Second Semester Starts

Because we started bac to school so late in August this year, we did not switch semesters at the school I work at until this week. Since we have a straight 4 block schedule, this means that I got all new classes! And these seem to be better than last semester. Once again, I am teaching 3 sections of Freshmen Biology (also filled with upper classmen flunkies) and one remedial ISTEP math course. All of the class are significantly smaller this semester...ranging from just 13 to a high of 23. I wish more people understood that the smaller the classes the less disruptions happen...I don't care if they are all emotionally or learning disabled! The other wonderful thing is that I only have 8 more weeks with them! Luckily, I was able to find highly qualified subs for my maternity leave.

In other news, winter guard season has begun. I have been helping out as much as I can with these girls and they are going GREAT! Yesterday was their first competition and they received 10th place out of 19. And of the 9 they beat were some very big names that are top 10 in the state. I will try to get some pics of the show. It is the best one so far in my opinion.

Josh is still hard at work on the nursery. The walls have color and most of the trim is up. Now on to baseboard, chair rail, and carpet. Some of his time has been sucked away by me. He made some lovely props for the winter guard. He is the unofficial handy man of the guard.

We are starting to accumulate exciting things for the baby. The thing that I am most excited about is the cool stroller that my parents bought for us! I didn't want one that snapped into the car seat...we need something more substantial for our dog walks around town. Check this bad boy! You know it is ready for the off road because it is made by Jeep. It is equipped with a steering wheel for the baby that honks and some sort of capability to hook up a CD player or iPOD to play music for the baby! Do you think I can get away with putting an iPOD on my baby registry?? Maybe not. By far...this kids is going to be the COOLEST in Vernon!

New Year's Greetings

Josh and I had a wonderful time travelling to the Dominican Republic over NYE. My friend, Brenda, that I met at Taylor University got married there. I was one of the bridesmaids! You can see that my belly is getting a bit bigger these days! Her and her new husband live in Chicago. Here are a few pictures from the trip. The beach was gorgeous and we had a very relaxing time at the resort. It was really tough to get back on the plane to go home.

The baby has gotten much stronger in the past week! Josh will look over at my belly often to watch him kick and shift around. Brenda and the other guests at the wedding also enjoyed this entertainment. Only three more months to go!