Time flies!

It's hard to believe that this time last year I was settling into my new role as a mommy. John and I were taking turns feeding, bathing and changing our newest addition. It is amazing how quickly time flies. It's equally amazing to see how much Noah has grown over the course of a year. No longer is he confined to a swing or an infant seat. These days he is scurrying around the house on his hands and knees, attempting to walk around the furniture, and drinking out of a sippy cut. He went from this...
























to this... Noah turned 1 on August 19th. Time flies!

Gated Community

Recently I decided to invest in something for Noah that I like to call his "gated community". Because Noah is gettting around the house really quickly these days I am finding myself chasing him around corners and down hallways. So we visited one of our favorite stores and bought one of these...



As you can see sometimes Noah gets a visit from his dad and sometimes his cousin, Tyler.





Sometimes when I am not looking Noah tries to take a little field trip away from his "gated community". And this is what I find...



He is using the fire truck to make his way over the gate.





Although he attempted to get over the gate, he wasn't successful. Noah does enjoy his "gated community" which comes equipped with music, toys and stuffed animals and his favorite - company.

Just one of those days....

Today was one of those days where things really seemed like they couldn't get any worse. It's amazing what two phone calls can do! Realistically I know that things can get worse and that my problems are few in comparison to others and that I have a good life, a great life. But today was one of those days where I wondered why? Why are people mean? Why are people selfish? Why do people intentionally set out to hurt other people? Am I guilty of any of the above? Absolutely, but why? Without divulging too much information and getting really personal, today was ones of those days in which I had it with friends and others close to me. So rather than let all of this anger fester up inside I have decided to put my problems aside and the people that are creating them and think about my blessings; you know focus on what God has blessed me with.

Like this little guy. Who would have thought that ten little toes, a three teeth smile, and 27 pounds of energy could bring you so much joy?



And this big guy! There have been plenty of days when I have stopped myself from hanging a free sign on him and leaving him out by the mailbox. But really, what would the Hickok household be without Finnegan?



And then there's Toby. She is our peace and quiet, our "thank God we don't have two wild dogs."



Last but definitely not least, there is John. Thank God for John! Enough said...

To Do List

Now that I am out of school for the summer, everyday life has comepletely changed in the Hickok home. No longer am I slapping the alarm clock begging for 5 more minutes. And I am not rushing out the door, praying that I make it to school before the buses beat me and before the principal stakes his claim at the front door. Life seems to be more relaxed. And I have decided to give myself a good break before I jump into this list...

-cleaning the basement... It is so dreadful. I am embarassed by the amount of "stuff" that is down there.

-lesson plans for next year... You may wonder why I don't use the same plans every year. Well, I do sort of but I need to spice things up or life would get too boring.

-tan... There is not much I can do about this one. The sun has decided to take a vacation too.

-being fit... I am so tired of being tired and out of shape. So I have decided to work out at least four, maybe five if I am really motivated, times a week. I have already started this and I am doing pretty good so far.

-cleaning the house... I am going to wash walls and trim, clean closets and cabinets.

-read... I have started about 4 books and haven't finished any of them.

My list isn't too long but it's hanging over me and I just want it to be done. I will update you periodically to let you know how it's going.

Slimmin' With Simmons

Have you ever met someone and thought, wow,I have never met anyone so friendly and down to earth? Two weeks ago my class had the opportunity to travel to New York City to meet Richard Simmons. It was quite the opportunity for us and one that I will remember forever.

It all began a few months ago. My principal passed on the word that we would need to start exercising in the classroom as part of a district initiative. I will be honest, at first I thought how in the world will I ever be able to make time for exercising along with all of the curriculum demands that we have? But I decided to try it. I quickly realized that jumping jacks and "Mrs. Hickok says" were not exactly producing the results that I wanted. I really wanted the kids to be in to it. So I decided to introduce them to this guy.



My class was instantly drawn to his energy. So we started to work out to a few of his DVDs three times a week. On days that we worked out with Richard my students were more alert and ready to work. I also noticed that difference in me too. I felt like I had more energy which makes for a better environment for my students.

I decided to contact Richard. He has a website http://www.richardsimmons.com/j15/ and so I sent him a quick email sharing with him what my students do. I was shocked when he responded to my email. You know what I am talking about. How many times have you written to someone "famous" (don't lie, you know you have) in hopes to hear back from them and you receive a big fat nothing? I really wasn't expecting him to respond but when he did I was thrilled. So thrilled that I ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed, talking a mile a minute about the email I got from Richard. Poor John! He hasn't seen that much excitement since our newlywed days. Just kidding!

In the email Richard offered additional DVDs and said that he would send a signed picture of himself and he did. About a month and half ago I received another email inviting my class and myself to New York City for a PE Pep Rally. The pep rally was held on the steps of City Hall and Richard introduced the City Council Resolution 1925/2009, which called upon the 111th Congress to pass the FIT Kids Act,federal legislation that would improve the standards for physical education. You can imagine how excited we were. So after a bottle/can drive and some very generous donations given by some pretty amazing people (mom-in-law, PTA, STA, and the principal) we hopped on bus and traveled to the Big Apple.

Let me just say that when my students got their first glimpse of Richard, you would have thought Miley Cyrus showed up. Richard greeted us with hugs and spent so much time with us. He was so interested in my students and just perfect! The day was awesome and one that I am sure my students will remember forever. Richard surrounds himself with pretty amazing people as well. Anne is one of "persons" and she is so super fabulous! Everyone was so friendly and kind. I was also able to speak at the press conference. It was the perfect trip for a pretty amazing school year.

So like I said at the beginning, have you ever met someone so friendly and down to earth? I have and after spending the day with Richard, I was sad to leave and so were my students. He makes you feel like you're an old friend. And as for Miley Cyrus, sure she's cute but she doesn't compare to our Richard.

Happy Birthday!

Today we celebrated John's 35th birthday! I don't want to pick on Johnny about his age because my birthday is right around the corner which means I am catching up. We enjoyed salad, pizza and a really yummy chocolate cake (cake compliments of some great friends). I tried to build my own cake but I had to reach out for some much needed help. The company was great and Noah seemed like he really enjoyed his first party. He danced when we sang "Happy Birthday" to John and enjoyed a bite or two of the chocolate cake. We feel really blessed to be able to share our birthdays with family. Happy Birthday Johnny!

A few pictures!

It has been awhile since I have posted a slide show of pictures. Noah is a lot of fun these days. He is beginning to crawl and he has one tooth. Time flies so fast. It seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital. In a few short months we will be celebrating his first birthday. Enjoy!