Visions of Sugarplums....

Watching a sleeping baby is wonderful! Only sweet dreams for this little one.

A good nap creates a happy baby!

Cookie Monsters....

It was cookie week at school. I love it when we do frosted sugar cookies. It is a two day process and it is always the perfect time to let up a little and have fun. Finals are around the corner and stress levels are high....not to mention thoughts of Christmas break and sleeping in.

For most of the kids it is the first time they have slathered messy frosting on cookies and showed a bit of creativity. They love it and once again, I love watching them.

I wonder sometimes why I do so many stories about my other children...and maybe that is it. They are my other children. I spend 40 hours a week with these kids. I get to know them. I know their personalities, faults, idiosyncrasies, and problems. They are all different and many deal with situations that break my heart.

If they can come in my classroom, learn something practical, and have an hour and a half to be kids and put all of the other distractions that are in their heads aside...then I have succeeded. I know the time is close to give this up and enjoy another type of life but at this time of year I love every day. I do love these kids and I miss them terribly when a new batch arrives in January. It is a one semester course and very soon new faces will walk though my door and I begin all over again.

And when I am struggling with new students and personalities that seem more than I can handle, I will look on my desk and know that someone thought enough of me to make me this great nameplate....and it was probably that student that caused me the most headaches for an entire semester!!!!!

Christmas Present.......

This is probably the best Christmas present anyone could receive! A little elf in Christmas clothes!

I am not sure how Brooklynn felt about this bow that was just as big as her head but it is a southern thing....big hair and big bows!

Brooklynn is two months old now and learning to smile, coo, laugh and watch her hands...she is just too cute for words. I am sure I loved watching my own children grow and learn but somehow this is different....and it is the best!

Think it is time to put the camera up and take this bow off my head! It is getting a little heavy!

A Little Less Christmas....

Decorations that is! And a whole lot less stress. I am a self proclaimed Christmas freak. I love it. I look forward to dragging the many, many boxes out of the attic and going through the treasures I have collected over the years. Memories in plastic tubs...probably too may tubs but you cannot get rid of them. It is history in those boxes.
But this year things are different. We have a new grandbaby and Tim and his family are on the move. They will be in Florida for Christmas.

I have never had Christmas without everyone here so this is strange...and I am a bit sad...no, a lot sad.

So, I decided to take a break and when I got to the big tree that goes in the living room I voted no. Think we will just leave it in the attic. It is a relief. I love it but it is two days of work and this year we will do Christmas on a smaller scale. It is nice. I have time now. I can put on the Christmas music and read a magazine, just relax, go to a Christmas musical at work, or just hang out with Sara. I feel great. I will survive not having to put everything back in the attic after Christmas. Maybe I will sleep later a couple of mornings or have lunch with friends. There are so many possibilities. Did I mention how good this feels?

The tree will be there next year. I will drag it out with enthusiasm and Christmas will be the same again...but for this year a break is great!

Kids in Snowland.....

Yes, it was brief and really could not be classified a snowfall but don't tell my students that! When the first flakes were visible through the window it was like the arrival of Santa himself. No sense in trying to teach anyone the fine points of ettiquette...that was lost on the arrival of snow. "Can we take a field trip, Mrs. Shubzda?" "Where to?" I asked. "Outside to stand in the snow" was the reply....so out we went. I loved it! It was worth missing any lesson to see them stand on the sidewalk in amazement of the meager winter wonderland. Kids are great! It is these moments that make my day.....sometimes it is worth getting up at 5 am in the morning!

Family Feast.......

There has never been a Shubzda family holiday that we have not looked forward too, enjoyed thoroughly, laughed the day away, talked endlessly, and most of all ate too much. This year was not an exception. The weather was perfect and the food was stuff your face great!!! It is a good thing we do not do it too often. Overeating is the key word every holiday!!

There are those in the family who always provide the laughs....purposely or not! But there is a clown in every family, right??? Ummmmm? Who is the big guy in the Santa apron and can he ever provide us with a serious face???

Down time after the meal is meant for watching the Cowboy game, hanging out and relaxing!

Love Thanksgiving! Love my family! We will just be glad to have Tim, Mandy, Brooklynn, and Tammy here with us next year.....we missed them.

What a great time to be thankful for the many good things that have come our way this year!

Gramma Fix....

Yes, it had been four days and I had to have a Gramma fix. I had to cuddle with that warm baby body, and smell that baby head. There is nothing like it in the world. I think she was ready for a Gramma visit. She was ready to show off her newly acquired skills. She is seven weeks now and very boldly sat up in her Paw Paw's chair...with out help and just smiled at herself.

Her eyes are so bright and inquisitive. They learn so many things so quickly. It is hard to let a minute go by without watching the development. She had changed so much in just the four days since our last visit.

I think about all of the things that will amaze Tim when they reunite in three weeks. He will not even recognize her. Thank heavens for Skype!

Next Thanksgiving she will not be sitting in this big chair. She will be crawling in and out of it!!! And watching her grow will be as much fun as loving her now.

Happy First Thanksgiving Brooklynn Mae!!

Bye Daddy.....

Tim is off to Virginia for training before he finally settles in Tampa Bay. Brooklynn will be without her daddy for about a month. In December they will be reunited in Florida and finally be able to unpack and settle and bond as a family unit. This has been a hectic time for the new little family. Little time to really get to know one another but she is just a baby and they will all adjust.

I, on the other hand, am sad. We will miss them all on Thanksgiving. I love the holidays. I love my extended family. I love the fact that we are all here and can get together. It is important. It is memories for everyone. The kids grew up together. I was not able to spend as much time with my family growing up because we were all over the United States. I love being together. We are growing...weddings, births, and engagements...I hope it does not change. We are loud and crazy and it is chaotic....and it is fun.

I am the family photographer. I love to be able to look back and see how we have changed...fatter, more wrinkles and gray hair...which is just aging!! Someday the cousins will have the same gray hair and wrinkles and laugh about how much they have changed. In the end it is good because we have had the chance to make memories and that is the best.

Holiday Confusion....

I got out a can of pumpkin tonight to make a Thanksgiving dessert for our feast at work tomorrow...and there it sat right in front of my collection of Santas and gingerbread people. When did we start overlapping the holidays? I am the worst. By the middle of November, I have everything down from the attic and am planning my schedule to fit in getting all of my Christmas up. Is it because I just tend to put up too much Christmas? Do I love the holiday so much that I want to enjoy it for a month and a half? Do I just jump in to the HO HO HO spirit because I am making up for the fact that my mom waited until the middle of December to decorate and I have a childhood need that was never fullfilled? Radio station 103.7 has been playing Christmas music for two weeks. How do I know that? I am listening to it! I am as bad as Macy's and Dillards and every mall in town. Halloween over, Christmas begins! It is really not because I do not love Thanksgiving....I just over love Christmas.

Have to run and bake something for Thanksgiving!

Team Turkey....

What fun!!!!

In honor of the Raiders making it to the playoffs this year, the teachers decided to adopt a player and donate a turkey to a charity in their name. The turkeys were collected, passed out and the Mighty Raiders assembled before taking the turkeys to the Friendship House to feed the needy for Thanksgiving. Enough turkeys were donated to feed 400 people. The turkeys could have gone straight to the charity that will be preparing the meals but by donating them through the team it became a school wide effort. The teachers were excited and the players had fun displaying their turkeys. It was a heart warming feeling for all.

So many times we miss the meaning of the holidays. For the Raiders today we won on another playing field, and so did about 400 people that will dine on a great meal next week because of our team spirit! This lesson went way beyond the abstract math equation in the classroom and it will be a great memory as the students celebrate their own holiday at home

Nuts Are In....

Not a new picture of Brooklynn....that is amazing in itself...but another exciting event!! My yearly supply of pecans is in. I love it. I have been ordering nuts from a very good friend at this time every year for over 20 years. It is a given. It is a sign of the season. Order in October, arrival in November...just in time for holiday baking. It means Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Why is it as you age you love things that are a constant?? I place the same order every year. I know what will last me until the next year when I send in my request. Now it is time to dig out the favorite recipes and make the traditional things. Sometimes there is something new on the agenda but always the same favorites to repeat. I was thinking today how much fun it was going to be to introduce Brooklynn to the things we cook at Christmas. Maybe she will need an apron...so my monogramming machine will come in handy!!! So many plans for the future. Things change when you have a grandchild....all for the good.

Showered Again....

What a blessed baby this is! Another shower for friends to come meet baby Brooklynn. She has been so loved and she has been so great to be so small, so new, and to have visited so many people and places already.

She adjusts well to being passed around and loved by everyone.

It is amazing to watch her development already. Each day is something new and wonderful.

If only you could capture these moments somehow. They go by so fast and they are so precious.

I am so proud of Mandy and Tim. They are doing an amazing job with her already.

Center Of Attention.....

Brooklynn Mae has been very patient as we entertained many people that were anxious to see our newest family member. She has been passed around, held in every position imaginable and handled it all with the grace that a well mannered young lady should. Her mom and dad have been awesome to share her with so many people. We will miss her terribly when she starts the next leg of her journey....off to her new home in Florida.

Veteran's Day....

Just because....just because on November 11th we have cause to remember that good people have lost their lives and put themselves in harms way everyday. I cannot begin to wrap my mind around why tragedies like Fort Hood happen. Having lived this nightmare I know what lies ahead for the families. I am not sure that they even realize what their days will be like in the future. My nightly prayers always include service men and women and despite our loss I am proud and thankful to have had sons that were willing to take on the task of protecting us. Do I wish for a different outcome for my oldest son...of course, every single day. But do I know that was a conscious choice he made when he chose the military for a career..yes, of course I do...and I am proud to be the mom of two very courageous young men.

One Month Old....

And baby Brooklynn gets more beautiful everyday! She has been such a joy. There is not much else that matters when you look at this precious child's face.

I have spent so long listening to stories from other grandmothers about their precious grandchildren and I was sure that the whole thing was totally overrated....oh my, it is not!!

It is so much more than I expected.

And to get to enjoy this precious gift for awhile while the kids make a pit stop on the way to Florida is just pure joy.

Happy one month birthday Brooklynn Mae!!!!

Love, Gramma