The Miracle of Life

From the moment that test said "positive" (actually the fourth test said positive, because I didn't believe the first three), I was over the moon excited. Getting to share the news with Rob that we would soon have the titles of "mom" and "dad" was one of my favorite moments to date. But I don't think it fully sunk it. Morning sickness. Extra doctor appointments. Crazy hormones. It was all happening, but I still I hadn't totally wrapped my head around the idea that inside me was a baby. Our baby. The one we would hug, and cuddle and love for the rest of our lives. The one who would change our lives. 

That was until Wednesday

In the past few weeks I have been feeling flutters that have turned to harder "whacks" inside my belly. The reality that a little baby was in there became more real with each feeling of movement. 

But Wednesday... Our 20 week ultrasound... Seeing our child. That was a feeling that can never be described. I am certain that the joys of parenthood will continue to be topped over and over again as we experience many more firsts with baby Remark, but for now it may have been the very best thing I have ever laid my eyes upon. 

Baby found its thumb. 

We are already so in love.

Our Environment.

Kids spend the majority of the first 18 years of their lives inside the 4 walls of a classroom. A great deal of who they are, what they like, where they are going, who they will become is formed inside those walls. I am a small part of it. The P.E. teacher, the music teacher, their coaches, their friends, the principal, the art teacher... We are all a small part of it. I think about this every morning when I walk into my classroom. How does it feel to walk through that door. Welcoming? Warm? Inviting? Organized? Ready? Cozy? I hope every single one of those are a resounding "YES". I know that for me, walking into a warm, welcoming, organized environment just makes me feel more at ease, and I would assume the same is true for many of my littles who step foot inside my classroom each day.

For that reason I want the learning environment I create to be one that is all of those things. I want the room to feel more like a living room where we gather together for family meetings and reading stories together. I want it to feel like home. A place of solace, comfort, ease. A place where we can grow, laugh and learn together.

There are many things that make a classroom feel like home. The physical setting, the emotional climate, the people whom we share it with... Each of these factors make a huge contribution to the feeling we get when we enter a room. All of these pieces are major factors on how a student will succeed in school.

Enter the physical learning environment. It would be easy to say that students are not affected by what surrounds them physically, day in and day out, but to say that would be inaccurate. Children thrive on learning environments that are efficient, predictable, and comfortable.

I introduce you to Mrs. Remark's learning environment. One I hope is warm, safe, cozy and comfortable. One I hope students will look back at with fond memories of a home away from home- if only for one year of their lives.

Projects.

Here and there when I have a husband who is studying and a weekend that isn't packed with commitments, schoolwork or grad school of my own I get to take on some sewing projects. And I must admit, sewing makes my heart happy. It's such a rewarding hobby, you start with nothing but some fabric and at the end of it you {hopefully} have something that is useful in some way.

Over the last year we have had many babies born into our life (see last post), so my sewing projects have had purpose and focus to them. I have so enjoyed these challenges and successes as I have seen projects unfold- blankets, clothes, headbands, changing pads... 

Introducing my new-found and much-loved hobby:

onesies

shirts

 blankets

portable changing pad 

But my favorite thing of all about it is seeing all the many wonderful photos of the projects being put to use:

Oh, what a joy it is. The creating, the giving and seeing them used.

We Were Made For This

It's been a while.

A move, a new school, a new town and grad school will do that to you. At the end of the day when I feel like I finally have a minute to myself I prefer the mindless browsing of Pinterst, or updating myself on the lives of all my Facebook friends, or playing a game of Scrabble and watching The Voice. Although I love to write, it takes brain juice, and I haven't felt like I have had much of that to spare lately.

This weekend though. This weekend was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that calls for words to be written down. It was... Well... Simply amazing.

On Wednesday our niece was welcomed into the world. Eager anticipation turned into reality when that text and picture flashed on the screen of my phone. Charli Rae has entered the world. We knew we were excited. From the moment we  knew she was going to enter into our lives our hearts were so excited to meet her. We knew it would be a wonderful experience. But I don't think Rob and I were prepared for how truly wonderful the experience would be.

Thursday we jumped in the car after school and headed East. We made it as far as Fargo on Thursday night, had a wonderful dinner with my parents, and woke up Friday morning bright-eyed and ready for our 2nd leg of the trek. When we arrived Charli had just made it home from the hospital and was getting to know her home, her puppy, her surroundings, her mom and dad, her new life. To be a part of that experience was more than words could ever describe. It was incredible. We became a part of her transition home, we got to experience her very first moments of life, we got to kiss those cheeks more times than we could count, snuggle that 6 pound bundle, and soak up the scent of a beautiful baby girl.

We fell in love. I have heard parents say that you never know how much you can love a small, helpless, human being you have known for only a brief period of time until you have a child. I don't believe I experienced that kind of love- but I think it was as close as you can get.

She is beautiful and perfect in every way. We are so honored to get to be Auntie Amber and Uncle Robby, and look forward to life's many milestones we will get to share with this precious girl.

I truly believe this deep, deep love and pure joy, experiences that change our life, is what we were made for.