Jonathan and his good friend, Aqui. He and Aqui were on the same team last year. 
Jonathan played center today...for the first time ever. He gave some great snaps.
Jonathan loves to play the rusher. Future linebacker???
Cute boy!
Half time with his team.
He got that flag.
After the game. We won!
Before school started, all the teachers on my team got together and decorated these awesome cookies. My friend and co-worker, Wren baked them and then we all decorated them as to what our theme is. I do the black/apple/dots so the apple worked great for me. I put them in bags with a little tag and tied a ribbon on it. I wanted to be able to give them something at the open house.
This is the board I use during circle time. We go over the calendar, weather, Bible verse, number, and letter. We use the Abeka curriculum...and I add ALOT to it.
I made this Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom tree. That is one of my favorite books and I use alot of activities focused around that book for learning the alphabet.
I got this birthday decoration new this year. I love it!
This is where the kids come hang up their things.
See...I had their cookies waiting for them along with a folder full of information.
Seth with his 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Prizer. A couple of the teachers I work with...their kids had Mrs. Prizer in previous years and just raved about her. Well from the first time we met her, which was Friday's open house, I knew they were right! She has a sweet, loving spirit and seems so nurturing. Right away, she ASKED Seth if she could give him a hug. :) I loved that. Seth said he had a great day and he loves her already.
Jonathan with his 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Jackson. I know Mrs. Jackson from volunteering at the school last year. She is an amazing teacher and has a genuine love and passion for kids. She is the kind of 5th grade teacher everyone should have...like I did with my 5th grade teacher, Miss Guire. Jonathan's going to have a great year...he will switch classes for Reading and Science and Social Studies and he will go to FOCUS (Gifted Program) one day a week. I'm so proud of Jonathan...he works so hard. I can't believe this will be his last year of elementary school.
I had to write about the Lego shoes. Seth needed new shoes to start the school year of course. I took him to Shoe Carnival and normally, I always make suggestions (strong ones!) about the shoes he should have, but this year, he spotted these shoes and ran right to them. At first I thought about refusing to get them when he asked for them, but no...I could tell he wanted them so badly that I told him, "OK!"...he was like, "Really?!"...he held them in the car on the way home...he looked at them several times that evening...and then he slept with them that night! I kinda get that...shoes sure make me happy too! Oh and yesterday, he was upset when he got home because his shoes had a little dirt on them!
My sweet boy going to a new school. Yay! He and Jonathan are at the same school this year! 
Off they go! I have to say, I worked alot of yesterday in my classroom at my school, but all day I wondered how they were doing and I missed them. Summer ended too quickly here for sure.
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
Ingredients: 1 box lemon cake mix
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine - softened
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 lemon - grated
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions: In a mixing bowl, blend dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg.
Press into a 9 x 13 pan, ungreased.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Gradually blend in the powdered sugar.
Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth.
Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture and refrigerate it for later use.
Beat the remaining 2 eggs, add the vanilla, and then beat this mixture into the remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended.
Spread over the cake mixture.
Bake at 350° until set, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool completely.
Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars.
Refrigerate until firm; then cut into squares and serve.
Me with my friends, Rachelle, Tobi Mechelle, and Jenni.
Tobi Mechelle and her husband, Mike
Me with my best friend forever...BFF! Tobi Mechelle (she goes just by Mechelle now that she's all grown up. :)) and I have been best friends since I can remember. We had the fortunate situation of being not only best friends, but cousins as well. Her dad and my mother are brother and sister who are 15 months apart! Neat huh?! She lives in Plano and I would give anything to be closer to her and her sweet family. It's really kinda unfair that we have to live this far apart. Maybe after retirement we can move there. Who knows?! I love her like my own family because she is, but even if she wasn't...because she is my best friend in the world.
No, I wasn't drinking double fisted...I always ended up holding everyone's drinks! And why my friend, Patrick was holding money, I have no idea! Pictured: Me, Steve, Rachelle, Tobi Mechelle, and Patrick. This crew can still have fun!
Steve, me, and Tobi Mechelle.
My classmate/friend Adam with his wife Karen.
My friend Missy and her husband John.
The high school sweethearts. :) Ginger and Mike.
My friend, Ginny and her husband Joe.
I love these girls!
So much fun together! Rachelle and I with our friend, Shane. I miss him so much. He lives in Alaska so way far away.
The gang...the ones who were there. I think we had about half and half. We have lost 5 classmates to death...that's like 10 percent of our class. So sad.
Me and Rachelle. I always brag that Rachelle was my friend before anyone at my school. She dated my cousin who was like my brother so we hung out alot before she moved to my school a couple of years later.
And Nate loves my BFF too!
Misty with her husband, Bud. They still live there and she teaches at the school where I went in elementary.
Tobi Mechelle with another Shane. I remember riding around town in his jeep listening to Def Leppard, Bad Company, and Cinderella! ha!
Rachelle and Nate
I love Patrick. He was the class clown!
Robby and Jenni's husband, Jamie. Jamie and Jenni live in OKC so I might live by them again! We'll see!
Rachelle and her husband, Chad with Shane.
