St. George Island

We got home last week from our beach trip to St. George Island. This was our 19th summer going. My dad's mom takes all of the family every year and we always stay in the same house! It is such a fun week to just be with family. There is nothing to do on the island, except for a few restaurants and a couple of gift shops; therefore, we just stay at our house all week and hang out on the beach all day long! Last summer, I took Landon and it was fun, but he didn't get to enjoy the beach part of it! (He was only 3 months old!) This year he had sooo much fun! He absolutely loved the sand and the water. We brought our hose from home and ran it all the way down to the beach so that he could have some fresh water and something to play with...you'll see plenty of the hose below! ;) Amanda and Adalyn were able to fly in for the last 4 days, so it was fun to have them there this year!

The week flew by way too fast, but we really enjoyed being with everyone!

Here are some pictures from the week! Hope you enjoy!

Landon doing his first coloring! Had to keep him occupied somehow!

Check out that beach view! ;) His best friend on the beach...The Hose!!

Working really hard to keep all his shells in the bucket!
He loved this box and that spoon!
I know you can't see us very well, but me, Landon, Amanda, Ben and Addy out in the ocean!
Soo sweet! Relaxing on the beach together!
Doing her face! If you did this face to her, she would do it right back to you! I think he must have been hungry or something!
Such a handsome man! He loved this drawer...and he loved more than anything to stand in it....thankfully it didn't break
"Where did it go?" Laughing on the porch!
There it is again!
Sharing their food Almost all the cousins...missing one this year! Can you find me?? hahaha
This is the height line up...next year all the Merritt's will be right next to each other! :)
The additions to the family...Amanda, Landon, and Addy

3rd times a charm!!

So I still have not heard back from Pine Street!! :/ I emailed the assisstant principal yesterday and I am still waiting to hear back from her. I had an interview on Monday at a private daycare here locally to be the pre-k teacher. The ladies were all super sweet and it seemed to be a decent place and the interview went pretty good. BUT, the pay is not good at all and the hours would be LONG and I would still have to pay for childcare for Landon even though he would be with me. I would get a slightly reduced rate, but what I would get paid, I just don't think would be worth it.

I do however have another interview tomorrow morning at 7:15 (ahhh!) at Barksdale Elementary to be the Pre-K teacher! I am super excited about this because Barksdale was actually one of my top choices to work at. It would be super close and super nice to be at. They have been waiting on approval for their Pre-K program and just got approved to start it next year! So I am hopeful that I will still either hear from Pine Street about 5th grade or that something will come from Barksdale. Man, what a difference in age....one week I'm thinking 5th and the next I'm thinking 4 year olds. My head is spinning trying to keep all my thoughts organized for these principals and what age I'm even talking about!! :) So please continue to pray that I get some kind of offer from some school. It might not even be either of these schools that I am interviewing with, but that I would be at the school that God feels I can make the biggest impact on!! I'm hoping that the 3rd times a charm!!

Thank you all for continuing to pray and think about me! If any of you happen to be up oh so early and you think about it, just say a quickie for me!! I'll let you know how it goes!

New Discoveries

So we are learning all kind of new things around here now!! Landon is the biggest investigator ever and he is in to EVERYTHING!! He is obsessed with going outside and just stands by the door and cries to go out. He also loves the vacuum and loves to lay it down and just play with the different gadgets on it.
The newest thing I have been wanting him to learn is how to drink out of a straw, eat of a plate without chunking the plate across the room, and try to use a fork. We have finally accomplished one of those which is drinking out of a straw. There have been several times where we have gone to a restaurant and I have forgotten his cup and it is so difficult to get any liquid down him since he couldn't drink out of a straw. I had been trying different times to show him how to do it while we were out, but he was more interested in eating the straw and playing in the cup of water than drinking it. While Landon and I were out to eat with Sara L. last night, I once again forgot his cup and by the end of the meal he was so thirsty. So we tried and it didn't work. Darn!!
We went by Jim n Nicks for dessert because Sara had never had their chocolate pie and was in dire need of some eye candy, so she decided that would be it for the night!! Well while we were there, Landon really had had enough of the high chair for the night and we were just trying to entertain him. I just thought I would practice once again with the straw and guess what...he did it!! It caught him so off guard that something came out of there and then he got the hang of it!!It seemed so super easy, but I guess it just took him practicing some and then he discovered that there really is something to come out of there!!

Here is is below this morning practicing yet again with his cup and straw!

We are still working on not turning it up when he drinks it though...he hasn't quite figured that out yet!

I have also been wanting him to at least practice using a fork for some easy to pick up foods. We have been working on it, and he knows he is supposed to use it, but we are still mastering how to actually get it on there and it stay on there all the way to his mouth! :) He is a hard worker trying to get his waffle on the fork!

He just decided to give up and realized that it is a lot easier to just pick it up with his hands! And the whole plate thing....that is a different story. The minute it is empty it is either on his head or thrown across the floor. I am still working with him to ask for more, via the sign language that he finally has mastered, and to keep his plate on his tray. He just thinks I am funny and that I am speaking a different language!! :)

And this is the other cute thing he is doing...he loves to crawl in to the dryer while we are folding laundry. Of course the will close the door on him if we would let him so someone has to make sure they are holding the door down so he doesn't.

And he's in...he just likes to get in and out and look at the light in the background!

This is just a picture that Leslie took of me and Landon while we were over at their house the other night. I seriously don't think I have a picture with Landon since he has gotten older where he is smiling. He is always too busy to take a picture so when she snatched this one, I was super excited! Just thought I would share a couple of pair of dimples with you! ;)

Walking in confident....

***UPDATE 6/5: I still have not heard anything from Pine Street. I was told that I would hear something by this past Wednesday, but I am still playing the waiting game! :( I'm sure is busy and what not, but I am becoming slightly impatient....doesn't she know she has a girl sitting at her house where there are no jobs to come by and that girl at least got an interview and now is really wanting to know how it went? haha I seriously am ok with waiting, but I just would like to know even if I didn't get the job so I know if I need to start looking other places again. Thanks again for all the continued prayers!! I'll let you know as soon as I hear something!

** UPDATE: So the interview went awesome today!! There was the principal, assistant principal, and the teacher of the year, which also happened to be the grade chair for third grade. I felt unbelievably relaxed and calm....I think because there were so many prayers going around! A big thanks to everyone! :) I sat in there with them and talked for an hour! It obviously was a lot of questions, but the principal also gave me a lot of input and advice for being a first year teacher! I felt so relieved when I left there. I was interviewing for a 5th grade position, but she informed me that a 3rd grade position had opened up unexpectedly yesterday so I was kind of interviewing for both. I was super happy about that because 3rd grade happens to be my favorite! Everyone assured me as I was walking out, that they really enjoyed talking to me and that I should know something by next Wednesday, if not sooner! So please continue to pray and let's keep our fingers crossed to get good news soon!!


Yep, you see it...this could be my official teaching home next year and I could officially be a Road Runner after tomorrow.....

So this is just going to be a quick update, but I got a call from Pine Street today and I have an interview with the principal tomorrow at 1:00 for a 5th grade position!! I am beyond excited and seriously can't believe that something might just work out. I am extremely nervous because 90% of my experience is in the lower grades (3rd and below), and I'm not giong to lie, these really big 5th graders kind of intimidate me, (who by the way is only 5'2"!!) I will gladly accept the position if it is offered, but I just never dreamed I would be teaching older kids.

So please pray that I am confident in what I have learned and that I can portray to these lovely lasdies that will be interviewing me that I may not be experienced with 5th graders, but I am willing to take on the challenge and will do any and everything to get accustomed to the 5th grade scene! I will DEFINITELY be back to update tomorrow and let you know if I get it or at least how the interview went. So, if any of you think about it tomorrow around 1, say a little prayer for me and pray that they feel like I am the person that is supposed to join the Pine Street faculty next year! :)

Preparing and calming my nerves for tomorrow,

B

The Magic of Turner Field!

Baseball has officially started!! (It actually started last Sunday, the 5th but I am just now getting around to blogging) This is by far my most all-time favorite thing in the world! I love the Braves and seriously crave baseball when it is the off season! Turner Field is my favorite place and I seriously want to go there all the time! (I possibly would consider living there...ok not really) If you ask anyone who knows me well what my favorite sport is...they know it baseball, and Braves Baseball at that!

Landon and I started preparing for Opening Day the week before....see pictures below! :) Well last Friday night, April 10th was Opening Day for Turner Field! Of course I bought tickets and we planned on going. I just couldn't think of missing it...and Opening Day is just a ritual for me. I was staying with my girlfriend, Whitney for a couple days at the time because she and her boyfriend were going with us! Whitney's parents just ADORE Landon so they were thrilled that we were leaving and they could have him all to theirself. We were going down early to tailgate and cookout and they were literally throwing us out at 3:30 so they could play with him.

Well as we all know...that Friday night was the storms of the century!! Go figure...it would all be coming through Atlanta on that night. But we decided we were going to brave the storms! And we did!! We got down there about 5 and the weather wasn't all that bad then. We had a great time hanging out and grilling out together. Kacy met us there and then we all proceeded in to the game before hand to watch all the fun things!! The weather did hold out until the middle of the 4th inning and then the bottom fell out...Hail and all! I did come prepared with my umbrella and we stayed out in our seats (which were not covered) until they delayed the game and it starting hailing. Everyone headed up to the walkways where it was covered. We just hung out and then as it got later and later we decided that we probably should go because there was no way they would start the game due to the rain!

So we left, and unfortunately they did start it back and it lasted until 1 am. I was all for staying, but Whit had to work early and I had to get home to set up for Landon's party, so we ran through the rain to our car!! I don't have much luck with Friday night baseball games at Turner Field. This one was rained out and last year Michael, Krista, and myself headed out to a game before Landon was born and it was just straight up cancelled because of rain! Either way I am a devoted fan and will still show up in the rain just for an attempt to see my favorite players play! Maybe next time will not rain...but we had tons of fun in the rain!

WELCOME TO THE BIGS!

Loving the game,
B

I think he should be a baseball player when he grows up!

haha I love this picture of him!

It was just a little windy...

That's better...love her! :)

Pregame festivities!
These are my FAVORITE boys!!

Pure fun!

Beginning of the rain delay....check out all the people under the overhang!

Just hanging out during the storm(We were really waiting in the funnel cake line!!) :)

We were trying to enjoy the rain

Whitney(By this time we were soaking wet and I really don't even know why we had an umbrella...)Loving the rain that night!

Happy Birthday!!

Landon- 1 year ago!!

Wow...I seriously can't believe that Landon was 1 yesterday!! It is so crazy how time flies by. It has been such a fun year and Landon has learned so many things. He has just started walking and it is so cute to watch him look like a drunken sailor sometimes! :)
This past year has been such a whirlwind, but I couldn't have gotten through it without all the help from family and friends! Thank you all from the bottom of heart...I really do appreciate everything!!
I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my little man!! I love you! :)

Do you have Direct TV....

I so love listening to 1st graders and their conversations they have with each other when they think no adult is listening....it really makes me laugh!!
So this morning as I am aimlessly walking around the classroom getting stuff ready for the day, the kids are trickling in and I hear them all rambling about the Nickelodeon Awards (not really sure what this is, but I was informed by the radio this morning that it is like the Oscars for Nickelodeon) behind me....
Everyone: "Oh my gosh!! Miley Cirus won!!! I love her...She is so cute...etc, etc"

Boy 1: (from across the room) "G, do you have Direct TV?"
Boy 2: (from across the other side) "No....I have Comcast"
Boy 1: "Oh never mind, Comcast sucks so you wouldn't know what I'm talking about"
Boy 2: "No, Direct TV sucks. My mom and dad told me that we can't have Direct TV because it is bad and their satellites suck."
Boy 1: "Well, I'm not going to tell you what I was going to say because you're being mean!"

How do 1st graders know that SATELLITES suck?? Seriously...it's crazy to me. I just turned around and started laughing!

I seriously think I'm going to pick out a conversation every day and blog about it!! I only get through my days by laughing at them!! :)