Oh Holy Christmas

Christmas was wonderful! All 30 Webbs were home for the blessed holiday. There were rare moments where not a single child cried...or adult for that matter. The holiday treats have left my own body looking like figgy pudding. While I stopped wanting a white Christmas the second I stepped into winter in Rexburg 5 years ago, we had plenty of snow to make up for all the white Christmas' I wished for as a child. Yes, it was a Christmas to remember. And for memories sake, I am going to post pictures of the presents Nathan gave me. I was obsessed with calling him and asking for clues and talking to my sisters (blood and in in-laws) about figuring out what they were. So Steph, here they are, except for the one that hasn't come in the mail yet:

My ADORABLE kitchen timer from Anthropologie! I was drooling over it a Thanksgiving and so he hunted it down and got me the last one in Arizona. It goes perfect with my "Pioneer Woman Cooks" cookbook I got. I've already tried a recipe. That is probably why there is a crusty on the timer already


And to go with my kitchen timer, a gift card to my favorite store on Earth- Anthropologie! Is this not the cutest gift card holder?


Our favorite TV show came out with a Christmas special, so he got this for me....and him


What are these you ask? Spring loaded chopsticks. Huh? Let me explain. Nathan and I love sushi and Asian food. He is amazing at using chopsticks, I am not so good. But I refuse to give up and end up ruining my meal because I get so frustrated. As a joke Nathan went to the Asian market and picket up some chopsticks, tinkered around in his dad's garage with some springs, and made me these beauties!
Conclusion: I love Christmas. I love giving presents, and with not enough guilt to keep me from saying it, I love getting present even more!

Teenagers

I am thankful for teenagers.
HOLD UP! Did I just say that? Yes, yes, I did. Maybe I should say it this way, I am thankful for the chance I have had to spend time with my sister Chanel's three teenagers while she is gone.
To be quite truthful, I have always wondered how I would manage when I have children and they become teenagers. I know that stage in life is so distant I can't even imagine it, but I have wondered about it. IT SCARES ME JUST THINKING ABOUT IT. Here's why:
1.Hand me a baby, toddler, small child-easy peasy (most of the time) I've read countless books on them, had nieces and nephews in this stage of life since, well, I was in that stage of life, and am entering a career that will give me some practice.

2.I hate to admit it but when I was a teenager I think I embodied everything adults can't stand about that stage in life. I believe there were many contributing factors to my "condition" ie: absolute sleep deprivation, maybe some anxiety issues, and dust from all those files I handled at the dealership. I swear they clouded my reasoning abilities ;)

ANYWAY
Once kids hit about ten, well, beats me what you do with them! So teenagers... I wasn't to sure about those strange creatures. Luckily, my sister Chanel has raised hers right and it has been a blast being here with them. There have been some teenage moments, but they made me realize we really don't change very much no matter what age we are. We are always going to test our limits! Whether it be seeing how many times our mom will pick our bottle up if we keep throwing it on the ground, how late we can get our parents to agree to let us stay out, or how little exercise we can do and how mush more we can eat without ballooning (still working on that formula) Life is all about boundaries, pushing them, learning, and finding independence.
So for the subject of teenagers...Piece of cake...as in you'll need one everyday to survive

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Can you believe it? It was one year ago we were flitting around Israel, pretending we were just BFF's. In fact, exactly one year ago I was faced with the same dilemma. A crazy day with every last minute scheduled, and no good way to celebrate you. In a desperate attempt to make you feel special, I asked everyone to find random things through out our tours and give them to you. I believe you got sea shells, bones, a rock that we told you fell off a roman statue (sorry, but it really didn't) and from me, a half empty bottle of vodka. Oh the things you can find on a tour of holy sites! I remember sneaking off with only one other person(a sin when you are supposed to be in 3's), to try and find you a gift in Nazareth. All I could find were postcards of Mary. Oh! and that little bakery where we convinced the men to make us jelly filled donuts. I may have started with intentions of getting you one but I don't believe it ever made it out of my field of vision until it entered my mouth. Now that I think back on it, your birthday was one of my favorite days in Israel (and not just because of that jelly filled donut).
I wish I could say we were somewhere fabulous this year and I could do something spontaneous and thoughtful for you,but this post and your super practical gift this weekend will have to do for now.
So Happy Birthday Nathan. To the only boy that can say that I chose over an adventure (oh the stories living in Vegas could have made). I wish I could be with you on this celebration of your birth. I really want to crack a joke about you being adopted but I save it for a day that isn't your birthday. XOXOxxoOxo

Thank you for putting up with me. Even letting me put Victorias Secret lip plumping Lip gloss on you

And letting me obsess over strange things like your ears and chin. (Don't worry, he didn't pose for this picture. I snapped it and set it as the wallpaper on my computer)

And being just a little bit less ornery than me.
(I hate peeling oranges because then my hands smell like oranges so I would always make him peel mine. Some days he decided he would only sort of peel it)

Sick Day

I am taking my first sick day. Last week of school and I am taking a sick day for a job I don't even get paid for so I don't feel one bit bad. I spent the weekend in Rexburg taking the last of my test to become a full blown, certified teacher. I couch surfed at Emma's place this weekend. It turned out quite perfectly. She had a date Friday night, and I had a date with my text book. I studied for a couple of hours, took a break to grab a hot cocoa at my favorite place in Rexburg...The Cocoa Bean, and then hit the books again. I read a 70 page chapter from an old text book that I heard was helpful for the Special Ed. portion of my testing. Best thing I could have done! It helped me SO much. At the end of the night my friend Craig came over to visit. Sitting and chatting with him reminded me why I loved going to school in Rexburg. The people. Sure, there isn't much to do in the little town, but doing not much of anything is better than doing a whole lot of something if you are in good company.
I took my tests the next morning (7:30 am-1:30 pm) and then headed back to Emma's place to decompress from all the stress and anxiety standardized tests give me. The rest of the day was filled with friends, Craigos pizza, playing sardines at the school, and games at a new found friends place. I can't think of a batter way to end my time in Rexburg than by having a very typical night in Rexburg. That town sure was good to me. I am not going to say that I never questioned my existence there, but if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Three thing are amazing about this photo: 1. No snow 2. I took it from the hood of my car. Timer button, run, smile, check the photo. 3. I Actually took this on my way home from Idaho. Thank you emergengy turn arounds
Last night I stayed up most of the night with the Three Musketeers playing sword fight in my stomach. About the time my alarm was going off this morning is when I decided I wouldn't be a very good teacher today anyway, so i might as well call in sick. Boy am I glad I did! I have had time to sit in silence and just be happy. I am excited to get home and gear up for the holidays and Christmas with the whole fam damily! I can't wait to kiss of chubby toddler cheeks and torment the nieces and nephews that are now teenagers. I discovered (much later than just about every other blogger) the Pioneer Woman's blog. I am in love. I have almost read her entire love story of how she met her husband. She was an adventurous city girl, on her way to do big things when a cowboys swept her off her feet and carried her out to the country in a diesel truck. Can you hear my heart pitter pattering? Sorry Nathan, but when wranglers and a diesel truck are involved I get a little carried away. So let's have three cheers for cowboys, two cheers for Ramen Noodles, and one half hearted cheer for sick days.

I did it!

Well, I did it. I passed my work sample review (which turned out to be a breeze). I recieved my third and final letter of recommendation from my student teaching experience. I have almost finished teaching a full week all by my lonesome. Yep, this is coming to a close and the wind of change are blowing my way. Hopefully for the richer.
Now I am on my way to Rexburg to take my Praxis and say my farewells. Wish me luck!
Now, you have to check out my sisters FABULOUS gifts on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/scarycute
Too Cute!

The things that keep me going...

I am tired. Yes, very tired. But I love what I do. And days where I think I am screwing it all up I get a cute surprise from one of my students

I complimented him on a little turkey he drew in his planner the other day, so he showed up to school with this for me. It reminds me that the things I say to my students really do matter and they take it pretty seriously. It makes me love them even more!
And what about this cutey! I could kiss him until his cheeks fell off! Is he not the cutest!

You know what else keeps me going? The wonderment of kids. I know I shouldn't have been teaching them to poke that sick mouse. But look how interested they are!

And of course, delicious food. There is a woman who works at our school who is from India. I invited myself over with some of the other teachers to learn how to cook Indian food. It turned out to be more like standing around and talking while Neela cooked for us and let us eat. It was SO yummy!


SO, to sum it up, hand me a baby or a bowl full of food. These are the things that keep me fat and happy

In case you didn't know...

Teaching is hard. Yes, and as I type those words I keep thinking how I really should be typing lesson plans instead, but those will still be there in five minutes and these profound (ha ha) thoughts may not. I finished up my "time" in Resource and now am in third grade. Everyday in resource I would think "Just a little while longer and I will get a break in third grade." Ha! Was I wrong or what! Resource was difficult, as in your brain gets so overloaded with multitasking and walking on legal egg shells. I love resources and I could really tell if I was making a difference or not, if I was doing a good job, and if the children were learning. Enter the world of regular education. It is a whole new kind of multitasking and egg shells. Now I have to keep tight control of 24 little kiddos at the same time as teaching them, and thinking about what I will be doing in five minutes. And egg shells- mostly dealing, I mean, cooperating constructively with other teachers...and bulletin boards. The person who decided to put those up in school surely is burning in hell. Just one more way for Artistic people to be better than me.
So what makes teaching worth it? Kids say the darnedest things. Like my student who I swear is a shrunken down version of Reese Witherspoon. Today as we walked to class she told me, "Miss Webb, I know why you wear brown everyday, because your hair is brown." I look down at myself and see a brown sweater paired with brown pants. I realize she is very right and am suddenly angry with myself because I vowed to myself months ago I would wear less brown. So I turn back to her and tell her "Shhh. We are silent in the hall." Now that it is many hours later and I am in my PJ's and can't help but laugh at just how right she is.
And then there is one little boy in my class who is so thoughtful and such a hard worker. Things might take him a little longer but he works very hard and gets it done right. He reminds me a lot of my nephew Noah. As I walked the kids out to the door when school ended, I gave them high fives and some of the girls always give hugs. I turned the corner to walk back to the classroom and he came flying around. I put my hand out to give him a high five but he ignored it and gave me a big hug. I love those hugs!
So even when i doubt that I am doing a good job or feel like I am jipping the students from their real teacher, I remember this is a learning process for me to and they seem to like me anyway.
Now, if only I could get paid to do this...