*sad News* Good News

Meet Jordan. I'm sure most of you have heard me talk about him. Look at that gorgeous face. It is not possible to spend time with him and not fall in love. Jordan has Autism. I have learned a lot about Autism since beginning my work with him. His story is very simple (yet very complicated). He can not function in a regular classroom or on a 1st grade level, which is where he was at St. Matthews Elementary. It was very obvious from the start of school that he did not have the ability to stay in a regular room and not be a constant distraction. So in comes Mrs. Potts. Helping and caring for Jordan is what I have spent my time at work doing. Now that has come to an end. Jordan has been excepted to another school to be in an Autistic unit. This is where all the kids in his class are Autistic and he will have one on one help. This is the best possible setting for him and he will succeed in this environment. Yes I knew from my first day that it was possible he would leave. I just never thought it would be so hard to say good bye.





Good bye came today. He starts at his new school tomorrow. He is very excited about going to his new "big school". Yes I cried, and cried, and cried.


Here are some of my favorite times with Jordan.


1. playing roll the ball in the hallway.


2. Him saying Mrs. Potts


3. Eating lunch with him.


4. The smile on his face when he saw the treat in my lunchbox for him.


5. Taking him outside to the playground and spinning him around on the spinners. (very theraputic for Autistic children)


6. Him grabbing my face and holding it when trying to talk to me.


7. His huge smile.





I am going to miss him very, very much. For those of you that didn't know Jordan leaving means I don't have my job in Mrs. Armstrong's class anymore. I will still be working at the school as a sub, but in different rooms. I'm hoping for a full time position sooner or later. Tomorrow I am going back to say goodbye to the class I have been with. Yes I will cry again. It is impossible to spend everyday with them and not get attached. I have had a wonderful experience and it has helped me know for sure what I want to do with the rest of my life. Teach!


I'm leaving you with one last picture. This is the very awesome class and teacher that I have been with since Sept.

Please keep me in your prayers that another job becomes available at this school. It has been such a wonderful experience.

I will update everyone about school and the kids tomorrow. Right now I just wanted to give Jordan the credit he deserves for how he has touched my life. I will never forget him.

A SNOWY Day!

Ok glad I could make you laugh. Can you believe his sister did that to him? Crazy kids. Today we woke up to snow and a 2 hour delay at school. The kids got to play in the snow before school. They tried to make a snowman, but really don't know how. So funny.

What is going on here??? I'm working on birthday arrangements and Valentine's Day before starting school next week. I'm going to wrap it up tonight and will post more tomorrow night.

My lil' COWBOY!!

Well, if this doesn't make you laugh nothing will. This is Nick's impression of riding a horse. John and I watched a cowboy movie a couple nights ago, then last night he came in "riding". Sorry it is turned sideways, but you have to watch it. Hillarious. Check out Nick's cool cough. We've been doing that for 12 days. Nick got a duplicate game so when we returned it he picked out the guns, holster, and handcuffs.

I have been participating in a challenge "365 album". You take a picture everyday and put them in an album. I was playing around with my camera last night and this turned out to be my favorite picture so far. I love the way our legs/feet are in the background (darker) and hands in the front.

Right now John and me are watching American Idol. My favorite are the auditions when the crazy people are on. I have laughed so hard. Everybody needs a good laugh.

Hopefully, everyone will be back at school tomorrow. Have a good day!

Hello from the 'ville!

Well we are still breathing (even if it is with a nebulizer) here in sickville! Nick got sick Saturday Jan. 5. He was out of school all last week with croup. He went to school on Friday even though he didn't really feel like it, but we were back at the dr today. Now he has pneumonia and a double ear infection. He looks horrible and has really had us worried. Caroline also got up sick this morning and has an ear infection. I can't believe was are sick again.

Oh well enough of that. In case you didn't know I am going back to school to get my teaching degree. I registered for classes on Friday. My first 2 classes are Christian Traditions (which I am very excited about) and college math. I start Jan 29. They told me it would take about 2 years going nights and weekends. They did away with the online options. You rotate classes every 6weeks. I am very excited and looking forward to getting started. (and finished)

If you have time check out this post on HeatherAnnMelzer. I absolutely love this color (Clinton Brown) and the room of course, but especially the color. Thinking about it for the living room before I order a slip cover for the couch. We just got this desk at Goodwill for living room to put the computer on and for me to do homework so we are trying to do some decorating which I can't do without an Uhls', Dean, or Barfield. Any tips or suggestions girlies????

This is Caroline playing legos in her bed today after some meds and a trip to the dr. She loves these new legos they make a house and little kids (the girls have pig tales...the cutest). She has been in this postion for about 5 hours now. You know she feels bad to stay in one place for this long. Hopefully, she will feel better tomorrow.

That is all for now. Have a good week.

A VISIT WITH THE UHLS'

Check out those cheeks! After 6 long months we finally got to spend some time with the Uhls' Family. WE had an awesome day. Reed looks so good and is so very sweet. Riley has gotten so big and my kids had a blast playing with him. Soliders was the big game of the day. The boys looked so cute with their guns running through the house talking to each other. Caroline played for a little while, but my little mother was more interested in Reed and of course spending time with Aunt Mel.

Here is the very cute video I got of Reed. I can't believe how well he is moving around and how happy he is. He has a very contagious smile.

Caroline wanted to read Reed's favorite books to him and he listend for a little while, but mom wasn't finished so she followed him around on her knees still reading. It was so funny. Here she is reading to him.

Reed enjoyed playing this

balloon game with

Caroline too. He was

quite taken with her and

she with him.

I also got to do my favorite

thing feeding a bottle. It was

very different from the

summer. In July he just

laid in my lap, now he is

moving around every-

where and holding his

own bottle.

Riley was running around so much I didn't get many pictures of him. My kids love his bunk bed. Nick came running downstairs yelling Mom this is so awesome. You have to come upstairs and see this. They have been talking about them ever since our visit.

Ok. I think I have enough pictures. I just couldn't pick my favorites. I had so many. We had a great time and can't wait to go back.

Now, let me update you on what is going on here. Nick has been sick since Sunday morning. He has croup. I stayed home with him today and got several treatments in him and made him lay in the bed all day and rest. He will be out of school the rest of the week. Speaking on school Caroline was testing in reading today and you won't believe this, but she is reading on a beginning 1st grade level. How about that. They like for them to be at a level 3 or 4 at the end of the year and she is already at a 4. I am so proud of her. I guess all those late nights are paying off. I hear scholarship in her future. Ha ha!

Alright I'm heading off to bed incase Nick is up during the night. Enjoy all the pics of the Uhls boys.

Family Movie Night! / New Year's Eve

Hope you enjoyed my Christmas pictures.

We decided this year we wanted to have a family movie night. We chose Underdog for our first movie. As I was keeping up with my blogs I ran across this idea. So I copied it.

Here we are in our capes. I made these out of a $1 plastic table cloth. I also made dog biscuit sugar cookies using a candy cane cookie cutter. I cut the curve off the candy cane and then rolled balls of dough and put them on the ends. Here are the before and after. They were very good.

The kids loved doing "something" special for the movie. Caroline said it was the best night of her life. Isn't that funny. We all wore our capes and ate cookies while watching the movie. We plan on doing this every week.

Before I new it New Year's Eve was here. It was a cold day here and we stayed in most of the day. We decided to eat veggie soup, go see Alvin and the chipmunks, roast marshmallows, and then ring in the new year with Dick CLark. We ate soup and made the movie. This is hillarious. If you haven't seen it yet you need to go. The focus on the family says there is bathroom humor and if you are curious what that is it is them talking about how big theodore's butt it and saying "Dave wears stinky underwear". If you can get past that it is the best kids movies I've seen in a while. We all really enjoyed it. When we left the movie it was pouring rain so the marshmallows were out for the night. We rang in the new year with Dick Clark, party poppers, and special toasting drink (sprite and Cherry flavoring). It was a special night for us as a family. The kids learned all about new years and enjoyed all the popping and special drinks. One serious thing we did was go around and tell our favorite parts of the past year. It warmed my heart to hear the kids tell theirs. They were very sweet.

Yesterday we spent the day in Lex. with the Uhls' Family. I will update the pics tomorrow. Hope you enjoy this.