So Amused

When Sofia cries, this is what I do to stop her. She is just like her mom, would rather be outside in the sunshine.

Man I just love her blue eyes...

She is as happy as can be when we finish looking outside.

The Time Has Come

to throw away my apple. To lock up my classroom. To retire my badge. I have complete mixed feelings about this step in my life. I know I will never regret it, but I will miss it. Everyday I will think about my students. I will think about what teachers are teaching, which kids are getting in trouble, which will go to college.

What am I going to miss most?

Getting presents like these...

Seeing a note on my desk in the morning when I get to school that say this...

Mrs. Crane,
These are the last days that we're seeing each other. Thank you for being the best teacher I have ever had. Thank you for caring about me. I wish you were my mom and that I was Sofia's big sister. God has great plans for you and your family. Please never forget about me. I also thank you because when I was sad, you would cheer me up. I hope we see each other some day. I will miss you so much. On the last day of school I will be really sad because we won't see each other every day. Thank you for being my second mom.
You Rock,
Student
P.S. Don't tell anyone about this


Knowing that I am making a difference in a person's life. I teach completely because I LOVE these children. I cry myself to sleep sometimes knowing what they go through at home. It's discomforting to know that some of my kids have lived in a drug selling house, that some of my girls have been sexually abused, that a few have no one at home telling them how beautiful they are so they turn to bulimia, or other harmful things.  In the demographic that I teach in, I am a mother to a lot of them.

Do you like that I am on a chair so I can feel better about myself?

They say I have a "teacher look" and a "mom look." Bad combo.

I'm in my classroom right now. 9 pm. Cleaning and I just had to take a break because I'm so sad. Wow, I'm crying just writing this. Today they threw me a surprise party. Brought my favorite thing in the world. Ice cream. They even made an i-movie about why they are going to miss me.


I'm really going to miss teaching. It's hard for me to say goodbye to a career that I know I am genuinely good at.

Saturday...While Dad's at Work

Dad had to work today. We hate when dad has to work on Saturdays. But, that sure does not stop us from having fun...I love my mac. Don't mind her hair, she had just woken up and I took her for a jog.

Are we bored or what? DAD come home!

Old Timers

This past weekend, I got to spend some time with my freshman friends from college. I can't believe freshmen year was 9 years ago. Ouch. We have all gotten married, well, almost. Amber is the last one to tie the knot. So, of course, we threw her a bridal shower. We love her so much.

The dinner menu

The food table...without the food yet...

Cupcake table...got to have one of those. They were lilac cupcakes I might add. Delish.

 

A few hours after, the girls and their boos went to India Palace for dinner. We love culture food. You can probably tell from the picture that we are all from different cultures. Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese, Mexican, and Jeff. Sofia falls in the Mexican category.

From Head to Toe

She is pretty, from head to toe. See?

What I love about this pic? Other than the color, alien toes,

What I love about this one? It looks like a sausage with toes.

I can't believe I wanted all boys. What was I thinking??? To follow in my moms, and Traci's, footsteps...I'm thinking all girls now. What do you think?

Envy

Pretty soon, in 2 weeks, I will be an official "Stay at Home Mom." I capitalize it because it is a job title. I pretend to think that Sofia is going to take all her naps and let mom clean and start some projects. I know it's not going to happen, but a girl can dream right? Well, I follow a girlfriend's blog who is sooo talented with her time at home, which gives me hope that I can do something good with my time, rather than sit and watch Oprah while eating bon bons. (p.s. anyone else so depressed it's her last season...yeah, right when I'm finally home to watch it!)

I look at Julia's blog and I am utterly amazed. I know I am talented in other ways, and I need to focus on that, but a girls gotta dream that one day she can be as talented in THIS way!


Check out a before and after...

Since I've been looking at her blog, I've looked around my house and asked myself "what could I take and make better?" Ummmm, a lot. So here is a picture of Sofia's little dresser. Maybe some cute knobs to add to it? (Did you notice the bottom knob broke off?? Oh wait, I cut that out of the picture on purpose. The knob is sitting there, on the top. See it?).

I feel that I am pretty good at decorating my very little home. I do what I can with what I have.  So here are some pictures to show off, and prove that I do have a little bit of talent...(btw, my house is so dark and has lots of brown, so I really want to bring out the blue this summer).

I'm thinking of adding blue toned pillows to my brown couch, and replacing my brown curtains with some other color. Julia, help?

Another talent...I am also really, really good at dressing my daughter. (But I can't sew a button).

HGTV...welcome Julia Miller.

Check out her blog 551eastdesign.blogspot.com

We love to SMILE

Jeffrey makes me smile a lot. He makes Sofia smile even more. Seeing her smile is better than eating cheesecake.

Heather was walking around our neighborhood taking pictures. She used us, the Crane Models. We didn't charge her, despite how demanding our modeling schedule is. 

I LOVE Jeff's real smile. You don't see it often because he's usually making a funny face in pics. This is real. Wrinkles.

I just have lots of real wrinkles. One for every hour lost of sleep.

She wins.

Feliz Dia de las Madres

dear mom,
       i had no idea how hard it was to be a mom. oh how little i knew. i didn't know you only sleep 4 of the 24 hours a day. i didn't know even when they are sleeping, you still wake up to check if they're alive. i didn't know I'd spend 5-6 hours of my day feeding      VFGNILLKUJHGGT^F7U6,mf  (oops, sorry, sofia just typed that). i didn't know how expensive a little human could be. i didn't know how I could cry just because she's crying. i didn't know i could read so much and know so little.
       i also didn't know that i could loving shopping for someone more than I love shopping for myself. i didn't know I could love someone as deeply as I love Jeff. i didn't know how much my mom loves me, until i knew my love for sofia. i just didn't know.
      momma, thanks for doing everything I've done for Sofia, for me. i owe you my life. thanks for teaching me everything you know, and everything you don't know too. you're the smartest, most talented, and creative person i know. you throw the best parties, find the best deals, give the best advice, get the best clothes, and give the most love. happy mom day.

i heart you,
~jackson.

mom and her daughters.

mom and her diego.

mom and my sofia