New Chapter

Today, I waked out of my classroom as a teacher for the last time. It's an odd feeling. I don't think it really has hit me yet that I will not be returning to my classroom in the fall. I have walked out of my classroom for the past nine years at this time every year. It'll hit in August. In the meantime, while I wait for the truth to settle, I'll just reminisce.

2004 - 2005
Heber City - 3rd grade - Internship through BYU - Miss Gallardo
- I had a giant student who was just about as tall as I was and 5 times stronger than I was. He really liked to hide under desks, and when he was angry, he liked to throw them. He turned out to be my big teddy bear.
- I made a student cry on his birthday. I didn't mean to, he was just being a little punk. I flipped his card and he said, "Miss Gallardo, but it's my birthday." I looked him straight in the face and while shoving a yellow card into his pocket yelled, "Well, Happy Birthday R!" Not my best day.
- My class thought it was so much fun to make the moon phases out of Oreo cookies. Science was a success that day.
- I took countless naps in the nurse's room during my prep period. I don't know if my principal ever knew. Shhhh! Don't tell.

2005 - 2008
St. George - 4th grade - DDES - Miss G/Mrs. Adams

- I made SO many friends that I miss so much at my first school as a licensed teacher.
- I completed my ESL endorsement and Bilingual endorsement in just a year. Palabra.
- I took violin lessons with my students through a music grant our school received. I'm still terrible.
- I got to cha-cha with the art teacher for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The students thought we were in
  love. We were not. He was married and shorter than me.
- This is when I realized that my students have many issues outside of school and for some, education
  was not their first priority. I handled my first ugly divorce.
-  I volunteered to be in the dunk tank all 3 years for our end-of-the-year celebrations!
- Eli and I got married during this time. The students did not want to call me "Mrs. Adams." Instead,
  they compromised and called me, "Mrs. Galladams."
- Ran races against my students and kicked their butts!
- I had three students who found out where I lived and loved to bug me early Saturday mornings...
- I hope no one ever has to show up to work and find the police there with a little girl who had been
  murdered on their playground. That was a rough day.
- This was also the time I had my first meeting with parents who were not satisfied with the education
  their little girl was getting in my classroom. Bleh.
- Classic sight: 30 teachers playing broomstick hockey on roller chairs. Awesome!
- I did not get stabbed by my transfer student who stabbed  his last teacher with a pencil.
- I had to call a mother because her little girl was constantly falling asleep in class. Her solution was to
  send her child to school with coffee in a Sylvester thermos.
- I had a student make a flip book of me dancing. Hilarious!
- I had a kid promise me that he'll thank me on T.V. when he wins the World Cup. I hope he
  remembers.
- I got my first student gift from a vacation. It was a porcelain hula girl from Mandalay Bay. I love that
  she thought of me while she was gone.

2008 - 2009
Rio Rancho - preschool - Miss Mandy

- I loved being a preschool assistant! No grading. No homework. No planning.
- Hugs in preschool are the best!
- We got to make the letter "D" into a dinosaur. How cool!
- Little squeaky voices singing the days of the week is awesome.
- I was introduced to Laurie Berkner. Love her. Still listen to her with Luci and Gabi.
- Little Olivia. I believe there was a hurricane named after her somewhere. Oh my.
- TL was my little bud and I got to watch him outside of preschool. He even called me when I moved
  back to UT.

2009 - 2013
Lehi - 6th Grade - SSES - Mrs. Adams
- First time I had a room mother! Woo-hoo!
- I made a student sit by the heater because he sprayed "fart spray" in it. He threw it away after he had
  to smell it all day.
- The first time a student wrote a song about me. It was titled "Daughter of Sintin." It was a catchy tune.
- I was told after my first year at this school that I needed to take a classroom management class. I did.
  Things got much better.
- I confronted a parent (a military guy!) about being involved in his kid's life and making school a
  priority. I just found out that he's one of the best kids in middle school. I'd like to think part of that was
  me.
- Took an afternoon and made funny face pictures with my students in photobooth.

- I attended SO many plays and sports games! I have had so many active students!
- When I was pregnant with Luci, I fell asleep in the library while the librarian was reading a book to
  the students. She sent them back to class and let me sleep. I was SO happy that they went to class and
  actually worked.  
- I had two students make a video of themselves upside-down and talking with their chins. Hilarious.
- Thanks to the Jazz Read-a-Thon I got to meet CJ Miles, Gordon Hayward, and Jeremy Evans.
- And I got a pie in the face. Twice.

- As a teacher you get a lot of awkward things. Like this door decoration for Teacher Appreciation 

  Week one year.

- 4 trips to the Space Center! It's the coolest simulator ever. It's kind of like being in Star Trek.
- 4 trips to the Clark Planetarium.
- Countless hugs. I'll miss the hugs.
- Four years later, I am $5 richer. I bet a kid that by his 16th birthday he'd have a crush on a girl and at
  least kind of want to kiss one. I love when kids come back to visit!


There are so many other things that I could write about. It's amazing what happens in 9 years and when you share so much time with over 200 kids. I hope that they'll think of me every once in awhile. It'll be weird to not be in the classroom. I'm a little nervous about the future, as teaching has been my life, but I am SO ready to be home with my girls. At home is where I am supposed to be. I am looking forward to this new adventure!

Kenny and Emily

Anyone who knows me knows that my family (immediate and extended) are the most important people in my life. I have been so blessed to have so many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that I know so well and have so many wonderful memories with. My girls bring me more joy than I could ever explain. It makes me so sad when people struggle to start a family of their own (since I have personal experience with it), but it hits home when it's a member of your own family.

My cousin Kenny and his wife Emily are AMAZING people. They've been married just a little over two years. They started trying for a family right after they were married. Kenny has one son(adorable)  from his previous marriage, but has been unable to conceive a child with Emily. Kenny was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy called myotonic dystrophy in '07 that can cause fertility issues. After seeing a few doctors and specialists, the odds are against Kenny and Emily to conceive naturally. If you're curious, you can read about their story on their blog.

If you have ever looked into in-vitro fertilization, you know how expensive it is. Ridiculously. We're talking $25,000 ridiculous. That's where Pound the Pavement for Parenthood comes in. PPP is an organization that helps to organize races to raise funds for people who need help with funding to start their families, whether through in-vitro or adoption. PPP picks a few couples a year to sponsor from a load of applicants. Kenny and Emily were chosen and I couldn't be more excited for them!

PPP is sponsoring 5 couples this year. There are three race locations so far in Indiana, Northern Utah, and Southern Utah. I know not too many people read our blog, but if you feel so inclined, register for a race (Kenny and Emily's race is in Southern Utah on September 14) and help add to my family. I'll be there in September!

Gabi's Birth Day {Picture Edition}

Christmas Morning

Thankful for Eli's photography skills...

Grandma & Grandpa Adams

First Look

Best. Christmas. EVER.

My original due date was December 25th. When I went to the OB/GYN for my appointment to confirm my pregnancy, my doctor told me I was actually a month behind where I originally thought I was. Bummer. That moved my due date to January 25th, 2013.

This baby decided way back in October that she didn't want to wait until January to come. Hence the reason I was in the hospital for a week. I knew she wasn't going to wait until the end of January. I figured she'd come close to the beginning, around the fourth. Luci was 3 weeks early. I thought this one would be similar. Wrong.

At my appointment on December 20th, my ultrasound came out normal. Baby Girl was growing just fine, my amniotic fluid was a little low, but all in all, things looked great. I asked the doctor if he would check my progression, just so that I could have an idea of how far along I was. Eli and I were pretty surprised when he informed us that I was already 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. With Luci I was 2 cm and 100% and she came 5 days later. I knew this was going to be quite the waiting game. The doc said he would be gone for Christmas, but would be working the rounds at the hospital on New Year's Eve and would be happy to deliver her on that day. I prayed that she would wait that long.

Eli, Luci, and I spent Christmas Day at my mom's house after some festivities at our own house. We opened presents and ate breakfast at Mom's and then just hung out. My mom recently had shoulder surgery, so between the two of us it was a pretty chill day.

I hadn't felt Baby Girl move much that day. Because of all of the scary business beforehand, I decided to go into L & D to be monitored. I got hooked up to the monitors and was surprised to find out I was having mild contractions (not really so surprised since I hadn't been feeling them all along). The nurse checked my progress and I was still the same from the last appointment. She offered a medication stronger than the stuff I had taken before to stop labor, but I was tired of medication. My contractions stopped within the 3 hours I was there. I had an ultrasound done to make sure my amniotic fluid was up (it was) and that BG was okay. Eli and I decided that if she wasn't in any danger, I would be okay to go home. The nurse sent me home with instructions to come back in if I felt anymore contractions to come back in. She also told me that if I laid on my side or took a warm bath and my contractions went away, it was most likely false labor contractions.

We went back to my mom's around 5:30ish. We hung out a little longer, but my mom needed to sleep and Luci was getting tired. Eli and I picked up and headed home. While I was at my mom's, I started feeling some contractions, but they went away when I laid down. False, right? Wrong! As soon as I got in the car, I started having some strong contractions. It was about 7:15 and they were about 5 minutes apart. I could still breathe through them though. I decided I would lay down at home and see if they went away like before. Mind you, we're only about 15 minutes from my mom. So timing-wise, it was about 7:30.

When we got home, I (very slowly) walked upstairs and laid down in bed. Eli put Luci to bed and she fell asleep pretty quickly. I literally was in bed for about 2 minutes before I decided I needed to go back to the hospital. I was definitely in labor. We woke Luci up, put her in the car, and called the sitter on the way to the hospital. Eli was telling her that we'd drop Luci off on our way, but I cut him off and told her that she'd need to pick Luci up and the hospital. We weren't gonna have enough time.

We got to the hospital (7:45) and I walked (again, very slowly) inside, hopped on the elevator, and made it to L & D. I didn't have time to change into a gown, so they just hooked me up to a monitor over my clothes and threw a dressing gown over me while they prepped a room. Another nurse came in to check my progress - 6 cm and my water broke in the middle of the check. Wonderful. The sitter came and picked up Luci and took her home for the night. It was slightly embarrassing as I was bellowing like a beached whale. In fact, I was so loud that a nurse came in to joke around about actually having the baby in the observation room. Little did she know that she wasn't too far off.

By the time Luci was gone it was about 8:11ish. The room was prepped, the doctor had been called at home (it was Christmas after all),  and the nurse brought in a wheelchair to transfer me. I got up (slowly) from the bed and told the nurse and Eli (not very nicely) that I was pretty sure the baby was hanging out. Eli said it wasn't possible because I was only at a 6 10 minutes before. The nurse looked at him and informed him that it was possible. TMI: I made Eli peek while I was in the wheelchair. It was very possible after that.

I got on a bed, nearly fully clothed. The nurse told me the doctor wasn't here yet, but there was a midwife who had just delivered another baby. I told her to send her in because I was going to start pushing. The midwife walked in, straight into a scrub jacket, and told me to push. In between my two quick pushes, I was crying and asking the midwife if there was time for an epidural. She laughed sweetly and told me I was doing great and the baby was already mostly here. She told me to stop pushing as the baby had her hand against her chin, which I guess makes it a little more difficult to deliver. That didn't matter. The baby pushed her own way out at 8:20. I'll spare you the rest of the details. Just pray that if you ever have a baby with her hand by her chin that you have an epidural.

We got our best Christmas present that day. Our little Tonia Gabriella was born at 5 lbs. 9 oz and 18.5 inches. Surprisingly, she was an ounce heavier than Luci and a whole inch and a half longer. She is a healthy, chubby cheeked, little one. We only had to stay in the hospital for two days to make sure she was good. We couldn't be happier!

I Give You the Adams Family Christmas Tree!

Our first REAL Christmas tree! We've had an artificial tree the last 4 years. We thought we'd upgrade two years ago. Our tree turned out to be a Charlie Brown tree. Last year, we were at my mom's house. This year we have a REAL tree!

We're learning a lot about having a toddler running around the house. We've learned that you can't decorate the bottom of the tree with anything breakable or special. We've put a couple of foam and fabric ornaments down there. Also, be careful how you teach your toddler about things that are hot. We told Luci that she couldn't touch the Christmas lights on the tree because they're hot. She now likes to blow on them. She also really likes decorating the tree. We found the remote we couldn't find for two days hidden in the branches!

I love having a real tree. I love the smell, the wonky top, and it is so much fuller than our other two trees were. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree 2010

Christmas Tree 2012

Luci LOVES decorating

She REALLY wanted the pink ornament.

Here she is throwing a tantrum because she couldn't have the pink ornament.

Thanksgiving at Home

Our Thanksgiving this year was more than a little different this year. We usually go up to Logan to my grandma's house or down to Scipio to Eli's parents' house. We did neither this year. Being on bed rest has limited the traveling distances. We probably could have made it to Logan, but Provo has the best premature baby resources available. SO, we stayed home!

Due to the bed rest, Eli did all of the cooking and cleaning. Amazing husband! To add to it all, my gestational diabetes put the kibosh on most of our traditional Thanksgiving fare. I went through the diabetic thing with Luci in the last pregnancy, so it's nothing new. Most people think diabetes deals with how many sweets you consume. Gestational diabetes has to do with carbohydrates and sugars and how your body breaks them down. Needless to say, there are a ton of carb-loaded foods at Thanksgiving.

Dinner was delicious. We had crock pot cornish game hens, garlic green beans, maple-roasted sweet potatoes, and some crescent rolls. It was nice to be able to spend some quiet time with my little family at home. We watched the parade with Luci (she loves balloons) and "Christmas Vacation," which Eli was totally pumped about. I have a pretty strict no-Christmas policy before Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year to really be thankful and be grateful for the blessings we have.

I'm grateful for my family and the love and support they give me every day. We have truly been SO blessed over the past few years. Even with the difficult things we've dealt with, we've learned so much and have grown together.

Dating Divas Giveaway

I do have actual blogging to catch up on, but if there is something free to win...let's just say I have a lot of time on my hands lately.

I LOVE this website, The Dating Divas. It has a ton of ideas on how to strengthen your marriage, ideas for dates (some on the cheap), and fun printables and gift ideas. It's great because I truly believe that after people get married (or date for a long time) and have kids, they stop making time for their partner-in-crime. A relationship takes work and effort to become stronger. It's all about compromise, working together, and serving one another.

A benefit to checking out the site right now, they're hosting a giveaway! I'm not gonna lie, I like free. They're running a contest to pick your own prize and they're choosing five winners. They have something for everyone. You should definitely enter their contest here!