SPRING...

Oh welcome back Spring...how we've missed you so!!! Finally some CONSISTENCY in this miserable and rainy weather we've had. Temps above 50!!! Don't go away PLEASE!

Another reason I love Spring is because of how our yard transforms. Here are some of the first few shots of our front and back yard of beautiful flowers to come. These are the first to bloom...
The Star Magnolia trees...You will notice that EVERYTHING ELSE is blah still...but these get me ready for the fun stuff in our back yard!!
Another beauty by our back patio...
Beautiful trees everywhere in our back yard. I will keep posting pictures as our backyard changes. It is really unbelievable how these trees go from NOTHING to HUGE flowers. I tried to get some before and after pics of these trees...but it wouldn't stop raining last week to get a good shot!! Oh well...maybe next year!!!

Stay tuned...and enjoy your spring weather.

A BUTTON :)

LOOK OUT...Thanks to Beth I officially have a button. I am so clueless about BLOG land I had never figured out how to use it :) I am starting to get the hang of this. Ha Ha. Grab one if you'd like!!!

SCARED...

So, we find out this afternoon whether or not we have jobs for next year. I never thought that being a teacher could be this stressful at this time of year. It's stressful around report card time...or parent teacher conference time. It's stressful at the beginning of the year trying to get organized...and at the end of the year when the kids are BOUNCING off the walls waiting for Summer.
But, now...in March/April it is usually carefree and fun. Since I am a P.E. teacher, this is usually my favorite time of year. We get to go back outside after being trapped indoors for most of the Winter...BARF. I hate being inside. So, this news was SHOCKING to us. At our last board meeting they told us that they didn't think any cuts were going to be made...I think the words they used were, "we are most certain."

REALLY????? Most certain? Now there are 17 of us from 4 schools that have to meet. We are the "newest" teachers...so that is of course expected. I have been teaching for 5 years...2 in the district I am in now. But, it still hurts. The UNKNOWN is the worst. NOT knowing if I am going to have a job next year.

We are pretty sure today is mostly to hand out the R.I.Fs (Reduction in Force). This is basically a "we are not hiring you back next year AS OF RIGHT NOW) Many of the teachers will be hired back...on a very strict list of who has been here the longest and what field you are in. I am one of the lucky ones because I am Physical Education. Most people are not certified to teach P.E. But, there may be a teacher out there in our district that is older that has that certification that they could FORCE to teach P.E. if it saves them money. SO. ANNOYING.

So, the other good thing for me is that a teacher in our district (That is a woman) is retiring after this year at the Middle School. They will have to fill her position with a woman (someone to go into the locker room while they change and so on). And I am the ONLY other female P.E. teacher in the district. So, with her spot open...and I guess technically "mine" would be opening up...It is doubtful that they would have 2 people with secret P.E. degrees out there in our district...let's hope anyway!

So, I am hopeful that things in my area work out...and to all those in our district that are going through this too, I feel for you all. I will keep you posted!!!!!

SHOW US YOUR SHOES PARTY!!!!

I am excited about this post...probably because I know that NO ONE else could possibly have the same gym shoe obsession that I have!!!!! Ha Ha! I am a P.E. Teacher...so I know that plays a SMALL :) part of it. I wear tennis shoes like others wear adorable pumps or other nice shoes to work in every day...so that is my excuse :)

However...the downfall is that I almost NEVER buy "normal" shoes...so when it comes time to go somewhere nice...I usually have to call up one of my sisters to help me out :) Thank GOD for sisters!!!!

So lets start the shoe tour...

First picture is just a shot of my MANY tennis shoes. This bottom of this closet is ONLY for my gym shoes (which are all stored in the guest bedroom closet downstairs). We live in a very old house...and very old houses = NO CLOSET SPACE...so we had to add on some closets in the guest bedroom. This is why all MY shoes are stored with my hubby's sweaters :)
I had to take some of the stacks out and place them in front so we could see them :) Can you say OUT of control???
There is literally a RAINBOW of colors...hardest color to find YELLOW and MAROON!! Believe me...I've done the legwork! ha ha
As you can see I prefer Nike Shox...but also have Nike Air Max (for my Nike +!!!!!) and one pair of New Balance!!
These are my Valentine's Day shoes from hubby. Hard to see, but the silver has little mini white hearts!
These are my favorites!!!!!!!! I wear them almost every day right now. They are my Nike + running shoes...along with the orange ones right in front of them...but they are broken in perfectly and that is why they are so beat up...they have a lot of mileage :)
These are my MEN's nike shox because they don't make any women's Shox in MAROON. We live near SIU Carbondale and their colors are maroon and white...so I was sick of wearing red shoes to the sporting events...so we broke down and got MAROON ones...these were my Xmas present from hubby :)
Now...I don't ONLY own tennis shoes...so I added a few favorites. My new Uggs that hubby picked out for Xmas. L.O.V.E them!!!!!! So comfy and worn all around the house and Grocery Shopping! My fav!
These are brand new for my birthday...They are cute slip on wedge flip flops from Victoria's Secret! I can't wait for it to get a BIT warmer and I can bust them out!!!!
And finally my SAVIOR...my black boots which I have worn ALL. WINTER. LONG!!! I wear them with leggings, skinny jeans, regular jeans...I have put some serious mileage in on these shoes too...just not RUNNING miles :)

I hope you enjoyed my shoe post...please take the time to show us your shoes...and thank you to The Stories from A to Z for the idea!!!

Go Blue

Just got home from an EXCITING trip to Louisville, KY to watch our lil sister play ball!!! Michigan kicked some butt and won all 4 games!!! So good job Maggie and Michigan. Just posting a few pics of the festivities this weekend!!

Tyler as "the marshmallow man" because of his warm gear :) The kids were all SOOOOO good!! Frigid temperatures...and minimal whining. Can't ask for much more than that!!

Ella and Mommy posing for a quick picture :)
Ella getting her "shades" on by my friend Molly :) Molly is like Ella's second mommy!! LOVE her!!
The boys...We have Marta's hubby, Steve, Maggie's boyfriend, Austin, Adie's hubby, Meade, Dad sneaking in the background, and my hubby, Jimmy!!
Marta and Steve...soooooo cute!!!
Ella and Sophie playing Barbies!! Thank GOD Marta brought the Barbies...that was Ella's entertainment the WHOLE time!!! That's why Marta and Adie are M.O.Y. (Moms of the Year!!! ha ha ha)
Another smile from Tyler :) Such a trooper...even in the cold! LOVE this boy!
Gracie going for a wagon ride!!!
The indoor pool...Ella was in HEAVEN!!!!!!!!
Ella with her NEW swimsuit!!
We had such a blast and tried our best to stay warm. Thanks to everyone that made the trip! Happy Sunday!

TWINS...and I don't mean ME

So I was snapping a few pictures of Tyler the other day in the BATH and DeJaVu totally popped into my head. I have taken this picture before. So, I ran into the hallway to grab THIS picture down from the wall...
It was then that I was STUNNED as to HOW much my kiddos look a like. The picture above is Ella at about 9 months! The picture below is Tyler at 8.5 months...
Can you say TWINS????!!! Its hilarious because when you see them now they don't seem to look that much alike...but as far as when they were little...definitely TWINS! So cute.

I have also had ANOTHER person tell me that little Tyler looks like my dad!! I will have to post a baby pic of my dad and see what we think! I love this age of kiddos :)

Birthday

Adie and Haley...
I have been lucky enough to share my birthday with my bestest friend in the WHOLE world for 28 years now. My twin sister, Adie, is the best friend a girl could ask for. We have been inseperable since day one...which makes it sooooooooooooo hard now to live 2 hours away. But, luckily this year our birthday fell on Spring Break...so we made the trip up to STL and spent the weekend with the family!

First day there we celebrated my niece, Sophie's, 4th Birthday with a STELLAR Princess and the Frog themed Party...Being the twins that we are, Adie and I bought the SAME outfit for our sons to wear (without talking about it) ha ha...Here are the boys playing downstairs at Marta's house...

Sophie's Party was soooooooo much fun...even though I had the world's CRABBIEST daughter due to NO nap on the way up there...it was still a great time.

On our actual birthday we spent the day at the ZOO! Ella and Tyler had a GREAT time. Here is Ella and Daddy checking out the Elephants...even more impressive were the MASSIVE piles of elephant doo doo that Ella was DYING laughing at!
Ella examining the animals. She was so into it! So cute...
Ella and mommy posing in front of the fishies!!!
A stroller smooch...to finish off the day. What a GREAT day at the Zoo.
After the Zoo trip we had a fantastic dinner with our family at Brickhouse in Wildwood. It was soooo yummy and a great time. Thanks to all that joined us!

Spring Time...

Spring time weather is finally here and Ella and Tyler are in LOVE!! They are outdoor kiddos. They love the fresh air and the warmth of the sun on them. So...the winter has been hard on us. So, with the weather finally changing for the better we have made a few trips OUTDOORS!!! I just snapped a few pics the other day of the kiddos playing in the sandbox. They had a blast!Tyler was trying to crawl...

Ella was showing off her shoveling skills
Smiling in the sand...
Right before Tyler started to put the sand IN his mouth...YUCK!!!!

Happy Spring!!

SKINNY Vanilla...

I am OFFICIALLY obsessed with Starbucks SKINNY Vanilla Latte!!!! Maybe it makes me feel better because it has the word SKINNY in it (and I am on a diet) but either way it's delicious!!!
Some fellow teachers and I have joined our "Biggest Loser" challenge at school and we are working hard to win that $300 prize. IF that's not motivation enough to lose some weight...I don't know what else is. So, I am realistic...I know that I am not OVERWEIGHT or have a lot to lose. But everyone can firm up and trim down a bit...so that is my goal. My TOP # is 10lbs...but that will even be pretty hard I think. Realistically I would like to lose 7lbs!!! Wish me luck and PLEASE send me or link some fantastic RECIPES for us dieters!!! I already know of some great ones at HAUTE PLATES. Check them out for sure...and share share share!!!