Snow!

We woke up both Sat and Sun covered in snow.  We definitely had to go play in that nice powder!  A lot of pictures, shocking I know...

Getting bundled up

Niles really wants Carter to learn to do this fast!

That is our house in the background

Ha ha just kidding, that is really our house in the background.  A little bit of a difference!

Sadie Loves the snow:)

I hate what happens when you upload pics.  The original of this one, Niles and Carter both look really bright against the snow.

Eating snow

Not so sure about it

This was the end of the day.  He was fed up with his gloves and fell

and this was how he reacted!  I think it is funny to show moments like this in photo slow mo

Ok we have had enough snow, no more down valley please:)

Grandma and GG

Grandma Clee and GG Clee came to visit a few weeks ago.  Carter loved entertaining both of them.  He could say GG, so he walked around saying, "Hi GG." 

 Why does Carter always have this face?  We have to tickle him to get a smile!

 They brought him a fire truck that he pushes around saying NawNee.  We tried to teach him Nee Naw like a British fire truck, because we are British?  Not really, that was what Owen used to say with the very same fire truck.  Carter flipped the words so not sure what culture of fire truck that is.  They also brought him this lego/megablock table!  I have been looking for one forever and this one was better than the one I could never find.  He actually sits and builds for a few minutes.

 They watched Carter one afternoon so Niles and I could go out alone.  We never get to do this.  Definitely one of the benefits of living near family is the trustworthy and FREE babysitting.  We took advantage and went to lunch at the new Cajun restaurant that had opened in Edwards.  It was fantastic and we will def go back.  Now I just have to cross my fingers that it will actually stay open:(  Thank you Terry and GG for the babysitting!

 Best part of any Louisiana Meal...beignets!

Yum Yum!

My Best Friend Bill

This summer after working on curriculum teams I decided to spend a couple of days going to a training call Literary Design Collaboration.  This is a program developed by the Colorado Legacy Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.  It is all about bringing literacy in content areas.  I decided it would be helpful in my role as Master and the state is really pushing literacy in all areas thanks to a new teacher evaluation rubric that is coming out because of State Bill 191.  I have to admit that the fact that the training was in Loveland and they paid for a hotel room all by yourself and all your food, may have persuaded me as well.  I joked the whole weekend that our good friend Bill needed to buy us steak for dinner!

Speed forward two months and the Gates Foundation decides to come visit Eagle County Schools.  I swore then that Bill Gates was coming... and he did not.  I was scheduled for them to spend about 5 min in my room watching me teach like they did everyone in our building that went through the training in the last two years.  I happened to not be teaching the hour they were there so my principal asked me to help him take them around giving the tour and taking them from class to class.  That turned out to be the luckiest tour of my life!  We ended up with about 10 min of dead time in the middle of the tour so they start drilling my principal and I with questions about all the new things that are happening in our state.  I was not ready for it at all, but I held my own.

Turned out that they really liked me and requested me to be apart of a group of 9 teachers who were going to be a part of a discussion when they brought the heads of their departments back.  They were so secretive about the whole thing, so I decided once again that Bill Gates was coming.  My principal said he thought it was a 25% chance.  I get to the HS where we were meeting they take me into the room and I sit down at the seat with my name tag.  I look across the table and two name tags, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates stare back at me.  I got to spend an hour and half with the two of them and 8 other teachers talking about education.  It is very surreal to think that I was in the room with the 2nd wealthiest man in the world, one of the greatest minds of our time and he listened to what I thought for just a little while.  Definitely one of those highlight days of my career. 

They were very cool people.  They prepped us before they came in with things like no pictures, no autographs, and to not call them Mr. and Mrs. Gates, to call them Bill and Melinda.  They were very down to earth and geniuenly wanted to know our point of view.  You could really tell that education is a passion of Mrs. Gates (I just can't call her Melinda!)

They had a professional photographer that took pics.  I have been waiting on them to arrive. They sent me one:)

Pretty cool day at work:)

Election

I am not a political person and do not like to take part in political discussions.  Living in Colorado which is a swing state is so different than living in OK which bleeds republican red.  Every commercial on TV is a campaign ad, people with land lines have 12 plus political messages a night, celebrities like Jon Ham and Susan Sarandon were even calling people!  They really work to get votes around here.  Kinda nice as a voter and feel like you are actually voting to make a difference.  I have been waiting for Election Day so we don't have to watch any more ads!  This poor four year old sums it up well...

I do have to say that actual election night is pretty exciting waiting to see how your state ends up.  Colorado put on the ballot this time to legalize Marijuana.  We got a lot of national attention being one of the first states to  put this to a vote.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out with states rights vs federal rights.   I am hoping that their promise comes true and Education will see all of that tax money.  We desperately need that money!


Glad it is all over for now! 

To blog or not to blog...

We have had a tough couple of weeks in our house.  I have debated over and over whether or not to share on the blog.  I initially was not going to, but then I  don't want to be one of those people that only post the bragging parts of life.  I do like to share about my son and family, which is why I decided to post, to honor my second baby.  

For those of you who didn't know we found out we were pregnant on Labor Day weekend.  I had a house full of Oklahoma friends and I somehow kept it a secret...from everyone including Niles.  I told him after everyone had left so we could have our own celebration.  We told our families about a month ago when I went to visit Illinois.  Carter got off the plane in this...

My mom was hilarious bc it took her forever to see it.  We hadn't even left the airport before she sent a pic to my dad and sis.  Niles parents got to see him in it over skype.  Johnny was the first to spot the importance.

We were very excited to add another baby to our family.  We went to get our first Ultrasound two Thursdays ago and didn't get good news.  The baby's heart had stopped beating they think somewhere around 8 or 9 weeks.  We realize that this is nature's way of saying that baby wasn't ready and it is better this way, but it doesn't make the news any less sad or less heartbreaking.  My body was still doing everything it was suppose to be doing, which is I guess the good news.  I had a D and C last Monday.  Everything went fine and I am feeling much better.

We feel extremely loved by all the help we have be given or offered in the last week.   I have to give a BIG thank you to Niles.  He took care of both Carter and I which isn't easy, especially when you are grieving along with all that work.  Thank you to my mom for listening to me cry and just letting me do it. Thank you to the Brummer's for all the help with Carter, I didn't realize that I would literally be in the hospital all day and without them my son had no where to go!  Thank you to Terry and GG for cleaning my house and watching Carter so Niles and I could get away.  Thank you to all of our family and friends for the calls, messages, cards, flower attempts ( :)  ), we needed all of those thoughts.  We are extremely blessed  and are going to spend our time enjoying those blessings.

May the Force Be with You

Carter and I joined some friends for Halloween Festivities last night.  Niles didn't get off until pretty late and by then Mommy and Carter were already tired of Halloween. He was able to see Carter dressed up and enjoy him rolling his pumpkin around the living room. 

I was determined to get one good picture

We started outside.  The sun and Carter were not cooperating.  All he wanted to do was throw his pumpkin down the stairs. 

and walk around in the leaves

So we moved inside

bigger stairs to throw the pumpkin down

He likes to take pics when I flip the camera view where he can see himself

 

Decided to try on a friends porch, he wanted to throw their pumpkin too

Darth Vader is coming!

Carter really liked Ryder's mask

He kept wanting to touch it

and then he was done

This was the first house, and the only house he actually carried his "sword" and bucket

Firemen came  and gave out glow sticks, highlight of the night

We made it one time around the block and got four pieces of candy!

Happy Halloween!