Bragging rights

Last night was Matt's last volleyball game of the season. His team had 7 wins and 3 loses which, in my opinion, is awesome considering it's his first year coaching! It was a gift for me to watch Matt do one of his many jobs at school. Since I can't see him in the classroom as a teacher, it was so neat for me to see how he interacted with his players as a coach. I especially loved watching him during the time-outs of the game. I could see how he commanded the girls attention, then have them laughing and smiling before going back out to play. This told me that he got the girls to take the game seriously, but to have fun at the same time. It gave me a glimpse of what a gifted teacher he must be in the classroom...having fun with science AND getting the kids to learn at the same time. I can't even imagine how hard this must be at the high school level!

I know he would be too modest to tell anyone that he is phenomenal at what he does. God has definitely put him in the school for a reason. Here's how I know he's great at teaching: 1) Many of his old students keep in touch with him and give him updates on their lives (surely it's not common for teenagers to want to keep up with their teachers!). 2) Several of the school counselors place their own children in his class which shows me that the administration thinks highly of him as a Chemistry teacher. and 3) This year he was given the privilege of writing the curriculum for and implementing his own AP Environmental Science class...how cool is that!

I'm incredibly proud of Matt and all that he's accomplished in his three years of teaching. Most of all, I love that he loves his job. I know it's such a gift to have a husband come home happy at the end of the day and ready to get up the next morning to go back.

Not many people know how God had such a heavy hand in placing Matt as a teacher. After he was finished with his graduate school work, he applied for 72 jobs within the science and research field. He only heard back from 3 and one of those was the U.S. Navy. We knew we were expecting Tobin at the time and turned the Navy down when the thought of overseas war became a definite possibility. Obviously, the door for toxicology and environmental research was closed and locked. After taking a difficult and grueling landscaping job for several months to keep us afloat after Tobin's birth, a close friend and old teacher of Matt's called out of the blue to offer him a teaching job at his old high school. Now...here we are. In love with where we live, in love with the people here, and I have a husband in love with his job. Does it get much better than this, knowing that this is exactly where we are supposed to be according to God's design and plan for our family? I don't think so...but then again, God always has something else up his sleeve for later!

Pumpkin Patch - Take 2

This week our playgroup met at the same pumpkin patch I took Tobin to last week. It was so fun to watch all of the kids run around and enjoy the activities together. Our playgroup is slightly unique in that there are 14 children, all of them boys but one! We're hopeful that that will change with the new addition of 6 more babies in the spring! We all (moms and kids) have such a good time together and I feel truly blessed to be a part of this terrific group of friends! Here are some pictures of the day:

This was the best shot I could grab of most of the kids in one spot.

This is Tobin's best friend, Noah. They are inseparable when they're together. They are in the same class at church and always do their own thing at playgroup. I love that at this age they can pick up friendships that "stick"...it's adorable!

They were making up their own song on the hayride about the hayride. A couple of months ago, Tobin would not have attempted such a daring feat of climbing this huge bounce house slide and coming down. Lately, he's turned a corner and has become so brave and determined! I couldn't get him to step away from this thing!

I heart pumpkins

Today I decided on a whim to take Tobin to a pumpkin patch in Flower Mound. The weather was just too good to pass up and nothing puts me in a better mood than enjoying some sunshine together...especially fall sunshine. Something about fall just makes me happy. I love the cool mornings, changing leaves, fall festivals, and most of all, pumpkins. Something about them just makes me smile. Maybe because we can turn them into silly faces or, as Tobin and I plan to do this afternoon, make the Smith family out of baby pumpkins. I think this could be the start of a new family tradition! Here's some pictures of our morning at the pumpkin patch:

For anyone that's interested, this pumpkin patch was awesome. It was completely free! Free admission, free hayrides, free bounce houses, and free animal petting. They had snowcones and drinks for sale and, of course, the pumpkins were for sale. They ask that you bring canned goods to donate and that's it! It's the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch off of 1171. It's especially perfect for toddlers. Happy Fall!!