Groovy...

One of the Juniors snapped this picture of me and Mr. Kilpatrick (aka the biology teacher) on Homecoming Day.  I'm so glad she did because this is the only picture that was taken of me in my full 60's attire.  Don't I look oh so groovy? :)

More Homecoming!!!

Homecoming Week came to an end yesterday, and WHAT a week it was.  I didn't really require my kids to do much "work", and I know as a teacher, that is a huge no-no.  But considering they were all dressed up wild and crazy, I would have put more work and effort into getting things ready for them only to have them not be easy to handle or being productive at all.  Despite the flood on Tuesday, it was a really great week.  A LOOOOOOOONG week, but a great one!

Topping off the week was a pep rally including a skit written and acted out by the Junior class.  They spent a good deal of time during my class working on it.  It turned out really cute, and despite some tense and nervous students, it all worked out beautifully.  I was really proud of them all!  I think the audience even liked it, too!  

After the pep rally, there was a homecoming parade through the streets of Macon!  So fun!!!  Each class spent the last two weeks working on their class floats, and since this year is the 40th anniversary of our school, the homecoming theme was "Decades."  Each class got to select a particular decade, and tenth grade chose the 60's.  An adult had to ride on each float to be "in charge", and as sophomore class sponsor/homeroom teacher, I was the "adult" on their float.  I had the best time!!!!  I'm sure my kids think I am a TOTAL lunatic, but I had a blast!!!  

And, to top it all off, we won the float competition, and they get a day out of school.  Sadly, ol' class sponsor doesn't!  :( Boo!

the winners of the float competition! 

 the football players and cheerleaders ride fire trucks, and the other students ride their floats.  these are my 'babies'!  Loved riding that float with them!  I'm ready for next year!!!  **and yes, I am in this picture!

 

The homecoming court was presented at halftime of the game last night, and the girls were all beautiful!  But the BEST news---the Vikings defeated the Cougars last night.  I can't remember the exact score, but I think it was something like 40-12!  We are now 6-1, and we will most likely be playing in the play off games on our way to a state championship!!!!  Go Vikes!!!!

Another new picture that I am absolutely loving!!!

 

The field sidelines are really close to the lowest section of the home bleachers, so whenever the guys come off the field, they can hear you if you're just talking in a normal voice to them.  Well, Trevor (on the left) and Andrew were taking a breather, and Anna & Maggie walked right to the end of the stands and started talking to them.  All my guys are awfully sweet to my babies and they girls just think those big ol' boys are the BEST!

Anna Banana watching over Trevor!

Still watching!  

And poor Hunter, not able to be QB--taking it all in on the sidelines.

Some Homecoming Pics

Just wanted to share a few of our pictures from Homecoming Week!  More are coming!

Camouflage Day!! (this was a before school shot, so none of them were really awake, hence the deer in headlights look!)

had to get one of me and the girls on camo day!

twin day!  

Anna & Maggie have twin day covered everyday, but I just couldn't see letting Reese be without a twin.  They were triplets for twin day! :)  This one is becoming a new favorite picture!  Such sweet (and funny) faces!

Waterlogged!

The high school kids had quite the interesting day today at school, as did all the teachers!

Our morning started off in the usual way, but I was upset that it was raining outside.  I'm not a big fan of rain (I appreciate and know we have to have it, but I just don't like it), and I am a horrible "rain driver."  Especially if it's heavy, big rain.  Well, when we left for school, it was just light, normal rain--no problem.

The closer we got to Macon, the harder it rained, but it wasn't anything that made me too nervous nor was it anything I couldn't handle.  After all, I did drive through the tornado that hit Columbus in 1993/94.  One thing that did make me a little nervous was the sight of a trampoline wrapped around a light pole about four miles from the school.  That's just not something you see everyday.  We get about two miles from the school and the absolute bottom drops out---hard, heavy rain.  So hard that I could hardly see the road.  This is when Anna & Maggie decide they need to tell me something, which was absolutely impossible to understand since the radio was up kinda loud to drown out the sound of the rain.  

I get them in the building and once that was done, I drove around to the front of my building, not thinking about the mesh tennis shoes I'm wearing or the fact that it has been raining in Macon since around 5am.  I get out of the van and step into two huge puddles, thus making my shoes like boats taking on water.  I finally make it to my classroom where I immediately take off my socks and shoes; no way was I gonna stand in soaked shoes all day.   I remembered that I had my bedroom shoes in the car that were there for pajama day yesterday (did I mention that it's dress up/Homecoming week this week?).  I wore my bedroom shoes pretty much all day waiting on my socks to dry.  

The bell rings for school to begin, and the kids are totally fascinated by the whirlpool of water that it occurring outside my window.  Several kids came in to look and when I went to the door, water was coming in the front and back doors to the school.  Water made its way into the office, the cafeteria, the kitchen, and many many classrooms---including mine!  

The headmaster wanted to meet with everyone in the cafeteria for a quick minute before it totally flooded, but one problem for ol' Mrs. Manning---I would have been wading in water in bedroom shoes from my room to the cafe.  I managed to talk one of my Juniors into carrying me into the cafe.  Bless his heart!   I told him just not to make any wise cracks about how heavy I am! :)

All the first and second period classes met in the gym where several kids played basketball or kickball.  Many had to get pictures with their friends who had dressed up for career day today.  (I've never seen so many kids be so 'camera happy' in my life.  Many photo happy moms but no teenage kids!)  While in there, the counselor came in to let me and another teacher know that we needed to move our cars QUICKLY before they flooded.  Another one of my Juniors volunteered to move my car for me; he had on hiking boots and wasn't worried about getting his feet wet.  Thanks Austin!  The ol' bedroom shoes just wouldn't have made it in the Central flood of '08!

Once break was over, all high school classes were moved to the elementary building; it's sort of on a hill, but needless to say I didn't make many of my classes 'do' anything!  CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY day!!!!!  AND WILD WILD WILD KIDS!  They're already a little more spirited than usual due to the fact that it's homecoming week, but if I never have a day like this one again it will be waaaaaaaaaaaaay too soon!

the girls at home before leaving for school on pajama day!  wouldn't it be great if everyday was pj day?  left to right:  Reese (obviously), Anna & Mags!

me and Megan--she's a sophomore and I am the sophomore homeroom teacher.  she's also class president and a cheerleader.  a very sweet girl!  and cute, too!  standing next to her just makes me look old and chubby!

So Excited!

I just have to share my excitement with all of you this fine morning.

Every Monday, the girls bring home all their "work" that they've done in school during the previous week.  They aren't signed papers or anything, but this way we're "in" on what they're working on at school.  Well, Monday, I was a bit of a slacker mom and didn't check their backpacks.  Didn't do it once we got home; didn't check before we went to bed; didn't check first thing Tuesday morning.  Did I mention that I'm a slacker?

Anyway, Reese was rummaging through her backpack on the way to school Tuesday morning, and she threw her papers on the floor of the van.  They were within my reach, so I decided to pick them up and put them in the passenger seat for a later look.  There was a note on top, which obviously didn't require any flipping of pages, so I took a quick read.  This is where one piece of the excitement comes in----all three of my sweet babies are going on their very first ever for real FIELD TRIP!!!!!!  It is happening on October 17, and their classes are going to a PUMPKIN PATCH!!!!   While at the pumpkin patch, they will get a lunch (pb&j, chips & a drink), be driven out to the patch on a hayride, they get to pick out their own pumpkins, there will be a jumper, they'll get a popsicle and a coloring book!  I think they also have a corn maze and a hay bale maze.   FUN FUN FUN!!!!

When I read the note, I immediately thought about going along as another chaperone.  I wanted to go and be my camera happy self and get lots of pictures of my babies on their first field trip.  But then I thought about the fact that I really didn't need to miss a day of work (or at least I didn't need to miss the money I'd make from that day's work), and I thought that the girls might not behave very well if I went along.  So, once I had gotten to school, I had decided that I wouldn't go along on this trip.

But that was before the headmaster called me into his office.  He asked if I'd heard that the field trip was planned, and then I told him about my dilemma.  Little did I know that he had one of his own.  Since these kids are aged 3-6, they need to ride in car/booster seats with seatbelts.  The school bus doesn't have any (and I have always wondered why the only seat belt on a school bus was for the bus driver....but I digress).  So, the headmaster asked me if I would "mind" going and driving our girls.  I told him not at all, but the MOST exciting/best part came when he told me that the day I'd be missing would be counted as one of the five I already am allowed nor would I be docked any money!!!!!  I was beyond excited!!!  And still am!  I can't wait.  

We'll let you know how we all do.....

She Lost Her First Tooth!!!!

excuse the messy face; this was immediately after the tooth came out and she was rinsing her mouth out with some good ol' H2O!!!

Today was a VERY exciting day in our household.....Reese lost her very first tooth!!!

She came into my room today after school and told me that she had a loose tooth, but I wasn't so sure.  She has said they've been loose before, but they weren't.  I told her to come let me have a look and sure enough, she had a loose one on the bottom.  It was strange to me that it really occurred out of the blue.  She mentioned nothing about a loose one this morning while we were getting ready for school or on the way to school.  It must have just happened!

another shot of our gap!  such a big girl!!!

We immediately called Warren on the way home so Reese could tell Daddy all about it.  I wish you could have seen the excitement and pride on her face as she was talking on the phone.  She also called all the grans (except my dad) to tell them about it.  After getting off the phone, that lil' ol' tongue of hers wiggled that tooth ALL the way home!  

By the time we got home, it was hanging on by a thread!   We tried for the longest to get her to let one of us pull it, but she got scared.  (like I always did when it came to having my teeth pulled.)  She kept wiggling it and pushing it around with her tongue; it was SO loose!!!!  Warren finally convinced her to let him pull it.  He took her onto his lap and with one swift pull---it was out.  I had even walked back to her room to get her teddy bear to hug on while the tooth was being pulled, but by the time I got back to the kitchen with Teddy, the tooth was already out!  I can't tell you how excited we all were.  Mimi was even here to share in the excitement!  Reese was shocked when Warren told her the tooth was out; she had worked herself up into a little frenzy.  She couldn't believe it was over so fast.  And, she was beyond proud of herself that she didn't even need to hug on Teddy!  My baby sure is growing up.......