Holy Shark Teeth, Batman!

So as Luke and I were driving home from the library this evening, Luke and I have the following conversation:
Luke:  "Mom, one of my teeth hurts." 
Me: "Oh really, which one.  Is it loose?  One day soon, you're going to lose a tooth."
Luke: "No, it's not loose, it just hurts, but I can't wait for my teeth to fall out."
Me:  "You know they bleed when they fall out, right?"
Luke: "Oh, well, it's not loose, it just hurt, but it doesn't now."
Me:  "Well, let me take a look at it when we get home just to make sure it's not loose."

We get home, I start in on folding laundry and Luke sits down at my computer to Paint.  I suddenly remember the tooth conversation and say, "Hey, let's look at that tooth.  Which one was it?"  Luke responds with an "I don't know because it doesn't hurt anymore."  He opens his mouth for me to look in & here is what I see

What???  His 2  bottom front permanent teeth are coming in behind the babies.  And yes - the two babies are loose, which then made Luke cry, because he got nervous that now they really were going to fall out & I stupidly mentioned in the earlier conversation they would bleed when they did.  I got him calmed down about that, but he is not buying into the fact that I told him he needs to start wiggling those babies so we can get them out.  I did a little research, because I was slightly worried that the permanent teeth were coming in before the babies had fallen out.  Apparently, this is not completely abnormal (Whew!) and happens to 1 in 10 kids & they call them "Shark Teeth".  They say the baby teeth usually fall out within a few days & I expect his definitely will since they're already loose.  Fun, fun!

Wow.  I haven't adjusted to the idea that he is going to be 6 at the end of next week, much less to the fact that now he is already losing his teeth.  I'm just not sure that I'm ready for all this!  Sigh...

Spring Break Wrap Up

All good things must end...sad, but true!  It was back to the grind for the Spaeths today.  I have to say, though, that the past 5 days were probably my best break of the entire year.  Shorter than Christmas, but so much less craziness!  I actually felt more rested and relaxed than I have felt for a long time.  So thankful!

We continued our eating binge with a pizza buffet lunch and ice cream supper on Monday & then tried to wean ourselves off the junk with some "normal" food yesterday.  We made a trip to visit Luke's preschool teachers yesterday afternoon.  They were so happy to get to see him and hear all about his kindergarten experiences.  Luke was so nervous when we got there, I almost thought he was going to start crying when he walked into the room.  I don't know what it was, but he was just overwhelmed to see the two ladies who were his teachers for his 2 years in preschool.  After big hugs, all was well again, though.  We capped off the afternoon with a trip to the park.  Fun times, indeed.

And what a gorgeous day today is.  Knowing the nicer weather was on its way, I spent a little time revisiting my favorite spring/summer activity to get my feet ready for flip-flops and open-toed shoes!  I love this time of year!

Spring Break, Days 2-4

Saturday was another beautiful day.  Our morning walk was a little chilly, but with the sun shining brightly down, it was hard to even notice the slight bit of chill.  To quote John Denver, "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy."  Hard to argue with that!  Brandon's brother arrived from Des Moines around 2:30 and we left for Stroud's around 3:40 for our annual birthday dinner for Brandon's mom.  Over the years, we have learned to arrive earlier and earlier for our trip to Stroud's.  This year, because the weather was so nice and maybe because of the Big 12 Tournament being in town, we still had close to an hour's wait.  We entertained ourselves outside by looking at the geese and swan at the pond and walking around the grounds.  Luke drummed up his inner cowboy and the time passed fairly quickly.

Now there have been other years where we have waited 1-2 hours and the weather has been cold, which means you're crammed into the tiny waiting area with what seems like a bazillion people.  Not this year!  And of course, the food was worth the wait.  The chicken, the mashed potatoes and gravy, the green beans, the STICKY BUNS!  So amazingly good...always makes me think of the fried chicken dinners my grandma used to make.  We just don't cook like that around here!  After all the dinner we stuffed ourselves with, we came back here and plied ourselves with cheesecake too.  I probably didn't really even need to eat anything yesterday after all that food.  Of course, I did eat and I didn't work out, but hey, it's spring break!

Yesterday, was a pretty dull, all around boring day, and that was okay.  I took a great nap and did a lot of laundry.  I am excited that we have now "sprung forward".  I know it's a little hard to adjust to that "lost" hour, but come on, it's going to stay light later...who doesn't love that? 

And today - we wake up to this:

Seriously?  At least it is not as much as it could possibly have been, and based on the forecast for the next few days won't be sticking around, but come on!  This better be the last one...many of us may lose our sanity if we don't get a break from this winter stuff.  On the agenda for today - the workout I didn't get around to yesterday, reading, a trip to Target, nothing much exciting, but it's great to have another day off!

Spring Break - Day 1

Today was a beautiful start to our 5-day spring break!  The sun was out, the temperature was amazingly pleasant...it was a picture perfect day.  Here's what we did.

Had a great morning of playing outside with Aunt Krissy, Brady, & Cooper.  Luke and Brady have the best time together.  Cooper is catching up with the big boys more and more every time we see him.  We had such a great time and are so thankful for the time we got to spend with them today!

After all that playing, we were all exhausted.  We came home, crashed & enjoyed a great Friday afternoon nap.  The nap was so refreshing, we got out for an extra long afternoon walk around our neighborhood.  Luke was thrilled to exchange his jacket, long-sleeved shirt, & pants for shorts & a t-shirt.  He'll be disappointed tomorrow when the weather doesn't warm up quite as much as it did today.  He thinks every day should be a shorts/t-shirt kind of day.  We rounded out the afternoon playing a little catch in the yard before Luke & I headed over to Chipotle to pick up dinner (for the 3rd time in less than 2 weeks - did anyone else take advantage of the Buy 1 Get 1 Free Burrito coupons from their America's Next Great Restaurant Promotion?  Obviously, we did!).

We finished up the evening making a coffee cake to put in the fridge, ready to bake for tomorrow's breakfast...yum!  And not only that, Luke helped me whip up a cheesecake for when we celebrate his Grandma Patti's birthday tomorrow.  It's now baking and smells oh, so delicious.  Except for reading the news that my district in fact decided not to shave any days off our calendar due to all the snow days (hello, short summer :( )Oh well, it has been an otherwise great ending to an all around great day!

So pretty!

I love my Ginger!  She's my pretty girl.  Plus, she loves to sit on the bed with me and sleep while I blog. :)

Who loves a deal? I do!

Sandals I bought a few weeks ago for $4 (that price includes the tax!)

I can't wait for the weather to wear them! 

And while the weather is still chilly, I found these last night for $14.60 (again - tax included in that price).

I love finding great deals...and especially on shoes!!!!!

It's the Little Things

Sometimes it is the little things that make life fun.  Especially if you are a 5 (almost 6 - he'd be sure to tell you) year old boy.  It was a boring Friday evening with no plans at the Spaeth house, so what to do?  Hmmm...how about spice up bedtime with a good, old-fashioned fort/tent thingy made out of blankets?  That worked for Luke.  He was in heaven when I told him we could get his sleeping bag down & he could sleep in it all night.  We made shadow puppets on the walls with flashlights in the dark, and you would have thought that was better than any TV show or movie he's ever watched.  Too cute. 

The fort - notice how intricately I put this thing together. (Ha ha!)

Happy boy

It's big enough for mom to fit in (sorry for my makeup-free appearance - yes, I was ready for bed before 8 p.m.)

Room enough for Dad too.  Fun times!



Stuff & Things

It has been a slow February!  There has not been much going on at my house to report, so I'll just bore you with some stuff and things that have been happening.


We had an unprecedented 8th snow day on Friday.  Just when we were starting to think winter was over...BAM...another 6+ inches of snow.  On a happy note, I did see that our school board is considering reducing the number of days we have to make up.  I did not see that coming - usually they want us there for every day we're contracted for.  There was one year when they forgave the kids one day, but the teachers still had to be there.  We'll see what happens, but I do appreciate the fact that they are at least in the consideration mode for this. 


Not to only make this post about weather, but we were coasting along, starting to enjoy several days in the 50's and even a couple in the 60's & 70's.  It's been so great to get out and walk Ginger without freezing to death & dodging snow.  However, I am out of practice as a mother when the weather is warm, because here is Luke after one of the rare times he joined us for a walk on his scooter(usually we walk right after I get home & meet him as he gets of the bus). 

I didn't notice he wasn't wearing his helmet until, hmmm, about 5 seconds before he decided to scrape his head along the sidewalk.  It's remniscent of last summer when we were at Grandma's house for the day & forgot the helmet & had a bike wreck:

Helmets, people!  Learn from my mistakes.  We're all healed up now, thank goodness!


This is the first year we've let Luke go out front & play on his own too.  He's enjoying the independence.  He's (thankfully) a good rule follower, so I trust him to stay where he is supposed to stay and yes, put his helmet on if he gets his bike or scooter out.  I only look out the front windows about a hundred times while he's out there to make sure he's okay. :)


I was really disappointed that we didn't have school yesterday, because I put up this fabulous bulletin board in the cafeteria (each team is responsible for one) with pictures of each of the teachers on my team when they were in 7th grade (or close to it) and information about what was going on in the world the year we were in 7th grade.  You can go to this fun website and put in your birthdate or any other date you want and get a page of information from that date.  News headlines, top songs that year, top toys, TV shows...fun stuff.  Here is my 7th grade picture (I won't risk the wrath of the rest of my team by putting theirs out here too)

Ahhh...1988...what a great year! :)  It was so much fun to see ourselves in middle school & reminisce about those years.  It was a disappointment that now I have to wait until Monday to hear about what people think about my bulletin board.  I guess I should appreciate the anticipation.


And that's about it from the Spaeth house.  Like I said, nothing much exciting!

What are you calling it?

Blizzard of 2011?

The storm of a lifetime?
Snowmageddon?
Snowpocalypse?
Snowprah Winfrey? (because everyone gets a blizzard!)

All of the above?  I love how big storms always get names that will live on in infamy.  And does anyone else find it ironic that the Groundhog predicted an early spring for us this year?  Yeah right!  Apparently the guy has predicted an early spring only 16 times since 1887 & he picks this year to do it.  Sure, Punxsutawney Phil, we really belive that...(and for those of you who didn't know, like me, it is predetermined by a committee whether old Phil will see his shadow or not, not whether he actually does)

For the record, the only kind of Blizzard I like are the ones I can buy...at Dairy Queen.  Otherwise, I'm not interested!  Today is our 6th snow day, which for my teacher friends out there who are watching summer shrink before our eyes, means that our last day of May 23 has now moved into June.  And likely farther into June as I'm going to go out on a limb & predict that we won't have school tomorrow either since the temps are going to be so darn cold.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Friday.  I think that this will be the first year since I've been teaching that we will have more than 6 snow days - and the year we had 6 was the year of the "Great Ice Storm of 2002". 

I'm just going to hope that maybe, just maybe, this will at least be our last big snow event & we can limp into spring with some small bit of sanity.

For Me?

I don't even know what to say - I can't believe it has happened to me, but it's true - I've been awarded a Stylish Blogger Award!  I think that the most fun thing about it is that someone I don't even know personally passed this on to me.  Thank you to MrsEyeCanSee for bestowing this upon me.  I began following her blog after it caught my eye in another fellow blogger's sidebar.  Once I read it, I was hooked!  Check it out - you won't be disappointed.  Funny thing - my husband will look over my shoulder as I'm reading blogs & ask "Who is that?"  It just boggles his mind when I tell him I don't know exactly - I just like her blog. :) 


Anyhow - here are the rules if you win a Stylish Blogger Award:

1) link back and thank the fabulous person who bestowed said amazing award on you
2) share 7 things about yourself
3) award 15 other deserving and great bloggers (I'm going to amend the # b/c I just don't have time to actually keep up with 15 other blogs!)
4) contact said bloggers to let them know of their award!

So - 7 things about myself...
1) I am a special education teacher.  I've done this for 12 years and have mostly loved it, but I'm ready to move on to something a little different.  The opportunity to change positions may be there, but there are a lot of unknowns and trying to be patient and wait on this is so much harder than I would have thought.  I'm working on the attitude that I will be happy with the job God has given me no matter what it is.  I do know that I can't imagine being anything other than a teacher.
2) I am a rule follower.  I feel the need to do things exactly as I'm supposed to.  I think it drives my husband crazy sometimes that I feel the need to do things so precisely.
3) The only time I ever remember faking being sick from school was on April 14, 1989.  I was in 7th grade and it was my boyfriend's (and I use that term loosely b/c boyfriend then meant we wrote each other notes & probably never actually spoke to one another) birthday & I didn't have a present for him & didn't want to be bothered with buying a present for him, so I figured that if I just missed school that day I could just avoid the whole situation. Obviously this was true love...ha! The craziest thing about it to me now was that this was also the day we had a practice to learn the cheer for tryouts for 8th grade cheerleader & that was super important to me, so I can't believe that I was willing to miss the day.  By the way - the boyfriend didn't last (shocking I know!), but I did make the 8th grade cheerleading squad.
4) I have a thing where I remember random dates forever (refer to #3).  I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but go figure...
5) I still drink Mountain Dew every day at lunch.  I am in my mid-30's & I can't seem to shake my love for the Dew.  All my 7th grade students always want to buy a can off me. :)
6) I am cheap - the better deal I get on something, the happier I am with it.  I found a pair of sandals on clearance at Kohl's a couple weeks ago that were $5 - and not only that, I got an extra 30% off of that.  $3.75 for an adorable pair of sandals that I can't wait to wear when the temperature maybe works its way toward the 60s.
7) I am a creature of habit.  I feel the need to do some things on a schedule - like cleaning day is on Thursday.  I can't make myself not clean on Thursday - the only exception being if I have Friday off.  I can't let it go.  I've tried - I just feel like things are not right in my world if I don't stick to my schedule.


These are my favorite blogs to keep up with.  I would actually have more if more of my friends would update theirs more often (hint, hint).  I am passing on the Stylish Blogger Awards to...


Krista at Always A Reason to Run
Laura at Dometic Goddess
Shea at It's a Guy Thing
Rachel at The Kanooths
Sarah at Pieces of Us
Katie at The Brittain Buzz
Sara at Surpised? No, not really...
Angela at Handmade in the Heartland


Thanks again MrsEyeCanSee - you really made my day!

Salivating for Spring

Is anyone else just dying for spring to get here after a day as warm as today?  I am just so done with the cold & snow.  In fact - I'm pretty much over seasons period.  I want to be this girl - every day - not just for a few months of the year (well - I don't want to lay in the grass & read, but you get the idea):

Days like today are such a tease at this time of year.  It will be at least a month before days like these and warmer ones will become the norm.  It is only serving to make me want what I can't have.

One of my students asked me today if I was ready for another snow day, to which I replied (possibly more forcefully than I should), "NO - ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" :)  He couldn't believe I was so against it.  But yes, I am against it.  I am against winter.  I do not like it anymore.  I have had ENOUGH!  

Oh Snow...

Here we are again - digging out from another 7 or 8 inches of snow.  I don't know about you, but I'm longing for some sunshine and pool time about now.  I'd take sunshine and 40 degrees even...that would feel downright balmy.  Luke is getting to enjoy the snow for the first time this year.  He was sick and spent 2 of our 3 snow days last week in bed feeling rotten.  He couldn't wait to get his shovel and go out with his dad to "help". 

I don't know why my picture is sideways - it is not saved that way, but for whatever reason, blogger is not uploading it the way it is saved.  Anyhoo - Brandon cleared the driveway once last night around 6, so what you see is what we got after that through this morning.  I am praying for school tomorrow - I am in the minority of snow day haters...I want summer break - not rotten snowy winter days off.  We're getting too close already to getting out after Memorial Day and that just makes me downright angry!  I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that I will get to see my students' smiling faces tomorrow and that the next 6 weeks will bring us warmer & drier weather!

A little late, but still worth sharing

I had the bad luck blessing of being part of the annual Christmas skit at school this year & one of the things we had to do was wear some type of really ugly Christmas sweater/top.  I guess that is getting to be all the rage these days.  Anyway, I found my closet to be sorely lacking in the ugly Christmas-wear department.  Thankfully, in an e-mail sent out to a few friends, I was given this gem & was the hit of the (half)day before break.  The funny thing was, all the adults laughed, but I had kids I didn't even know coming up to me telling me how much they loved my top.  Much to my amusement, I even had 2 kids pet my shirt - yes, weird, but still pretty funny.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of me actually wearing it that day, because you can't get the full effect in this picture, but here it is in all its sequined-poinsettia glory:

Mixed Messages

Over a year ago, I gave Luke a stack of old (ugly) Christmas cards from years past so he could play with them.  He's pretty much ignored them until he re-discovered them over his Christmas break.  So, now Brandon and I have been getting regular "mail" delivery of Christmas cards.  Here is my favorite.  Notice what his card says (twice - I added the circles so you could find what it says easily).  Isn't that a mixed message to be sending with your Christmas cheer?  I think so, but I'm keeping it in a safe place so I can chuckle over it in the years to come. :)

Christmas Fun

Christmas comes & goes so quickly, but despite that, the Spaeths had a fantastic day! It was a bit of a weapon-themed Christmas for Luke:

Exhibit A - Nerf Sword

Exhibit B - Nerf Gun #1

Exhibit C - Nerf Gun #2

I don't have a picture of exhibit D - nerf gun #3!!!!!!  I have a feeling we may be having a lot of nerf wars going on around here over the next few days...

Ginger enjoyed her Christmas too.  Well, okay, she really didn't between all the nerf guns and a few other noisy toys that Luke received.  She really does love her new blanket for her bed in Brandon's office.  It is so cozy and warm, she's spent a lot of quality time curled up on it asleep as she has recovered from all the Christmas get togethers she attended:

A Christmas first this year - we had a "kids" table for the first time at my mom's & dad's dinner this year.  I think the kids loved sitting together & the adult table was a lot quieter than normal.

And what is Christmas without trying to get those perfect family pictures where everyone looks happy.  The key word is "trying":

Luke with Great Grandma Louise (Spaeth)

Spaeth Grandkids with Grandma Louise

  

"Jackson" (Jackson, Whiteley, Spaeth, Whiteley) Grandkids

"Jackson" grandkids with Great-Grandma Jack

Grandpa & Grandma with the crew

The Spaeths - notice I am the only one who could still conjure up a smile at this point in the day. :)

I hope everyone's Christmas was as blessed as ours!

Christmas Countdown - Day 12

Well, here we are rounding out my own little "12 Days of Christmas" with what is I think (because it really is hard to make a decision when there are so many that I love) my very favorite Christmas song.  It was written by Chris Rice, but of course, my favorite version is Amy Grant's.  It's called "Welcome to our World" & it is a beautiful lullaby to welcome our Savior into this world that is far from perfect.  Reflect on the real reason we celebrate as you listen to it here.  Merry Christmas to you all - may you and your families be blessed in all you do!

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome holy child
Welcome holy child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited holy stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
World now breaking heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect son of God
Perfect son of God
Welcome to our world

Christmas Countdown - Day 11

For a short week, it has been a really long one for sure.  I am counting my blessings right at this moment that I can enjoy the next 10 days without the craziness of work!  This is always a good time of year to count our blessings anyway, which leads me to one of my favorite songs of all time "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" by Irving Berlin.  It's originally from the holiday classic White Christmas, but Amy Grant (I know - her again - and you're getting another Amy song tomorrow - sorry!) did a version on her Christmas Collection album a couple years ago that I just love listening to.  You can't go wrong with this song as long as it causes you to consider the blessings and gifts we've been given as you listen to it.  You can listen to it here for Amy Grant's version or here if you want the original White Christmas version with Bing Crosby.  Or you can just read the lyrics:

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

Christmas Countdown - Day 10

Everyone loves "The Night Before Christmas".  It is for sure a classic, and I love reading it to Luke every single year.  I heard this song by the same name for the first time this year.  Steven Curtis Chapman sings it, and I think it is just beautiful, and it really makes me think about what it must have been like that night before the very first Christmas.  I can't find a good link to listen to the song online, but you can read the lyrics below:

It was the night before Christmas and all through the world
Everything looked like business as usual
Shepherds sat on a hillside looking up at the stars
While the world fell asleep unaware just how deep
Was the darkness the night before Christmas

And the night before Christmas it seemed to be just a night
But the wind blew like something was coming
And like children with secrets that they're bursting to tell
The cedars danced in the breeze while all of nature it seemed
Held its breath on the night before Christmas

And hope, hope long awaited
The hope of the ages
Would break with the dawn
And the song that all of creation was anticipating
Would start with a baby's first cry

And on the night before Christmas Mary laid down to rest
While Joseph, he paced the floor praying
And in an everyday stable, in an everyday town
In the hours to come God would wrap Himself up
And come down from heaven and the world would forever be changed
After the night before Christmas

Christmas Countdown - Day 9

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Enough said...

Christmas Countdown - Day 8

It's getting so close!  Only 5 more days until the big one.  I think I am more excited for Luke than myself, but I guess that is how it is once you have kids.  It gives you such delight to see it through their eyes.  It is so important to Brandon & me that we teach Luke that Christmas is not just about Santa & presents and all the commercial stuff that seems to go with the holiday.  Yes, it's fun, but it's about so much more than that.  The song I've chosen for today is called "Strange Way to Save the World" by 4Him.  I realized that I don't have this one downloaded in my collection & I don't know why, because this song always really touches me!  I can only imagine all that Joseph must have been thinking to be in the situation he was in - this song gives me an idea of what those thoughts might have been.  You can listen to it here.

I'm sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
'Cause never in a million lives
Would he had dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here, inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here, inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
...this is such a strange way to save the world