Oregon or bust!

Back in June, we took our first family "vacation" to Oregon. My parents and sister hadn't had a chance to see Hannah since she was born and my brother-in-law hadn't met her at all.

To be honest, I was really worried about flying with an 8-month old. I did a lot of "research" and took to heart many of the tips that had been shared with me. Fortunately, my worst fears were never realized. Hannah was an amazing baby on each and every flight. Within 5-10 minutes of being in the air she fell asleep and stayed asleep until we were about 10 minutes from landing. She never cried, just got a little fussy, which truly, I was a little fussy as well. We had a great flight attendant on our flight from Grand Rapids to Minneapolis and he made sure that Hannah received her first pair of "wings."

I had a few specific requests for our time in Oregon. You know, a few local restaurants that I just "had" to visit. For example, I had to enjoy my favorite dish (arroz con pollo) at Ixtapa. I really "needed" to enjoy the deliciousness that is Bing's Chinese Kitchen. A stop at Taco Time for their crisp meat burrito was also on the agenda. And of course, no trip to Oregon would be complete without a trip to the coast and a teeny, tiny bowl of clam chowder at Mo's.

Speaking of going to the coast, what a trip that was! My parents rented a van and my sister and brother-in-law came along. Let me just say that while a van can "claim" to carry 7 people, they should really specify that 6 of those 7 people can't all be adults. Tom, Jeremy, and I had to share the bench seat in the back. We were very, very close by the end of the trip. Our trip to the coast started with a tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I grew up eating Tillamook's mild cheddar cheese and to this day, find that it is the BEST CHEESE EVER!! Thankfully, our local Costco carries it. The tour concludes by letting you sample any of their cheeses, which is probably the best part. Of course we couldn't leave without also enjoying some of their yummy ice cream. Poor Hannah wasn't able to partake, but I'm sure she'll have her chance again. We drove down the coast and stopped in Depoe Bay, with the hopes of getting the best salt water taffy available. Sadly, they were already closed. :( We continued on our way and went to Agate Beach. Hannah absolutely LOVED the beach. She loved having the wind blow in her face, she loved putting her little toes in the sand, and even enjoyed putting her feet in the freezing waters of the Pacific.

Other than our day at the beach, we really just spent time relaxing with family. Shannon, Tom, Jeremy, and I had the chance to spend a day together, which was lots of fun. This of course gave Grandma and Grandpa some "quality time" with Hannah, which they loved, of course.

All in all, it was a great trip. Hannah did such a good job - she adjusted to all the changes really well, which was wonderful. Plus taking the trip was just a great way to start off the summer.

Attempting to catch up...

So I'm just a little behind in blogging these days. I'm going to do my best to do a little catching up. Be patient as there may be several posts going up in the next few days! :)

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

June 21, 2003

Do you know where you were, six years ago? I do. I was experiencing one of the happiest days of my life.

It's hard to believe that it has been six years since Jeremy and I stood in front of our family and friends and pledged to love one another, for better and for worse, for richer (when does that happen??) and for poorer, in sickness and in health. We had no idea what God had in store for us, nor do we really know now, but we continue to trust that He will lead us where He wants us to be.

I love you, Jeremy. For better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health.

No Excuse

I wish I had a good excuse for why Hannah's 7-month post is so late in coming, but sadly, I don't. At least not a very good excuse.

However, my sweet baby girl is now over 7 months old and continues to be the best thing in my life. She is constantly on the go, rolling everywhere and anywhere. She desperately wants to crawl, but hasn't quite made it to that point yet. I think it must be so frustrating to be a baby and want to move, to know that somehow your legs and arms will help you move, but to not be able to figure it all out. She is really into standing on my lap and bouncing up and down. For some reason, that is the funniest thing to her and she just laughs and laughs. 

Just this week her first tooth has started to come in. It's breaking through the surface, which has made for a few long, fussy days. Thankfully, her times of happiness far surpass her times of fussiness. 

I sat her on the scale earlier today and she weighed in at 20.2 lbs. She's growing like a weed! She has pretty much grown out of her 6-month clothes and is comfortably wearing her 9-month clothes. I must say, there is nothing cuter than her chunky little legs in a pair of shorts!

I'm eager to be done with school, so that I can spend more time with her. We have plans of trips to the zoo, trips to the park, and lots of time outside. Of course Hannah and I will be deeply lathered in sunscreen during all of these trips.  :)

I say it each month, but I truly can't believe she is already 7-months old. I'm so thankful for who she is and for all that she has brought into my life.

"But I don't speak Greek!"

So, we're in the midst of end of the year, standardized, testing at school.  A necessary evil and one that is dreaded by students and teachers alike.  

At my school, we participate in our state's standardized test in the fall, but we also take another round of standardized tests three times a year - in the fall, winter, and spring. This is a computerized test that gives us a result immediately (unlike the state test), and let's us see a student's growth over a year.

Anyway, during the reading portion of the test, I was wandering around the computer lab, reminding students that I couldn't help them, I couldn't read anything to them (what with it being a reading test and all), and that they just needed to do their best.

One of my students raised his hand and as I walked over to him, I noticed he had a very concerned look on his face. 

Him: "I don't know what the answer is to this question."

*What is the Greek root for the word, city?" 

Of course it had 4 choices, one of which being "-polis."

Me: "Well, just take your best guess."

Him: "But I don't know how to speak Greek!"

Yup - I didn't know what to say either! :)

Oh, by the way, be sure to say thanks to your teachers next week. May 4-8 is National Teacher Appreciation Week!!