Fun in First Grade

Well it is crazy to believe that we are almost done with the first quarter of school here in Honduras.  I have loved my class this year and feel that I have grown so much as a teacher.  My goal this year, was to make sure I spend more time on projects and making sure that I FINISH them!  All of you teachers know that when you start a project at school - it is crazy hard to finish it or to make sure you actually spend the time that should be spent on something.  Sadly, we are pushed to stretch our students and I have made it a point this year to make sure that they really understand the material instead of being able to squeak by.

 1st graders making a habitat for our 3rd grade buddies tadpoles!

Another thing that I have been adding to our routine is author studies.  Each month we are reading books from one author and creating different projects to mimic them.  Last month we looked at Baby Owen's favorite books by Richard Hargreaves aka the Mr. and Mrs. Books.  This kids loved these and really enjoyed making their own Mr. Men.  We have moved to Eric Carle and so far have made a 'mixed-up chameleon'.  The kids had a great time making these and also loved reading the story.

We also celebrated PEACE Day here at Mazapan and the new third grade teacher (Mr. Segall) and I decided to work together to make a bomb dot com photo collage of the song Imagine.  It was really great and the kids had a great time working with their 3rd grade buddies.

We also celebrated my 28th birthday.  It is still hard to believe that I am 28 but so far I am loving my life.  Sadly, the day after my birthday, Luke traveled with some kids to Nicaragua for a leadership conference for 5 days leaving me by my lonesome with baby O for 5 days.  When he came back he surprised me with Flor de Cana rum pajamas and a bar mat.  We promptly put the mat and pajamas to use and I couldn't be happier. 

We have a 4 month old!

Happy 4 months little O!  I know I say this all the time, but how do we have a 4 month old!  Owen continues to grow and become more OSMM (awesome) everyday we know him.  At four months he is getting better at standing and following movements with his eyes.  I think he is starting to hear better as well and can follow sounds more.  He has started to kick which is fun but hurts!  He kicks when he is excited, he kicks when he is sad, he kicks when he is hungry and well - you get point.

We took him to the doctor for his 4 month shots and his monthly check up.  He weighs 15 pounds and 2 ounces.  He is 27 inches long and has a head circumference of 42 cm.  He is pretty low in weight, and surprisingly, his head is also on the small side - but the kid is long!  Tall and skinny is what I say.

We are also enjoying the start of football and Owen has been loving watching the games.  Even Luke has finally started watching them with me and it is fun to make them a family affair.

Happy Honduran Independence Day!

Another year has come and September is upon us.  September is the month of Honduran independence and the school always throws a huge celebration with different kinds of foods and performances from different grades.  Kiddos get to dress up and show off their Honduran culture.  I love it because my kids are stinking cute - and even more in their outfits.  Baby Owen also got to make his first appearance at school and all of the kids were super excited.

Along with the holiday comes our first four day weekend.  Luke and I were not sure if we were going to go anywhere but decided that we would regret it if we didn't.  So, we packed our bags (and Owen's) and headed to Lake Yajoa which is about three hours away.  The drive itself wasn't bad but because it was the holiday our three hour drive turned into more of a 4.5 hour adventure with different traffic stops along the way.  We did well and had a good sense of humor about it.  It also helped that Owen was a rock star and slept most of the way.

We ended up staying at the Hidden River Hotel which was nice but just had a weird vibe to it.  We were next to the brewery which was fun to go and try different kinds of beer.  After a couple samples, we went back to our signature rum and cokes and found that beer is still just not for us.  Our hotel had a nice pool and a great patio with some hammocks to hang out on and chill with baby O.

The lake was beautiful.  It was so nice to be around fresh water rather than just the Caribbean.  I know, I sound like a snob but sometimes a girl just needs a little fresh water!  We ended up taking a day trip to the famous falls in Honduras which is called Pulhapanzak Falls.  We had a great time and loved hiking around.  Luke actually took a separate trip and was able to hike behind the waterfall and had a great time.  Owen and I hung out at the top while different people continued to come and admire him.  He is getting a pretty big head (literally and figuratively).

We ended up cutting our trip short because Owen was not feeling well.  We were able to make it back at a decent hour and spent the next two days relaxing at home with the dogs.  You can't ask for anything better than that.

Overall, we had a fantastic holiday weekend and look forward to visiting the lake again.