Off To Grandpa's We Go!

We are leaving tomorrow to visit Grandpa and Mary up in Nevada... the smoke seems to be a bit less pronounced up there, or so they say. The weather has been absolutely crazy this week because of all the fires....

Hopefully our mini-trip will knock the whining bug that seems to be eating Payton alive these past three days out. I don't know what it is, but she seems to not be able to speak without whining. Or being dramatic. Or crying. I thought she may be getting sick, but that theory doesn't seem to be correct. Who the heck knows?

We will only stay for a few days as I need to be home and pack up my classroom before they clean the carpets, and there is A LOT of stuff that needs to be sorted through. Hopefully, this will give me the opportunity to get rid of some things. I love purging stuff!

Have a great weekend!

New job!

I took a new position for next year! Everything happened so quickly that I still haven't had time to process all of it. Our special education transfers finally came out about a week ago (due to budget reasons, things just moved so slow this year... usually this process is completed in the spring) and there were openings in Inclusion, another part of our special education department. I've been talking about a change on and off this school year, as I've been working in my present type of position for 8 years now. I've been at three different schools, but doing the same kind of thing. So... I did an interview (thinking it didn't go that well) and ended up getting one of the positions that were free, as did Michele, a good friend of mine. With some anxiety and a lot of excitement, I decided to take the job.

This is certainly proving to be a year of change, as Jon and I had discussed when the opportunity to transfer came about. Our improved overall health/fitness, new day care, Payton starting preschool-- everything is changing, so why not add another egg to the basket?

I'll be an itinerant special education teacher, working at different sites (elementary, middle and high school) to supervise and evaluate instructional assistants working with students with moderate/ severe disabilities (Autism, Down Syndrome, etc.), working with site teams to modify curriculum and support students, and be a resource to teachers and parents. I've been told how hard the first year is- there will be lots of difficult parents and teachers, but hopefully I will be able to not take it to personally. I'm excited about the flexibility, the change of pace and adding to my professional growth... but scared as well!

Wish me luck! It's hard to believe we'll be starting on July 15!

OCD

I've been told that three year olds are an obsessive bunch. That these little obsessive tendencies are a means of control and making their own choices. I gotta tell you, Jon and I sometimes wonder about our dear little three year old girl....

Payton's top"obsessions" lately include the following:
1. She is constantly asking "What name is it?" She must have names attached to every object... flies, strangers, characters in books, etc. Inevitably, the next question is "Where did you get this book?" We tell her everything comes from Target.
2. Payton must know if something is big or a baby/little. Things that are "babies" are less scary. Is it a baby bee or a big bee? Is it a big fly or a baby fly?
3. I don't even have the energy to explain the bedtime ritual.....
4. She always needs a "big" milk or a "big" icy water. Big implies a full cup that is COLD.
5. On the way to wherever we are going, she must ask where we are going about 50 times.

I know most of you probably think these things do not seem annoying, maybe even cute. Sometimes they are incredibly endearing. Most times, they make both of us want to scream! Or collapse on the couch at 8:18 pm, trying to justify going to bed when there is still light outside....

Highlights from the weekend

Pretty uneventful weekend... much needed after a very long work week. The downsizing process and switching teachers at our school has caused a lot of drama (guess that is what happens when you work with mostly very passionate women!) and it was just enough to make me go crazy. Sam and Payton spent a lot of time sleeping in the past few days, making up from a busy week for them as well.

Jon and I made it through our first "long run" of our half-marathon training this morning... five miles! We both felt pretty good about that, but certainly felt the distance by the end of the run.

Other news in our house: Payton decided to use the potty a handful of times in exchange for gum, Sam learned how to drink out of a sippy cup (his sister's princess one, nonetheless), and Zoey decided to kidnap a leftover pork chop and go tearing out of the kitchen with it in hopes that we wouldn't get her. Nice, huh?

It's my last week of work! That is what will get me through the next couple of days. Hope everyone has a great week.

Weekend Pics

Here's a few pictures from the weekend: View from our hotel, Ferry Ride into San Fran, Jon on the ferry....

Father's Day Gifts

I ordered these shirts for the kids... "My Dad Is My Best Buddy" to take pictures of them together as a Father's Day gift. Here are some of the best ones! (Thanks, Sandy!)

Part Two

I seem to be doing this post in several different stages whenever I have a free moment. What I didn't get to say yesterday was Happy Father's Day to all those dads/daddies out there! This year was Jon's first Father's Day with two kids. Lucky for him, we were in one of the prettiest spots for the first part of the day. It's been amazing to watch Jon grow into being a Daddy. He puts me to shame some days. Payton has turned into such a Daddy's girl- wherever he is, she wants to be. I've come to the conclusion that the kids and I love Daddy so much because of these top reasons:
1. Jon never, ever refuses to play.
2. He can make them smile just by making silly noises.
3. He knows how to give the best piggyback and airplane rides, and shoulder lifts.
4. He knows how to sing. And dance.
5. Daddy gives the best hugs, reads the best stories, and likes to go to the park.

As my husband, Jon's an amazing father because:
1. He changes just as many dirty diapers, gives as many bottles, wipes up spit-up the same amount (if not more!) as me.
2. Jon's not afraid to make mistakes, or to question parenting techniques. Jon always wants to be better, to do more.
3. He's there for every doctor's appointment, every illness, EVERYTHING.
4. He gives me time to myself without any questions.
5. Every day, he makes me laugh and makes this very tough job much easier.

Happy Father's Day! I love you, husband!

Sausalito!!!

What a wonderful, wonderful, weekend. I am so sad that it is over that I don't even want to write about how fun it was. A brief look into the weekend: Palace of Fine Arts/Exploratorium, Sausalito, Ferry into San Francisco.......... one of the most amazing hotels in Sausalito.....

Just wonderful. More pictures later, but had to satisfy the curiosity of all of you out there who wondered where we went!

To Comment

I forgot to say this in the previous post, but I think I adjusted the settings on the blog so that people can make comments about the postings. For those of you that have tried and were not able to do so, I think I may have fixed it... so, please try again and let me know!

Insomnia

I can't sleep. For the last three nights, I have been exhausted but cannot get any interrupted sleep! I don't know if I am just wound up being the end of the year, or if Sam talking away at 3 am has been the cause.... I just know that I sure could use one night of straight sleep! When you have kids, sleep is one of life's most precious gifts. It starts from the moment they are born; all that you can think about is how long they will sleep, and when you can get some sleep. I am done feeling bad about the thought of ever sleeping past 7 am, but when I can't sleep at night (after serving my up every two hour rounds with the two kiddos) it's just not fun.

It's Friday, and one more day until our mystery trip! I am so excited that I can't even stand it. Jon asked me the other night if I just wanted him to tell me where we were going, and I stood very strong and said no (even though I was dying to know!).

Happy Friday, everyone! Stay Cool!

Is it Saturday yet?

Countdown to our secret, overnight trip on Saturday....... to a place I don't know, for our belated anniversary celebration!!! Someone out there give me some clues because the man is not bending!

I forgot!

Jon made me the most amazing photo DVD of the last ten years as a gift, which made us both cry. I've posted some of the pictures that he included..... Lani, thanks for scanning all of those pictures!

Anniversary Weekend

What a nice weekend- thank you to those of you that sent
well wishes! We were able to have a fun dinner, toast each other
with our glasses from five years ago, eat a whole angel food cake,
and watch our wedding video (yes, it is on a tape. We weren't
even sure if we'd be able to get the VCR to work). I was also able to take the kids to Jon's event on Saturday, which both of them enjoyed. We spent today playing with Grandpa and trying to stay cool. Currently, I am trying to figure out how I am going to last three more weeks with my darling students! It can't possibly be Sunday night already....

Five Years

Today is our five year anniversary! As corny as it sounds, I have no idea where the time has gone. I am so lucky to love the man next to me even more than I did when I first married him. I know we don't have it all figured out, but each year just gets better and better. It's been ten years since he has first come into my life and changed me in so many ways, and I continue to be grateful every day for the way he can always make me smile. I love you, husband. Thank you for being who you are. I cannot imagine my life without you.

Why dinner together is the best part of our day

Table Talk from Jena Stires on Vimeo.

It's time to sleep!

Thank goodness for kids that are finally in bed! It has been such a long day, and I am not sure why. Perhaps having two kids under the age of five, with one who is constantly trying to eat electrical cords? I just thought I'd post a couple of quick pictures, (Sam with "dinner" and Payton's girly toes) but I am off to sleep now. More updates tomorrow!