Growth and Decay

Let's talk about decay first, shall we?  More specifically, the steady decay of the English language.  I know that it's basically a goner because of how children choose to compliment each other/their elders these days.

I recently bought some new running shoes.  (The old ones were circa 2009.  Don't judge.)

They're cool, and I know this because my high schoolers told me so.

In as many words.

As best they could.

"Hey Miss, I like yo' kicks."  (Usually I don't respond to "Miss", which is the name for every female teacher according to every student in the school.  But I'll make an exception for 'compliments'.)

"Hey Miss, those shoes go hard."  You might be saying to yourself, "She's exaggerating.  Kids don't really talk like this."

Oh, how I wish you could come and sit in my room and observe the specimen in their natural environment.

More decay:  every tree on our property.  Remember when a tree fell victim to a thunderstorm and hit Koby's truck?  

Well, this is basically the same situation, except that it was the tree next to the last one, it was alive and not dead (green wood, leaves sprouted every where), and it fell over because of ???? at about 4:15 on a windless afternoon.  So really not the same situation at all except that we ended up with another 100+ lbs. of unusable firewood in our front yard.   Awesome.  I feel really safe carrying an infant to the car in a front yard filled with inexplicably suicidal trees.

I felt like this really needed a picture.  You're welcome.

As far as growth, I'm seeing major growth in some of my students because of a simple project they've been working on for less than a week.  (I tweeted about it awhile ago.)  I got the idea from The Memory Project, which is a program that matches advanced art students with a portrait of an orphan in a needy country somewhere in the world.  The art students create a likeness for a child who is likely lacking any items of sentimental value.  Intriguing?  Inspiring?  Right?  Only problem?  It costs $15 per student and I work at a Title I school, where $15 is probably necessary lunch money, electric bill money, food money, or nonexistent.  We could spend time writing letters for support to various philanthropists, clubs, etc... or!  I though, OR, we have a large orphanage in operation just an hour away, why don't I contact them and propose that we arrange something similar? 

It would be unfair to say that today's children aren't being taught the value of compassion and generosity, but it would be accurate to say that their absence has alarmed me since becoming a teacher.  I'm not saying all of my kids don't care about anyone but themselves because that's not true, but sometimes their actions and words startle me into thinking that they could have benefitted from a few more lessons on virtues in the kindergarten.  And so this project became sort of a vehicle for a lesson on compassion straight outta James 1:27.

And thus seven of my advanced students are working on portraits for orphans they don't know.  They were super hesitant, skeptical, and whiney at first, but they're growing.  What was an attitude of "this-is-going-to-take-forever-and-I'm-going-to-suck-at-it-and-why-are-we--even-doing-this-I-don't-want-to"has now become class periods where I am followed around by students constantly asking me "How do I do this?" or "Is this right?" or "What can I fix?" because they want the portrait of their chosen child to be just right.  And I have this sneaking feeling it's not just because they want a good grade.  One girl became angry with a boy in class and refused to talk to him for the rest of the period because he made a comment about her orphan's picture.  (In his defense, it wasn't even really rude, more of a "Who is that and why are you drawing him?" thing.)  But she furiously said "THIS IS MY ORPHAN DON'T YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIM!" and my heart swelled.  Check our Art Department website in a few weeks and I'll have posted the finished projects.

Other growth?  Knox is a crawling machine, pulling up on things (like rocking chairs - hello, heart attack with time to take pictures) and saying "MAMA".  A few days ago he looked up right at me and said those two beautiful syllables.  Do I think he knows the association?  I don't know, but I picked him up and we had an enthusiastic "Mama", "Mama" conversation.  He also says it when he's being fed or played with, so at least he's connecting it with things he loves.

Strong boy!  What about you, what flourished or failed during your week?

InstaFriday

Well, I haven't done this in awhile.  It's time for InstaFriday... and this week, I have lots of FOOD for you.  Because that's essentially what I've been doing this past week.

Confession - this picture is actually from the week before last... but who can beat blueberry pancakes for dinner?  (As pictured: three helpings worth.)  This is what I make for myself when I'm cooking solo: Koby won't look at a plate of food unless there's a dead animal on it.

Normally I don't condone the consumption of sandwiches that are too large for the mouth, but this one was an exception.  About a year(?) ago I read this blog post written by my friend Joey, in which he sang the spicy, scrumptious praises of Sriracha sauce.  And of course, being the person about whom advertising moguls dream, I went out and bought some.  You should too.  This grilled chicken breast sandwich boasted Sriacha mayo, spinach, jalapenos, tomatoes, and gooey melted cheese.  Here's the recipe for creating your own Sriacha mayonnaise - mix the two together.  And then put it on e v e r y t h i n g.

Ok now, this is the real deal, my latest pride and joy - husband just gave it an easy 'A' after eating three chicken breasts.  And it's LEMON, which is a do-no-wrong ingredient in my opinion.  I got the recipe here from the Food Network website.  I had to sub in a few things - chicken stock for dry white wine, basil for oregano and ground thyme instead of fresh.  Oh, and I didn't have a lemon to zest so I added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.  Did I mention I love lemon?  I am writing this recipe down for the Cocina de Andrews permanent files right now.  No, that's a lie.  The truth is I'm barely restraining myself from spooning up the rest of this lemon sauce and drinking it like sweet ambrosia.  Did I mention I love lemon?

In other news, Koby's seventh grade girls track team won first in district.  He's traveling with the Varsity girls next week to the Regional Qualifier meet.  We're counting down the days 'til summer vacation (23, did you know?) and at 9 months (to the day!) Knox weighs 21 lbs.

Follow me on Instagram: c_andrews

What'd you do this week?

Health Hubris

So, I used to be a little cocky about my super-stellar immune system. Which is a weird and annoying thing to boast about - I'm aware of it. Please just choose to find it endearing.

Anyway, I used to think I was essentially invincible to superfluous illnesses such as the common cold. I actually used to tease my husband when he would get panicky, after missing a few nights' sleep, feeling like he would "get sick". Ha! Getting sick was for mere mortals. (Are you wondering how someone can be married to me? Me too.)

Nope. I was just dumb. He was right. This fall (for lack of a better word to describe the beginning of the school year that has mostly seen weather in the 90s) I have chugged Emergen-C and TherFlu, Lysoled and hand-sanitized every surface within eyesight, and I have still managed to get sick three times. That is more than I normally get sick in a 1-2 year span.

No, this is not a urine sample.  It is TheraFlu in a Mason Jar.  Turns out, Sleep > TheraFlu. 

SLEEP. IS. IMPORTANT. Get enough of it. That's really all I can say about that. If you're young and married, like me, the best thing you can do to ensure that you're getting enough sleep is to take your birth control pill.

That's essentially been our week.  Mmm, and this baby in his winter hat.  (And so he's still a Halloween monster, so what?  Soon he'll be too big to ever wear this ensemble again...  sniff.)

I'm still ruminating over the chapters I've read about simplicity- hopefully I'll have something to share tomorrow.

As you head into the weekend, please keep the ACU community in your prayers, after the tragic bus accident that happened this afternoon. One student was killed and the other passengers are being treated for injuries. It is a terrifying thing to read about and imagine for the families and friends involved. It is especially on my heart tonight.

 

This picture was taken at the Prayer Vigil tonight on ACU's campus, by the Tower of Light.  Just when life becomes terrifying... it's so important to remember that

 

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous will enter, and they are

 

SAFE.

Happy Halloween

I love that Koby and I both have jobs that encourage us to dress up.  Here I am as Harry Potter on Celebrity Day during Red Ribbon week, and Koby is a Rodeo Clown.  Explanation below.

Koby spent his week preparing his 3rd, 4th and 5th graders for the annual Clown Circus at the elementary school on Friday. It's a tradition and a big deal in town- the kids learn to juggle, jump rope, build human pyramids, and walk on barrels. (?!? Yeah, sounded dangerous to me, too). The parents come to watch the hour and a half performances. Needless to say, he's had entertainment on the brain. I tried to wake him up yesterday evening from a nap, and when he had halfway woken up, he looked at me and said

"Hula hoop?"

I laughed, and then may have egged him on a bit.

"Wh-Wh-where is the, where is the... Hula hoop?"

Poor guy. We're glad that's all over.

This boy didn't let being sick stop him from doing any of his favorite things this week.

Knox went to the doctor in Abilene on Thursday because he'd been throwing up more than normal and we wanted to make sure everything was okay. Koby took him in, which was awesome and sweet and ALSO gave me a chance to exercise my control issues (I still may have written down a list of things for koby to tell/ask the doctor). Of course, the next day Knox actually got sick- lost his voice, gassy and upset stomach, drainage, cough... the works. Why is it that when you take them in they're fine? Anyway, he's on some sort of baby antacid now, and hopefully it'll help. His voice is already back and his tummy does seem a bit more settled. My poor baby.

His worst night was probably Friday, which is when I was chaperoning (...is that a word?) the high school Halloween dance. (Thrills upon thrills.) A friend watched Knox while I watched my students do the stanky leg... It was probably not the best babysitting debut for Knox. You usually want your baby to be his normal angelic self the first time someone watches him.

 

Nana (my mom) came to visit for about an hour on her way back to austin from Lubbock, where she was visiting her mom. She got to see Knox's fox hat, which one of my very talented student made for him. And she brought the crib skirt she's been working on for Knox. It looks great! (Need a pic.)

Knox's first Halloween is almost over, which means it is completely acceptable for me to start listening to my Christmas music and watching Love Actually on loop. When do you think the Halloween candy will go on clearance? Because I should probably avoid stores until that business is all wrapped up.  I only just stopped myself from taking Knox trick-or-treating on Friday.  He's still drooling on himself - people would see right through me.

Share the pictures from your Halloweek!  Check out

Tres

Knox turned three months old on Thursday the 20th (which also happened to be his Aunt Elizabeth's 21st birthday, wahoo!!).  I am loving my time with Knox - he's at that point where 'he really likes us', as Koby puts it.  I find myself laughing with Knox (maybe we're not laughing at the same thing, but so what?) and that is such an exciting thing to me.  He didn't exist outside of my body three and a half months ago and now we're laughing together?!  I think it's pretty special.

He's totally picking up on social cues now, too.  (We think he's advanced for his age.)  For example, he spit up at exactly the right moment the other day and helped me prove a point to his Daddy.  Perfection.  We're in this together, little buddy.

I really think he's going to be a thoughtful, unselfish, sweet boy.  I can tell by the way he looks at me.  I wrote this little note to him a few weeks ago:

Knox,
Today was really awful.  The kids at school were wild, your Dad and I both woke up late, and it was like I was running behind all day.  I had to run an errand with you RIGHT after school, which completely went against your normal routine.  But you were perfect, and as I bustled you into a shopping cart and wearily began to push you through the aisles as WalMart, I happened to look down at you, and just as you caught me glancing, you broke into a HUGE smile.  Like you'd just been waiting for me to look.  I think you knew I needed some encouragement, I really do.  And my whole body relaxed, I smiled back, and for the first time all day I felt calm and contented.

(Thanks to Lovie for our numerical onesies!  Now if I could just get to where I stand in the same place when taking these pictures! It's hard to operate the camera within the ever-so-small spit-up-free window that Knox allows me.)

He has also started doing this thing where he'll 'cry' if he's not being paid enough attention (i.e. any time I'm sitting next to him but not looking directly at him), and then as soon as I turn to look at him, everything's miraculously all better, big smile.  Just kidding Mama.

The weeks are starting to fly by.  Koby's already enjoying the slightly lessened workload that this upcoming bye week is bringing.  I took Friday off to keep Knox while our nanny went out of town and ended up keeping Landry, the sweet girl of another teacher/coach friend at school.  AND Knox and I took a nap until 11 a.m. today.  Uhh-maaa-zing!

Koby and I are excited about going to church tomorrow - we're taking Knox for the first time!  Hopefully tomorrow I won't have any 'Can you believe this?!' stories.

Troop Leader

Look at this.

Blehh.  Remember back in January when I chose 'fawns' and 'foxes' as my nursery themes?  I spied this little write up in Parents Magazine (yes, I read it and yes, I semi-enjoy it) today.  I know I should feel like a trend-setter, but in actuality I'm only irritated.  Foxes are Knox's.  Ughhh.

Immediately after I tweeted my annoyance, one of my friends sent me a picture she'd seen on Pinterest.

Knox blocks.  Look familiar?

Does this mean we can look forward to four other boys having Knox's name in his kindergarten class?  I know it's a dumb thing to have get under your skin... but still.

These are basically my pictures for the week - it's been a hazy, sleep-deprived blur of PDAS evaluations, football trips, and half-hearted cleaning attempts here at the Andrews house.  I still haven't completely unpacked my suitcase from the Alabama trip. 

* Troop, leash, skulk, earth, and lead are all names for a group of foxes.  If you win a game show because of that little fun fact, I think you owe me a cut of your prize.

** Even though I'm mildly annoyed, you can still bet that I'm going to have to get at least two of the items from the Parents magazine for Knox as Christmas presents.  Or maybe Thanksgiving presents.  Seriously, they're too cute.  Better yet, can I carry a fox backpack to school?  My kids already think I'm weird.

Don't Blink

It appears I might be more likely to post some 'weekend wrap-ups' rather than religiously posting each Friday and Sunday.  Fridays are hard with the football games to go to.  This week/weekend has been BUSY.  Let me tell you about it.



Last Saturday and Sunday Ross and Alex came in to visit and we enjoyed some good relaxation time.  Lots of football and Words With Friends.



On Tuesday (Sept. 20) Knox turned two months old!  In some ways I can hardly believe he's only been around for two months.  Our lives have already been shaped and molded to accompany him so completely it feels like he's always been here.  On a side note, I'm still prepping the rough draft of his two-month entry before I write it in his baby book.  Lesson learned.

Randy came in town for the junior high football games on Thursday and was able to love on Knox for a few hours.  Also, Knox's special football hat made its debut because of the chilly, windy weather.  I was thrilled to be able to use this little hat!



On Friday afternoon Knox and I went to Abilene for his two month check up.  Everything is looking good!  He weighed 12 lbs 11 oz and is right around the 50th percentile for both length and weight.  He's a little bit higher on the weight end and we are lovin' it.  Here I am expressing my apprehension about the impending immunization shots, while he blissfully has no idea what's coming...



This is him after he found out what a trip to the doctor really entails. 



On Saturday we traveled to Midland for Derek and Kim's wedding.  (Remember when I took their engagement pictures?  Seems like just yesterday!)  It was a beautiful wedding and it was wonderful to be around our college friends again, even if just for a night.  Here are the guys in their suspenders.  Koby was beside himself about getting to wear suspenders, and in fact he was the one who organized this photo op.  If you know anything about Koby, you can appreciate that this is monumental.



On Sunday my college roommate Kristen visited and I FINALLY got to meet Michaela, her 8 month old daughter.  She is so cute!  It's just so crazy to see this picture of our KIDS sitting next to each other on the couch.  Time flies...

  

Sunrise and rain showers, both while on the way to Knox's day care before and after school.  It's a nice, peaceful drive.



 I'm beginning to realize that I can basically just write these posts in some sort of format like this:

Who came to visit "us" (read: Knox)?

Which football games did we attend?

Why else didn't I get around to writing the thank-you notes from when Knox was born?  (Whoops again.  But I am finishing them today!  They are on my "Urgent To-Do List" that consists of about 15 things that need to be done.  Well, needed to be done like a week ago to be socially acceptable and now it's just embarassing.  In one of the thank yous I mentioned how great it is to have a light, breathable cotton blanket for Knox "during these hot summer months".  Thanks a lot, Fall Equinox, for happening to come before I got that one in the mail.)

Let's talk about Knox for a bit, okay?  He's the best baby ever.  I'm realizing that more and more.  He is just so easy.  I'm so very glad he's able to fall asleep anywhere, any time.  Whether it's a row away from loud football fans or during the Cupid Shuffle at a wedding reception.  He doesn't cry when new people hold him and can find a way to be comfortable anywhere.  Not sure if he's that way naturally or if it's because he's had to be flexible since he was born because of our inconsistent schedule, but I do know either way that Koby and I don't deserve such a magnificent son.  We are so proud of him.

Oh, and I had a Mommy moment this weekend.  At the wedding last night, the DJ invited all the mothers and sons to come and dance together after Derek had his dance with his mom, and so I went to scoop up Knox from an admirer and danced with him.  I only managed to spin around the floor with him in my arms for about a minute because 

1. the sentimentality of the moment in no way lessens how awkward it is to slow dance essentially by yourself and
2. I got extremely choked up, dancing with my baby and looking at all the mothers dancing with their grown babies and Derek dancing with his mother.  I was thinking, "I bet they feel like this was just moments ago".  That's going to be us, one day, if we're extremely blessed. 

I hope I always note God's faithfulness, even in times of trouble.



InstaFriday

What?  It's Friday again?  Thank goodness for dates on these cell phone pictures because my brain can't tell if they were taken yesterday or a month ago!  While we're on the subject, thank goodness for automatic online bill pay reminders, cell phone data plan usage reminders, students who remind teachers what time/class period/day it is...  Aren't there some vitamins I can take to get my brain back to normal???

Footprint Fail.  Koby and I tried to get Knox's footprints on this canvas earlier this week... and failed for the second time.  I'm not painting over them again.  What's funny is Knox printed perfectly for his grandmothers - they have matching canvases.  I'm alright with the reject prints though, the g-ma's are the ones I had in mind when I bought and painted these canvases anyway!  Glad Knox (somehow) managed to cooperate for theirs, the wiggle worm.

RAWR!!  This Milk Monster can be tamed with a bath.  He ♥ s bath time!

On Monday our school day began with an assembly during which we talked about and looked at pictures of 9/11.  On Sunday I hadn't really watched much television and so I hadn't looked at those old pictures in awhile - it really hit me hard.  As I was sitting in the auditorium surrounded by people who didn't really remember 9/11 (all my kids were born after 1993) I was struck by how incredibly thankful ( is that the right word?) I am that I was old enough to recognize the immensity of the situation.  Understand it?  No, I didn't.  It was a humble way to start the week, for sure.

Sometimes I need to paint, too.  Conference periods seem great for that.  Shhhh.

InstaChallenge of the Week "Something I Love"
Obvi, I love Knox, but what I'm really trying to show in this picture is how strong he's getting!  Our 8 week old is holding his head up great on his own and propping himself up (tremulously) on his arms during tummy time.  AND he's finally workin' that Buddha belly - normally, I don't encourage obesity, but to me, a fat baby = healthy, happy & satisfied baby.  :-)  And toned arm muscles for Mommy.



On Wednesday our sweet babysitter was sick and so I took the morning off to watch Knox, then Koby spent the afternoon with him and then brought him up to school at the end of my conference.  Knox was a little confused but it didn't stop him from treating my classroom like his own home (i.e. spitting up everywhere).



When Mrs. Andrews isn't around to regulate sugar consumption, the 'good' candy will be ravaged from the goodies jar.  While I was taking care of Knox, my morning classes managed to eat most of my candy.  Awesome.  They are all now candy-banned. 

Never thought I'd be partial to a guy with a balding pattern like this.  (Not to mention the drooling and copious occasions of  flatulence.)  Knox's hair WILL NOT FALL OUT and it kills me to see his little old man head.  It takes a mother to be proud of that rat-tail!

Koby and I are ready for the weekend - we have company (Ross and his sweet gf Alex) coming in town this Saturday afternoon with promises of fun times ahead.  I know Koby is for sure ready for a relaxing few days - he traveled four hours round trip last night with the Jr. High football teams and will be making the same journey tonight with the Varsity guys. 

We're thankful for the rain and cooler temperatures that rolled in yesterday!  It's feeling like September ought to feel and I am loving it.  I hope your week was good and that you enjoy the beginning, middle and end of your weekend as well!

InstaFriday

Whoops.  Except that it's Saturday.  Ah, well.  Welcome to the life of a gridiron wife.  (I stole that from someone else before you think I'm a witty wordsmith.) 

Um, my parents have been here (Cancun) since Saturday.  It's ok to be jealous.  I'm so glad they're getting to take a relaxing vacation!

While it might not be a seaside view, I love front porch swing sessions with my son.  We've been enjoying weather in the 70s/80s this past week.  Seventy-seven degree weather makes me want to compose symphonies and play baseball and run around like an idiot - or at least spend as much time outside as I can.  (But we're expecting another round of triple digits the next week.  Laaaaaaaaaaame.)

Koby wanted brownies, and I went a little overboard.  We ended up with caramel and chocolate chip filled brownies, with liberal amounts of pecans and powdered sugar.  I got the recipe here ... I'll let her tell you all about them.  All I can say is, "Ditto."

Besides the eating, my favorite part of baking is flipping on the light and watching through the oven window.

Knox and I were both "sick" this week.  I lost my voice and have been battling a head cold and Knox has continued to be stuffy and a little hoarse too.  But no fevers yet, thank goodness!

On Thursday night Knox and I hung out with Lovie and PawPaw at the CMS football games, when Koby experienced his first head coaching win!  Knox hasn't worked out how to express his elation at the victory just yet.

This week was Homecoming week at CHS.  Here's one of my students sporting a t-shirt I designed for the Sound Crew.

Positives of the week:

• a visit from Marie and her mom (no pictures!  How did I forget?)
• a graduated student telling me again how much he had learned in art class.  He's taking an art class in college now and he says I 'taught him well'.  How encouraging!!  I LOVE MY JOB!
• being able to sit right below the press box window where Koby was sitting during the Varsity game and getting to watch him laugh along with the other coaches on the headset
• 8th grade, JV and Varsity Wolves football wins!

Keep the families in Texas who have been affected by the wildfires in your prayers - a lot of damage has been done!  And pray for rain...