Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  Since Mimi was out of town this weekend, we all spend Easter with Nanny instead.  Mackenzy was finally able to wear her beautiful Easter dress that was given to her by a friend of the family and my Soror! (Thank you Charletta!)  Despite having a cold/allergies/stuffy nose/runny nose/teething pain and crankiness, she looked like a princess in her dress!



 The hardest part of the morning was keeping her clean until it was time to leave.  So in an effort to do so, I gave her Kix cereal to snack on which the then spilled all over the couch and floor.  Luckily Nicholas was there to help clean up the mess!  Doesn't she look like such a big girl!

 I was the photographer today and couldn't pass up a moment to take a picture of Daddy and daughter.  Ray hates taking pictures and Mackenzy never stays still so this was a rare occasion!

 I was even able to catch Nanny who magically put Mackenzy to sleep during service and she slept the whole time.  Grandma's are magical I tell ya!

Although out Easter day was a little nontraditional because we went to a church service in which that congregation doesn't celebrate Easter, we still spent time with family and that made the day special!

Happy Easter!

The Shoe Thief!

My little thief likes to steal shoes.  Big ones.  Small ones.  Tennis shoes.  High heels.  Sandals.  You name it.  She will steal it.  I guess she thinks everyone else's shoes are better than hers...

Riley turned 1!

Last weekend, Mackenzy and I celebrated Riley's 1st birthday at Tumblebees.  If you are wondering, Riley is the son of one of my friends/teammates (Sarah) from my gymnastics days.  Sarah and I did gymnastics at Tumblebees for years so it only seemed natural for our kids to play together in the same place for his birthday!  It's always strange going back to Tumblebees and being around the equipment, but always exciting to see old friends and coaches.  I usually get the urge to do a flip, but I resisted this time for fear of being sore for a few days!

Before eating cake, the kids were able to explore and play around the gym for a little bit.  Mackenzy had never been in a foam pit and as you can see below she wasn't to thrilled that I put her in there!

The balance beam was never my favorite, but Mackenzy loves walking on it at the Little Gym and loved it at Tumblebees too.  I think it's because she is so small right now and still in dare devil mode that she doesn't realize how skinny the beam really is...  It'll be interesting to see if she continues to like it as she gets older.

And this is Riley!  This cute little boy has blue eyes that will melt your heart and loves to flirt with the ladies!

 I think at this point Riley was getting hungry, sleepy, and his juice had just been taken away to make room for the cake.  Needless to say he was not a happy camper, until...

CAKE!!!  Who needs juice of a spoon when you get to eat pure sugar with no hands!  He dove right in to the cake and at about 1/4 of it before it was time to open presents!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Riley's first birthday!  1st birthday's are always fun because I completely understand how crucial and tiring the 1st year can be.  Sarah and Josh you're doing a great job and Happy Birthday Riley!

My Parents are Cooler than Yours!

So, I have to admit that when I heard Jarvis was getting a motorcycle I was very skeptical.  He started off with a two wheel kind and traded that in for the 3 wheeled version that is easier to maneuver.  Doesn't he look so cute in his biker helmet and jacket?

I am so glad I was able to witness my mom "hop" on to the back of motorcycle.  Jarvis thought I was a dork for taking pictures of the momentous occasion, but seriously, my mom was on the back of a motorcycle!  I never thought I would witness my parents riding in to the sunset...  on their way to dinner...  at Phoenix Asian Cuisine!



 Yep, It's official.  My parents are WAY cooler than yours!

Grown!

It seems as though our big girl had a growth spurt over the weekend!  She not only put on her sunglasses and posed for the camera, but she also sat still for me to paint her toenails!  After I got done painting them she said "pretty" and "I like it!"  She's so grown!

Mackenzy, say Cheese!

 "Mommy, peas let me get in the chair!"

Being in the special education field has made me very aware of different milestones and Ray constantly laughs at me because I have mental checklist of every milestone she meets.  Over the past few weeks, Mackenzy has become very helpful and wants to help me do laundry, clean the floor, sweep, carry in the groceries, wipe the table, clean up, etc.  One super cute activity she has been doing is attempting to change her baby's diaper.  She goes through all the steps (puts pad down, gets baby, gets diaper, wipes, etc.) and attempts to put the diaper on!  I do have to reminder her to be gentle with baby because she will throw him on the floor, but it's very cute to watch her concentration.

Decision Update.

Well folks.  The decision has been made...

Quick Recap:


1. The state budget has gone to poo and Guilford County has no money.
2.  In an effort to save money, the county is going to make cuts.
3.  My department is one of the areas that was slated to receive cuts.  The cut was cut was said to be 7/13 people losing their jobs and the decision would be based on number of years in service...

The Verdict:

We had meeting with the "Big Dogs" in the school system and they told us that 3 of us would lose our jobs and it would be based on seniority- number of continuous service to the district as a teacher.  They said that they plan on placing the 3 that would be "surplussed" somewhere else in the district in the area they are licensed to teach. 

What does that all mean?

The school system will now have to come up with more PE positions to place the surplussed individuals.  That doesn't sound difficult, but if you look at the number of PE teachers in the county now and the amount of PE positions that become available each year, the probability of immediate placement slim...

They vowed to work with each individual until they are placed in a position...

So what will I do?

Hearing the news last Thursday further solidified my decision to become a classroom teacher!  Every year I am worried about whether or not I will have a job and since my career goals extend further than the gym, I've decided to move in to a classroom.  I hope I will be able to stay at my current school, but if nothing becomes available, I will have to set up roots somewhere else.

I'm excited and nervous about all of the changes that will happen next year and I know it will be a tough transition.  I have gotten mixed vibes from people as I tell them what I'm planning on doing, but that can only be expected.  People always assume the grass is greener on the other side and that "I have it easy over in pe", but until you've walked a mile in my shoes, you can never assume. 

So that's my plan for next year!  I'm accepting and and all donations!  No donations is to small when you're a teacher and you make 90% of your materials!  Before you throw away your trash, I want you to ask yourself one question-  I wonder if Aftynne can use this in her classroom?

Say Cheese!

I take so many picture of Mackenzy throughout the week, but rarely do they all make it to the blog!  Some pictures are just taken from one spot (ie. my camera) and moved to another spot (ie. my computer).  Eventually they all make it in to a photo album when I decided to get hard copies! 

People think it's strange that I put Mackenzy to bed between 6:30-7:00pm.  She sleeps all night and this is what I deal with in the mornings before work!  I have to wake her up most of the time because she is playing possum in her crib! 

I don't know what she does all night, but in the morning it looks like she's been doing sleep gymnastics!  I put her "nigh nigh" on her pillow and with her "bankie", "pabi", and "baby".  In the mornings she always in a different position and usually in a different direction.  I guess she got her sleep habits from me!  My mom said I used to tick like a clock...

Wake up Mackenzy!

Please ignore me in the background!  It was a Saturday morning and Mackenzy was sporting fro because it was hair washing day.  Luckily her hair blocked my face!  Anyways, this is what happens when you tell Mackenzy to "say cheese"!

 Does anyone else's kid love stickers?  Well mine sure does!  She has stickers everywhere and they always seem to end up on her face.  Last week she even decided to decorate Mommy and Daddy's faces with Mr. Incredible and Mickey Mouse stickers.