Bube & Zayde's 65th Wedding Anniversary

This weekend we went to Kansas City to help celebrate Bube and Zayde's 65th Wedding Anniversary. (Bube and Zayde are Jonathan's grandparents, for those of you who don't know.) Wow! 65 years! I can't imagine. They have had a wonderful, wonderful life together, and it was incredible to be a part of this day. Kay and Izzy hosted a beautiful lunch, and they also put together a neat slideshow of pictures from throughout their lives together. It was such a great day!

Zayde and Bube

With their children

With their grandchildren

With their great-grandchildren

Joanthan and his Bube

Katie & Sasha's Shower

On Sunday, March 8th we helped host a couple's shower for two of my good friends from school. I worked with Katie and Sasha last year in 3rd grade, and they both got pregnant last summer. We decided to throw them a double shower where everyone brought their favorite books to share with the babies.

It's been so fun to watch them go through this experience together, and I'm so excited to watch them become parents. Sasha had a huge surprise when baby Remi came 6 weeks early! Unfortunately she was still too little to come to the shower, but luckily I got to go see her (and hold her lots) the next day. Congrats, Sasha and Ryan on a beautiful baby girl! And Katie and Tim...we can't wait to meet Baby Moran!

The yummy cake

Opening gifts

Ryan and Sasha

Katie and Tim

Samuel's 1st Birthday Party

On Saturday, March 7th we celebrated Samuel's 1st Birthday. Sarah and Dave threw an awesome party, and we had so much fun watching Samuel get excited about everything. He was the perfect birthday boy. Zayde, Uncle Izzy and Aunt Kay all came in from Kansas City, and both sets of grandparents were there. It was a wonderful day and we loved spending it with everyone. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took:

The giagantic cupcake Sarah made for Samuel

More of the cupcakes Sarah and the grandparents made. These were the lions, monkeys, and owls. They were adorable!

Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Samuel...he loved the attention and was smiling from ear to ear!

Zayde read a blessing for all the children

Playing with the ball popper

Waiting oh-so-patiently for his birthday cake...check out his little hands in this picture!

What a cutie pie! I just love this little boy.

Jonathan was in charge of the video camera. When he tried to get a close-up, Samuel started sharing his cake.

He also shared with Savta and Papa...how nice of him

Opening his gifts with lots of help

His very first motorcycle...thanks to Savta and Papa. He loved riding it later, but I didn't get any pictures of that

Happy 1st Birthday!

We wanted to wish our sweet nephew a very, very happy 1st birthday!

We love you,

Uncle Jonathan & Aunt LaLa

Where do teachers go...?

Today I was following a group of my students down the hallway right after school. One little boy stopped, dead in his tracks, and looked back at me with a really confused look on his face. "Is everything okay?" I asked him. "Yeah, well kinda. Where do teachers go after they're finished with class?" he asked me.

I just thought it was so cute! It's like they can't imagine that we actually would leave the classroom for any reason. Gotta love how 7-year-old minds work!

Finished, well almost...

We ordered curtains a couple of weeks ago to go along with the new paint color in the living room. Unfortunately I didn't know what I was doing when I measured for the curtains, so they ended up being too short. Like 6 inches too short. They looked like they were waiting for one serious flood! I was going to just return them and order some longer ones, but the next size was way too long. So I started examining the curtains a little closer and realized they had about 6 inches in the hem. That's when I turned into my mom. I took out the hem, ironed, re-pinned them, and started hemming. And much to my surprise, it worked! And it doesn't look too terribly bad. I'm feeling very Martha Stewart-ish and mostly just proud of myself. It's the little things that make me happy...

Here are pictures of the finished product. I'm so glad we painted the room. I'm still thinking about adding some color with new pillows or something. I feel another project coming on...just don't tell Jonathan...

Sundays at Tiffany's

I was stuck at home again this weekend...sick. That's what I get for thinking that it was weird that I hadn't been sick all year long! On Friday Jonathan and I went to Borders because, get this, he wanted to buy a book. I was shocked that he wanted to read, but I jumped on the chance to go to the bookstore...one of my all-time favorite things to do. (I'm a dork, I know!)

I found this book that a friend from work recommended and thought I'd take it to Mexico in a couple weeks. Well, after being stuck inside for the 2nd weekend in a row, I was bored and started reading. I finished it this afternoon. It was a fun, very easy read. If you're looking for a "fiction no-brainer," check this one out! (It's a love story and has a happy ending...just like I like it!)

Zumba!

I started a new aerobics class called Zumba a few weeks ago. It's so much fun! It's one hour of dancing to Latin music. It's a lot of hip shaking, so you've gotta be ready to move. I took my mother-in-law with me last weekend, and she had a blast, too. I've never had so much fun exercising or been so excited to get up early on Saturday. (You know it has to be fun if I skip sleeping in on the weekend!) Just wanted to share this info for anyone looking for a fun workout!

Our Brown Room

I've always wanted a chocolate brown living room, and Jonathan finally agreed to let me try it! We painted the room last weekend. I also touched up the baseboards with a coat of white, and that really helped. This week I (kind of) helped Jonathan put up crown molding. He got a miter saw from my parents for Christmas, and he was really excited to figure out how it worked.

We still have quite a bit to do, but I'm so ready to get the room back to normal. Hopefully this weekend we can finish touch-ups on the molding and then hang the new curtains. I can't wait to see how it all turns out! I'll post the final results soon...hopefully...

I can't wait...

...for this!

I came home from work today, after what felt like the LONGEST week ever, and my amazing husband handed me an email from a travel agent. Apparently he planned a fabulous Spring Break vacation for us! I was completely shocked and ecstatic. I'm normally the one who plans things (everything really) and Jonathan is more of a "fly by the seat of his pants" kind of guy. So the fact that he planned a trip and pulled it off without me knowing was incredible! I am the luckiest girl alive, and I can't wait for Spring Break to get here!

By the way, we're going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If anyone has been there and has tips or advice for us, please feel free to pass it on! This will be our first trip there. Have I told you I can't wait?!?

Kids...gotta love 'em!

I just got off the phone with Jarrett, the son of a good friend back in Oklahoma. I asked him (actually begged him) to sing me part of a song, and he sang two long verses to "Up On the Housetop." Well, at least it's only 6 weeks after Christmas. I love that little guy!

I also love the kids in my class. They crack me up constantly. This week Madalynn (remember the balloon mistletoe?) got to go with her parents to the doctor's appointment to find out if she was going to have a baby sister or brother. She brought the pictures back and was so excited to share them with the class. Of course, 6 year olds have no idea what sonogram pictures are, so I had to really play it up to make her feel good. At the end of the day she said, "Oh, Mrs. Teal? I brought these copies of the pictures for you to take home and hang on your fridge." Now, as sweet as that sounds, I just couldn't imagine explaining to my friends that I had a random family's sonogram pics on my refrigerator. So I kindly told her to ask her grandma, aunts, cousins, etc. if they would like to have them. If she still had some left over, I told her, I would gladly take some.

That seemed to appease her, but I guess she went home and told her parents that she offered the pictures to me. Her mom wrote me a really sweet email saying she was sorry that Madalynn was so attached to me and that I could let them know if she was "too much" for me. (Little do they know that she makes me want to go to work each day!) She went on to tell me that Madalynn also asked if I could be in the delivery room when her baby sister is born. Her mom told her that I would probably be on summer vacation and that they wouldn't know how to get ahold of me in time. She then said, "I hate to think what she'll ask for next!"

While I'm completely honored to be so important to Miss Madalynn, I can't imagine her parents' faces when she asked for me to be at the delivery! Kids are just so funny...

Compromise

Isn't compromise what marriage is all about? At least that's what they tell you. So J has been asking me if we could get a water cooler (like the ones you see in office buildings) in our house so he can get hot water anytime he wants it. I continue to refuse, telling him that this is a home and not an office. One day I saw this "countertop water cooler" in a Crate and Barrel catalog and jokingly showed it to J. Well, he really liked it and now it's the latest addition to the "man palace" in the basement. If you need instant hot water (or cold, for that matter), just head on over to our house!

Weekends!

So I just want to say that I LOVE the weekends! Sleeping in, relaxing, staying in your p.j.'s until noon...it's just fabulous! After a very busy week, I especially love relaxing at home. Right now I'm back in bed with the laptop and my dog...she's bound and determined to lay as close to me as possible. It's pretty funny. Jonathan has a horrible cold and is not feeling very well, so I'm trying to stay quiet so he can sleep (or maybe that's just what I'm telling myself to make me feel better for being so lazy...)

Last weekend Jonathan drove me back to Oklahoma to hang out with my mom, sister, and some of my best friends. I just really needed a weekend at home, and it was so great to see everyone. I felt refreshed and re-energized when we got back, so that was definitely a bonus. There's something about being around people who've known you forever that is so comforting and fulfilling. I'm sure everyone has those people in their lives...the ones who lift you up with just a hug or a listening ear. I'm so thankful for those people in my life!!!

Okay well I guess I should go do something productive...like starting the laundry or finishing the grocery list...

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Jonathan's "Surprise" Birthday Party

Jonathan's birthday was on Friday, January 2nd, and I planned a surprise party for him that evening. Earlier that day before the festivities began, Jonathan's parents took us to lunch to celebrate. Later we ordered Jonathan's favorite pizza and invited his family and a few friends over to eat and enjoy birthday cake for dinner.

For the birthday bash we went to Ameristar Casino and met everyone at a martini bar. The party wasn't a complete surprise in the end (due to a little drama and the fact that it's really hard to pull off a surprise party, come to find out), but I think Jonathan was still excited to see all the people who came and to find out exactly what was happening. Some of the boys played poker and the girls hit the penny slots for a little while. Then we went to Home nightclub where we had VIP table service. We were super excited to get a table right on the dance floor across from the DJ. I still don't know how we got the best table in the whole place, but I'm definitely not complaining. Everyone had a blast dancing and hanging out. It was all worth it in the end to watch Jonathan have a great time!

My cousin, Alison, came in town from Springfield so we got to hang out with her all weekend, too. On Saturday Aunt Mary (Alison's mom) was in St. Louis to drop Uncle Al off at the airport, so she also came by to say hello and see the house. Our holiday has been filled with lots of family and friends, and this was a great way to end the break. It's back to work and real life tomorrow!

The whole group at our VIP table

The girls pose outside of Home (Mallory, Me, Alison, Missy, Amy & Jen) where Paris Hilton poses when she comes to St. Louis...not quite the same, but we tried!

Me and Alison, my cousin

Missy, Jonathan & Brian

My hubby...the birthday boy!

Jonathan, Samuel and Dave

Samuel is really close to walking on his own, so Jonathan thought is was funny to teach him to "walk it out" and Samuel loved it!

Blowing out his candles

Jonathan's favorite cake...a carrot cake...and his birthday wishes

Me with the birthday boy before lunch

Jonathan and his parents

Happy Birthday, babe! I'm so blessed to be your wife. I'm excited to spend another year with you. I hope your 28th year is the best, yet! Thanks for being the best husband in the world. I love you!!!

New Year's Eve & Happy 2009!

This year we went to Jive & Wail Dueling Piano Bar in St. Charles and had a blast! Jonathan's parents were in town, so they came with us. We had fun singing along with the music. Jonathan was serenaded with an early "Happy Birthday" and Mike & Judy danced onstage to "Hey Jude." It was a really fun way to bring in the New Year...unfortunately I didn't bring my camera so I'll have to wait on Kim to send copies.

Happy 2009! We hope this is a wonderful year for everyone!