The Coody Family

Today I had the privilege of taking some pictures for some of my family! Jack, Shari, Jessica, and Jake Coody!! We had such a great time....they were such good sports letting me haul them all over the place in the freezing cold and we did quite a bit of laughing while we were at it. I was afraid all the pictures I was taking were going to turn out blurry because the camera kept shaking because I was laughing the entire time!! Thank you for letting me take some pictures for you!

McKenna's 1st Day of Head Start

As all of you know our economy is crap. As a direct result, the funding provided to schools across our state is crap. The Anadarko school district is down nearly $1,000,000 from what we received last year, not counting the hundreds of thousands that we lost the year before that and the year before that, etc. All of that to say that in an attempt to cut spending across the district we may no longer be offering after school tutoring services to our students, which means that Nathanael and I will no longer get paid for providing tutoring after school. We are figuring on about a $400/month loss because of this, therefore we were starting to get desperate as to how we were going to make ends meet. Luckily, last Friday I received a phone call from the Caddo Nation Head Start Program and they informed me that McKenna had been accepted into their 3 year old program (she misses the 4 year old date by 16 days)! We were elated and quite honestly shocked because this is a low-income, Native American program and they only accept a set amount of over-income, non-native kids each year. Daycare for our 2 girls was running us $600/month, so that will save us $300 of the $400 we are needing! Woohoo!! Yesterday (Monday) I picked up all the paper work that needed to be filled out, took McKenna by to see her classroom and meet her teacher, and made some last minute preparations for her to be ready to start school today! I was a nervous wreck...I told Nathanael that there was no doubt in my mind I was going to bawl and I even considered waiting to put my mascara on until after we left. Thankfully, I kept it together and made it through drop-off without shedding a tear! Now Keely, that's another story. She loves her big sister and has not really been apart from her since she was born. When we were leaving, she started boohooing, saying "I want McKenna". So sad but so precious at the same time!

At 2:30 the bus dropped her off at the high school and I could hardly wait until she got in the door to start grilling her on what happened throughout the day. Her day went as follows:

1. She ate cereal, toast, milk, banana, and grape jelly for breakfast.
2. She has no idea who any of the kids in her class are and she cannot remember any of her teachers names.
3. She has no idea what they ate for breakfast or if she fell asleep when she had to lay down to rest.
4. She has no idea what games they played, songs they sang, or information they learned today.
5. She did get to brush her teeth with a yellow toothbrush and pink toothpaste.
6. She played in the sandbox at recess.
7. Her class has mostly boys. (At first she said there were no girls and then she said there were just a few girls.)

Not exactly the information I was hoping for but hey, I'll take what I can get!

This crazy thing we call life...

So apparantly I haven't updated my blog since April 9th. Big surprise there! We have been busy, things have been crazy, I sometimes forgot, but mostly I'm just pretty lazy. So this is my attempt to catch you all up on the Baker business over the past 4 months. Here goes...

April came and went, along with my 29th birthday. As a kid the anticipation of another birthday was almost more than I could handle. I loved looking through catalogs or walking through Wal-Mart trying to decide what I wanted for my birthday. Then I started creeping ever so close to the dreaded 30's. I absolutely am not looking forward to my 30th birthday. I know that this is something everyone goes through, that it's just a matter of time, that 40 is the new 30, which would make 30 the new 20 (?), but I don't want to be 20 again, either. 28 was a great age. Old enough to be considered a mature young adult but young enough to be able to brag about still being in my 20's without the 30's looming over me. But I guess when it comes down to it being 29 still has to be way better than 39, right??!!

May brought the most stressful time of our jobs....end of the year testing. We spend 7 months teaching teenagers everything they need to know about a specific subject, 1 month re-cramming it into their brains hoping they will retain something, and then they spend 2 hours determining my fate. Will these tests show I'm a good teacher? A bad teacher? Somewhere in the middle? I am forced to base my capabilities as a teacher on a hormone-driven 14 year old kid who couldn't care less about Algebra I or Geometry. After all, their favorite question to ask is "Mrs. Baker, when will I ever need to use this is real life?". My answer "When you become a math teacher". None of them ever think I'm very funny.

May also brought my new found love; couponing. When I had just gotten married my mom used to tell me that I should start couponing. I thought she was crazy. In my mind, couponing was buying 1 paper on Sunday, clipping all the coupons, and going to the store and buying every item I had a coupon for. It was wasteful and more expensive than if I'd just gone and gotten what I needed in the Great Value brand. Then along came TLC's Extreme Couponing. OMG- what an eye opener! Once I researched and learned the correct way to use coupons to maximize your savings I became totally addicted! If I have to buy something at full price it stresses me out. Heck, if I have to spend over a $1 on something it stresses me out! Nathanael told me about a month ago that I need to lay off the deodorant and body wash. It seems I have enough to last us both well over a year! Just the other day I found Lucky Charms at Wal-Mart on clearance for $1 so I bought every box they had (8). If only I'd had a coupon for that, it would have been dirt cheap! (Well, dirt cheap-er!) Since we are both teachers with 2 kids in daycare which runs us $600 a month this has been an amazing way to get the name brands that we love for next to nothing. My favorite thing is running out and not having to stop what I'm doing to go to the store....I just go to my stockpile and grab another!

June brought us many exciting events! 1st I had a garage sale and got rid of all my baby items. Gone, adios, see ya! Since we have decided we are happy with 2 girls it was time to get rid of the storage unit. It was a lot of hard work but totally worth it! We also headed back to good ole' KBA! Every summer Nathanael and I move to Talihina, OK to work at Kiamichi Baptist Assembly. Actually, he works and I get to be a stay-at-home-mom for the summer! His parents are the directors and his brother is the head of maintenance, so his sister-in-law and 2 nieces live there also. We always have a great time hanging out with his family and get lots of down time in between camps. We also went on our 1st vacation! We took the girls to San Antonio and hit up Sea World, the Riverwalk, the Alamo, the San Antonio Children's Museum, and briefly the San Antonio Zoo. We spent some time in the hotel pool and we saw Kung Fu Panda 2. Great time- I highly recommend Sea World to anyone with kids of any age!

July 4th we spent in Sentinel for the annual celebratory bash. My brother Riley is opening up a drive-thru convenience store in Sentinel so we built a replica of his building and entered it as a float in the parade. The girls threw candy and had a blast, even though it was ridiculously hot, and he ended up winning 1st place! Woohoo! After the parade we headed down to the park where McKenna participated in the Miss Tiny Tot contest and won Runner-Up! She did look pretty cute, even if I am a little biased. Our winning streak came to an end during Bingo, unfortunately, and the only prize I took home was a pity gift from my cousin Harli.

The rest of July literally flew by and before we knew it the summer was coming to an end and we found ourselves back in Anadarko for the start of a new school year. Nathanael will be teaching Geometry, Algebra 2, and Algebra 3 and I will be teaching Algebra I and Geometry. Keely will still be going to Kim's, a home daycare, and McKenna got accepted into the 3 year old Head Start Program. She starts her classes tomorrow so this momma is already a little teary eyed just thinking about it. I know that she is going to absolutely love her classes- they go to the library once a week and once a month they will take a field trip. I think she is most excited about riding the bus to the high school everyday to be dropped off after school.

On a sad note, we said goodbye to one our best friends on Friday, August 5th. The temperatures have been ridiculously hot (110 every day) and when we left for the afternoon she was in the backyard without us knowing it and didn't have any water. By the time we got back home she was already gone. Our hearts were literally broken because she was not just our pet, she was a member of our family. We have so many fond memories of our Liby Dog, and we will never forget her. Although it was an extremely hard day, it made me realize how lucky I was to have such beautiful daughters and a husband who loves me. God has blessed me beyond measure and I truly am a lucky girl!

Shopping With The Girls

Yesterday after coming home from school I got the urge to paint my living room. Now, if you know me very well, you know that if I get the urge to do something, I want to do it immediately, no matter the time or place. My husband, of course, hates this part of my personality. So I grab a half used gallon of paint and get started, despite the fact that I knew I didn't have enough paint to finish, that Wal-Mart didn't carry that kind of paint anymore, and that the girls were running through the house, along with a friend they had invited over to play. I get about halfway done with the living room and run out of paint, so I decided to go to Chickasha this morning to get more paint. Since Nathanael was in charge of Upward Soccer this morning, I had to take the girls with me. The morning went as follows:

First stop- Handyman Hardware Store- 45 minutes. This place is like a junkyard for home repair items; stuff everywhere, covered in dust, smells like smoke and mold, but they have some great stuff for some great prices. The girls and I were both in heaven. As we were visiting with the owner about different light fixtures for my kitchen, McKenna announces to the world that she needs to poop. So, slightly embarrassed, I ask for the bathroom and haul them inside. Keely heads straight for the toilet and rubs her hands all over, then heads for the opposite corner and attempts to #2 in her diaper. Finally, Kenna finishes, Keely is still working (to no avail) and we go back to looking at lights. I agree to one and we pay, wait for them to bring it out from the warehouse, get it loaded, and we head for the next stop.

Second stop- Wal-Mart- 2 hours. This is my absolute, without a doubt, least favorite place to go to with a 2 and 3 year old. The main thing we need is paint for me to finish my project, however I manage to completely forget that part. Upon our arrival the girls had decided they were not shopping until they had a ride in the Mickey Mouse fire truck. In an attempt to keep them from screaming and crying, I plug 50 cents in. But nothing happens...apparently it's broke....so I pull both girls out, Keely screaming, and put them in the buggy. We look at plants, nail polish, Easter egg fillers, spring dresses for the girls, flip flops, sunscreen, and bananas. As we are heading to the front I realize the huge mistake I am about to make- the swimsuit cover ups I picked out will not match the girls swimsuits, so we go back and get a different color. Whew... Heading to the front to pay for the 2nd time, the fact that I haven't gotten any paint hits me. OMG! I brought the paint sample but left it in the Jeep, so we park our buggy near the front and head outside to the get the paint so it can be matched. I get out there and look for my keys. And look. And look. They are not in my purse or pocket! This is the point I begin freaking out. I'm trying to haul the girls inside and both of them are running and jumping over the lines in the parking lot when Keely falls down right in front of my feet, causing me to nearly bite the asphalt. Now I'm freaking out and screaming at my girls to just walk, people walking by me, considering whether or not to call DHS. First place I stop to look for my keys; the Mickey Mouse fire truck. No luck. I ask the greeter who proceeds to tell me this long story about how many people lose their keys and some of the crazy places they find them, and I stand there, politely smiling and listening, then head to the customer service desk. On my way to customer service I had to pass my buggy, which was still sitting undisturbed near the first check out. That's when I spot them- sitting in the front of the buggy, where they had apparently been gotten out of my purse by one of my little friends (McKenna, I'm betting). So we grab them, go back to the Jeep, get the paint, and go to the paint counter. No paint guy. No paint girl. No one in sight. I wait and wait, then head to the fabrics and ask for them to call someone. By the time I get back, there is the paint guy, looking like he's been standing behind the counter all day. I give him what I need just as they come over the loud speaker "Customer Service in Paint, Customer Service in Paint". I look around and nonchalantly say "Wonder who that is". So he puts my paint sample in the computer and mixes me some paint. Not the same color. He informs me that that's about as close as he can get. I stare at him, trying to think of a way to solve the problem that looms before me. How do I get out of repainting the entire living room, even the part I painted yesterday. No solution. I pick another color, he mixes it, and I accept the fact that this is my punishment. Should've left well enough alone. So for the third time we head to the check out. Mysteriously it seems that everyone was just waiting on me to head to the front because by the time I get there every register is about 4/5 deep. Ugh..I just want to go home. Patiently waiting my turn while referring the fight that has ensued over whose feet go where in the buggy, a new register opens up. Yes! I grab my buggy and spin it towards the waiting cashier and an unexpectant McKenna goes toppling out of the seat onto her face/collar bone. Praying she'll just get up and laugh it off, I make sure to get my buggy to the register first before anyone jumps in front of me, when the worst, blood-curdling scream begins to erupt from her lungs. Everyone turns around and stares at me, waiting to see my response. I pick her up off the floor, cheese stick in hand, and start putting the contents of my buggy on the counter, hoping this college kid scans fast. She calms down, I get them loaded in the car, and they fall asleep on the way home.

I was hoping to have the living room done by this afternoon but now I'm just too tired to even start. Maybe I can catch a little shut eye...

Things Teaching Has Taught Me

I have had the priviledge of teaching middle and high school students for 5 years and I love it. You never know what to expect each day, each class period, or from each student. However, the older I get the better things used to be.

1. I am a complete idiot. I know nothing about everything.
2. I have no idea what good music or television is. The louder, the better. The more screaming, the better. The less you can understand the lyrics, the better. The more cussing, the better.
3. What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine. Everyone has a right to everything. Gone are the days of earning what you get...I am entitled to everything!
4. Relationships are no longer personal. The only way to converse with anyone else is through text messaging or facebook.
5. No topic of conversation is off limits. I can ask anyone, no matter their age, about anything, no matter the rating. There are no longer things you just don't talk about.
6. If someone disagrees with me or doesn't like me, it's because of my race.
and finally
7. This one has come more with age...My parents are not near as stupid or rich as I gave them credit for.

Remember when...

I don't know how many times I've been told to write everything down when it comes to my kids. Whether it's recording when each and every tooth pops through or the funny things they say and do, I always hear "you better write that down". But do I? NO! I do not have time to write every little thing that happens in my life down. Besides, these are my babies... I won't ever forget anything that happens! Yeah, right. Just sitting here now, I'm trying to recall the events that have ensued over the past week and I'm drawing a blank. Nada. Nothing. I remember laughing to the point of tears and thinking that my child must be extremely advanced for her age or so creative that no one elses child could possibly compare, but I've got nothing. So, in an attempt to record the happenings in the Baker household, as well as share with anyone who would like to hear about it, I've decided to blog about it. As soon as something comes to me, I'll make sure and post it!