YAY for LEF

Lafayette Education Foundation held its 11th annual Teacher Awards this past Thursday at the Heymann Center in Lafayette. Many teachers at our school were nominated, but one very special teacher, Guy Landry, was a finalist in the Inspirational category. Our entire 4th grade team of teachers and some other Ossun faculty and staff attended the event in support of our "Guy." He looked so great with his wife, Nancy. They were dazzling and beaming with pride.

But a very surprising thing happened. They always give away a 3-night, 4-day all-expense-paid trip for two, to anywhere in the US, to one lucky nominee. They simply pull a name from the lot. This year the number exceeded 400. The rules stipulate that one must be present in order to win. They called one name, and other teachers from her school sighed as that teacher missed out. Then they called another name, this time a male teacher. Silence filled the auditorim as they waited to find out if he was in attendance. I leaned over to my colleague and said, "If that was my name, you'd know I was here! I'd be climbing the seats down to the stage!" Then, lo and behold, they called MY NAME. No way! Are you serious? I jumped out of my seat like I had just scored a touch down, arms straight in the air. All my co-workers were screaming. It was real. I received a packet of information confirming I had indeed won a trip!

I plan to call the travel agency soon to find out all details of this prize.

Sociology

I, Suzi, upon considering how my time is spent throughout my day, am wondering why my degree isn't in sociology. I mean, it's what I do all day, everyday.

Mr. Glenn at MD Anderson

For those of you following, Mr. Glenn's webpage is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/glennnewton . Mrs. Vicki is posting their journey through this trying time.

Around the House

I love that necessity is the mother of all invention. Eli has found his own teething product. He loves medicine droppers. He has always enjoyed playing with cylindical objects, so add one with a rubber top for teething and we have a match! It has become increasingly hard to snap shots of him smiling, so here are the precious few.

Eli paired the zebras!

Eli received a gift from JuJu and Teri: a Noah's Ark toy with pairs of animals such as turtles, lions, elephants, zebras, etc. Eli has enjoyed this toy and plays with the animals, especially the fur on the horses. Today, after he had one zebra, he went looking for the other one! He looked back and forth from one hand to the other, then clapped them both together! I LOVE watching his brain work and grow. I tried to get a picture, but as soon as I went for the camera he was on to something new.

Also, he's now gritting his teeth. Weird!?! It makes the funniest sound and it seems like it hurts. I cringe each time he does it. 3 teeth on top (with another making its way out) and 2 on the bottom. Take care of those chompers, Eli!

Happy Birthday Eli!

One whole year. So many memories. Hopeful future. Happy days. You enrich our lives.

Twinkies!

Eli and Jay showed up in uniform! They are so lucky to have one another! Mrs. Linda's home is filled with love and laughter for our little one. Thank you, Jesus, for blessing us with Mrs. Linda during this special time in our lives.

Mom's special surprise

Better than Santa--Eli came to town! Our class had a special surprise when Eli walked through the door. My students were able to meet my little boy. It doesn't get any better than that. All of my favorite children together! Thank you, Mrs. Linda, for that special blessing!

Eli, Where Have You Been?

All over the place, would be the correct answer. Eli has done much growing over the past few months. Teeth, hair, bones, verbal--the list goes on. He is having a blast with toys and people. He even has his first crush: Isabelle, Mrs. Linda's third child. He lights up in a special way when she comes around.

Since his last update, he has gone to the beach, seen his first snowfall, gotten two more teeth, plays ball, says "Mama," and has had his first sleepover. His favorite food is turkey hot-dog and he has a special polar bear that he likes to sleep with. He is a joy.

Ever thought?

I love the way people use benchmarks. We use items/numbers that we can wrap our heads around to signify a number we can't wrap our heads around. Case in point. Louie Giglio also blows your mind away with these staggering analogies. (Sorry, not made available online :)

So what did you do before cell phones?

My sister-in-law asked this question on New Year's Day. Have you ever really thought about it?

New Year's Resolution(s)

We are not the type to get much into holidays, of any sort. Birthdays, Labor Day, Christmas, Mardi Gras, you know, all those days that keep you pushing forward. We're of the sort that try to appreciate and celebrate certain truths woven into the thread of our lives. Not that we're against holidays, or those that chose to celebrate the traditional way, we just subscribe to a different way of celebrating. As the years go by, we have noticed time gradually increase in speed. We have found ourselves asking the questions, "What ever happened to that year 2005?" and "How were we used to impact others for the glory of God in 2006?" For that reason, we have sought to look back on a year's worth of memories and reflect on a month by month basis. We see how events and people have come into our lives and shaped our minds and judge more objectively their impact. We also look ahead at what this next year could be and what we should resolve to make different. More than resolutions, I would say we set goals. We do not start the year at where we want to be by the end of it. Slow and steady wins the race. Our main goal this year is to learn more.

Side note: If you ever need encouragement to savor this moment, check this out.