This week

This is so frustrating!  I just wrote a really long post and lost the top half of it.  I tried to click undo and get it all back but it didn't work and it didn't save as a draft.  Now I have to try to remember it all.  This past Wednesday was pumpkin day in Andrew's class.  It was a fun day and I made pumpkin pancakes for his class.  I got a recipe from a teacher at school but when I tried making them at home the texture was all wrong and Andrew didn't like them.  I didn't want to mess them up for the kids that day so I spent all morning Tuesday making different recipes to try to perfect these pumpkin pancakes.  In the end I just went to Target and bought the Archer Farms pumpkin pancake mix and they turned out great!  The kids loved them and were very happy!  They also got to make a pumpkin dessert after lunch using crushed graham crackers, vanilla pudding, canned pumpkin pie mix, and of course whipped cream.  They put graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the cup, then added pudding and a little pumpkin pie mix if they wanted and stirred it and then whipped cream on top.  It actually tasted like pumpkin pie although very few added the pumpkin mix into it.  

Today (Friday) was Grace's field trip.  We went to a local pumpkin patch and it was very interesting.  The lady leading the tour was a little grouchy and told the kids if they stepped off the path the pumpkins would bite them which terrified a little boy in our class and then she told them the corn maze was REALLY scary.  The lady finally apologized to the whole group for telling them the pumpkins would bite.  She was trying to be silly when she said it but she wasn't at all.  Each student also got a pumpkin at the end of the tour and we got on the buses and headed for the park to eat lunch.   Overall it was a good day!

This morning, Grace was the shining star at school.  She got to say the pledge of allegiance on the intercom for the whole school to hear.  It was so cute!  I was a little worried that she wouldn't do it since I was in the room but she did it!  Her voice was quiet but everyone was able to hear her.  A lot of people were surprised that she did it since she usually won't talk to anyone!  She got a lot of prizes....a coupon for a free kids meal at Carrow's, a book, bookmark, pencil, eraser, water bottle, and a little toy bug.  Then after the field trip during activity time, it was her turn to play on the iPad.  She was really excited.  It was such an exciting day for her.  I attached the first part of the video below.  I accidentally stopped the video and had to start it again but you can hear what her teacher said about her and the beginning of the pledge. 

Last Day

Here it is.....my last day.  Today, (the 12th), is my last day.  I have been very emotional and so have my students.  When I told them several (more like at least half) cried.  It was so heart breaking.  I'm not sure if I could do this again and break their hearts like this.  It has been a good experience and I have learned a lot but it has also been extremely hard and trying.  Now that I know the end is near I am looking forward to being at home drinking coffee and eating bon bons on the couch.  Well maybe not the last part but I am looking forward to being home more.  With both kids in school now I will have several hours a day to myself and I've never had that.  I quit working 2 weeks before I had Andrew and have been with kids ever since.  I'm not sure how I feel about all that time alone.  David may expect me to have a really clean house and a stocked refrigerator and dinner on the table.  Kind of scary!!!!!

Just wanted to stop in with an update.  I have several more cards to write to my kiddos.  I had the bright idea of writing them each a note and now that I'm half way through I am exhausted and still have teacher gifts to do and cards to write to the team I worked with.  I'll stop back in for pictures of the cute little gift I put together for my kiddos. 

Endings

I found out today that the position I applied for and am currently teaching was given to a teacher that requested a transfer.  I am disappointed but relieved to finally know.  Tomorrow I find out my last day.  I am very attached to these kids but I knew this would happen.  I am ready to get my house back in order (although I'm not looking forward to being the one to get it back in order) and volunteer in my kids classrooms.  I definitely miss that!  I already have some jobs lined up and know that I will probably stay busy subbing and just enjoying the kids being in school and maybe working on my scrapbooks.  Heck, I can even take a nap in the middle of the day if I want!!!!  How awesome is that!  Oh, and now I can go on Grace's field trip to the pumpkin patch at the end of the month.  I didn't think I was going to be able to because of working and told Grace that which made her a little sad but then tonight I told her I could and she was jumping up and down and so incredibly excited!!!! 

Just wanted to update you on that.  Kids are doing great in school.  We have parent conferences tomorrow morning although I already know they are both doing very well. Wednesday-Friday are actually conference days so the students go home at 1:20 and we meet with parents all afternoon.  I'm doing conferences but will probably cancel a few that are late in the day since I won't be staying in the classroom.  Trying to make time for packing up and moving everything out and figuring out what is mine and what stays.  Won't be fun trying to move everything out!