When they send you home with a brand new baby, they don't tell you all of the things you can expect.
The overwhelming love... the sleepless nights... the feeling of having your heart beating in another person's body...

One would think that after almost 7 years, those things would have decreased. Nope- not the case.

On the eve of Bubba's 7th birthday, I am again amazed at what a truly incredible creature he is. He makes me so proud to be his mom. He shows love and compassion... he is very demonstrative and I am soaking it up while I can because I am afraid that will change as he gets older. He is a hard worker and really tries to do his best at school. He loves praise! To be told that he did a great job is reward enough for him. :) He is a fantastic big brother and is always the first to try to calm his little sister if she is upset. He is smart like his daddy. He can find good in just about anything. He has a strong will, a soft heart, and a ready giggle. What a great mix!

I can't help but reflect on all of the firsts we have had over the last 7 years. All of the typical firsts (sleeping through the night, first foods, first dentist visit, etc...) but we have also had so many others. First touchdown in football. First birthday party at a friend's house without mom or dad there. First field trip at school. First sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's. First tooth lost. First trip to the hospital. First bike ride without training wheels. First running race. First play date. First time in a cave. First exposure to the fragility of life. First roller coaster ride. First school award. The list goes on and on...

While I look at that list and feel sad at all the time that has passed so quickly, I can't help but be grateful for the time and opportunities I have. I am grateful to have every minute with my family and to make these cherished memories.

I can also take away from all of those firsts is this- we are all constantly getting new opportunities. We can try something new and have our own firsts. I wish I could do it with the zest for life that Bubba has, but nobody does it quite like him! But I think I will try. ;)

Happy birthday, Bubba! I love you to the moon and back, sweet boy!

Change....

Anyone who knows me knows that I fear change. I can handle it if I have to, but change scares me. A LOT. (Hard to believe for a traveling special education teacher, huh???)  I seldom look for it. The really crazy thing is that I know that change is inevitable. Necessary even. So what is a person like me to do?

Moonie is now 5 years old and getting ready for kindergarten. That is almost painful to write. She will be entering kindergarten in the next few weeks and I am not ready. SHE is ready. Completely ready. I get teary just thinking of it. When did she grow up? Where did the time go? She is smart and and funny and an amazing little person... and ready to grow more. I am trying to wrap my brain around it. I never want to hold her back from being all that she can be because I am not ready for it. So... I will adjust. I will cheer her on and look back 6 months from now and be even more proud of the child she is because she is growing and learning like she is supposed to.

Bubba is going to be 7 in a couple of months. Every day he is looking more and more like a boy instead of the toddler I still see in my head when I think of him. He is smart and kind and a lover of life. He feels everything and shares generously. I could not be more proud of him. He is ready for first grade and football and all that life has to offer. He has no fear of taking on challenges and adapting to change. He is curious and thirsts for knowledge. There is so much I can learn from him....

I am blessed to love what I do for my career. Teaching is magic to me. I feel lucky to have other people trust me to help guide their children to adulthood and give them some of the skills they need. I am having a hard time this year as our district seems to be going through some changes, too. We are adapting to district wide changes (curriculum, testing, structure, organization, support, etc...) and the biggest issue to me is the staffing changes. We as a district have lost some AMAZING teachers this summer. They have retired or moved on to bigger and better things. While I am always happy when a person is able to be true to themselves or fully realize their potential, I am sad for our loss. I am sad for my loss of having those people who always find a way to motivate you on a low day or make you laugh on a really rough day. I mourn the loss of those who praise you when you do well and see the value in what you do. I know that in order to grow, change is needed. I also believe that life brings certain people into your life to change you- to teach you how to grow or what you don't want to be. I am curious to see who I encounter this school year...

So in this season of change for me, I am trying to embrace it. I am trying to believe that everything around me is happening to help me grow. I hope it is happening to teach me important life lessons. Kids have a powerful way of teaching us the important things if we choose to listen: to live each moment... to be in awe of nature... to love without regret or reservation... to share without expectation... to take what comes... and to be honest with everyone. So as I grow up and face another school year filled with all sorts of changes, I will take another cue from my kids and try to embrace the change. They will continue to teach me how to grow by pushing me outside my comfort zone. I guess that is where all of the growing happens...

I have been slacking!!! With both kids home for the summer and our family time being such an important thing to me, I completely neglected my blog. THEN- my oldest, Bubba, started kindergarten. HUGE adjustment for me! He did beautifully, and continues to do so. He loves school and wakes up in the morning now asking (even on the weekends!) if each day is a school day. He wants it to be a school day- every day. I love seeing his enthusiasm! As a teacher, I am so thrilled to see a little one who adores school and has a genuine thirst for knowledge. He is wanting to read EVERYTHING and write EVERYTHING. No word is off limits in his world- including body parts... hahahaha!!!!!!! He loves talking about math, too, over dinner. He will ask Daddy and Mommy math problems and then he will try to figure out the answer. But- his math facts are improving and he is building a sight word vocabulary. I am amazed at his learning pace!
He has lost 2 teeth and played football again this fall- with great enthusiasm!  He also did the PTA art competition... we are looking forward to hearing how he did with that- although Mommy and Daddy were happy with his project either way! :) We just got his report card and are super proud of his performance! He is growing and learning exactly like he is supposed to- and a great helper in the classroom. What an amazing little man!!!!


As for our precious girl, Moonie, she is growing like crazy, too! She is enjoying her last year in day care- and is incredibly excited to go to kindergarten next year- at the same school as her brother! She enjoys the rare opportunity to go pick up Bubba from school and get to explore it with him a little bit. She LOVES reading books and board games. She would rather play cards, board games, or read books than many things.... She also still loves to help me in the kitchen! She enjoys measuring and mixing and "sampling" the dough/ mix/ etc... If we aren't cooking, she loves to help clean up things (which she definitely does NOT get from her mother!). She also played football this fall and really had a great time! She had several touchdowns and it was fun to watch her learn the game and become a faster runner! Everyone loved watching a little blond girl running on the field. If she fell down or got knocked down, she didn't cry- what a tough cookie!!!! She is reading signs on the road and spelling

And go!

So much has happened since the last posting... The kids have grown in so many ways over the last few months. Moonie is writing letters and is eager to write words. Apparently simply saying them is not enough any more. ;) She is writing letters to her Aunts and Uncles and Grandma and Grandpa- but she is also fascinated with scissors so those letters will never arrive at their originally intended destinations.

Bubba graduated from pre-school! He is getting so big- and handling it all with such grace. He is excited to start kindergarten in the fall but is really focusing on playing hard this summer. Also, this week, he lost his first tooth! On June 11, he pulled his own tooth out. What a brave little man! (Thank goodness he was so brave as mommy and daddy were not so keen on pulling out his tooth...

As for Mommy and Daddy, well, they are pretty boring. Daddy (as we all know) likes to complete a project once it is started and he recently built a BEAUTIFUL deck off of the three season porch. He did that this spring and we have already enjoyed many cups of coffee, meals, and gatherings on the deck. What a perfect addition to the house!

Mommy started a health kick and began running again. She is now able to run about 3 miles (although she did 2 runs today- one 3 mile and one 2 mile while the kids rode their bikes). She is slow, but is enjoying the time, peace, and extra energy that the running gives her. She is also trying to eat healthier (evidently, she was a bit of a pig before) and the whole family is getting on the bandwagon. We are trying to eat more fruits and veggies and less processed foods and unnecessary carbs. We will see how long we will keep this up. ;)

We went to watch Charlie's baseball game and the kids loved it! Bubba stood at the fence and tried to bat like Charlie. Moonie was yelling "Go Charlie!!!" whenever she saw him (even in the dugout!). They adore him and it is precious. Truthfully, they chose a good kid to admire.

Well, that is it for now. As the summer progresses, we will have more updates as I am sure there will be many more exciting adventures. TTFN!

Where has the time gone???

It has been a very busy 5 months! Bubba went ice skating for the first time this week. He was apprehensive at first, but loved it once he was out there. Daddy was brave to take him. :) The boys spent the day doing "boy things" and came home with big smiles.

Moonie has been growing like a weed and is so verbal! She loves to sing (all the time) and is always talking. Nothing wrong with that... I wonder who she inherited that trait from?!?!?!

I have been busy taking classes on weekends for the last couple of months. I am learning a lot of things- the most important thing being that I really miss my family when I am not with them.

We are preparing for Bubba to enter Kindergarten in the fall and trying to figure out all of the logistics about how to do that. We are also planning our family vacation. Can't wait to have some family time! :) Other than that- our daily life just kind of keeps us busy. More to come...

Overdue!

Well, this is long overdue! I have been so busy with work and life that I have had no time to write. Makes me sad. :( A few noteworthy things have happened... My son has become an overnight football professional!

OK, not overnight, and not really a professional, but in the last 4 weeks he has learned how to play on a team, how to block for his teammates, and run like the wind when he gets the ball. It is amazing to watch him grow with every outing! He loves it, too, and wakes up every morning asking if it is a football day. Love that!

Well, we have done lots of special cooking based on the aforementioned football schedule. I don't think I have ever used the crockpot so much- and we have dinner ready when we get home from the football field. Chicken tacos, pot roast, pulled pork, horseradish and Coca cola ham, etc. We have also been baking- ANZAC biscuits, chocolate chip blondies, peach cobbler, and baked doughnut nuggets- YUM! All of the baking was vegan- and turned out yummy if I do say so myself!

Another item to note is the phone call we got from Bubba's school- for next year. Yeah, it is early October and the school is already contacting us about he paperwork and how the orientation goes for kindergarten. Do they know how fragile I am? Do they know I need the next 10 1/2 months to process this? I have to wrap my head around it- my sweet prince turns 5 in 11 days and I can't believe how fast it has gone! He is turning into a little boy in front of my eyes and I can't do a thing to stop it. So, I will try to embrace it... Wish me luck!

I did the Komen Race for the Cure in Chicago at the end of September with an old dear friend and her family. It was a great time and a wonderful cause! The weather was interesting (we could almost swim in the "grassy area" at grant park- but the rain couldn't dampen our spirits) and the people watching was fantastic! We took lots of pictures, ate huge amounts of fattening foods, and laughed a ton. It was a short trip (just one night) but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could (including me in my clothes after dinner at Buca di beppos!)LOL

Well, after a long week at work, I am looking forward to more family time this weekend... More great memories to come (( sigh))

Time marches on

So I visited an old friend yesterday. I have seen her more this year than in years past. She is the kind of friend that you can pick up and call or go visit and it feels like no time has passed. She is steady as the sun and amazingly strong. She helps me calm down when I am stressed and she makes me laugh when I am sad or scared. She is a rock.

The kids and I loaded up the car and traveled almost 2 hours to her house. She came out to the car to welcome the kids and my kids thought they had arrived at a toy store... Her little boy is very lucky to have so many toys to play with! My kids would have moved in had I let them, but they were content to play and ignore the old ladies chatting in the living room.

We sat and talked and laughed and enjoyed some great news. We shared stories and memories. When we met (about 18 years ago), we were different people. We were young girls who knew little fear and laughed often. We still laugh ALOT, but the fear has crept in. I love remembering with her and giggling at the silly things we used to do, but I also love the women that we have become and the strength we now know from that fear.

I am blessed to have her to call my friend and to share many great memories with her! I am looking forward to seeing her soon and making more memories. I hope everyone has a friend who is an anchor and gives them strength like she gives me. Do you have a friend like this you wouldn't trade for anything in the world?