"We're your first kids!"

I've been waiting until 12 weeks to tell my students the big news-- I figured 11 1/2 is close enough.

I am a middle school teacher and ASB adviser, so you're probably already aware that my school year next year will be dramatically affected.  There are substitutes for my class, but ASB is a huge job.  I asked a fabulous (and more experienced) ASB adviser from another school, who transferred to ours, to co-advise with my next year.  She accepted, and we'll work together next year, and it will be fabulous :)

Now for the exciting news!  I introduced the new adviser to my group of ASB students today, and so I knew it also had to be the day I told them about the twinsies.  I used Google for some motivation and finally decided on this:

HANGMAN!

I waited until the end of our business part of the meeting, then opened the game up on my SmartBoard.  They led everything, taking turns guessing letters, and just having a general good time trying to figure it out.

It didn't take long for them to figure out "Ms. Hall is..."  but they were a little stuck on what I am!  They guessed a few sweet things "Ms. Hall is great?  No... Ms. Hall is awesome?  No... that doesn't fit..."  (flattered, I am.)

They started passing around "Adam the ASB Horse" (their talking stick) and guessing letters one at a time.  The clincher for one of my little boys was the "n."  Once my little student got the horse after the "n," his smile turned to a look of shock, his face turned bright red, and he looked right at me.  The other students were waiting for him to guess.  They knew he had it...

He hesitated... but finally said... "Ms. Hall... is... pregnant?!"

All of the heads in the room turned right to me.  I'm surprised the didn't get whiplash.  I smiled.There was squeeling, there was cheering, there was "OMG, are you?!"

The secretary typed the answer in to the Hangman game... and it said "You have won!"

More squeels, more cheering, more "OMG!"

It was the freaking cutest thing I've ever seen.  I felt my face get red.  And I said, "guess what?!"  (I can't believe they could hear me through their noise)... they went SILENT... and I said... "it's twins!" and covered my mouth.  My classroom EXPLODED!!  AAAAHHHH!  They were so cute.

Then the questions started... "are they boys are girls?"  "What are their names?"  it was so noisy and adorable.

One student raised her hand to ask me something, and everyone quieted down to let her.  "Are these your first kids?"

I said yes, but I was quickly corrected.  One of my 8th graders, my student of three years, said, "No they aren't.  WE'RE your first kids."

Oh my gosh I cried.

It was such a joyous occasion.

They decided for themselves they were going to keep it a secret because they wanted me to play Hangman with my regular classes to let them figure it out.  We'll see how many students know about it by tomorrow ;)

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And just a little update on our plans for the birth... we toured at St. Joseph's last night.  It's no Birthing Inn, but it was much nicer than I'd pictured for a hospital.  Looks like the place :)