Another New Year

I survived! One week of the school year down and many more to go. :)

I still have a hard time believing that this is really my 6th year at my school. I really don't feel like I've been there that long until I see the 1st graders I worked with my first year in 6th grade this year. Wow! I'm getting old.

I think it's going to be a great year! I have an awesome bunch of students and work with some awesome people. Our 7th and 8th grade language arts teachers are new this year and I'm loving what they're doing so far. So excited to see what new things they bring to our school.

It's so weird to think that I'll be taking a break for part of the year to be home with baby. So far, I did really well with all the walking and being on my feet. I was definitely tired, but I made it. I'm sure once I get closer to my due date, it will be kind of rough, but so worth it!

Here's to another excellent school year! :)

Baby D Update

I have been feeling great with my pregnancy! I'm a little nervous about going back to school...hopefully I'm not ridiculously exhausted from being back to work. Oh well, it is what it is. :)

My mom works at a doctor's office that has an ultrasound machine/tech and she said I could come in for an extra ultrasound, so I got to bring my mother-in-law in there last week to meet Baby D. When we first saw the baby, it had it's feet up over it's head and was playing with it's toes. :) We got to see it blink and swallow and saw the little heart beating away. Such a miracle. I'm getting so excited to meet Baby D. and see who he or she looks like. December can't be here fast enough!

Baby D. at 23 weeks and 4 days.

My sister and I enjoyed a little shopping at the mall last week and I totally took advantage of this parking spot. Might as well milk it while I can. :)

 24 weeks. Sometimes I can't believe how quickly the time is going. 

I had a doctor's appointment today and everything looks great with Baby D. I got a flu shot, so hopefully the germs stay away from me when school starts up again and found out I've only gained a total of 10 pounds. Yeah! The best part of pregnancy to date is feeling baby move all the time. Such an amazing feeling!

Another School Year

Another school year is ready to begin! It's hard to believe that this is already the start of my 6th year at my school! Wow! Time flies. It was really strange getting ready for the year knowing that I'll be taking 3 months off in the middle of the year. I'm very excited to get back into the groove with the teachers and see how my students have grown over the summer. One of the best things about teaching special education is the small group of students I get to work with and really get to know. I feel so blessed to have such an awesome job!

I think my classroom is pretty much ready. :)

Vacation

We rented a cottage on Torch Lake for a week in August with two other couples. None of us had ever been there, but had heard it was beautiful...totally! Check it out! The water was so clear, like we were in the Caribbean! 

We spent a ton of time relaxing on the beach and rented a pontoon boat one day to take out on the Lake. There was a sandbar that we parked on for a couple of hours to hang out. Here are the ladies enjoying the water. 

 ...and the boys enjoying the water.

 Joel and I hanging out in the porch after dinner one night. :) Isn't he cute?

This was probably our last kid free vacation for a long time, and it was great!

Friends That Are Family

I have been horrible about updating the old blog lately. I'm hoping now that school is starting up again, that I'll be better about it. :)

So, I guess I better get started. We've had an amazing summer and even though I'm sad to see it coming to an end, I'm also excited about the new chapter in our life that is coming. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, but after fall, it means baby will be here!!! So excited to meet him or her!

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of sharing in a wedding celebration for a family friend. We have a group of friends we call "The gang". It's a group of friends my parents made when they were in college and that we've done everything with since then. I've known them all my entire life and they are truly family to us! Well, Cindy, one of my mom's college roommates was married on the beach with a beautiful reception in her backyard a few weeks ago. Cindy's husband passed away 4 years ago and she has found a wonderful man to continue her life with. We're so happy to have John as part of the gang and wish them many years of happiness! 

Their backyard was beautifully decorated for the reception, so we took the opportunity to take some fun pics. :)

One of our first "family" pictures. :)

 My amazing parents. Doesn't my mom look amazing!?

 The Moritz ladies. I'm so blessed to have these girls in my life!

 Most of the guys... apparently, my brother can't take a serious picture.