Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Reason number one that I get to take the girls shopping first next year

I took the girls out shopping the other day to get a few last minute things for The Big Kid- and I stop to look at some emergency rain poncho's - they look at me and say - no, no, no - we already brought those with Daddy the other day. We don't need them.

Sadly, this isn't the first time they've told me what he's brought....

Proud Mommy Post

The beginning of December brought with it the close of the first tri-mester at school.

Einey earned two awards - the Christian Spirit Award and made the Principal's List - for having a GPA of 95+ for the first term.

Way to go girl!

Happy Thanksgiving

We would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my family and friends. For good health and the Big Kid's job (because for as much as I complain, at least he has a job). I am thankful for my kids and the laughter and love they bring to my life. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

I will leave you with How to Cook a Turkey
By Moe
First Grade
Age 6.

Do you know how to make the best turkey? No? the secret ingredient of my family recipe is sugar. First my dad pulls off the feathers of the turkey next, my mom puts the turkey in the pan we put some and mayo on top of the turkey Then my mom cooks it in a hot pan and my dad puts the oven to 1000 degrees. we cook the turkey for 50 seconds and we know it is done when it looks dead.

(copied verbatim from her paper)

If I end up at the hospital with food poisoning, it's because we used Moe's recipe for dinner :D

Driving Lesson #1

RED means STOP.

GREEN means GO.

For the color challenged, RED is the light on TOP, Green is the light on the BOTTOM.

STOP means your vehicle is not moving. GO means you vehicle is in motion.

Just because you drive a big SUV, does not mean you are allowed to disregard the above rules.

Crossing in front of traffic that is already moving forward because they have a GREEN light (and you have a RED light) is stupid. It may save you a minute of time and get you to your destination fasted, but one of these times, your not going to be so lucky. Jackass.

Signed, the person who was behind the cars you cut off.

Pure exhaustion

Today was a busy day*. A full day of school. The first cheer leading practice of the season until 4:30 for Meenie and Moe. The last soccer practice of the season from 5-6 for Meenie and Moe. And then to the theater at 6 for auditions for the Christmas Cabaret for Meenie and Moe.

So it was no wonder when Moe's name was called around 7pm, that she walked across the theater to me from her seat near the director and burst into tears. She couldn't think of a song she said (they just had to sing any Christmas carol). So I sat with her in my arms while the rest of our group auditioned.

My poor little girl - she was beat. Although she did come home and once she decided what she wanted for dinner and ate - she finished her homework. Now she's tucked snuggly into her bed, fast asleep.

*normally we do not let them have more then one activity at a time, but today was one of those fluke days :(

It's the most wonderful time of the year - Christmas card time

One of my favorite things about the holidays is the sending and receiving of Christmas cards. I love the whole aspect of taking the girls somewhere and taking numerous pictures. I love picking out the perfect picture. And I love designing the perfect card. To continue reading, click here

Crossing the Line

I love my daughters. I love being an active and involved part of their lives. I support them at school - volunteering in the classrooms or for activities. I participate in fundraisers and send The Big Kid on field trips. I am a girls scout leader and help them with their fundraisers. I pay their dues. I go to all their cheer leading games and competitions. I pay for them to play. I bring them to theater auditions and rehearsals and shows. I provide their costumes as needed. I coach(ed) soccer as does the Big Kid. I pay for them to play. I do fundraisers. I am willing to help out and due these things because I care. And because I can. If my child wants to participate in a sport or activity, I will gladly pay for it and fundraiser for it as needed and to the best of my ability. I will help out as much as I can.

I will never, ever fundraiser for their soccer league again. Last night, they voted to "donate" a portion of the rec. soccer money to pay for the public high school's soccer jerseys. Because they need two different jerseys - one for home and one for away (well newsflash, it's been like that since I was in high school. And in case this is new to you, they require the same in middle school). And they cost $70 each. And they have no money. And parents have to pay $50 a sport. Wah wah, boo freaking wooo. I pay for my kids to go to school and THEN pay for their extracurricular activities on top of that. In addition to paying my taxes which go TO YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS that my children do not use.

First of all - our town just build a MULTIMILLION dollar high school - opened for the first time this fall. However, they have yet to pay a home game because the fields aren't ready and the gym floors- not even a year old are warped - and need to be replaced (why, because they didn't put a humidity sensor in the gym and the summer was warm). The whole reason for building a new school was the old high school was on accreditation probation from the NAYEC. The building didn't meet current standards and would have cost too much to repair.

HOWEVER, now they have a big empty building and wouldn't it be great to repair and combine the two elementary schools so K-2 are in one building, 3-5 are in another and 6-8 are in the third (currently they have 2 elementary schools with K-4 and a middle school with 5-8). Just because the building didn't meet safety standards, we can just put little kids in at and everyone will forget the reason we built the new school because look how shiny and new it is. And whole nice new package will make everyone forget about the issues within - that we have the same teachers, that we are still failing the standardized test. It's okay. We'll just give every high schooler a laptop.

There are so many, many things I disagree with... but taking money from recreation soccer to help pay for the jerseys of the high school teams (some board member's kids play for high school). irritates the hell out of me. They claim "but in the long run, it will be for YOUR children". What about the kids who live in other towns. What about the kids (like my own) who do not, and WILL not go to public school in the town we live? And 6 years from now, when my child is a high schooler, you mean to tell me they'll be using the same jerseys? I am not some mindless idiot who is going to believe the bull shit your trying to sell me.

Please do not tell me that we have no money in rec. soccer - that we need to reuse jerseys for two season (even though I pay the same for registration both season) to cut costs. That we need new equipment. Tell me that we are barely meeting our expenses. But then tell me we have plenty of money to support the public school teams.

I am not an idiot. I can tell you though, I will pay my registration fees as long as my children play for your league (I'm tempted to switch to a different league, however they have great coaches). But I will never, ever fund raise for you again.

Zombie kids

Okay - so Night of the Living Dead is over, and while I don't have any pictures to share of The Big Kid getting killed by zombies (because his work schedule had him drop the play). I do have one of my Zombie Girls.

I should have had them stand near The Big Kid's tombstone. But didn't think of that ahead of time.

Time is of the Essence

You know how you have a clock which is set a little fast to give you more time? Our is our alarm clock. or was. It has been set about 20 minutes fast forever. Well a certain nine year old has now admitted to resetting it to the "right" time for us.

Guess who was 20 minutes late for school today*?

* I also blame the fact that one child had homework to finish this morning (because they never have homework over the weekend - she and I both forgot) and free dress day. Man, is it easier when they have no choice what to wear!

Good Morning

This morning, I crawled into Moe's bed to wake her up. I like to lay next to the girls and snuggle and talk to them. Usually I wake them by whispering "good morning pumpkin pie (or some other sweet name)". As I lay next to Moe this morning, I couldn't help but yawn and stretch. I was, after all, still waking up myself.

Mommy, are you still tired? she asked.

Yes Sweetie, I replied.

Well why don't you go back to sleep and Daddy can wake us up? she asked.

Bwahahaha, um why not indeed? Because daddy is not a morning person and I have to tell him the night before "I'm sleeping in" if I want that to happen. And because while I have faith in daddy to get things done, the before school routine usually runs smoother with me :P

Portsmouth Getaway

We survived a quick weekend getaway north with the girls. Destination - Portsmouth, NH. And the hardest part of the whole trip? Finding a hotel that sleeps 5 in a room!

The girls had been anticipation the trip for weeks - asking about it everyday - "how much longer?". And talking about it constantly.

We picked them up from school Friday after kenneling the dogs, went home so they could change out of their school uniforms and hit the road. And a few hours later, we arrived in Portsmouth. We checked into our hotel room and then it was time to meet our friends. The night ended with a stroll through Downtown Portsmouth to The Friendly Toast for a late dinner.

They were a tad chilly.

The next morning, we woke up and headed out. We wanted to make the most of the weekend. The first stop was Rye Harbor. It was still chilly - but the girls were happy.

Portsmouth ROCKS!

We hiked a few places - and then hit downtown Portsmouth for a while. All I have to say is I could live here. Parking wasn't too bad - we used the parking garage. But we could have spent hours strolling through town. The Big Kid said it could be bad living there - it would let his inner artist out - one that has been suppressed for so long. The whole feel of the town was intoxicating - it was so artsy and upbeat. Even the kids could feel it.

Scarecrows everywhere!

Zombie baby!

The later part of the day was spent with a LARGE group of friends. We letter boxed, joked around, ate and had fun. There was a haunted house and night boxing and happy children.

See how happy we are? Even with a new head injury...

Sunday came and it was time to check out and head home. But not before hiking the morning through the Urban Forestry Area. All too quick our weekend away was over.

Goodbye hotel

The weekend was an overall success. The kids were happy. They slept well. They hardly complained. Injuries were at a minimum. The bickering was normal (you can't have everything, right?).

We can't wait to do it again with them!

Looking Up

Thanks for allowing me to rant the other day.

Things are looking up a little. No, he still cannot take his vacations. But he can carry over 2 for next year so he'll only lose one. And his book is almost completed. And with the schedule - he should be able to finish his hours before the end of the year.

In other news - we are taking the kids on their first ever mini-vacation (with the exception of visiting friends in VT). It will be their first ever stay in a hotel (with the exception of Einey who stayed at CocoKeys last year and whom I feel is setting her expectations WAY to HIGH!). Wish us luck and pray that we survive.

And lastly, unfortunately, with the revoked vacation next week, the Big Kid is no longer going to be killed by zombies. he had to drop the play. However, the girls will still be zombies. Please tell me they won't be scarred for life!

Frustration

Have you ever had something happen that is beyond your control but that effects your everyday living but you can't do a damn thing about it? And you can't really bitch about it because the wrong person might hear and who knows if it would make things better or worse?

Something that makes you want to scream. Or cry. Or eat a whole box of pumpkin donuts. Or grab your dog and just run/walk really, really fast (because you purposly took your dog to a place you knew her friends just left, so she HAD to cover that 1/2 mile distance as fast as she could - 5 minutes :P)

So yeah, I'm pissed off. Disheartened. Frustrated. Stressed. And it's not even my problem. Only it is. It affects me. And my family. And my life. And I can't do a damn thing about it.

Oh and depending on how things work out over the next few weeks/2 months, I may have to tell my kids that their dream vacation - the one they've been talking about for over a year now when "all the HELL" started (but it was okay - because it was for the greater good - good things would happen at the end- until some asshats had to go and change the game/rules a million times and now the final rule change may make it not attainable and not worth it - because hell, he dared to take one week of vacation months in July because at that point in the game, it was okay, there was plenty of time, but oh shit let's change the rules and NOW you can't take 2 of your other 3 weeks of vacations either and so sorry you, you can't carry them over until next year/take the pay because that's not the way we play - you should have found time to use them, even though you tried and it's not allowed and you can't it's not our problem - and they finally have an end date which isn't far away at all now but again, may not be worth it to pursue) "when Daddy's done school - we're going to Atlantis/Disney (location was to be finalized WHEN we approached an end date that was always changing...)" my not happen. How disappointed will they be? Oh and the roof that NEEDS to be repaired that hell, we may not have the money for anymore either depending on how things turn out.. That they may never get to take their first vacation. Ever. In their lives. And that we're sorry. And people suck.

And that's it. And I know it doesn't make sense. But this is the shit we've dealt with since last July. We thought it was what was best for us, but now we're not so sure. Is the end result worth it? Is putting up with the head games and constant schedule changes worth it?

At least before, the messed up schedule was normal, it didn't change on a whim. It was consistant. We could plan things and not worry about it. Instead of finding out on Monday that the schedule you had for the week has changed again and possibly would before the end of the week. But it's okay because you (I) can deal with it. And thank GOD we have great friends who have helped/offered to shuffle kids around when I couldn't split myself in 2 or 3. And yet, somehow, life goes on, kids get fed, homework gets done activities get accomplished. And eventually we see The Big Kid for more then 5 minutes. But it's okay. Really it is.

Done ranting. GRRRRRR.

Fall foods

Fall is my favorite season. I love the sights, the smells, the aroma of autumn. I got married under a golden hued autumn canopy. I love hiking when the leaves crunch under my feet. I love driving through the hills and seeing the patchwork trees in the distance.



Cooking in the fall takes a new turn. I don't mind baking. Or letting stews and soups simmer in the crock pot, ready to be eaten around our busy soccer schedule. And one thing my kids always ask for is pumpkin pancakes when the days turn shorter and the air gets cooler.



Today, the kids had a day off of school. It's cool, it's rainy - just the type of day that makes you want to curl up and spend the day inside. Off hand, I said to The Big Kid "I wonder how pumpkin french toast would taste". A quick trip to the grocery store and we were ready to cook. They were very scrumptious. A post on Facebook and people wanted the recipe. So here it is.

Pumpkin French Toast

Ingredients *:
1 1/2 packages of cream cheese (we used fat free)
4 ounces of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon sugar
bread
eggs milk

Directions:

Mix your egg and milk together (as you would for regular french toast). Set aside.

In a bowl, mix cream cheese, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Spread on one slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread. Dip in egg mixture. Put it in a frying pan for about a minute - then flip over for another minute (or until thoroughly cooked)

Top with syrup, butter, whipped cream or powdered sugar.

Pumpkin pancakes

Use your favorite pancake recipe (even from a box). I prefer the recipe in my BHG cookbook. Add 4 ounces of canned pumpkin to your mix. And cook as the directions dictate.

Enjoy!


* measurements are estimates- a tad more or less may be required depending on your tastebuds

Zombie Dad

Our local theater is doing a production of Night of the Living Dead. Naturally, the girls wanted to be zombies. Naturally, dad, aka The Big Kid wanted to be in it. His coveted role was Johnny - aka the guy who gets killed in the opening scene. He got the part. The other day was the first rehearsal. The girls did not need to be at theater for a few more weeks, however, I had to bring one kid to soccer and then I had to go to a meeting. bringing all three girls to a meeting usually proves to be disastrous. For some reason, meetings are the one time they are at their worst.

So The Big Kid took Meenie and Moe to rehearsal while I went off in the other direction. When I came home, the girls had news to share "guess what Mom, we saw Daddy get killed by a zombie". "Yeah, twice".

LOL, not every child can claim that their father was eaten by zombies.

It's going to be a great show!

A friend asked me why I wasn't joining the rest of the family in the show. My reply is "someone needs to take all the pictures :)" . Really though, I am not that type of person. I hate begin the center of attention. I hate having people look at me. I an way to introverted. But I will enjoy watching my family. And I';ll be part of the theater "family" just from the sidelines. (side note - my friend also mentioned that The Big Kid and I couldn't be more different in that aspect - he truly fits in anywhere -I've never seen him uncomfortable around other people - where it takes me awhile to reach that comfort zone. The Big Kid laughed at that comment and said the same applies to them as well :P)

Fishy Fishy and too much TV

Fishy Fishy is an old Gymboree receiving blanket we lovingly purchased for Einey 9 years ago. Our girls never really got attached to lovies, until now. Moe has been carting Fishy Fishy around for months now. It goes in the car and accompanied her to theater for weeks on end. Like any old lovie, Fishy Fishy has picked up some little stains along the way.

Husband picked it up today and remarked bow Fishy Fishy needed to be cleaned. I told him how it was stained. Moe piped in with "yeah,we need to buy some OxiClean to get those tough stains out". We both just laughed...

And we thought buying rubber shaped bracelets was bad...

Because silly bandz* were not bad enough, there's these:


Ring Bandz!!!!!!!!!!!! Get them while you can!

::eyerolls::

** Silly bandz, rubber shaped bracelets, Bandit-Os - whatever you call them.

Juju-Bean's Coffee Shop

Having a single serve coffee brewer is great. Having one that works (we went through 2 in just under 2 months before the wonderful people at Keurig sent my my third system, their customer service is awesome!) is even greater. Having your own personal coffee barista is beyond awesome.

Sometime over the summer, a new shop moved into town my kitchen. It's called Juju-Bean's Coffee Shop. And henceforth, I was officially fired, no longer allowed to make my own coffee - I got yelled at and chastised and given the stink eye any time I attempted to make myself a cup. It was also declared that from that point forward, all cups of coffee were subject to a $1 per cup charge.

Making the right choice - Mocha Nut Fudge -YUM!

Getting started

Adding just the right amount of Equal - 4 for me - 5 for Dad

Half and Half

A little stir (sometimes ice at this point if it's hot out)

A little taste test - burning hot

Finishing touch - whipped cream - and sometimes caramel

The girl may be 5, but she seriously knows how to make pretty darn good coffee! Now I'm just wondering what I am going to do when she goes back to school!

*For the record, she is completely supervised while making the coffee and knows not to pick up and move the hot cups. We would never let her do this if we thought she would get hurt by it.

Running Hearts

Pre-race

As parents, one our most important job is to nurture our children and help them grow. We always encourage our children to try new things and encourage them to do their best. In June, 8-year-old Einey came home and said she wanted to run in the school's annual 5K summer road race. We're not runners, but this is something she wanted to do. So we signed her up, found her a race partner and encouraged her.

We took her to practice a few times (sadly she likes to sleep in and July was WICKED brutal heat wise) so we didn't practice as much as we should have.


Today, the race day dawned. It was cool and sunny - a perfect day for the race.

And race her heart out she did.


She didn't come in first. But she didn't come in last.

As the racers started to cross the finish line, I just prayed that she would make it to the end. That it wouldn't be too far for her. That she wouldn't give up.

Crossing the finish line, with a smile still on her face

But she still had a smile on her face when she crossed the finish line. Second to last. Her racing partner let her cross first, so that she wouldn't be last (THANK YOU!!!!)

We are so PROUD of our little girl, for having a goal and sticking with it. For putting her heart into it. For running her heart out.

We strive to show our kids that winning isn't important. That we are proud of them as long as they try their hardest. And have fun doing it. And by the smile on her face throughout the race, we can see that our girls are listening and learning. And having fun! And that's all that counts!!!

Living, Loving, Laughing

Whew, it's August already. One month and the girls go back to school. One year and Husband is finished with school (hopefully)!

We've been enjoying the overly hot summer so far. Hiking. Loving. Laughing. Except when we're busy getting stung by bees. On different occasions. Last week, husband and I BOTH stepped on the same underground nest, three hours apart. He suffered 15 stings. I took between 12-14. Only 10-12 of them were to the same spot on my bottom. Oh the joys! But where was I? Oh, the laughing.

If you follow me on facebook, you know my kids have been keeping me (and everyone else) in stitches. Without further adieu, here is the best of their world:


Moe to a friend: Can we borrow your baby?
Friend: Yes, I thought you'd never ask.
Me: Um, no.

(Moe is a tad baby obsessed)

******************

Moe to Meenie: You just farted.
Meenie: No, it was Roxie.
Moe: No, it was you.
Meenie: I only fart in my sleep.
Moe: That's impossible.

*******************

Moe at 9:30 am handing me a beer - "here mom, want a beer?" Um thanks but not yet...

****************

Meenie: "Daddy, are you going to take a picture of my butt?"
Me: Um, why would Daddy take a picture of your butt?
Meenie: I don;t know, but he's always taking a picture of yours.

Ahhh??????

*****************

Moe: Mom, I just saw a little snake. It was this big (indicating it was over 2 feet long)...

******************

Me: Get a spoon please, your eating Jello.
Moe: But mom, I'm practicing for Oliver.
Me: Because eating applesauce with your hands requires practice ????

Oh the joys of theater....
*******************

Those are some of the best lately. Tomorrow we'll talk coffee and how I've been fired......

******************

I was informed that yesterday was Ask a Nosy Question Day.

Is there anything you've ever wanted to ask but haven't? Anything you want to know? Anything you just feel like asking? Unless your Meenie, then please stop whining and asking the same thing over and over.

Surprise!

This past weekend, Husband surprised me with a surprise 30th birthday party. Or tried to surprise me. I am very happy with all the effort he put into it and spending a wonderful day with some of my best friends. Thanks so much!

That being said, it wasn't a surprise but I played along...

Ingredients for a great surprise party (or any party):

• Invite your best friends
• Have everyone bring their favorite dish
• Beer
• Friends
• Beer
• No gifts required
• Have fun

How not to throw a surprise party:

• Ask/tell party recipient that she/he needs to wash the floors (serious - he should have known there that the gig was up)
  
• Have them prepare their own food while feigning ignorance of why you/they are making mad amounts of food for "later in the week"
• Start cleaning other areas of the house that are normally left alone
• Clean in general because it's not normally "your job"
• Tell significant other to stay out of your email/FB (because a) your planning something or b) your having an affair :P )
• Have me by my "favorite" beer to bring to an made up picnic with coworkers - which totally would not have been enough.
  
• Ignore dog crap in the yard (where people will end up) but requiring floors to be squeaky clean (where people will not be)....
  

And the NUMBER ONE THING NOT TO DO:

Tell the kids

Leading up to the party, I kept hearing about how it was going to be a special day but they couldn't tell me why. And also, I couldn't go in the basement (their rule - no one else's).

Despite me knowing, it was a great party and I enjoyed having a wonderful day with friends!

Farewell Booger....

We've spent alot of time this summer stream wading and as such, we've observed mud puppies, salamanders, newts, frogs, toads, tadpoles, fish and crayfish (along with an assortment of bugs). We even had a tank full of tadpoles to observe and then release. Imagine our surprise when we found out our tadpoles were in fact - tree frogs by catching them climbing out of the tank.

Closer view

It was also a possible explanation why we went from nine tadpoles to 2. Or so we thought....

So we had two lonely tree frogs named booger 1 and booger 2. I casually mentioned to Husband that we needed to let them go outside.

Later that afternoon, I heard alot of shrieking coming from the kitchen. Einey and Moe walked in and caught Toothless (aka Mr. Naughty Turtle Bits) eating booger. As I rushed to try to save him, I noticed it was just too late. Mr. Naughty Turtle Bits had in fact, caught his own dinner. The girls mourned the loss of their tree frogs and learned a lesson about the circle of life.

Good-bye frogs...

What not to say

The following words/phrases are currently banned from our home.

Duh. (which is amusing to see how many words they can come up with which have the word "duh" in them)

She did it.

She started it.

It's no fair.

Can you buy me (fill in the blank)?

Seven

Seven is...

happy

considerate

caring

loving

zany

boisterous

goofy

overcoming fears

trying new things

laughter

Seven is love.

Happy birthday sweet, Meenie!

Summer vacation 2010

One week into summer vacation and I finally got the girls to sit down and compile a list of things hey want to do this summer.

click to see larger

I think we also need to work on penmanship and spelling :)

Looks like we will be busy!

Happy Father's Day

Click to view larger

Happy Father's Day to the best father (and husband) ever.

Thanks for always being there for us.

Where The Wild Things Are

At some point last summer, after we attended our first letterboxing gathering, we knew we wanted to host our own. We enlisted the help of a few friends and started planning. By December, we nailed down a location and set the official wheels in motion. We planned, we carved, we asked for other carvers, and we waited. Finally, the first week of June arrived and we set out to plant. The husband, a friend, Moe, her buddy and I set forth to get things planted. After all, what sort of letterboxing event would it be if there were no boxes to find???? These two little guys were great - they didn't complain (much) and we were able to zip through planting the first series. Then we parted ways and dragged Moe onto the second series. All told - she did about 4 miles with us that day without much complaints. Maybe the key to hiking is NOT taking ALL the kids :P

We wrote up the clues and watched the weather. As of the beginning of the week, it was NOT in our favor. But by the end of the week, it looked like it would be a decent day.

Sunday (the 13th) dawned and we packed up the car and headed off. After minimal setting up, we waited. Before long, the first attendees arrived and the fun began. The kids played, making new friends and visiting with old friends. We had over 120 people attend (!) - from as far away as Maine (now that's dedication). We met new people and saw people that we hadn't seen in awhile. We were finally able to put faces to trail names. There was laughter and fun. We ate, we exchanged and some of us hit the trails. The weather held out - it was mostly cloudy and overcast, but it was comfortable. The day sped by and before we knew it, it was time to pack up and go. Overall, the day was a smashing success!

The first question the next day was: when can we do that again?

Next up on the agenda - the Husband is planning a 15 mile hiking session - date to be determined in the near future!

Bye-bye hair

It occurred to me that not only have I been neglecting this here space, but many, many things have happened recently, so I will try to catch up on some of the important highlights.

Unlike in the past, where Moe would routinely chop of her hair, she actually let it grow. And grow. And grow.

And on May 22nd, Moe and Meenie each cut off 12 inches of hair which they donated to Wigs for Kids.

Before

After

I'm so proud of them for their decision and for sticking to it. Because let me tell you, each morning, it was a bear to comb all that hair! Their new shorter do's are much easier to take care of and will much cooler this summer!

My baby...

First day of school

June 4th (yes that long ago), my baby did it, she graduated kindergarten. We had some bumps along the way and going into kindergarten, we knew it was a big possibility that she may have had to repeat it. Mid-year, she was still struggling a bit. Come March, when it was make it or break it time, her name was still in the retention pile. Her teacher , bless her, kept putting her paperwork back to the bottom. And then suddenly, it clicked. She brought it all together and showed that she could do it.

So without further adieu, I introduce to you, the First Grader....

Last Day (bringing us her kindergarten scrapbook)

Her last day was bittersweet. We are so proud of her for all her hard work. But at the same time, we absolutely LOVE the kindergarten teacher. It's so sad to know that we will never have another child in her class again.

So Proud

Einey has turned into a budding artist. She's always loved to draw, and this year has won two awards!

This was from the local Lodge of Elks annual Drug Awareness poster contest. She placed first in our area and 5th in the state.


The other was from the local GS. They had a design a patch contest and she (and her sister who copied her) won.

The patch
The design

So proud of my big girl!