A whirlwind of a week

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday! That pretty much sums it up. This week has been hectic. Tuesday went great and though the day was long and exhausting, everything went as planned...except that I lost my voice. So, the last 2 days have been a bit rough trying to teach without much of a voice.
Many throat lozenges later, the actual reality of going back to work full time, especially in the teaching profession, finally sank in and I felt overwhelmed with the responsibility of educating crazy 6th graders. It's not just 8-3, but many hours of planning, researching, and oh yeah...actually re-learning the material myself so I can teach it and feel competent in doing so. Plus, getting up at 6am is a huge bummer.
I am greatly looking forward to this weekend as Mom and Dad Olson, Derek, Amy, and the kiddos come over on Saturday to BBQ. Mom and Dad Hansen as well as my Uncle Scott will be here on Monday to celebrate my Mom's birthday.

Back to School

I have been frantically preparing for the first day of school (tomorrow 8/29). My classroom is put together and my lesson plans are ready to go so now all I have to do is teach. I have been suprisingly calm the last 3 or 4 days and actually feel excited about tomorrow, which is totally a God thing. I have not had a single nightmare about the first day, very surprising considering I was plagued with them before the start of the year at Monte Vista.
It will be a very long day as Back to School Night is also scheduled for tomorrow at 6:30pm. I will need lots of coffee!

Some pics from the past few weeks

Back to Bloggin'

Well, we have been off-line for a few weeks so now that we are settled in our new place and have Internet access again, we are back in business! We have settled in San Jose in a great 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. The house is about a mile from Jaron's work and a 1/2 mile from Avery's preschool. My commute is not too bad...only 20 minutes! We live in a great neighborhood and the house had everything we wanted so we are very happy.
I am one week into my new job and so far so good. It has just been meetings and working on curriculum, but I am starting to get familiar with the school and am anticipating the start of the school year. I got a brand new laptop too (a macbook) so that is a great plus! I found out that along with science and math I will also be teaching one period of Bible and one period of Art. AHHH! Luckily, the other 6th grade teacher is sharing her lesson plans with me for Bible and Art.
Avery is happily settled into her preschool. She really loves the outdoor area and as soon as she gets there, wants to go on the rocking horse or the swings. The teachers have said she has had great days and has been very happy. She told me on Friday that she did not want to go home. No Home!, she said. :)

"More Cookies, Please!"

Avery and I decided to make cookies for the first time today. Chocolate chip was the cookie of choice. :)

Avery had a fun time for about 5 minutes until she lost interest. She did appear again when it was time to scoop the batter onto the cookie sheet!

We all enjoyed the final product. Yummy!

In search of a home

For the last week or so we have been trying to find a home rental. At this point we are being a little picky, wanting 3 bedrooms and a couple of other fun extras. We have seen a few things, but not "the one". We would really love to be in a place by the 13th since I start my new job on the 14th!
I have also been in search of a daycare facility for Avery Lynn. I think I have found a place...My Preschool in Saratoga, but I am still trying to find a Christian Preschool/Daycare. I was a little shocked by the tuition rates (between $1200-1300 per month!). Pray I make a good decision, as it is already hard enough to know I have to leave her at all.
The weather has finally cooled down to the mid-80's. We headed down to Monterey for lunch on Sunday, which was very fun... it was only 65 degrees there! Avery loved the sea lions. She kept saying "lions" "water"! She amazes me more everyday with the things she says and does. She has been putting words together and telling us all what to do. Daddy couch! Grandpa water! She really loved the kiddie pool Grandma bought for her and she absolutely loved when Grandpa would take her in the water. Lately, one of her favorite things is going outside with Grandpa and collecting flowers.
This weekend we will head up to Pittsburg to visit with Grams and Papa. We are all excited to see them, it has been a long time...since the end of April!