What's the Problem?

No one can prepare you for what you experience when you have a child. Their level of learning and picking things up is incredible and many times they pick things up you are completely unaware. For example, Gabbie was annoyed with her daddy because he would not give her the vaseline lid. Her outburst and tantrum earned her a minute in timeout. For Gabbie that is just awful!, lol. After her minute of timeout I walked by and she was still annoyed with her daddy and had some grumblings to share with everyone. I then asked, "What is the problem?" As if in a funniest moments tv show, she stomped her little foot and pointed directly at her daddy as to say " He is the problem!" I instantly had to leave the room so I wouldn't laugh....don't want to send the wrong message, even though it was sooooo funny! We were utterly amazed that she understood the question and even more that to her her daddy was her problem. And to top it off, she really did hurt her daddy's feelings, poor thing. I told him she's a girl and he better get used to it. There are alot more episodes like that to come in the future.

Christmas in the Lone Star State

Gabbie and your godmother

opening up the gifts

Gabbie, Matthew and Auntie "LaLa"

Gabbie and her cousin Matthew

Merry Christmas

Gabbie and I made it to Texas and back in one piece. Of course when you are traveling with a toddler, there is never a dull moment. Nonetheless, we made it back safe and sound so grateful to have been able to spend time with family. I

Catching Up

Last night I was able to have some friends over for dinner and it was great. Although I have moved onto another district and cannot not see them as often, we do still keep up with each other with occasional calls; whenever our lives allow it. So being able to have them all there last night was a blessing to me as I have not seen them in awhile. They are all good people with great hearts and of course pretty darn good teachers.
I have lived in Indiana for 13 years and the one element that has not wavered are the wonderful friends I have met throughout the years. Since I live so far away from home, they have become my Indiana family. Lucky me!

Bah-Hum-Bug!

Gabbie and Santa....well I don't think they had a good visit.

Michael Jordan's Response To Lebron James What Should I Do Commercial!

I love this video.....

Two Hour Delay

Oh Indiana weather....it is an acquired taste that I have yet to like! After 13 years, the cold snowy weather still hasnt grown on me, not even during the holidays. This morning at 5am, I got the call that we were on a 2 hour delay. At least for Gabbie's sake, we got to stay in a little later and it was only 11 degrees when we left the house.
Lucky me got to do bus duty in this weather...oh that's why they say I get paid the big bucks.....Yeah Right!!
Finals start tomorrow and Thursday is the last day for students so it will be all over with before I know it. Winter Break here we come;

Moving too Fast

Well it seems Gabbie is not ready to sleep on the cot after all. She had such a tough time that the sitter decided to put her back in her pack and play. She cried and missed her naps because she didn't want to sleep on the cot. Here she is after she cried herself to sleep, Poor thing!

School Picture

Memorial Service

Last night I attended Leon's memorial service with my friend Emi. We were both his teachers in 6th grade. It was great to see an auditorium full of people that were touched by Leon's 16 years of life. His casket was on stage surrounded by flowers, NC soccer and baseball flags and great pictures of him throughout his life.
It was a touching tribute to such a positive young man who worked hard and did his best.
Last night I hugged by daughter a little tighter before bed time. Time moves so fast and the fact is we do not know what next month, next week or the next minute will bring. We really have to live life in the moment. we get caught up in this notion that we control what we do and when we do it. We get caught up in work and the daily grind often times missing all the opportunities to see just how lucky we are to be on this earth each day. My hope is that I will live to see my daughter grow up, get married, maybe even have her own kids (I think Im pushing it there,,,I was pretty old when she was born, lol) Nonetheless whenever I go I want her to know I absolutely loved her with every bit of my being. I want her to know I lived my life to the fullest every day with no regrets.

I am headed to his grave site services this morning praying for his family and friends to receive comfort during this difficult time. I do not worry about Leon;I absolutely know he is safe and secure in the comfort of the Lords hands. We can only imagine what he could have done if allowed to stay a little longer but his life was written with a different ending than expected. But what cannot be disputed is his life made a difference that will long be remembered by many.

Rest in Peace Leon

Before I became an assistant principal, I taught middle school English and P.E.. I have taught over a thousand students and I have lost only one until last night. This morning I woke up to watch the news and realize I had lost a former student who was now 16 to an automobile accident. He was such a sweet 11 year old....quiet, shy but had an infectious smile. He loved basketball and sports and was an overall good kid. Although they move onto high school, to me they are always those wonderful 6th graders that filled my life with a great deal of joy and fulfillment as their teacher.
I dont think you ever get used to losing someone but it hurts a little more when they are so young. I pray his family finds comfort that their son touched many lives while he was here, and I am one of them.

Indiana Basketball....There's Nothing Like It

Tonight my school kicked off their 1st home game against their rival school ( my former employee). I spent 10 years in that district and it is always so great to see my former students and athletes. It really is the only opportunity I have to see them being that I crossed over to the other side:) They all give me a hard time for leaving and going "over there"
Nonetheless, it was a sell out crowd with a great game. Our school lost but they played hard and I can't help but be excited for the many former players on the other team that I taught and won. I was silently rooting for them:)

Toddler Testing

Gabbie had her "toddler test" at daycare today. She did very well and she is ahead in many areas. It is interesting how I am already looking at how well she does. For instance, we have been practicing our abc's for about a month and she can just about get through all by herself. But today on her report she was marked that she didn't know them...."UGH! she knows them!!"...and that was my truly initial reaction. Then I remembered she is only 20 months....really Maggie....Really, get yourself together:)
It seems I have some time to get myself together before she really enters the testing world of education. I am not looking forward to that.

Happy Birthday to Maggie & Gabbie

Today Gabbie turned 20 months and her mom turned well, 29 again:)
I had a very good day hearing from family, friends and even a former student who I had in the 6th grade 10 years ago! Gabbie got her middle name from this student. She was and is a special kid.....well I guess she is not a kid anymore:)
I have been blessed with another year....Thank you!

It's Official!

Well Gabbie's first fall out of her crib was not enough to deter her from trying it again so on Saturday afternoon, her dad converted the crib to a day bed. Wow! we are moving into the next stage of her toddler life.... Even the sitter says she will be moving from her pack and play to a cot for naps. Where does the time go?

She has escaped

So I knew the day would come but it got here at 4am this morning.....Gabbie climbed out of her crib! Of course she hit the floor pretty hard but she survived and climbed into bed with her mom.....Wow! It will be fascinating to see if she tries it again tonight or if the fall was hard enough for her to wait awhile before she tries it again. Tonight should be very interesting:)

Oprah Show!

Wow what an awesome trip. We made it to the Oprah Show today and it was wonderful. We got to sit up front and they actually called my name for sitting....wow, people thought we were VIP's.....hilarious, when in reality it had to do with the great colors we had on....it's all about what looks good on the camera.
The show dealt with reality tv shows on the Discover channel and TLC. Oprah gave away some serious money but not to us of course. We did get a free champagne cupcake from the DC cupcake ladies....that was cool. All in all it was an awesome experience I got to share with two special people in my life and what an opportunity to witness her last season....
I even survived being away from Gabbie for the 1st time over night:)

Princess Aniyah

Happy Pumpkin Day!

Pumpkin Patch Day

Today was Pumpkin Patch Day at daycare and Gabbie picked out her pumpkin and created her own design....such a one-eyed masterpiece.
And of course it was cold today.....Now I remember why I don't like living here:)

Oprah here I come!

I have long been an Oprah fan; I think she is awesome. Four years ago, I was able to get tickets to her show and it was great!
Since this is her last year, I have been stalking her website, applying for tickets when the window is open and checking it daily for any last minute reservations. Well yesterday afternoon there was a posting for last minute reservations for Nov. 3, 4, and 5. I applied for all the dates of course. Well today I was notified that I got tickets for the Nov. 3 show! Wow, how lucky am I? I am so so excited to be able to see her show again and who knows maybe it will be her favorite things show....now wouldn't that be something!

Our 1st pumpkin

Having a child makes you want to do things you haven't thought of since you were a child. This evening we carved our 1st pumpkin.....uhmmm the finished product looks very interesting, lol

Happy Fall Break

I like it, I like it!

This weekend we went to Champps restaurant and had potato skins for an appetizer. Gabbie took some initiative and grabbed a whole potato and began eating it like she had done it before. Wow!

19 months old

Today Gabbie turned 19 months; we had a pretty uneventful day. We went out for a 2mile walk at Eagle Creek and enjoyed the great weather. Life is good!

Career Day 2010

Presenting....... Dr. Aniyah Gabrielle Bishop

Sewing 101

On Wednesday, Gabbie will have "Career Day" at daycare, yes "Career Day". On Saturday I found a doctor's costume, with lab coat, scrubs and a thethoscope. I was only able to find a small which is a size 4; this is too big for her so I am going to try and sew the lab coat. Now in high school I got a C- on an apron I tried to create and sew soooo the outcome of her lab coat should be very interesting. I did take it into school today to get some pointers from one of our home ec teachers. i was hoping she would sympathize with me and volunteer to fix it but no! of course she asked to see a picture of Gabbie with her lab coat on so I think she just wants to see how bad I butcher my baby's coat!
Wish me luck:)

Fall is here

Nap Time, LOL!

Every day, all children take a nap at daycare. Well it seems Gabbie has her own ideas about nap time, lol

Gee I wonder where she gets her stubborness
While everyone else is fast asleep, well, isnt it obvious, lol

academics first

Gabbie is moving right along with her learning. She is coloring and making an Elmo face; it is amazing how that little brain of hers is absorbing everything. We have started working on the alphabet song and she can get bits here and there. Soon she will have it all memorized.....wow!

Look at Me

Here is one of Gabbie's 18 month pictures. This is her sweet innocent look not to be confused with her "no no no mommie!" look.

18 Month Checkup

Gabbie had her 18 month check up on Monday afternoon and all is well. She weighs 30lbs and is 35 inches long. It is interesting that even though it has been 6 months since we were last at the doctor, she still remembers shots. As soon as she saw "the nurse" she was not happy. She didn't cry much but she was not a happy camper. All and all she is moving right along healthy and happy.

Colts @ Daycare

Just Learning

One of the things I appreciate about Gabbie's daycare is that they start the learning process early. Here she is trying to find two that match. At 18 months today, its unbelievable how time just flies

Cooooolts!

Football seasons starts today and although I am not a Colts fan, Gabbie got a tshirt to help her dad cheer the team on to victory. Of course I have ordered a Dallas Cowboys tshirt for her too:) because her mother is not and never will be a Colts fan:)
Here she is trying to say "Colts"

When you least expect it

One of my duties at work is to help families who have children that become ill and need assignments or assistance with teachers. Today, I met with a family whose son.....who is only 15 has been diagnosed with cancer. Last weekend they went to medcheck because he had a cold. Then when the cold didn't go away they thought it might be bronchitis so they went to their doctor on Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon he had been diagnosed with cancer. By last Friday he had been given his 1st chemo therapy treatment. Today he came in with his family! This kid is a 4.0 honors kid who is determined to keep coming to school. His parents described the chemo and I shook my head in agreement. His dad said you nod as you have been through this before and unfortunately I have had experience with this disease. They commented about the smell of chemo and although my grandfather has been gone for over 5 years, I still remember the smell of chemo!
So today I am reminded that everything can change when you least expect it, no matter how old you are, how much money you have, no matter what your plan is.....your world can be turned upside.
I am reminded today of how blessed I am with my life

We've Purchased a Potty

Over the last week, Gabbie has been telling us she has "boo boo." She recognizes and vocalizes that she has a wet or dirty diaper so this weekend we purchased a potty. She gets the concept of sitting down on it but she gets it out of the bathroom and carries it around and plays with it. Tonight she said "boo boo" and was at the potty but she had already done her business. We will see how this journey goes. I am just in awe of how time goes by so quickly.....little baby is growing up!

OMG!!

Gabbie has started climbing just about everything. She can climb on the bed, chairs.....Today the day care sent this picture where my daughter climbed into the baby's pack and play while the sitter went to the bathroom.....OMG! Thankfully no one was hurt and the baby slept through the whole thing. And my daughter does not miss an opportunity to say "cheese" for the camera even when she is in trouble.

School is in Session

Gabbie completing one of her lessons at daycare

UGH!

Today we had one of those moments where I could have dug a hole and jumped in! Gabbie and I were in Target and as we were going down an aisle, she reached and grabbed a 6 pack of bottled root beer. They landed on the ground with all 6 bottles breaking and root beer all over the place. UGH!!!! For a moment, I was frozen as to what to do, even gabbie knew it was not a good situation. She said, ugh ohhhh! Needless to say, I got myself together and found a friendly target worker who helped clean up the disaster we had created. I am learning to be a parent and today's lesson is drive the cart in the middle of the aisle so she can't reach anything.

Sprinkler Day

Today the girls got to play outside in the sprinkler. Indianapolis has been so hot the last two weeks so today it was fun in the sun. Then Gabbie didn't want to go inside!

spaghetti night

Who did she get her temper from?

Today Gabbie went back to daycare and this was also the 1st day for a new child. Unfortunately it was not a good day for the new child. Gabbie has always been the "baby" of the group and she is to say the least a little spoiled by the sitter. Gabbie doesn't like to share attention with the sitter. Soooooo low and behold, the new child was getting more attention than Gabbie felt she deserved so Gabbie hit her! OMG! Needless to say she was sent right to time out so she could get herself together. The terrible 2's are upon us and whewwww are they terrible! Hopefully tomorrow will be better for Gabbie and especially for the new child!

Daddy Day Care

This past week Gabbie stayed with her dad the entire week; our daycare provider was on vacation. On day 1 Gabbie didnt make out of her pj's until 4pm....I must admit the look on her dad's face did make me chuckle. Being a stay at home parent is such a hard job. By Wednesday, he had gotten better and Gabbie actually got out of her pj's before noon! Needless to say, they both survived each other and I am sure built a stronger bond with each other.

Tastin the Food

Every morning I give the cats a can of soft food in the kitchen. This morning, Gabbie finished her breakfast and began playing with her kitchen stove - sink set. She likes to pretend she cooks and then brings me a bowl and spoon to taste it. Well this morning as I was washing dishes I noticed I didn't get my usual request to taste her food. When I turned around, she was with Anthony( her guardian cat)and she had used one of her spoons to put some cat food in her bowl and she was feeding Anthony with her spoon. I had to laugh to myself and I was amazed that she recognizes so much. Then my feelings were a little hurt as I realized Gabbie would much rather have Anthony the cat taste her food than her mom!

Brown Day

Today was brown day at daycare.....too cute!

Gardener?

As a kid, I watched my grandfather's grow large gardens full of tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, squash, okra, you name it, they grew it. I, on the other hand, have not had a green thumb so far. This summer I decided to give tomato plants a try. I got off to a late start, of course but better late than ever. Nonetheless, my plants are growing!! I haven't killed them off yet, thankfully. I think my grandfathers' are looking down and laughing at the fact that I have them planted in pots but a girl's gotta start somewhere. It looks like my first cherry tomato will be ready soon. I don't think I am going to be able to eat it.

Family Reunion

This weekend Gabbie experienced her 1st family reunion. I must admit she was not very friendly. It seems that if she doesn't know you, she really doesn't want to be bothered with you. But as time progressed, she eventually did warm up to some people.I think she was overwhelmed with all the people. Nonetheless, she enjoyed herself and it was nice meeting new people.

Luaua Day

Today was luaua day at daycare. Gabbie wouldn't keep her grass skirt or sunglasses on so this is as good as it gets.

Yogurt Anyone.

Hiiii Gato!

I adopted 2 Hurricane Katrina cats over 4 years ago; they were just kittens when I got them but since then they have become a part of my family. When I realized I was pregnant, I thought about giving them away but I just couldnt bring myself to do it. Now Gabbie is here and she loves the cats. For Sam, she loves terrorizing him. He hides from her and every now and then he will warm up to her. Now Anthony, he's a dog in a cats body, absolutely adores her. Since she came home from the hospital he has been her guardian cat. When she cries he goes and rubs her legs and tries to comfort her. First thing in the morning, she gives me a hug and then she says, "hi gato". It is the cutest thing!

Pajama Day

Today was pajama day at daycare. They all seemed to be having a great time. Of course my daughter is in the front having a ball.

What a view

As I was stopped at a light, I looked in my rear view mirror only to see Gabbie with her sunglasses on enjoying her gold fish. Hilarious, she put her sunglasses on herself:)

The girl loves to eat

As Gabbie gets more teeth, we are trying more and more new food. I have discovered that she loves watermelon. So for dinner tonight she had mac and cheese with watermelon for dessert. What a meal:)

Happy 4th of the July

Happy 77th Birthday Grandpa; we love and miss you very much!

The Bottle Station has Disappeared

After two weeks of working on reducing the number of bottles Gabbie uses, we have packed up the bottle station. She still takes a bottle at night but her morning and day time bottles have disappeared. I must admit I had mixed feelings when she and I were packing up the bottles. She is growing up so fast!

We're Home

On Saturday, our final day of vacation, we headed to the Lincoln Zoo. It's pretty cool, they don't charge to enter. There were lots and lots of families with a gorgeous day to see all the animals. One of Gabbie's godfather's even joined us for the visit at the zoo. We stayed for about 3 hours before we headed back to the hotel to leave. On our way home, we stopped in Merrillville to visit one of her dad's friends and she was able to take a swim in their new pool. It was very nice; When I grow up I want a home like theirs!
We made it home around 8:45 and we all crashed and actually slept in on Sunday. It is funny how much traveling and a vacation can make you tired. We survived another vacation and added another stroller to the garage:)

Day at the Beach

Gabbie's 1st beach experience......in downtown chicago...LOL!

Chicago here we come!

I worked a half day today and we headed off to Chicago for the weekend. This time we were certain we would not forget a thing. Well as we got into Lafayette about 45min outside of Indianapolis, I asked Richard if he had remembered to put the stroller in the car. He looked at me and said I thought you put it in the car. Uhmmmm well I didnt load the car sooooo that meant we forget the stroller AGAIN! The last trip we made to chicago we forgot the stroller and had to stop in Merrillville's Babies R Us to get a stroller. Well we now have 4 strollers because we stopped again in Merrillville!
We got to the hotel and we are right on Michigan Ave; it was a beautiful day. Tomorrow we are headed to the Taste of chicago and the beach:) yes a beach in Chicago....they even bring in palm trees from Florida and place them on the Lake Michigan beaches, lol

The Terrible 2's Have Started Early

Last night Aniyah stated up an hour later because it was her "paw paw"'s birthday and today we all paid the price for it. She woke up cranky and stayed cranky. Unfortunately for us, she had her 15month appt today which required 2 shots. She recognizes the doctor and is not a fan. When she got the shots she cried then got angry. She had a full fledged tantrum in the doctor's office.....so there is a tantrum baby who was already cranky having a FIT! and I mean a fit....ugh not a good time.
On a positive note, she's healthy, weighing 28 pounds ( the girl likes to eat) and is 31.5 inches long. Today we are also getting rid of bottles and starting whole milk. It should be interesting around here:) Pray for us:)

Happy Fathers Day

Feliz Dia de los Padres!