the pre-baby life.

well.

pre-baby life has been interesting (that's a relative term)...

trying to live up (again, relative term.) every moment while still preparing to be parents.

weird balance.

here are some things we've done lately...

 first sam's club stock up.

so much toilet paper, detergent, and lunch foods. so much cheaper in the long run.

 tigers game.

 duh. super rope.

 duh again. hot dog.

 with my parents. but most of the time, they had their eyes open...

 labor class at the hospital.

 walks to the lake... gorgeous, right?

 baby shower with youth group girls!

and mother in law, the great hostess :)

crazy lifestyle, right?

we've also had a lot of fun dating and with friends... while we are still not tied down. but people make me not take lots of pictures. because then i'd look creepy. these people are matt.

there is more. i've been crafting. but since the baby's name is a secret, i can't show it off quite yet...

just you wait.

for the love of food.

check it out.

i told you i'd make a few new meals.

it took a while, but it happened.

 fish tacos.

find the recipe here.

these were my alterations: 

-i used frozen tilapia and thawed it first.

-i used regular romaine that i cut thinly.

-i used waaaay less mayo and a lot more cilantro, plus a little taco seasoning.

 french toast. everyone makes it and eats it. nothing special. but yum.

 best pancakes EVER. 

cinnamon chips + banana. seriously. incredible.

 and shrimp pasta. find the recipe here...

my alterations:

-no tomato (we're not fans.)

-less spinach.

-frozen shrimp (just thaw before)

-dried herbs, rather than fresh--just be careful how much you use :)

-no lemon zest (i forgot to buy an actual lemon), so just a squirt of lemon juice instead for the shrimp.

crazy good.

enjoy!

the very hungry first graders. and more.

okay.

here's what we've been up to in first grade.

really adorable first real writing prompt that i have to share...

taken from, obviously, the very hungry caterpillar.  

teaching the students about beginning, middle, and end... while trying to teach them to love writing at the same time (thus allowing it to be silly!)

and also in first grade, some examples of the BASE centers...

Buddy Games... 

letting them roll dice with a partner and make matching number sentences.

All About Numbers... 

writing numbers in rainbow (this student reused a paper from a Daily Five center :))

 Solving Mysteries...

drawing all the squares they see in the classroom.

Exploring Manipulatives...

pattern blocks and counting pennies.

Also...

 Mystery Reader on Fridays.

 and... field trip to Great Harvest Bread Company to learn all about bread (since we're learning the food pyramid right now!)

good stuff.