A tiring, but slightly more accomplished week

I am feeling a little more on top of things this week. Even with a busy start to the week with our Monday night dinner crew, a doctors appointment, and the usual chiropractor appointments, i was able to make dinner most nights for my hubby and stay on top of school work. Somehow though, however on top of school work I seem to be, it doesn't seem to make for any less work on the weekends, *sigh*. Oh well, next year, next year... The doctor did say at our appointment that everything is looking great, too - that's always reassuring to hear :).

We went on a field trip on Friday and had a wonderful time. I had 20 kids and 15 adults... perhaps an all time record! We went to this cute little town in the foothills, about halfway to Yosemite that started out as a gold mining town in the 1840s/50s. At the first museum we went to, the kids got to see a live stamp mill in action (with five 1,000 pound stamps crushing rocks), pan for gold, and see a bunch of really old things in the museum (including the GEM, one of Thomas Edison's phonographs!). At the other museum they got to see, touch, and learn about different rocks and minerals, and then tour a mining tunnel. It was a great day, but I am glad that it was a Friday, because I sure was exhausted and sore by the time we left! My hips have really been letting me know lately that they are not what they used to be. I am still sore after waking up this morning, ugh, at least it's the weekend.

Well, I am off to try to get some things done on a Saturday for once :).

Feeling a bit more connected

We have lived in Merced for over a year and half now, and are finally started to feel more connected to people. We have built some good friendships and relationships with people from both of our schools, but we had been a little frustrated with how slowly we were getting connected to our church. We have been attending there for about a year, and have tried 2 small groups (they go 3-4 times a year for 8-10 weeks and then start new ones), one of which flopped after the first meeting. The second one we started late and started getting to know people, but then it ended. Now we have started yet another with mostly other young couple who we have started to get to know in various ways, but never got to keep going in those relationships. So we are very excited to get to know people better now! Despite how busy I feel like my life is, I also know how important Christian community is, and I feel like this is a much needed thing for us, even if it's just one more thing on my overflowing plate. The people around us are important and help to take the focus off of ourselves; particularly when life is full and busy and it feels like the focus is on myself far too often.

Christmas Photos

Here is a link to my facebook album that has photos from Christmas and our time in Seattle. The first part of the album is other things, but they are there. I don't think I will be getting around to posting any of them on here, so check out the link if you want! There are a lot of the little nieces, and then Christmas celebrations, snow shoeing with Dan and Christina, and Leavenworth with my parents.

Baby J's Nursery

In the last couple of months, we have found all of the furniture pieces that we wanted for Baby J's nursery on sale. They are all set up in her room and I extra can't wait for her to be in there too! Before that though, I am anxiously awaiting her crib bedding so that I can see the true colors and start picking out paint colors and decorating!

Her beautiful sleigh crib

Life piles up sometimes

Well, I think it's been at least a month since I've written on here. You could say I've been a little busy, but that wouldn't begin to describe it. I was sick right before Christmas break and still recovering the first few days of break before we left for Seattle. When we got back I had a couple of days to catch up at home and finish planning for the next week at school.

I feel like I've been doing nothing but catching up every since! I felt like I have only gotten one thing done on my to-do list at home each weekend since then. One weekend to get the tree down, another to write thank you notes to my students for Christmas gifts (but I still need to do them for everyone else, and for baby shower gifts...), another weekend I got the Christmas decorations down (but i still need to dust so I can get the regular decor back up), and so on.

School is going fabulously, it is just a lot of work! We are studying the California Gold Rush and reading a novel about a gold rush adventure also, both of which the kids are really enjoying. It's so fun to tie different aspects of curriculum together and see how much better they can learn from and absorb it all :). We are going on a field trip this week to Mariposa, which is an old gold mining town. There are 2 gold mining museums we are going to and they even get to pan for gold! They are also working hard to write research reports for our upcoming science fair. They already went through this process in the fall with their California Mission reports, and this time is actually going much more smoothly! It was almost torturous with all the teeth pulling I had to last time, but I am so proud of how much they learned and remembered this time :).

I have had a lot more energy during the day, which makes work much more enjoyable, however I am pretty drained by the time I get home. I have been working until about 5:30 most nights, and even with that it feels like I am always catching up or staying just afloat. I have a list of things I need to get working on for school that never seem to get anywhere. I just keep plowing through it all though, not much else I can do. Matt tells me to try to find ways to cut down my work load, but I feel like everything I do is necessary... so I am still working on that one.

With me being so busy with school, and then exhausted at home... there hasn't been much in me left to get the day to day household things done. Matt has really stepped it up to help out with all of that :). I am so thankful for him lately!

My biggest struggle in all of this has probably been to remember to look to God to be in control and take care of things. I have been praising and thanking him non-stop, I feel, for the baby, for Matt's help and support, for my job and wonderful students, and all of the blessings in my life. However, I have not been doing a very good job of looking to Him when i am getting stressed or overwhelmed or just plain exhausted from all of the hours I've been putting in... to trust Him to help me get everything done that NEEDS to get done. That is something I need to be doing everyday and am constantly trying to remind myself of.

Ultrasound pics

5 little toes on her little foot :)

Profile... her chin is resting on her chest

Another profile

This one honestly freaks me out... alien baby

Our little girl :)

Love my girls!

So, when I told my kids that I was having a girl, the reaction of ALL of the 4th grade girls was, quite literally, to scream, squeal, jump out and down, and run around. It was quite a sight! Apparently we are still in the "Girls rule and boys drool" stage, ha!

Here are a few examples of just how excited and just how adorable my students truly are:

9 year old girls LOVE to write notes....

"Dear Mrs. Jonkman,
I'm glad you are having a a girl I hope we get to see her I hope she is as pretty as you.
Love, Sadi"

This one was a card.... which they made before they knew what the baby was...

The cover:
"To: Mrs. J You will love it inside!!"
Inside:
"10 things why you should have a baby girl instead of a boy
1. They are more pretty
2. They are not as dumb as boys
3. They are more brave (instead of embarrassed)
4. They are more responsible
5. They're smarter
6. They have better personalities
7. They are more quite in school
8. They make quicker friends
9. They like animals more
10. Because they are girls!"
On the back:
"Your two favorite students, Sarah and Georgia, best friends forever"

My reading that was following by much laughter and excitement, along with a small talk about being nice to boys, too :-P.

I hope those made your day!