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

Five Years...

Happy 5th Anniversary to my man! Can't believe that we've already hit the half decade mark! I love you!

I dug up one of our engagement photos - May 2005 @ Carceek Park in Seattle

Wonderful Washington

Summer, oh how we love you! The Seattle area has again proven to be the perfect summer escape for us from the hot Arizona sun. We enjoyed our time with family and friends and also got some rest and relaxation before I head back to work in a few weeks.

The fish ladder at the Ballard Locks

Hanging out with Becky and Natalie

First time in sand

Meeting the newest addition to the Moore Family, Miss Natalie

Day trip to Vancouver, B.C.

Melissa lives in Chicago now and it was such a treat to spend time with her and Eli

Snoqualmie Falls with Becky

TFA gals at Rachel's wedding

We are Thankful

As many of you know, Tyson gave us quite the scare last week. The excitement of closing on our first home is of little significance compared to our the health and well-being of our family. We are just so thankful Tyson is doing well and that we're surrounded with such incredible family and friends.

Tyson and I are really enjoying our time together at home. We've had some early morning outdoor adventures (to avoid the lovely summer heat) and he was my little helper when we packed up our home. Although, he really enjoyed unpacking the boxes that were already packed up. :-)

Studying the ducks at Encanto Park

Wearing his blanket as he crawls after Daddy

First baseball game