4th Grade Goodness

Now that I don’t have to be on my kids all the time to work on their mission papers and the group work of our history unit on missions, I find that I am enjoying them so much more! We have had the best last week and half of simpler, more low-key lessons, with plenty of fun ones thrown in there too. They really do have a lot of energy and can be so very exhausting… but that also makes them so much fun! They get so excited when we do something fun, or even if I let them cross off math problems from their homework, lol!

They had the best day on our half day on Wednesday, even though it started out with a geography quiz! However, that was only 1 of 2 scholastic things that we did that morning. We just finished a chapter on the rancho days when Mexico took over control of California. So after recess, we played a game outside where they got to “lasso” a “cow” by tossing a hula hoop onto a cone, while the other team pulled a rope on the cone to move it. Many of these kids live on dairies too, so they were very interested in this unit when we talked about cattle ranchos, rounding them up, and branding them. Then we went inside to the Mexican feast that awaited us (thanks to their wonderful moms!). They were again, SO excited just to be able to eat good food and choose who to sit by while we ate and watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movies. I had more than one student tell me at the end of the day, “Mrs. Jonkman, this was the best day, ever!” One of my students helped his mom make cupcakes to bring and had to make sure that I got a special one that he made for me with extra candy on top! How can that not melt your heart?

One more sweet, sweet, thing that my children do daily, is pray for Baby J. When we are sharing prayer requests, at least one of them never fails to pray for Baby J and myself to stay healthy. We have had several days lately, in preparation for Thanksgiving, that I only allowed them to share praises, or thanks. And each one of those days, someone always gave a big thanks for the baby as well. When you work with children, you have to treasure and remember these sweet, loving moments. There is no other way, sometimes, to keep on loving them through the all too frustrating times. And boy did I need a lot of these moments to remind me, after a good month of paper writing frustration (for both them and myself).

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks Matt said on his facebook that Thanksgiving should really be a week-long celebration, because we have so much to be thankful for that one day really isn’t going to cut it. I found this very fitting! Now, of course, we ALWAYS have things to be thankful for, because God has always provided for us, etc... but some times in life just seem to be overflowing with blessings, while other times we are left patiently (or trying our best to be patient) for what good things we know God has in store for us LATER. We have done a lot of said waiting, and although there were times of frustration, yearning, and loneliness, I feel like we handled it pretty well. And I firmly believe that God builds us and our trust in Him in those times of waiting. He shows us that it is by His will and His timing, and that every good thing truly came from Him and not by our own accord. Our life still has its ups and downs, and things are far from perfect… however, when it is usually all too easy to leave God behind when things are going well, to not call on Him for much until we are in need… I am determined to keep remembering what He has done for us and praising Him for it every day. That being said…

Here are the top 10 things that I am thankful for right now:

1. Little Baby J who is growing and growing and for everything looking perfect so far. We get to go in for the good ultrasound in just 2 weeks! They should be able to tell the sex by then too, so excited! (After wanting a baby so badly for so long and not allowing myself to hardly think about it for the last 3 years… this baby is truly a gift from God with how quickly and easily we got pregnant)

2. Feeling about as good as possible while being pregnant… the little bit of morning sickness is gone, I have very few food aversions or things that make me nauseous, I am a bit extra tired but it’s manageable, and I am able to continue teaching and doing what I love without much of a problem. I know how bad so many others have it, and I thank God every day for this blessing!

3. My amazing husband who has been doing so much for me this year. Matt has really taken on a lot more of the workload at home when I haven’t been able to, whether that’s due to lots of schoolwork to do, or exhaustion. Our home lives would be such a mess this year if it weren’t for his help with cooking, errands, cleaning, etc…

4. A full-time job that I love and enjoy, feel competent and fulfilled at, and that helps support us and relieve some of the financial burden. That whole over-worked and under-paid line definitely had first year teachers in mind! But despite that, and all of the frustrations that come along, I LOVE my kids and the reward is so much grander than any of the rest of it.

5. A new car that is newer, nicer, and bigger, with less miles, and air conditioning J. Another huge blessing at a great price, and in plenty of time for Baby J!

6. The awesome families that we have who are so supportive and caring. We do miss them, tons, and that’s hard… but we can still be thankful for having them in our lives, even from a distance.

7. Good friends, both old and new. I have so many friends in different places now. Wherever I live, I am always going to be missing MANY of them, but they are still great to have. I have at least a handful of treasured friends in Seattle, Grand Rapids, Merced, and other sprinklings across the country J.

8. A house with plenty of room for Baby J. We weren’t exactly thrilled to have to move last year. We really liked the house and neighborhood that we were in. However, it would have been kinda cramped with a baby. We now have plenty of room for a baby, while still having a guest room, and our utilities are much cheaper too (although rent is a bit higher, so I guess it evens out a bit…). It is also so nice and easy to live so close to both of our schools (with the one car at least).

9. Sunny California. I do miss Michigan, quite a lot more than I thought I would, I will admit. And I also love and miss Seattle, and still hope to live there again someday. Merced may be small and not have a whole lot going on, but it has its definite up sides! We are so spoiled by all of the sunshine. We have do many great places to go to…. If we want to drive a couple hours. We love going to Yosemite. It is a fun place to live at this point in our lives, that’s for sure.

10. Samson, who is going to be 2 around Christmas. Having a dog (especially one with so much energy) does tie us down quite a bit, but he is really a great dog. Believe it or not, he has calmed down a lot for us at home. He is full of excitement when we first get home, but then he mostly just lays around. He has a blanket he lays on in our room, and he drags it out to the living room to lay on out there too! And I really do love puppy cuddles. I am curious to see how he reacts to Baby J… he does really well with and loves little kids so far… we will see how much he likes one that sticks around!

Samson and his blankie that he brought from the bedroom…

Baby J’s sweet little profile! 14ish weeks in this pic

Missions, Check!

Not a whole lot new to report... I have been pretty busy with school the last couple of weeks. My kids had their first research paper due this past Friday on a California mission, and we were also wrapping up our history unit on the CA Mission System. I don't know who will be more glad that those are both finished, the kids, or me! It'll be nice to move on in our studies and not have to be on them all the time about deadlines! But I also have tons of grading to do now... 22 mission papers, 22 history workbooks, and 5 folders of history group work, yikes! That might have to wait until next weekend :-P. Those little troopers worked so hard! We had a party on Friday afternoon to celebrate, complete with a movie, popcorn, and chocolate. They get so excited anytime we do anything special, love it! I am working hard to plan a more low-key next week and a half, filled with plenty of fun lessons and activities, because boy do we all need a break :).

Goodbye Iron Stomach....

Well, I used to be able to withstand just about any kind of blood and gore, windy car rides, or crazy roller coasters (minus those darn spinning tea cups...) without the faintest hint of nausea creeping up. I could watch hospital shows on tv, gore-filled movies, and even live surgeries. It was fabulous to be able to read or do whatever I wanted in the car. My body has been telling me that I no longer have the same stomach! Although the minor "morning sickness" I had is pretty much gone (as in, unsettled stomach actually in the morning), things are just not the same. Windy roads make me a little woozy, reading in the car is more difficult to do, I must eat when I am hungry (and when I am not hungry, but haven't eaten in a couple hours...) and I definitely cannot watch those gross bloody injuries and surgeries on those hospital shows (or so I learned this past week as I got all light-headed, hot, and clammy during Private Practice...).

I am at 13 weeks and on my way to the second trimester!

Big News!

Yep, that's right! Most of you have probably already heard, but we are expecting our own little bundle of joy in the middle of May! Also known as Dutch baby (I posted on facebook that I had a dutch baby in the oven... I had been waiting for weeks to post that!), and Baby J (short for Baby Jonkman, of course).

Apparently we really surprised most people and did a good job of throwing them off to think that we weren't trying to get pregnant yet. Here's the story... I have not allowed myself to think about babies since we got married because in GR, I was working and bringing home the bacon while Matt was finishing school and working part time - this was NOT a good time for a baby. Then we moved to Merced and Matt was working full time for not so high of pay, and my job was unstable and part-time at best. That combined with no family nearby to help out, still meant no babies! However, once I knew I had this teaching job last spring... the discussion began :). Knowing it takes most people several months to get pregnant, we decided that we would try for 2-3 months to get pregnant, to aim for a summer baby so I could be home for longer before going back to work (unfortunately, 2 teacher's salaries combined with college loans still doesn't make for a stay-at-home mom possibility :( ...), and if it happened it happened and was in God's plan, otherwise oh well. If it didn't happen, we would wait until next year to try again. We were surprised ourselves when I was pregnant after the first month!

That's the story... I am 12 weeks along and feeling as good as can be expected I think. The morning sickness (which was not very bad at all) is pretty much gone, and I don't feel any extra tired than the school day makes me anyways. I cannot wait until around Christmas time when we find out what sex the baby is!

Another little story of God's provision for you... although we were very disappointed to have to move last spring, our current house has plenty of room for a baby room (while still having a spare/guest room) and space for playing and toys in the living room. I am excited to see how God will keep providing for us and blessing us in the next several months :).

That's all for now... must get back to all that school work! Here's a little something to leave you with...

Meet Baby Aurora

Last weekend I flew to Seattle for a few days to visit my family and meet Jordan and Allyson's newest little one, Aurora Christine. She was born on October 20, and is 2 weeks old. I had a wonderful time, even though it was a super quick visit. I got to spend a day at Jordan and Al's, cuddling with Aurora, playing with Evangeline, and loved every minute of it (even all the diapers I changed... I must say, newborn diapers are much more pleasant to change than 2 year old diapers!). Aurora is so sweet! She looks a little bit like Evangeline did, but definitely different at the same time. I just can't get enough of her red hair, it's gorgeous. I am so glad I got to see her when she is so tiny and new yet. She will be so much bigger by Christmas!



Dustin and Jenae and Lucca came over to my mom and dad's one night for dinner, and Carissa and Brandon, and Jordan and Al's fam came over another night. I was only wishing Matt was there with us too, but I love him just as much for letting me go and staying home to take care of Samson and keep working.

My mom was watching Lucca on Friday, so I got to play with her a bunch there, lots of auntie tea party time! That little girl is ALL girl! So funny! We took her to Target and she wanted to look at, touch, or hold everything pink! She wanted to sit in the pin car seat on display, and even carry around a bright pink bra that she saw hanging on a rack!

I got to see my friends Tash and Christina very briefly, and had a nice morning of shopping and browsing in U-Village with my mom :). I can't wait until Christmas when I get to see everyone for longer. Although it is never long enough, no matter how long we're there, it seems.

It's the weekend! Still not sure what the weekend will hold, but I am fine with that. Yesterday my school had a half day because they had their big Family Fall Festival last night and needed to get set up for it. It was nice to get most of the week's planning done after school and be done by 4! However, we returned by 5:30 for the festival. It was so cute! We mostly visited with people, people watched, and I had to help out with the book fair a little, but the kids there were having a blast! There were big inflatable toys, a trampoline/bungie thing, dunk tank, and tons of booths with carnival games. It smelled AMAZING there! There was kettle corn that they made right there, cotton candy, snow cones, a bake sale, and dinner too.

This month has been flying by already! And next week I have a field trip to one of the California missions, and Book Character Day on Friday. That is our school's replacement for Halloween... the kids dress up like a book character and there's a costume competition, and then they put on a talent show in their cute costumes :). Then the week after that is a half week because of the ACSI teacher's convention, but I get to go to Seattle instead! And somewhere in there, Allyson will have her baby ;).

School has been going well. My kids are taking notes on note cards for research papers for the first time ever. It is SO hard to teach them to take notes well. I wish there was enough time in the day to just sit down with each of them one-on-one and guide them along... classic teacher's dilemma, I suppose.

Well, onto breakfast this morning, the farmer's market, and we'll see where the day takes us from there :).