Winks

I talked to a friend this week who told me that she believes we get "winks" from God or from loved ones we've lost.  She told me she got a "wink" from my dad this week, but she wanted to share the story with me in person.  I'm anxious to hear her story.  But in the meantime, it made me wonder if something I heard this week was a "wink" to me.

As you know, I am at a new school this year.  One day this week, our secretary shared with  me a conversation she had with a student.  A student named Isaiah was transferring to our school from Summerville Elementary (my dad's school).  She said Isaiah  told her that that he was ok with moving to a new school because his favorite principal was no longer at SES.  He told her that he was so upset that Dr. Sires had passed away and that how he cried and cried when he heard the news.  He also talked about how proud he was to have written a poem in memory of my dad that she shared at the Garden Dedication.  The secretary told him that she thought she may have a way to make him feel better and she told him that Dr. Sires' daughter worked here at his new school.  So, this week I made it a point to go meet Isaiah and introduce myself.  I'm glad to now have a friend at school who I know loved my dad just like me.  It makes me happy to know that my dad does live on through each child's heart that he touched.  Have you ever gotten a "wink"? 

I took some of these pictures off of Summerville Elementary's website.  They include my dad dressing up as Johnny Appleseed, reading to students, dressing up for Book Character Day with his llama, and being drowned in jello after the children read so many books.

18 Months!

I can hardly believe that my little guy is 18 months old!  He had his 18 month old well-check on Friday.  He loved checking out the fish, playing with the toys and walking all around.  He did not like it when the nurse closed us in a room or when he got 2 shots!  Dr. Tripp got to see one of Noah's temper tantrums in full force. 

Here are his 18 month stats:

Height: 31.5 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 23lbs 5oz (25th percentile)

Head Circumference 47.7

How funny does he look with his shoes on with his diaper? 

Video of Noah

Last night, Noah decided it would be hilarious to beat up his Uncle Andrew.  You will see that periodically during the beating up, he looks to Chris and I making sure it was ok with us! haha!

Back to Work...

I survived my first week back to work!  It was so crazy and busy it went by pretty fast.  I really think that I am going to enjoy my new school.  It has been hard meeting new people, learning about new children, and figuring things out but I'm sure things will settle down soon.  Plus, the other SLP at my school is out on maternity leave and a sub for her will be there soon.  (For now, I get to work with Harriet, our speech head and one of my closest friends so I'm enjoying her!)  Everyone has been so nice and so friendly!  The children start on Monday so we'll see how it goes!  I have missed all my friends at my old school, but since Chris is still there, he's been giving me all the updates.


I must admit that the start of school really has me missing my dad.  The beginning of school was his favorite time of year!  He always couldn't wait to see the children again after a long summer.  I did have a little moment on my way home on my first day because he was the one person I really wanted to call and tell him all about my day. 

Noah had a good week too.  He was pretty worn out!  It was a little tough for him to start getting up early again, but he did have a great time with his Grandma this week (and Aunt Bri)!   Chris and I have been really enjoying our afternoons and evenings with him since we miss him so much during the day! 

Now, we are excited to enjoy our weekend! 

Cute Pictures Alert!

My friend, Sarah, took some great pictures of Noah recently and I figured I would share them with you!  We took them right as Noah was learning to walk.  Here are a few:

Yummy Crockpot Recipe

Since I went back to work this week, I knew we needed to plan some simple dinners.  I found a recipe that my mom gave me for a roast and it turned out really good.  The recipe is from the Sweet Potato Queen's.  It was so easy! 

Pork Tenderloin

-Pork Tenderloin
-1 package of dry onion soup mix
-1 can of cranberry sauce

Dump all ingredients into the pot and viola!  It makes its own gravy.  We had mashed potatoes and green beans with it.  Enjoy!

Letters #2

My brother emailed me today with a letter that he got from my dad the same day we got our letters that I blogged about a few days ago.   Here is the one he got:

Letters

While organizing Noah's room this week, I found something that made me smile.  For those of you who knew my dad, you know that he was famous for writing notes.  It wasn't unusual to get a letter from a pet or farm animal on crazy stationary with words of wisdom from my dad.  He wasn't called "The Trickster" for nothing!  When I was pregnant with Noah, he sent Chris, Noah and I all separate letters one week with some money.  I'm attaching the letters below so you can read them.  I think we'll put these in Noah's baby book so he can read them one day. 

Don't you love that he was already asking for us to have another baby?  I hope that I can carry on his tradition of writing letters to my kids one day.  So lesson of the day, hold on to things that touch your heart because you'll never know how much they'll mean to you. 

Random Thoughts

This week Noah and I have been enjoying ourselves since it is our last week of freedom. 

-Yesterday we went to visit my cousin, Amanda, and her little girl Kieleigh.  Noah loved pushing her baby stroller around.  And, I was so amazed by Amanda's talent with sewing and monogramming!  You should totally check out her work on her Facebook page.
-Today we went to the beach to visit the Rogers family.  Noah had a blast playing in the sand, chilling in the hot tub and being wild with his buddy Sully!
-We also stopped by Dunkin Donuts on the way home and it is taking all of my willpower not to eat a donut tonight.
-My room at school is a huge mess.  I really need to go and organize it.
-Also,  I have a serious addition to the show "Teen Mom", I just can't get enough!  Please tell me I'm not alone in this.
-Finally, here are some pictures that Sarah took a few weeks ago that were really sweet!

Gamecock Guy

Noah had to wear his Carolina gear this week and show off his new Gamecock flipflops from his Grammy.  He's just gearing up for college football!

Popcorn

Noah and I did some shopping at Target this weekend.  It was during snack time, so we shared some popcorn while we shopped and it was a hit!

Car Wash

We found another talent that Noah has...washing cars!  He had a blast "helping" his dad wash the car.  He was soaking wet and tried so hard to drink the soap.  (Sorry the pictures are blurry, it was so hot the lens kept fogging up)

                                                 Mom, please stop taking my picture I'm busy!

Rite Aid Trip

Usually I am a CVS girl because they have such great deals, but I've gotten into Rite Aid lately.  This week I got:

- 1 pack of Pampers Diapers
-2 packs of Pampers Wipes
-8 pack of Bounty paper towels
-Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner

For coupons, I used:   $5 off $25 Rite Aid coupon, B1G1 free for Herbal Essences (-$2.50), 25 cents off Bounty, Free Wipes with purchase of Diapers (-$3.49), $1.50 off Pampers Diapers, 50 cents off Pampers Wipes, and Pamper Wipes were B1G1 50% off

I spent $13 and got $5 in rewards to use on my next Rite Aid trip.  So if I count those in, I only spent $8 total.  I used Southern Savers to guide me.