Back on the saddle

So, it's been quite a while now since I have done this. I got out of the habit because school consumed my life for a while. But, hopefully I can get back at it because it is semi-therapeutic to write thoughts down. So, here goes: Work is stressful. Nobody tells you about this part of being a teacher when you are in college. Many parents expect you to "fix" their child's behavior while you are with him/her during the 6.5 hours they are at school, regardless of what their lives are like the other 17.5 hours of the day. The world revolves around you when you are in second grade, too, by the way, especially when you are an only child. 12 of my 19 students are only children, or have siblings so much older or so much younger that they might as well be only children. Talk about an interesting dynamic! I'm not sure that I could do this for much longer if I didn't know that the end was coming. Starting in May, I will be taking some time off from working as a teacher to stay home with Levi and just be mommy for a while. I simply cannot believe that my child is 20 months old. He amazes me. He can count to 10 and sings many songs. His vocabulary is astounding and he learns new words every day. He is bossy, funny, and loving. I enjoy every day I get to spend with him, although he can sometimes be clingy, grumpy, and fussy. Most days, only mom will do. I love those days and loathe those days. He is the light of my life, but it is exhausting not being able to get anything done. I guess I should get used to it, though, since I'll be a full-time mom starting in May! My Premier Jewelry business is going so well that I am going to get to take some time off of teaching to just be mom for a while, at least a few months. Thankfully I have an amazing family who all are supportive of this decision and know that we will make it work. (Plus, my mom is my best customer and she would be heart-broken if I didn't sell Premier anymore!) I love getting to build relationships and serve women, eat goodies and play in jewelry, and make a full-time income just working part-time hours! Thank you, God, for bringing Premier into my life! Not only for the income, but for the awesome friends I have made through it and will continue to make. So I know that wasn't anything super exciting or mind-blowing, but I am trying to ease my way back into this. Wish me luck!

Long over-due update

So, I know it has been way too long since I have updated. Hopefully I can remember everything that has happened... The end of our summer was uneventful. Jason and I went to Dallas in the middle of July for the Premier national rally. It was a weekend away for just the two of us, although there was no time to do any sight-seeing because of the jam-packed schedule the Rally had. We went to a super fancy dinner, called the Red Dress Gala, and had a blast! We got to get all dressed up and go to the fanciest party I have ever seen, much less been to. There was a live band and tons of dancing. So much fun!

After we got back there were 2 weeks before I had to go back to work to get my classroom ready. Levi and I hung out while Jason was at work, and we went to the mountains a couple of times. School started in mid-August and I've had a pretty rough start. All of my students seem really young, except for a handfull, and I'm having a hard time getting them to conform to the class expectations and the school rules. As hard as it is for me to admit, I don't enjoy teaching this year at all. I'm actually counting down the days until May for when I know I will be able to take a year off. Because my Premier business is going so well I will be able to replace my income for that year, then reevaluate what is going on in our lives and make a plan for whether or not I can permanently resign my teaching position or if I will have to go back. This year is going to be busy to make sure that I can keep the Premier business going while I still teach. It's not easy but Jason is on board and we will make it work! Levi started walking the Friday before school started. It is so cute but he is definitely not my baby anymore. He is also talking up a storm. His most recent development is telling us what comes next when we sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "empty" when he dumps out a cup in the bath. He seems so smart (said every parent ever) and we truly enjoy watching him grow and develop. He loves being outside more than anywhere else in the world and often has fits if we don't take him outside the moment he wants to go. He has 10 teeth now, including 2 top molars, and is currently sick with a cold. He is a pretty good sleeper, although we are still working on getting rid of that morning nap. He still uses a pacifier but we are starting the transition to some other kind of "lovey" to replace it. He now sleeps with two stuffed animals and we are hoping that he attaches to one so when we take the paci away it isn't so traumatic for him. We shall see! Jordan, my nephew, started kindergarten in August and LOVES it. He is such a big boy and I can't believe he is already in school. He is such a smart boy and it's fun watching him in this new stage of his life. He is excited about having a new little sister although he admitted he really wanted a brother because he already has a sister, lol. Shelby doesn't quite understand that a new baby is coming, but she is growing and learning like crazy! She says Spanish words like "pinata" and "abuela" like a native speaker and it is so fun to hear her in her super squeaky voice. She has the curliest hair I have ever seen and she is Levi's favorite person in this whole world. It is going to be very interesting to see how they grow up together.

Lauren and Will's Wedding Ok, I think those are the major updates for now. My sister is due with baby Aubern Josephine Bassett on October 14, although she seems pretty sure she will be induced at least a little bit early. Praying for a healthy and easy delivery for her!

Lake Powell 2012

We just got back from a week at Lake Powell in Utah. We rented a houseboat and, including the kiddos, there were 18 people on this houseboat for a week. It was so much fun and I LOVE this vacation! Levi did so great while we were there, especially considering he was teething and had terrible diaper rash because of it. He is such a trooper! He really enjoyed playing in the water and even swam with me a few times. Most of the week was spent eating, playing games, and swimming. Talk about relaxing! I didn't think about school at all (gotta love summer!) and I only thought about Premier a little bit while I was in cell phone range. However, most of the week we were out or range and it was so nice to not worry about emails, phone calls, texts, etc. The hardest part of the vacation was not getting enough sleep because of the crazy heat. It was at least 100 degrees every day we were there. The lows were in the 70s. I love hot weather, except for when sleeping is involved. It was not miserable, though, and I'm so glad we went so that Levi could experience his parents' favorite vacation. Who knows when we will get to do it again, but this past week was definitely a good one!

I now have a one-year-old

My baby turned ONE last week! I can't believe how time is flying. I got online the other day to update the blog but I got distracted by reading all of the posts I wrote when he was first born. I probably sat reading for a good hour and I simply can not fathom how things have changed since then. He has such a personality and can light up a room. He is bossy, funny, and affectionate. He loves to cuddle with me when he is tired. He loves playing with Jason and Grandpa Ken. He likes bossing around Grammie, Nana, and Grandpa. He loves eating. Anything and everything. He will basically eat anything that is put in front of him. He has started drinking regular milk instead of formula and he LOVES milk. He enjoys drinking out of a cup and would rather have food smeared all over him than let us feed him. He chases the cat all over the house and enjoys Abby licking him on the hands and feet. He always makes a bee-line for Abby's water dish when he is on the floor, and he is becoming an expert at throwing a ball. His first lake trip is coming up and we are really interested to see how he is going to do. He loves hanging out with his cousins, especially Shelby. It will be really interesting to see how he does with this new baby cousin he is going to have in October. Watching him change and grow more and more every day is so exciting for me. Many people say that they miss the times when they are tiny babies, but I have to say that I REALLY enjoy watching his growth and development change as often as it has. I know I will miss cuddling with him when he is done with that, but for right now I will enjoy it and just keep trying to teach him as much as possible now instead of trying to catch up later. I love my little boy and I can't wait to see what this year will bring!

Shining light

I'll be the first to admit it... I can sometimes be a downer. When things are not going well for me, I tend to take it personally and let it ruin my day/week/month. I try so hard to be happy on the outside because I don't like drawing attention to myself, but on the inside I'm being eaten up by things that are normally completely insignificant in the grand scheme of things. For example, I've had a couple of things come up at work that I know, in the bigger picture, aren't big deals, butI let them eat at me and I'm miserable on the inside. I have a very hard time letting things go and I tend to let them tear me up on the inside. I have to move on or I know my teaching is going to start suffering, and I pray God just takes my anxiety about these things. I want to be a positive influence on the people I am around daily, and I don't like to be fake about it. I want to shine God's light and not cloud it with my own human emotions. Just trying to make sure I am not doing damage to my witness through my trials. I read a blog just a few minutes ago written by a dear friend whom I haven't seen in many months. Her blog tonight was about thankfullness. She wrote that we are supposed to be thankful IN every situation, not necessarily FOR every situation. She has no idea how badly I needed to hear (read) that. I'm counting my blessings today and being thankful for many things. Jason made it home safely from his fishing trip that he was on this weekend. I got to spend two full days with my baby just playing and bonding. I was able to bring in a new jeweler to Premier whom I know will do great! And, she will be able to stay home with her babies while still bringing in a good income. My family is healthy. We have a beautiful home in which to build memories and grow. I have amazing friends. I could go on and on... I will continue to pray for God to show me how to be thankful in every situation. I will continue to pray that He will use me to shine His light always.

Pulling up

Levi is now pulling up like a pro! In fact, last night was a battle trying to get him to go to bed because as soon as I would put him in his crib he would roll over, sit up, then stand up. Little twerp! He is moving like crazy these days and he is hard to keep up with. It is nice being able to set him down, though, and he can entertain himself while we get things done, like cook or clean. That is relatively new and I'm glad he has made that transition.

We had his pictures taken this past Friday afternoon. He was super cranky so I'm not sure how many good pictures we got, but hopefully a few! I will post the ones I get, as long as they are cute.

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Prayer Request

Actually, I have several prayer requests.

The first is for my sister. She is having some complications with her pregnancy that are really scary. She is about 12 weeks right now. I know everything is in God's hands but she is a bit of a tizzy over everything. Please just pray for peace and for the Lord to comfort her in every way possible.

The second is for my brother. I can't go into details but just pray for him. It is a terrible situation that will only get worse before it can get better and we just really need the Lord's guidance through all of this, especially my other family members. And my brother REALLY needs the Lord.

And finally, for me. I was convinced that I was going to be able to work part time next year because of my new jewelry business. I thought I had found someone to work with that would be a great partner-in-crime and we would split all of the teaching responsibilities. Well, it fell through and I turned in my form to my principal yesterday stating that I would be working full time next year. It is a bit of a heart-breaker because I really wanted to stay home much more with Levi next year. It is frustrating not being able to be with him more. I praying that God would guide my decision making process and let me know what His plans are for my teaching career and my Premier jewelry career. I'd love to be able to stay home full-time, but I must get my level II teaching license before I do that (it never expires, unlike the one I have right now that expires in 2 more years) so I can come back to work in the future if I need to. I'm having a hard time figuring out where my priorities should be, beyond God and my family.

Thank you so much for your prayers. It is hard having so many tough things come at me all at once, but I know God will use me through all of this and help me stay focused on Him, as long as I ask. Thanks again and many blessings to you and your family!