Attitude Check

So I had a negative attitude kind of day. And I didn't hide the negative attitude. Not professional at all, not fair to the kiddos and my coworkers, not fair to my family... So I thought it might be good for me to make a list of things positive things that happened today. Here we go..

My beautiful daughter went to the dentist for her first cleaning today. She was nervous, but did amazing! I am so proud of her!

My mom stopped by on her way to the library to grab my overdue books... 15 days overdue.. Thanks Momma!

Audrey ate her ENTIRE dinner!

Scott had the decal I bought him for Christmas put on the back window of his truck today.. which means he likes it! :)

The laundry is all caught up! Woohoo!

My husband is going to Coldstone Creamery as we speak to get me the sundae of my dreams. Love that man!

And Scott is going to do the grocery shopping while I am at work tomorrow so we don't have to go after dinner!

Tomorrow is already Wednesday!

God blessed me with family who loves me even when I am cranky :)

-Amanda

Accountability

Blogging holds me accountable. I always said I don't make new year's resolutions, but who really doesn't start the year off with a clean slate and goals to better themselves? So whether I planned to or not, I did make a few goals for the new year.

For those that don't know, the center I work for now is a Christian learning center. Working for Appletree has brought God back into my life. I am ashamed to admit that for many years I have felt disconnected from my faith but now I am making God a priority and teaching my daughter everything I know while learning more myself. Which brings me to one of my new year's resolutions: complain less, thank more.

Another resolution? BLOG MORE OFTEN! Here's the daily photo blog I have started: http://akkerman366.blogspot.com/

My hope for the daily photo blog is that it will help me slow down and appreciate everything I am blessed with in my life. Too often do I get caught up in the business of housework, school and my job and I forget to stop and appreciate the beauty of my family and everything God has blessed me with.

-Amanda

What can I say?

It's been over two years since I blogged last... Life has been busy and I have not made my blog a priority, that's for sure! So much has happened in the last two years...

Audrey has grown into a beautiful, SMART and sassy little girl. She amazes me every single day! She has such a sense of humor for a kiddo her age.. never a dull moment at our house! I hope she never loses her spunk or spirit.. she will do big things in her life, I am sure! Hopefully I can keep up on this blogging thing from now on so I can document some of her daily hilarity.

I also changed jobs this last summer. Leaving the center I worked at for over 7 years (my whole adult life!!) was so scary. Ultimately, this was the best choice for me. Being so incredibly unhappy at my job affected my family and life at home and now things couldn't be better! I love working at Appletree. I love my coworkers (most of them, lol), the room/age I am working with and my new boss is amazing! I am still learning the ropes there, but I do have to say I am rockin' it out as a lead teacher!

Another huge change this year: I went back to school!! I decided that paying on student loans for a degree I never finished was just plain silly. I went back this summer and got dean's list for both semesters since I have been back.. GO ME! Because I have only been taking 6 credits a semester I will finish in a little more than a year, depending on what classes are offered over the summer. Working full-time and going to school makes things stressful but I just keep reminding myself that I only have one more year!

So here's to the big changes of last year and a great new year! Hopefully I can do better at keeping this thing updated!

-Amanda

Walk to Defeat ALS 2009

On October 10 we are participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS. Also known as Lou Gerhig's disease, ALS is a degenerative neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of it's ability to speak, walk, swallow and breathe. In December 2007 my Uncle Phil was diagnosed with ALS. After experiencing first-hand how this disease affects a family, we decided to support the ALS foundation by participating in the walk. Please consider donating to help find a cure and fund support groups and supply closets.
Interested in sponsoring us? Here is the website address: http://web.alsa.org/goto/miracleawareness

Thank you so much!!
Amanda, Scott and Audrey

It's been so long!

Life has been soooo busy lately! In addition to my new facebook addiction, we have been super busy with closing on the house and I'm also back to work full-time now that school has started. We moved into our house on Labor Day Weekend...LOVE IT!!! Pictures to come soon! The first week of school was chaos as always...my class started combined with the two-year-old room and then switched rooms completely on a moment's notice...it was nuts! I am looking forward to being in my own room with my own kids next week!
Audrey had her 4-month check-up Wednesday and she was almost 16 pounds...such a chunk!! She had green beans tonight...not quite sure about them....lol. She is now rolling both ways and sits up pretty well in her boppy. The doctor is amazed at how strong she is! Tonight she got up on her knees! I know sometimes she does things like that on accident, but it still amazes me that she is that strong!

3 months

Audrey will be 3 months old on Tuesday... Last week I was sorting through clothes she has outgrown and realized how tiny she was. My baby used to fit in newborn sleepers?? How is that possible? We went to the doctor last week and she was already up to 14 pounds! Lately she has been grabbing at everything in sight. She also switched a toy from one hand to the other this week. Right now she is in her jumperoo just bouncing away. I just can't believe my little girl is growing so fast...I'm afraid to close my eyes!! (I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry.)

What else is new... Today we put an offer on the house we want. I am super excited!! We should hear back from the seller's by Monday evening. It is a 3 bedroom ranch with a huge garage. The house also has a den/office and a fireplace in the living room. We absolutely fell in love!

Fun at the park

We enjoyed the beautiful weather at Heritage Park yesterday! Audrey LOVES to be outside! She's so funny in the grass...grabs it by the handful and tries to shove it in her mouth. We took TONS of pictures...these are just a few of my favorites. Love you all!