endings and beginnings

Yesterday, as I pulled out of my driveway one last time to go to work at Jane Long Middle School, it was the weirdest feeling.  This was the last day, for a while at least, that I would be leaving my house in the morning to head off for a day of teaching.  But, for the first time (I think because everything at work was finally pretty much wrapped up FINALLY), I started getting really excited about this next phase in our lives!

Over this last week, I finished out my last year of teaching by...

organizing our field day
  watching my kids clean up their food fight on the last day of school,

 

helping some of my students do a photo booth at the school dance to raise money for Mercy Project

announcing names and shaking the hands of all of the 8th graders as they walked across the stage during our 8th grade celebration to receive their awards and completion certificates

chaperoning the 8th grade dance

helping my kids finish their Inquiry Club projects--which was quite an accomplishment in my book because every other year we've run out of time

cleaning out my room (or rather...having my kids help me clean out my room)

saying good bye to the wonderful teachers I've worked with for the last four years, thanking our awesome support people, hugging the sweet woman who cleaned my room and talked to me everyday after school
(and I'm posting this picture even though I look awful and huge in it because it's the only one I have of them!)
  and saying good bye to my sweet students as they head off to high school!

 

And now, it's time for our baby!  We (or rather, Landon :)) have been busy setting up Aedan's swing, high chair and bouncer

putting the finishing touches on the nursery

 

and enjoying spending time with friends and with each other before our little boy makes his appearance!