A shower!

Karmel threw a baby shower for my work friends. It was mostly a surprise as I didn't know it was happening until I got the shower invitation that Wendy made on my desk at work. I wasn't expecting anything at all and I came home feeling an enormous amount of love. I am so grateful to work with such amazing people that love me and are so awesome to be around. Claire is going to be such a lucky girl to be surrounded by such wonderful people when she is so young.

We got everything we need for Claire to come and now are just waiting patiently. (Or...not so patiently sometimes.) Clarie now has more clothes, diapers, wipes, blankets, bottles, toys, a bath, baby heath stuff. We are extremely blessed. As I was writing thank you notes, I couldn't help but think how silly they were. People are unbelievably kind and I give them a card? A card can't begin to express my gratitude.

Karmel had her camera but she forgot about it until we were walking out the door. I did have Brent take a picture of the diaper cake with his phone though. How cute is that? Karmel had a friend make it for us. I love it!

Also, here we are at about 34 weeks. (Another phone picture...I really need to use the camera!) Woohoo! Now we are 36 weeks... Claire is coming soon!

I'm growing.

Here are some pictures of my growing belly! (It is time to share them with the world....) They are all cell phone pictures so not the greatest quality, but eh, they are pictures none the less.

I really grew a lot in about 2 weeks (it was insane!) and feel like I've slowed down again. It's funny to notice little differences throughout being pregnant.

Example, I've always been a little big large for the toy on the playground. However, today as I was trying to play with my kids during recess, I found it very difficult to turn sideways and squeeze through the small openings. I have always been able to just turn and slip though. I discovered that I didn't quite slip through easily as I had in the past. It was funny to squish on through though. Baby sure didn't enjoy being in such a tight space. haha

In all honesty, I have been feeling great (in large part thanks to this fantastic husband I have-he is great). I really can't complain about being pregnant. Sure, there are the things I'm sure everyone experiences-I'm tired after a long day at work, and my feet are swollen sometimes, I wake up with my hands asleep, and I have to go to the bathroom all of the time, but I love it. I love feeling her moving inside me and I love watching Brent put his hand on my belly to try to feel her. (She doesn't like to show off though and move when we are feeling for her-the stinker.) I love laying super still to watch my belly move and shake as she tries to get comfy. I love that when I fold my arms and rest them on my belly, she pushes against them to try and get me to move. When we go to the doctor and hear her strong heartbeat, I can't help but smile and love her. I watch the video of her ultrasound multiple times-I can't get over how adorable she is. I love getting things ready for her to come join us and I love going into her room. I feel very blessed.

Calling all Smarties!

So, did you know that you are smart? Because you are. And since you are sooo smart, I decided to enlist your help so you can show off your brains.

What do I really need for Baby Hirzy?

I have been finding a few lists on the internet and most of them seem to have a lot of stuff. I'm wondering what kinds of things are essential to have.

We do have a crib (thanks Mom & Dad!), a car seat, stroller, and changing table (thanks Grandma Blue Hair!), dressers, clothes, sheets & mattress protectors, and a couple blankets.

What else do we need? I'm talking everything, People. From things you think would be obvious, to the not so obvious.

Thanks, Guys. You really are smart.

Jelly Beans Up Your Nose

Johnny stuck jellybeans up his nose

That's a pretty dumb thing to do.

But the other kids said, "Hey, John's real cool.

Let's put beans up our noses, too!"

Well, a kid can't breathe with beans up his nose

'Cause they get all stuck inside.

So John and the kids, well, I hate to say it,

But they coughed and they choked and they died.

That's a pretty grim tale, I must admit,

And it may not all be true,

Still when somebody cool does something dumb

You don't have to do it, too.

So don't be one of those

With jellybeans up your nose.

(I don't know where this came from, but Karmel's kid had it in her homework packet.)

I read this to my students today. They really understood not to copy the dumb things that cool kids do.

D "Like, if I started beating up C and all of you joined me."
Mrs. Hirz "Yeah, because you are so cool we would totally want to be just like you and do everything you are doing. We would so want to beat up C if you were."
C "Hey, why are you all beating me up? That would be a chart drop for everyone."

It was awesome.

Graduation! August 2011

Brent graduated from BYU in June with his Bachelors of Science in Geography with an emphasis in Travel and Tourism. Wah-hoo! It has been a long time in coming, but I am so proud of this kid. He stuck with it and finished.Graduation ceremony was in August for June graduates. We were lucky enough to have lots of family be able to join the celebration. (We did miss grandparents, Stacie, and Hilary though!)

Tuesday we went to pick up Kevin from the airport. We are so glad he could come! I've missed having big brother around. When are you moving back? :) Our instructions were to take him directly to Docs. We weren't allowed to go home first. So, that is what we did. And Kevin had a delicious time eating endless amounts of gross pizza.

Thursday was Commencement ceremony. Brent said he found us in the Marriott because of Kevin's beard. There aren't very many people at BYU with a huge, red beard and so it was easy for him to spot us. Way to go, Kevin! ha.

Thursday night after Commencement we came back to our apartment for some pizza and cupcakes. Brent and I had our first ultrasound on Monday and we found out that we are having a little girl. We kept it a secret from our families until Thursday night when we could surprise everyone together. We made cupcakes with some pink food coloring hidden inside. Someone said "If you see the color, don't say what's inside until we all find out for ourselves." But, Mark isn't very good at following the rules, ha, so he shouted "It's pink!" My mom was so excited that she dropped the cupcake on the floor. Way to go, Mom. It was fun being able to tell our family all together. My dad stood up, gave me a hug, and said, "My little girl is having a little girl." :)

Friday we went to celebrate at Tucano's. Mmm, it was delish. Friday night was

Brent's college graduation. It was almost as long as big Commencement because Brent graduated from the biggest college. I was so excited when they called his name and he got his diploma cover. He is done! And he didn't even trip walking across the stage!!

Saturday we went to temple square. It was great fun. I also learned that day that being pregnant makes me hot and tired very quickly.

Family, thanks for coming to celebrate with Brent. It meant a lot to have you all here.

Brent, I am so proud of you. You have worked so hard the past few years and it has paid off. You are done! I love you and I'm so thankful for your hard work.

20 week ultrasound with VIDEO

We saw baby today and it was amazing! She is beautiful, she is healthy, and she has the most amazing beating heart! We learned that all of her parts (heart, brain, umbilical cord) are in working condition and that she is 12 oz. I had a few tears when I saw her tiny, beating heart. I didn't know what we were looking at most of the time, but the ultrasound tech kept saying she was beautiful and she knows what she's talking about so I believe her. :) I feel so blessed.

This week I....

::drove to Tri Cities, spent the night, and went to Prosser.

::drove to Moses Lake.

::had a camp fire and roasted marshmallows.

::had hamburgers with Jeannie and Brian.

::played with Heathee.

::slept in.

::played with the dog.

::laughed at the cat.

::read a lot of Harry Potter and watched a lot of Harry Potter.

::almost got our parked car smashed by a dumb truck at the bank.

::went to Thai Cuisine and had delicious rice and noodles.

::went shopping with Mother.

and last, most importantly, and certainly not least...

::heard a little baby heartbeat and am 14 weeks pregnant today!!

This one deserves more than a sentence. :)

We found out we were pregnant May 11 with some at home tests. We were quite shocked and so thrilled. Since then we have been to the doctor twice and heard a heartbeat both times. The first time the heartbeat was 180 bpm and most recently it had dropped to 160 bpm. It was such an amazing experience to hear a fast heart beat. It sounded like a horse running around inside of me. We have been looking up "how big is baby" every week and it is incredible to see how much the baby changes each week. We are blessed beyond words and more excited than ever. We are looking forward to changes that will come over the months/years to come.

cause I really like to be a winner....

I have a friend. And he is a pretty cool dude. He teaches 5th grade at my school and is kinda humorous. Well, he also has a blog. And it's a good read. You see, he is having a contest on his blog. And I looooove winning things. Who doesn't love to win? So dear friends, I need a little help and I'm calling on you. You see, I picked one of my favorite old posts. It is about making home visits to students before school starts and I adore home visits. He tells a couple of funny stories and I think you would all get a giggle. I need you to go to this post. If you all look at it, and then tell your friends to look at it on facebook and your blogs, I might just win!

In short:

1-Click on the link below and view this post

2-Tell all of your friends to click on the link and view the post

3-Help me be a winner

4-Accept my love and appreciation

As much as I hate to beg....pleeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssseeeeeeeee?

Here is a link to the post http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/2008/08/while-making-home-visits.html

It's Grant's Birthday!!

Oh dearest Grant! It is your birthday and you are another year older and another year wiser. While we love you and it is your birthday, there are some bad things about you....

1. You are SO far away and you never come to visit.

2. Brent wants to cuddle with you instead of me.

&

3. You haven't moved to New Mexico yet which would be closer to us.

Even though these things are sad, we still wish you a happy birthday and wish we could have spent it with you! Love ya!

a quarter of a century

Wow, Brent just turned OLD! He turned the big 2-5 today. Whew.

Happy birthday to the greatest guy in the world.

The special day consisted of:

-Jdawgs with the Garett and the Presley

-Target with those same folks

-Brent building a fancy shower thing for our new apartment

-present opening of which consisted of things like Vaderade and Lightsabers and a pre-ordered copy of Star Wars bluray

-Kung Fu Panda 2

-a whole bunch of black pepper chicken for the birthday boy

&

-about 25 renditions of the birthday song that I sang to him

Happy birthday, Brent! I love you and I love that you are a quarter of a century old, ya old man!

a little quiz

How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.

How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.

The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator.

There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting.

very interesting....

http://slashninja.com/it-depends-how-you-look-at-it/

Dear Spring Break,

It has been enjoyable. I have loved the time we spent together. We did lots of things during this glorious week. There was beautiful weather full of sunshine and even some rain. You provided ample time to play with friends and giggle. I was able to play catch in the sunshine with my fancy baseball glove and swing at the park as the sun set. I had the freedom of sleeping in and relaxing. You even gave me time to deep clean the closet-the closet thanks you. I ate delightful food with great company during your week.

I do however have one complaint. For some reason, the week of your visit has gone by much too quickly. I thought you were going to go by at the same speed as most weeks, a nice leisurely pace. But, you didn't. You must learn to slow down. It's a good thing I'm going back to great kids so I'm not toooo mad at you.

Until next year,

Carolyn

please do yourself a favor and watch this

shout out...

...to THIS guy!

My dad called me to talk about the car, and we ended up chatting for awhile. I have the greatest dad ever. Love you, Pops.

The Little Boy by Helen Buckley

I've posted this before, but I've been thinking a lot about it lately. So I thought I'd post it again... How grateful I am for my kids and their creative minds. I hope I'm only helping their creativity to grow.

Once a little boy went to school.
He was quite a little boy.
And it was quite a big school.
But when the little boy
Found that he could go to his room
by walking right in from the door outside,
He was happy.
And the school did not seem
Quite so big any more.

One morning,
When the little boy had been in school awhile,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture.."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make pictures.
He could make all kinds:
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats--
And he took out his box of crayons
and began to draw.

But the teacher said, "Wait!
It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.

"Now," said the teacher,
"We are going to make flowers."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make flowers,
And he began to make beautiful ones
with his pink and orange
and blue crayons.

But the teacher said, "Wait!
And I will show you how."
And it was red, with a green stem.
"There," said the teacher.
"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the
teacher's flower.
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacher's
But he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over
And made a flower like the
teacher's
It was red, with a green stem.

On another day,
When the little boy had opened
The door from the outside all by
himself,

The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make
something with clay."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked clay.

He could make all kinds of things
with clay:
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks--
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay.

But, the teacher said:
"Wait!" It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone
looked ready.

Now the teacher said,
"We are going to make a dish."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make dishes,
and he began to make some
that were all shapes and sizes.

But the teacher said, "Wait!
And I will show you how."
And she showed everyone how to make one deep dish.
"There," said the teacher.
"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the
teacher's dish.
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his dishes better than the
teacher's
But he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big
ball again and made a dish like the
teacher's.
It was a deep dish.

And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait,
And to watch,
And to make things just like the
teacher.
And pretty soon he didn't make
things of his own anymore.
Then it happened
That little boy and his family
Moved to another house,
In another city,
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.

This school was even bigger
Than the other one,
And there was no door from the
outside into his room
He had to go up some big steps,
And walk down a long hall
To get to his room.

And the very first day he was
there,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a
picture!"
"Good!" thought the little boy.

And he waited for the teacher
to tell him what to do.
But the teacher didn't say anything.
She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy
She said, "Don't you want to make
a picture?"
"Yes," said the little boy,
"What are we going to make?"
"I don't know until you make it,"
said the teacher.
"How shall I make it?" asked the little
boy.
"Any color," said the teacher.
"If everyone made the same
picture,
And used the same colors,
How would I know who made
what, And which was which?"

"I don't know," said the little boy.
And he began to make a red flower
with a green stem.

Happy birthday, Brother!

These are just a few things I love about Kevin.

Kevin...

::is crazy smart. He knows the weirdest things. He isn't annoyingly smart either. Kevin is great in school but works hard too. He is an awesome example.

::is a wonderful brother and an even better friend. As we grew up and moved apart, I realized that I really missed Kevin when he wasn't around. When we both lived in Provo I loved hanging out with Kevin and I found out that I didn't only love Kevin when we were in different countries, but when we hung out a few times a week too. I miss Kevin (and Stacie!!) now that they are gone and wish we could still hang out often.

::is in love with Brent. He seriously loves him. And Brent loves Kevin. Brent just said he also loves his "new handsome scruffy look." It's nice to have brothers that love Brent.

::is a turd. He can dish out a lot of teasing but he can take it well too. Usually. :)

::is a good spider slayer...

::is fluent in 3 languages. English, Portuguese, & Wookieespeak.

I love you, Kevin. Miss you! Happy birthday you old man.

sigh

March 17, 2011

Dear Mrs. Hirz, Mrs. Clarck and Mr. Trip.

Thank you for being my teachers. For Mrs. Hirz thank you for bing the Nices teacher I ever had in my hole life thank you for Helping me bing good. [Then he went on to write a note to Mrs. Clark & Mr. Tripp, too.] Thank you guys for Helping me.

Love,

-----

[then he wrote "feeling" with a happy face and a sad/crying face underneath]

I always feel a little happy and a little sad when I have students leave, too. And today I had 2 students go so I felt twice as happy and twice as sad...

Have I said lately how I love my job? I think I have. Well, have I said lately that I love my kids? I have the greatest kids in the entire school. I'm positive.

going along with being sick...

Mrs. Hirz: "J, you sneezed all over D. What do you say?"

J: "Achoo?"

Mrs. Hirz: left the classroom because she couldn't contain the fits of laughter

siiick

It's a good thing that I love my job. And that I have the greatest kids in the world. Because even when I'm sick (again!!) I still think my job is awesome.

But, I won't tell a lie, it would be .great. if is wasn't sick. Just sayin. Here's to a stuffed up nose and a million sneezes. Cheers.

.miracles.

(Once again I'm wishing I were more able to express my feelings with beautiful words....)

This week the purpose of the Sunday School lesson was to teach some of the reasons the Savior performed miracles. I was so excited to teach this lesson. One of the questions the manual suggested asking was:

-What is one of the Savior's miracles that you would like to have witnessed? Why?

When I asked the question, the kids in class said it was such a hard choice. There were so many miracles that Christ performed that they couldn't just choose one. I completely agree. As my thoughts have been drawn back to this question throughout this week, I think I have come up with my answer.

I would have loved to witness (from a distance) the Savior calming the storm. I think it is so incredible and powerful beyond words. I also feel that it applies so directly to me. And everyone else. Peace can come. Peace will come. Peace does come.

Mark 4:35-41

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

41 And they feared exceeding, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Happy Valentines Day

I have combined valentines day with one of my favorite things and made these super cute heart shaped ladybug sugar cookies! We took some over to the Kofoed's for dinner and Garett ate them all. We watched fringe, and Pres helped me make valentines for my students. They turned out super cute.

p.s. remember how Presley made my blog page all cute and then I decided to not blog anymore? "Yeah I pretty much suck."

ideas? suggestions?

Don't fail me now! haha

Since I'm awesome and my favorite holiday is Groundhog's Day/my birthday, I wanna do something extra wonderful on Wednesday. I want to make sure to celebrate Groundhog's Day in my classroom but I don't really know how to do that. Does anyone have any rockin ideas?

to Stacie

Happy birthday! Some of the things we love about you are

::You love meat. Love it. And you are always so happy about eating it.

::You love 30 Rock. Probably because you star in it as Liz Lemon. Because, let's face it, you are her.

::You freaking rock at Mario. And when we would pick you up to throw you off cliffs, you would just bubble to safety and not even really get mad.

::You are funny. Like the time you blamed Brent for the chuck-a-rama smell incident... (I just asked Brent some funny things you have done, and he said "when she blamed her fart on me" hahaha)

::You like Star Wars. And so does Brent. So of course we love you.

::Even though you sometimes wear ribbons in your hair, you still look lovely with them.

::You love Harry Potter and you hate Twilight. Psh, perfect.

::You tell me what it's like to be one year older so I have a couple of days to prepare. Thanks!

::You love my brother. And that is awesome.

We love you, Stacie! We wish you were closer so we could hang out with you. Miss you! Happy birthday!

the truth about what happened to the dinosaurs

Yesterday's field trip took us to the Museum of Paleontology at BYU. I kept telling the kids we were going to the Dinosaur Museum because let's face it, that sounds a whole lot cooler. Anyways, it was a fun field trip with lots of "oohh"ing and "ahhh"ing from the kids (and me!). Each of the adults had a few kids and the kids were required to stay by their adult partner. One of my partners was JRG. On our walk away from the museum to eat our lunches, he told me what happened to the dinosaurs. "Jesus sent down a meteor and it ran into the earth and killed all of the dinosaurs." Hahaha, you betcha.

having a positive attitude

As I was driving to school today I saw a sign holder. You know who I'm talking about. They get paid (what I'm only assuming is a small amount) to stand outside (in all kinds of temperatures) and hold a sign for a business that is advertising some sort of out-of-this-world something or another.

I was stopped at a red light just watching this kid. He was bundled up in a coat and gloves. He could see his breath because it was so cold outside. And he looked like he was having the greatest time! He was dancing around, throwing up his sign, and trying to do tricks. Tricks! He was spinning the sign; throwing the sign to catch it; throwing the sign, having it spin, and catching it; throwing the sign, spinning around himself, and catching it. Wow! I started clapping in my car because he was making me so happy.

I could be completely wrong about what I'm going to say next, but I'm okay with that. I'm wrong on many occasions. I am imagining that this kid needed some money and took the first job he got. I am imagining that this isn't the most glamorous job or the job that he has dreamed of since he was small. I'm imagining that this kid has a million other things to be doing at the time he is needed to be sign holder. However, I'm imagining that he is happy. That he is finding joy in what he is doing when he is doing it. That his attitude is positive.

This kid made me think of how happy people could be if they only had a positive attitude. If people loved their jobs (or at least looked at it with some positive light).

I might be completely crazy to think that people could be a little more positive. I have the. greatest. job. I love my job. Seriously. Even when kids are throwing chairs or refusing to work. I love my job. And I am lucky to have a job I love so much.

But, let's all love our jobs. Or at least try to love our jobs. Try to find joy in what you are doing when you are doing it. Be like my friend the sign holder. Dance. Do tricks. Have a good time. Try it.

guest post. . .

Hello there this is my very first guest post, I feel very honored. My name is Presley Jane, and I have spent my night making Carolyns blog pretty :]] What do you guys think? haha ok thats enough good bye!

the BFG

We are reading the BFG in class.

And today for fun we made a 19 foot BFG. Yes, 19 feet.

And it is insane looking but fabulous all at the same time.

I hung it outside in the hall like he is laying down because he is too tall to stand up!

It was so much fun to see little personalities emerge from the kids. I had the take charge kind and the kind that couldn't do anything without someone else telling them exactly what to do. I didn't give them many instructions, I just wanted to see what they would create. It was such a fun activity! I have amazing kids.

Pictures to come!

awe :]]

Presley Jane Kofoed is just amazing she is my best friend!

Thanksgiving 2010

...yes, I said Thanksgiving. I've been busy people! Cut me some slack. (I still have to blog about our fabulous trip to New Mexico from OCTOBER!!)

The week before Thanksgiving we got to hang out with Andrea! Yay! It was tons of fun and we should do it again sometime! (I would put pics up, but Gare is being inappropriate in every single one. ha)

We were going to go to Moses Lake for Thanksgiving to surprise some family that didn't know we were coming. Well, as the trip got nearer and nearer the weather got worse and worse and we didn't want to drive through the night like we were planning. So, to make a long story short, we ended up just staying here for Thanksgiving. And we had a really great time! We missed family, but had a great time spending time together.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we had the Law's over for Pie Night! There were lots of kinds of pies and we watched Home Alone. Thanks for coming over Friends! We had a great time. (BAH! I can't find the picture....it really was awesome though!)

We had Thanksgiving dinner here at our apartment with just the 2 of us. We had all of the normal food for dinner (green bean casserole, funeral potatoes, rolls, stuffing, pie) and Brent made a fabulous turkey! Good job honey!

We decided to do the whole Black Friday scene since we were here and had nothing else to do. We hit up Walmart before midnight so we could get sweet blurays and some Corell dishes that were a super great price! We also saw Mr. & Mrs. Dominguez (Brandi & Felipe) and chatted with them. I like those kids. Yeah us! We also did Old Navy the next day and got Brent a new coat. Yay for that!

Saturday we went out on a date to the Mayan & to Temple Square to look at the lights! They were beautiful as always & we had a great time.

We were sad we didn't get to see family and spend time at home but glad that we were able to be together. I'm thankful for all that I have & especially thankful for Brent.