It's been a while....

Wow... sorry....

So - a lot has happened. Christmas break went well. So much has happened since then that I only vaguely remember it. Thomas and I went up to Fayetteville for our anniversary to meet with profs. at U of A. It was really productive, and we were able to get a feel for the area, and even looked at an apartment, but we were both REALLY sick, so we didn't get to do most of the things I had planned. I am glad we went, however, because Thomas has been offered an assistantship position beginning in MAY (which is a big deal because many kids are on their own for the summers)! He has also been granted a teaching assistantship throughout the school year, and the Distinguished Academy Fellowship, so the department will be paying for his tuition, and he will make $24,500 a year to work 20 hours a week (although he'll only actually have to teach 9 of those hours, and the other 11 are for prep, planning, and grading). We are pretty excited about that, it really is a great offer.

I finished the block! For the first two and a half weeks of school I went to class all day, every day from 8-5, and then had homework, papers and projects in all four classes every night. I rarely went to bed before 2:00am, and sometimes later. It was very taxing on me, but it is over! I made it! So I began my first student teaching rotation Monday. I am in a pre-K class for the first six weeks and will be in a fourth-grade class the second six weeks. If you want to hear about it, give me a call and I will tell you about it. :-) It is going well, there are lots of challenges, and lots to learn, but I am excited about the teaching I will begin next week. I have applied to one school district, but they have not yet started hiring, and I am in the process of applying to three others (all in the Fayetteville area). I really hope to get a position in Springdale (the one I've already applied to), but I am mostly just wanting to know I have a job before we move up there. :-)

Jace is doing really well. We have had some monumental breakthroughs in communication - he has learned "wait," and we have been able to have some exchanges in which he can tell me what he wants and I understand, so that has been great. He's also quite the little singer and dancer - he LOVES music!

Well, I am fading. :-) It is just past 6:00 pm, but I am already falling asleep, so I think I'm going to cuddle with Jace and let him watch a movie on the couch. I am sure there are a lot of things I'm forgetting to say, but I'll add them as I think of them. We love and miss you all!