A Futile Attempt

I am currently teaching a physics unit on motion, energy and forces. When introducing the topic with my students yesterday, I posed the question, "What is motion?" hoping that they would be able to figure out that it is a change in location. Instead, the overwhelming response was, "When you move!"

Hey. At least they make me laugh.

1991 called...and it wants its jacket back...

This is just one of the "totally gnarly" jackets from the Rocky Mountains I have seen this year. What really amazes me is the amount of one-piece snow suits I still see. Most of them have also been in "wickedly rad"neon colors.

Here is shot from the top of the "Imperial Bowls" from Peak 7 at Breakenridge. If you remember from last season this lift (Impereal Express) is the tallest lift in North America. This picture is from the top of the back side of this mountain. There is one more run that you have to hike up for about another 300ft to get to. I imagine this is where you hike to with a flag and stand at the top to look out over all of God's beautiful creation and the only thing to say is WOW. Hopefully next time if the snow conditions are good, I'll get up to this peak to experience it firsthand and photograph it for you all to see.

The WORST Poetry Ever!

At 1:37 what does one think to themselves?
It's the middle of the night, can't sleep
Do I grab a book from the shelves?

A baby that stares
With wide open eyes
The papasan swing...we'll give that a try.

A drippy nose
A cough that could wake the dead
I swear to God there's a vice squeezing my head.

It's 1:44 now
What do I do?
Rhyming is not easy and I pity you
who reads this midnight rant
of mindless babble.

Jack and Layla
Are up now too
What is this night turning into?

Just one person is missing
Do I dare?
I'll wake Chris up, he won't care.

It's 1:59
My poetic license has expired.
It's time to sleep. I'm tired.

DDR, Mirrors and the Hallelujah Chorus

What better way is there to blow off the stress of a crazy week than with a little DDR? For those of you who don't know, DDR stands for Dance Dance Revolution, an interactive dance game for Play Station 2. Chris and I bought it for each other for Christmas and have had a TON of fun with it. (Hey, I never claimed that Chris and I weren't nerdy.) Not only can this game make you feel totally incapable of dancing while you laugh hysterically, but it also has a workout mode that can potentially kick your butt! It's a riot and Friday night we broke the game out and even got Sofia involved. :)

Sofia has been changing so much every day! This weekend she discovered the wonderful world of mirrors and couldn't get enough of herself in them. She is also working hard on sitting up. She was trying so hard this morning that she farted! I haven't laughed that hard at her yet. She has her 4 month check-up this afternoon, so we'll see how much she's grown and what to expect in the next few months as far as her development is concerned.

I have today and tomorrow off because of President's Day and it couldn't have come at a better time. Feeling more exhausted each day, I was really looking forward to a long, 4-day weekend. I had no idea, however, that Sofia would be so willing to cooperate with my need for rest. This morning I woke up to the sound of the Hallelujah Chorus playing in my head because SOFIA FINALLY SLEPT THROUGH THE ENTIRE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!! It looks like those nightly pep talks finally paid off! :) Hopefully this becomes a trend and waking up 2 and 3 times a night will become a thing of the past. PLEASE keep your fingers crossed.

Enjoy the latest pictures!

First Dates 9 Years Later

Today marks 9 years of Chris and I being the crazy pair that we are. And, even after 9 years of love, my incredible husband still knows how to take me out on a "first date". Last night, he took me to one of our favorite restaurants downtown for a bottle of wine and some incredible Italian food to celebrate our relationship and our new life together as parents. It was our first time going out on a date alone since Sofia was born. While it was hard to leave the little bundle of love at home with our friend Matt, it was wonderful rediscovering why we do love each other so much through candlelight and conversation. He is my best friend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Lil' Nighthawk

When my principal announced my pregnancy to the staff last year, he gave me a little onsie with our school's logo and mascot on it. Of course we had to take the opportunity to model her little outfit for the world! :)





In other news, Jack-the-cat has discovered a new place to hang out...the TOP of the bathroom door! Curiosity just may kill this cat...

Dodgeball Anyone?

I have officially been back at school now for a month. While each day has presented its own challenges, it does feel good to be back. One of the things that I love about my school are all the opportunities that the teachers have to interact with the students. We have TONS of clubs and programs to get kids involved. It rocks. One of the things we have really been focusing on this year is the struggle that eighth grade boys face academically and socially. One of our teachers set up this awesome program in the mornings to help develop self-esteem and create connections with the boys.

The newest edition to the morning program is a dodgeball tournament in which all teams are required to have a teacher participate. Now, many of you may not know this, but I am a SERIOUS lover of dodgeball! Yes, it's true, my nerdy disposition allows for a good cover. :) I rallied a few boys together, got myself on a team and prepared for battle this morning.

Now, given the opportunity to throw objects at a teacher, most students will quickly capitalize on the moment. I, however, had no idea just HOW QUICKLY these boys would use the opportunity to try and bean our staff members in the head!! The first round of the tournament was so much fun. I don't know that I have ever laughed so hard with my students.

The tournament goes until spring break. Our team, Blue Collar TV, went 1-1 today. Next week it's on...it's on like Donkey Kong!

Sofia's Rock 'n Roll Half-time Show

Sofia's first Superbowl party had an awesome half-time show...she rolled over for the first time ever!!! We thought it was so cute (of course) that we had to film her doing it tonight when we got home from work. Enjoy sharing this milestone with us. :)

P.S. Apologies for the pixilation...we filmed this on our digital camera.

Sofia's Message

This week, my mom, Debbie reached a milestone in her life - she retired! She had an amazing career in education and has only begun to scratch the surface of the rest of her life. :) We obviously couldn't be there to help her celebrate, but we tried to do the next best thing. We just learned how to post video to the blog thanks to a savy cyber connection. Enjoy the message!