the saga of the hair....

I have several "Curly Sue's" in my life this year.  Mrs. Rippetoe Harding (librarian and reading teacher partner) and Sweet Olivia.  They have hair to die for...curly and shiny...but the grass is always greener on the other side...so to speak.  So both Maria and Olivia announce they are coming to school Friday with straight hair!

Olivia has the best hair in the business and oh what her mother can do with it...it definitely gives me hair envy. (Check out the darling bunny t-shirt on a recent out of uniform day)

Of course this hair event calls for a "selfie" picture and here are the girls admiring their straight locks.

a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e.

Olivia's hair has gone from shoulder length to almost  "tush" length.  The hours these two spent with the blow dryer is unfathomable...but curly or straight...long or short...they both have it "going on" for them.  Glad I have wash and wear hair.

P.S. No educational time was wasted with this 2 minute photo shoot...the other kids were engaged in learning (I think).

sorry i pooped in your shoe...the process

Several years ago the idea for teacher decorated Christmas trees for the St. Chris auction popped up on the radar.  We were to decorate a tree around a book theme.  This lasted for two years and then ceased.  This year WE ARE BACK and they will be very popular judging from some of the finished products I have seen.  My process:

First you tell Miss King you want your tree in May because you want to work on it over the summer...yeah, like that really is going to happen but it does impress Miss King.  Mine sat on my Hoosier cabinet all of June, July, August, September and most of October.  OMG...it's due next week!

Find a book!!!  I decided on a dog theme and then perused Amazon after entering "dog".  I searched pages and pages and pages of dog books until this little gem popped up.
I mean...what kid wouldn't love a book that had the word "pooped" in it?

Had to have a pair of shoes...

Found large heavy duty stickers and round and square disks and ribbon with paw prints on it...the stars are aligning!

Added the cute skirt, propped the book up and...something was still missing.  Back to Amazon...

...and found this little jewel...a Beanie Baby depicting one of my beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Also threw in this bonus book because how could I not?

The trees will be raffled off on November 23 at the St. Christopher Auction held at the Colombia Club.  Raffle tickets will be sold and then they can be placed in a bag in front of the tree you want.  Come on parents!  

...and the best thing of all is I already have my book for next year...Sorry I Peed in You Bed about the cats you have loved.

kate...

This is Kate.  Kate is one of the kindest kids I know and frankly, I'm not for sure where it comes from...just kidding AJ and Katy (I know them pretty well!).  The first time I met Kate officially was at the St. Chris festival when she was about 4.  She asked me which rides I was going on and I told her that they all kind of scared me.  She said, "I'll go with you and hold your hand" and she's had me eating out of her hand ever since.

Kate is pretty adept at using her Mom's cell phone and contact list and this popped up on my messages a few days ago...L.O.V.E. that smile.

Kate had been dying to tell me what she would like her super power to be (hadn't intended to even ask her ) so when we started the interviewing process, the first thing she told me was that she would love to be able to freeze people...what???

First day of school...she's trying to freeze me I think.

Kate says her Mom and Dad make the best chocolate chip cookies ever but that Dad actually makes them best...I wouldn't know??

Here are some of Kate's "people".  She said her sister Brittany is the most annoying person in her house but it's because Brittany tells her she talks too much..ya think!!

I'm going out on a limb here but I think this is Kate on an airplane to Disney World...but I could be wrong.

Kate told me that when she grows up she wants to be a chef.  She said she would cook for me after she became a chef but wanted to know if I would be retired by then.  I told her I would probably be dead by then...OMG, her eyes got sooo big.  I may have scarred her for life!  Oops!

Living the life at the lake home...it's good to be a Ploughe.

...and like any good Ploughe she has learned that it's important to start earning a living, so she moonlights at Christmas time as the Colombia Club's resident elf.  I mean, you can only earn so much money from the tooth fairy after all.

...and to show how well-rounded she is, she also got to do announcements a week ago.  She begged me to let her do it and then moments before her big gig she was sooo nervous!

"When can I push the red button?"

Kate thinks first grade is so awesome because she gets to hold Topher...uh, what about me Kate?

Kate and Topher

As many of you know, I have four Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Kate has fallen hard for one of them (and the feeling seems to be mutual).

Honestly, Kate doesn't understand why I won't  just turn this love over to her.

Since I won't give her one of my pups, the next best thing is buttering up Grandma and Grandpa (and Christmas is just around the corner AND one of my "girls" MIGHT just be expecting).

Of course I had to do some editorializing.

...and just because...

...some things are better left a mystery!?!

Next up: Keegan

andrew...

This is Andrew (one of two Andrews in my class...so really this is Andrew E. or Andrew 7).  Andrew was new to St. Chris this year but actually I told him this week it seems like he has been there forever.  Andrew is everything you would want in a kid...sweet, handsome, smart, well-behaved and what really captures my heart...he is a red head.

Andrew and his family (well...at least his Mom) and I could be kindred spirits...they are animal crazy.  At last count, they had three dogs with another one joining them around Halloween, four birds (parakeets) and three fish.  They REALLY need a farm cuz then they could have horses, goats, llamas...I must introduce them to the Witek parents.  Andrew...you were a darling "kid".

When I first met the Eller family (on their initial tour of St. Chris) I just knew that I was going to like them and we had so many connections that I didn't even know about.  First...Andrew's two older brothers had graduated from Cardinal Ritter High School which is a huge connection as that is where the majority of our kids go for "higher learning" and second...one of Andrew's older brothers dates one of my favorite "old girls" Samantha W.  What a small world.  I kept my fingers crossed that the Eller family would pick St. Chris and that Andrew would be in my first grade...check and check!

What a lovely family picture...Mom and Dad Eller and older brothers Justin and Zach and right there in front on the left...my Sam!

When I asked Andrew how he likes St. Christopher he just kind of "melted" and said he LOVES St. Chris and his two favorite things about our school are the teachers (awww!) and his very favorite time of day is math time (double awww!).

Love a man who loves baseball.

Andrew said that the secret power he would most like to have is to be able to fly like Iron Man...well yeah...me too.  He also said that he has a very good friend who is almost like a sister to him...they just don't have enough room at their house for a real sister...HA!

I look at this picture and all I can think is how lucky Andrew is to have two big brothers like these.  I don't know them but they certainly are handsome boys...and, let's face it...I think they are pretty lucky to have a little brother like Andrew.

Andrew is a little train "crazy" and definitely thinks steam trains are better than diesel...me too Andrew! (???)  It is a definite theme when he writes.  

Yep...they need a farm.

Of course Andrew took to the classroom critters like a duck to water.

Andrew and Topher

I am so happy that the Eller family decided that St. Chris would be a good fit for Andrew and his mother has quickly become my right-hand gal on Fridays...listening to kids read, organizing and grading homework and just generally willing and able to do anything to help.

Not only did they decide that St. Chris was a good fit for Andrew but for the whole family as well and I will be there for the Easter Vigil Mass (it's like 8 hours long!) to welcome them into the church.  

I told Fr. Mike that I enroll them and convert them...all at the same time!  Seriously though, this is something they have been thinking about for awhile and I am so glad that I can be a little part of that experience.

Glad to have you Andrew and clan.

Next up: Kate

emily...

This is Emily.  She is a younger sister to Lucas, who also was a student of mine a few years back.  She is also a first cousin to three other former students of mine...this family line and connection to me goes back a loooong way.  Unfortunately Emily will be the last for me because I "doubt" I will be teaching when the next generation enters the halls of St. Christopher...actually I am pretty sure of it!

I asked Emily what super power she would like to possess and this sweet, demure, angelic little girl would like to be able to shoot lightening out of her body...okay.  I'm sure that would come in handy if...?

A little girl's dream...being hoisted into the air by three Cardinal Ritter cheerleaders (and two of my former students).  Cousin Katie is in the middle and just had her Senior pics taken by molly connor photography.
P.S. All three are also members of the Westside Cheer Club and compete all over the country.  Thank God they didn't drop her...that would have not looked good on their cheerleading resumes.

She would like to have her own horse and she knows exactly what kind of horse she wants.  She wants a brown and pink girl horse named Rosie who has flowers in her mane...I think if her parents REALLY love her they could make this happen...they live in horse country after all and I did explain to Ems that there are lots of stables up where she lives and they could easily board a horse...I mean, how can you say no?

Obviously she is easily entertained.

Emily loves little Topher and the feeling is mutual.   She is fascinated that bunnies have teeth under their chin. 

Speaking of teeth...I can't tell you how happy I was when she lost this one.  You know those teeth that are so loose that a little breeze could knock it out...that was Emily's tooth...but it was a stubborn one...or she stubbornly hung on to it.  

L.O.V.E.

I wonder if apple eating hurried along that tooth process.

Emily says first grade is awesome and she especially loves math, homework and writing in her assignment notebook each day (we train them young).  

She also recently started piano lessons...but would still have time to take care of a horse Mom and Dad.
Emily has the cutest little dog Daisy, a Coton de Tulear, who is just a ball of fluff.  Emily said that Daisy gives kisses but can be pretty annoying when she barks.  She also said Daisy just might like her "a little" better than her brother.

One of our vocabulary words several weeks ago was "giggle" and since Emily is such a good giggler she was willing to demonstrate when I asked her what made her giggle.

Ahhh...tickling makes her giggle!  As cute as Emily was giggling, I also love Kate and Macy's expressions in the background...I do have so much fun with this merry band of first graders!

Thanks Emily for answering all my annoying questions and thanks Mom for sending me the pics...even though they were somewhere called the cloud (???) Molly was able to retrieve them and all's well that ends well.  I thought I was doing well just to download emailed pics and upload them to the blog and now there is a cloud I have to deal with...sigh.

P.S. Emily...talk to Santa about that horse thing.

Up next: Andrew E.

olivia...

I am so enthralled with my class this year  that I decided to introduce them one by one.

This is Olivia.

I said something to Miss King (Kindergarten teacher) about how shy and quiet Olivia is and she said "OLIVIA???"  So we shall see... 

Last week Olivia got married...oops...I mean Aunt Courtney got married...but I am sure Olivia felt it was as much her day as the bride's.  Mom Amy is on the left (obviously).

I asked Olivia what the best part of the WHOLE wedding was and as you can tell from this pic, the answer was "the dancing" and apparently Olivia has some "moves" and really...that dress was made for some dancing!

THE glasses...

...I asked Olivia if the glasses were to make her look smart or for sassiness...duh!  Sassiness, of course, and it also appears that anything from the store Justice is just way too cool and reason enough to wear...didn't know about Justice. 

Of course when interviewing a first grader I didn't want it to be just a fluff piece so I went in for the hardcore question..."do you ever fake cry?"

Apparently she can and does but when I asked her how that usually worked out for her, she said "not so good...I still don't have an ipod".  Really Mom and Dad...you are strong people...I almost went and got her one.

I asked Olivia what she wanted to be when she grew up and without hesitation she answered "a zookeeper".  In recapping the duties of a zookeeper, animal poop "naturally" came up and she said that she would be okay dealing with that because she has been watching Dad pick up dog poop for years...who says training doesn't begin at home?  I think she will be a natural...and so does Topher.

I also found out that Dad cooks the most at their house but Mom cooks better.  Dad's best "dish" is dinosaur chicken nuggets and Mom's best "dish" is chocolate waffles...from scratch Mom?

...and with that we temporarily say good-bye to Olivia.  I'll get back to everyone about the "shy" thing.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot the most hard hitting question of all...who is the most annoying member of your family (see...I dig deep).  
And...the answer was...Sharpay and Max (the family dogs...HA!)


Next up: Harley (he begged me!)

"i'm retiring"...

...said Malcolm the bunny.  Almost nine years ago Mrs. Lois Peterson asked me if I would be interested in a year old lop for my classroom.  Without hesitation I said "YES!"  Malcolm has been a faithful classroom pet ever since and has provided hours of enjoyment and entertainment to many first grade classes.  His first class is entering high school this year...oy vey!

Now Malcolm is ten and according to his vet (that he sees on a regular basis now)" lops don't live to be ten".

Malcolm is now fighting the years and receives two oral doses of arthritis meds a day, four doses of eye drops a day, glucosamine chondroitin and immune support supplements.  Of course, who doesn't take glucosamine?  Plus he has some funky fur issues that he gets treated for once a week.

So...the time has come for Malcolm to lay back, take a breather and spend his days with four dogs and a cat surrounding his cage watching his every move...only mildly less chaotic than a room with 20 kids!

Well, I had to have a classroom bunny so the search began.  I contacted rabbitrys all over Indiana and in my obsessive multiple animal ways found TWO new additions to Room 7.
I thought about naming the little boys Mike and Dave...and then thought better of it.  So here they are...

Francis

 (yes, after the new Pope)

Francis is a 10 week old Velveteen Lop whose ears will get to be 15 inches long and yes, the breeder assured me that Francis will provide hours of entertainment stepping on his own ears.

He is exceptionally lively and has tons of personality.  He eats, eats, eats and poops, poops, poops.  We are undergoing potty training as I write!

He is kinda getting the hang of it and is providing lots of entertainment for the dogs.

Who doesn't love a wide-bodied bunny.  He feels just like velvet!

Topher

Chris/topher

Topher is an 8 week old mini lop who is actually gray but photographs brown-ish.  He will be the smaller of the two.  Potty training of any kind seems to allude this little guy but his cuteness makes up for it.  He is a snuggler.

Loves a good drink.

So soft and so cute...

...but very shy.  Spends a lot of time in his little rabbit hole but comes out to rub noses with my dogs.

If there is one thing we Connor gals like to do, it is to take credit for our cleverness, SO... before Daughter Molly chimes in, I will admit that she came up with the names...Mike and Dave still would have been a good choice.
They will be in place in Room 7 for the opening of the school year. 

Malcolm...you will be missed but enjoy your retirement years.