Spring has Sprung!

Here are some pictures of my classroom's "spring" activities for all my teacher friends out there!
I love this time of year!! (minus the pollen which leads to allergy attacks... ick)

Our Spring Bulletin Board

We learned the parts of the flower and the children wrote what flowers need to grow and live.

"Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory!"

Boys did red tulips, Girls did white daisies

Spring writing, "In the spring, I ..."

Our Spring themed door!

Each child wrote a line to our Spring poem!

Their spring writing displayed in our room

"The Tiny Seed" Story Element Chart

My Little Master's Art - Georgia O'Keefe

Little Master's Art- Symmetrical Butterflies (K4)

They laid tissue paper then drew their design on top of the tissue.

Symmetrical butterflies (K5)

They had to draw and watercolor to make it symmetrical

This will be for my health unit that we will begin next week.  

I couldn't find anything online to help while I re-vamped my whole theme for this so I will add pictures of my new "creations" as we complete the activities...

This my "diagram" of our human body that I made... We will focus mainly on the brain, lungs, heart and stomach during our 2 week study.

 That is most of our fun that we have going on right now! We also planted rye grass in cups to watch it grow, had a "plants on our plate" taste test where we tasted all the "plants" we eat daily (broccoli, potatos, carrots, etc.) and discussed which part of the plant it was (roots, stem, leaves).  They loved this!
I have also challenged my group with learning how to put things in ABC order, and compound words! THEY DID GREAT!!!  So smart!! I am so proud of them.



And for all you "Belly Watchers" out there... here "we" are at 6 months (24 wks)!!!!
See...I told you... A basketball has attached itself to my stomach! HA!

I cannot believe how quick it is going!! 

and how much we are growing :)

So happy she/we are healthy!

I love being pregnant... which I knew I would.  It is honestly so wonderful, so amazing, and so humbling (going back to my post yesterday)... God is creating a PERSON inside of me... do you ever get a closer glimpse of his perfect image, his wonderful creation? I just BEAM at His glory.

~Go Be Merry!!~

It's Friday!

I cannot wait to cook out with friends tonight, yay!!

Humbled

I cannot believe it is already APRIL!  Time just goes so fast.
I'll preface this by saying this isn't one of my usual "blogs" but more of the "inner thoughts" from my head... read along if you wish :)
I guess it began in church this past Sunday, when I burst out into tears while singing along to this song at Ridgecrest...

Revelation Song - Kari Jobe

that I realized what all God has blessed me with this past year.  I had my own most humbling moment, which literally brought me to my knees and I felt as if I should shout out... Thank you, God. THANK YOU!!! YOU ARE AMAZING.

When I look back over the past year, I become so humbled, my eyes again fill with tears as I write this.  Not because I am sad, but because I am just so aware of how much I take forgranted each day.  We have a God that loves us SO much... he DIED for us.  Yet, each day I live as if it was expected, as if I choose what happens day to day, and I make the decisions.  That is not it my friends.  We are here to serve, here to lead others to Him, and here to LOVE.
  Last year was such a "on bended knee" year...  from the HIGH of marrying my best friend and true love of my life, Colby in April ... to the almost immediate lowest point of my life.. almost loosing my mother to pneumonia.
I don't think words truly can express the feelings I went through. Doubt. Anger. Fear. Jealousy.
Doubt that God was taking care of us, Anger that this had happened to her, Fear that I would loose her, and Jealous that Colby and I's honeymoon was ripped out from under our feet the moment we landed back in Jackson.  Now that I reflect on those feelings.. how selfish.
Colby and I returned from our honeymoon to my mother being admitted into ICU, intubated in an induced coma. WHAT had happened while I was so blissfully in love down in Mexico?! My life had fallen apart here in Madison? No. God. No. Surely you didn't do this to us.  Oh but He did, and he knew exactly why He did it.  He made us climb the mountains, He made me face my biggest fear (being without my mom), and now, after surviving it all..  I can finally smile as part of His amazing plan had been revealed to me, because surely He isn't done with me yet.

Colby and I began our marriage, on our knees, bent in prayer for HOURS of our day, praying, talking, discussing all of our fears with HIM.  Our amazing, precious, wonderful Father God.  Wow.
Not only that but I now had an amazingly supportive husband to guide me through my tears and "outrage" during the many 76 days we spent at UMC hospital, and Methodist Rehab.  My family became so much closer.. I know.. we are the "Brady Bunch" of families anyways, but what we became ... is unbreakable.
God saved our Mom.. took her lupus into remission, brought her health back to better than it was before... speechless describes what I feel when I think about all God has blessed my family with.  My mom is radiant, beautiful, and surely one of God's most wonderful angels here on earth.  I am SO grateful, thankful, humbled to be able to share each day with her still. Every phone call, every hug, every smile.. everything.  It isn't taken forgranted anymore.. it is treasured.
 And now... His unfailing love for me and His plan for my life reveals that what we went through was even greater than all of the sickness and triumph... His plans include me becoming a mom. He knew I needed to be weakened, only so that I would know how to love in the purest form, how to treasure each breath of the ones I love... I know Lucy will have the best mom ever, simply because I learned from the best myself. (and thankfully still get to learn from her EVERY day!!)

Thank you Lord, for the challenges you give us in our daily lives.  I know that we are always unaware of your plan but I praise you for giving us the strength we didn't know we had in us.  You only give us things that you know we really can handle... even though we are selfish, doubtful, and full of sin.. you love us always.  I thank you for all things that you have made, for loving me when I am unloveable, and for your healing power and grace.  For the things that we do not yet understand, let us have patience, strength and faith.  You are the only Wise King.  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.  With all creation I sing, praise to the King of Kings.  You are my everything and I will adore you.

To my friends and family, I love you each SO much! I honestly thank our God everytime I think of you.   Thank you for loving me, and for your prayers, your kind words, your advice, the food you prepared, all of it during my mother's sickness almost a year ago. I know this thank you is a little late, but I assure you that your kindness during that time will forever be remembered, and treasured by my family.

To my momma, (if you have figured out how to log on to my blog, finally) I TREASURE every second we spend together. I am so glad that Colby and I only live 3.2 miles away... :) Thank you for teaching me about God, and for always displaying such an incredible faith.  You are such an incredible, strong, BEAUTIFUL woman and my very best friend... I love you.


   Love you all!!
~Love~ Kris (and Lucy!)

To-Do's ACCOMPLISHED!

Big news: My brother Stephen and Cassie have found out: THEY'RE HAVING A BOY!!! They are due exactly a month after me! It is going to be so fun with my sister and I both having girls, and now Cassie is adding a little boy!!   I cannot wait to meet my new niece and my new nephew, and of course our Lucy!

It is SUCH a great feeling to know that I actually completed my "Spring Break' to-do list (see prior post)! YAY!

I applied the 2nd coat to Lucy's window sill, met with the faux finisher to discuss/plan/begin Lucy's furniture and crown molding.. it is going to be FABULOUS!  Pictures to come soon.

I finished the 48" by 36" canvas...

 I really enjoyed working on it- a little at a time, of course!

Finished this painting to go into Lucy's nursery...

We also went to Mom and Dad's attic and found my old cradle... My Papaw made this for me when I was a baby, isn't it just perfect!?  We are going to re-finish it and put it into Lucy's nursery, too!

Please ignore the painted cement floor underneath.. :)

We also went and toured all Madison nursery's this week... and let me just add: If you are thinking about becoming pregnant anytime soon- put your child on the waiting list, now. Seriously. Make up a due date and add your name! The waiting lists are insane!!!  (I really don't know if that is possible but.. the day you find out, GO!)

I know God will have a perfect plan for us, and for Lucy... but it is scary thinking we may not get in anywhere!! Luckily we have amazing grandmother's to help keep sweet Lucy until January ... or until we get in... somewhere-   Fingers crossed! Prayers needed!

and my last completed "to-do"....

A finished look at the monogrammed burp cloths that I made! They turned out SO cute! Thanks Bridgette's!

And of course... when in a monogram store... Momma went a little nutty. Already.

But could you resist?!!

Her first monogrammed "onesies"   :)

Here is a closer picture of her pink outfit with monogram- sweet Kelly Edwards gave us this the day we found out we were having a baby girl!  LOVE the cursive monogram!

Other than all of the above keeping me busy, its been a relaxing/wonderful week! The weather the last few days has been amazing... a little HOT yesterday at the parade, but I won't complain!  And yes. I attended the St. Patricks Day parade and managed to survive the WHOLE day outside with the wonderful GREEN, tu-tu-wearing, overly "served" staggering people that surrounded me.  It really was a good time, and people watching has never been so much fun!  I sat in my chair, eating my PB&J sandwich, drinking my ice cold water (amazing), and observed all the lovely Jacksonians come out in full force. But sadly, I didn't bring my camera so I cant' share the fun with you. 

I will add here that my sunburn from yesterday is quite the statement.... and not in a "oh! it will tan then look pretty" way. 

Today I tried to fix it by wearing a strapless top while I put out our new pinestraw in the front beds (which look so good, by the way) and um.. yea. a bigger mess was created.   I thought I was possibly the only one that may have been blessed by the "v-neck" sunburn, but low and behold- I walk into Kroger tonight and there is a lady with a sleeveless top on, sporting her "short sleeved" sunburn!

She was at the parade, for sure.    

Didn't even have to ask!

Back to school tomorrow, and I am so glad-  I have missed my children and daily routine! Although I know tomorrow morning will pretty tough for me and Lucy to get out of bed... her new thing is to wait until I wrestle with the pillows for a good 30 minutes each night before bed (the time it takes me to get good and comfortable) and then all the sudden, just as I'm drifting off to sleep- WHAM, WHAM WHAM. She kicks, kicks, and kicks... just to say "hey" I think, or either to tell me that I'm not giving her enough room- so I end up movinng, and getting unconfortable all over again!

Not that I'm complaining, because I truly love being pregnant, and I love the way she tells me "I'm in here and I'm alright".

Have a great, MERRY week!!

~Love~