Stink Face

Potty training, end of semester, storms storms and more storms, too much time in cramped closets, work, teaching, finalizing past car issues for the family  . . . .  Just bad timing and too little sleep.  But we know we are LUCKY to have so little to deal with so far compared to other families in our area dealing with large amounts of damage and loss.

Anyway, this stink face below from king little man really says it all about our attitude this week: 

Hoping for sunny simple spring days again soon.  :)

Fishing Derby

We spent Palm Sunday participating in a fishing derby.  The weather was beautiful, everyone was in a good mood, and we sat together as a family picnicking and fishing on a peaceful afternoon.  No one even threw a fit when we didn't catch a thing. ;)

Being Present

Tonight I was going to post some more pictures. But the storms that blew through the area took care of those plans, once again. No damage at our house - thankful for that!

April is such a busy month for us. Recruitment at work is high in April, Easter activities for the family, several teaching deadlines approaching fast, and my own deadlines as a student in addition to random ups and downs keep us moving. But I am trying to not let the "busy" moments take over. The kiddos are at an age where there are times when they play independently and completely ignore us - those are the times I try to squeeze in any cleaning or studying.  So otherwise when I am with the kids I am trying to be fully present and active with them instead of getting ready for the next day.  Some of the moments from this week I would like to remember from our activities together include:

Walking backwards down the ramp at little man's school. It is one of our silly moments

The pure joy on big sis' face and the excitement in her voice when she discovered for the first time today that there will be a real wedding for a prince and PRINCESS soon.

Singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the top of our lungs in the car today.  Big sis, little man, and I were singing without a care in the world. 

Little man asking about his "Jesus Castle" at story time tonight.  He was wondering where his nativity set was.  :)

Bedtime stories all snuggled up in the closet while the tornado sirens go off throughout the state.

Two cozy kiddos cuddled up in my bed, hoggin' all the covers and kicking Disco out to the couch.  They are cute and sweet and a little bit manipulative because they know how to get the best seats in the house for slumber time!

Checklist

I have more pictures to post from this weekend - the egg hunt Saturday and a fishing derby on Sunday.  But tonight I had to quickly document that I am continuing to check things off my school list.  This evening I listened to the final online lecture for the last course I have to take for my MPH.  It feels good to check one more thing off my "to do" list!  :)

Baseball, Trees, and Fishin' Poles

Last night we celebrated Bondo's birthday at a baseball game. It was little man's first time to see our local minor league baseball team. Unfortunately it was COLD and we only lasted 3 innings. Lots of sweets followed our departure so the celebration didn't end. :)

This morning we attended a local egg hunt - I'll post pics from that another time. This afternoon we said goodbye to my favorite tree. It had been damaged several years ago in an ice storm. And the storm this week damaged it further - one large branch that fell barely missed our cars. We knew it was time to take care of the old Maple tree before it did some damage to the house or cars. But it was one of the reasons I loved this house when we bought it. We will replace the tree soon. And as one of our friends pointed out we can watch the new tree grow with the kiddos.

This evening the kids had fun practicing their casting techniques for a fishing derby tomorrow. They were pretty cute playing with all the logs from the tree as well. Looking forward to some more adventures tomorrow. :)

Less than one month away . . .

. . . is the end of the semester.  This is the last class I will ever take for a degree.  This is the last "class" I have to take for my MPH (my final 3 credit hours in the fall are for an independent project).  No more studying at night or on weekends for exams.  No more online lectures to listen to during lunch.  No more weekend classes to attend.  No more formal classes.  Ever.  Because I may be an eternal student but it is time to start learning more from my kiddos than from books and teachers.  Hello light at the end of the tunnel . . . you are a welcomed sight! 

Lilacs and Butterflies

While I was traveling last week my "heirloom" lilacs were in full bloom with over 30 blooms.  Our lilac bush is a plant my grandparents had originally transplanted from my grandfather's family homestead.   I transplanted a portion of their lilac bush in 2000, the year my grandmother passed away. We had it in our yard for 6 years before it finally bloomed.  In 2006 we lost my grandpa in January, big sis was born about one month later, and the lilac bloomed one month after her birth.  The first year it bloomed there were exactly two clusters of flowers on the plant.  For me, that was a sign that my grandparents were "blessing" our new daughter.  Maybe you don't believe in angels and the signs they leave all around us but I sure do!

Anyway, it was a hard week being away from family last week.  So when Disco posted pictures of the lilacs and butterflies on facebook it made me smile.  The scent, color, and delicate bunches of flowers will always remind me of family.

Outside Dining

The Friday night before I left for my conference we spent a lovely evening at our favorite burger joint outside on the "new" patio. I really like going out to eat with the kiddos these days. For the most part they entertain us and we all have a great time. Purple milkshakes always make us happy too. :)

Back in Town

I left last Saturday for a 5 day conference.  It was in sunny Florida and the weather was beautiful.  However, I traveled without my family and I was quite sad about that.  It took me a day or so to get used to traveling on my own.  There was a lot of work to do while I was there - the conference was busy, I was traveling with a colleague (and it wasn't an easy trip for her either), and I really needed to keep up writing/prepping materials while I was traveling.  I continued to do a lot of thinking about what I "want" from a career and schedule . . .

I'm in SUCH a better position this spring than I was last spring.  Definitely a better attitude than last fall.  So even though I don't feel like it sometimes, I am making strides towards getting some things off my plate.  And I really only have 9 more months of the trifecta lifestyle to go (balancing home, school, and work).  My sister and I decided I have senorkitis (senioritis and burn out from work).  I am SO ready for more simplicity around here.  A simple schedule and fewer responsibilities with more time with the kiddos. 

Even though it has been a tear-filled week as I hit my "wall" this semester - I am attempting to think positive.  One positive from my trip was getting to take one late afternoon off to go to Universal studios.  Visiting an amusement park by yourself is a very different experience but the people watching is fabulous.  I lucked into a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show while I was there.  I also got to see Kelly Clarkson perform and I was 100-200 feet from Ellen on stage.  I enjoyed a butterbeer in Hogsmeade.  It was a nice treat since everything else from the conference experience was work . . .

So the count down is on.  The end of the semester is May 12th.  My final project for my MPH is due mid-December.  I hope to go to part time hours January 2012. 

Here are some pics from the trip.  I decided to keep them positive as well  :)

I had no idea what I was about to see :)

Ellen is in blue, Kelly is right beside her

Entrance . . .

Butterbeer with Fish and Chips

Field Test

As an effort to "simplify" I got an iPhone this week. I know. That doesn't sound like simplifying. But really it is. For the past three years I have had a work cell phone and a personal phone. This is my effort to go to ONE cell phone. So far I love it. :). Right now I am posting from my phone. Technology is usually a distraction in our house but it can also be kinda cool sometimes. More forgotten posts later. Tonight I am enjoying some progress towards simplicity.