November 20, 2015: Henry Huggle-monster

He was hugging me.  That's cute. 

November 19, 2015: Dino-sized improvements

I got this super awesome velociraptor sticker from my student today. This kid is usually pretty defiant and never shows that he cares at all about me as his teacher, so I was SHOCKED when he gave me a sticker from his brand new sticker book, along with a hug. 

I wore this thing like a badge of honor today. We are making progress! 

November 18, 2015: What just happened?

This is how my mom found me after I dropped my kids off outside.  If you can't tell from the picture, I just needed a rest.  I had a hard day. Actually, the last 3 days in a row have been really, really hard. Last week my students had the best week, and this week I have no idea who these crazed, tiny, irrational children are.  I do know that I am going to have to find a way to survive the next few days. T-4 more school days until Thanksgiving break. We. Can. Do. This. 

November 17, 2015: New Roomie

Yep, that's my mom. I kinda love that she is staying in my tiny house on my miniature size pull out couch.  :) 

November 16, 2015: Mary's heart

I needed this today. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." 

I am praying that I can be like Mary and choose to just sit at Christ's feet and soak Him in, rather than run around Martha style all panicky and anxious and irritated.  

November 15, 2015: Pillar Mountain

My first sunset hike. Magnificent. 

November 14, 2015: Baby Smiles

Henry gave us an impromptu photo shoot today. These are some of my favorites: 

This was one happy kid today! I know I have always stuck to only posting one picture each day, but how can you choose today? Most people who know me know that I don't think new babies are especially cute. Today, Henry crossed over from "newborn, slightly alien-looking" baby into "I look like a real person and I am actually cute."  Congrats, Henry! 

November 13, 2015: Weird Light Pic #2

Told you this was bound to happen. 

November 12, 2015: Snowy Mountains

 Yes, I have fallen in love all over again with the mountains. Look at how beautiful they are with the snow! I actually stopped my car in the road to lean out the window and take this picture. 

November 11, 2015: Game on.

No time for snuggling right now, Henry. It's game night. 

November 10, 2015: Snow! Lots of it!

Happy winter, from Kodiak! 

November 9, 2015: Livemore Challenge: Make a List

Today's livemore challenge was to make a list of things that you want to do.  Not a list of things that have to get done (I have way too many of those already) but of things you enjoy and that you are excited to do at some point.  Like so many other people, I have my bucket list tucked away somewhere and have been checking items off of that list for a while.  As part of this challenge, I decided to make a Kodiak-style bucket list.  What things do I want to experience here before I leave? 

If you can't really see it in the picture, here is what I came up with:
-See the Northern Lights
-Hike all 3 Sisters in one day
-Complete the 7 summit challenge
-Hike the Near Island Trail
-Kayak
-Host my friends for regular game nights
-Go hunting with someone
-Catch a fish
-Backpack and survive without being eaten by a bear
-Volunteer at the shelter
-Eat at every restaurant on the island, even the food trucks
-Learn about the native cultures
-Read through the Old Testament
-Make it to Galley Tables on time, and maybe share a story
-Get a dog!
-Run a half or full marathon here
-Participate in the Eco-Challenge
-Visit all the museums
-

I am sure I will come up with many more things, so I will just keep adding them to the list. 

November 8, 2015: Spruce Cape

I LOVE that there are so many different hikes on this island. Today's was a new one for me. This morning I felt so anxious about the week ahead.  Will I get everything done in time? Will I ever get to the point where I feel like I am not drowning in plans, papers to grade, games to make, circles to cut? I am thankful that God uses time outside to remind me that He calms the storms, He is bigger than anything I can even begin to worry about, and that sometimes I need to just chill out. 

Thanks, Kayla, for introducing me to this new hike. Loved it! 

November 7, 2015: unashamed of the baby posts

Come on. He's cute! 

Today was a great day though. I got to spend time with my mom in the morning while supporting local artists, lounged around the house with my family, celebrated my friend's son at his 5th birthday party, and had a lot of fun going to see the high schoolers in "Guys and Dolls." 

Absolutely no school work was completed today.  It was perfect. 

November 6, 2015: Big Brother

Leave it to Arthur to reclaim his boppy pillow just as Henry arrives. I am proud of this kid though. Despite all the change, he is adjusting well. My favorite moment tonight was when he told us, "Arthur hold  Henry." We all teared up and got him situated, ready for this adorable moment where he holds his baby brother for the first time. Just as the cameras were pulled out and positioned, and Henry was lowered toward Arthur's lap, Arthur frantically changed his mind and yelled, "Arthur CAN'T hold Henry!"  

No pressure, buddy. Whenever you're ready.  :)

November 5, 2015: Henry is Here!

This little man made his grand appearance today! I love that I live so close and get to snuggle him whenever I want to.  Except his tiny body was like a hot box. I had him for 15 mins before I was sweating like a maniac. Henry, you're going to have to cool it if we want this to work out :) 

November 4, 2015: #livemore failure

Today's #livemore challenge was to read in a coffee shop. Here was a bit of a challenge: I was planning to go directly from work to Meg and Kyle's to hang out for dinner and the evening. They live really close to my work. The coffee shops on the island are on the other side of town and it didn't make sense to drive all the way there just to come all the way back. (Side note: before I moved here people on the island would talk about the hassle of driving 15 mins from one part of town to the next, and I laughed at them behind their backs. I was coming from Chicago, the land of long commutes.  However, it didn't take long for me to become adjusted to the short commute times here and now I complain if I have to make the "long trip" from base to town).  I was going to just scrap the whole coffee shop challenge but then remembered hearing about a coffee shop at the airport, convienently located between my work and Meg's house. Perfect! I would just read there for 30 mins before heading to dinner. I got there, and saw that the coffee shop is attached to one of the airline offices, and it has 1 small table in the shop and a couple couches in the waiting area of the airline. Seemed a little too awkward to just sip and read next to people who were waiting for their in-island flights, so I just grabbed my hot cider and left. This was my second livemore challenge I failed! And it won't be the last. Saturday I am supposed to take a bath. I have no tub. 

November 2, 2015: Robo-teacher

I live on an island in Alaska. One of my curriculum mentors lives in LA. So she visits our classroom via robot once a week. The kids LOVE it!! They crack up every time she rolls in, and they always find SOMETHING they have ask me or tell me, just so they can get close to her. 

November 1, 2015: #livemore

Kate and I are participating in the Live More Challenge. We get an email at the beginning of the week with challenges for each day of that week. The challenges are designed to encourage us to do things to bring a little extra joy in our days and make us feel special. Fun, right?  Today's challenge was to buy fresh cut flowers. I put them in my favorite vase, which is a family heirloom.  I liked today's challenge. Tomorrow's is to wear red lipstick. I will not be participating. 

October 31, 2015: Happy Halloween!

Ha. I love this. Mom, Meg, and I went on a walk before the craziness of trick or treating and Halloween parties. Mom and I went off trailing to the side of a cliff to hunt for a geocache. I climbed to the edge and got on my belly so I could reach over the side of the cliff to feel around for the cache. She started yelling at me that it wasn't worth it and I had better get back. If you know either of us well, you know that we are both ridiculously clumsy. (I currently have 11 bruises from knocking into tables and walls and children, and mom falls. All the time).  So she was probably right in thinking we shouldn't have been even remotely close to the edge of the cliff. Next thing I knew, she was crawling around next to me. She found the cache first.

October 30, 2015: I have the best views at recess

Barometer, termination dust, and the moon. Not sure why, but I loved it. 

October 29, 2015: Rainbow

This got all the kids (and their teacher) excited at recess today! 

October 29, 2015: Momma's Here!

After days of rain (and flooding), the sun peeked through this afternoon. Which is great because my mom flew in tonight!  She is here to help when Meg has her baby. The due date is one week away!

October 27, 2015: Soaked!

Today's walk was also stormy.  I went with Alanna, and by the time we finished, I was soaked anywhere where my raincoat didn't cover. And even with it, rain snuck in at certain places.  We are committed to walk every week, and I am sure we will face weather even more treacherous than today's. That's Kodiak! 

October 26, 2015: Stormy Night

I needed some Mandy time tonight, so I went for a nice, long walk and ended at the beach. I am loving evenings like this. Something about the sky and the churning waves feel so mysterious, and I love when I can walk down to the beach and soak it all in.  

October 25, 2015: coat for sale

Surprise, surprise, I didn't take a picture for the blog today. I am majorly slacking. I did take a picture of this coat that I am selling so I could post it on the island Facebook site. Sorry that this was the most exciting thing that happened today. 

October 24, 2015: Fall Fest

Catie and I were working hard at the admission table at our school's fall fest.

October 23, 2015: Pajama Day

This kid's pajamas put my Ninja Turtle ones to shame! 

October 22, 2015: Sunsets

Sunsets here are still not as beautiful as they are over Lake Michigan, but they are still gorgeous! I have always loved mountains and am so grateful I get to see them everyday. 

October 21, 2015: Boo!

Peterson coworkers are the best! What a fun surprise :) 

October 20, 2015: Pajama Day Prep

My kiddos earned a pajama party. I always wore random sweat pants for pajama days in the past, but first grade calls for something more fun. 

Boom. Heroes in a half shell. I can't wait for Friday! 

October 19, 2015: You're going to see this again

Last time I did this picture a day blog, there were countless nights I would lay down at night and realize I never took a picture that day. Rather than get up and find something unique or interesting, I started taking a picture of the vent above my bed. With different filters or apps, because that makes anything look creative. This time around, there is no vent above my bed, but this light will suffice. Any predictions on how many times this year you will see it?