Saturday, May 31, 2008

Thank Heavens for Little Sisters

We've made it!

My last day of school with the kiddos was yesterday. On Monday, Sawyer and I will head to Cactus to just finish packing and moving boxes. I'm still uncertain what position I will have for the upcoming school year, as I've interviewed for the administration internships the district will have next year. The interview committee placed me into the "internship pool", so now I'm available for school interviews. If a school has an internship position for the upcoming school year, they can call me in for their campus interview. If the internship position doesn't work out and I'm teaching, I'll be back in kindergarten. Although, I'm also keeping my eye out for part-time positions, which usually don't come open until later in the summer, if at all. So, I guess who really knows what's going to happen. I'm going to try to just forget about it and enjoy the summer!



The last few weeks of being back at work were really great thanks to my sister and some good friends! Elizabeth flew down from Minnesota to spend almost two weeks with us. Sawyer loved every minute of his aunt's visit. He even rolled over and continued to perfect his new rolling moves with her.



We had a pretty bad storm one night Elizabeth was here and had to take shelter in our only interior closet. It was a good thing she was here, since we had to move things out of the closet and shelves, like glass jars and vases, so we could all be safe inside. The closet has now been reorganized, so we're prepared for the next severe storm. Minor also thought this event was worthy of a few pictures for Sawyer's baby book!



After my sister's departure some of my girlfriends took Sawyer in for the last few days of school. Sawyer especially enjoyed his time with Jessica and her little one, Avery! Avery is such a cutie. She's so sweet to Sawyer and loves to love on him. I can hardly wait for Sawyer to start moving, so they can run around and play together.



They were so excited to see each other in the morning!


Thanks again to Lori, Sarah, and Jessica for helping us out and taking such great care of our little comet!

We love you, Elizabeth! Thanks again for all your help!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Baker Family Blog

I just want to remind everybody that this blog is for the Baker Family living in Texas. Sawyer is a member of the family, but there are other events in our life. I know that many people retreat into the "Baby Cave" and never come out but Sarah and I do other things besides photograph every spit-up and poopie diaper.

It is really gratifying to know that the only way that people would notice we weren't around was when we stopped posting pictures of Sawyer on the blog. I just wanted everybody to know I was really feeling the love.



Even Sawyer is unhappy about Daddy and Mommy not getting any love.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Weekend in Houston

Sarah and I finally had our first big road-trip with Sawyer. We drove all the way down to Houston (okay it really isn't that far, but it was the first time we were in the car for more than 3 hours.)

I am happy to report that Sawyer is really a great car rider. On the way down he slept the entire 4 hours we were in the car, and he kept himself occupied when he wasn't sleeping for the trip back. Sarah and I had a great time visiting our friends who just recently moved to the Houston area. Thelma and Jeremy have a beautiful new home and they were gracious enough to host us even though they were still in the process of unpacking.

The highlight of the weekend for me was going to my first professional soccer league game. Jeremy was able to get tickets to see the Houston Dynamo play the Colorado Rapids. The entire game experience was awesome. The Dynamo got their first win of the season and we were seated on the center touchline. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night. Here are a couple of pictures from the night.


Dynamo coming on to the field. In the background you can see the "Texan Army" which is the main supporters group. They were singing and chanting then entire game, as well as constantly throwing toilet paper on the opposing goalie the entire second half. How can you not love this game?


US National Pablo Mastroeni (number 25) - he is particularly hated in Houston. I don't really know why, but the fans never let up harassing him, and when he was temporarily injured near the end of the game he was booed heavily.


Houston's two best players Dwayne De Rosario (near) and Brian Ching (second). Both were goal scorers that evening, with De Rosario scoring the game winner at the end of the game.


Nice action shot from the evening.

I just wanted to thank Jeremy for getting the awesome tickets, and I can't wait for our next trip to Houston.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

12 Weeks Ago...



...Sawyer entered our world. It's been the beginning of an amazing adventure for us. He's really been an "easy" baby, as the baby books describe, which does make us wonder what the next one will be like! :) We know that there will be plenty of "not easy" moments to come, so we're enjoying being parents of the "easy" baby.

Twelve weeks ago my leave from teaching also began. During my leave I learned more than I thought one could in twelve short weeks. So, in no particular order, a few of my learnings:

*Being a mom is a never ending job. I don't know if the house will ever be "completely" clean, again. (I'm still coming to terms with this realization.)

*Given the choice between eating, showering, or sleeping, I chose to sleep. This really wasn't a hard decision for me to make!

*The love and support from family and friends is a cherished gift. We were so grateful to our friends for organizing meals for us for the first eight weeks. This gift gave us the opportunity to become more settled with our life with Sawyer. Again, we are so thankful for all that made that gift possible!

*Who knew someone so little could take up your entire day and that you'd love every minute of it?! My thoughts to get some "unfinished" projects done during my leave have moved to my summer "to do" list!

*Losing the rest of the baby weight is going to take awhile. I'm not convinced any woman can walk out of the hospital in her skinny jeans. But, I know some day I'll be back in mine, it's just going to take some time and exercise!

*A baby grows and changes in just a blink of your eye. Just yesterday we saw a baby that was just a month old...I don't think Sawyer was every that small, was he?!

*Life is a miracle! Each day my awe and wonder grows as I experience the miracle of life!

I know as the weeks pass, I will only continue to learn more, especially as I have to return to work tomorrow. I will be learning to balance work into our new routines!

Although, it's going to be difficult, I know that there are only 16 days left in the school year, then it's summer break!

I also know that I am so lucky to work with such amazing women! Here are just a few pictures of the gals that make teaching at Cactus Ranch another one of my favorite things in life.


Here's Jess (with her sweet little girl, Avery) and April. I love you, gals!


Here's some of my team mates; Carol, Steph, Jess, and Amie. I love working with you and am also so thankful for your friendship!

And, here he is now..three months old! Sawyer loves sitting in his bumbo. It's getting more difficult to capture his smiles, since whenever the camera goes up in front of our face, the smile fades and his curiosity grows.


Keep peeking in on us! I'm sure Minor will have a story or two to share, since he's taking care of Sawyer for these first days when I return to work. I can only imagine the fun the boys will have together!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Car Issues Resolved

I know I am going to take some flack for this post, but what are you going to do. I am quite comfortable eating my own words here are a couple of highlights from my past.

1. "I will never live in Texas, ain't nutt'n but freaks and rednecks down there!!!" That statement was made in college, and I don't think that I have to remind everybody how this has ended up.

2. "I will never be like you!!!" This particular quote was directed at my dad when I was in high school, most likely because I had gotten in trouble for something and was mad about it. Now I am an assistant principal, and whistle in the hallways just like my dad.

3. "I will never drive a minivan" -- Thankfully I have been able to adhere to this one but just barely. Last weekend Sarah and I signed on the line for a 2005 Honda Pilot. Although it has much of the same functionality of a mini-van, it doesn't have the sliding doors (this is a big difference-once you go with the sliding doors it means you are officially just like your parents.) Here are the pics.







All in all we love the Pilot (which as mentioned in a previous post, was the vehicle for the Huddleston/Baker Road Trip Summer '07, and we were really comfortable with 4 adults, so we figured it would make a good family hauler.