So this week has been all about adjusting back into the school life and that busy life! After a week and a half off for Spring break---getting back into routines has been kinda hard.
So Monday Austin was off...it was nice to start the week with him off. That honestly made it feel like our vacation extended one more day. Mondays are my low key day. I grocery shopped and then honestly just rested and spent a lot of time outside that day. We had a yummy dinner of fried pork chops, roasted potatoes, and green beans. We also played outside after dinner.
Tuesday was back in gear for everyone! I had Bible Study...it was a little more work then normal b/c Ashley and I were leading it. It went well though. We only had 8 people though. It seems like by this time of the year people really start dropping off. We still had a nice time though. That afternoon Colby had a kickball game so it was a super busy day for us. I am thankful kickball is at school and its right after school but it still makes for a longer feeling day. We ended up going to Chick-fil-A for dinner too. Getting in after 5 would make it hard to cook and have everyone fed and ready for bed on time. Austin got to meet us so that was nice. We got home and let the kids play outside until it was time for baths.
Wednesday was my break day. I am thankful for those days b/c it helps me to get through the mid-week crazy. I had a few errands to run after dropping the kids off but then I was able to come home and spend some much needed time at home. Its definitely my sanity saver. I am able to clean the house, work on Bible study, catch up on tv shows, lesson plan for church and music class, etc. As always we went to church that evening. We had a good night...I definitely needed it after the week before. We did have 10 kids though so we were quite busy! I am glad we are now having so many on Wednesday nights! Its such a blessing to see! I mean in years past most Wednesdays I had between 4-5 kids.
Thursday was another busy one for me. I had music class that morning. Since I had missed 2 weeks with Easter I was missing the kids but also felt out of practice. It was also a bit of a different morning b/c they had an "in school" field trip that day. I did the classes an hour earlier though which was cool b/c I got home an hour earlier which was great since Colby had a kickball game. So once again we went to the game right after school. Austin also got there to see about the last quarter of the game. We decided with another late afternoon like that that we would just pick up pizza on the way home. Again I love that he's getting the opportunity to play a sport but having 2 games in one week I felt exhausted. I have no idea how people do it when they have more then that and practice to top it off. This was just enough for our family. After dinner we were able to get outside with the kids again.
Friday oh sweet Friday! I am always thankful for Fridays since they are usually my fun day. I met up with my friends Ashley and Virginia for coffee. I have missed girl time so much! This month has been extremely busy and we've only been able to meet up 1 other time. I have so missed that sweet fellowship time! The rest of the day was low key for me which was much needed after the busy few days!
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Spring Break
So the kids have been out of school since Thursday around noon. I have loved having them home! Its been such a blessing to just slow down and enjoy life and enjoy my littles. I say this often but we are in such a sweet spot of life right now. I have really learned over the last 8 years that life shouldn't be one big rush and this week has been a welcome gift as far as slowing down and just living life!
So I'll pick up with the Monday after Easter:
Austin was off that day so we knew we needed to plan a fun family day. We ended up planning to go to the Zoo. It had been awhile since we had all been. We were a little worried about weather b/c rain was in the forecasts but we decided to go ahead and risk it and I am so glad we did. So as we were driving there of course it started raining. We braved it and went on in. It was sprinkling but we headed into the first building and the kids enjoyed slowing down and looking at exhibits that we normally speed by. Once it slacked off we went back outside and it was still misting but we were able to check out the elephants and orangutans. We made our way around a semi-covered path. By the time we got out of there the rain had turned into a light mist and we just kept going. We got over to the area with the giraffes and ended up staying awhile watching them try to eat. We also let the kids play on Monkey Hill for awhile. The next thing we did was head to the Swamp area...we spent about an hour in there. The kids had fun just running around and checking out the animals. They loved the otters and raccoons. We took our time getting back up to the front of the zoo. Once we did though it was approaching lunch time and it looked like it might storm soon. We went ahead and left and went to eat po-boys for lunch. Again it was just nice hanging out together. We got home and relaxed then my parents picked the kids up to spend the night with them. We try each time the kids are out of school for them to spend the night over there. We don't do much of that during a normal week b/c 1) we are always so busy and 2) honestly I like my kids at home. It was really nice though having that evening with Austin. We sat outside for awhile and took a walk with Allie. It was so relaxing and peaceful. We watched a movie that night and just enjoyed some non-interrupted time together.
Tuesday morning I had a hair appointment. I was thankful to get it done early. I enjoyed the mommy pampering time. I picked up the kids after and we picked up lunch and came home. It was so nice to have that afternoon to just relax and hang out. The kids played so well this week! They had a lot of outdoor time and just a lot of time playing together!
Wednesday I had to grocery shop. The kids did well though and didn't even seem to mind too much. After we got home Colby's friend Nijel came over. I was glad we were able to work this out b/c the boys have been wanting to play/hang out for awhile. It was a little bit of extra work just having an extra kid here but Colby had a blast and I wanted to do that for him while he was out of school. They did play outside a lot so that was nice. We kept him and brought him to church that evening. Our church did a Spring Fling with pizza and snowballs that night. The kids had a really great time. Colby was off doing his thing the majority of the time and Lindsay hung with me and the other preschoolers. I think we had about 8 there that night. She loved seeing her friends Brielle and Genevieve. It was a pretty night so we were able to spend most of the time outside.
Thursday I was glad to have a free day with the kids. We chose to have a simple but really fun and sweet day. I didn't really want to go do something big so we chose to stay close to home. First we had breakfast at Chickfila then we went to the park. We stayed at the park over an hour b/c we ended up running into friends. We saw this boy Glenn Paul who used to go to our old church. He and Colby have the same birthday! They used to be buddies. After the park we went to the library to finish out our little morning fun. We checked out a bunch of books then came home. It was nice again to have the rest of the day at home. We skipped Scouts that night b/c they were meeting about the camping trip. Since we weren't going we figured we would stay home. It was nice b/c Austin got in early and we had dinner together. Again plenty more playtime outdoors!
Friday was once again another free day for us! I decided the weather was beautiful that we should go to my parent's house to go swim! I think this tickled the kids as well as them. The kids had been swimming on a couple other occasions but I had not been in yet. We ended up having a blast and the pool felt great! I was so happy with spring break falling late like that that we could go swimming! We stayed in the pool about 2 hours before going in to get cleaned up and my parents picked up Subway so we could all eat lunch together at their house. We didn't get home until about 2. By the time we got home the air show was going on so we were in and out watching that take place. We got really good views of the Blue Angels. That night Austin got in early again and we just enjoyed time together. We also had movie night and watched Finding Dory.
Saturday Austin was off and we had no where to be. We had skipped out on the CubScout campout. I felt a little guilty that we didn't go. We originally planned to not go b/c we knew the Airshow was that weekend and we wanted to enjoy that from home. Also things are crazy at work for Austin and I'm not sure we would have been able to pull it all together to go last minute even had we tried. Anyway it all worked out and we had a great family day. We stayed home and camped out outside to see what we could of the airshow. We were able to see most of it. We pulled our chairs out and the kids played in their pool and in the sprinklers. We even had lunch outside. It was just a really fun, low key day. The older I get the more I just want to slow down and enjoy LIFE. I don't enjoy the hustle and bustle. I love for my kids to be able to have the childhood I did. That evening though we did leave the house and go to the Baby Cakes game. This was the first baseball game we had been to in awhile. Again so much fun! The kids got a little bored at times...especially L but we still managed to have an awesome time. Also the Baby Cakes won! It wasn't crowded so it was a really low key game which I personally loved! I think we will try and go again soon!
Sunday...the last day of our break! Well we went to first service. I went into church which was so AMAZING! Its what my heart and soul needed after a few hard weeks in preschool ministry. After the kids and I came home and just relaxed. Austin got home early and we ate and played outside!
Again I am so thankful for this break! I honestly loved that it fell so late b/c I feel like it was a little preview of summer but also a welcome break from spring busy! We did plenty of fun things but I tried not to over schedule us so it would feel like a break! The kids had a lot of downtime and time outdoors which I think is awesome!
So I'll pick up with the Monday after Easter:
Austin was off that day so we knew we needed to plan a fun family day. We ended up planning to go to the Zoo. It had been awhile since we had all been. We were a little worried about weather b/c rain was in the forecasts but we decided to go ahead and risk it and I am so glad we did. So as we were driving there of course it started raining. We braved it and went on in. It was sprinkling but we headed into the first building and the kids enjoyed slowing down and looking at exhibits that we normally speed by. Once it slacked off we went back outside and it was still misting but we were able to check out the elephants and orangutans. We made our way around a semi-covered path. By the time we got out of there the rain had turned into a light mist and we just kept going. We got over to the area with the giraffes and ended up staying awhile watching them try to eat. We also let the kids play on Monkey Hill for awhile. The next thing we did was head to the Swamp area...we spent about an hour in there. The kids had fun just running around and checking out the animals. They loved the otters and raccoons. We took our time getting back up to the front of the zoo. Once we did though it was approaching lunch time and it looked like it might storm soon. We went ahead and left and went to eat po-boys for lunch. Again it was just nice hanging out together. We got home and relaxed then my parents picked the kids up to spend the night with them. We try each time the kids are out of school for them to spend the night over there. We don't do much of that during a normal week b/c 1) we are always so busy and 2) honestly I like my kids at home. It was really nice though having that evening with Austin. We sat outside for awhile and took a walk with Allie. It was so relaxing and peaceful. We watched a movie that night and just enjoyed some non-interrupted time together.
Tuesday morning I had a hair appointment. I was thankful to get it done early. I enjoyed the mommy pampering time. I picked up the kids after and we picked up lunch and came home. It was so nice to have that afternoon to just relax and hang out. The kids played so well this week! They had a lot of outdoor time and just a lot of time playing together!
Wednesday I had to grocery shop. The kids did well though and didn't even seem to mind too much. After we got home Colby's friend Nijel came over. I was glad we were able to work this out b/c the boys have been wanting to play/hang out for awhile. It was a little bit of extra work just having an extra kid here but Colby had a blast and I wanted to do that for him while he was out of school. They did play outside a lot so that was nice. We kept him and brought him to church that evening. Our church did a Spring Fling with pizza and snowballs that night. The kids had a really great time. Colby was off doing his thing the majority of the time and Lindsay hung with me and the other preschoolers. I think we had about 8 there that night. She loved seeing her friends Brielle and Genevieve. It was a pretty night so we were able to spend most of the time outside.
Thursday I was glad to have a free day with the kids. We chose to have a simple but really fun and sweet day. I didn't really want to go do something big so we chose to stay close to home. First we had breakfast at Chickfila then we went to the park. We stayed at the park over an hour b/c we ended up running into friends. We saw this boy Glenn Paul who used to go to our old church. He and Colby have the same birthday! They used to be buddies. After the park we went to the library to finish out our little morning fun. We checked out a bunch of books then came home. It was nice again to have the rest of the day at home. We skipped Scouts that night b/c they were meeting about the camping trip. Since we weren't going we figured we would stay home. It was nice b/c Austin got in early and we had dinner together. Again plenty more playtime outdoors!
Friday was once again another free day for us! I decided the weather was beautiful that we should go to my parent's house to go swim! I think this tickled the kids as well as them. The kids had been swimming on a couple other occasions but I had not been in yet. We ended up having a blast and the pool felt great! I was so happy with spring break falling late like that that we could go swimming! We stayed in the pool about 2 hours before going in to get cleaned up and my parents picked up Subway so we could all eat lunch together at their house. We didn't get home until about 2. By the time we got home the air show was going on so we were in and out watching that take place. We got really good views of the Blue Angels. That night Austin got in early again and we just enjoyed time together. We also had movie night and watched Finding Dory.
Saturday Austin was off and we had no where to be. We had skipped out on the CubScout campout. I felt a little guilty that we didn't go. We originally planned to not go b/c we knew the Airshow was that weekend and we wanted to enjoy that from home. Also things are crazy at work for Austin and I'm not sure we would have been able to pull it all together to go last minute even had we tried. Anyway it all worked out and we had a great family day. We stayed home and camped out outside to see what we could of the airshow. We were able to see most of it. We pulled our chairs out and the kids played in their pool and in the sprinklers. We even had lunch outside. It was just a really fun, low key day. The older I get the more I just want to slow down and enjoy LIFE. I don't enjoy the hustle and bustle. I love for my kids to be able to have the childhood I did. That evening though we did leave the house and go to the Baby Cakes game. This was the first baseball game we had been to in awhile. Again so much fun! The kids got a little bored at times...especially L but we still managed to have an awesome time. Also the Baby Cakes won! It wasn't crowded so it was a really low key game which I personally loved! I think we will try and go again soon!
Sunday...the last day of our break! Well we went to first service. I went into church which was so AMAZING! Its what my heart and soul needed after a few hard weeks in preschool ministry. After the kids and I came home and just relaxed. Austin got home early and we ate and played outside!
Again I am so thankful for this break! I honestly loved that it fell so late b/c I feel like it was a little preview of summer but also a welcome break from spring busy! We did plenty of fun things but I tried not to over schedule us so it would feel like a break! The kids had a lot of downtime and time outdoors which I think is awesome!
Friday, April 21, 2017
Easter 2017
So Easter break of course began on Good Friday. It felt so good to sleep in a little and have no where to rush off to. I made the kids cinnamon rolls. We did make plans to meet up with a friend at a local park but that was it. It had been awhile since we had been to this particular park and hung out with this friend. It was a little girl named Ebbie. When they first moved here about 2 years ago she and Lindsay were super close but Ebbie is now in kindergarten which means at church she's upstairs and Lindsay is still downstairs with the preschoolers. Meaning the 2 rarely see each other. I was a little worried how the playdate would go but it seemed the kids all had fun. I enjoyed visiting with her mom Sadie. We only stayed a little over an hour though b/c I knew I had to stop by the grocery before coming home. We grocery shopped then picked up lunch.
That afternoon we mostly relaxed knowing we had church that night.
The Good Friday service as always was beautiful and very meaningful. I was able to go into service since I was working Easter. Lindsay struggled going into class alone but was fine after her friend Makylee arrived. We got home that evening and got the kids to bed and Austin and I watched tv and enjoyed a late night pizza...spring break is fun for the adults too!
Saturday once again we got to sleep in a tad which felt great! Lindsay had a b-day party later that morning to attend. We left the house about 10:30 so we could drop Colby off at my parents then get her to the party. The party was for her little friend Claire. She was so excited to see her old friends Claire and Layla. The party was nice. I was able to visit with Cindy (Layla's mom) and also Melody b/c now Mia and Claire are in the same class at Lusher. I enjoyed chatting with the moms and Lindsay had a blast playing with her friends. It was a nice low key party. Once we left the party we picked Colby up and came on home. We had a lot to do to get ready for Easter at our house. Austin got home early though so it was nice to all be home and enjoy the rest of the day. The kids and I did dye Easter Eggs together which was fun!
Sunday..EASTER day! We woke up to a lovely day. No rain first thing like last year...
We went to church for First Service. I was assigned to teach along with Austin. Well we knew we would have a big class but we ended up with 23 kids! It was a crazy house! I felt so overwhelmed. I mean I was able to stay calm and focused and just do what I could without stressing but as I've thought about it the rest of the week I think it was ridiculous. First of we had barely 2 year olds through 5 and 1/2 year olds in there and it was just honestly too much. Anyway it is what it is and that's all I can focus on is that I did my best I told them about Jesus and I can't worry about the rest. I am glad that many people were in church on Sunday. Anyway so after that our church had an Egg Hunt for the kids. Again I felt a little crazy b/c I barely made it out there in time and I was just still overwhelmed. Needless to say I was anxious to get in the car and head home. Poor Austin also had to count so it was just one thing after another on Sunday. The kids and I came home to cook and prepare for the Easter lunch at our house. We had my parents, Randall and Elizabeth, and our friends the Welbournes over. We had a really nice time. Everyone stayed until like 4:30 so we were wiped out once they all left.
It was a long day but we were still so thankful and happy. I mean just celebrating the fact that Jesus is Alive can bring a smile to anyone! I was just thankful from there we had a week to recuperate!
That afternoon we mostly relaxed knowing we had church that night.
The Good Friday service as always was beautiful and very meaningful. I was able to go into service since I was working Easter. Lindsay struggled going into class alone but was fine after her friend Makylee arrived. We got home that evening and got the kids to bed and Austin and I watched tv and enjoyed a late night pizza...spring break is fun for the adults too!
Saturday once again we got to sleep in a tad which felt great! Lindsay had a b-day party later that morning to attend. We left the house about 10:30 so we could drop Colby off at my parents then get her to the party. The party was for her little friend Claire. She was so excited to see her old friends Claire and Layla. The party was nice. I was able to visit with Cindy (Layla's mom) and also Melody b/c now Mia and Claire are in the same class at Lusher. I enjoyed chatting with the moms and Lindsay had a blast playing with her friends. It was a nice low key party. Once we left the party we picked Colby up and came on home. We had a lot to do to get ready for Easter at our house. Austin got home early though so it was nice to all be home and enjoy the rest of the day. The kids and I did dye Easter Eggs together which was fun!
Sunday..EASTER day! We woke up to a lovely day. No rain first thing like last year...
We went to church for First Service. I was assigned to teach along with Austin. Well we knew we would have a big class but we ended up with 23 kids! It was a crazy house! I felt so overwhelmed. I mean I was able to stay calm and focused and just do what I could without stressing but as I've thought about it the rest of the week I think it was ridiculous. First of we had barely 2 year olds through 5 and 1/2 year olds in there and it was just honestly too much. Anyway it is what it is and that's all I can focus on is that I did my best I told them about Jesus and I can't worry about the rest. I am glad that many people were in church on Sunday. Anyway so after that our church had an Egg Hunt for the kids. Again I felt a little crazy b/c I barely made it out there in time and I was just still overwhelmed. Needless to say I was anxious to get in the car and head home. Poor Austin also had to count so it was just one thing after another on Sunday. The kids and I came home to cook and prepare for the Easter lunch at our house. We had my parents, Randall and Elizabeth, and our friends the Welbournes over. We had a really nice time. Everyone stayed until like 4:30 so we were wiped out once they all left.
It was a long day but we were still so thankful and happy. I mean just celebrating the fact that Jesus is Alive can bring a smile to anyone! I was just thankful from there we had a week to recuperate!
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Walk-A-Thon Day
This week has been fairly busy for us as we wound up the last week before Easter/Spring Break.
Monday was honestly my only quiet day. I tried to soak up those quiet moments at the house alone since I knew the upcoming week would be filled with lots of noise and busyness.
So Thursday the kids had a half day and a Walk-A-Thon to raise money for their school. I had of course volunteered to help out. Its a little sad though now that I don't have kids small enough that are really having Easter Parties. Lindsay's class did plan an Egg Hunt but that was it. Anyway I had also been asked by her teacher to meet with her at 7:45 before school to go over some things for the last week of school she wants me to help out with. Well I busted my butt on Thursday morning trying to get out the house early. I figured we could pick up breakfast rather then me spending time making something and that would save us time. We left our house at 7:20 but still didn't arrive at the school until almost 8. I felt bad that I basically missed the entire meeting. It was ok though the teacher gave me a quick run down of her plans and we discussed planning another meeting after Spring Break.
So next up was the Walk-A-Thon. I was happy to see how many parents turned out to help. I had plenty of mom friends to talk to. I ended up getting assigned pinning the kids with their name/number sheet for their walking laps. There was several of us so I was able to float around a bit. Lindsay's group (prek-1st) were the first ones to walk. I enjoyed watching her go around. She did pretty good though...she did 13 laps! Next her class went to the Fitness Stations and Colby's group (2nd-5th) came out to walk. Again I enjoyed watching him and his friends. He also ended up walking 13 laps! Lindsay's class went to do their Easter Egg Hunt around that time too. I was able to step over to where they were doing that and watch her. The next group we had was Middle School. I wasn't interested in watching them so I went out to the playground for that. Both of my kids were out there by that point. I didn't get to see them do much though...Colby had already done the obstacle course and Lindsay refused. The rest of the time I helped pick up then I stayed with Lindsay's class the rest of the morning. Her class ended up having recess for about 30 min. It was nice again to just visit with a couple moms during that point. I had asked Colby if he wanted to leave early but he said no. After recess her class went to lunch. I ended up getting to eat with her. After lunch they were basically dismissed. It was a fun day and I thought a perfect way to kick off spring break!
It felt so good to get home early that afternoon and relax! We were all pretty wiped out after the last few days! We were thankful for no where to be that night as well. It was nice just hanging out as a family. We even watched Annie that night for our movie night since we knew on Friday we would be at church.
Monday was honestly my only quiet day. I tried to soak up those quiet moments at the house alone since I knew the upcoming week would be filled with lots of noise and busyness.
So Thursday the kids had a half day and a Walk-A-Thon to raise money for their school. I had of course volunteered to help out. Its a little sad though now that I don't have kids small enough that are really having Easter Parties. Lindsay's class did plan an Egg Hunt but that was it. Anyway I had also been asked by her teacher to meet with her at 7:45 before school to go over some things for the last week of school she wants me to help out with. Well I busted my butt on Thursday morning trying to get out the house early. I figured we could pick up breakfast rather then me spending time making something and that would save us time. We left our house at 7:20 but still didn't arrive at the school until almost 8. I felt bad that I basically missed the entire meeting. It was ok though the teacher gave me a quick run down of her plans and we discussed planning another meeting after Spring Break.
So next up was the Walk-A-Thon. I was happy to see how many parents turned out to help. I had plenty of mom friends to talk to. I ended up getting assigned pinning the kids with their name/number sheet for their walking laps. There was several of us so I was able to float around a bit. Lindsay's group (prek-1st) were the first ones to walk. I enjoyed watching her go around. She did pretty good though...she did 13 laps! Next her class went to the Fitness Stations and Colby's group (2nd-5th) came out to walk. Again I enjoyed watching him and his friends. He also ended up walking 13 laps! Lindsay's class went to do their Easter Egg Hunt around that time too. I was able to step over to where they were doing that and watch her. The next group we had was Middle School. I wasn't interested in watching them so I went out to the playground for that. Both of my kids were out there by that point. I didn't get to see them do much though...Colby had already done the obstacle course and Lindsay refused. The rest of the time I helped pick up then I stayed with Lindsay's class the rest of the morning. Her class ended up having recess for about 30 min. It was nice again to just visit with a couple moms during that point. I had asked Colby if he wanted to leave early but he said no. After recess her class went to lunch. I ended up getting to eat with her. After lunch they were basically dismissed. It was a fun day and I thought a perfect way to kick off spring break!
It felt so good to get home early that afternoon and relax! We were all pretty wiped out after the last few days! We were thankful for no where to be that night as well. It was nice just hanging out as a family. We even watched Annie that night for our movie night since we knew on Friday we would be at church.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Visit With Maw Maw
So this weekend Austin's mom has been here with us. I think she's been struggling some lately. Its been since December when she was here previously so we figured spring time would be a great time for another visit. Plus with our schedules its been hard to find a time to go there.
Friday the kids had school and Austin had work. I also had to work for a little while. I ended up dropping her by my parent's house to visit with them for awhile. It worked out great. I just had to go to Aurora and have the kids practice one more time before them singing on Sunday. It was super crazy though with them having Easter Parties and Easter Egg Hunts that same day. After I finished I stopped back by my parent's house and we visited a bit before she and I headed out. She wanted to stop at Walmart on the way home so we stopped at the Walmart grocery close to our house. I was anxious to get home though and relax. We got in and I did a few chores around the house before we had lunch. She and I sat down and had lunch together. It was nice to get that one on one time with her. We had a nice day. That afternoon we both ended up taking a nap. I was so tired. That end of the week just gets me! She rode with me to pick up the kids that afternoon and I think they liked that. We all got home that afternoon and Austin got in fairly early so we ate dinner all together. We had red beans and rice and salad. It was quite yummy. After dinner we ended up taking a walk then coming in to watch a movie. We watched the Live Cinderella. I think it was fun for her to be here for our normal routines...and of course the kids loved it too!
Saturday morning it was nice to sleep in a little. We all got up around 7 though and Austin started breakfast for everyone. We had pancakes and bacon. Once we were all dressed we headed out to enjoy the day and the outdoors. We debated on what to do but decided a park trip was necessary with the gorgeous weather. We stopped at the one closest to our house. The kids had a blast and it felt good to be outside as a family. I was wishing I wasn't dressed up and could have exercised some. We decided that sometime we need to go up there as a family to work out. We were there for about an hour or so. Afterwards we decided to go by a local Farmer's Market. It was really fun just walking around and checking everything out. We did make a few purchases though. Colby picked out something for his teacher for her b-day (all his idea), we got some tamales, fudge, and salsa. We then walked up to the river and let the kids run around a bit. It was such a beautiful day. I think Linda enjoyed the time out and about as well. I think it was good for her to just have some distractions from life. After that we picked up po-boys for lunch and came home to have a picnic outdoors. I was so glad the weather cooperated and was gorgeous this weekend b/c we were able to spend so much time outdoors. We all came in and settled down to rest for awhile. Later that afternoon Austin, his mom, and Colby went to the store to get a few things. I enjoyed having a little quiet time with Lindsay. Shortly after they got home we took a long walk. That night we cooked up a big dinner. We had steak fajitas, spanish rice, tamales, and corn dip and chips. It was delicious. That night we just hung out and enjoyed time together.
Sunday was another busy day. We were going to church at Aurora for their Palm Sunday activities. The kids were singing in church that I teach. It worked out well that Austin's mom was here to go with us. they had an Easter cantata that morning and I think she enjoyed the music. The kids sang and even Colby participated with them. Afterwards I worked Children's Church with Shelly. I enjoyed the different atmosphere. Even though I missed our church and friends its nice sometimes to get away and get a fresh perspective. Its also neat when you widen your world view and know that so many people all over are worshiping Jesus at the same time! Very cool! Anyway after church they had an egg hunt so the kids got to participate in that and they had fun. After church we went to eat at Olive Branch. It was yummy and I think we all enjoyed it. After that we even made a stop at Target. It was a very busy but fun day. We settled in at home and took a rest then basically spent the afternoon outside again. It was a great weekend...nothing big mostly just spending time together.
Austin drove his mom home on Monday. It was nice to get back to normal but we will miss having her here. I am sure she will come down again sometime this fall and spend several days with us again.
Friday the kids had school and Austin had work. I also had to work for a little while. I ended up dropping her by my parent's house to visit with them for awhile. It worked out great. I just had to go to Aurora and have the kids practice one more time before them singing on Sunday. It was super crazy though with them having Easter Parties and Easter Egg Hunts that same day. After I finished I stopped back by my parent's house and we visited a bit before she and I headed out. She wanted to stop at Walmart on the way home so we stopped at the Walmart grocery close to our house. I was anxious to get home though and relax. We got in and I did a few chores around the house before we had lunch. She and I sat down and had lunch together. It was nice to get that one on one time with her. We had a nice day. That afternoon we both ended up taking a nap. I was so tired. That end of the week just gets me! She rode with me to pick up the kids that afternoon and I think they liked that. We all got home that afternoon and Austin got in fairly early so we ate dinner all together. We had red beans and rice and salad. It was quite yummy. After dinner we ended up taking a walk then coming in to watch a movie. We watched the Live Cinderella. I think it was fun for her to be here for our normal routines...and of course the kids loved it too!
Saturday morning it was nice to sleep in a little. We all got up around 7 though and Austin started breakfast for everyone. We had pancakes and bacon. Once we were all dressed we headed out to enjoy the day and the outdoors. We debated on what to do but decided a park trip was necessary with the gorgeous weather. We stopped at the one closest to our house. The kids had a blast and it felt good to be outside as a family. I was wishing I wasn't dressed up and could have exercised some. We decided that sometime we need to go up there as a family to work out. We were there for about an hour or so. Afterwards we decided to go by a local Farmer's Market. It was really fun just walking around and checking everything out. We did make a few purchases though. Colby picked out something for his teacher for her b-day (all his idea), we got some tamales, fudge, and salsa. We then walked up to the river and let the kids run around a bit. It was such a beautiful day. I think Linda enjoyed the time out and about as well. I think it was good for her to just have some distractions from life. After that we picked up po-boys for lunch and came home to have a picnic outdoors. I was so glad the weather cooperated and was gorgeous this weekend b/c we were able to spend so much time outdoors. We all came in and settled down to rest for awhile. Later that afternoon Austin, his mom, and Colby went to the store to get a few things. I enjoyed having a little quiet time with Lindsay. Shortly after they got home we took a long walk. That night we cooked up a big dinner. We had steak fajitas, spanish rice, tamales, and corn dip and chips. It was delicious. That night we just hung out and enjoyed time together.
Sunday was another busy day. We were going to church at Aurora for their Palm Sunday activities. The kids were singing in church that I teach. It worked out well that Austin's mom was here to go with us. they had an Easter cantata that morning and I think she enjoyed the music. The kids sang and even Colby participated with them. Afterwards I worked Children's Church with Shelly. I enjoyed the different atmosphere. Even though I missed our church and friends its nice sometimes to get away and get a fresh perspective. Its also neat when you widen your world view and know that so many people all over are worshiping Jesus at the same time! Very cool! Anyway after church they had an egg hunt so the kids got to participate in that and they had fun. After church we went to eat at Olive Branch. It was yummy and I think we all enjoyed it. After that we even made a stop at Target. It was a very busy but fun day. We settled in at home and took a rest then basically spent the afternoon outside again. It was a great weekend...nothing big mostly just spending time together.
Austin drove his mom home on Monday. It was nice to get back to normal but we will miss having her here. I am sure she will come down again sometime this fall and spend several days with us again.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
That Busy Life
This week has been a really busy one for us. Its really just all routine things but after having 2 slow weeks I find myself exhausted and feeling that spring burn out.
Monday Austin was off...it was nice to have him around. We had to bring Colby to his eye doc appointment then grocery shopped. The rest of the day was pretty low key though. Tuesday I had Bible study but then nothing else. I am always thankful that those 2 days are usually fairly slow for us.
Wednesday as well I was home by myself for most of the day. I am always thankful for days like that! I needed it to prepare for the rest of the weeks crazy! That night we had church. We had missed the last 2 weeks so we were anxious to get back. We had 9 preschoolers that night so it was quite a busy and overwhelming evening! We were outside a majority of the time which was great but we also had a 1 year old with us and somehow he escaped out the play yard and into the parking lot which totally stressed me out! We went inside and went into Clubhouse to hear the Bible story and then we made a craft. I felt like the whole night I worked like a dog and the kids were just hard to deal with. It wasn't that they were necessarily that bad it was just we had some new ones and some really active ones and the 1 year old just made things difficult. Needless to say I came home wiped out!
Thursday was my super busy day! Thursdays are always hard for me b/c coming off of Wednesday nights I am already tired when I begin my day. I had music class. Music was fun though. I really do love my job! I love that the I get to hang out with the kiddos and the working 1-2 days a week is perfect for me. After music I came home for a short afternoon. I had about 2 hours by myself at the house. During that time I had to straighten up things a tad b/c Austin's mom was coming in that night and I also had to prep some dinner to take to a friend. To say I was slightly overwhelmed with it all is an understatement. That afternoon I left the house to go drop off the dinner to my parent's and pick my dad up to go to Colby's kickball game. Even though its hard I have to say I love being out on the playground! This is so perfect for our family. Colby isn't into sports and honestly I don't think I would like our life being consumed by a sport right now but playing kickball a couple times a month is fun! I love being out there and talking with friends. Colby was in a funk though...I could tell he wasn't enjoying himself at all. He's had other games and seemed to enjoy it more. I have never pushed him into sports b/c I know that's not his thing but at the same time since this is through school and very very low key I feel its important for him to get the exposure. I mean it builds self confidence, team building, exercise, socialization, etc. They actually played 2 short games due to a rain out game the week before. I think they ended up winning 1 and losing 1. Lindsay loves the time outside to play with little friends. After the game we went to my parent's house to eat dinner and do homework. We are blessed that we can go to their house rather then trying to drive home or eat out somewhere. Its worked out well the few times we have done it. My mom cooks and we enjoy the time with my parents. I think they also enjoy the hustle and bustle in their house. That evening we had Scouts as well. The boys had a Pack meeting and they earned their Bear Badge. I cannot believe we have now completed 3 years of scouting. Colby has loved it and its been great for him and his little group of friends. That night Austin also went to pick up his mom and they met us at Scouts. It was busy, hectic when we got home though trying to get the kids wound down and headed to bed with maw maw at the house.
Thursday was my super busy day! Thursdays are always hard for me b/c coming off of Wednesday nights I am already tired when I begin my day. I had music class. Music was fun though. I really do love my job! I love that the I get to hang out with the kiddos and the working 1-2 days a week is perfect for me. After music I came home for a short afternoon. I had about 2 hours by myself at the house. During that time I had to straighten up things a tad b/c Austin's mom was coming in that night and I also had to prep some dinner to take to a friend. To say I was slightly overwhelmed with it all is an understatement. That afternoon I left the house to go drop off the dinner to my parent's and pick my dad up to go to Colby's kickball game. Even though its hard I have to say I love being out on the playground! This is so perfect for our family. Colby isn't into sports and honestly I don't think I would like our life being consumed by a sport right now but playing kickball a couple times a month is fun! I love being out there and talking with friends. Colby was in a funk though...I could tell he wasn't enjoying himself at all. He's had other games and seemed to enjoy it more. I have never pushed him into sports b/c I know that's not his thing but at the same time since this is through school and very very low key I feel its important for him to get the exposure. I mean it builds self confidence, team building, exercise, socialization, etc. They actually played 2 short games due to a rain out game the week before. I think they ended up winning 1 and losing 1. Lindsay loves the time outside to play with little friends. After the game we went to my parent's house to eat dinner and do homework. We are blessed that we can go to their house rather then trying to drive home or eat out somewhere. Its worked out well the few times we have done it. My mom cooks and we enjoy the time with my parents. I think they also enjoy the hustle and bustle in their house. That evening we had Scouts as well. The boys had a Pack meeting and they earned their Bear Badge. I cannot believe we have now completed 3 years of scouting. Colby has loved it and its been great for him and his little group of friends. That night Austin also went to pick up his mom and they met us at Scouts. It was busy, hectic when we got home though trying to get the kids wound down and headed to bed with maw maw at the house.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Friends and B-day parties
This weekend has been a nice one. It started with my parents stopping by to visit with us yesterday afternoon when I got the kids home from school. Then we had dinner as a family and had movie night. I love Friday nights at home. We are all such home bodies. By Friday I feel like we are all tired and just in need of some home down time and so that is what we do.
Saturday was a very busy day for us. Colby had a b-day party for his friend Nijel. It was an all day/drop off kinda party. I am so thankful for this group of friends he has and that we have that we know he's in great hands to do this sorta thing. They had plans to take the boys to go play Laser Tag then coming back to the house to play and have pizza and cake. From everything he said he had a blast. Lindsay and I had our own fun planned. We made plans to meet up with her little friend Claire at the park. We haven't seen much of Claire this school year since the girls go to different schools now. It was fun getting to visit with Tayna and the girls played so well. We stayed at the park over 2 hours! Once we left the park we were both hot and hungry. I took her to lunch at Panera Bread. It felt good to sit down and relax a bit over lunch. It was fun girl time. After lunch we had to hit up SAM's. Going to SAM's over the weekend is not my normal idea of fun. It had to be done though b/c Lindsay had snack day on Monday. We quickly bought what we needed and got the heck out of there! We came home with just enough time really to put it all away. We then had to leave again to go pick up Colby. Needless to say I was wiped out once we got home. It was too late though to take a nap so I rested and watched tv though. Austin called and wanted to go out to eat but none of us felt like leaving. We finally decided on take out. We did have some excitement in the midst with thinking our washer was broken. It somehow leaked onto our floor. We still aren't sure what happened but thankfully its been fine since. That evening we just had some down time and playtime with the kids which was nice.
Sunday it was great having Austin off and we were all well and feeling good. We went to first service. I had to teach. The morning went well though. I had 10 littles. They were all really good we were just busy. Lindsay mostly plays with Makylee these days. I am anxious for her to promote. I mean I really will miss having her with me but its time for her to spread her wings and I just feel like she's so old to be in my class. After church we left and drove out to Metairie to eat at PF Changs. We rarely go and do things on Sundays after church b/c we usually take it as a "rest day" and a time to just hang out at home and prepare for the upcoming week but since I was sick on my birthday we never really did a family outing. So I requested that we go see Beauty and the Beast. The movie was SO good. Again we don't normally do stuff like that on Sundays but it was a nice family outing. I think we all loved the movie. Once we got home most of the day was gone but the kids got to play outside some and we just had leftovers for dinner.
It really was another great weekend!
Saturday was a very busy day for us. Colby had a b-day party for his friend Nijel. It was an all day/drop off kinda party. I am so thankful for this group of friends he has and that we have that we know he's in great hands to do this sorta thing. They had plans to take the boys to go play Laser Tag then coming back to the house to play and have pizza and cake. From everything he said he had a blast. Lindsay and I had our own fun planned. We made plans to meet up with her little friend Claire at the park. We haven't seen much of Claire this school year since the girls go to different schools now. It was fun getting to visit with Tayna and the girls played so well. We stayed at the park over 2 hours! Once we left the park we were both hot and hungry. I took her to lunch at Panera Bread. It felt good to sit down and relax a bit over lunch. It was fun girl time. After lunch we had to hit up SAM's. Going to SAM's over the weekend is not my normal idea of fun. It had to be done though b/c Lindsay had snack day on Monday. We quickly bought what we needed and got the heck out of there! We came home with just enough time really to put it all away. We then had to leave again to go pick up Colby. Needless to say I was wiped out once we got home. It was too late though to take a nap so I rested and watched tv though. Austin called and wanted to go out to eat but none of us felt like leaving. We finally decided on take out. We did have some excitement in the midst with thinking our washer was broken. It somehow leaked onto our floor. We still aren't sure what happened but thankfully its been fine since. That evening we just had some down time and playtime with the kids which was nice.
Sunday it was great having Austin off and we were all well and feeling good. We went to first service. I had to teach. The morning went well though. I had 10 littles. They were all really good we were just busy. Lindsay mostly plays with Makylee these days. I am anxious for her to promote. I mean I really will miss having her with me but its time for her to spread her wings and I just feel like she's so old to be in my class. After church we left and drove out to Metairie to eat at PF Changs. We rarely go and do things on Sundays after church b/c we usually take it as a "rest day" and a time to just hang out at home and prepare for the upcoming week but since I was sick on my birthday we never really did a family outing. So I requested that we go see Beauty and the Beast. The movie was SO good. Again we don't normally do stuff like that on Sundays but it was a nice family outing. I think we all loved the movie. Once we got home most of the day was gone but the kids got to play outside some and we just had leftovers for dinner.
It really was another great weekend!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Field Trip Day with my Best Girl
Soo..Lindsay had her first official big girl field trip day. Now she's been on field trips but they were at her old school where the parents drove so she always rode in the car with me. So they were basically like giant playdates with the kids in her class. Today she rode on a school bus for the very first time. They went to the Children's Museum. We have been wondering all year if/when she would get her turn for a field trip. Anyway we finally got the notice in that she would be going to the LA Children's Museum. It was hard to believe that it was her turn for this field trip. We just did this last year with Colby.
He didn't get to go this year b/c he's now grouped with the big kids.
Anyway they left the school at 9. Another mom had asked to ride with me and I told her sure. So she and I rode over together and easily met up with the kids shortly after arriving. Since preschool parents have to attend there were plenty of parents on this field trip. Lindsay mostly wanted to stick by her friend Brielle. I felt like we walked from one side of the museum to the other. they didn't play in specific areas for long periods of time like she and Colby do. I think Lindsay would have stayed longer on them but her friend kept wanting to skip around. I enjoyed just watching her be a big girl and have fun. I got to chat with some of the moms throughout as well. I was definitely tired though by the time we left.
When we got back to the school I went ahead and checked her out. I figured there was no reason to send her back just to eat lunch and take a nap. Poor colby had to stay though. She and I enjoyed a low key afternoon. It made me miss our time together.
That evening we had a bit of a rough patch with Colby. He's been struggling this week with missing dojo points again. Its nothing major but he's missing them for things like talking and being out of his chair. I know deep down he's a really good kid but we also have to show him that its not ok to make poor choices at school. It also seemed like his grades were slipping a bit this 4th quarter. We had told him on Tuesday after a meltdown that if he didn't do better on Wednesday we would keep him home from church. Well sure enough he missed 4 points that day. Keeping him home was such a hard choice. I know how much he loves church and I hate doing that. It hurts me to see him hurt. We ended up having a nice evening though. I took them for Chickfila and we had a picnic outside. It ended up being a 1000 gifts kinda night. I feel like in the last 2 weeks God has provided some "slow down" time for us. Normally by this time I am feeling so stressed and burnt out. I try to view this just as a sign to enjoy downtime.
He didn't get to go this year b/c he's now grouped with the big kids.
Anyway they left the school at 9. Another mom had asked to ride with me and I told her sure. So she and I rode over together and easily met up with the kids shortly after arriving. Since preschool parents have to attend there were plenty of parents on this field trip. Lindsay mostly wanted to stick by her friend Brielle. I felt like we walked from one side of the museum to the other. they didn't play in specific areas for long periods of time like she and Colby do. I think Lindsay would have stayed longer on them but her friend kept wanting to skip around. I enjoyed just watching her be a big girl and have fun. I got to chat with some of the moms throughout as well. I was definitely tired though by the time we left.
When we got back to the school I went ahead and checked her out. I figured there was no reason to send her back just to eat lunch and take a nap. Poor colby had to stay though. She and I enjoyed a low key afternoon. It made me miss our time together.
That evening we had a bit of a rough patch with Colby. He's been struggling this week with missing dojo points again. Its nothing major but he's missing them for things like talking and being out of his chair. I know deep down he's a really good kid but we also have to show him that its not ok to make poor choices at school. It also seemed like his grades were slipping a bit this 4th quarter. We had told him on Tuesday after a meltdown that if he didn't do better on Wednesday we would keep him home from church. Well sure enough he missed 4 points that day. Keeping him home was such a hard choice. I know how much he loves church and I hate doing that. It hurts me to see him hurt. We ended up having a nice evening though. I took them for Chickfila and we had a picnic outside. It ended up being a 1000 gifts kinda night. I feel like in the last 2 weeks God has provided some "slow down" time for us. Normally by this time I am feeling so stressed and burnt out. I try to view this just as a sign to enjoy downtime.
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