Happy Birthday, Mom!

I was reading a book (Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult) last night and I read these lines:

" I wonder if there's a difference between being a dutiful mother and being a good mother."

"There is.  A dutiful mother is someone who follows every step her child makes. 

And a good mother is someone whose child wants to follow her."

I immediately thought of my own good mother and realized how true this statement is.  I have been so blessed to have a wonderful mom.  I see her goodness more and more everyday and I want to be like her. 

Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love you more than you will ever know. 

We are so excited to be going to Bakersfield for the summer!  We leave Monday morning and we are driving with 2 of our favorite people--Grandma and Grandpa Favero.  We were at Grandpa's birthday party on Saturday and it was so fun to be with them.  It just reaffirmed the feeling that we needed to be with them.  I know it will be crazy...the one weekend we stayed with them and took care of them was overwhelming...but I'm so blessed to have a husband who understands the importance of family and is so willing to go full force in this adventure.  At the party as Grandma reintroduced us to many of Grandpa's siblings she made sure to mention that we did much of our "courting" at their house.  This is true because Zach lived close to them and we often went to their house for ice cream and chats.  We would go on dates to Wendy's or to see a movie.  They were the best double dates we've ever been on.  Hopefully we will get to take them out on a few while we are there.  We will also enjoy Grandma's jokes and Grandpa laughing at them. 

Other summer plans include hanging out with our families, visiting friends, going to a couple weddings!, celebrating our 1st anniversary, and getting tan...I thought I was doing well until I saw this picture. 

Last thing!  I finished my first year of teaching!  I know that I couldn't have done it alone.  I had Zach's support every day and I had the help of Heavenly Father keeping me together and helping know how to teach my students.  I love those kids so much and I am sad that many are moving on to different schools.  I won't see them again so I definitely hugged those ones extra tight on the last day.  Special ed has pros and cons....pros: I have many of the same kids next year...cons: I have many of the same kids next year.  Really though, I am excited to have some of them back because we were making such great progress and I want to see them mature and I want to be there when things just "click".  Some of the really funny ones are moving on so hopefully some other kids will step up to keep me laughing.  3 of my students are going to regular ed and I am so excited for them.  One of them drove me crazy, but I love him so much!  Zach says he had me wrapped around his finger.  He just made me laugh every day.  He is the student who would constantly talk, burp, fart, or just make those noises.  He loved talking about giving wedgies and one day he was really on one.  He went to the bathroom in our room and he was taking forever so I went to check on him and then I noticed clothes all over the floor.  I looked up and there he was completely naked and hopping on the toilet like a frog.  I couldn't stop laughing.  We went to his baptism a few weeks ago and it was amazing to see the difference in his behavior as he waited to be baptized.  He was so reverent and I could see that he truly understood the choice he was making.  Zach was asked to help confirm him which was awesome.  I am so glad for summer break, but I am excited for next year.  I will have 4 girls this year and 10 boys!  8 of the boys are from this year.

new stuff

so we had a great opportunity to move and we took it! just next door, but probably 3 times as big and the same price. below you will find pictures...and my new haircut. come visit soon!

Life has been pretty busy lately, but we were able to enjoy the Lu'au at BYU.  Zach, Hannah, and Rachel represented in the Maori section.  He sure is cute. 

My portfolio is due tomorrow and then my assignments will all be DONE!  Graduating in 3 weeks!  We will be enjoying the rest of this week with Zach's family and then my parents come up for graduation.  I'm still waiting to hear when my siblings are arriving for graduation...

has it really been 1 year?

No, not since we've been married.  But almost as good as that...1 year that we have been together since Zach got home on February 11th, 2009.  I thought that day would never come and now we have had a whole year together since then.  What a year it has been.  I realize more each day what a wonderful husband and friend I have. 

Stages of teaching:
1. Honeymoon
2. Hostility
3. Humor
4. Home

Luckily the hostility didn't last long and the humor has been helping me get through it all this whole time.

Oh how I love my kids, let me count the ways:

1. I asked my student what a number was and he says, "82, my lady."
2. We talked about honesty and I asked one student to share his journal answer and he said, "Being honest is not lying.  Jesus Christ...(mumbling)."  And then he bowed his head.  I think he thought he was giving a talk.
3. Working on ch, sh, th, wh digraphs and when I asked for examples of ch I got church and a really excited Choose the right!
4. During math one student said, "Mrs. Smith, I'm almost getting hair on my chest...like a man."  Out of nowhere.
5. One student said about another of my students with autism "He is funny."  He replied, "No I'm not.  I don't tell jokes!"
6. The same student who is apparently not funny has a slight obsession with my one girl student and he tends to look at her A LOT so I told him that I would put his star card in time out if he continued to look at her.  He said, "I can't stop.  My eyes just look at her."
7. We did compliments today and I had each kid compliment the student next to him and then they could pick anyone and so I encouraged them to pick the teachers as well.  One student said he liked me because I "help him in math".  It made me feel pretty good after a LOUSY week last week.

Sometimes it helps to remember the good things because some days are really rough.  Luckily I have Zach to come home to and he puts everything into perspective and just makes me laugh.

Grandpa and Grandma

I wish we could be there to help out more, but I am so excited we will get to be home next week and spend time with Grandpa, Grandma, and the rest of our family.  I am so grateful for them and for my relationship with them.  I am also glad that Zach has known them for so long and feels a special bond with them.  Many a double dates were had with these two.  If someone is hanging out with Grandpa this week tell him Stacie says hi and she will be there soon.  And she says, "I love your little heart, I love your little liver, If I had you in my mouth, I'd spit you in the river" and "I love you and you love me and that's the way it's supposed to be."