Crean and Crimson

As my brother would say, my life is now complete. I got my picture taken with Coach Crean. Yes, I used my baby to get the photo. Don't be surprised if you see this is on our Christmas card.

First Tailgate

Emma went to her first I.U. football game today. She was ready to cheer on the Hoosiers in her onesie that said, "Real Babies Wear Cream and Crimson". She was also sporting her cream and crimson hairbow and I.U. pacifier. It was a beautiful day in Bloomington. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. This made for a hot day. We didn't make it to the end of the first quarter. We spent the rest of the game at the tailgate. That was a good place to be.

(Check out the construction on the stadium. Man, Coach Hep had a great vision.)

Sign of the Times

Two things hit me this week that made me realize kids know more about our culture than we realize.

1. I was reading some writing assignments in the first grade hallway. They all know how to spell "Wii" but none of them can spell the word "play."

2. One of my students looked at the new Time Magazine (http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101080901,00.html)and said, "Is that Barack Obama?" I said, "Yes. How did you know?" He said, "That is who we are voting for."

Jealousy

The local news did a story today about students arriving at I.U. for the new school year. Every year I see this, I am hit with a wave of jealousy. I have no desire to live in a cramped dorm room. I don't miss studying. I never enjoyed the drama of the sorority house. I do miss the people and the experiences. When in your life are you that close to so many unique people and when are there that many fabulous opportunities at your finger-tips? I guess you can say I am mostly jealous of the fact these freshman have absolutely no idea what they are about to experience. It is beyond great. I only hope they enjoy each day as much as I did.

On the Move

Emma is on the move and she is fast!



(Yes, I bribed her with the sippy cup).

I Love My Books!

Emma is in love with her books! You can only imagine how excited I am. She has been picking them up and turning the pages like she knows how to read. She gets so quiet and serious when I read to her. We have to read at least three books before I go to school each morning. I think we are going to have to get her a library card very soon!

Checkin' Out the New Digs

We had the opportunity to take a tour of Lucas Oil Stadium today and all I can say is, "WOW!" I have been in a lot of sports facilities and this has to be the most impressive I have seen. It made The Dome look so sad (I had to include one of our old friend). I can't wait to watch the Colts take the field in a few weeks. Our seats are up high, but at least we have tickets. Emma was the ultimate cheerleader today. Our new task is teaching her how to say, "Go Colts!"

Meet Me at the Fair

Last night we made our annual trip to the Indiana State Fair. Our evening was filled with fried foods, sodas, ice cream, music, carnival games and best of all, animals. Emma LOVED the animals. She laughed and squealed each time we neared the livestock. Her favorites were the goats. I think they reminded her of our dogs. The weather was beautiful, too. The only bad part of the evening is that we spent $10 on games and didn't win any prizes. Oh, well. We are already looking forward to next year.

Only the Second Day

Ambulance on the playground.
Perimeter Lockdown of the building (which meant indoor recess).
It was only the second day.

Funny Things Heard at School Today- Revised

These are just a few of the things I heard on the first day of school:

"We didn't have any apples, so I brought you this banana."
"What breed are your dogs?" (from an eight year old)
"I love classic movies like Bob Hope's." (from another eight year old)
"Do we already need to go to the office?"
"Mrs. D. does not like to be bitten."

And my personal favorite; "Ride the Ducks, Mrs. Trees. It is an aquatic adventure!"

All in a days work...

Eye of the Tiger

We had to stop by school today to put the finishing touches on my fish tank. Emma quickly fell in love with the big tiger we have at the entrance of the building (our mascot). We couldn't resist taking a picture. Go Tigers!

Party on the Last Day

Emma and I had our own little party in the pool today celebrating my last day home from school. Tomorrow I have to go back to work. Monday I will be greeting 25 new third graders to my room. I am a bit nervous due to the fact I haven't taught since November 30, 2007. I am going to miss this sweet face while I am at school, but I know she will be having fun making new friends at her new school. I just hope she behaves!

Fake Out!

Emma was happily playing on the floor while I quickly stepped into the kitchen to get breakfast. When I came back in the room, I found her inside her tunnel with her current favorite toy. I got so excited thinking she crawled, but soon realized she did her famous roll to get to this point. I think the toy just got pulled in there on accident. Only one more day before I have to go back to work, so maybe tomorrow will be the big day!

Time to "Go to the Mattresses"

Well, it is time to move Emma's mattress down a notch. As I was organizing her changing table, she managed to pull herself up to her feet in the crib. Can't you tell how proud she is in the picture?

8 Months Old!

I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I can't believe Emma is already 8 months old. Here are some of the pictures we took today. I take these each month to see how much she has grown (like on the side of the blog). As you can see, it is getting tougher to keep her still and to pose with the dolls. I love the last two photos of her running away. She is so big!

Born to Be a Cardinals Fan

Emma had her first Cardinals shirt before she was even born. As much as her daddy would like her to be a Cubs fan, she is going to be a Cardinals fan. Cousin Carter brought her some of his Cardinals gear to wear this summer. Since it looks like we won't make it to St. Louis this season, I thought we should do a photo shoot in the gear. I had Emma wear her t-shirts from Momo and Papa, too. I thought it would be fun to throw in a couple of pictures of Carter at a Cardinals game. He attended his first game at 7 months old (bottom left photo). The other two (with Fred Bird and Papa) are from this summer. Go Cardinals!

Screaming Loud

We have no idea where she learned this or why she has started doing it. At any rate, it is pretty amusing. I am sure it won't be too funny when she starts using it to her advantage at restaurants and toy stores.