Christmas 2010 Highlights

Christmas certainly is a very special time of year! We enjoyed our time with the Coburn side of the family this Christmas. Highlights include: a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve, yummy holiday foods, new Big Boy toys, jumping on Grandma and Grandpa's trampoline, and spending time with each other.

Definitely took some time to warm up to Santa

First dump truck

Christmas photo with new cousin McKenna

Getting better at tearing open wrapping paper

SNOW! Sledding for the first time. :-)

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

We went BIG this year for Christmas and went with a real 8 foot Christmas tree (apparently, our Noble Fir tree is from Oregon...I looked and looked but couldn't find any trees from Washington in the desert for sale). We had a real tree for our first Christmas in our apartment in Seattle, but this tree has proven to be way more work with its size and weight.

Bringing our tree home

Adam and Tyson making sure that the tree is secure

Christmas lights: check!

Ta Da!

Our Little Helper

Lately, Tyson has enjoyed helping us clean our home. He loves to sweep anything he can outside (even the rocks) and sweep up the pine needles on the floor from our Christmas tree. He also likes to throw away his dirty diapers in the trash and clean his tray after a meal with a sponge. It's pretty cute! :-)

The Newest Addition to the Coburn Family!

She's here and soooo cute! McKenna Taylor born on December 3rd at 7 pounds 7 ounces and 20.75 inches long!

Proud Dad and Proud Uncle

Tyson checking out his new cousin

Excited that I am an Aunt!

Thanksgiving!

This year, we celebrated Tyson's first Ohio Thanksgiving with the extended Tober Family. We had a great time visting with relatives, eating a delicious Thanksgiving feast, and taking in cold, Winter weather.

Trying to pack for Ohio, but Tyson wanted to play, so I had fun with a bandana

Special time with Great-Grandpa Tober

An early 60th Birthday cake for my Dad

Tyson playing with Nora

They loved climbing up and down the stairs

"Bye-Bye" Ohio- we lucked out and had an empty window seat in our row!

Trick or Treat?

Tyson the Tiger! We've been trying to teach Tyson to say "Trick or Treat?" and it sounds more like "ti".:-)

Friendly Tiger

Growl like a Tiger!!!

Daddy helping with the tiger face hood...

October Highlights

October has been a great month! We had a good time with out-of-town visitors (Lindsay and my parents), relaxing during my Fall Break, and watching our little man take his first steps! :-)

Hanging out with Aunt Linds

Tyson loves watching his Daddy work in the backyard

Lego time with Grandma Tober

"Will you please pick me up Grandpa Tober?"

A train ride

First carousel ride

One and a Half

Is Tyson really one and half years old today? Yep, he is! Our little man is growing like a weed and is finally starting to get some hair on his head. He loves playing with trucks, cars, legos, calling people on our cell phones, and chasing his red ball. Lately, he really likes hiding from Adam and I in any closet. Can't wait for the holiday season!

Beginning to learn how to feed himself with a spoon...somehow the food goes everywhere but his mouth

Becoming attached to his sunglasses now- even indoors!

Hard working boy :-)

Autumn...

is the favorite season in the Coburn household. I love autumn for its beautiful colors and Adam couldn't be happier this time of year because it is football season (aside from ASU football, his love for football has grown to follow his old High School team and the NFL). Since maple trees and apple trees aren't native to Arizona we bring the season of autumn alive through baking pumpkin bread and pumpkin seeds, drinking apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes, eating pumpkin scones and pumpkin pie, reading stories, and decorating our home...

30 Years Old

Mr. Adam has reached a new year and a brand new decade in his life! Wahoo! We've been celebrating for two weekends in a row to get his thirties started with a bang. I failed to take a lot of photos...sorry about that.

Adam's Wall of Fame

August Rewind

Our August included...

some silly times...

seeing if the bottle piggy bank has milk in it like a real bottle...

story time with Uncle David and Aunt Sara...

a new pool toy...

a shoulder ride on Grandpa Coburn...

story time with Grandma Coburn...

and meeting 12 day old Karis Tucker.

Back to School

I have a great group of students this year and several of them are sibilings of my former students- which is really fun! I teach at a school that serves a population of students in which 96% qualify for free/reduced lunch. Like every teacher, I have stories...some uplifting and some that are very tough to hear. Instead of telling one of my classroom stories, I want to highlight some national facts about our public education system for you to digest.

Educational inequity is the reality that where a child is born determines the quality of his or her education and life prospects.

Educational inequity starts early and gets worse over time.

• By the time they reach fourth grade, children living in low-income communities are already two to three grades behind their higher-income peers.


• Just half of students in low-income communities will graduate high school by age 18. Those who do graduate will perform on average at an eighth-grade level.


• Overall, only 1 in 10 students growing up in poverty will graduate from college.
  

Educational inequity prevents children from fulfilling their potential.

• It limits life choices, professional options, and incomes, and weakens families and communities. Because children in low-income communities are predominantly children of color, they also face the added burden of societal low expectations and discrimination.

Educational inequity undermines our nation's economic strength.

• A McKinsey & Company study indicates that educational inequity costs the country $500 billion each year, which is the equivalent of a permanent national recession.

Joy in July

Last month, we purchased our first home! We love our new home and we're so excited to have more space. Below are some recent photos of our adventures.

Leaving on a jet plane

Tyson was a champ and got tubes in his ears last week

Moving boxes make great tunnels

Story time with Micah