Camping, zumba, and a little bump update

     We had a really fun weekend this past weekend.  Clint and I have both been blessed to have lots of great friends that we made in high school.  This past weekend, we went with several of Clint's high school friends and their wives to camp on the Tombigbee River in Pickensville, AL.  I know what yall are thinking...Why would a pregnant girl go camping?   Well lets just say we camped in style.  The West family RV and camper.  Basically, we stayed in the Ritz Carlton of camping situations.   Here is a picture of our setup.

On Friday night, we at dinner at a little restaurant close to the camp site and then got our "campsite" all set up.   We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out.  On a side note, I need to mention that one of the wives was a true trooper during the weekend.  Becky had her wisdom teeth taken out on Friday morning and then she and Jimmy drove from Atlanta to join us.  True dedication!   On Saturday, we had a yummy camp breakfast, spent the day on the boat, grilled hamburgers, made homemade ice cream, and cooked smore's.    Sunday, Stacie and Rob were kind enough to make Beignets for breakfast.   We hung out some more and then headed back to Columbus.  It sounds like all we did was eat, but I promise we really did get a lot of quality hangout time!  Thanks so much to Stacie and Rob for providing us with such a wonderful camping experience!
      Another activity that Dunkin and I have been enjoying is Zumba.   I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a fun workout.  I think that it is offered at most Y's.   It is a latin dance cardio workout.  I had started going right before I got pregnant, and the doctor says I can still go, so I do!    I just do it a little slower pace.  Anyways, if you ask me everyone should give it a try.  It is so fun!
     Finally, a little bump update.  The Butterbean is growing and growing.  Today, we got him some headphones so that he could listen to a little music.   He seems to enjoy his musical entertainment!  Tomorrow, we head back to the doctor.  We are going to have another ultrasound to make sure that Dunkin is growing just like he is supposed to for a little 25 week baby.  We like to think of it is a little perk of having a "high risk" pregnancy.  For your viewing pleasure, I have put a picture we took tonight of my belly.  I know there are some of you who have been wanting to see this picture!  We will update tomorrow with a new picture of Dunkin!

The Little Things

    I love my job!  I teach Kindergarten and 1st grade students with special needs.  Each day, I get to work with kids that each have unique, individual outlooks on life.   There are definitely days that are more difficult than others.   There are times that my job can be frustrating.  Sometimes, my kids and I go a really long time without seeing any progress.   We work and work with very little to show for our efforts.   There are times that a child's inability to control their behavior or difficult home situation breaks your heart.   Then there are days like today, days when God reminds me exactly why he has called me to my job.   Today was Awards Day at school.    During Awards days, our school recognizes students for their outstanding academic progress.    One of the jobs assigned to a student is saying the Pledge of Allegiance.    A couple weeks ago a teacher approached me about having one of my students say the pledge.  I immediately said "yes, lets give it a try!"   I am all for providing my students with opportunities to shine!  The student we picked for the job is a little boy who will warm your heart.   When he first came to our school, he had a difficult time behaving and participating in school activities.   He has come so far this year!  Just the fact that he was able to stand in front of the audience and say the Pledge was a huge accomplishment for this child, but not only did he do a great job saying the pledge, he walked up when they called his name and then returned to his seat when he finished.  Plus, he did all this with a smile on his face and an obvious sense of pride in what he had done!  In addition to my friend saying the pledge, I got to watch all my other friends receive well deserved awards!   The smiles on their faces warmed my heart.  Each and every one of them was so proud of themselves, and I could not be prouder of the work they have done this year!   I am so grateful to my kids for providing me with the little things that make me smile!   I will miss them this summer, but I know they will enjoy their break. 

And we have a name...

   For any of you that know me you know that I HATE to make decisions!    So, it made it a little difficult for us to pick a name for the Butterbean.   I mean your baby's name is stuck for life!   Well after much thought and consideration, we decided that the Butterbean will be named Dunkin Edward Townsend.  We are going to call him Dunkin.   Dunkin is my dad's mom's maiden name, and Edward is Clint's middle name, his dad's middle name, and his grandfather's name.   We are really excited about the Butterbean's name, and we hope that he loves it as much as we do!
   In other news, this is the last week of school!!!  Our school is on an extended school year, so we have been in school an extra four weeks this year.  I know that it has been helpful for our students, but I am sure glad to join the rest of my teacher friends for a little summer break!   I will miss my kids, but I know they are ready for a break too.  Hopefully, next week will start Butterbean room prep!    We have started getting together things for his room, but we have yet to start getting the actual room together.  I will make sure to post pictures once we have started to get it ready.

On a side note...we have baby birds that just hatched outside our back door.   I have really enjoyed watching them the past couple of days, so I thought I would share a picture of one of them.  Unfortunately, it is pretty blurry and my camera battery died before I could take another one.   I figured I would just share it anyway!  

Happy Birthday Clintster!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, loving husband!   We have spent the day looking at baby furniture, buying a electric fence, getting a Chick-Fil-A milkshake(quite the treat since we don't have Chick-Fil-A), visiting Best Buy, eating Italian and yummy strawberry cake, and listening/watching both Braves and Alabama baseball.   Tomorrow, I think we will just relax!    For Clint's birthday, he asked for a video camera.   We are looking forward to many fun days of videoing in the future.  

 Happy Birthday Clint! I hope that this next year is your best year ever!  I love you!