Oh my lord, what a week!

Here is what I know...I firmly believe that Labor Day should ALWAYS be there waiting for me at the end of the first week of school.  This day off is precisely what my family and I  needed to continue recovering from the whirlwind of last week.

On Monday, Evan began 8th grade:

 Sammy had his first day of Kindergarten:

 And Charlie became a 1st grader!

I am having all of the usual Mommy feelings...I can't believe how grown up they are, I can't believe my baby is in Kindergarten, etc.  My own eighth grade experience doesn't seem all that far away, so how can I possibly have a child in 8th grade?  By the way, I personally felt that 8th grade was the equivalent of torture on so many levels, so I can only hope that Evan's year goes much better than mine did.

This year, Charlie's classroom is to the right of mine, and Sammy's is to my left, so they are very close.  I love that.  I get to see them in the hallways, at the bathroom, in the lunchroom.  It makes the separation easier for me.  I miss them so gosh dang much when we are at school.  And if there's a problem, their teachers know right where to find me!

Charlie was eagerly awaiting the start of school all summer.  He loves learning, reading, working, and homework.  He was so excited for school this week, he had a hard time falling asleep each night.

Evan has had a good week so far, but the homework hasn't really kicked in either.  I am waiting with baited breath in the hopes this is a better year for him.  We had so many troubles in 7th grade that I am often surprised both of us made it through.  I wish there was a wand I could wave that would make school easier.

Sammy isn't sure yet.  He went off to his classroom happily enough each day, but he has reported he doesn't like it that much.  Sammy is my worrier.  He stresses all of the small stuff, and I think that makes change hard.  I am hopeful that as school becomes more of the norm for him, that it gets much easier.

I started my 13th year of teaching on Monday.  I am finding that I have to work hard to change something in the way I teach or in my classroom each year to make it fresh.  I love teaching 1st grade, but I think I have been doing it so long it can almost become drudgery.  I have been working this week to stay positive.  The first weeks of school always feel to me like I have a houseful of house guests.  We are all busy getting to know each other, rules, and routines, and it just isn't comfortable yet, which is tiring in and of itself.  Here's hoping this week will be easier!

Jeff and I continue to explore me staying home next year.   We had the first of many budget meetings last night.  So far, I am loving how this seems to be a great exercise in letting go and trusting God.  We are becoming better at communicating with each other as well.  So, even if this doesn't work out for us, just going through this experiment will bring us many benefits.  I love feeling like Jeff and I are a tight team, with God as our head.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband?  I admire him so much, and I love how hard he works for us.  Really.  I am so lucky to have him.

How is your school year going?  Are your kids back to school yet?

A long time...

Wow.  It's been a long time since I've written in this space.

Last weekend, Sammy, Evan, and I went to a family reunion for my Dad's side of the family.  We had a GREAT time!  I don't get to see my family nearly as often as I would like to, especially my cousins now that we all have families.  While I was there, I talked to one of my favorite people, my Aunt Joyce.  She reminded me to write some new posts here, so here I am!  (Hi Aunt Joyce!!)  It was nice to be reminded by family that people still check in here, and that this is still a good way to keep in touch.

So what's new?

We've had a wonderful summer.  So wonderful in fact it has prompted Jeff and I to consider whether it is time to make some changes in our work situation for our family.  I love my job.  I love teaching.  I have always, ALWAYS felt that I was called by God to be a teacher, and that He gave me certain gifts to help me accomplish a mission he had in mind for me in the classroom.  The hard part of teaching is that it absolutely is NOT a 9-5 job.  I spend hours after work and on the weekends creating learning materials, grading, lesson planning, etc.  This is easier said than done when you have three kids, and you are a wife.  Although I feel that teaching is a calling for me, I also feel that being a wife and a Mom is a God sent calling, one that takes the highest priority.

This summer, as I had time to relax, enjoy my kids, and actually get things done around my house, we came to some conclusions.  The first was that other people's kids always get my best.  That's tough for me to think about.  I want my best to go to my own children, especially when two of my kids are very high needs.  Secondly, I realized that I am never able to do anything really to the best of my ability, because I don't have time.  Being split in so many different directions is not allowing me to get anything done well.  I also discovered how much stress I am carrying around with me during the school year, and how much that is affecting my marriage and my kids.

Sooooo, we have been toying around with the idea of me staying home next year.  I have reservations about both sides of the decision, but I truly feel that we are being called to consider this as the next stage for our family.  If things can come together financially, we will see how it goes.  We are going to be thinking and praying hard about this during the school year.

Evan is getting ready to start his 8th grade year.  Junior high is never a super enjoyable time for anyone, but last year was especially hard for Evan.  As he works through the upper grades, his learning disabilities are really making things awful.  We made the decision that he needs to go to a public high school to receive the appropriate special education help.  It was a hard realization to come to.  I really wanted him to be able to have the private high school experience, but I know in my gut it isn't the right place for him.  Hopefully this year is a bit better.

Charlie is giving me a run for my money.  I love him to pieces, and he can have a heart of gold, but he is also very stubborn and willful.  He is still having massive temper tantrums, and we have been going to therapy for about a year.  I am not seeing any major improvements yet, but they always have good suggestions for us to try, and that gives me hope.  Luckily, he is an angel at school, and he is incredibly smart, so at least part of the parenting job with him is easy.

God bless Sammy.  He is a ray of sunshine in our family.  Always happy, always smiling, always giving hugs.  Hardly ever needs redirection or discipline.  I think God knew I had my hands full and needed a sweet pea.  He is starting Kindergarten in a few weeks, and that makes me sad.  They grow so fast.  As all mothers do, I long for time to slow waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down so I have longer to enjoy my babies and my family.

Jeff and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on July 22nd.  I am crazy in love with that guy.  We get better at marriage every year, and it gets to be more and more fun all the time.  It really surprised me when I got married how much work marriage is.  Work that is worth it, but hard as well.  My parents were so good at marriage they made it look easy.  Maybe someday Jeff and I will give that impression as well.  In the meantime, I am super blessed to have a husband who balances me, believes in me, puts up with me, and supports my dreams.  He was definitely worth the wait!

And me?  I am feeling better about myself than I have in a long time.  Last November, I went to my doctor, very frustrated with how I was getting nowhere with my health goals, despite healthy eating and exercise.  He did a lot of tests, and determined that my weight struggles were related to my issues with insulin resistance.  He put me on a low carb diet, and for the first time in my life, the weight began to melt away.  It was such a relief to begin to see the me I knew was in there in the mirror again.  Since then, I have lost a total of 45 pounds.  I have been feeling so much better physically, I have been able to go back to running in full force.  I've been able to get in a total of 12-15 miles a week, which for me as a busy Mom is GREAT.  My runs are great "me" time, where I can destress, think, and get healthy.  I love looking better and feeling better, but most of all I love feeling more confident about my overall health.  When my Dad died at only 58, my cardiologist told me I was in a very high risk group for also dying early of a heart attack.  I do NOT want to leave my family one minute earlier than I absolutely have to.  I can at least rest easier knowing that I am doing my best to improve my odds.  Thank goodness for my patient doctor who has been willing to do research and stick with me.

Now that it is August, I have been working my tootie off on my classroom.  I am trying to work up some excitement for the coming school year.  That usually comes more for me in October, once the students and I have settled in.  August is a rush to get everything done.  I always wish I could fast forward through the first few weeks.

I know I've said this before, but I am going to try and get back to this space on the web more regularly.  I always feel better when I do.  I am hoping to post some pictures this weekend.

Good Bye 2011

One of my favorite bloggers, Audrey McClelland from Mom Generations, says at the end of the year she likes to look back at three things: health, happiness, and family.  I really like this idea...to me these are some of the most important things in my life, with the addition of faith.

I struggled with my health this year.  In light of my Dad's death at only 58 from genetic heart issues, I am hyper aware of my health.  I know that what I do now can greatly affect how much time I get to spend on earth with my precious family.  My PCOS is getting worse, and I know this can also impact my heart health.  I feel great that my new diet, which is really more of a lifestyle change, is helping this.  I've already lost 10% of my body weight.  I have an appointment scheduled with a new specialist next week, and I going to be picking the brain of a very wise friend who also has PCOS to hopefully get more of my symptoms under control.  It's my goal in 2012 to do everything I can to get healthier.

There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for my family.  We have had our challenges this year with both Evan and Charlie, but Jeff and I took positive steps in helping our children to improve in their academics and their behavior.  It's been hard, but I am so proud of us for working hard on these things.  Parenting...no one can prepare you for how HARD it can be!!  This year, I want to be more purposeful and present in my actions as a Mom.  Too many days I am just trying to get by and get through.  I don't want to waste my time with them.

And my husband...my wonderful husband.  Jeff is the greatest gift I will every receive from the Lord.  Having this man to walk next to in this journey is a blessing I am thankful for EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  I try not to ever take him for granted.  I fall more in love with him every day I have the honor of being his wife.

Happiness and faith have been so intertwined for me since September 28, 2010, the day my Daddy went to heaven.  In 2011, we continued to heal.  We are learning to be happy again.  But I have learned you never ever stop grieving, and the hole in our family will always be there.  You just learn how to cope with it...which for me is through faith.  It brings me such comfort to know that my Dad's life and death, and how it intertwines with my own, was known by God and in His hands long ago.  It brings me comfort to know that God is working great things in my heart through this experience, and that He has never left my side as we move through this new life without my Dad.  And above all, I take joy in knowing I WILL be with my Dad again, and I want him to be proud of how I carried on and the life I lead after he had to leave.  It's my goal in 2012 to make choices that both my Heavenly Father and my Dad will be proud of.

I'm looking forward to 2012.  I am hoping to have a year of growth.  I want to be a blessing to those around me. 

My Classroom

My awesome husband took Monday and Tuesday off from work so that I could go up to school for two days without the kids to put my classroom back together.  This task is the worst of the whole school year for many teachers.

At the end of every school year, you are required to take everything off the walls and pile the furniture into a ginormous pile at one end of the room.  Why?  Supposedly so that the custodial staff can clean carpets and do repairs.  All of this means that when I first enter my classroom at the beginning of the year, it looks like this:

Most people assume that teachers are given ample time to put their room together during the week teachers are back but students haven't yet returned to school.  WRONG WRONG WRONG!  That week is so packed full of meetings you can hardly remember your own name as you run around from one thing to another.  I always go up to school for two days the first week in August to get things started.

Lucky me...on Monday when I was there to move this furniture mess the outside temp was 105 degrees...AND THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS BROKEN AT SCHOOL.  Fun times!!  I knew since Jeff had taken the day off I couldn't give up and go home.  So, I shoved and pushed and hauled (and sweated my brains out) until the room looked like this:

Let me tell you...moving filing cabinets and a teachers desk are not easy.  I have no idea how I will do this job when I am 60.

I worked all day on Monday and Tuesday, and am so relieved that my classroom now looks like this:

The math calendar/class meeting area.

This is my desk area.  To the left is the desk my student teacher will use this semester

On the right (with the big table) is my small group area, where I will meet with reading and math groups.  On the left is our cozy book corner, where kids will spend time curled up with a good book.

This is a view of the front of the room.  The thing with the pink sheet over it is our computerized chalkboard called an ActivBoard.  I don't ever use chalk anymore!!

A view of the student desks.  I always have 30 kids in my room, so the desks take up a lot of space.  I am going to start the year with this horse shoe formation, but later I will group them into groups of 5 desks in a pod.

SNOW DAY!

Good morning!  It is the happiest of days in a teacher's life this morning!  We are having a SNOW DAY here at the Sole Woman.  It's been snowing since yesterday morning, and we have about 6 inches on the ground-and it is still going strong!  Here's a picture I took this morning with a new photo program I am playing around with on my iPhone (I love the old fashioned feel it gives photos):

I am sitting with my coffee, looking at the snow falling quietly outside the window.  My family is all tucked inside, warm and safe.  Jeff is working from home today, Evan is taking advantage of his day off by sleeping (he is SO 12!!), and Charlie and Sammy are snuggled up on the couch under blankets talking about what they will be doing outside later today. 

Bliss!

Since I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but enjoy my coffee, I thought I would give you an update of life around our house.    I forgot to mention that my darling husband bought me for Christmas the gift I have been dreaming of for the last 8 years....drumroll please....a KitchenAid mixer!!  (And she is a beautiful cherry red too!)  I guess I haven't talked about it a lot here, but I love to bake.  I love to do things homemade.  My go to stress reliever is bread baking, much to the delight of my husband.  I think he secretly loves it when I have a bad day, because he knows there is a loaf of fresh baked bread in his future.  Since I first moved into my own space, I have been using my mom's cast off mixer, which was a gift from her 1974 wedding.  About 6 months ago, he lost a leg, and I had to prop it up on a piece of wood so it wouldn't wobble while I mixed.  The thing drove me bananas.  If the recipe called for more than 3 cups of flour, the batter would climb up the beaters and try and get into the motor.  It was beyond frustrating to try and mix up dough for Christmas cookies.

I will admit that I screamed when I opened it on Christmas morning.  I love it.  Seriously.  I am not one to keep appliance on the kitchen counters, but I love my mixer so much, she has a place of honor on the counter.   (And besides, she's red!  So she coordinates with my kitchen!!)  I have been trying out lots of new recipes, and I have been playing around with made from scratch cakes.  Do any of you have any recipes for homemade cakes?  Or tips?  Mine haven't been the greatest.

This week I had to submit all of Charlie's documents and paperwork for Kindergarten registration.  It's really starting to hit home that he's going to school next year.  I know every mother feels like their kids grow up too fast, but it is UNBELIEVABLE to me how quickly his first 5 years have gone.  In fact, he is turning 5 on the 17th, and he is beyond excited.  I know he's ready for this new adventure, so I am trying to get my heart to accept this.

I am off to bake some bread!  (Not because I am stressed today :)  Just because it sounds nice!)  I hope you are warm and cozy on this January Monday.

Wrapping Frenzy!

I am done with my Christmas shopping, but I haven't wrapped ONE.SINGLE.THING!

All the gifts are piled up in my secret hiding spot, just waiting. Have I ever told you that I don't have much patience for jobs that take a long time? I have lots of kid patience. Give me a room filled with kids, and I can wade through the worst of problems with buckets of patience. Give me a lot of vegetables to chop, cookies to bake, rooms to paint, or lots of presents to wrap, and I want to pull my hair out. I feel so overwhelmed with jobs that will take more than an hour, that I don't even want to start.

Which is why my secret hiding spot is making me anxious. The thought of all that wrapping is making my skin crawl.

I know what some of you are thinking...use a gift bag Christy.

But I just can't.

When I was little, the big magic of Christmas morning for me was presents to unwrap, all in a jumble under the tree. My Mom, God bless her, was much more practical with four kids. She used a lot of gift bags, and when we woke up on Christmas morning, each child had their own very organized pile of presents set somewhere in the room to make for easy opening.

As a Mom myself, I can understand where she was coming from, but I have this compulsion to give my kids that jumble under the tree, and the unwrapping experience. (Don't get me wrong...I know the presents aren't the most important part. But they are fun, right?!)

Tonight, after my little munchkins are tucked in their beds, I am going to make myself tackle that pile. I wish I could ask Jeff to help, but he has always wrapped his gifts in garbage bags. Unfortunately, I am not kidding. He's lucky I found him to be the nicest, smartest, most handsomest man otherwise that first Christmas we had when we were dating when he gave me a diamond necklace in a garbage bag might have been the end. Instead, I laughed and laughed. And I still laugh when he gives me his gift every year.

Home and Birthdays

My Dad is back home from the hospital. Again.

And I am so, so, so glad. I know probably every kid thinks their parents are the best, but I truly know that my Dad is one of the BEST Dads ever. He was such an awesome example growing up of how to be an honorable, trustworthy, loving person. He taught me integrity and how to serve others with a joyful heart. In the hospital, he continued these lessons by treating every nurse, tech, doctor, and therapist with respect and cheerfulness, calling each one by name, even when he felt at his lowest. I love him for all of these things, and for his spunky personality. I am so happy he is my Daddy, and that he is home again. I want to have many more years to laugh and learn with him. I am SO lucky to be his daughter. SO lucky.

It is my Dad's birthday on Monday. The best of birthdays is a birthday that you almost didn't get to have, and we are rejoicing that we get to celebrate this day with him.

It is my handsome Jeff's birthday tomorrow. We are going to welcome him into middle age with white cake with white frosting (his favorite), some very inspired presents, and his favorite foods for dinner. I haven't mentioned on this blog lately how adorable he is, and how great of a Dad he is, and how much I love him, but he is and I do.

I am beyond blessed to have these two men in my life. How did I get so lucky as to have two of the best men on the planet in my life? I can't wait to spend their special days with each of them.

A Prime Example of Why Men Can Be Hard to Live With

Tonight, while sitting next to Evan on the couch, I noticed that his toenails had grown to an amazing length. The following conversation ensued:

Me: Evan, you really need to cut your toenails tonight.

Evan: Can't do that Mom. I need them. They're good tools.

Me: (Very puzzled but trying to keep up) Tools? Give me an example.

Evan: Every night when I'm sweeping the kitchen floor, I use my toenails to scrape stuck pieces of food off the floor so I can sweep the stuck pieces up.

Jeff: (Completely serious) Makes sense to me. Let the kid keep his toenails.

Me: (Speechless) ....

Feeling Better

Thanks everyone for you kind thoughts and comments!!! Bloggers are the best, no?

Evan is feeling much better today, and his cough is almost gone. Charlie and Sammy are still okay. The only one I am still worried about is Jeff, who woke up yesterday sounding like a bull frog. He has a productive cough and stuffy nose, but no fever or anything, so maybe it is just a common cold. It's a scary world when you have to be so suspicious of every cough and sneeze.

I spent yesterday disinfecting the house, and lamenting the horrible end to the Nebraska vs. Virginia Tech game. Lost in the last 90 seconds what I was sure they were going to win. Jeff screamed so loud at the end there, that Evan came running from downstairs, sure that he was having a heart attack. We were that shocked. Sad day here in Husker country, that's for sure.

I did get to sneak away in the evening for a bit. Have I ever told you that I love to sing? I was in choir in high school and I sing periodically at church services at school. I was super excited when our church announced a few weeks ago that they would be forming a choir. (We are a new parish, and are slowing getting groups like this off the ground). When I was a single gal, I sang at the church where Jeff and I belonged before we were married. I think he saw my wistful look when they announced the choir forming at church. He galantly offered to be on kid duty while I went to practices and services. Saturday was our premier, and it was so much fun. I am so grateful my husband knows what I need to feed my heart, and is giving enough to help me experience it. He rocks.

We are all praying for a week of health around here. I will be stuffing my family with chicken soup and orange juice for dinner tonight.

Almost to the Finish Line!

This shows how my kitchen looks right now:



This fantastic mess is because my living room is currently residing in the kitchen. Those of you who have known me for even 5 seconds will understand that as a person with an unusually high need for order and organization, this situation is making me anxious as all get out. But since the result is well worth it, I am trying to ignore the tottering piles to the best of my ability.

Here is a shot of the living room chaos:



It does show, however, that we are ALMOST done with the floor!! We ran out of wood with one small strip to go by the wall, so we will finish up tomorrow. I am so in love with how it looks, and I can't wait to see how everything looks when it is all put back together again.

We are so, so, so blessed to have good family and friends. My dad, Jeff's dad, my brother Creighton, my dad's friend Doug, and Jeff all worked countless hours this weekend to help us get this in, and it saved us $2500 to be able to do the labor ourselves. In appreciation for all of their hard work, we are going to have them over for some steaks on the grill later this month.

And here is a close up of the finished product:



Seriously. I am in LOVE with it. Especially since I can just wipe up any mess my boys throw at it. Carpet and three boys? BAD. VERY BAD.

Independence

Two weeks ago, Jeff and I took a quick trip down to the KC area to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. It was just three nights, but it was the first time we have taken a trip together, with or without kids, since our honeymoon. Which should explain right there why it was a wonderful get away.

We stayed in a bed and breakfast called the Hawthorn, which is located in Independence. It is a mansion built in 1900, which has been converted to a GORGEOUS B & B. I've never stayed in one before, but oh my goodness! HEAVEN! Here is a picture of the room where we stayed, which was a hundred times cleaner, more comfortable, and nicer than any hotel I have ever stayed in:





Right outside our room was a gourmet coffee station (and for the girl who drinks at LEAST one pot a day, this was a huge plus!) and a snack bar. Every morning, we were served an out of this world three course, fresh, homemade breakfast. In fact, on Thursday night we were the only guests, so we got first dibs on the table in the sun porch at Friday morning's breakfast. Every day started with a fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait. Next came a variety of fresh out of the oven muffins, and then pancakes, hash browns, breakfast meat and eggs. We were so stuffed after all this indulgence we never had lunch one day the entire trip. Breakfast was probably my favorite part of every day. Not having to prepare food, feed three kids, and clean up afterwards was the biggest luxury. I felt completely pampered.

Although the mansion is beautiful, it turns out Independence isn't. It's a pretty scary town, actually. The whole thing is like one huge bad neighborhood, with sex shops, cruddy convenience stores with shady people lurking in the parking lot, and lots of crime. Sprinkled here and there throughout the town are some pretty cool historical sites, but don't wander too far off the beaten path!

A big highlight of the trip for me was our visit to the Truman Presidential Library. Beforehand, the only thing I really knew for sure about Harry Truman was that he dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. I really enjoyed learning about his life. He is one of Jeff's favorite historical figures. Jeff loves anyone who "pulls himself up by his bootstraps", and Harry Truman was certainly a bootstrap man.

This is a photo of a letter written by a father to Mr. Truman after his son was killed in the Korean War:



He sent along with the letter his son's Purple Heart. Harry kept this letter in his desk at the Oval Office for the rest of his term. It made my heart hurt to see it-a little for the parents of this young soldier, and a little for Harry Truman, who seemed to carry the loss of each soldier's life on his shoulders.

In one room they had a display of articles that appeared in Life Magazine in 1952. One of them showed this:



It's a little hard to see, but the article told of a young mother with three small children who had been stricken with polio. Having a husband who also had the disease as a child, I think all polio stories grab my attention, but I will admit I stood at looked at this picture for a good 10 minutes. The photos in the article show the mom in an iron lung, where she lay paralyzed. Hanging above her head you can see the pictures of her three children. I cried right there, thinking about how heartbroken I would be to have to lie there, unable to move, seeing my children's faces, and knowing other people were taking care of them. I wish I knew what happened to her and her family.

We also took a tour of Harry Truman's home, which actually belonged to his wife. Poor Harry had to live with his mother in law most of his adult life, who wouldn't let him sit at the head of the table, stay in the master bedroom, or display any of his treasures from the White House, even after he had been President of the United States. That's one difficult MIL.


My favorite part was the kitchen where Harry decided to put wallpaper on the ceiling, as well as the walls, because he liked the pattern so much!

Afterwards, we stopped for an ice cream at Clinton's Soda Shop where Harry Truman had his first job. Here's Jeff, making his "if you're going to take a picture of me I am going to try and look as dumb as possible so you quit trying to photograph me" face. I hate it when he does this:



Seriously. He looks like the grumpiest man in the world. But I love him anyway.

It was so nice to be away, just the two of us. I am always nervous to leave the kids, but I am always a better mom for it when I return. I wish we could get away, if only for a quick weekend, more often. But alas! The joys of having three kids, a job, and a husband with a REALLY busy work schedule make that impossible. We appreciate it all the more though when it happens. It was a great way to wrap up the summer.

We're Off!

Jeff and I are off to a short weekend getaway to a bed and breakfast in Independence, Missouri. It's our first trip alone together since our honeymoon 4 years ago. Not sure what we will do with ourselves without 3 boys to run after, but the quiet will be nice.

See you soon!

Happy Anniversary!

4 years ago today, just about now, I looked something like this:



I am on the left, no make up. My hair was just beginning it's transformation for my wedding that evening. On the right, is one of my favorite people, my friend Katy. Isn't her hair a lovely shade of red? I've always wanted to have it as my own.



And here are my two best girls, Katy and Christi, doing each other's nails at the salon that same morning.



After getting beautified, we went out to lunch at Valentinos. Every bride should go out in public with her hair and veil before the wedding. It's delicious to feel so special. And next to me, is my 5 year old Evan, on the last day it was just the two of us, before we became a new family with Jeff. Isn't his smile the greatest?!



This is my flower girl Nora. She became a student in my classroom only four weeks later! Also, Evan has loved her since birth, and someday she will be my daughter-in-law. I love her to bits.



And here I am with my sister Sarah, who was my matron of honor. She is precious to me, and I am so glad she was there to stand next to me that day. You can't tell, but she is the smidgiest bit preggers in the picture!



And this my friends? THIS is my kick ass, cathedral length train on my dress. It was the one thing I knew I needed to have when I was dress shopping.



My bouquet was a replica of the bouquet my Grandma Sophie Micek carried in her 1934 wedding, 71 years before.



And most importantly, here I am 4 years ago today, vowing to love and treasure the love of my life, for the rest of my life. And while I wouldn't have believed it possible on that day, I love him a million times more today than I did when I pledged my life to him. I have learned that marriage takes a lot of work, and I have certainly had to grow into my role as a wife, but I am so incredibly thankful every single day that I have been blessed with Jeff as my husband. He is the greatest of friends, fathers, and providers. He rocks my world, every day.

Thanks for the best 4 years of my life, Jeff. I pray we have so many more together!

Thank Goodness

I am so glad it is the weekend. This has been one of the busiest weeks EVER.

I am ready for some down time with my kids, and my husband. I have so much to do around the house that I didn't get done during the week it isn't even funny. Laundry is once again taking over my hallway. Costco is calling my name, and reminding me that if I don't get there soon Sammy won't have any diapers left, the cat will run out of food, and I won't be able to run the dishwasher. All of which would just add to the general mess of my house.

I did realize late last night that I had gotten engaged to my super duper awesome Jeff 5 years ago on Friday. Which makes for almost 6 years total together. Doesn't time fly? In some ways it feels like we just met, but then I look around and see the house, the minivan, the children, and realize that is has been awhile. I love him dearly and I am thankful for every minute we've had together!

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

Random Updates

I haven't been around this here blog for a few days, and it makes me sad. As I sat waiting for Evan to be done at eye therapy this afternoon, I thought about why. And the biggest thing I can come up with is that Evan's schedule is ruling our lives this summer, God bless him. I love the effect that his activities are having on him, but between swimming practice four days a week, a three hour swim meet every Wednesday night, once a week eye therapy at the doctor's office and daily home therapy sessions, Vacation Bible School, and Hummel Day camp-we hardly ever have a day to just putz around. And putzing? It's my favorite summer time activity. And you know what's scary? What will this be like when Charlie and Sammy have things to do too? Will I ever leave the car?!!!

At any rate, here are some random life updates, and I promise to try really hard to be here more often.

After the debacle last week of not finding the pool, Evan attended his second swim meet tonight. He placed second in the 25 meter butterfly, did pretty well with his first attempt at diving off the blocks, and helped his relay team to come in third by catching them up from last place as the final swimmer. Swim meets are something else. The pre-meet practice is from 5:15 to 6:00, with the actual meet taking place from 6:00-8:00 PM. Which makes for almost three hours of sitting in the blistering heat (and here in Omaha it has been close to 100 for the last three days) for the toddlers and I. Today, after only sitting about 15 minutes, Charlie and Sam were completely drenched in sweat and red faced. I starting getting worried about the safety of having two small children in severe heat for 3 hours, so I stripped them down to their shorts minus the undies and put them in the baby pool which was next to the main pool. Other parents soon followed suit with their small fries, and the mothers all stood with their feet immersed in the water as we cheered on our swimmers. I have seriously never sweated so much in my life. It was torturous. I love the boost to Evan's self confidence, the vastly improved swimming skills he is achieving, and watching my kid be a star, but let me be honest. I hate swim meets. Period.

I tried putting Sammy in undies the last three days. He just pees and poops whever he is, and happily goes on about his business with completely disgusting pants. I am giving up for now. He could care less. Yet again, I am stuck in a situation where this is fine with me, and daycare is going to throw a fit when school starts again. Yet another reason I would love to be a SAHM.

Charlie has been throwing huge temper tantrums again the last three weeks. I am at my wits end. I have talked with his pediatrician, and I am following his advice, but I may need an IV of valium to get through this stage. Maybe Super Nanny would take pity on me.

Jeff is back this week after a week long trip last week to Sacramento. Nothing shows just how much I love and appreciate my hubby as a week without him. MAN, I love that guy. SOOOO glad he is back!!

And also? I woke up this morning with a HUGE spider bite-on my rear end! First of all, YUCK to spiders in bed with me! I am completely disgusted by these horrid things. Second, it itches like the dickens, and you know, that's just not a good place to have to scratch. And lastly, it is swollen up to the size of a golf ball. Which makes sitting oh so fun!

And finally, here is a completely random thought. I wish that the micro scrubbing beads that they put in facial cleansers were colored instead of transparent. That way, when it gets in your eye and you are exfoliating your cornea instead of your pores, you could actually see it to remove it. Let's just say my left eye looks like hamburger meat after a bad experience this morning.

I promise to try and be back here more often so I don't have to do any more of these crazy random posts.

Bliss

I had the pleasure of babysitting my adorable Godson Joel Friday night. I love that kid to pieces. It was pure bliss for me, because I got to have HOURS of uninterrupted snuggle time. Seriously. This kid is the easiest guy to spend time with. He is so cheerful, loving, and happy to go/do whatever you want him to. And he will cuddle with me. Is there anything more blissful than spending some cuddle time with an adorable toddler? No. There isn't.



I love it that he is friends with my kids. Here is Joel and Sammy eating dinner together, and having a lengthy discussion about red cars.

And, just because I love him-here is a picture of my adorable husband.



It's lovely to be surrounded by so many adorable boys!!

Hands

Jeff and I attended our annual marriage retreat, Table for Two yesterday at church. It was just awesome. The food was outstanding, the speaker was great, and who can beat an uninterrupted 3 hours with your spouse?

During one of the mini talks that came between each course of the meal, the speaker did a mini-meditation on hands. Part of the exercise was to picture the hands of those who had influenced us, who had taken care of us during our lives. The hands of both of my grandmothers immediately came into my mind.

By the time I was introduced to these two pairs of hands, they were lined with age, love, and hard work. Even though I have not seen the hands of my grandmother Sophie in 16 years, I can picture them perfectly in my mind. Her voice has gone a bit fuzzy for me, but her hands I can still hold in my mind's eye. She had lovely, long fingers. I don't remember ever seeing her with painted nails, probably because she was often using them to clean her house. She was the best housekeeper I have ever known. Her house was spotless. How she managed this with 10 children is beyond me, but this is one of my dad's biggest memories of his childhood. It was a comfortable clean-not one where you couldn't run in and out and play.

Sophie was a very faith filled woman, and I can see her hands around mine, showing me how to pray, and say the sign of the cross. I can vividly see her fingers caressing the beads of a rosary, her eyes closed in prayer.

My Grandma Rose's fingers are also long and tapered, and she has large, rounded nails. Two of my children inherited her fingers and nails. After my babies were first handed to me, fresh from the womb and wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, the first thing I always did was to unearth one of their hands to inspect their fingers, and watch their brand new hands wrap around mine. When I looked at Charlie's for the first time, I laughed at their well loved familiarity. It was my Grandma's fingers in miniature, right down to the shape of her nails. So comforting to know they will always be with me.

When I think of Rose, I see her fingers running up and down my back in a relaxing tickle. She is the best of back rubbers. I see her dealing out cards for hands of Kings in the Corner. Her hands are the ones who taught me a myriad of card games. I see her hands in front of my own, wrapped in yarn, teaching me to crochet.

Last night I thought about how hard their hands had worked as young girls, one farming, one taking care of cows, both raising younger brothers and sisters. I thought of them raising their own children (sixteen between them!), keeping a house, making meal after meal, combing little girls' hair, loving their husbands, and then their grandchildren.

Isn't it amazing how much your hands do in a lifetime? How much care. love, teaching, and praying they do? I've never thought about it much before last night, but I can picture the hands of many of the people I love best, and my best memories of many of them revolve around their hands. My prayer last night was that I will use my hands for kindness, and that those I love will be able to think of my hands with fondness.

With My Feet Firmly Planted On the Ground

Jeff is scheduled to take a business trip in June to California. This is the first trip ever that he has been able to schedule during the summer, the only time when I am available to go with him. The best part of being a teacher is having summers off. But the worst part is also having summers off, because your principal always expects everything in your life to then happen in the summer, and GOD BLESS AMERICA do NOT ask for time off during the school year.

But now that I actually have the opportunity to go with him, vegitate in a hotel room without kids, lounge by a pool and drink diet Coke and read books to my hearts content, I don't know if I can make myself go.

I have always had a hard time leaving the kids to go on vacation. Although I need a break sometimes just like every mother, I miss the kids SO much when I am gone that I have a hard time relaxing and enjoying myself. When Jeff and I travel on the same plane, I am an absolute wreck. I have a fear of flying, but it's worse when we are together. I can't help imagining what would happen to the kids if something happened to both of us.

So I probably won't go. Which is so neurotic, and yes I probably need to get over it. But I just don't think I can talk myself into it.

And a Good Weekend Was Had By All

We've had a splendid time around here the last couple of days. Friday was rather excruciating for me, as I had to help with a Book Bowl competition at school. The event itself was fun to help with, but days where I don't get to see my kids for more than the half hour it takes to get them dressed and to school are just plain awful for me. Sometimes I am tempted to go into their room and wake them up to play when I get home. It also meant I got a late start on my laundry, which is never a good idea around here.

We made up for it Saturday morning though when we went Boingz! for our cousin Bryce's 2nd birthday party. All three boys had a great time jumping in the bounce houses.

Saturday night was pure pleasure. Jeff and I had date night together, the first time we have been out in months. We went to see Bill Cosby perform live at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha. I am such a big fan of Mr. Cosby that I seriously would have been happy if he had just came on stage and sat down and said nothing. Just to be able to say I was in the same room with him was enough for me.

He came out in sweat pants, a hoodie sweatshirt that said "Hello Friend" on the front, and blue crocs. Wouldn't that be great to be so comfy while you are on stage? The only thing on stage was a chair and a table, and he sat in the chair and talked to all of us as if we had always been friends. He told HIGHLARIOUS stories for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I am not kidding you-my stomach hurt when it was all over. I have never ever laughed that hard for that long.

We went out to dinner at Red Lobster afterwards for Lobstah fest, and I totally indulged and had a lobster tail and garlic jumbo shrimp. TO DIE FOR. I have 2 extra inches on my hips to prove it.

My totally awesome father in-law came down to watch the kids, and they just are over the moon in love with him, so the boys had a good date night too. The only downside is that Papa John never comes empty handed, so he had loads of junkfood loot with him. This morning I opened my fridgerator door to see a bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms staring me in the face. THERE IS NOT A YUMMIER CANDY!!!! This will not help my diet. So far I have avoided them. I will be pushing them on the boys for desert tonight in self preservtion.

Where, oh where, is the house for us?

We went house hunting again this morning, despite my strep induced delirium. Which certainly made the experience more entertaining.

The first house we visited, in a word, sucked. This word may have accidentally escaped my lips and floated out to the agents ears, which caused a loud guffaw from John, our uber patient agent. Normally, I wouldn't say this in a situation which requires me to be somewhat professional, or at least look like a grownup who is perfectly capable of spending a crap load of money on a home. However, it appears large doses of pain relievers lowers my inhibitions a bit.

The house was built in 1966, and if that was your favorite year, than this is the house for you, because it has not changed one bit. And by that, I even mean that the stove and oven were original to the house. Does that add character? I think not.

The second house we saw has been tempting us all afternoon. The layout? Perfect. The location? Awesome (as in 3 minutes from Grandma's house. My kids could walk over to play, and I might be left alone to have time to MYSELF!) The price? Great. BUT...it needs a new roof and furnace. Not a huge deal, as we would put that in as a contigency of our offer. But, it also needs some other updating. We would end up working to make it better for quite a bit. And, as longtime readers of this blog know, Jeff and I can hardly chage a light bulb. You may recall the time Jeff and I became locked in a bedroom with Sam when attempting to change out a doorknob, leaving Charlie free to attack the house with a Sharpie marker. One of the highpoints of Charlie's young life, to be sure.

So, we have spent the rest of the day feeling like our brains are in a pinball machine as we bounce around from one option/decision to another. I am actually leaning towards staying here, refinancing, doing some home improvements, and looking again in a year. Although that could be because my ears feel like they are going to explode out of my head, and I am so tired I can't imagine packing up all of our stuff and setting up house somewhere else.

Maybe we'll try sleeping on it, and the decision will be waiting for us when we wake, all wrapped up with a bow. Wouldn't that be awesome?!