A New Semester

Tomorrow is records day and then I get three new Biology classes for the rest of the year. Just to take a moment away from Davey news, I wanted to brag a little bit on my classes for the fall semester. Those of you readers that have been away from high school for a while...should be thankful! School today is much different than what I graduated from 10 years ago. One main difference is the mass of state standardized tests they have to take. Indiana has created 5 or more tests to be taken at the end of required academic classes called the Core 40 End-of-Course Assessments. Over the next few years, students will not be able to get their credits or graduate unless they pass each one. So...the Biology test is a tough one, but my students totally kicked butt on them! In fact the only class at Madison High that bet our average was the honors class! We won't get the state average until the end of the year, but based on last year's average, 15% more kids passed than average! Hopefully this semester's kids will absorb as much information.

Davey is getting back to his normal eating habits after about a week and a half of a cold that made him not eat as much. He was still a happy baby through it all, just snotty and coughy. Hopefully it is on the way out. He loves crawling around the house seeing what he can get in to. We have planted kid-friendly adult things around so he can play and feel like he is really doing something cool! The bottom cabinets in the kitchen are filled with plastic ware and other things he can play with while I am cooking. He prefers this much more than me dragging in toys from the living room. Right now is playing music with one of those spring door stoppers...ahhh...to be a baby!

I am deep into a trans-Atlantic vacation planning with my friend Hannah in the UK. Our Spring Break trip is starting to take shape. It looks like we are going to fly into London, travel up to Nottingham, hike around the Peak District, and then end back in London! We booked our stay in London in a non-traditional way. Instead of staying in a hotel or B&B, we are staying in an extra room with a London family! The At Home in London agency, pairs travellers with families in London to make their trip more affordable and interesting. The host provides beds, breakfast, and help getting around. We are really looking forward to it. We are staying with a writer who has a Victoria home near the Notting Hill area in West London. We will let you know how it turns out when we return.

Living Great in 2008!

Cheesy title, I know! THe Shaw family didn't even make up to see midnight NYE this year. I gues Davey has a good excuse...just being 9 months old now. The excuse for me and Josh is that we stayed up really late the night before going to the Colts game with Shannon and Jason. It was the last regular season game in the Dome (always known as the Hoosier Dome in my house). It was a good game (though we didn't win)...didn't get to see much of Peyton playing this time and I guess that is okay. I also remember the five times I got to march on the astroturf at state competition for marching band. That was always a good time.

Davey has had some great moments already in 2008. He loves to eat whatever we are eating and has a short patience with being fed by a spoon. He wants to do it all himself. While we are still working on MaMa...he is great at saying DaDa and something that means cat and dog to him. We bundle him up at least 3 times a week in the back pack carrier and go for a hike. He loves every minute of it! I will have to get a new picture of him now with his new hat and mittins. He also loves the bath...this has become a great way to warm him up after being outside.

His little personality is starting to become stronger and stronger each day. Of course when I say personality...I mean his strong will and stubborness. But he gets it honest! He is starting to figure out what "No" means, but now likes to ignore it! Especually when it comes to playing with the cat toys...who knows what goes through that boy's head.

He loves the new wagon that Grandpa got him for Christmas. After a ride on it, he will turn away from me when I say "Up Up". (Ususally this gets him to raise his arms up at me so I can pick him up.) Davey also gives great open mouth kisses...and there is an extra bonus when he has a runny nose! One thing that all mom's have to embrace is BODY FLUIDS! I never knew all the wonderous colors, smells, and sounds that could come out of my little wild man!