Two Years...

First off, let me reiterate: I'm a self-professed horrible blogger! I have all of these fun and cute ideas for this little 'ol blog, and then...well, life happens. I'm Type A and have all of these to-do lists and things I want to do, but I'm a Gemini and get easily distracted! Ha! Sorry for such a long absence, if I have any readers out there! If not, well, it's fun for me, anyway! :)

Little life update: I'm no longer employed! Well, I'm working, but for free! I'm finishing my Masters degree for Elementary Education. My Bachelor of Arts degree is in Communication Studies. After working in a corporate setting, I just wasn't satisfied. About 8 months after Ava was born, I was so unhappy and frustrated. I decided to go back to school to be a teacher. My mother has taught for almost 30 years, so I've kind of been raised in it! It's one of those life things where you think, "Why didn't I do this 7 years ago in undergrad!?" But sometimes it takes living a little to really decide what you want to be when you grow up! So, I've been working a full-time job, taken on a full load of classes, and have tried to balance both of those with being a wife to my husband and a mommy to our little girl. I hope I haven't let either of them down.

I'm now almost finished with my Master of Arts in Teaching degree. In January, I started my student teaching requirement! I am having a BALL, let me tell you! I'm currently in a 3rd grade classroom in a public school in KY. The kids are sweet as pie, and I have the best supervising teacher I could be working under. With all of the snow days and holidays we've had this month, I've only been in the classroom for about 9 days...but I already feel like I've learned so much! She's just amazing! I'll graduate in May and hopefully find a full-time position in the fall.

Now, that little baby girl that convinced her Mommy to completely change her career will be turning TWO in just a couple of short weeks! Here's a little recap from her first birthday party! I LOVE planning her birthday parties, and have a little stash of ideas to pull from in these next few years when she's still young enough to let ME plan it all! Ha!

Her first party was a little ladybug theme. I made almost all of her decorations, and with the help of my cousin, and her nifty Cricut, even made the invitations!

Take a little looksie:

Homemade banner...Found a LOT of cute banners on Etsy, but thought I could make just as cute of one as I could buy!

Banner for her highchair:

Ladybug cake & cupcakes! :) Made by a dear friend.

My little lady at her first birthday party...Bib was ordered from Etsy.

For this year's party, I really wanted a cute Candyland theme...however, in this house, it's ALL about Dora the Explorer! So Dora it is!

I've been a little busy here lately with all of my lesson planning for school! So this year, I skipped the homemade invitations! I actually went with (gasp!) store-bought invitations. I know, bad DIY Mommy. Oh well. She won't even notice! Ha!

I do still want to make a banner for her highchair, and I've got several other cute ideas for the decor...more of that to come later!

I'm home today on another SNOW day, so I'm catching up with my blogging and the Real Housewives of Atlanta on another Bravo marathon! LOL

I really can't wait for the RHOBH reunion. Kim and Kyle's fight broke my heart. It really was like watching a train wreck. I couldn't tear my eyes from the screen. I really felt that they were genuine, and that the whole scene wasn't just for reality TV. Camille on the other hand, dirves me up the wall! Her voice alone is like nails on a chalkboard...ugh. That I could do without! But I love Kyle, Lisa, and Adrienne! Thursday will be a big night for sure!

That's all for now, ya'll! Have a wonderful Monday!

PS-Can someone please help a girl out with my blog header? I have tried several templates, made my own in Photoshop, and finally just ended up with this plain 'ol thing...and it's still fuzzy and out of proportion...I want a CUTE header! Not a happy girl right now!

Teacher, Teacher

My countdown has begun:

Actually, I've been counting down since about May, when I realized I only had a few classes/semesters left in working toward my Master of Arts in Teaching Degree.

So now that it's October, I feel like I can actually really begin looking forward to the end. My classes will be complete in December! I'm finishing this "term" next week, and then my final two classes will begin! In January, I will begin my final term as a student teacher. And i.cannot.wait.

Can I get an Amen!?

My supervisor at work is aware that I will more than likely be leaving soon...I just have to discuss with her the final days....dun.dun.dun. I really will truly miss *some* of the people I work with. Many I consider to be some of my greatest friends...but I am ready to move on, sister!

I don't consider working in a cube the rest of my life a high priority, so I literally can't wait to bust out of the corporate office setting and leave my cube sweet cube behind in the dust! I can't wait to have my own classroom, with 24 small chairs, and 24 small desks, and 24 (hopefully) smiling little faces. I've sepnt some time in different elementary school classrooms and I truly feel like I belong there!

I am SO looking forward to these new chapters in my life!

I Survived!

I actually did it! I re-joined the workforce! And I survived! If you read my previous post, from my first day back at work, it sounded like the world was ending. And I guess, on that day it felt like it was. But by Friday, I was in much better spirits. I am SO thankful for my husband and mother...I truly couldn't do it with out them, they are so wonderful! While I'm at work, my husband watches baby A, and when he leaves for work, my mom, who is a school teacher, comes to our house to care for her. About an hour after that, I'm home. I also have a wonderful aunt who comes when Mom has after school meetings! It is so reassuring to know that she is being cared for by people who truly love and care for her. It brings me peace of mind. We are very lucky!

Work is actually kind of nice, it gives me a little break, and lets A know that she can be taken care of by someone other than Mommy. I love my work schedule, 7am-4pm, and getting home before 5 is great. Less traffic to put up with. Less yelling on the interstate! Plus, it gives me something great to look forward to at the end of a long day! There is nothing better than snuggling her and holding her while she sleeps!

To those of you who are expecting, or dreading going back, it is possible! You might even enjoy it! It's nice to have a conversation with people my age, and to see what's going on in the world...I felt like I missed out on a lot of public happenings and goings on, being at the house all the time. And for the first month and a half of her life, I was too paranoid and germ-a-phobe to take her out too much. But I got over that real quick! Cabin fever sets in quick!

BTW-Today my baby is exactly 3 months old! Time definitely flies by!

Wow...ceiling fans...

Today was D Day. The first day back at work after almost 3 months off. It was probably one of the hardest days of my life. This morning I literally felt like my heart was breaking. Life is just not fair. And I hate it. I'd sit at my desk and even just looking at her picture brought me to tears. Everyone at work was very understanding, but there are only so many times you can answer, "How's the baby? Is she good? I bet today is really rough," with out breaking down. All I wanted was to be at home with her, watching her watch the ceiling fan go round and round. Granted, we are very lucky that my husband is able to stay with her during the day, while I'm at work, and her Nana watches her after he leaves for work. But it's still a major bummer. Everyone tells me it will get easier, but I just don't know how ever leaving my baby for the whole day could get any easier. She's the most precious thing to me in the whole world. As soon as I walked through the door, I just burst into tears. I've held her all night long, and I just dread going to bed, because I know I'll have to start all over tomorrow with this whole heart-breaking process. I know we are both working to provide for our family, and to be able to give her all the pretty things, but is it really worth it? Maybe I'm not meant to be a "career girl" after all. I guess I'll just have to wake up and take it one day at a time...but I really don't want to. To all the stay at home Mommies, you are so blessed! You have a hard job, raising and taking care of your family at home, but be thankful that you are able to do so! To all the working Mommies-You also have a hard job. Trying to balance work with life is tedious. I guess I'll just have to wake up and take it one day at a time...but I really don't want to. Because right now, all I want to do is rock my baby to sleep.

Which is exactly what I'm going to do.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to work we go...

D-day is next Wednesday, the 29th, and I've got a LOT to do over these next couple of days...

Let's see:

• Manicure/pedicure. For sure.
• Clean the house.
• Clean the car/perform regular car maintenance. {Thanks honey!}
• Shopping-I need at the very least one pair of black pants, and a couple of tops. That fit. Since I'm still too, ahem, large, for my pre-pregnancy clothes, and too small for my maternity clothes. Good grief, it's so annoying!
• Sweet pictures of my baby to take back to my cubicle. {Try to pretty it up a little.}
• Hmmm...I think that's it.

• OH! A box of Kleenex. {Yeah. That about wraps it up.}