Why Summer Break Can't Come Fast Enough...

...my first gray hair!  Oh no!

Only two and a half weeks left!

Good Distractions

Friday was a sad day for me because I had to say good-bye to Teresa as my para in Kindergarten.  Although she's not flying out for a couple of weeks, she won't be working in the classroom anymore and I know that I'll have to say a real good-bye soon.

However, of all the times for this to happen, it was a weekend full of lots of good distractions.  First, we attended the hospital ball on Friday night.  It was my first military ball and although it kind of reminded me of prom, it was actually pretty fun!  

 

The dashing couple:

Me and Meg posing pretty:

And posing silly:

A little blurry, but a fun one of the Hammers and Capps:

The following night we went to Paddy Macs out in town to celebrate our friend Jonas' birthday.  Paddy Macs is an Irish pub out in town that was also celebrating St. Patrick's Day in May because we were under restriction during the real St. Patrick's Day.

Noa and I get into the St. Patty's Day spirit:

The guys: Jonas (the birthday boy), Noa, and Joe...

...and the girls!

Finally, my other distraction was at home...the puppers!  I caught them being cute.

Farm Day!

Today was this year's Farm Day in Kindergarten.  Farm Day is basically a culminating activity that incorporates our unit of "Down on the Farm" and fun activities.  The students (& teachers as you can see from the photo of both Teresa and myself above) dress as farmers and participate in different stations outside.  For example, at one station the students get to "milk" a cow (okay, so it's a fake cow, but it's still cute).  In another station, the students wash clothes using washboards.  

One station had the Piggy Pie Eating Contest.  At that station, 2 students had to eat some whipped cream off a plate without using utensils or their hands.  Teresa and I decided to battle it out ourselves after seeing the students have a blast.

The winner!  Teresa was too dainty.  I was the non-graceful one and dove right in.

One of my students gives me a congratulatory hug afterwards.

On a totally separate note, you may have noticed the lovely buildings in the background.  These are the apartment towers on you'll find on all the Marine Corps bases over here.  Lovely, aren't they?  These are where many of my students live and Noa and I would most likely live if we had chosen to live on base.  But, that was a big NO because you aren't allowed to have dogs in the towers.

Had To

Today I took Teresa out for a belated birthday treat: getting a pedicure at Cocok's!  Of course, I had to get mine done as well.  As usual, it was a splendid visit.

Weekend Roundup

Guess who celebrated her 5th birthday this weekend?  Sadie!  Since she's our treat girl (Gunnar will take treats, but prefers to de-stuff toys) I gave her all kinds of goodies, including peanut butter filled Kongs, raw chicken*, and soft Buddy Biscuits (the favorite).  

And here's my beautiful birthday girl!  She's looking good, even if she has grayed so early.  Many people assume she's an older dog due to all the gray on her muzzle.  I think she just wants to look distinguished.  

In other news, I found out that a couple of my pictures this school year were published in the Pacifica, a publication that features pictures from DoDDS schools in the Pacific region.  I thought it was exciting because not only do I get credit for the photo, but the blurb by the picture states, "In Mrs. Hammer's class...."  

I bought a small piece of furniture this weekend.  Now, I finally have a table next to my big chair in the living room.  So far, I've only put our remotes in here and put some magazines on top, but I'm looking forward to working the piece into the room.  Look at all that storage!

Finally, this weekend is also Mother's Day and my grandfather's 80th birthday.  So, I just wanted to publicly thank both my mom and Noa's mom for being exemplary moms in so many ways.  They are both women of strong character and are both so giving. We love you!

Me & My Mom

Noa's Mom & Dad

And to my grandfather: Happy Birthday, Papa!  Wishing you many more years of health and happiness! Love you!

*If you're wondering why I feed my dog raw chicken, read this: Top 50 Most Asked BARF Questions

Shoes

I forgot to blog about the cool shoes I got in Hong Kong.  They are perfect for a Kindergarten teacher and make me feel like I'm a walking children's book.  I love 'em!

Birthday Bash

This weekend Meghan celebrated her 29th birthday in style!  She hosted a great party.  Here she is with her cookie cake labeled with the party's theme: The Not 30 Yet Party!

The set-up was so fun (and thankfully, the weather was GORGEOUS)!  Meg and Joe rented a cabin (that overlooked the ocean and beach) and a bounce house (which was not limited to just the kids).  There was a ton of food, cute decorations, games, music, and people.  It doesn't get much better than that!  

A close up of the bounce house, which was entirely too much fun.  I laughed like a little kid again and I think I got a cardio workout at the same time.

Actually, 3 people were celebrating birthdays this weekend.  Here are the birthday folks (left to right) Jonas, Meghan, and Rebecca.

As an additional gift for Meghan, Joe grew a mohawk for the occasion.  It was awesome.  If only the military would allow him to keep it.  

Happy birthday, Megs.  Thanks for letting us share the occasion with you!