Quotes from the kiddos...

WOW! It has been a LONG time since I've posted! I didn't even realize it....yikes! As stated at the beginning of the school year, this year has maybe been a little more intense than funny, but there are always a few laughs that sneak into each day. Here are a few from our field trip on Friday...

1. The kids were supposed to get dressed up, and one of my little kiddos came in strutting his stuff right away. He marched right up to me and said "Look at my handsome shoes!"

2. On the bus ride I put my sunglasses on (both for the sun AND to escape into my own little world away from the chaos) and one little boy said "Mrs. Hardie! You look stylish in your sunglasses!"

3. Talking about the play on the way home...."That princess was adorable!"

4. Tattling on a little boy: "Mrs. Hardie....he keeps talking about his peanut!" (Seriously?!?!)

We learn a new "Way Cool Word" every week to increase authentic vocabulary instruction, and are always trying to get the kids to use them (correctly!). Here were some of the sentences the kids used with our Way Cool Words while on the field trip....
"There is a commotion in the play!" (the actors were running around into the audience)
"How long 'til we're there?" "Is it innumerable minutes?"
"Mrs. Hardie, the play was similar to the books we read!"
(So proud of my little kiddos for learning, and using their new words!)

Just a few, but hopefully it gives you a little chuckle!

Fall Fun

We've been enjoying our favorite season to the MAX this weekend...football, baseball playoffs, and hockey included. :) Here are a few pics of some other "Fall fun" we had this weekend...

Carving pumpkins
Eating roasted pumpkin seeds...YUM!
Getting our garden and yard ready for winter (yes, it's coming....)

We finished up our hard work with a bonfire, S'mores, and apple cider! We hope you're taking some time to enjoy your favorite Fall traditions too!

So You Think You Can Dance

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Hmm....

Well, if this story is any indication for how my kids feel about me, I'm in trouble. We finally finished up our VERY stimulating lessons on Bus Safety (seriously, the most DRY lessons ever, but I DID try to beef them up a bit). They were finishing up a thrilling dot-to-dot bus picture, and one of my kiddos was adding many details to his pictures. Conversation that followed between me and student:

Me:"Hey, I see that you added your bus number to your picture. Way to go!"
Student:"Yeah! Do you see the stop sign?"
"Yup."
"Do you see Kelly?" (friend that rides his bus)
"Yes, right there."
"Do you see the busdriver?"
"Yeah, but where's Mrs. Hardie in your picture?"
"Right here..." points to the person he's drawing right in the front of the bus in the danger zone, about to get run over--HA!

Overall, things get a little better everyday, and I just keep praying for joy, love, and patience as we ALL try to survive the chaos that is our class :)

One week down...

It's funny how after one week of working with these little kiddos, I can learn so much about them, and about how the year is going to look. Overall assessment.....it's going to be a doozy. I suppose I should have been more prepared for this, considering it's been a couple years since I've had "one of those classes". However, in spite of the difficult first week, there were a few moments of laughter mixed in. Here are a few of my favorite quotes....

At the end of the first day, the kids and I were sitting on the carpet talking about how we felt the day went. One kiddo (who has already turned out to be quite dramatic) just looks at me and says, "I'm depressed! Wanna' know why?...." To this, I responded "Nope." ;)

There's a picture of Kyle and I from our wedding as my desktop background. I closed out of the file we were working on, so the picture popped up. The responses just starting flooding the room..."You're married?!?!" "Is that your wife?" "You're white!"

One of the things they're most excited about in First Grade is having their very own desk. No more tables, or sharing space, they have a spot that's all theirs. They of course are obsessed with looking in their desks, playing with what's in their desks, and really just opening and shutting them over, and over, and over.......On Friday, I was trying to bring home the point that we can't all be opening and shutting our desks while others are talking because it's distracting and LOUD. To which one little smarty replies "Well, I guess you just need to get some oil then." Wow....

Here's hoping next week is an improvement :)

It's almost here.....

Oh man! I've been working in my new classroom off and on for the past 3 weeks, and can't believe that it's already time to do this again! As I've been sorting through things from my kiddos last year, I've found a few precious notes and pictures that are good motivators. :) However, yesterday I stumbled upon a quote from one of my kiddos from the beginning of the school year. He simply said, "Did my mom sign me up for this?" HA! And there in lies the task I, and countless other teachers, are embarking upon. In my one room, in my group of 25+ students, I'll have the kiddos that leave me notes and pictures and want nothing more than to come to school and learn everyday.....AND the kids who truly believe their parents have just signed them up for a boring activity that they don't want to do. I guess that is part of what makes teaching so exciting, challenging, frustrating, and rewarding....figuring out how to get all those kiddos to learn something by the end of the year, and maybe even enjoy school! As promised last year at this time, I'll keep you posted on the many stories that these kids always provide. Here's hoping for a great year ahead!

Vacation at Lake Vermilion

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Wascally Wabbit!

Well, it finally happened. I woke up this morning to find a rabbit munching on our garden! To make it even worse, it chewed off the only bean plant that grew from the first planting. Go figure! Guess it's time for a fence. :)
We did have our first "harvest" which was fun....we're hoping for lots of tomatoes and peppers in the near future. :) I put a few other shots of the garden on the "Latest Hardie Pics" link, so check 'em out!

Perfect Summer Weekend

I LOVE SUMMER!
We started the weekend with a Friday night wedding.
Saturday Kyle went fishing, I sang at church, and came home to dinner cooked and candle's lit! :) Then we decided to explore a new ice cream shop we heard about....The cone in the picture is a KID'S SIZE! $3---I think Nelson's Ice Cream changed my life--ha!
Then Sunday was church, and a birthday party at Como with friends, food, and a fierce game of kickball.
I hope you're enjoying summer....don't let it slide by too fast!

July 4th Fun

What a great way to celebrate! We had fun with family and friends all weekend...here are a few pictures, but check our Shutterfly link on the side for the rest. (They're at the end of the "Memories from '09" album)We were the losers of the first night of Lawn Golf...but we still had fun! :)

Gina and I, working on breakfast

Andrew, Daniel, and Aaron trying out our cool 3D firework glasses!
Enjoying the fireworks from the Hardie's backyard, by the campfire

New Pictures

Hey all! We've updated our Shutterfly site with the latest pictures of the outside of the house for those of you that haven't made it out to visit us yet. Yes, we finally have grass--woohoo! Just click on the "Latest Hardie Photos" link, and the pictures are at the end of the "Memories from '09" album. Remember, we'd love to have you over ANY TIME! :)

Kid Stories...they just keep coming!

Quick disclaimer that I was not present for 2 of these stories, but I just had to share them. These kids sure to keep you on your toes!

Because I teach such little people :) I often get tapped in "the wrong spot". I was monitoring my students in the lunch room when I felt a little finger tapping me on the butt, yes right on my navy capris. I turn around to see what the little guy wanted and he holds up his ORANGE hands and shrieks "Did you know that Cheetos are the messiest food in the world?" Glance down at my rear end....Yes. They ARE the messiest food.

2 of my little ELL guys were reading with another teacher, and she was timing one on reading a story. The other little guy saw this as an opportunity to get a drink of water, which he proceeded to spill EVERYWHERE and his clothes were SOAKED--it looked like he had taken a shower! :) By now, this teacher is getting frustrated and told him to sit down, at which point he missed his chair! Now the other student bursts out laughing. The teacher, at her wits end says, "Have you two ever heard of 'Laurel and Hardy'?". They both got very serious, and the first little boy said "Yes, we know Mrs. Hardie". The other stammered "but...but....we do NOT know Laurel". hehe ;)

**Disclaimer**This does not involve my students, but it's hilarious! The same teacher mentioned above was working with a group of Kindergartners. She was introducing a new story by saying "Today we're going to read a new book called 'Yes She Did'". To which one student's immediate response was "Oh no she didn't!"

Walk of Shame....continued....

Man! We cannot seem to catch a break with our neighbors. First, we believe the "staring neighbors" (mentioned in Walk of Shame part 1) have moved out. There has been new activity over the past week in their home, and it looks as if new people have moved in. Sad....we will never reconcile that event and will always be "those weird neighbors that got stuck in front of their mailbox...twice". Well, in an attempt to forget the past and move on, we decided to walk over to another neighbor's house, 2 doors down from us. All we know about her so far is that she has 2 very big dogs. I had been baking cookies for Kyle's work treats, so we decided to pull out a few good cookies, put them on a cute plate, and walk them over to her house on our way by (we were going to take a walk anyways and enjoy the nice weather.) We knew she was home because we had seen her with another woman and dog in the back yard about 20 minutes earlier. So, off we go on our merry way! We get up to the door and notice that she has the same doormat--so fun! We ring the doorbell, and hear the dogs--eager anticipation of new neighborhood relationships flood my mind....and then....she comes to the door laughing kind of awkwardly.
"Hi! We're your neighbors from 2 doors down".
"um (chuckle)....I'm just a friend...from far away(laughing)....in Chaska...."
"Oh! Well nice to meet you. We just brought over some cookies for her".
Enter--NEIGHBOR WOMAN IN TOWEL!!! WHAT?!?!?
She starts talking to us from the top of the stairs (still DRIPPING wet and IN HER TOWEL), and her friend just keeps standing in front of us laughing very loudly and awkwardly, the 3 dogs barking at us like crazy. Oh dear! We got her name, shoved the cookies into her friend's hands, and went on our way. Seriously?!?! Not sure how this neighbor relationship is going to continue. But alas, we will not be discouraged. I wonder what interesting neighbors we will meet next.....perhaps the little boy that I caught staring at us through our BACK BASEMENT WINDOW! I'll keep you posted. :)

Kid Stories, Part 3

Well, I've been saving up a few precious quotes from my students, and I thought it was time to share. Who couldn't use a laugh on a COLD, SNOWY APRIL DAY?!?!?

I was testing one of my students on his Math. This is a timed test, so sometimes they feel a little pressure and have a hard time getting their numbers out. This little guy was having a little trouble with the test, and all of the sudden he stopped and shouted "Come on brain! THINK!"

I also have a little guy who's pants....well.....they never seem to be able to stay up (refer back to "plumber's crack" in earlier kid stories). We were having our Morning Meeting and he blurts (picture a sweet Spanish accent with a little lisp), "Mrs. Hardie! I need a seatbelt! My pants keep falling down!" We didn't have a "seatbelt" to offer him, so he spent the rest of the day with First Aid Gauze as his belt! Maybe this will become a new fashion statement in my room. Oh dear....

There are many students in my class that speak dual languages because I am the ELL cluster. Apparently, they pick up more than I realize because as one of my Spanish speakers was heading out the door at the end of the day, his farewell was "Bonjour Madmoiselle!". Seriously? :)

About a week ago, we had been reading stories about Earth Day, Arbor Day, recycling, etc... Each day during Reading, the kids have time to write their responses to various questions that are posed. Because they'd been learning all about how to help the Earth, the question for that day was tying together all that they'd read from the stories to come up with an idea for how THEY would help the Earth. Apparently, one student had been reading some different stories on her own, because her response was.... "I would not shoot the animals. Then they will die and become extinct." No worries, she definitely had a picture to match, shotgun and all!

As always, there are many more stories and moments throughout the day where I just have to laugh at these kiddos. However, some of them are not appropriate for posting, and others, well, you just have to be there. :) Hope this gave you a good laugh, and here's hoping that Spring is just around the corner!

Help!

I was checking Ginna Hardie's blog (linked up on the side) and saw something alarming. President Obama has a plan to rescind the Conscience Clause. If he overturns this decision, pro-life doctors, nurses, etc. will all be required by law to participate in abortion procedures even though it completely violates their beliefs. You can go to her site to read more details and sign the petition, OR if this info is enough for you to sign the petition now, I have the link below also. This announcement was made March 6, and there was 30 days given to speak out about this, so time is running out...

http://beheardproject.com

Thanks everyone!

Our First Anniversary...

One year has gone by already....wow! We spent the weekend together reminiscing about our wedding day, and the many things that this past year has brought. Kyle surprised me and took me to The St. Paul Hotel on Saturday night. When we arrived in our room there was another surprise awaiting me.....sparkling cider and chocolate covered strawberries! We walked around St. Paul, and tried to find a Caribou, but no luck! We of COURSE had to stop at the XCel Center and see Herb Brooks.....Herb was excited that we made it through our first year too! :)
After walking through downtown for a while we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Kyle had gotten us reservations at The St. Paul Grill where we shared a delicious meal, followed by cards and presents we had gotten for one another. We also enjoyed the CABLE in our hotel room and were able to watch part of the Wild game and "John and Kate + 8" :) Sunday morning we ate breakfast at the M St. Cafe--the BEST french toast I have ever had! When we got home we watched our wedding video and looked through our pictures.
It was such a great weekend!!! Life tends to get so busy and we truly enjoyed reflecting on the past year, praying for the year ahead, and just being together. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends that supported us not only on our wedding day, but also through our first year.


Favorite memories of the year:
Wedding/Honeymoon
Our first apartment
Our first house
Celebrating holidays with family and friends
Kyle getting accepted into and starting his MBA at Bethel
Summer--Breezy, Branson, Duluth, and the Priola cabin
Recording our worship and Christmas CD's with Heart Song/3Pete
Joining our small group at EBC, and singing there
Fishing!!! (My 39 1/2 inch muskie!)

Here's to a new year full of adventures and memories....enjoy the journey!

Kyle saves the day...

...or at least the sink! :) I was getting ready for work and dropped the little plastic top of my hair product bottle in the sink. It was one of those "slow-motion" moments where I knew it was going to go down the drain, but I couldn't react fast enough to stop it. Kyle took the project on like a man, head lamp and all! He took apart the drain pipe, and with the flashlight and some tweezers he managed to get the piece unstuck from the drain. Way to go!

Walk of Shame

So about a week ago, I was driving home and decided that I should stop and get the mail since Kyle was gone. For those of you that haven't seen it yet, our mailbox is 1 of 4, across the street and to the left of our house. It is also right in front of a set of townhouse windows that are also across the street. It was another snowy/slushy/cold night so I wanted to simply drive up to the mailbox, roll down the window, and grab the mail. As I pull up to the mailboxes my car starts skidding and gets sucked directly into the snowbank (thank you snowplows!) in front of my mailbox. I try to drive our forwards, backwards, sideways--ARGH! Nothing is working, and we haven't met any neighbors yet so OF COURSE it doesn't occur to ANY of them driving by in their big trucks to stop and help me ;) I proceed to climb out of the PASSENGER side of my car and walk the block to my house to call Triple A. EMBARASSING! About an hour later, the tow truck guy comes with lights flashing and horns beeping to pull me out...this is where the "walk of shame" goes to a whole new level because of COURSE the neighbors decide "hey! Let's stare at this goofball who got her car stuck in front of her own house!" How embarassing! He finally gets me out, and even though it's dark I'm pretty sure the neighbors can see my red cheeks glowing from across the way....oh brother. Needless to say I did NOT get the mail that night.

The NEXT NIGHT, I'm in the kitchen making dinner when I get a phone call from Kyle. He says, "You'll never guess what I did..." "What?" "Look out the window..." I race to the kitchen window only to see Kyle's car stuck in the EXACT SAME SPOT! Are you serious? So of course, same thing happens again....neighbors drive by, no one stops, call Triple A.....tow truck comes--SAME GUY! He says "Dude, I had to pull someone out here yesterday too." Kyle's response was, "Really? No way!" ;) Again, SAME NEIGHBORS staring out the window (pretty sure this will be the talk of the neighborhood BBQ--if we get invited!) Kyle didn't get the mail that night either--HA! Now every night it's a joke to see who has to get the mail because you never know when we'll have to do the "walk of shame" again.....HURRY SPRING!!!! :)

More Kid Stories :)

I realize that it's been a while since I've given you a glimpse into the chaos that is my classroom ;) Here are a few of the "special moments" I have recently experienced with my First Graders.

One cute little kiddo who is a native Spanish speaker was hanging out with me after school while waiting for his mom to come, and he began singing Jingle Bells.... "Dashing through the snow.....playing in the snow.....walking in the snow.... AH! I don't know the words!"

Picture this scene in your mind (a typical day of getting ready to go home)
I have a little kiddo who, well, struggles to dress himself. So 2 days ago his bus got called and he wasn't ready to go. He starts to BOLT out the door with snowpants half on (one leg was inside out, and hanging to the side) and NOTHING else on! I made him come back and said he had to put on his winter gear before he could go. I helped him into the snowpants and thought he'd be able to handle the coat so I turned around to help someone else. I turned back to find him chasing his coat sleeve in circles like a dog chases his tail! HILARIOUS! We finally got the coat, snowpants, hat and gloves on, AND boats on the right feet before his bus pulled out--oh dear! Gotta' love winter!

The kids were building rhyming words with little tiles at the table, and this is the conversation I overheard...
"Kite. Sprite! That rhymes!"
"Sprite....hey! That's a good soda!"
"Yeah, AND it's the healthiest pop."
"How do you know?"
"Well, once when I was in the hospital, it's all they would let me drink!"

Another "spelling mis-hap"...
"pot...hot...not...y-o-t, YOT....Hey! That's what rich people have!"

And my personal favorite...The kids are sitting at the reading table with another teacher finishing up their group, when one little kiddo stands up and literally shouts "My butt is wet!" So we're obviously thinking he's had an accident and ask, "Why is your butt wet?" His response...."You know, from sitting! It's WET!" He stands up to reveal a little sweaty butt print on the plastic chair, plumber crack and all. Oh dear!

TGIF! :)

Ice Fest Fun

Last weekend we loaded up the Avalanche (and by "we" I mean my dad!) and headed up to Breezy Point for Ice Fest. The guys went snowmobiling ALL day on Saturday, and had a blast! Thankfully everyone stayed safe! :)

The girls were planning on going snow-shoeing, but with the below-zero windchill we decided that coffee shops, talking, and shopping sounded like a lot more fun! We met the guys for lunch at the Marina--YUM!! Kyle and I finished up Ice Fest by ice fishing. This was definitely not the "roughin' it" ice fishing....we got to use an ice house with a little gas fireplace/heater, 4 holes that were already dug out for us, AND Kyle baited my hook for me! We fished for 2 1/2 hours, but the only luck we had was the Rock Bass that I caught. Maybe next year..... Thanks for all of the fun Hardies! :)