A Few Funnies

Here are a few conversations I have had with my favorite two year old this week:

Jackson: Hey, mommy. I found Nemo.
Me: That's great, buddy. Where is he?
Jackson: In the TV.

J: Hey, mom, I hurt my finger.
Me: I am sorry. Do you need a kiss?
J: Nope, you pro'ly (probably) need to pray for it.

Me: Hey Jackson, are you ready to go to church?
J: And go see Mrs. Betty?
Me: Yes, what are you going to do in Mrs. Betty's class?
J: Drink juice and eat fingernails. (Bugles)

Made my Day!

Most people know that I was a teacher before I had Jackson, and went back to the classroom and taught some last year. All in all, I taught elementary school for about 8 years. The last 4 years, I taught 2nd grade for three years, and had a short tenure in 4th grade last Spring, at a school that is really close to my house. Prior to that expereince, I taught 3 years of third grade in a school downtown. My first year of teaching was quite an experience. Here are the variables that I feel made it a bit more interesting, and perhaps, more challenging than most:

• I was hired when I was 21, and began a full time teaching job shortly after my 22nd birthday. I just looked like a pushover. But, they learned quickly I am not.
• I started teaching in a brand new school with a brand new faculty.
• I started my school year with no materials. No math book. No reading book. All I had were desks and chairs.
• Oh, and my other 3rd grade cohort was a brand new teacher, too. Needless to say, we became best buds, fast.
• I had no idea what in the world I had gotten myself into.
• That classrooom of students had some behavior issues that I had no idea how to even begin to deal with.

Anyway, long story short, all of those things in the long run (after many tears, and not wanting to go to work for the first 180 days of my career), probably made me a better teacher. I also taught some really special kids, and I often wonder how they are doing (especially the kids I had the first year, bless their hearts!)

Sunday night, Blake had some paperwork laying on the table from work, and I, being the nosy person I am, started looking through it, and found a sibling's name of one of my favorite students I taught downtown. I mentioned to Blake that I taught such and such's sister, and talked about how my I loved this particular student.

Blake mentioned to the sibling that I asked about her sister, and today the former student (who is probably a sophomore in high school) wrote me a letter that simply made my day!

Here is the letter:

Hey Mrs. Ricks/Freeman!

I am sooo glad to hear from you again after all these years. I actually thought that you had forgot about me for a minute, but I guess not. When I heard you asked about me, I was very happy to know that you still remember me. I found out that you are still a teacher. Where do you teach now? And what grade do you teach? I miss you sooo much! You were my favorite teacher, not only because you made me laugh, but because you taught me alot even though I gave you some hard times during my third grade year, and I thank you for that.

P.S. Well, write back PLEASE to let me know how you are doing and what you think about the letter!

Love,

Student (I don't want to give away her identity!)

Some days when I taught, I remember thinking the ceiling tiles were the only things listening to me, and it is nice to know that maybe they were listening (and watching) more than I thought!

Happy Birthday, Ellis!

Saturday morning our little family headed towards Nashville to celebrate Ellis' 2nd birthday. The party was at the Discovery Center, and was filled with exhibits that most little boys would probably love. Lots of trucks, airplanes, trains, and even a petting zoo. Jackson stuck his finger in a bird cage, and a parakeet bit his finger....I bet he won't do that again! It was a great place to have a birthday party! All of the kids had fun.

Saturday was also Tiffany's thirtieth birthday, so I got to eat a late lunch/dinner with my friend of 22 years! So thankful I got to do that! We went to a place called Which Wich? It is a sandwich place that is really neat. More importantly, there are little kid tables in the middle of the restaurant (which is pretty small) that are close to the adult tables, so Jackson and Ellis looked like big stuff eating their sandwiches solo!

The trip was really great, other than the fact I spent the whole ride over Monteagle wishing that my dinner would not reappear in the floor board of the Pilot. Good times, first trimester.

2nd Prenatal Appointment

On Thursday, I went to my second prenatal visit. We had a scheduled ultrasound, and then saw Kay (my doctor's nurse practitioner) whom I love!! We got some really cute pictures of our baby! It is amazing how much he/she has grown in two weeks. It really is such a miracle. We also heard the heartbeat again (171 BPM), and baby was moving around a little. They also took my blood pressure (normal) and weighed me (I lost one pound. Actually, I just had on different shoes...probably really weighed the same. Ha!) We go back again in 4 weeks for our next appointment.

When I was pregnant with Jackson, I signed up on http://www.americanpregnancy.org/, to receive weekly emails about his development. I thought it was really neat, so I decided to do it again. Every Monday morning I get an email that tells about baby, and I love reading about what's happening. I have been reading them to Blake, and then when we pray together, and pray for baby, we pray for that particular developmental process that is happening within the week.

Our ultrasound is also on DVD, so I may try to figure out how to upload it later, but for right now, I am going to bed. The first trimester, plus eating a meal, and riding back over a mountain today, did not make for a fun evening!

A Little of This and That

I am so thankful for the beautiful day that we had today!! It feels as if we have been spending way too much time indoors lately, considering tomorrow is the first day of Spring. I am a big fan of 72 degrees and sunny skies.

I haven't been blogging, facebooking, or checking my email much lately, at all....I usually do those things while Jackson is sleeping, and my other growing baby is draining my energy, so I have been napping and sleeping in with Jackson. I also usually clean and do laundry during nap time, so as you can probably imagine, after 5 weeks of neglecting the cleaning, my house was looking pretty crazy last week, and the laundry had began to collect in a heap on the laundry room floor. My sweet mom came over and helped me clean, and took all of my laundry home with her and did it for me. Thank you, Mom!! Luckily, this week has been better, and I have felt okay, not great, but better.


My boy loves Thomas the Train. He immediately wakes up, and creates of his crazy outfits, and starts playing trains. He will not take his shoes off. Ever. Unless he puts someone else's on.

Indoor play date this week.

Oh....Jackson found the escape route from his crib on Monday during nap time. I caught the moment on the video on my phone...Blake converted Jackson's bed to a toddler bed Monday night. I, personally, prefer for him to be confined to his crib. Nap time is very much a work in progress. So far, nights are okay. He comes to our room about 3:00, with his blanket and Elmo in hand, and informs us that, "I don't like my big, big, boy bed." Every night, so far!! I had a small emotional (perhaps hormonal), reaction to the whole crib conversion moment. Weren't we just putting his crib together??

We love ice cream!!

Jackson's New Toy!

A Big Announcement!

Blake and I are so excited that Jackson is going to be a big brother! Our baby's due date is October 24. We found out we were going to have a new baby on February 10. I have been to the doctor 3 times for lab work, and another time for our actual first prenatal appointment. We have had our first ultrasound, and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat (123 BPM). I have been feeling okay, but not fabulous. Just feeling very nauseous (like, I haven't even wanted Starbucks...), and very tired, but I can't complain! Our next appointment in March 18. Please keep our growing family in your prayers! 2-10-10 Positive Test #1

2-11-10: Positive Test #2

Jackson's Big Brother Shirt

We don't have a scanner, but I wanted to share our first sneak peek!

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14

The Party!

Blake and I decided to have Jackson a small friend party for his 2nd birthday. Last year, we had a mostly family party. We are pretty limited with what we can do, due to the weather being so cold. I am a big fan of outdoor park parties, but not very practical when there is snow in the forecast! We decided to have his party at Playworld because Jackson loves that place! I know he had a good time, because we were playing together, and he looked up at me, and said, "Mommy, I love my party!" I hope all of his friends had fun, and that their parents' enjoyed their children's long afternoon nap!