Busy, busy, buried

No, not literally. Ok maybe a little. Under piles and piles of school stuff. Last week our grades were due, and both of my classes had units end just prior to the end of quarter so I had about a million bajillion things to grade. It honestly took me a week and a half to accomplish the grading. I literally did nothing but grade and teach and eat and sleep. And some of those days I gave the kids projects to work on that allowed me to grade while they worked in class. Yipes!

Now I've emerged from my ginormous grading pile to find that I have no lessons planned. So I'm frantically planning. I think this is always the worst time of the year. I know it's the time of year I always lose some weight. No worries though, it always manages to find me later :) In the meantime I'm enjoying the comments, and hating that I don't have time to go shopping to buy some new pants so I don't look like a clown.

JB is chattering all the time now. I feel like she needs me more now, and I am not able to give her the attention she requires. I try not to bring home work with me, but this weekend I must prepare powerpoints and slice liver for a lab. Eeeewwww. Too bad it's a really good lab, or I'd dump it. I hate liver. The way it's hard to cut, the way it smells. My pal decided to skip the liver and just use potato, which works - but not as spectacularly as liver works. So I'll head out in search of liver a little later today - and maybe I'll stop by the Dress Barn to get some new pants :)

Back to JB, she doesn't have the vocabulary, but that girl is talking. She tells us things all the time. Makes direct eye contact and speaks complete jibberish in a very serious tone. Or tellls a funny story and laughs about it. She is the cutest baby on the planet I'm sure of it. (no bias here.) Her motor skills are really good now too. Two Sundays ago we celebrated my SIL Big Bird's birthday at her sister's house. There, JB practiced walking down the steps of their patio. She walked up and down them many times, always holding onto someone for balance. This weekend she showed interest in her rocking horse so I brought it out to the living room. Yesterday I put her on it and she rocked and laughed. This morning she has climbed on and off of it several times. When she sits on it, her feet barely reach the wood panel where her feet should rest. She can touch it with her tippy toes. She also sings to her favorite programs. She sings a few Wiggles tunes, and along with Snook from The Big Big World. The other day in the car Shania Twain's song "Up" came on and she sang with that as well.

This Thursday we have the walk through of our new home. Of course we haven't sold this home yet, so we're looking for someone to rent it to. We figure we won't be living in the new house until Thanksgiving, so we have to make both payments on our own at least once.....it's a little intimidating.

More good news, The Big Guy's sister got a job! She's had a rough year with the closing of her business and break up of a long term (and we're talking looooong term) relationship. I think it's helping her to have a reason to get cleaned up and dressed nicely. She loves clothes and purses and make up, and has really not had a reason, or desire to partake of them for quite some time. She seems happier now, and I'm really glad for her. I hope the seasonal position turns into a permanent one for her.

I know this post is pretty random, but lots of things have happened since my last post, but nothing too exciting to write about. Maybe next time I'll actually have a good story for ya.