15 months.

Its amazing what a 15 month old can do!  Gage was 15 months on June 20th.  He is a BUSY little boy.  He is into everything, saying "No", shaking his head, repeating EVERYTHING you say, singing, counting, saying his ABC's (he likes the letter Q for some reason), and falling A.LOT.  I do have to say, he is one tough little thing, he hardly ever cries after falling down.  Right now his molars are coming in and he is wearing 18 months clothes (some 12 month) and size 4.5 shoes!  He is growing so fast and so is his hair :)  He has had one haircut and is definitely due for another.  Erik and I both LOVE this age...he is so fun!  He loves to be outside and read books too.

Here are a few pictures of our busy little fella:

Happy Memorial Day!    5.27.13

5.31.13

He loves his Daisy!  6.9.13

"Keep it Cool"....enjoying summer and being out of work with this sweet thang!

6.14.13

  This is Gage "wrestling" with his cousin Chase.  It's hilarious!

6.21.13

15 Months

Height:  32.5 inches

Weight:  24 lb, 2 oz

Father's Day.

I'm a day late, oops.  I have a few shout outs..... to my dad and my husband who are both AMAZING fathers.

I'll start with my dad.  If you don't already know, I am a daddy's girl.  Everyone always says I look and act like my dad.  My dad is very outgoing and is always the life of the party :)  He is not afraid to talk to ANYONE and will give you the shirt off his back.  He has been there for me since day one.  Growing up, he provided me with everything (and more) that I needed, always supported what I did, and raised me in a home that I hope to raise my children in.

When I was little he use to pay me for foot and back massages.  I use to walk on his back and rub his feet with lotion, haha.  I would also sit with him and he would rub my ears, one of his favorite things to do.  He taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels, throw a ball, swing a bat, be tough, and love my family as he loved us.  He taught me to always say yes mam and no sir and to never give up.  He taught me what it meant to love your children.  Although I hated it, I always had an earlier curfew than everyone else.  He would say, "nothing good happens after midnight".  Now, I know he was right.    Lastly (but certainly not least), he taught me how to enjoy life.  To always have fun and to live life to the fullest.

Some other memories were the countless softball games he sacrificed his time and crazy work schedule (especially when I was in college) to come see me play.  Let me tell you, when my dad wasn't in the stands he REALLY couldn't be there and for me, it was not the same.  I always felt like I was playing for my dad and I wanted to make him proud.  He was hard on me and expected me to do well and HE is the reason why I got a scholarship to play in college and had a successful career.  He spent countless hours working with me and teaching me all about the game.

Ok, I'll stop after this one.  One of my favorites from my adulthood happened about a week before Erik and I were to marry.  I was just kinda joking and told dad that we should break out into a dance :)  He was ALL for it!  So I made it up, we practiced for about 3 or 4 days, and we made it happen!  The practices were hilarious.  My mom helped and I'm pretty sure she laughed the entire time.  Now, whose Dad would embarrass themselves by dancing in front of hundreds of people?!  Mine.

As you can see, I adore my dad.  I am ever so thankful for all that he has done for me.  Happy Father's Day Dad, I love you!

Now to my husband whom Gage adores and lights up EVERY.TIME he sees him.  I love when Erik gets home from work.  Gage runs to the door and says DAD-E.  I knew when I met Erik that he would be an amazing father.  He is such a loving, kind, patient man who is just so laid back about life.  He works very hard and goes above and beyond to provide for our family.  No matter the long hours that he works, he always has time for Gage.  Him and Gage have their own little routines and "activities" they like to do and I melt every time I see them interacting.  Gage loves for his daddy to read to him.  Almost nightly, Gage gets a book out of the toy chest, sits down in Erik's lap, and points to the book.  They have this little game they play where Erik holds Gage out in front of him (like Gage is sitting on a seat) and runs around the house doing George Jetson sounds.  Gage has a little red car and Erik pulls him around the house at 100 mph and Gage just cackles.  Anytime Erik and Gage leave a room, Erik has him turn off the light.  Now, he won't leave a room without turning off the light (yea...I know, its the little things).  Anyways, Erik is a one.of.a.kind daddy.  Him and Gage will definitely be Best Buds and I can't wait to witness it :)  Erik, thank you for loving Gage with such enthusiasm.  Thank you for always making time for him.  Thank you for putting your heart and soul into making sure Gage is raised in a loving home.  Happy Father's Day, we love you!

Ms. Cindy.

If you are a parent, you know how stressful it can be to find a babysitter/nanny/daycare that you truly trust and feel comfortable leaving your child/children with.  Well, Erik and I couldn't have been luckier in the "childcare" department.  I work with a friends Kari and her husband Dan, whose mom moved from Michigan to take care of their little girl Addi, who is now 2 and now sweet little Gracyn who is a little over 2 months.  Kari mentioned when I was pregnant that her mom has always watched babies.  So, Erik and I were off to meet her!  Well....we knew right when we met her that we could not only trust her but we knew that Gage would be VERY well taken care of with Cindy.

I am writing this post about Cindy because we truly feel beyond blessed to have her watch our Gage.  She is one of the most selfless, caring, giving, and trusthworthy woman we know.  Gage loves her to pieces.  Her granddaughter calls her Ya-Ya so now thats all Gage says!  Erik usually takes Gage in the mornings but sometimes when he had to be at work early I would take him.  As soon as we walk in the door, he reaches for Cindy.  You can tell the way he looks at her and laughs with her that he trusts her and LOVES being with her.  I cannot tell you what a relief it is to see him interact with Cindy.  I promise, I do not worry AT ALL when I am at work.  She has taught Gage SO much.  Like the Itsy Bitsy Spider, animal sounds, writing his name (not quite independent yet, haha), "thank you", etc.  You can tell she truly spends time with him.

Just a few examples to tell you how awesome she is :)  Gage had a fever one Monday morning and I did not want him to get Addi or Gracyn (who was a newborn at the time) sick.  I called Cindy that morning to tell her I was going to stay home with him because of the fever.  She insisted that I not stay home, that she come to our house to watch Gage.  She did that for a WHOLE week.

On Gage's first birthday, she decorated their home with balloons and little streamers!   She NEVER forgets a holiday either.  For Christmas her and Gage made Erik and I the sweetest little snowman ornament with his finger prints and another ornament that was a mold of his feet!  On Mother's Day she made me a heart shaped necklace that had an imprint of Gage's fingerprint on it.   She definitely is ONE.OF.A.KIND.

Gage is going to miss her this summer but he will anticipating when they reunite again in August!  Cindy, you mean so much to us and we THANK YOU for taking such great care of Gage.

We love you!

Gage and Cindy!

Gage loves his Addi.  Hugs!

Gage, Cindy, and Addi :)

Change is difficult.

Ah man, its been a week.....a bittersweet week for sure.  Over the past few months I have had to contemplate, deliberate with my husband, and pray about one of the biggest 'BIG GIRL' decisions I feel like I have had to make in a long time, a new J.O.B.

Taking it back to graduating from ASU in December 2009, I landed my first job at Lincoln Heights Elementary in January.  I was the last hired so that basically meant DUH, I would be getting a "pink slip" at the end of the year....and I did.  So I learned about River Oaks Academy opening up on Mt. Holly Huntersville Rd.  Ah, how awesome would that be?!  At the time I had moved back in with my parents so it was no more than a 10 minute drive.  Then, when Erik and I got married, I was even closer.  Awesome!  I taught kindergarten my first year at ROA (2009-2010) and loved what I did.  I was then asked to help implement a Multi-Age program (grades K-2) with 2 AWESOME teachers who I consider great friends.  I have taught Multi-Age ever since.  Let me just say, it's A LOT of work but its rewarding too.  No teaching job is easy, despite what some may say or think.  If you are one of those people, I encourage you to visit a classroom just for one day :)

Anyways....as many of you hear on the news and in the paper....CMS can be a difficult place to work.  Its definitely not an impossible place to work, but its challenging and exhausting!  This year I had an opportunity to apply for a job that I felt would be a "breath of fresh air".  After several interviews and a dream job offer, I still had trouble making a decision....this has gone on for months.

I can't imagine leaving ROA.  This is my teaching family, students I had and seen for up to 4 years, tons of friends (not just colleagues) and an administration that has supported me through adjusting to the mutli-age program, my pregnancy with Gage, etc.  How could I leave what is comfortable, where I have made so many friends, where I have spent most of my career?  Well some of you might think I'm crazy for not hopin' on the first train outta CMS, but friends, it has not been peaches and cream.  I have had sleepless nights and tearful eyes over what God really wants me to do and what the "right" decision would be.

After several months of going back and forth, Erik supported my decision to take the offer.  Even after accepting the offer, I STILL contemplated my decision.  Well, UNTIL my new school had a weekend retreat recently.  At this point I had made a more definite decision but again, still had a "pit in my stomach" about leaving ROA.  Let me tell you, after this retreat, I knew why God opened this door.  I will be working with some AMAZING, genuine, warm-hearted teachers who want to make a difference.  I left the retreat on Saturday feeling excited about this new opportunity and encouraged that I will be working for a school that doesn't value test scores, but values who the kids will become when they walk through the doors.

Although I am beyond excited about what lies ahead, I have had a really hard time knowing that I will be leaving ROA.  I did have an opportunity to sit down with the administration at ROA and they were NOTHING but supportive.  I have also told many staff members/friends and they have equally been supportive.  We had an awards ceremony yesterday and I told a few parents.  They were all very understanding and so sweet about my decision too.

The hardest part lied ahead.....telling me kids.  As of this morning, I hadn't decided when I would tell them because I knew it would be VERY difficult (being that I have had some of them for 3 years).  Well....I had a former parent come in this morning and as soon as she saw me, she started crying.  And you know what happened next.  I was a wreck.  Then my kids were asking me what was wrong.  One of my sweet little girls said, "Mrs. Nordmark, you look tired.  Did Gage keep you up all night?" Haha.  So after that parent left, I decided that it was time to tell the kids.  I sat them all down and as soon as I started talking, I started crying.  After I explained I wasn't going to be back, the kids (mostly girls) were crying with me.  It was a sweet moment but heartbreaking at the same time.  I hate feeling like I am disappointing anyone...especially my kids.  I was O.K. (not great) the rest of the day until reading parents emails.  After dismissal I had a former colleague, whom I respect very much, come say some of the nicest things I have ever heard anyone say about me.  She made me feel like I was making the right decision and since I was crying, she said she knew I had made a difference at ROA.  I will never forget the things she said to me today.

I am going to miss my kids.  I am going to miss walking to my classroom that I have been in for 3 years.  I am going to miss walking through those blue door every morning.  I am going to miss my teacher friends whom I see 5 days a week from August-June.  I am going to miss what I've known to become a family.  Whew...this is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do but I know EVERYTHING.happens.for.a.reason (as cliche as it sounds).

So to my ROA family, you will truly be missed, and I mean that.  Thank you for making the first 4 years of my teaching career a memorable and unforgettable four years.

Love,

Ms. Looper/Mrs. Nordmark :)

Here are a few pictures.  I have some really cute notes that my kids wrote me today but I will post those tomorrow!