Too soon

I am getting ready to start the school year again soon. Only this time, I will have my own classroom for the first time. I am super excited, scared, nervous, and many other adjectives that elude me right now. I have SOOOO much to do to prepare- room prep, lesson plans, curriculum development, etc. At the same time I am trying to deal with the loss of the priveldge of staying home with Johanna full-time. It has been a fabulous summer full of fun times together. We've had play-dates, swimming fun, story-time, lunches out, and lots more. It has been a blast. I've really enjoyed having time to cook dinner and just be mom. I am sure that my perspective on staying home was slightly skewed by the fact that I knew I would be going back to work in August. I am sure that it gave me a little more patience to know that my stay-home mama days were numbered.

On the other hand, I couldn't ask for a better career as a mom. I get home early and have quite a few holidays. I love teaching. I know that this is what the Lord has planned for me during this season of my life. He worked everything out. He provided a job and childcare in a way which left no doubt about His hand and blessing in the matter. This being said, it doesn't make going back any easier.

Isn't it ironic that us moms are always our harshest critics. I have been able to see things from both perspectives. As a stay-at-home mom it was a struggle to not feel like everything always had to be perfect. If the laundry wasn't done, the house not clean, or dinner not cooked- it was difficult to not feel guilty. When I am at home I feel like I should cook or bake the cake no matter how crazy the day was or how tired I am. However, when I am working I have absolutely no guilt about ordering that pizza or getting someone else to make the birthday cake. When I am working, every second that I have at home gets spent on the floor or on the ground playing with Johanna. When I am working I can ignore dirty floors and a huge pile of laundry and not feel as guilty about it.

I guess it's all about the expectations we put on ourselves. After being on both sides, I just believe that us moms should support each other and not be too critical. We never know the struggle or the reasons that someone else does what they do. And we all always have our harshest critic staring right back at us every morning. I think one of those is enough.

18 months

Johanna is not officially 18 months old until Saturday, but we had her check-up a week ago. I just can't believe that she is growing so fast. It is happy and sad to look at her and realize that she is a little girl now, no longer a baby. She says well over 100 words and will string them together into 2 and 3 word sentences. She is all about her stuffed animals and her purses (an actual purse or any bag with a strap). She is such a girl! She will throw her purse over her shoulder and walk to the door saying "bye-bye" or "shopping." I claim absolutely no responsibility for this behavior! She also loves to tuck in her animals and dolls for bed. She puts them in her chair and covers them up with a pillow. It is so cute!

She has recently shown some interest in the tv which started with daddy showing her part of Finding Nemo. She now regularly comes downstairs, points at the tv and says, "memo, shish pease" which is her slang for "nemo fish please!" She also likes to watch Elmo's world (part of sesame street).

She has become very interested in gum. She likes to sneak into the drawer where we keep it and steal some. I'll give her little pieces to try. She tries so hard to chew it, but ends up swallowing it within a few minutes. She tries to pry her hand into the mouth of others who are chewing gum so she can "see, see" what they are doing with it.

Recent stats-
Head circumference- I totally forget at this moment, but I remember that she was in the 70th percentile

Weight- 26 lbs 11 oz 80th percentile

Height- 34 1/2 inches - way off the charts!


She is sooooo tall for her age! When she plays with other kids her age, she dwarfs them! The doctor says that she is the perfect weight for her height and that everything else looks great! We still have some struggles with skin rashes, but I think it is getting better as she gets older.

It has been a GREAT 18 months, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Duck goes Mexican

On another fabulous evening in Mexico, the three of us (duck, Brian, and myself) got to eat at the reservation only Mexican restaurant at our resort. It was amazing! I think it was Brian's favorite of the whole trip. Duck was happy because none of his close relatives were on the menu at this place. After dinner we sat outside, listened to a great saxophone player with his band, and went for a walk. Here are some pics from the evening-









And just to prove duck's impeccable manners- here he is kissing the boo-boo of the poor person slipping on the floor.