Conferences

I know, I know, it's been way too long! Last night was our last night of parent-student-teacher conferences, so it's been busy the last week. We run conferences 2 evenings and then one whole day, so they started last Thursday from 4:30-7:30pm, then all day Friday, and Monday from 4:30-7:30pm again. It makes for a long week this week, but it's good to have them done. All in all, they went very well and we had great attendance. 89 of our 100 students were represented, and 86 of those students came and led their conferences. We have student-led conferences because we figure if we're talking about the students, why shouldn't they be there to hear what we have to say. Because we are a team of 5 core teachers, three of us start in one room and the other two start in another room, so we have 2 conferences going at all times. They are 15 minutes long so half way through, the teachers switch rooms and we get to see everybody. It sounds a little chaotic, but it works really well and everyone seems to like the format. It's also nice to have support from colleagues in the room in case things don't go so well. As long as I've been there, there haven't been any problems, but it's nice to be there for each other. So it's great to be done and I can't believe that in a few weeks, the first quarter will be over! Wow, it's going really fast, but it's been a great year so far!
Oh yeah, my 1st period class convinced me to get a beta fish as a class pet, so we have a fish named Pisces. We were studying constellations at the time, so they thought the name was appropriate! I had a bowl and pebbles, and two students volunteered to bring the fish and the plant, so that works for me. So far, all the kids love our fish and enjoy watching it every day. (not that it does anything very interesting, but you know)
I had been telling them about my experience with a class pet my first year. We had a hamster and while it was interesting, I won't be doing it again. Her name was Maci, but I renamed it Houdini, because the stupid thing got out at least once a week. I still have no idea how it got out half the time, but it did. Thank goodness it always went to the same spot under the cupboards, so we could always find it, but it was still a pain. Anyhow, the last time it got out, it fell into one of the sinks that happened to be full of water soaking dishes and the little thing drowned. So, I got rid of all the cages, food, bedding - everything, no more class hamsters! They will have to be happy with a fish!
Anyhow, here are some random pictures of Rylan, since that's what you really want right!!

He loves to take his books and sit up by the fireplace to read. It's so dang cute!
He's gonna be the smartest little guy ever! (not that I'm biased) :)


His new hat, he loves to wear it. If I try to take it off, he gets mad. On the front is a dog next to a fireplace and it says "Life Is Good" on the back. True that!

He recently found an old pacifier and prefers to chew this end. Thank goodness we never had to take it away, he stopped using it on his own at 6 months. Look how red his eyebrows look!
He LOVES to read books and have books read to him. We usually don't get through a whole one before he wants to get another, but I hope that he grows to love reading.
Digging all the toys out.

Climbing on the toybox. I'm surprised he hasn't climbed out of his crib yet (knock on wood) because he has climbed on everything else!

Speaking of reading, this is a cute story about Nick. His mom said that when he was learning to read, he came home from school one day and announced that he didn't want to learn how to read. He decided he would never have to. When Merrilee asked him what his job would be someday if he couldn't read, and he stated that he was going to have a chocolate factory. Merrilee reminded him that even at a chocolate factory, you need to read the recipes so you know how to make the chocolate, but he had that all figured out. He told her that the oompa loompas would read the recipes for him! Needless to say, he did learn to read, but never liked it much until he found reading material that interested him, hunting books and magazines. So if that's all that interests Rylan and that's all he'll read, we already have plenty for him to choose from!

Teething Again

I sure hope this batch of teeth doesn't take 3 months like the last ones! He's been fussier and harder to put to bed, but he's still a sweet little boy. The other night, I had put him down and he was crying so when I could tell he was getting more and more upset, I went in to calm him and then put him back in bed. I didn't turn on any lights but just picked him up to calm him down. While holding him, I smelled something like metal on him, so I was wondering if he had gotten a hold of something in his crib and was eating something metal. So I turned on the light and his face was covered in blood!!!! I'm pretty sure my heart actually stopped for a minute! I can't even described how scary it was to see that. He wasn't visibly bleeding and there wasn't any blood in his crib or on the floor, so we went to the bathroom to clean him off. It was all over his face and his hands. While wiping his face, I found 2 tiny cuts on the inside of his lip, so he either bit his lip or scratched it. Talk about feeling like the worst mom ever for letting him cry in his crib for 10 minutes! Thank goodness he went right to sleep tonight without a fuss. Poor guy! So we've been giving him Motrin before bed and naps, and that seems to help him sleep longer.

Much better!

Rylan is feeling much better now, thank goodness his cold didn't last as long as mine did! He is still sleeping wonderfully and so am I! His newest discovery is how cool belly buttons are. He loves to lift his shirt up to touch his and he's amazed that I have one too! It's hilarious to see the look on his face like, "Wow Mom, you have one too!" Oh to be that intrigued by everything again! What a sweet little boy! Here are some pictures from playing outside yesterday. Notice his saggy shorts! I can't buy outfits anymore because when the shirts are long enough, the pants are way too big. He has his dad's skinny little waist!

A Parade and a sick little boy

Yesterday was the annual Potato Bowl so we went to the parade downtown. It was chilly, but Rylan loved it! I'm very embarrassed to say that we forgot to bring the camera, so we have no record of the event. It was a fun parade though, and Rylan loved the music. It was about a 2 hour parade and he was excellent for the whole thing. My favorite "item" in the parade was the reindeer. Seriously, there is a reindeer ranch around here and they had 2 reindeer on leashes that walked along the parade route. They were so neat! I always thought that reindeer and caribou were the same thing, but after some research I found that reindeer are a relative of the caribou that were domesticated about 2000 years ago in northern Eurasia. Interesting huh?
Anyhow, we had a great day!

Today on the other hand is a different story. I have been battling a cold/sore throat/cough for 2 weeks now and I was hoping that Rylan wouldn't get it. Well, he did, and he sounds horrible today. He slept pretty well, but was up and miserable at 5:30am this morning. I gave him some tylenol cold, but his little voice is so hoarse and he's just crabby. I'm not sure if I should take him to the ER or what, but I know how he feels and it breaks my heart. Poor little guy. So I better go and tend to my baby, and I'll keep you updated.

My Goofball

Yesterday, Rylan was being a complete goof, so I was taking pictures of him. At first, whenever I would point the camera at him, he would shove his finger up his nose and giggle! He loves to be funny!
Then he was having a blast climbing from the couch to the table.

And finally, I got some sweet, sweet smiles!




Oh, and here's the remnants of Tornado Rylan that ripped through our living room! (PS: I wouldn't have it any other way!!!)

We bought a lot!

Yep, we are the proud owners of a 2.5 acre lot just out of town. (across the road is in city limits) So yay for cheap taxes! We're very excited and we can't wait to start planning a home! Right now, our plan is to let it sit over the winter, start dirt work and plant trees in the spring and possibly start building in the fall of 2008.

Here it is! The houses in the background will be our backyard neighbors.

The white post is one corner and Nick is in the tractor, mowing at the other corner.

Here's the empty lot next door, it's all mowed so it's easier to see the size.

Not much to look at yet, but when it's all done, it will be fun to see how it looked at first.

Smarty Pants!

So this afternoon, I was working in the kitchen and Rylan was playing on the floor with the tupperware. He went to the door, picked up my sandals and brought them to me. He tried to put them on me, but couldn't quite get it, so I slipped them on. He then reached up to me, so I picked him up and he pointed to the door. Little bugger wanted to go outside so he thought he would get me ready to go! Smart little cookie we have!