Trying to get this blog off of "life support"!

I am feeling a bit like I should have a purpose for this blog; a theme of some sort. You know, like some of my favorite blogs - cakewrecks or smitten kitchen - or that I had deep thoughts or recipes to share (like the farming momma or corn rows and meadows).

Maybe that's why I let this thing fall to the wayside. Honestly, I almost can't wait until Baby is born just so I have something to talk about! (I can't believe I just said that. I'm gonna turn into one of "those" people). :)

Or maybe I am just putting too much pressure on myself to make every post spectacular and really I should just write whatever, no matter how long or short.

I don't know. Things to ponder.

Until I make up my mind, you will just have to bear with me. In the meantime, here are some pictures from this Fall so far for your viewing enjoyment.

Picking apples

Trey did really well picking apples!

One of Mike's very large apples

Look at the weight of this fruit!

Final Product: Apple Pie Filling

And lots of applesauce!

An old friend from college, Elis, came to visit from Germany.
We got to reconnect when we traveled to Pottsville together to celebrate Julia's 8th birthday (not in picture, but her beautiful mother, Carolyn, is!)

Mike was given a LOT of peppers! So, we canned them, too!
I am going to have to move the jars
because they are making the cabinet smell!

My cousin, Ryan, and his lovely bride, Kim
10-10-09

My Aunt Tammy and I - she is due 4 days before me!

Posing at the wedding
Mt. Harmon Plantation, MD

Look at my beautiful niece!

Just precious!

16 weeks!

Taken tonight: Trey showing off his
squirrel costume

Celebrating Mike's birthday a few days early!

Trey wanted a picture, too!

Thankfully he also wanted one with his own parents, too!

Happy 30th Birthday, Courtney!!!!!

(It was actually yesterday, but we celebrated tonight as much as 2 pregnant teachers can celebrate in the middle of a school week...)

Until next time...(whenever that may be! Ha ha!)

Wow! 2 days in a row!

So, you think my friends/family would be happy that I at least posted something, but no, now I am told that blog updates are more interesting with pictures! Fine. Here you go. Better be happy! (You know who you are!) :)

Summer started with a wedding! Kate Hoffman & Brian Swedburg. Kate was one of our first friends at NewSong Fellowship Church.

Darling little Emma Faith VanderPlate, daughter of Sarah & Jarred, born 6-8-09. Sarah had been a student teacher in our building, then worked at GWES until Emma arrived. But, more fun, she was helping me paint my living room when Jarred called & first asked her out! :)

Courtney & I thought it would be a good idea to pick cherries. Trey was a great help. Mike didn't know when to stop. We picked 26lbs of sweet and 18lbs of sour!

Gabriel Ray Stoltzfus, son of Matt & Melanie Stoltzfus, baby brother to Mikayla & Grace, born 6-29-09. We say we are friends with them because the girls adore us! You should see Mikayla with Mike! Can't wait to see what Gabe's personality is like! (also NewSong friends)

We went to HersheyPark with Yevy & Shanna Chuprin, more friends from NewSong. It was great fun, especially since we hadn't been there since 2003! We loved the East Coast Waterworks, even though it was quite chilly!

Second wedding of the summer: my dear, dear friend from college, Carolyn Horst and her husband, Eric Payne. Carolyn's daughter, Julia, was our flower girl.

Krista & Pete Winkler, Shelley-Ann Francis, Carolyn, and I: We were "family" at MIH!

Carolyn & Eric live in Harrisonburg, VA, so we decided to take the scenic (and not free) route home.

And made MANY stops along the way!

My brother & sister-in-law got the cutest puppy in the world! Her name is Charlee and she is a puggle - pug + beagle.

Of course, we made it to D.C.! This time we stayed entirely in the Newseum.

Except to eat in Little Ethiopia! Courtney's sister, Ashley, also joined us for the day.

Courtney & I decided to have a baking day! Trey did excellent spending the day in my non-kid friendly home! Hmm...we both are pregnant here and didn't even know it! (Well, I didn't anyway, don't know about C.)

And the end result!

The largest of Michelle's 3 baby showers! Now, I was very highly suspicious that I was pregnant, but I decided not to know before I left for the shower. I didn't want to take away from her weekend. But, it WAS the longest weekend ever!

The annual Hershey Family weekend was held along the Pequea Creek, right behind the farm my mom & family grew up. It was a fabulous location, and very peaceful! This was also the weekend that my entire family learned of our news!

The funny thing is that right before this picture was taken, the cousins were fighting over the toy lawn mower. Until they realized that we were watching them! (They are sons of 2 of my cousins).

After a year hiatus, the King girls (now + Kate!) made it to the beach for the weekend! This time we went to OC, MD. We decided that we like OC, NJ, for the boardwalk, but OC, MD definitely wins for the beach!

Outside Crown Palace Restaurant in Middletown, NJ. This was taken right before Mike's parents and grandparents found out our news!

Precious Greta Joy Mock, a mere 3 hours after birth, on 9-14-09.

Isn't she just a cutie? I'm quite happy to be an aunt!

Wide awake & dressed in her finest! I can't wait to see her again!!

Here it is, folks! The baby bump at 12 weeks!

And I end with Baby Gibson, here at 12 weeks. Baby was quite active that day, which was a relief after the fears the day before when the midwife could not find the heartbeat or detect movement. But, all is well!

Until next time!

Sarah, this one's for you!

In a delightful wall post today on Facebook, a friend of mine basically put to words what I had been thinking lately (and had been afraid of happening)...this blog had died at the hands of Facebook. Well, I would rather it be a serious wounding, rather than a death. So here I am.

I am not even going to give excuses. It's hard not to, but I won't.

I will tell you that I had a fantastic summer! I am so glad I had at least 1 summer in my adult life free of obligations. (Well, there was one - a 2-hour ESL class every week, but that wasn't bad!) We even turned a trip to VA for a wedding into a mini-mini-vacation.

If I had been on top of things on here, you would've gotten more details. Let's be honest, you would've gotten even more details than what I put on my FB status updates. Oh well. I am not about to bore you with all of that now.

But thank goodness for a relaxing summer! Because around the middle of August, morning sickness and fatigue set in. In case you haven't heard (which I can't imagine you wouldn't have, but who knows?), I am at this moment, 13 weeks and 6 days pregnant - yea for us!

Finding out that news changed everything, of course. And the subsequent take-over of my body has had a ripple effect into ALL that I do (or don't do, as the case may be - but I'm not making excuses, you hear?).

But July must have been a good month: myself and 4 other people (2 very close friends, my aunt, and a colleague) are due within a month of each other! So, that is exciting as well!

And on Sept. 14, my niece, Greta Joy Mock, was born! She is a darling little girl, and I can't wait to see her again!

All in all, it has been a good 3.5 months, I should say. Who knows how this blog will continue to evolve - especially as blogs seem to be very popular with mothers (and mothers-to-be). Whatever happens, I truly hope to not let it die - at least not a slow, painful death from neglect! :)

Thanks, Sarah, for "making" me to do this - you were the push I needed!

Until next time...

it's a long one...

I can honestly say that today is the first time in the last 6+ months that I have nothing of major consequence to do today - well, not until 4:30, anyway! I almost don't know what to do with leisure time!

So, therefore, there was no excuse for me to not post today. As it is, I have a couple of people who have told me that they keep checking for updates, so I guess I have to make them smile today! :)

Anyway, I finished my revisions to my proposal and made it through graduation weekend. It was a beautiful weekend, lots of great food, and fun with the parents and in-laws. The ceremony itself was kinda like flying: you can't wait to do it, but once you are there (in the audience, on the plane), you wonder why in the world you wanted to and when it will be over! It didn't help matters that they forgot to call the School of Ed. graduates (there were only like 10 of us) until we yelled from the audience, the commencement speaker was a joke (Bobby Spencer, Tony-nominated for Next to Normal), and I had to use the bathroom so badly I couldn't even concentrate! But, at the same time, it was fun being part of all the "pomp and circumstance"!

Here are a few pictures from graduation:

Then it was finishing the end of the school year. The 07-08 year was very tough, but this year, I think I might have been the only one in the building not counting down the days till the end. But, at the same time, all year I had been mulling over different possibilities - move to K4, wanting to keep my students, etc. Then, in April we were told that 2 of the kindergarten assistant positions would be cut - which meant I would no longer have mine. This was the impetus for me to truly consider my options. Thinking about all of the changes that are to come in the future - including leaving my classroom after next year due to construction - and talking with some former K teachers who now teach 1st, I took the plunge and asked to change grade levels. So, 2 weeks before school was out, I began the process of clearing out my classroom. Thank goodness I had to do the major clean-out last year!!!! All of the things in my room went 1.) in boxes to go to my basement, 2.) in boxes to go to the teacher who is taking my position, 3.) in boxes to go with me to 1st grade, 4.) in boxes to go to the teacher in K4, 5.) in storage at the school, or 6.) stay in the room for the 2nd grade teacher who moved in there for next school year. I got it done, after many late nights at the school packing, including 1 late night with my mom and grandma! Thanks, you two!

Then, on the very last day of school, about 45 minutes before the students left, my principal came in to tell my assistant that she does indeed have a job for next fall, as a K5 assistant, in our building. Go figure. But, as she (and others) assured me, I had already been talking about making changes (one colleague, after realizing I have taught for 7 years, labeled it the "7 year itch"). So, while I am not excited about not working with Tammy anymore (and I won't have an assistant at all in 1st grade), I truly am looking forward to the next stage in my career. The best part? I get to keep all of my students next year! I do have to say, though, it is amazing to me how much of my "identity" was "Kindergarten teacher." Hmm...well, maybe this will affect Mike more than me! :) And, of course, leaving my actual classroom is hard. My new room has NOTHING on the old one. Nothing. Oh well, I was only going to be in there for 1 more year anyway...

What am I doing this summer? Besides weddings (as usual) and visiting families, not too much. The biggest thing is that our church wanted to start an ESL ministry. Who better to put in charge than the girl who just finished her TESOL degree? :) Thankfully, a co-creator/director was given to me early on - she actually has the classroom experience, I bring the book knowledge, and together, we are a great team! We had our 1st class Tuesday night, and while none of us were expecting absolute beginners, we pulled it off, and it appeared that everyone had fun!

Until next time...