School End/Summer Beginning

So, some of this happened a little before my Broadway post, but most of it happened after. ;-) Naturally, with the end of the school year, we have end of the year graduations/ceremonies. The first one was mine and Megan's. I don't have a lot of pictures easily accessible (I need to get them from Robyn). The overall thing was a success. It was short, sweet and simple with lots of chuckles from moments of 4/5 year olds being 4/5 year olds (like one of my students who smiled for the picture then walked away without his certificate, or another student who refused to smile when everyone was taking the group pictures).

It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my students. It still hasn't quite sunk in that I'll likely never see those students again. I may have been exasperated with the majority of them by the end of the school year, but I will miss each of them, cheeky grins and all. At least Megan will get to keep tabs on Ms. Kim (and vice versa) since I'm friends with her on Facebook.

The chaos of everyone trying to get the class pictures while we all posed. You can see me fixing the hat of one of the students. Those hats would NOT stay on!

Starting to leave. You can't actually see Megan in this one. She must have been one of the first ones to dash off stage!

Megan at her farewell party. Mrs. Kim spoiled her kiddos!

A peek at the party going on in my classroom.

A week later, it was Cadence's turn! James (who had the previous week off and was able to attend Megan's ceremony with little fuss) was able to get the morning off to attend. Cadence earned 3 of the 4 "general" awards (she only missed out on perfect attendance, darn flu!) and earned a special award from the art teacher (was anyone really surprised by that?). As the kindergarteners stood up and sang their collection of songs, I couldn't resist poking Megan and telling her "you get to do that next year!" and watch her big grin. I was able to attend Cadence's end of the year party later that same afternoon and watch her interact with her teacher and friends. She seemed so tall, though...

Sitting on stage between her two best kindergarten friends (so glad she was next to them for this picture!)

Showing off her awards: Kinder completion, good behavior, reading, and art!

Her very last day of school. Look how OLD she looks!

At last, school is out and we have just over 2 months of freedom (Unfortunately, I got my marching orders for August 10th). My phone's calendar is filled with all sorts of free options (reptiles at the library next week!). First and foremost, of course, is figuring out our personal pool schedule. To help decide which pool to use and when, we explored the neighborhood pool right around the corner from our house (one of the reasons we bought the house was being walking distance from the HOA pool). Tomorrow, Connor and I are going to test the waters (haha) of the activity pool our HOA also gives us access to.

I also signed the girls up for a free dance camp this week, hosted by one of the local churches. They had their first day today, while Connor and I scampered off to toddler time at the library. And, of course, we can't forget Beau who needs to be kept busy as well. We have a favorite dog park that gives him a TON of room to run off all that 2-year-old energy. Plus, Connor gets his fill of being licked by every dog he can get his hands on when other dogs come to play too.

The pool is Cadence-approved

Connor and his dog taking a break in the shade at the dog park.

The dog adores the dog park. He recognizes the word and knows the route by heart. If you make a wrong turn he gets very distraught. He's so in love with the park, the two times he's rushed past us out of the car, he's gone straight to the gate and waited. It's always a treat to watch him take off as soon as we open the gate and I finally remembered to get it on video. He starts running and doesn't stop for usually a full 5 minutes (at which point he finds the biggest puddle to cool his feet in before taking off again).

Broadway Review

Our stake just finished a broadway review. It was spearheaded by the music director of our ward, so I decided to venture out to the tryouts/information meeting and quietly signed up and snuck back out. Between James's work schedule and having young children, I hadn't been able to participate in anything like this in some time, so I was excited to be able to make it work and be a part of the night! It was so much fun and I had a blast at all the rehearsals and especially the performance.

Anyway, there were requests for video. I only have the poor quality of a camera phone, but you can hear the singing and you can get an idea of how cheesy the Mary Poppins medley was. Included is a bonus video of "Seize the Day" done by the young men from my ward, who were so enthusiastic with their performance that it was definitely a highlight of the evening. (At some point, I may get the chance to upload the closing "Oklahoma" group number, but my computer needs a rest from trying to upload these videos all morning!)

(I, of course, will listen to this and hear every single note I missed, but overall they were solid performances despite the nerves and an unwelcome frog in my throat at one point, so enjoy!)

(I'm in black, 3rd from the right)

(On the left, singing first)

(Yeah, I'm pretty much the only adult there)

(I love our Young Men!)

GoNoodle Fun!

Cadence brought home a flyer from school telling us about GoNoodle, a website they use in their classroom to get some activity going on days they may not be able to do so otherwise (for example, those rainy days that are so plentiful in Houston). So, we tried it out today and their enthusiasm simply had to be recorded for memory sake.

Even Beau got into it, a bit. ;-)

Work and School :-)

We are in our final weeks of school here and things are getting busy! Preschool and kindergarten graduation are right around the corner, but this week we had Cadence's first school field trip and the preschool's end of the year Hawaiian celebration going on. (For my poor schedule, that's on top of getting mothers day gifts finished and home on time after just finishing my final round of preschool assessments to send home with parents).

The Hawaiian party was a huge hit with the kids, though, mostly because it included a giant bounce house. Plus, all the teachers were able to get into the dressing up (more so than our superhero day, which was still fun, but not quite as crazy as Dr Suess day) and we just got to watch the kids having fun nonstop.

Megan posing in her Hawaiian gear

Selfies are hard to do with my phone, but I managed. Both of us dressed up.

I realized I've been working for awhile and never really posted pictures of where I work. This is my classroom. I'm pretty proud of it. I didn't have a lot to work with given what I walked in to, but I think it's worked out pretty well (the previous teacher did the tissue paper flower and tree)

And Cadence's field trip! This was the first real thing I missed because I started working and that was a bit hard to cope with. Of course, if Aunt Robyn hadn't been here, I wouldn't have been able to go even if I wasn't working (no siblings allowed). At the very least, I will be able to make an appearance at field day and Cadence's kindergarten award ceremony/performance. Other parents did post a few pictures, so I do have something to memorialize her big day. The first thing she said as she climbed into the car was how awesome it was to ride the bus. "No seatbelts!"

Cadence is peeking out from the slide. You can barely see her.

She's wearing the tan sweater, just right of center.

Counting down to the start of summer here! 3 weeks (+1 day) for me and the youngest two. 4 weeks (+2) for Cadence. I know the preschool is practicing graduation songs and our morning group prayers often include patience for the teachers as we deal with restless kiddos and our own "it's almost over!" feelings.

I am officially hired back for next year. It was never really a question, but having it confirmed is always nice. I've even been told I'll be moving into a bigger classroom, so I'll get to start from scratch next year (kind of exciting!) instead of walking into an already decorated one. Megan's officially enrolled in kindergarten. Cadence is officially signed up for the GT (advanced academics) for 1st grade. Connor is all set to start full-time preschool in an actual classroom next year. And, I'm browsing summer class options to keep the kids busy so cabin fever doesn't set in (so far it looks like a literature class for Megan and a science/lego class for Cadence).

Easter Weekend and then some (a.k.a. LOTS of pictures)

It's been one of those fun weekends. A little hectic, a little crazy, but lots of little moments worth smiling about. We all got Friday together unexpectedly. I have Friday off of work as a rule, Cadence had Friday off for Good Friday, and at the last minute, James ended up being home as well. Not that it changed much. I still spent the morning at the vet clinic to get Beau's shots up to date and to get his heartworm/flea medication that is so important in this swamp-like environment.

So, not a lot worth mentioning got done during Friday, but we did end the day building a "fort" in the girls' room. They were so overjoyed with the whole thing, they asked me to rebuild it for bedtime Saturday night and played in it so hard Sunday morning they pull it and the curtains down. Oops.

Of course, one of the best things about this weekend was getting to sit down and watch General Conference. We revisited our success with encouraging the girls to listen for specific words during the conference talks. Cadence made it through almost the entire Saturday morning session without much fidgeting and lots of treats in her belly.

Before General Conference, however, James and I took the girls out for a very special treat. Cadence has gotten so competent with the BB gun she got for her birthday, James felt she was ready to be introduced to firing our .22 rifle. We left Connor at home with Aunt Robyn and the four of us trekked down to a local range bright and early to see how the girls did. They both did really well, despite being asked to try to aim 100 yards away. Of course, what excited them most were the peacocks roaming around the yard.

Between Conference sessions on Saturday, we hurried to Bass Pro Shop for their Easter activity. It was a lot busier this time around, since we went the day before Easter instead of the week before, but the kids still had fun. The Easter egg hunt was way more organized this year, requiring them to find 5 different colors from 5 different areas. James waited in the Easter bunny line while I supervised the kids at the arts and craft table. When it came time to meet the Easter bunny, Megan and Cadence ran forward, but Connor had a death grip on my shirt. So, to have him in the picture, I had to join.

After the afternoon session and dinner, James went to the priesthood session, leaving the dirty work of dying Easter eggs to me and the kids. Connor was enthusiastic and wanted to touch everything. Megan and Cadence were excited to pick out the face stickers that came with our dye kit to make silly faces on all the eggs. Then they all went to bed without much of a fuss (a welcome break to the hassle bedtime has become in recent weeks).

 Sunday morning brought the return of the Easter Bunny. The girls were ecstatic to discover "Ever After High" dolls by their baskets, which they had been considering saving their allowance for. This year, the Easter bunny hid the eggs inside and actually hid them. The last couple years, the eggs have been merely tossed around. The girls had fun searching and even Connor was tempted away from his basket of candy to find the blue and green ones the Easter Bunny left in plain view for him.

 The aftermath (once they'd abandoned the baskets for the cinnamon roll muffins I'd made for breakfast. Yeah, that's right, more sugar).

And, last but not least, a few pictures that my non-Facebook followers might have missed out on. Both of them were taken by Robyn. The picture of Cadence may end up framed on my wall, but we'll see. We're taking the kids to a park in their Easter clothes (pictured further below) to see if we can't update my picture wall that way. Still, I think we'll be hard pressed to out-cute this particular picture of Cadence (even with the plastic bag and hose in the picture).

And he's 2!

Maybe it's because there are three of them making the time go faster, but it seems far too soon for this little boy to be 2 years old! A crazy day 2 years ago, with an overcrowded hospital, almost passing out on my way to the OR, a chorus of "whoa" as they pulled Connor out and saw how big he was, a trip to NICU for a collapsed lung, hours of waiting for a room and an update on how he was doing, but what mattered most was: He's here!

And now he's been here for 2 full years. He truly has completed our family in the most amazing way and his quirky, dimpled grin has charmed every person he's met.

He loves anything Avengers, especially Hulk. He adores his dog. He's very particular about how things must go: prayer before every meal, his blanket and pillow every time he wants to lay down (even if only for a minute or two). Just this evening as we ate cake he became very distraught until we moved James's water cup next to James's plate.

He's finally talking. Not as much as the girls were at this age, but it seems being the 3rd child and a boy has basically doomed him to not talk on schedule. He has about 30 words, but he's learned to communicate in a dozen other ways, including grabbing my hand and dragging me to where he needs my attention.

At his doctor appointment, he stayed in the same percentages, while simultaneously outgrowing both his sisters at their 2-year mark (in fact, he weighs more than Megan did at age 3, though, that doesn't mean much). He was 35" tall (50th percentile) and 27.3lbs (25th percentile). He finally outgrew his heart murmur, which wasn't a huge concern, but I'm pleased that it's no longer any kind of concern at all. The pediatrician adored him and even called him over at the end of the appointment just to play with this spiked hair (he loves having his hair done and will run from the bathroom to show it off whenever I finish styling it).

Since it is a 2nd birthday and not a real milestone one, it was a quiet evening at home celebrating his special day:

He didn't quite get the concept of blowing out the candles, but he sure loved looking at it!

Father & Son

 Within moments of taking his new toy from the bag, he "Hulk Smashed" the dog, then ran around showing everyone what he got.

Then, all at once, he wasn't a baby anymore, but well on his way to being a preschooler.

Kindergarten Rodeo

I finally managed to dust off my digital camera and take a few pictures for memory's sake. I've been terrible about taking pictures lately, but I did remember to tuck it into my purse when I went to Cadence's school to volunteer at the kindergarten rodeo. I spent the majority of the time at the facepainting station, painting the class "brands" (each teacher designed their own) on cheeks and hands, but I had the perfect place to see everything that was happening and keep an eye on Cadence's good time.

It started with a parade as all the kindergartners rode their horses around the cafeteria

Roping some steer

Every time I tried to snag a picture of just Cadence, her friend would jump in.

This one was at the facepainting station, her "brand" is hidden by her sleeve.

Afterward, they did pictures. This was Cadence goofing off with her friends while they waited.

Panning for gold.

Barrel Races!!

Gah. Sometimes it just hits me how big she is. And in only a few short weeks, I'll be once again collecting all the paperwork to enroll Megan. Which reminds me of this important shot:

Megan and I dressed up for Dr Seuss at work/school. I was a star-bellied Sneetch and she was an adorable Who.

March Happenings

Okay, so this first group of pictures isn't quite March. It was end-of-February-almost-March. ;-) James went on a overnight camping trip with other people from the ward, giving us girls (and Connor) the chance to do girly things like manicures and facials and watch girly movies and eat chocolate. It was a fun night all around.

Later (actually in March now), we got to go to the "soft opening" at Robyn's new job at Mod Pizza. Free pizza and a night out, score! The kids enjoyed it. I tried a pizza combination that I'd never be willing to try if I was putting my own money into it. Plus, we got a firsthand glimpse of where Aunt Robyn will be when she's not hanging out with us. :-)

Other March happenings? School and work, school and work, and a little bit of sickness. I actually got knocked over by a strange viral thing, which is highly unusual. I can usually power through a cold, but this virus knocked me on my back over a 3-day weekend. The kids all cycled through it and had rough days, but we all survived and we're all (mostly) over the lingering cough, just in time to enjoy spring break!

And now for February!

It's been yet another one of "those months". On the plus side, I've been given plenty of opportunities to count my blessings (and they are plentiful!) and just as many opportunities to be reminded that Heavenly Father is aware of us and watching out for us in a thousand tiny ways.

So, what have we been up to? Work and school, work and school, and plenty of family time with James's change in hours. :-) Valentine's Day has come and gone. I had a successful class party at my work (two of them!) and I was able to attend Cadence's class party and see  all the classmates I hear so much about.

Valentine's Day itself was pleasant. We attended opening weekend at Froberg Farms, the strawberry picking farm, then gorged ourselves on the fruits of our labor at a picnic at Tom Bass Park, where we ate strawberries, sandwiches, and jalapeno and cheese sausage (from Froberg's smokehouse, mmm, so good!), we admired the oversized dog park (and returned later that week with Beau in tow to enjoy a good run), played at the playground, and climbed to the gazebo at the top of the hill for a view of the entire park.

Megan and Connor continue to attend preschool/mothers-day-out (I know I keep promising pictures, but I never think to take them while I'm at work). Megan still attends full time and loves every  minute of it. Connor only attends two days a week and spends the other two days with Aunt Robyn, who joined us early in the month (she's already got a job offer and starts training next week. It's going to be chaos with three working adults and only two cars, but better than the chaos of no working adults and two cars, right?) Connor is enrolled to begin in the 2-year-old class full-time in the new school year (he'll be 2 1/2, what?!) and Megan's kindergarten enrollment is just over a month away.

If that wasn't enough for me to start to feel like my kids are way too old already, I was woken with exciting news this morning: Cadence lost her first tooth! Of course, there were tears, because she had lost it without realizing it and probably swallowed it with the bite of apple that had undoubtedly pulled it out for her. But, plans to make a card for the tooth fairy during school, or after school, and promises that the tooth fairy is pretty lenient, turned the sad moment into a happy one. The other tooth is getting loose as well, so we might have a big gap in her teeth before too long (assuming the new one doesn't grow in right away)

And that's... February. Pleasant. Quiet. Lots of fond moments. A few tears. More laughter, though. A good month overall. :-)

How to sum up January?

A month has gone by since my last post. If you saw my day to day right now, you might be surprised I'm even posting this soon.

After the winter break ended, chaos descended. First thing most mornings, I'm up thirty minutes before the kids to get myself ready and pack 4 lunches, then get breakfast ready before I hound the girls to eat, get dressed, do their hair, and pack their bags, while simultaneously making sure I have all the stuff I need for work in my work bag and chasing Connor around for our daily game of "you-can-dress-me-if-you-can-catch-me".

Phew!

It's been four weeks of it and I am exhausted and eagerly counting the days until Aunt Robyn shows up and I only have to get all three kids ready and out the door twice a week.

Connor and Megan have been enrolled in the program for four weeks at this point and all goes well. Connor had a great first day, rough couple days following, but has been doing great since. I joked early on that I bullied the women in the room to admit he was their favorite, but I am getting genuine comments of "he's so sweet" and lots of good things. He really is a charmer, even if he does think screaming during our daily prayer/devotional in the morning work meeting is a good idea.

Megan is also flourishing. Since the other pre-K teacher and I have similar schedules, my path crosses with Megan's regularly (mostly bathroom breaks and outside play time), so I get to see her interacting with the other kids in her class. She's one of the giggliest in the group, but she seems to be doing very well.

And I am doing well, also. It's been an adjustment; not just for me, but for my students, since I have been making changes since day 1. I tried to do it gradually, one thing at a time, but after 4 weeks of that... I have gotten positive feedback from the parents, though, so that's been a confidence booster, and I am starting to feel in control rather than just barely keeping up with the flow of things. I imagine once I have a couple days a week when I don't have kids underfoot at any given moment (either students or offspring), I'll be able to get more accomplished at work and be even more in control.

Cadence continues excelling at school. She got her second report card for the year and it was all (+) and E (exceeds expectations). Her reading level was a "6", which I cannot fully interpret, but I think means 6th grade? If it is, I'd be a little surprised, but not completely floored. The child is reading scriptures with only a few hiccups, so... Her 100th day of school is next Thursday and she's counting down the days.

James's work goes the same ol', same ol'. Obviously, the drop in oil prices has caused a little tension in his industry. They have altered his assigned hours, so he will be working fewer hours for the time being. However, since I am now working, this is not affecting us as drastically as it could (I am so grateful Heavenly Father nudged me in that direction back in November. I am still in awe of how He pulled the strings so I ended up in this position so quickly). We are focusing on the positive. James goes into work an hour later, so he and I should actually get a little time in the morning together, and he gets home about thirty minutes earlier. So, yay!

We did have a bit of drama this past month. James and I discovered we're decent DIYers, except when it comes to fixing the window in our living room. The girls were wrestling and one pushed the other and the next thing I hear is glass splintering. After the initial "I can't believe you just did that" frustration wore off, I was just grateful the blinds had been closed and absorbed the impact so the kids ran into the window and not through it. The window was fixed, but it's far from a professional job. Still, it's water tight, so it will do, even if there is a glob of clear silicon marring the lower corner of the acrylic.

Oh, and drama #2 and #3 is we're on lookout this weekend for lice and pink-eye, both of which Megan and/or Connor have possibly been exposed to. I think we're safe, but...

No pictures to include this time around, sadly. I've been too busy cutting out puzzles, coloring in flashcards, and filling out progress reports. Plus, no phones allowed at work, so I can't even pull out my phone to snag a picture of Megan playing with her friends, or Connor staring at all the crazy people singing and dancing during Chapel.

We're all doing well, we're all happy. A little stressed, a little frazzled  but things are going well overall. :-)