Tonsils, anniversaries, and whatever else is in my brain.....

So things are picking up at the speed of a rocket launch around here. School is literally around the corner and I'm in a bit of a panic. My classroom is still not together and I have two more bulletin boards to do besides the little things (name tags, name tags, and did I mention MORE name tags?). I did get my students' cards sent out today. I hope none of their mothers are stamping wonders! I stamped the cards but it was very simple and not real exciting. I have a class of seventeen so far. I had eighteen last year, which is peanuts compared to what my friend Nora has (30 students...20 boys and 10 girls.......WOW). She is teaching in Chicago. If I knew how to do a mobile upload of photos, I would upload a couple of my classroom for ya. A project I have been nursing for the past few weeks is my new reading corner. I think it is so cool when a classroom can support a cozy reading hideaway. I received some extra $$ for my classroom this year, so I focused on using it for literacy in my classroom and literacy at home (take home literacy bags). I will get some pics on here soon because I know all are just DYING to see what I'm talking about.....chuckle chuckle.

So, Jamie and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary over a cup of coffee and delicious muffins served to us by the very friendly staff at OSF Health Center in Peoria. Kyla had her tonsils and adenoids removed on our anniversary, and Jamie and I still managed to squeeze some "alone" time in while waiting for her to come out of surgery. She came through wonderfully and has proven to be much braver than she let on before surgery (thanks to many many prayers lifted up on her behalf).

I wish I would have taken a "before" and "after" photo of Kyla's tonsils, but didn't...so I will have to get a bit creative with some graphic illustrations. To the left is an illustration of what Kyla's throat looked like before they were removed. Yes, those are the Golden Arches. The purple ball like things are representing how her tonsils were touching her uvula. Snazzy, ehh? Well, her tonsils were huge...I mean HUGE. Her dr.'s eyes were huge when he came in to brief us on how it went. He said he had forgotten how big her tonsils were when he first saw them in the office. When he took out her tonsils, they were the size of ping pong balls. Can you imagine that? How in the world does one breathe, or eat with ping pong sized flesh in the back of there throat?! Kyla never let on that she was in any discomfort at all. She has always had a great disposition, so I can't imagine what she'll be like when she heals! Let's just say at that point in the conference room with Dr. Gootee, it was confirmed to Jamie and I that we made the right decision to get these boogers out!

Two nights ago, Kyla asked me to look at her throat. People, I could now see all the way down to her toenails. It looked like the Grand Canyon........well, it looked like this:

No more snoring for this girl. Wow! And no, I'm not putting any subliminal advertising in here for a certain restaurant. Just trying to give you an image.

Let me backpaddle a few days before the whole tonsillectomy thing...Jamie took the older two kids to D.C. for a short trip to visit one of Jamie's friends from his youth. This guy was an amazing host and tour guide. They had so much fun and learned so much while out there. I was amazed at all the information they retained and returned to me! Below are some pics that I thought you may like to see........

The kids loved the Museum of Crime and Punishment. They spent several hours there and then got fingerprinted and I.D's for a child safety thing. Very cool. Kyla dreaming of landing a part on a newer version of CHIPS....wasn't that what it was called? Noah's looking a little Eric Estrada-like...he needs a bit more sun, I suppose.

The first pic to the right is of Kyla and Noah at the U.S. Capitol Building. They are standing on a star that is designated as the "Center of Washington D.C.". To the far right is, well, self explanatory. Cute pic, eh?

Below right is the FDRMemorial. Kyla and Noah are exhibiting their talent in the dramatic.......

To the left are the fearless travelers at the Lincoln Memorial. As you can see, I REALLY need to learn how to do the slideshow upload. I will try that later, but for now, this is all I'm offering ya as I really need to get busy on school stuff. I'll check in when I can.