Carter's Birthday Party

 We had thought about rescheduling Carter's party, but we have literally been busy every weekend.  It just wasn't going to work out.  I spent a lot of time coming up with the perfect Monkey Party,   thought I would at least share a bit of what I had planned.  I took back what I could. :(

 To next year!  I have a feeling it might be a train party:) 

State Testing

We are in the middle of state testing at school.  It is an awful time at school.  Everyone is stressed, the kids are on edge, you don't have full classes, but yet we aren't allowed to do anything fun.  I don't have a "Den" class, so I am reading the test to kids with accommodations.  I hate it.  It stresses me out bc some kids are with you and some aren't and you have to read all these directions at specific times, but how to you read it so that it is beneficial to all.....Ugh.  Not the best time of my life.  Just stressed and feel like a stalker to these kids I'm testing bc I am constantly looking over their shoulder to see what number they are  on.  I'm not even testing my grade level so I don't know any of the kids names, they don't know me.  It is such a joy.  3 more days, 3 more days is my mantra for the next week.  Another teacher posted this on facebook and it made me laugh.  Happy weekend!

Basketball is over:(

I know that sounds weird because we are in the middle of March Madness, but basketball ended for the Salukis last week.  Not the best season in my dads career, but better than their season last year.  Click on the link below to see a video one of the news stations ran.  It is pretty funny.  I don't like the music, but the videos are funny.

http://www.wsiltv.com/sports/local/Barry-Bites-196805021.html

I guess Go Pokes and Jayhawks!

Spring

Spring in the mountains is very different than spring elsewhere.   Saturday it snowed all day.  They closed the tunnel bc of so many accidents and then Sunday it was as sunny as could be and snow melting!  Ahh Spring...

Carter went to the skatepark while at daycare last week. 

Carter, Mack, and Cayle

Carter apparently wanted to do what Cayle was doing and it was a learning experience.

Here is Carter at the top...

and at the bottom:) 

We got to go visit a fellow teachers ranch and see her brand new baby calves.

This one was born right before we got there, I was not disappointed, it might have scared me for life.

Brook said, " He has no fear."  All he wanted was to be down and petting the cow and when he was done with one, trying to go to another one.  That no fear thing scares me a bit.

Another friend of ours is getting a lamb in a few weeks, I can't wait...for Carter of course;)

San Diego

A month ago I received an invitation to attend a conference in San Diego for teachers who are also in leadership roles in their buildings.  It was being put on by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  I just got back and had a fantastic time.  We were booked almost every minute of the whole time we were there, but I learned a lot.  It was very neat to be surrounded by teachers from across the country.  They put us in Colleague circles and in my circle I had the teacher with the largest achievement gap in the country and the poorest school district in the country.  I learned a lot about how different places are implementing the new common core standards and how other districts do their peer mentoring programs.  I was able to sit with all the Colorado teachers for a small part of the trip, but it was nice to discuss the new state teacher evaluation rubric that is going to me implemented across our state next year. 
One other teacher from my district went too.  She was the teacher that when Bill and Melinda Gates came earlier in the year they observed her classroom and she was apart of the 9 teachers who were in the discussion with them as well.  This apparetnly makes her very well known to everyone who works for the Gates foundation.  I found myself the first night at a table with all the Gates foundation people (Bill and Melinda were not there).  It was pretty crazy, and cool, and a little nerveracking:)
The crazy thing about the conference was they filled and photographed everything..and not with a flip camera like in my district.  With cameras like these...

They were everywhere!  Even trying to get orange juice in the morning and there is the dude with the camera.
I didn't take any other pictures.   I didn't even get to see the beach:( 
Here is a summary video they put out about the conference if you happen to be interested.

I am in it for a split second, clapping at a table, my Hollywood minute:)

ECET2 La Jolla Final Video from Long Story Short on Vimeo.


I got lots of pictures sent to me of Carter, they made me smile:)

Great trip and now a busy PT conferences week!

Mid-Winter Break

The year I had Carter they started a Mid-Winter Break in February.  It is really nice...until you are in the last week of school and then think about how you could be done!

We didn't do much.  Stayed in town and just hung out.

The first weekend Niles and I went to a music festival at local brewery called Crazy Mountain.  They called it Winter Wondergrass.  Perfect name for a Bluegrass festival is the dead of winter!  It was 2 days of music.  Niles was there pretty much the whole time and I came up with our friends Beth and Dave later in the day after leaving Carter and Brynn with a sitter.  It was outside and really, really cold!  The first night I thought I was going to die of frost bite.  The second night I put more layers on than thought possible.  I was quite toasty...well as toasty as you can be standing in 20 degrees for 5 hours:)  The second night it started dumping snow.  It was very cool and also a "Why are all these people standing out in the middle of a blizzard?" moment.

I tried to capture the snow with my phone...doesn't quite give it justice, but you get the point.

 We rode his bike before it started snowing like crazy.  He mainly wanted to run into things or over things.

 He doesn't quite get that bikes aren't meant for snow, imagine the next 3 in slomo:)

Carter and Humphrey:(

Dance Party:)

Harlem Shake

My cousin Colby and his fellow 7th graders got in trouble for doing the Harlem Shake in the middle of class.  I thought it was quite funny.  Carter loves to watch people doing the Harlem Shake.  If you don't know what it is here are my favorite ones.

#1  KU basketball team.  I babysat 2 boys in this videos.  Niko is the one in the footie baby pjs in the front (Norm and Pas's oldeset) and Tyler is  somewhere I can't find him in the craziness  (Bill and Cindy's youngest).

#2 Maryland student sections when they played Duke.  You have to watch until the end to see the Harlem Shake.

#3 KU Student section

I think this might be a great April Fools joke on a fellow teacher...