Ode to Charlotte

Sometimes you hit the jackpot!  

Every once in a while, lifes twists and turns introduce you to someone who instantly becomes a forever friend.  I was lucky enough to be moved to Kindergarten at Cottonwood in 2009.  When I moved into my new room, I also "inherited" the worlds greatest parapro: Charlotte Hoffner, aka Mrs. Hoffgren or Mrs. Loffner.  I hit the jackpot!!! During what would become one of the toughest years of my life  things were more bearable because of the friendship of this amazing woman.  She not only held me together, but she made sure our classroom was always ready to go.  She still brings me little pick me ups (SiSi Cilantro Dip) and is always there to listen.  This year, I often receive a text from her with pictures of what Katie is doing in school or something hilarious that my daughter said.  It brightens my day on a regular basis!  If I was asked to describe Charlotte, here are just a few of the words that come to mind...

AMAZING!

    

LOVING!

IRREPLACEABLE!

 

BUBBLY!

ONE OF A KIND!!!

I miss quite a few things about my old stomping grounds.  One of the things I miss the most is having the time to just talk to my friend and hear her laugh.  She lights up a room just by being in it.  We can laugh just by thinking about some of our former students.  (You know who I'm thinking of! :))  So, Mrs. Hoffgren...this one is for you!  You are unforgettable...that's what you are!  

Sometimes you hit the jackpot!  

Wordless Wednesday

These are the moments I'll remember all my life...

And I could not ask for more!

Happy Easter!

Giants in the Outfield

The baseball season has officially begun! Baseball is one of the favorites in our house and my boys look forward to the start of every season. We register Bobby for baseball with Rincon Little League. We buy our annual tickets to a Cubs vs. Diamondbacks game. (This year, we also had to order a Cubs foam finger for Bobby to wear to the game.) Then, we sit back and enjoy the F-U-N that comes with a new season!

2012 A-Ball Giants

My little Giant

The best of buds!!!

In the field...

Up to bat...

First hit of the season...Bobby was the lead-off hitter! :)

Getting ready to score the first run of the season!

This photo is one of my favorites! I caught

him pretending to catch fly balls...look at the utter

concentration on his face. There really isn't

a ball in play yet! LOL!!!

Game 2: Bobby's first (inside-the-park) homerun!

Touching home plate to make it official!

Bonding time!

I love watching the excitement on Bobby's face before each game! He wants to get his uniform on hours before the game and double checks with us to make sure he won't be late. He's such a sweetie! I am so thankful that I get to be a participate in each season with him.

Play ball!

Spring Fever or Cabin Fever?!?

Spring break came with a dose of cabin fever this year. We tried to stay close to home to make Andy's potty training experience successful...which meant A LOT of together time for everyone. Our time at home payed off! We can officially say that all of our little ones are now diaper free!!!

Although I am sad that my baby is growing up (way too fast), I'm happy that we don't have to shell out $45 for another box of diapers. Soon the birthday rush will start in our house, marking one more year for each of my munchkins. Here are just a few of the snapshots of the last week of our spring break:

Wacky weather...it's hailing!

Hanging with his Build-a-Bear buddy!

A play-date at the mall!

A home visit with Mrs. Miller! We had fun

playing Apples to Apples Jr. together!!!

Rincon Little League

Opening Day 2012

Getting ready to see his friends!

Andy's first, second, and third solo birthday party...

all on the same day!!! :)

Showing off his muscles!!!

Hanging out in the foam pit!

Dinner with the family to celebrate

Nana's and Auntie Missa's birthdays!

Happy Spring Break....Week 2!!!

Twitterpated

"Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime."

Spring fever is officially here. The kids want to be outside, playing and enjoying the beautiful weather. They are definitely twitterpated! I love this time of year. I love the colors, the candy, and laughing with my little ones. We kicked off spring this year with a field trip to the zoo, a carnival, and some potty training fun.

Katie's Kindergarten Field Trip

Katie and one of her best friends, Brooke

A peek at what the animals eat

A popsicle for the polar bear!

Behind the scenes with the rhino. She didn't want

to cooperate during our visit and wouldn't come close

enough for the kids to pet her.

Behind the scenes and up close with the sun bear

Feeding a giraffe for the very first time! :)

My little animal lover! She had a wonderful time at the zoo

and I was so happy that I got to go with her!

Spring Fling Carnival 2012

My "baby" rides a pony solo!

Katie enjoying her time on the pony

Darts with Mrs. Montes

Andy did his victory dance after every game, throwing his

hands up and saying "Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh, oh, oh yeah"! :)

The frisbee toss

My munchkins with Comet

Bobby got his face painted with a football and a baseball.

He loves these two sports with a passion! :)

Potty Training: Week 1

Andy telling me he "Don't want to talk about it"! (He does

this now when he wants to avoid something. Makes me laugh!)

The potty king!

Spring cleaning in his big boy pants!

I have enjoyed every minute of our spring break together! It took a few days, but Andy has been doing very well with the potty training...he hasn't had a wet accident at all this week! He's so excited about wearing his big boy underwear and can't wait to go pick out some new ones!

Happy spring!!!