Sunday Snapshot - Yes Chef

We are slightly into food here in Drosche Land.  Amy has her blog (which due to the shoulder issue is not being updated as frequently lately) and we have been making a point to eat out at fancy (i.e. not kid-friendly) restaurants lately.  August was Houston Restaurant Weeks and, although only making it to 2 restaurants since we got a late start, we have become aware of the joy of fine dining experiences.  We are already making plans for next year!  Lastly, we are slightly addicted to all things Gordon Ramsay at the moment, Braeden especially.  He has suddenly caught our interest in food and has been referring to himself as the "head chef" lately.  He has been talking about food, wanting to cook, and wanting to make his own lunches.  Jackson, who will eat just about anything and is great at monkey-see/monkey-do, has taken to this as well.  This morning Braeden offered to help Amy make breakfast.  She's been doing alright with one arm, but it's not the same.  How could we not say yes!  Jack wasn't far behind (usually underfoot) and Amy had the ingenious idea of giving them the food-chopper thing to cut up the onions.  I was in the midst of laundry but stopped to grab the camera because I knew this would be a fun time.  In the end they thoroughly enjoyed cooking with Amy and I think this is going to be the start of something regular here.  Who knows?  Maybe one of them will grow up to be a chef?  Whatever the result, it made for a fun morning and a delicious breakfast!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

Spider-Jack in the kitchen!

 

 Our little Master Chef!  Yes, I know he is in his underwear but he's a 5-year old boy and it's literally 108 outside so a kid's gotta stay cool!

 Who doesn't love the chopping and pounding action this Pampered Chef tool provides?

 Jack was enthralled at the results of his handiwork!

 They took great pride in their culinary skills!

Small amount of onions but big fun!

 

A View To A Kill

Although I do love a good James Bond film this post has nothing to do with the character or the movie of the same name.  I simply borrowed it because it was fitting and (I thought) clever!  The view I'm talking about is the viewing of Amy's MRI results on her shoulder.  Wednesday evening she went in to have the MRI done and we have been eagerly awaiting the results.  I'll spare you (for now) the drama and frustrations we have had dealing with this latest medical adventure but suffice it to say not everyone we are dealing with is being what we would term cooperative.  I mean it's just her shoulder right?  Nothing too important to worry about!  Too sarcastic?  Maybe.  Anywho, she now has an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon on Monday to hear the results of the MRI.  We do have good feelings about it though.  She, of course, has had more pain and discomfort in her shoulder these past few days, but she has been able to use her arm and move it some.  The pain is of course part of the healing process and partially also due to the usage of it.  But the pain isn't unbearable so that leads us to believe (or hope) that the damage is slight/minimal and possibly she only suffered the dislocations.  So our thoughts and prayers have been preoccupied by this lately but all is well.  Amy's tough and has a ridiculously high pain threshold.  Coming from me that's a huge compliment because I have the pain threshold of an infant.  I don't do pain well.  Amy, on the other hand (or shoulder for that matter) can hold her own pretty well.  I'm often impressed by the drive and motivation she has.

So, we wait a few more days and pray a few more days.  Hopefully this next appointment brings good news of healing and minimal physical therapy.  Of course, you can expect a post about it on Monday.  Until then though we will hope for the best.  It's time for some good medical news here in Drosche Land right?

All is well, still shouldering the burden of waiting, in Drosche Land.

No Shoulder Ahead

You know, as in the road work sign.  Surely you've seen it.  Especially if you live in a big city like our H-Town where there is a constant, never-ending roadwork.  But I'm not blogging about traffic or our tax dollars at work improving our road conditions.  No, the term used in this post's title has taken on a new meaning here in Drosche Land.  See, yesterday Amy had another medical mishap occur.  She dislocated her shoulder.  As is typical with our lives it was nothing huge or eventful, she wasn't saving children from a burning orphanage or rescuing newborn kittens stranded high in a tree.  She was taking a clock off the wall.  Yes, something that simple.  But it dates back several years to when she separated the same shoulder in a fall.  It was slight and healed over time.  However, she has had a limited range of movement since then and apparently yesterday the way she reached just overextended it and pop - out it came!  A great co-worker took her to the ER and they were able to sedate her and put it back.  However, in doing so they chipped a piece off of her humerus bone.  Today I took the morning off and went to visit the orthopaedic surgeon with her.  There wasn't much he could tell us without more information so he ordered an MRI and we are awaiting the scheduling of that.  Hopefully that will bring good news.  The best case scenario is that all is well with no tears or problems and she will just need to remain in the immobilizer sling for another 4-6 weeks with limited movement, followed by some physical therapy.  Worst case?  They find a problem (tear or something) or the bone fragment is in a location that requires its removal.

So, we are never lacking in an adventure here in Drosche Land, be it pleasant or problematic.  The good side is that she has long since met her deductible for her insurance with everything else medical she has dealt with this year so everything is on Blue Cross/Blue Shield from here on out!  That's my lovely wife for you, always exciting and always keeping it interesting!  We have though been humbled and grateful for the outpouring of kind words, thoughts, and prayers from everyone as we deal with another medical issue.  We even had some good friends from work make us dinner for tonight since cooking with one arm is not exactly ideal or possible!  So there is another silver lining to this sudden cloud!  But, whatever His plan is, we're game and we will just proceed with prayers and faith.  Oh, and hopefully lots of patience as well!

All is well, shouldering another burden, in Drosche Land. 

Sunday Snapshot - First Day 2011/2012!

Well, as promised here are the pictures from this past week's First Day of School!  Since we wake up at the crack of dawn we don't get the benefit of morning light or a nice outdoor setting.  A simple indoors picture by the door is what we were able to snap that morning.  But the subjects are the true stars of the shots anyway.  Kindergarten and PreSchool 3!  Can you believe it!  Braeden was so proud of his uniform and I have to admit that when he came downstairs all dressed, I cried a little!  No shame for this proud papa!  Enjoy!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

 

The Kindergartener!

The PreSchool 3 boy!

 All 3 Drosche boys!

My boys!

Day 1 (Week 1)

Well, yesterday was the first day of school!  I fully intended on posting about it yesterday but I started feeling bad around 2ish and then by the time the end of the day had come I was full-blown sick.  It was all I could do to make it home with the boys before I collapsed for the night, sickly writhing in and out of consciousness.  I'm only being slightly dramatic, I am not the easiest sick person, just ask Amy.  Luckily I only get sick about once a year.  Anyway, I was worried I wouldn't make it to school today, but I was determined.  I couldn't miss the 2nd day!  That would be horror for a sub.  Amy almost made me stay home, but after a night's sleep I woke up fine.  I just caught ahold of some weird 12-hour bug or something.  So, that's where I was last night.

Ok, I will pause here to state that I began this post Thursday night and am finishing it Saturday morning!  Welcome to the beginning of school and being back in the school routine!  So, I guess this post will now encompass the entire first week and be a little longer!  Sit back, relax, and read!  Ok, on with the post!

As for the first day, it went very well.  I had a great day with my 21 (yes, 21, but big classes are fun!)  Aside from getting sick at the end of it, I had a blast.  It is always fun to meet the new kids and start a fresh year, wondering what it will bring.  This year was also big, as you know since I speak of it often, because Braeden began Kindergarten.  He was super excited all morning long.  Waking up and getting dressed went very smoothly!  We had smiles and laughs and great pictures!  I was so glad that it did not end up like last year with tears and pouts.  It looked like it was going to be a good day!  He already knows all the teachers, one of the benefits/side affects from being at school all the time and being a teacher's kid!  Yet, I will say that when it came time to actually go to class, he reverted to crying.  It was the craziest thing.  One second he was laughing and happy, the next he was bawling.  Luckily Carol, a great Kindergarten teacher and friend, took him and guided him into class since I had my own students coming in at that moment (we're right next door).  Of course he stopped quickly and ended up having an excellent day.  He loves Kindergarten and so far is doing very well.  The rest of his week was pretty uneventful, oh he cried again yesterday before going to class but I have no clue why, again I was saved by a great coworker and friend, Lori the Kindergarten Aide and Student Teacher.  

Jack's first day was also great!  He has the same teacher, Mrs. Tori, that Braeden had in PreSchool 3 and we love her.  Mrs. Tarita, the aide, is also fantastic so between the two of them we knew that this was going to be a great year for him.  One of the things he is most excited about is the fact that his class is "The Zebras"!  Oh, that and there are Thomas the Train toys in the Blocks Center!  His first week was very successful and we got good reports each day about how he is a great helper and the best napper - he falls asleep first and stays asleep the longest!  I think those are two pretty good compliments!

Amy and I?  Well, we also had great first weeks.  Amy has been working late since it is the beginning of the year but she has been enjoying it and having great days.  Trinity's Early Childhood Program has grown and expanded so much in the past year she is ecstatic and loving it.  I, as I always do (as I'm sure most teachers will attest to) forgot how young they are at the beginning of the year!  Adorable, fun, hilarious, but young.  So we didn't get everything I had planned done, but we had fun each step of the way.  

So, a successful 3 days here in Drosche Land and now we are going to try (I stress try) to relax some this weekend.  I'm trying to get a head start on laundry and we are trying to keep the house tidied and nice.  I've discovered why we only bought one white uniform shirt for Braeden thanks to some gold-colored paint, but it's all good.  I'm troubleshooting through my laundry skills to see what I can do.  

Lastly, I do have 1st Day pictures!  However, I think I am going to save them for tomorrow's Sunday Snapshot!  I want to play around with them and edit a bit.  So stay tuned and come back tomorrow to see them!

All is well, back in the habit, in Drosche Land.

Begin Again

Well, tomorrow is the big day - the first day of school! Obviously it comes around every year at about this time but I am always excited! This year is no different. In fact, I am probably more excited/nervous/crazed because this year Braeden will be in Kindergarten! Seriously?! Where did the past 5 years go? When did my baby become a kid? A kid! He is super excited! To be in Kindergarten, about his teachers, to see his friends, and to wear his uniform! I can hardly wait. Although you know I am having severe mixed emotions about it all. On one hand it's exciting because it is such a big day for him, but on the other hand it's bittersweet because he is growing up, all to fast in fact! But that is how life works right? Doesn't mean I'm prepared for it though! Even though it is a big day for Braeden I can't forget about my Jack! PreSchool 3?! Man, it seems like they are both determined to grow up, together!

So, school supplies have long since been delivered, lunches are made, back packs are ready, showers taken, teeth brushed, and two very excited boys are fast asleep. I, on the other hand, am wide awake as I always am on First Day of School Eve! My mind is racing with excitement over meeting all my new students tomorrow (21 this year!) as well as the stuff I have planned and the stuff I have yet to do (hey, nobody's perfect)! Hopefully I'll get to bed soon!

I hope and pray tomorrow morning goes smoothly. I have my heart set on taking tons of pictures but given the drama that was last year's First Day, we will see how that goes. Pictures at home, pictures at school, I have my plans! We will see how it all pans out.

But for now I'll relax (or try to) a bit and savor the quiet while everyone else is asleep. Come tomorrow the crazy and hectic times of the school year will be upon us once again and peaceful quiet may not be so easy to be found. Truth be told though, I enjoy it all.

So, I'm signing off for tonight to do a little reading, a little thinking, and a lot of praying for my boys, my wife, my students, and the upcoming school year! Here we go again!

All is well, back at it, in Drosche Land.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday Snapshot - Another 30!

Well, Amy's big 30th birthday isn't officially until tomorrow.  However, due to the crazy schedule of our jobs in August, we have started the celebrating a little early since her actual birthday falls on Meet the Teacher Night for Trinity's Early Childhood Program.  That means a late night (after all day at school), no time for dinner out.  Think that's bad?  Next year her birthday falls on the first day of school!  It doesn't get any crazier than that!  You'll remember we began the celebrating last weekend when I took her away to San Antonio for her birthday getaway.  That was the start of it all, a birthday week sort of.  Tonight we decided to have a cake since we would not likely have the time or energy to do so tomorrow.  I made the cake, per her request: strawberry with chocolate frosting.  We sang, she wished, we ate.  It was pretty good too!  Tomorrow morning she will get her cards and present.  True to Amy form, she has a pretty good idea of what she is getting!  She hates surprises and probably due to that she is impossible to surprise!  Although, you never know what I have up my sleeve!  I'll have another birthday-themed post tomorrow for my very special birthday girl so we will see if I succeeded!  

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

 It's not a cake without candles!

 It's not a birthday without singing!

 Birthday cake!

  The beautiful birthday girl!

 

Start Me Up

So, yesterday was Registration Day at Trinity for the 2011-2012 school year!  It was a lot of fun to meet all the parents, even though I knew most of them anyway.   Now the new school year is officially almost here, less than one week.  Anyway, in between our two sessions I was finally able to sneak away and make it to one of my all-time favorite places, Teacher Heaven!  My school provides us some classroom start-up funds that come in quite handy in purchasing new supplies and replacing the consumable things I go through each year.  So, since I had to make it back for the second Registration session, I was in a time-crunch and on a budget.  I had to hurry!  Luckily I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted (thanks to an extensive list) and I know the layout quite well.  Nevertheless I fought the urge to wander through the store, mentally spending thousands of dollars in decorations, manipulatives, teacher books, and office supplies.  I had a little motivation to hurry though because, as if it wasn't hot enough outside, the store was burning up and packed with other teachers hustling and bustling about filling their baskets with goodies.  I was dressed up so I didn't want to get all sweaty and schmutzy.  Long story short (too late?) I made it out in record time (for me) and (drum roll please) exactly on budget!  No I didn't get everything on my list (it was quite long) but I did make a decent dent.  As for my treasure trove - see below, thanks to my iPhone I could document it all!  I had a ton of fun, as I always do, and would eagerly (time and money pending of course) go back!

All is well, with a bagful of new classroom goodies, in Drosche Land.

 Clearance frog border?  Don't mind if I do!

 A multi-purpose must-have, I get them every year!

 Decisions, decisions, decisions!  Which nameplate?  (I went with the one on the right!)

Um, yeah!  Can we say Reading Groups?!

 

 Amy's mom gave me a ton of bins very similar to these to keep my children's books in (I have about 1,400) but I needed more!  Love them!

 Just hung it up today!  Nothing says "Welcome" like some crazy frogs!

 Who doesn't love getting some mail?

Which lesson plan book to get?  I spent a good 15 minutes here.

 

 Sadly, they don't make my favorite anymore and I am uber picky so I couldn't find one that was exactly what I wanted so I went with this plan, generic one.  However the price, $4.59, was just right!

 Because sometimes you need little frogs!

 My FAVORITE purchase!  It was an impulse buy at the register but totally worth the slightly exorbitant price and it didn't even put me over budget!  A win-win!

 

1 Week

Ok, so summer is, and has been, officially over.  I have been back at school every day busting it to get everything ready to go for the new school year.  Everything is (finally) almost put away after the move into the new classroom.  Now I'm just tidying up and getting everything decorated and ready.  I'm quickly running out of time though as we have our Back to School BBQ (think Open House) this Saturday!  Since tomorrow is Registration Day all day that leaves me with just Thursday and Friday to get everything polished and finished.  Possibly the worst part is that I have yet to make it to a teacher supply store yet!!!  I can't believe it myself, but I just haven't been able to find the time to get out and get lost wandering in one fantasizing about everything I would purchase with unlimited funds!  My plan is to work this into my schedule on Thursday morning so I'm sure I'll be blogging about my excursion later this week!  I may even get camera happy!

I am totally ready for tomorrow though, all of my packets are stuffed and ready.  I'm excited about meeting all my kids and parents.  Another fun thing about tomorrow is that Amy and I will get to be parents as we attend the New Parent Orientation since we have a Kindergarten student!  Exciting times here in Drosche Land!  Nerd though I may be, I love the new school year!

All is well, one week away, in Drosche Land.

Sunday Snapshot - Getaway

Ok, so I have been gone for a while but I am back!  Well, I actually never left but things got busy last week as we all returned to our school routines since I had to report back August 1.  I am stoked about the new school year but things got busy quick.  Throw in the fact that Friday I took Amy to San Antonio for her 30th birthday getaway and that made things busier as we prepped the house, the boys, and ourselves for a weekend away.  But I am back and ready to roll.  On with the post.


So, you may remember that last year for my 30th (here and here) Amy took me to San Antonio for the weekend to celebrate.  We love the Riverwalk and have deemed it "Our Place".  So, I decided to take her there for her 30th birthday this year.  Yes, I know it technically isn't her birthday but since it does fall right at the beginning of the year (when we are incredibly busy) this was the closest I could get before things get insane.  I decided to take her away, just the 2 of us, and leave the boys with my mom.  Long blog short - we had an awesome time.  It was great to be just the two of us.  No rushing, no kid's menus, doing what we wanted and when we wanted to.  Bliss.  The first night there we ate at a very nice restaurant (per her request) called Biga on the Banks.  We highly recommend it as we had an amazing, romantic, 2-hour dinner.  The rest of the weekend involved a trip to the Pearl Farmer's Market (another recommendation), shopping in San Marcos, seeing Harry Potter at the theater, and lots of relaxing and quality time together.  It was a memorable trip and we are already talking about our next one.  Amy truly enjoyed it and the look on her face was worth it all.

So, this turned out to be a bit longer than the standard Sunday Snapshot post, but there was some catching up to do.  We didn't have the camera with us but I took tons of pictures on my iPhone of the delicious food we ate.  I don't know which one of us will be posting those on our blogs, we will see.  The one picture I share though, since it is a Sunday Snapshot post, is one of my beautiful wife Amy this morning at breakfast on the Riverwalk.  It was her trip after all and she is amazing.  I think the picture is pretty great too (thanks to Instagram my new fave app!).

I LOVE her!

Seeing Double

So, an interesting thing happened to me at the mailbox this afternoon.  The trip was going as it usually does - stop the car, get out (our neighborhood has the boxes groups every few blocks or so), open our box.  You know the drill.  However, it was when I pulled the mail out that things became different.  There was a large, white envelope inside.  Addressed to me.  From GCU.  It seemed quite familiar.  In fact, it seemed exactly like the one I received a few weeks back that contained my M.Ed. diploma.  What could this be?  My mind wondered and wandered on the short drive to the house.  An honorary doctorate?  A refund check?  When I opened it I found ANOTHER M.Ed. diploma, identical to the one I already have!  Yes, I know what you are excitedly thinking, "Just when he was done blogging about his M.Ed., there's more!"!  Yes dear friends in the blogosphere, there's more! 

Hmmmm.  I'm not quite sure what to make of this.  I don't recall putting in twice as much effort into my coursework.  Maybe it is their way of informing me that I am twice as awesome as I thought?  :)  My first diploma is at school, awaiting it's hanging on my classroom wall per Harry Wong, so I can't compare them and I don't recall any typos or errors on the first.  Compound that with the fact that there is no letter of explanation or anything in the envelope and I am bewildered.  Tomorrow begins our faculty meetings to prepare for the upcoming school year (and I am totally stoked!) so I am not sure if I will have a ton of time to call GCU and inquire about the twin diplomas.  We will see what happens when I get through to them.  Despite my high hopes in the symbolism behind the documents I am nearly positive that it will boil down to a simple error.  But at least I'll come out of it with a set of proofs that I truly am now a Master!  :)

All is well, twice as nice, in Drosche Land.