
think I've EVER had such a good time! I had
a lot of time for reflection and thinking about
the future.

(I know you've seen this tshirt many times in this
summer's posts...it just happens to be a favorite!!!)

Sometimes, life just feels old, tired, worn-out.
Sometimes, I just need a change... a new
beginning. I never really put much thought
into it, but there are some times in my life
that I just love because I get to experience
this newness.

New babies. Their noises, their smells, their
facial expressions, the way you can stare at
one all day, and never miss the day you wasted...
there is no better example of something new.
I think we're stopping at two.

Buying a new (semi-new, as we purchased 2
years ago) car, and getting that added bonus
of the new car smell, is so exciting. With a new
set of wheels, going to the store not just a
mundane errand.

A new haircut can bring many emotions. I
can feel light and airy as I step out of the
salon, carrying 6 less inches than when I
entered. Sometimes I love the haircut, and
sometimes I have to go to two salons to
get it fixed...but I learned to love it!

A new school year can excite me, and frighten
me, all at the same time! The precious children
that grace my classroom, with boxes of new
crayons and newly sharpened pencils, are such
a mixed bag of blessings. Some have funny jokes
that make me smile every day, and some have
stories that make me want to take them in my
arms and show them the love of our God. Not
knowing what I am going to get is enough to keep
me on the edge of my seat with great anticipation
for what is ahead!

A new (one and only) tattoo...

A fresh start in my marriage is something so
priceless and cherished. I did not have a bad
marriage to begin with, just one that needed
a little adjustment. Wow! Don't I have a new
outlook on life now!

Finally, and most importantly, the newness
that comes with God's forgiveness. I would
not trade ANYTHING for the great assurance
and love I feel when I ask my God to wash away
my sins. Thank you God for this newness in life!