Re-connecting

Throughout my adult life, I've been blessed to work with some amazing women.  One of those jobs was with the Family Development Center at GSU.  As a new grad with a Masters Degree in Early Childhood under my belt, I was asked to take a position as an Infant/Toddler specialist.  Mind you, this was before I had any children of my own, so I was granted the title simply based on coursework and research.  I loved the job, doing home visits, working with teen moms, leading library lapsits and playgroups, teaching art to toddlers, teaching infant massage.  So much fun!  One of the hardest parts of the job for me was planning and presenting parent education topics to groups of new moms and dads.  I can recall Mark laughing at me and saying it was kind of like us having to get marital advice from a priest before getting married.  What did he know about the reality of marriage*?  Probably just as much as I knew about the reality of parenting!

These days I can sit back and laugh about the idea of "childless me" telling parents how to best get their children to sleep through the night, potty train, feed nutritious meals, instill values and discipline techniques.  I'm forever grateful for the parents I worked with not laughing in my face or telling me where to stick my advice : )  I'm also forever grateful for the talented group of women that I worked with at that time in my life.  We were all so inspired about the possibilities that the job presented to not only us, but the communities we were serving.  We worked hard, laughed a lot, learned a lot, and formed some friendships that last until this day. 

We've all gone a lot of places in our lives in the almost 10 years since we started our jobs together.  Some I've lost touch with, others I connect with on Facebook and via email.  Some I get together with about once a year, some I haven't seen since my last day of work there.  On a recent Sunday afternoon, a few of us got together for lunch and had a great time catching up and reconnecting.  Hopefully that will be our first annual reunion, with many more to come!

*funny sidenote:  the priest that married us is no longer an actual priest.  He left the priesthood after allegedly having an affair with a married parishoner.  Ironic, huh?

Memories for Sale ...

I've been dilligently working on going through the mountain of boxes in the basement, getting ready for my first-ever garage sale.  I've been sorting, cleaning, pricing, and setting up 7 years worth of toys, baby items, and general household junk.  While I'm inspired by the space that is being cleared in the basement, I'm having a hard time letting go.  Not so much letting go of the "stuff", but the memories. 

So, if you happen to come to my garage sale and see a tear in my eye as you walk away with a good find, just realize that you might be carrying a bag full of memories down the driveway with you.  You might see toys and baby paraphanalia, but here's what I see ...

A Snuggli carrier that held my newborn son as my oldest graduated from preschool.

A high-chair that was a cozy place to nap.

A baby bath tub that held all 3 of my screaming newborns,

a bouncy seat that they all used as well.

A double stroller on Halloween,

a Dora castle and swing,

a butterfly playmat that Jack napped on in the sun.

A Barbie backpack on the first day of school,

a riding mower that has been with us through 3 moves,

 a coupe that Jack rode in just last year.

Adorable rainboots that only fit for one season,

a push toy that Jack took his first steps with,

a riding toy he got on his first birthday.

Yep, I'm getting ready to have my first ever garage sale, and already dreading the next one I'll surely need to have in a few years.  We've collected a lot of "stuff" in the last 7 years, but it's the "stuff" that memories are made of.

Goodbye, old friend

Today was our last day with our old friend, Dakota.  After having him in our lives for 12 years, we knew in our hearts that it was time to say goodbye. 

I helped Mark pick him out at the shelter when we had just begun dating and he moved into his first house.  Dakota was our dog through the years we dated, while we were engaged, at the time of our wedding.  He moved with us to 3 new houses in 3 new cities.  He saw the addition of 3 children to our family, and loved each and every one of them. 

It was sad watching the girls say goodbye to him, and difficult to imagine life at our house without him. 

Goodbye, old friend.  You'll be missed!

Pizza Parlor

When daddy is out of town for work, I often struggle with what to make for dinner.  Each of the kids has a certain level of pickiness, and there aren't many common denominators of things that everyone agrees on.  Except for pizza!

Another thing that everyone agrees on is that helping make dinner is lots of fun!

Wouldn't you know ...

After enduring yet another day of non-stop rain and clouds, I left the house to run a few errands after dinner.  Guess what I saw, for the first time in days?

Too bad the sun finally decided to make it's appearance right as it was about to set!

Jenna and Kara's Art Studio

After 3 days of pretty much non-stop rain, we all had a bit of cabin fever.  The rain and cloudiness made some people tired ...

but the rest of us needed something to do, so we converted the garage into an art studio!

I set up the easel that grandma and Buck gave the kids for Christmas last year (and admittedly hasn't gotten nearly enough use inside of the house).

The girls spent hours creating masterpieces with finger paints, Do-A-Dots and paint pens.

It was a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon, while Jack slept on the chair inside : )

What We Did on our Summer Vacation ...

On May 21st, we embarked on our first official family vacation to Florida.  It was the kids' first time on an airplane (and they loved it), their first time going to Florida (and they loved it), and their first time going to Disney World (and they LOVED it).

It was a perfect vacation:  5 nights and 6 days of fun in the sun, visiting The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and swimming at our resort's beautiful pool. 

Click here to view these pictures larger

For a long time we debated on when the perfect time would be to take this trip.  We wanted to wait until everyone was old enough (potty trained, able to go without naps, able to sleep in a hotel) ... but young enough to find the whole thing magical, like a Disney vacation should be (or at least the way they portray it on television commercials and in brochures).  You know what?  I think that we hit the nail on the head and went at exactly the right time.  Sure, they might not all remember the trip in years to come .... but I'll never forget the looks on their faces when they saw the castle, Mickey Mouse, and the princesses for the first time.

We owe it all to Grandma and Pa, who so generously took our family on this trip of a lifetime.  We would have never been able to do it without them (literally, and financially), and are so grateful for the opportunity they gave us.

Thank you Grandma and Pa!  We love you!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's just another Tuesday at our house.  Kids to take care of, laundry to do, meals to prepare and serve.  Mommy's birthday is just like any other day.  Well, except for the fact that my in-laws sent me flowers (which doesn't happen EVERY day)!

Birthdays might not be what they used to be, but they're certainly a reason to celebrate and be thankful for another year of a blessed life.  That's makes 37 of them for me!