If Only I Had a Green Nose

by Max Lucado

Another read aloud moment from the classroom. This book is the sequel to, "You are Special" Lucky for me these books have a great message besides the spiritual ones so I get to use them in the classroom. I got to the last page and started to read the part below. I had to use the book to cover my face so the kids wouldn't see my tears. I'm so grateful for the gift of repentance and our Heavenly Father's never failing belief in us.

"We just want to be ourselves again." splint said.
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Can we?" they asked.
"Of course you can," Eli replied. "I'll always help you be who I made you to be." Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of sandpaper. "But it's going to take some time."
And so Punchinello and his friends followed their maker into his workshop where he spent the rest of the day removing the paint. It hurt to be sanded, but it was worth it to be normal again.

Got Religion? (and thoughts)

I got a picture text from Aaron of this...courtesy of Sydney. I found it a little ironic because when my parents' Westie was a puppy he also ate my previous set of scriptures. I guess West Highland Terriers have a craving for the good news just like the rest of us. Luckily for me Sydney didn't do unrepairable damage, I think I can get it fixed if I can find a good book store.

It's funny how the mind works. This got me thinking about religion and I started noticing little things.

Two students in my class, one a Latter-Day Saint, the other of another Christian faith, often have conversations about religious subjects. I over heard this the other day:

P: Just because I don't know my Dad doesn't mean I don't have one, we all have a Heavenly Father.
C: You're right we do and I love him more than anything in this world, and he loves me.
P: He does love us and we're all brothers and sisters.
C: No we're not.
P: Yes we are. Like my next door neighbor is a lot older than me, but she's still my sister.
C: No she's not.
P: Yes she is, we all are!
C: No we're not.

And it continued, it made me smile how well they understood their faith and at such a young age.

I had a student ask me, "Mrs. Gelter sometimes I wonder about the world and if we are all brought into this world by girls, who put the first girl here?" I was speechless, especially since I can't answer those questions as a public educator.

I'm so grateful for our faith and the peace it brings to our lives. I was talking with Aaron yesterday about how fun it is to watch all the different families in our ward (we have a good view from the stand). It's even more fun getting to know each of them. I'm beginning to understand that we all do things differently and in our own way, but if we keep true to the principals of the gospel, life works out. I grateful I'm finally beginning to understand this. Maybe I'm the only one who's felt like I might not be as good as someone else because I didn't do things a particular way. I now see that what works for someone else might never work for me no matter how hard I try. We're all unique and Heavenly Father made us that way for a reason. If we listen to the Lord's spiritual promptings and let Him guide us He'll show us how to live good, full, and happy lives. I'm going to try to always remind myself to not feel guilty because my style is a little different. I am going to try to learn to always be true to myself with the guidance of our kind all knowing Heavenly Father.

Murder Me, I'm Irish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Last night we spent the evening with some colorful company! We were invited to a Murder Mystery Party our neighbors hosted. Let me introduce you to us...

Socco Shanahan: a major league soccer player who's bluntly honest.
(That's right ladies, I get to kiss him whenever I want!)

Paddie Berger: the head burger flipper at Blarney's Tavern. She's also a compulsive liar.

For as nervous as Aaron was before the party he played his part brilliantly. I had to confront someone several times during the evening and did okay at that, but I couldn't lie. I tried really hard, but I just couldn't do it. I should have prepped by asking my second graders the coolest thing they've ever done. They could have provided me with some good stuff. Oh, well.

This is Chek Flanagan the banker and Summer O'keefe the life guard. They're also our host and they threw a great party!

This is Tator McSalsbury the school cafeteria worker who steals food and Nora Nightshade the horror television hostess. Go figure, we live across the street from a Murderer! Nora was the naughty leprechaun! It was so much fun and it was nice get to mingle with so many of our neighbors and get to know them a little better. By the time the evening was coming to a close I was literally falling asleep on Socco's shoulder. He brought me home and laughed at his tired goofy Paddie. Thanks again you guys for a super fun evening!

Save The Date

Just a little heads up on some dates. If you're like me you love putting things on your calendar so here are a couple of days you might want to scribble on.

April 18th--Baby Shower For Porter and Me

August 2nd-- Porter's Baby Blessing

I know the second one is way in advance but that's the date we're planning/hoping for. This post is only for your convenience, you'll be receiving invites in the mail as well.

imagination

Not the best picture of me but I felt like there should be some documentation of the kids' inspiration.. me and my little soccer ball.

I had recess duty today and got to supervise 200 first and second graders while they romped and played. As I was standing by the playground I turned around to see a flock of first graders all running towards me with bulges under their t-shirts. A little stumped at first, I wondered what they were up to and then they got close enough I could hear them. "I'm pregnant" "So am I" "I'm having a baby boy" "Oh I'm having a girl" This game was so fun that several other students joined in by removing their jackets or retrieving a play ground ball to stuff under their shirt so as to not be left out. Did I mention this was a not a gender specific game? I guess I'm more of an inspiration than I thought, maybe just not in the way I had planned.

This week the child whispers have increased and more often as kids pass me in the hall I'll hear, "She's having a baby." I was also shocked when approached by several co-workers with, "You're pregnant?!" Well, yeah, how did you miss that? I guess my belly is becoming unmistakable for a baby bump; however, I really don't know how it couldn't have been before. It's all good, though. It's kind of a boost when someone seems shocked to discover you're 6 months prego. Let's get this back on track, the best part of the recess story is that by the time we were headed back in for class those t-shirt budges had turned into wadded up babies that needed cuddles, coos, and protection from the meanie pants. Kids+imagination=smiles.

nibbles of insight

I enjoy reading little tid-bits each day and I really like it when I can gather some wisdom in the process. I started exploring Mormon Mommy Blogs for some enjoyable reads. Well so far I've found one kindred blog The Chocolate Chip Waffle. The blog author, Terresa, writes in an intelligent style I enjoy. I've kept a quote book since I was a beehive so I love all the quotes! It's also nice to see that there's someone out there with similar thoughts. Some recent favorite posts are: Sometimes all I see is cattle, Big girl panties, and Cool quote #59.

a little bit of peace

As I've mentioned, I really wanted to go on one last getaway with Aaron before Porter arrives. When I started planning I hoped for something involving travel, but my idea changed with each week of pregnancy. We ended up taking a Friday off and making a reservation at a comfy hotel in our alma Mater town of Logan. We made no plans and once Aaron realized the trip was for relaxing, not doing, we just took it easy. It was lovely. Nothing like being lazy, takin' it as it comes and being with your best friend.

Aggie Ice Cream

Freezing But Beautiful

Little Brother and Basketball


Aggies won the WAC; it was a fun game and neat to see them awarded the trophy.

100 Days To Go--The Final Count Down

AHHH!!! Baby #1 only 100 Days away! Craziness. Time just flies by I have mixed emotions of excitement, anxiety, and a feeling of needing to prepare. I'm part of a network of women who are expecting about the same time as I am and some of them do these fun facts every week. I thought I'd do it for this occasion.

How far along? 25 weeks 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: +10 lbs. Ya Baby! We'll see how long that lasts though, walking has really helped.
Maternity clothes? Yes--I finally have a large enough collection to feel like my wardrobe has a little variety.
Stretch marks? Not yet (and hopefully not at all)
Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well. When I have problems sleeping I just chalk it up to pregnancy and roll with it.
Best moments: Finding out he's healthy, talking about our hopes for this little guy, and Porter always kicking when I'm in the temple or when my iPod shuffles to QUEEN. Guess he really has me in him.
Movement: Yes. He's most active when I sit still and stop rocking him back and forth. Aaron's had his best bonding time with Porter when I'm sleeping.
Food cravings: I still love most everything but this week I've discovered Citrus Berry Sherbet with Chocolate Magic Shell...yum! Tangy and sweet.
Labor Signs: Occasional false labor just a few contractions every once in awhile.
Belly Button in or out? I refer to it as Halfie.
What I miss: Not much but I'd have to say Fresh Deli Meat Sandwiches.
What I am looking forward to: The weekend, Aaron and I are planning some fun.
Weekly Wisdom: Keep walking Meg! Enjoy the journey, it's beautiful, and all these little things I worry about aren't really that important in the grand scheme of things.
Milestones: 100 days to go! Buying supplies to create the art work I've in visioned for the nursery.

Parent Teacher Conferences Round 1

It went so well tonight! I'm not traumatized, just tired. That's to be expected almost 6 months prego and working from 7:30am to 8:30pm. I honestly believe that parents do the best they can or at least the best that they know how to do. This helps me stay open minded and open hearted when dealing with families. But last year I had some stay-at-home-mommy trouble makers. These bored and power hungry mothers made PTC so much more unpleasant than necessary. I was so nervous for tonight, but tonight was truly positive! I felt energized talking with parents about their child's successes, weaknesses, and potential. I had a moment were I actually saw that I'm making a difference to these kids and it's a great feeling. I LOVE my job! Here's hoping tomorrow goes just as well.

Flavorful Giggles

In my classroom we have story corner every day. The kids gather around me on the floor and we get to read wonderful stories. This morning we were reading "Science Verse" by Jon Scienszka the author of, "The True Story of The Three Little Pigs", "The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales" and my favorite, "The Frog Prince Continued." Anyways "Science Verse" is a bunch of witty science poems and one is about parasites. Well my students wanted to talk about these bugs that live off of us some more. So we were having a discussion about parasites and the kids start telling stories about how their friends eat bugs. It's relevant in their minds; eating bugs and having one living off you is totally connected. Then one little boy raise his hand and made this comment:

"Ants have more flavor in California than they do in Utah!"

First of all you need to understand that to this student everything is better in California. Secondly, he was dead serious. I have no doubt that he has sampled the ants in both locations. I could not contain my laughter and soon started to tear up. Lucky for me he thought it was pretty fun to make me laugh. Kids are so fun! Frustrating at times, but when you let them be kids not students they're hilarious. At least I find them amusing. :)