Update

Wow!  It's been over 4 months since I last updated.  I'll try to get everyone caught up....

School is OUT for the summer and I'm thoroughly enjoying my time off.  My main goal is to get a lot of scrapbooking done this summer that has been put off for a few years now.  School finished up great!  It was sad seeing my students leave and move on to another school next year - I will definitely miss them.  They're a great group of kids!  I hear this next group of 3rd graders isn't as great - haha....we'll see.  Oh, and I did pass my PRAXIS III exam so I now have my 5 year professional teaching certificate (or at least I will have it once I apply for it). 

Drew's now in his last semester of grad school and this one is MUCH more work than he's had all year now.  He works from the moment he gets up until he goes to bed...no exaggeration.  Right now he's pacing the kitchen waiting for me to get off the laptop so he can get to work.    He'll finish in early August and then start back to work at the base.  I think he's now looking forward to going back to work after this last semester's workload.

Bailey's doing well too!  The poor guy's had some bladder issues, but we're hoping it's all taken care of now.  He's so much fun though. 

July will be a busy month for us as we're going on two trips.  The first one is over 4th of July weekend.  Drew's mom wanted to get the whole family together since we really only see eachother once a year.  So we're all headed to CA.  We'll be staying in Drew's grandmother's cabin while we're there.  It should be a LOT of fun and definitely fun having the familiy together again.  Then a few weeks later Drew and I are going to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.  We've had this trip planned since last Fall when we had 2 free airline tickets that were going to expire.  We'll be sure to take plenty of pictures!

In other news, Drew and I are anxiously awaiting a new addition to our family!  Yep, we're expecting our first child.    We found out in May and I am now 12 weeks pregnant - come next Monday I'll FINALLY be in my 2nd trimester.  Our due date is January 5th, although Drew's hoping we'll have the baby in December so we can claim one more exemption on our taxes.  Haha!  We'll find out in August whether we're having a boy or a girl - we're looking forward to that.  We've been working through name ideas, but are having trouble agreeing on one so far.    But I think we've narrowed the list down to 6 girl names and 6 boy names.  We'll see which ones "win out".  So anyway, that's the most exciting news in our lives.  If you want to see some ultrasound pictures, you can visit our blog at www.dkborton.blogspot.com. 

 Wow - I can't believe the last time I updated was in September...and it's now February!!  I don't know that a lot has really happened since I last updated.  I still am incredibly busy with school.  I'm averaging about 10 hours a day at school, usually not getting home until 6:30-7.  And then still doing some work at home and of course going in for 4 hours or so over the weekend.  I never would have guessed teaching is this much work!  I work that much and then still feel like I'm not "caught up" with everything and still have so much to do.  But, at least I can say I absolutely LOVE my job (of course there are days).  And my wonderful husband has really helped out a LOT at home, fixing meals some nights and keeping up with stuff around the house.  I have my BIG Praxis observation in a few weeks so now I'm trying to prepare for that and get my room all cleaned up!    I could really go on and on about school, but as interesting as that is to everyone else, I'll move on to other things.

Drew's doing well.  He's now in his 2nd semester of grad school (out of 3 semesters).  He'll finish up his masters in August and then head back to work at the base.  This year has been really nice for him, but I know he's looking forward to going back in the fall.  Oh, and all my CU friends who remember me being a basketball widow....I will now become a MOTORCYCLE widow come spring.  Yes, Drew has taken up dirt biking in his spare time, thanks to a friend from church.  It became so bad that I decided to get him one for Christmas.  He's such an outdoorsy type of guy and I know there's not much for him to do in Ohio, so I thought this would be something he could do while enjoying being outside.  Of course, it's not very helpful to be given a bike in the winter around here since it's so cold and usually wet, but he's been able to take it out a few times so far.  I know he's dying for spring when he can really take it out on a long ride.    It makes him happy, so I'm happy!

Bailey's doing well too.  Adorable as always and so much fun.  He's squeezed in the recliner next to me right now.  He loves to cuddle, which I love.  He's also learned that he gets a treat whenever he goes outside and does his business.  However, he now thinks he just needs to go outside in order to get a treat.  Sometimes he's too irresistable as he's hopping around looking up at you to give him a treat.  He's fun!

My mom, dad and Kelley are doing well.  For those who don't know, Kell's moved back to the area and now has an apartment in Piqua, the town north of Troy.  She's still dating the same guy and things seem to be going well.  She's also working as the Bookstore Manager of a larger church in the area.  She's enjoying the nice change of pace.

Not too much else to share.  I need to get my shower and head to school soon, so I'd better go.  Have a great weekend!

Apparently my rear end is a nice plump pillow for Bailey. 

Drew and his motorcycle

My students and I getting ready for our Fairy Tale Ball back in October.

Quick update...

School is going well.  I have a WONDERFUL class this year.  They are so sweet and well-behaved.  I just have a few that I need to keep my eyes on.    But I love teaching.  It's a ton of work, especially with my first year.  I usually am at the school 9-10 hours a day and then work some in the evenings as well.  Actually, I'm finding that if I'm not working on school stuff in the evenings, I feel guilty.  Not good, I know.  But honestly, I love it.  I don't have any pictures on this computer, but you can take a look at my school website if you'd like.  There's no easy link to it.  Just type in www.tippcityschools.com, then click Schools on the left.  Then Broadway Elementary, staff, and scroll down to my name and click web page.  It's still a work in progress.  There's a lot more I want to do, but I'm trying to take it a little at a time. 

Okay, that's all for now - I probably should get to bed.

   Drew and my project for the summer was to build a fence.  Our neighbor was wanting to build one too, so we both did it together.  It was a LOT of work, but definitely worth it.  There's a busy street right behind our house and although Bailey's usually really good about staying in the yard, we don't want to chance it.  Now that we do have our fence, it's so nice having privacy from all the people that would drive by staring at us.  And Bailey absolutely LOVES being able to run around outside now.  Plus, it's amazing how much bigger our yard feels now that we do have a fence.  Here are some pics of the process...

Lots of wood sitting in our driveway!

Drew and our neighbor digging the holes.  I think there were about 52 holes they had to dig for both our yards.

Setting the posts

Putting up the supports

Putting up the boards...

And yes, I helped!

FINAL PRODUCT...

And an update wouldn't be complete without some pictures of my baby...

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!

Finally!!!  After 2 years of interviewing and being rejected, I finally have been offered a teaching position!    I will be a third grade teacher at Broadway Elementary School in Tipp City, OH.  This is the school I did my long-term subbing in this past spring.  The principal called me almost 3 weeks ago to do the 1st interview.  Then this past Monday I had my 2nd interview with the principal and 3 other 3rd grade teachers.  At the end of that interview he told me I'd probably hear something within the week.  About 2 hours later I received a call from the principal telling me that they had narrowed it down to 2 people and I was one of the two.  He then asked if I could interview with the assistant superintendent...in 45 minutes.  So of course I did.  Then Tuesday morning I got a call asking if I could meet with the superintendent at 2:30.  So I ended up having 4 interviews before they finally offered me the job!!  But that's alright.  I'm just excited to finally have a job!  So needless to say, my mind has been racing with all the things I need to get done before school starts on Aug. 22nd.  I'm technically not even allowed in the classroom until Aug. 6th, but I'm going to see if I can go to just look at the room so I can start planning how to organize it.  Our upstairs computer room is already a mess!  I took all the children's books I've collected over the years and tried to organize them better, so they're sprawled out on the floor.  Speaking of which, I'm going to be trying to build up my classroom library.  So if anyone has any children's books (especially chapter books like Junie B. Jones, Beverly Cleary, Cam Jansen, Boxcar Children, Babysitters Club, etc.) that they want to get rid of I would be more than happy to help!    I'll even pay for them - just let me know!

Now I'm heading downstairs to go through my boxes of teaching supplies.  Christen and Carrie, I might have some things that are geared more for Kindergarteners if you're interested.  Just let me know!