Marshmallow Legs, and More

Because this blog has somehow turned into a place for me to say "Hey guys, look what I ate!", pictures of last night's dinner (which was also tonight's dinner).  It was our big fat "Greek" dinner.

Quinoa tabbouleh.  I have become a little obsessed with finding new uses for quinoa.  I got this recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, and it was delicious!

Jon's roasted chicken.  He marinated it in mint, parsley, dill, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and paper.  Mmmm.... 

The homemade zatziki sauce we put on the chicken.  And you can't have these kinds of things without some pita bread!

And although I would love to eat Ezra (he is getting so chunky, he's got marshmallow legs!) his sisters just won't let me.  He was quite fascinated with the Einstein's cup today.  He wouldn't look away!

After church and lunch, we spent the next several hours grocery shopping for the week ahead.  Because we try to buy items in the stores where they are the least expensive, we sometimes end up at four different stores.  Perfect example - today!  We got most of our produce and deli meat at Eat More Produce, our quinoa, apples (I have to have organic, or else my lips swell.  Allergy to the pesticides, I'm sure.  Apples are the only fruits that do that to me.) and  yogurt at Whole Foods, other random things at Publix, and then salad and bananas at Costco.  Even though planning our meals for the week and writing a list help me stay organized, we still can somehow spend hours wandering around a store, like it was the first time we'd been there.

Sunday Smiles

Lunch with my family on Sundays is one of my favorite times of the week. This time, I got some adorable photos of Ezra smiling!

A big smile for Uncle Jon!

Hi, Grandpa!

LOVE this photo. The only one missing is Anna!

Sea World, and more!

I haven't posted anything in a few days, and the reason is exhaustion. My excuse for one day's exhaustion is valid - my field trip to Sea World with a class of Kindergarteners. My excuse for the other day isn't - I stay up too late some nights and then am too tired for anything the next day after work.

Yesterday, all of the Kindergarten classes at my school took a day long field trip to Sea World. This was my second time having the privilege of experiencing this. Last year wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been, so I was a bit apprehensive that I would be stressed out this time. However, everything went as planned and there were no major mishaps. I had a few children who liked to just take off, but when I noticed the chaperone in charge of them couldn't get them to stay put, they just ended the day glued to my side. It also rained throughout the day and the bus ride back to school smelled like wet dog. But we came back with the same amount of children that we left with, the kids had a blast, and I didn't have a migraine at the end of the day, so I count it a success!

The first show we went to as soon as we got there, Blue Horizons. We ate an early lunch at the show (we are used to these, seeing as how our lunch time is 10:35 in the morning on a normal school day).

Believe, featuring a few Killer Whales and a lot of talking and animal pictures on the screen. I got a little bored - it wasn't quite as exciting as I remember.

Seymore and Clyde, or The Pirate Show, as my kids called it. This was always my favorite show as a kid.

The Dolphin nursery. The dolphins were putting on a show for us. One even kept peeping his head up right in front of us, but I kept missing that photo op.

The flamingos.

We also went to the show A'Lure - The Call of the Ocean. It was my favorite of the day. It is in an inside theater, and there are no real animals, but in a way it kind of reminded me of a Cirque de Soleil show. Kind of! Of course, we also saw the sharks, penguins, polar bears, stingrays, etc. One of my chaperones bought the fish to feed to the stingrays, which the kids absolutely loved. That was a great way to end the day. We didn't get back to school until about 6:15. I slept about 10 or 11 hours last night.

Then tonight we headed over to Sarah and Justin's for dinner. They made a delicious dinner of soft tacos/burritos (technically these are the same, depending on how you fold your tortilla, no?), chips and salsa, with cookies for dessert. I tried to eat in moderation, but it sure was hard.

Delicious food!

And of course some pictures of Ezra. He weighs close to 12 pounds now. I love that little guy!

Our Sunday

Church this morning. Great message from Dad - just what I needed to hear today.

After church, Sarah and Justin invited us, as well as Mom and Dad, over for a quick little lunch. Justin made bagels, eggs, and sausage. Delicious! Thanks, Justin!

We also got to see a little bit of what Sarah's life is like now with 3 young children... you holding the baby with two girls crawling all over you, singing and talking in high-pitched voices. Hilarious to me, but I'm sure it's exhausting. What fun, though!

And below are some pictures of Uncle Jon and Ezra time. Ezra was laying contendly until I starting taking pictures.

"Stop, Aunt Katie!"

"I'm serious! Uncle Jon, make her stop!"

"Oh... do I really look that silly?"

"I think I'll stop then."

He's such a cutie. I want to just eat him up.

I also made Jon a carrot cake today for Valentine's Day. I don't feel like my cakes are ever very pretty. I don't really have enough patience for fully smoothing out the frosting. Hopefully it tastes prettier than it looks!

Until next time, weekend!

The Kiddos

Today was a busy day of church, grocery shopping, cooking, visiting Sarah and family to bring them dinner, and more grocery shopping. We didn't get home for the day until about 8:30 or so. Whew!

My favorite part of the day was, of course, visiting with the kiddos.

Anna the butterfly.

Kathryn the princess with her baby brother.

Do cuter kids exist? I don't think so!

The Weekend

We got to see Ezra again today. I am obsessed with that little boy. Sarah said he's getting cuter every day, and even though it really doesn't seem possible to improve on his cuteness, he did, indeed, get cuter.

Ezra snuggling with Uncle Jon

She took a picture of me and all three of my favorite kids, so I'll have to post that when I get it.

After visiting the new family of five, we headed out to have dinner at Jon's parent's house. Steak, potatoes, broccoli and salad - yum! I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful in-laws.

Jon's cat, Molly, sleeping at my feet

We had a great, restful Saturday. Thank you, Lord, for the weekends!

Workshops and Babies

Today was a busy day. I had a workshop to go to today, so I had a sub for the second day in a row. I was so nervous that I hadn't left everything out for her (I wasn't expecting to need a sub yesterday, so I didn't know how everything was left in my classroom) so I called her this morning on my way to the workshop. She told me not to worry, so I didn't.


The workshop was great! I got HIP HOP Alphabop, one of Jack Hartman's CDs, and was able to make 3 class books and several other classroom materials to go along with the songs from the CD.

A small sampling of my loot!

After the workshop I stopped by work to pick up assessments for my students because report cards are due tomorrow. I have a mom this year who volunteered to help me assess my students, and I am SO thankful for her. She spent the last two days in my classroom, while I was not there, working. She is amazing! Then I came home and had to do part of my Differentiated Reading Instruction course. We met as a group on Adobe Connect. I had never heard of it before, but we all log in and we can see who is in the room, we can take turns talking, writing, etc. Pretty nifty. After that I spent the evening doing report cards. They are finished, for the most part. Yippee!

Ok, now on to the exciting things! I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW! We already all know that, but I'm still excited. Sarah texted me yesterday morning at 6 saying that her water had broken, so I got a sub for the day. Little Ezra William was born at 5:39, weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and 20 inches long. Sarah invited me to be in the room during the birth, which I was absolutely honored to do. What an amazing experience. Sarah did GREAT, and I am so proud of her!

He is such a handsome little guy. I can't get over how cute his widdle nose is. And I swear I saw dimples in his cheeks when he made a face last night. I want to just eat him up.

Ezra adoring his mommy.

Ezra and his proud Auntie Katie.

Too cute!

We love you, Ezra!

Happy Birthday!!!

I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW!!!

I am not going to post details or pictures until Mommy gets a chance to do so. However, he is one handsome little guy. I'm in love!

I was invited to be in the room, and it was an amazing experience. I am so proud of my sister - that's hard work! I'm exhausted, and all I did was hang out.

As soon as she posts details and photos, I will as well. I am just dying to show him off and brag. My favorite photos from today will have to wait until tomorrow, so until then I will leave you with a photo I took today while at Sarah's house. This is a photo of his diaper compared to a package of wipes. I can't get over how tiny newborn diapers are. Teehee.

Happy Birthday, baby boy! I love you so much already, and can't wait to find out all about you. You are so very special, and are already loved by so many people.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26  Love, Aunt Katie ♥