Friday, May 27, 2011

Friday Facts and Photos : Last Week of School Edition

Last weekend was a fun break from routine.  Jason, Connor, and I had the company of the Jessops (Bo, Carrie-Nell, Leila Grace, and Luke) for the weekend.  Carrie-Nell was celebrating her 30th birthday, and we had a few surprises up our sleeves.

The Jessops drove down on Friday afternoon, and our first stop was at Guthrie's in Somerset for a bday dinner.  Carrie-Nell and I both got different versions of a shrimp dish.  It was delicious!  Jason had the blackberry barbecued chicken, which is also one of my favorites.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the yummy food.  :( 

On the way home, I called Mom and Linds, and they put my surprise plan into action.  They so kindly came to our house, set up the cake and gifts, and were waiting to sing "Happy Birthday" to CN when she walked in.


With some help from Bo, I learned Carrie-Nell's favorite cake, red velvet with cream cheese icing.


We sang, CN opened gifts, and then we dug into the cake.  It was delicious (Just in case you think I'm bragging on my own baking skills, a delicious bakery in town made the cake for me.  It is called Expressions from the Heart, and I would recommend their work to anyone.  The cake was moist, the icing was delicious, and the owner is great to work with.






By the time the bday celebration was over, we were all exhausted, so we headed to bed for another day of fun on Saturday.

Saturday morning I made my version of Lynn's Paradise Cafe's (one of our favorite Louisville restaurants) Bourbon Ball French Toast (minus the bourbon). I blogged about the recipe in this post.





After a relaxing morning at home, Carrie-Nell and I headed out, leaving the two oldest kiddos with Jason and Bo, and taking baby Luke with us.  Our plan was to have pedicures, but they were extremely crowded, so we window-shopped a bit instead.  I ended up with a great dress (for only $14.95) that I plan to wear on our Alaskan cruise this summer for one of the formal nights, but I also think it can be reused for weddings, prom chaperoning, and maybe even a rare fancy date night with Jason.  The cream color probably isn't the most flattering on my skin tone, but I love the subtle pattern and shine, so I bought it anyway.

We were both a little disappointed in not getting pampered, but Carrie-Nell also got a top and a great pair of Lucky jeans for a great price, so it was, all in all, a successful trip.  This just means that the guys owe us a pedicure next time we all get together.  :)

The kids were napping when we returned home, as they had worn themselves out playing outside in the beautiful weather on Saturday.

After a few more hours of just hanging out, Jason and Bo grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs, and Carrie-Nell and I walked to the store next to our house to order some onion rings (They make my favorite!).  We came back, pigged out, and then worked off a few calories by walking up to visit with Mom, Dad, and Linds.

Saturday night was spent giving baths, feeding babies, and attempting to control the lovely chaos that ensues with three children, all on their own schedules.  Somehow, though, it all worked, and I was sad to go to bed Saturday night, knowing that the Jessops would be leaving on Sunday morning.

Jason had to preach in Monticello Sunday, so we were gone seemingly soon after the sun came up, so we weren't even able to say a proper goodbye to our guests.  However, it was one of the most fun weekends in recent memory.  I just wish I had taken more photos of the kids playing together.

Connor was especialy fascinated with Luke.  In fact, he still even asks, "Baby?" randomly throughout the day.  It was sweet to see him being so gentle and affectionate with baby Luke.

I cannot say, though, that Connor was as gentle with Leila.  He is just more rough than her in general, and I always feel terribly when he knocks her over, or throws a toy, or runs his cart into her.  He is usually a sweet boy, but for some reason he just isn't as gentle with children his own age, especially girls.  I hope this doesn't reflect on how he'll act when he's older.


While the weekend was busy and fun, the rest of this week has been just as full.  Here is a run-down:

Monday: Connor and I attemped to attend the Senior Awards at the ANC, but after about 40 min. Connor was done and I had to sneak out.  I tried, but now that is both vocal and mobile, it is SO hard for me to get him to sit still for too long.  That night, I also helped Linds make gooey bottom brownies (recipe coming soon) for her friends while Connor around with Mimi and Pops.  While all of this was happening, Jason was getting the night off to hang out at home and play videogames, a much needed break from a busy end-of-year schedule.

Tuesday: After school, I came home, made beef enchiladas, along with chips, salsa, and queso, and ate quickly.  This was my night to have some girl time with Lindsay and Elizabeth, and we had a fantastic, relaxing, fun time.  Even better, when I got home, Jason had cleaned out and reloaded the dishwasher.  He's the best.

Wednesday: This was our only night home this week as a family.  We made chicken strips, peas, and mashed potatoes (which Connor tried to throw across the room), and spent the evening just hanging out with Connor, mostly playing in the floor.  Because of the danger of impending storms, we slept in the basement, and Connor did NOT sleep well in his Pack N Play this time.  He woke up crying several times (I think he was scared because he didn't know where he was.), and the final time, at about 3 a.m., we took him up to his crib, since the storm threat was over.  He then slept great...until about 6:10.

Thursday: The last day of school for students.  If you are a teacher, this day is dreaded.  It is basically mass chaos.  Finals were over yesterday, so there are no grades left to take, nothing left to do but clean the room, stack desks in the hallway, and then watch the day inch by ever so slowly.  While I enjoyed from great visits from graduating seniors whom I will miss terribly, overall the day was long and painful.  The only upside was that I had the foresight to bring the Wii, so I was at least able to get work done (and play a few games of Just Dance) to make the day bearable.  That afternoon, I had a meeting at LWC, so I, of course, ran by Cafe on the Square to get one of their amazing sugar cookies.  I am slightly obsessed.

The best sugar cookie...EVER.

Friday:  Tody was Records Day for teachers. Once school, I rushed home to get ready for graduation at 7.  I was especially sad to say goodbye to this year's seniors, as they have been overall one of my favorite groups of students to teach. 

Graduation itself was quite touching.  The graduating class of 2011 is one of my favorite, and one of the most motivated and talented groups we have seen.  There were two dynamic personalities who spoke (Ben and Tra), and, surprisingly, I was for the first time in my teaching career, mentioned in the commencement address from one of the senior students.  It was quite touching, and I remembered yet again why I do what I do.  I truly do love, despite all the stress at this time of year, sharing my passion for literature with students, and, hopefully, impacting their lives in some positive manner.

with Ben, one of my most talented students ever

Jason and Kerry

Connor and Mommy at graduation

Jason with Taylor, Kerry, Cody, and Martin

Afterward, I was coerced asked to help work Project Graduation.  I stayed until a little after midnight, and now I am finally home, about to post this entry. 

It has been a long week, as the last week of school inevitably is, but the end is in sight.  After the holiday weekend, I have Tues., Wed., and Thurs. to work at school, and then SUMMER officially begins!  Although the summer will be busy, I am looking especially forward to being home with Connor and Jason, a more relaxed pace, and lots of fun, food, and travel!  I feel so blessed to have my job, and part of that blessing is to have the summer (or at least part of it, after PD days, meetings, etc...) to recoup for next year, something we are about to prep for in our PDs next week.


Other random facts for the week:

- Connor has started calling his "Yo Gabba Gabba" blanket "guppy."  Not sure what it means, but it sounds cute.  :)

- We discovered at Guthrie's that Connor LOVES asparagus.  Who knew?  He also loves zucchini, mushrooms, Japanese food (especially the rice and veggies), and shrimp.

- Connor calls everything sweet "cake," whether or not it is a cake, cupcake, cookie, ice cream, etc...  He definitely has a sweet tooth (like me), so we have to limit his exposure to all of these goodies and make sure he has eaten well before allowing any "treats."

- Today brought an exciting pronunciation development.  Connor has always said "Bada" instead of "Gabba" when he refers to his favorite tv show, "Yo Gabba Gabba."  Just today he started saying, "Gabba."  As excited as I am, I think I might miss his cute little mispronunciation.


Random photos from this week:
sporting one of Daddy's shoes


Handsome 20 month old (as of tomorrow, May 28th)


doing his "Yo Gabba Gabba" funny face

sharing some food with Mommy (the knot on his head is from falling on the pavement at Gran's house this week)
He loves sitting like a big boy on the barstool (with supervision, of course)


hangin' with Muno

early morning yawn


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Lovely post! This was a busy week, indeed! I enjoyed the graduation ceremony, too. It was touching, and I am in utter disbelief that I will be walking across that stage in one short year!