Post Holidays Post

Well, here we are, a few days after the Winter Holiday Season. Kim has returned to work, and Daddy and Audrey are rocking out for the second week of school winter break.

We spent most of the past two weeks in South Bend visiting Kim's family and friends. It was really nice to see so many people smile when they held Audrey. She is just a bundle of joy to so many people. As I sat here today giving her a bottle, it felt as if it were the first real time we had together because of all the friends and relatives who spent time with her! :-) I felt blessed to realize that Audrey has so many people both near and far in her life that love her so much!

I want to thank everyone for the wonderful and generous gifts both for Audrey and Kim and I. I am enjoying Spaceballs the Collector's Edition tomorrow (Thanks Gail!) and tonight we're watching The Dark Night (Thanks again Gail!), which pretty much is the best movie I've seen since The Return of the King in terms of overall movie making quality and feeling of satisfaction when the credits finally start rolling!

As for me, I am enjoying the second week of my winter break just doing odds and ends around the house and doing some running around! I enjoy quiet time around the house doing things like dishes and laundry. My guilty pleasure is listening to the podcasts of NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" and "Car Talk" while Audrey takes a nap on my stomach. Pure HEAVEN in my book!

OK, time to finish The Dark Night. More to come this week, as I will find myself with no laundry or dishes tomorrow! Thank you again to everyone! Here are a couple picts!

-A

Long Time....No Blog

Well, it really has been a long time since the last blog. Thigns have been moving so fast as of late. For me, the time between Thanksgiving and the Winter Break is really crammed with testing and extra class assignments because of the short period. School has been goign well, although I never get everything done tha tI set-out to accomplish! I think that's a blessing and a curse because it means we're ambitious, yet it is also frustrating to not be able to finish projects in a timely manner. Oh well,learning doesn't always have a schedule, I guess.

On the family side of things, Thanksgiving was wonderful. My father flew to Virginia to surprise us! It was also the first time he got to meet his granddaughter, so it was extra special! Personally, it was my alltime favorite Thanksgiving due to the combination of the surprise dad element, as well as both Kim and Audrey joining me for their first Virginia Thanksgivings! What a treat. Plus, on top of all of that, the usual wonderful suspects were present plus all of the wonderful food, laughter, and smiles! Audrey was a champ on the airplanes, sleeping about 95% of the time.

We are currently camped out in South Bend, IN visiting Grandma and finishing our holiday shopping. School was cancled today due to an ice storm, so it was a quiet morning spent in bed playing with my baby and watching the snow fall during sunrise.

As the holiday season approaches, I am both warmed by the love for family and friends, and saddened by the amount of advertising and desperation caused by the tanked economy. I want to wish everyone a safe, peaceful season. I urge everyone to take a moment and count your blessings, no matter how small, end enjoy the ones around you. Many many pictures to follow soon, as I am now on Winter Break and have a bit of time to actually update this blog as well as respond the the bazillion e-mails I've been procrastinating on! Be well and stay warm!

-A

Sunday Morning Thoughts

Hello all. I am sitting here quietly on a Sunday morning, enjoying a few quiet minutes to myself. Kim and the baby are asleep upstairs, and I am resting in my chair downstairs, watching the sun filter through the curtains.

We are preparing for our first Thanksgiving trip as a family. We are traveling to Richmond, Virginia to visit my Uncle Fred and Aunt Irene. This is a trip that I have made annually since I was 18. However, it will be the first time Kim has taken the trip with me, so I am very much looking forward to this Turkey day!

As you might imagine, traveling with a baby will pose its own set of unique challenges. I have never before traveled with a baby, and I am doing my best to cover all the bases. Whenever I have traveled, I always pray that I don't get the seat next to the couple with the infant...no I AM the couple with the infant! :-) One time on an airline, I saw a guy hand earplugs out to all of his neighbors to compensate for his screaming child! I am sure Audrey will fare much better, though.

Well, not too much else going on in our lives. We are set to clean house and put up holiday decorations and such. My goal is to have a completely clean house and have everything set-up before we leave, so we can return to an immaculate house! I think there are few better feelings than returning from a nice vacation to a clean, comfy house! I hope everyone is well and that the holiday season finds you in warm spirits. Photos to come soon!

-a

Sunday Football

Sitting here with Audrey and the dog watching football this Sunday. I wonder what teams my baby will grow up to cheer for? I am so excited to watch her grow up, yet I am trying to savor every moment we have together!

Things lately have been nice. We've found an agreeable sleep schedule, a family function schedule, and I have still be able to remain fully involved with my work. The first quarter is over with my school, and the new term begins. The work level will be ramped up and I expect that not too many students (or parents for that matter) will be happy with teh increase in homework and class expectations.

Oh well, such is life. Always getting ready for the next level, when really, we should be enjoying whatever level we're on! Happy Sunday.

-a

HALLOWEEN & FALL PHOTOS

Time is moving so fast. Halloween already! Audrey the Elephant had a quiet evening and Phoebe the Pumpkin has been enjoying a week or two in Indiana with all of her friends! Here are some photos.

There are times in each day that I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family and such support and love from everyone. We are truly blessed.

-A, K, & A

Overdue Post

Hello Friends and Family.

It has been too long since my last update. Things are going well her ein the Orelove Family Household. Life moves quickly around here these days. Kim and Audrey are enjoying their time together at home while I am back to work in my 5th grade classroom.

Work is still a great pleasure of mine, and I consider myself very lucky to be able to go to a job that I love and am passionate about. My class is making steady strides this first quarter. There is much tha tI want to improve, especially when it comes to writing. However, I am satisfied with our first quarter accomplishments, especially since I was gone for two full weeks. I really think that the time between now and winter break will define our classroom as a community and a group of workers! So get ready for more on that front. The big project at the moment is our class pet project, where I am teaching the class about EBAY and I have given each student an item to auction off. They have learned about what EBAY is, how to write an effective item description, they have taken photos of their items, and next week we'll be listing them on EBAY and using any profits to purchase a class pet and all of the necessary materials! I am really trying to give them real-world experiences that they will remember and can use in the future.

As far as homelife, things are great. Audrey is really starting to grow and put on weight. She is now more than 9.5 lbs! While that doesn't seem like much, it is amazing to think that just a month and a half ago she was under 7lbs! She has started to strengthen her neck muscles, and her head doesn't flop all over. She is also in a mimic stage where if you stick your tongue out at her, she'll stick her tongue out at you! TOO CUTE!

Phoebe the dog is enjoying a couple weeks in South Bend with the other farm dogs. I want her to get a good run in befor ethe winter, and she really loves life down there! I hope that in the near future we can buy a house with a back yard fenced-in so Phoebe can get a good exercise in every day withut having to be on a leash!

Well, that's about it. I'll be posting some photos soon from a variety of events. I just want everyone to know that I haven't forgotten about the blog and I am gla that people are still checking it! More to come son!

Cheers!
-A

Saturday Night with the Newest Kid on the Block

I am sitting here happily on a Saturday night with Audrey and Phoebe on the couch. Kim is out to the New Kids on the Block concert...although I guess you'd call it a sow since none of them play an instrument or anything. I am glad that Audry was born a week early. This way, Kim can go to the show, and my child does not have to be subjected to New Kids on the Block music!

The Newest Kid and Mommy on the Block!!!

The point is, I am enjoying a nice night in with my daughter and my "furry kid", and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. I brought Audrey into my school to visit my classroom and students. While she slept through the entire adventure, my students we fascinated and very excited and eager to share their own advice and experiences with childhood development. My Vice Principal laughed and now calls me the "tapdancer" due to my ability to "dance" around personal and sometimes inappropriate questions brought up. I am looking forward to returning to my class on Monday, but I am also sad that my paternity time is up and I will miss my daughter greatly.

Included in this entry are a couple pictures of Baby Orelove on Mom's preggo pillow!