My Birthday Weekend

My birthday was this past Friday; July 29th. It was my last day at Missouri S&T's SEQL workshop. I was beyond ready to be home. After late nights, early mornings, long meetings, a dorm fire, the hard dorm beds and eating out! (Yes, eating out got SO old...I was ready for some good ole' home cooking!) Right before the instructors let us loose my dear teacher friends, the "Amy's" sent me the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers. It was so sweet and special. Friday evening Josh met me at my classroom to unload a bunch of supplies and materials that I got at the workshop. Afterwards we met our dear friends; the Thompson's at El Charro (one of our favorites). The service was terrible that night, but we finally ate and sat and visited for awhile. Mallory made me the most unique school wreath for my classroom door! (I will most pictures soon!) I was exhausted so we headed home around 9:00-9:30ish. We got home and unloaded my car and I began laundry! YIKES! Being gone 2 weeks isnt good on your washing machine! ha! We got to bed at a good hour!

Saturday morning I woke up pretty early and began playing catch-up! I went into town and ran a bunch of errands, washed vehicles, grocery shopped, etc. It took most of the day! Josh and I began getting around to head to Gastons. Gastons is a Trout Fishing Resort in Lakeview, Arkansas and it is SO good. We always go for special events! We had a delicious meal and then took a scenic route home!


Sunday we went and visited Josh's family. They have been working away for several months and it was great to see them. Drake has gotten so BIG and full of life. He is at the stage where he is a lot of fun! Sunday afternoon I fixed my kids their first day goodie bags...(more to come on that in another post), did more laundry and went to Mom and Dads. They have also been gone for a week to a softball tournment. It was great to catch up and see them! We also had my birthday dinner with them and both sets of grandparents. My home made a wonderful meal.







I began today bright and early! I had more errands and chores to get done today! I am preparing for my friend; Kassi's baby boy shower that is going to be at the end of this month. I also got to work in my classroom a little more...and I got it FINISHED! Horray! It feels so good. (I will tell you more later) Tonight we are going down to Josh's aunt and uncles for a dinner.

It was a great birthday weekend!

Fun at SEQL!!

For the past two weeks I have been in Rolla, MO at a Mathematics and Science teachers SEQL workshop. It has been so much fun and very good for me! I have gained so much and got so many great new ideas to integrate into my classroom this year. I am very excited for school to get started this year. I know my second year will be so much more smooth than year one! ha! Year one was great, don't get me wrong. But, year two will be even better! Here are a few fun photos from SEQL.

Welcome Molly Claire

Josh's first cousin Amanda and her husband Chip had their precious Baby Girl: Molly Claire at 9:42 a.m. this morning. Molly Claire weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. This baby girl is something the Wren and Miller families have longed for. We are very happy for Amanda and Chip and the rest of their family. We cannot wait to hold this precious joy!

Josh and I are both away...(more to come about that later) and couldn't be there, so we sent this baby girl arrangement!

Congratulations to the Miller's!

5th Grade Teachers Luncheon

A couple of Friday's ago we had a 5th grade Teachers Luncheon. Hosted by one of the sweetest ladies I know; Jodie. Jodie was actually my 5th grade teacher and I am so lucky to get to work with her now. Our 5th grade team is pretty young...We will have four teachers (including me) that are either first year or second year teachers! Its so exciting! One is a brand new teacher to our district this year and we are so happy to have her. Jodie hosted a wonderful lunch for all of us to get together and discuss this years theme and other odds and ends about the upcoming year. She made many delicious salads, sandwiches, etc. I made a fresh strawberry pie! :) I just love summertime food. It was a wonderful get together! I am getting really excited about the upcoming year. I just know my second year will go so much more smooth than my first year!

The hostess; Jodie and I!

Our 5th grade team!

Stephanie and Kendra!

Lately...at the Hamby House

Lately...at the Hamby House we have been tremendously busy busy bees! Once Summer School was over I had a HUGE to-do-list for Josh and I. There are just some things that must wait for Summer break! Prepare yourself for a long post!


We attended a beautiful and fun wedding on July 2nd. My dear friend; Mary Louise married her long time sweetie; John. I do receive a little credit for hooking these too love birds up! Mary Louise and I went together to a Thayer party one night, the night she first met John. They were youngsters, and their romance didn't blossom right off the bat, but HEY! I helped introduce them from the get go! I got to see some great friends who live in different areas, it was great catching up with them! The wedding was perfect. It was hot, but what did we expect with the wedding being July 2nd!








Also that same weekend Josh and I hung and painted two new interior doors in our home to match the rest. We also put up four new light fixtures! We had 1920's ceiling fans in each room, they had to go! We are very happy with the way they look! I also cleaned out cabinets, washed down our cabinets, cleaned our closets (for our upcoming yard sale) and touched up some interior paint that had been scuffed up! It was definitely a productive weekend at our house!

Monday night we went to our friends; The Gleghorns for a bbq and fireworks. Josh and Chad grilled burgers and squash on the grill. Kendra and I prepared some yummy dishes inside! She made the BEST lemonade I have ever had in my life. It was freshly squeezed and so sweet! mmm! She even served it in mason jars! We also celebrated by birthday with them that night too. I got a cute Vera Bradley frill wallet. We had some other friends join us for fireworks. We had quite the show! I love sparklers...they have always been my favorite firework.

I attended a two day Whole Brain Teaching workshop at our school. There were 450 people representing many states; Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Florida and many more. There was a group of teachers from London, England and Ontario, Canada there also. I learned a lot of great instructional strategies to use this year! I think it will make my classroom run so much smoother! :)

My good friend; Tiffanie and her husband Seth (my assistant principal at school) had their sweet baby girl; Roxie Paige on Friday July 8th! I got to meet her last Saturday! Such a sweet girl with LOTS of hair!

I also got to work in my classroom for many hours over the past couple of weeks. My goal was to have it done before I leave for the workshop....and I MADE IT! yay! Its done and ready for August 18th to arrive!

Josh left two weeks ago to work a hail and wind storm in St.Paul Minnesota so I have been spending a lot of much needed time with my sweet Mom. She is someone who I never get tired of, I could be with her each and every day and be as happy as a lark! She is one hardworking gal too. She helped me stain our back porch in 100 degree temps. It has never had a drop of stain on it, so you can imagine how much time and stain it took to cover it. Wheww...is all I have to say. But it looks fantastic. We also stained our picnic table that my Grandpa made us when we got engaged! It looks great! Mom and I also made three new curtains for my classroom. (I will post a picture soon) We joke around and say we are going to make new ones each year...so far that is how its been. I am really happy with these so, it will be awhile before I have her make new.

Mom and I also went to a nearby Lowes twice this week...I purchased two new bi-fold closet doors and a new ceiling fan to be installed by our handyman; Tom this upcoming week. My Mom and Dad are also doing lots of renovating in their home. They are getting new concrete counter tops, new appliances, new back splash, light fixtures, door knobs, etc. I am so happy for them! The counter tops are going to look amazing! I just love projects!

I am now preparing for a two week workshop at Missouri S&T. It is a Math and Science workshop. Two local teachers and myself are going to attend. I am excited to learn new things!

Our Weekend

We had a SUPER but very busy weekend! Since I have been out of school I have yet to have a free day. We have been on the go constantly. Friday was my very first day to get to stay home since summer began. I worked around the house doing laundry, working on yard sale stuff, napping, catching up on my DVR's and working outside. It was a great day! Friday evening we went to my school and Josh took a photo of me in front of the masonry sign for my beginning of the year postcards. I am trying to get a head start on my school stuff this year!

Friday for dinner we were invited to the Thompson's for a BBQ. We had originally planned to go to Dawt Mill, but Kody decided to treat us to a great meal at their house. We had grilled burgers, squash, the best guacamole I have ever had, baked beans, and I made a salad. It was delicious! We had a great time visiting and laughing! After dinner we took a short drive around their home and into town. We got home late and went to bed.

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready to go to Springfield for the Richter/Roper Wedding. The wedding was later in the evening, but we decided to go up early to eat at Hinode (our favorite) and shop a little. I have the best hubs! He will shop until he drops and will not complain one ounce! :) I got new material for classroom curtains at the FM store. I love the material...I will share pictures soon! We checked into our hotel and got ready for the wedding. We went to the wedding at 6. It was very hot, but luckily the ceremony was in a shaded area. Chance is a family friend of my family and close friends with Josh. We are so happy for him and Danielle. After the wedding we made our way to the Springfield Stock Yard Center for the reception. It was a great time! :) We made our way back to the hotel late Saturday evening/Sunday morning.




We woke up early Sunday morning and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. It was the best! We stopped at one of our favorite grocery stores in Spfd. before making our way back home. Josh grabbed a few necessities for grilling. We got home around 12:30 and I took a ciesta, did up our laundry, we worked in the yard and our garden, and began preparing for dinner. We had my parents over for grilled chicken, squash, zucchini, potatoes, fresh tomatoes (not from our garden....yet) and strawberry shortcake. It was a great end to a great weekend.

Introducing my niece; ELLIE

I have been so excited to introduce ya'll to my new pride and joy...my niece Ellie JoLynn Tyree. She is such a bundle of joy to each of us. It is so hard to believe that my brother has a baby! I remember when he was just a young tike himself, but now he has his own spitting image. Yes, their baby photos are so similar its hard to tell them apart! My sister and I have also been told she looks a lot like us too! :)

Birth Story:

Ellie was due on January 2, 2011. I was so hopeful that she might come during my Christmas break and I would get to love and hug on her before I went back to school after the new year. No such luck. Heather was set for an induction for January 5th with the plan of a scheduled c-section. Luke, Heather, my mom and Robin arrived at the hospital early morning on the 5th to begin the induction/c-section. I took the 5th off of school so I could be there when Ellie was born (I wouldn't have missed it for anything). Dr. Barrow began Heather on medication to induce her labor, Dr.B said that he would watch her closely and if she wasn't dilated to a specific cm. by noon he would consider a c-section. Dr.B was one busy doctor on the 5th. He delivered four babies before noon. He would check Heather's process periodically. Around 10 a.m. he gave her an epidural. Heather did a great job. She dilated approximately 6 cm. in less than an hour! We couldn't believe the progress. Heather pushed for less than 20 minutes and our sweet baby girl was here! Ellie JoLynn was born at 12:05 p.m.weighing in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 inches long. We could hear her crying from the hallway and couldn't wait to get our hands on her. We finally got the okay to go in. She was perfect. It was amazing to watch my brother hold her and to witness my parents seeing her for the first time. Tears me up still to this day! We passed her around and loved on her before it was time for her bath. We stayed most of the day and then went home later that evening. It was so hard to leave. Here are some photos from Ellie's BIRTHday!

She does have a SET of lungs! ha!

Luke, Heather and Ellie

Daddy and his girl!

MiMi and Papa with Ellie

Papa, Uncle Josh and Daddy with Ellie

My pride and joy!

Aunt Kate and Ellie

Thesis is DONE!

I began working on my Masters degree in February. I am getting my degree in Elementary Administration with hopes to be an administrator one day! It is going great. Its been a wonderful experience taking classes with some of my co-teachers in our school district. We are learning great things from our instructors as well as each other! I have completed 12 hours thus far. Several more hours to go...but I have the MAIN project DONE! Yes, I said DONE! Writing my thesis is something that I have dreaded doing for quite sometime. I began working on it in April and finished it this week!

My thesis is about how organized classroom structure does impact a students learning. I compared a self-contained 5th grade classroom to a departmentalized 5th grade classroom and found that departmentalized classrooms are the best choice for 5th grade students. I compared our; departmentalized 2010 MAP scores to a comparable school district in the state that is self-contained in the 5th grade and found that ours was much higher. Just exactly what I wanted to prove! :)

Summer school is almost over, my thesis is DONE and now its time to relax! Let my Summer vacation begin!