Angry Birds dominate the year

2012 was an Angry Birds year.  Every app.  Every Shirt and PJs.  Birthday theme plus special cupcakes.  And yes, Halloween, too. 

Best Pizza EVER

So when we first moved here I was sad to see that the taquerias that were on every corner in New Mexico were replaced by Pizzerias.  We tried several places but I thought most were "meh".  Well, we finally found THE place.  Maurizios has the best pizza.  They have everything from plain slices to tortellini pizza.  Here is a slice on a full sized (dinner sized) paper plate.  Not only is it gigantic, but it is AMAZING! 

Christopher Columbus was here!

The schmoo seriously brings joy to my heart!  When dh and I got up on Columbus day, we found the two things in the pictures above.  Schmoo was yelling "Christopher Columbus came!  Christopher Columbus came!" And he showed us what the explorer left for us, just like Santa or the Easter Bunny.  It was seriously the cutest thing ever, and he kept giggling ALL DAY LONG as he was just so pleased with himself with fooling us.  (Cute kid + chocolate + sleeping in = happy heart!)

Student of the Month!

My schmoo made student of the month!  (again!)  Here's a pick of him waving his certificates: 

(You know me, I didn't want the pic for the blog to actually show his name...)

He has been doing really well at school.  He loves his teachers and his behavior has been great.  He's never been really, truly naughty at school, despite the fact that he thinks it's social hour since no other kids live at our house.  My very favorite misdeed of his happened when he was 4 years old in pre-k.  At circle time, his teacher asked him to stop talking as it was "her turn to talk."  He looked at her and said, "Just let me finish what I'm telling Carter, and then it can be your turn."  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  The teacher didn't think it was that funny, but I thought it was HILARIOUS! He lives with adults, and that's what he heard us say all the time "Wait til I'm done, and then it can be your turn." 

My second favorite was at the end of last school year when he got off the bus and said, "Mommy, don't worry about reading any email that you may or may not be getting from my teacher."  :)

middle school

Teaching middle school is oh so funny!  I chaperoned a dance a couple of weeks ago and it the feelings of joy, awkwardness, energy, angst, excitement and drama were thick in the air.  I just had a smile on my face the whole time.  The thing that really, really shocked me is that the kids actually DANCED.  We're talking 2 hours of jumping around and 'line dances'.  They didn't play one single slow song and those kids seriously danced the whole time.  It was amazing and fun.

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My students recently had the assignment to write about something tough that happened in their life that changed them for the better or helped them to learn a life lesson that they were grateful for after it was all over.  Many of my kids wrote about their parents' divorce or the illness of a loved one.  And then I got an essay from a student whose trial was when s/he got lost (with a group of friends) while doing a scavenger hunt on a cruise ship.  The student was "totally bummed out" that they didn't win.  Oh, poor, poor student!  :)

and he says...

While checking schmoo's homework sentences the other morning before school, I saw that he wrote, "My mom is a weirdo."  Thanks, kid. 

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And the schmoo's most recent bedtime prayers include the following..."Please bless mommy and daddy that they will continue to be the good parents they are and that I will continue being the really good kid that I am..."   He is so full of himself :) 

First day of school, 2012

So it was the first day of school for Schmoo AND me today.  He liked his, the jury is still out for me.  We are both tired!  I think we will both be fine once we get everything in sync :)