Thankful on Thursday

Look who graduated today!!! 

Level 4 has taken, um...a long time. I put her in swim camp this week to try to get over the hump and she nailed it! Perfect timing too, because she is ready to have some pool time fun! 

We are also so thankful that M is doing well! All our love dear friend, you are such a wonderful model of courage and strength - and also that sometimes things just stink - and that's okay too, and it's okay to sit with and validate that feeling. We love you! 

Wordless Wednesday: Goofballs

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Phone Dump

Whoops! Sorry, blog gets neglected sometimes! I am in the middle of a class and there's lots of homework at night so my normal blogging time is getting interrupted! 

Let's just throw them all together, shall we? 

There is no explanation here. Napping like this is totally normal. 

Aubrey isn't ever tired. HA! She can't take a full blown afternoon nap but give her some car time and she gets the 30 minute recharge she needs! All those are from the past week. Summer is hard work! 

All of this really crazy science stuff keeps happening at the end of our driveway with our neighbors. It keeps them occupied! 

You know, puzzles and general silliness when they get to hang with Grandma and Pa Pa during my class! 

I'm sad news Oregon is missing and t was a brand new puzzle. Sorry Oregon, Wal-Mart strikes again. 😜

Wait, wait, I got to have fun too! 

An absolute blast with these ladies at a fancy restaurant in the daylight! The people next to us were probably floored at the scope of our conversation (purses to poop, and everything in between!). 

Today we went to the pool with our best buddies! How cute are these little fishies? 

Here's the crew! 

Clearly we are having lots and lots of fun and I just can't remember to get on here to tell you about it (7 years I've been doing this people, 7 years). 

The adventures continue!

Wordless Wednesday

With his own library card and all. We love summer!!!

Summer Goals

We have big dreams here people! 

Logan has 3 summer goals: 

1. Ride his bike without training wheels (balance bike didn't work for this kiddo!)

2. Tie his shoes

3. Do the monkey bars

I'm happy to say that he accomplished one already! He surprised me (and himself!) by just doing the monkey bars at the park yesterday. Love it, because there aren't that many "firsts" I still get to catch on video! 

http://youtu.be/TW_Ad4DcsI8

Take that monkey bars! Watch out shoes and bike, we're coming for ya (training wheels came off tonight and he had lesson 1!).

Summer, Day 1

BUSY!!! But so, so fun. 

- Child wakes up at 5am and is ready for day. I demand she come in the bed and be silent and manage to get another hour before the next child comes in. 

- Swim team pictures! Getting a group shot of 80 kids ages 4-18 is reeeeeally hard!

- Playground with high school friends I haven't seen in 18 years. The power of Facebook. It was so fun but a lot longer than I expected - 3 hours at a very sunny park wears you out! 

-We grabbed a quick lunch and hit the pool with grandma and papa where Aubrey proved that she can in fact swim across half the pool if she has motivation. 

-Dinner and yummy melon for dessert. There is nothing better than when I go through all the work of cutting up a melon and it is delicious! 

Whew! It was a whirlwind! I am exhausted and it's 8:20. I'm seriously excited to just lay here and read my book. 

Yay for summer!!!

Father's Day 2016

We had a fun weekend celebrating the fabulous dads in our lives! 

Me and my daddy! It's funny how close I have gotten to him (and my mom!) over the past 13 years. Adulthood has been good to us. 

And then of course, this guy!

For the first time since his surgery Peter did some "powerbombs" with the kids today. It involves picking them up and throwing them on the couch. They were in heaven. He's getting there! 

We made him breakfast, let him sleep in, and then the silly guy wanted to wash the cars! But, it meant some little people got to help and play too! 

They also got to talk to Grandpa K today, sending all our love to him! 

We are so lucky to have such fabulous guys in our lives! We hope you enjoyed a special day with yours!

Thankful on Thursday

That is all. 

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One Good Thing

There is too much sad stuff. Brok Turner (literally makes me ill), Pulse (so very tragic and makes me so angry because we still do nothing) and now alligators (really? Not one person/thing to blame here which makes me literally have a panic attack because it is terrifying. Like can't breathe terrifying). 

I just can't sometimes. 

But. There can be a break sometimes. A small glimpse of the good. I am super tired, but through a bizarre chain of events tonight Peter and I helped find this dog who had been missing for 2 days. 

I am not kidding you, it was just like pieces perfectly came together. 

But it restored my faith, just a little. 

One good thing. For now, I'll take it. 

PS - #holdthefloor . There, you know I had to say it. 

Happy, Happy!

Grandma F's birthday is today!!! How do you celebrate your birthday? For her apparently it's by volunteering for Arts and Crafts Day in Logan's kindergarten class. Not sure that's my idea of fun, but we're glad she enjoys it! 

We celebrated on Saturday with dinner and CAKE! 

Yay! Ice cream cake! Plus, since we gave her swim fins (what, your grandma doesn't ask for swim find for her birthday?) we had to take her swimming the next day! 

Um, apparently lunch at the pool is waaaay tiring. 

We love you so much mom! We may not have been the Gilmore Girls 15 years ago, by I'm quite proud to be your Gilmtoe Girl today! Happy Birthday!

Orlando

I was going to write about the weekend, but really, I've got nothing. Because while I fret over al the "stuff" I have to do, people are out killing people with assault rifles. 

594 children have been killed by guns since Sandy Hook. 594. 

20 children were killed in an elementary school. 6 and 7 year olds. Just like the ones I teach everyday. Just like the six year old who sleeps across the hall right now. And do you know what changed? 

Nothing. America was outraged. But not outraged enough to actually do something. 

WHY is it not okay to ban assault weapons? It won't fix it? At least it will make me feel like we are DOING something. 

Wait, I think I've written this blog before. You know, I probably have - because in the almost 7 years I have been writing this blog there have been 22 mass shootings in America. 

We are better than this. 

Love has to win. It does. 

Breathe.

72 hours. That's what I have to get through for this to feel a little better. 10 days and it will feel A LOT better...

Let's just see what the next 72 hours hold, shall we? 

Thursday - work, TKD, bake brownies for kindergarten picnic

Friday (lord help me) - work, spend lunch at Logan's picnic, leave work immediately to take children to bday party at a pool, leave party early (=sad children) to get to swim team practice, eat dinner, go help set up for time trials. Sleep. I was supposed to go to Bunco Ladies Night, but I just cannot. I said no. Because at some point, I just have to say no. 

Saturday - Time trials, be there at 7:30 (this is swim sleeping in!). Swim. Soccer make up game. Grandma's bday celebration. 

Sunday - Last soccer game, thank you world. Grocery shop. Laundry. 

This is not a woe is me. It's WHAT in the world?!?! It also helps me to see it all and to see that it's a finite amount of time. It's also because one day, though it sounds so silly - I will miss it. But you know what? I got the best compliment from a parent this week that I rocked at both of my lives - mom and teacher. And that made me smile. 

We can do this! I mean, I can do this. But you all are so awesome that I hear you silently cheering me on in life in general, so thanks. And there's nothing I would take away, it's just a collision of things. Soccer and swim shouldn't overlap, it's because of make up games. Birthday party is for a good family friend. This? This is life. And it's good. 

And, take a spare second to be silly. 5 minutes early to swim practice?!?! Selfie time! 

We can do it!!!

Garden Victory!

We grew a strawberry! 

Yep. One. That's the only red one. What exactly do you do with ONE strawberry? I find this to be a dilemma with lots of garden things. Even my beans last year, not enough volume to make a dinner side. 

But, apparently you can divide that one strawberry by three for taste testing, because that's what we did. Yum! 

Randoms

You should buy these. 

We started with mint chocolate chip, then strawberry, then um...these. Sea salt caramel is pretty much the best thing ever. Plus they have these cute little sayings on each one! 

😂 That one fits a couple of us! 

We went to two birthday parties this weekend, a soccer game, and good ole errands. We had the best time at the party for Little Bestie. Peter has the good pictures so I have to do those tomorrow, but we were quite excited about the party favors! 

And these cool stick pencils! 

Aubrey drew...this. 

That's a baby inside a mom, and the line is how the baby gets out. We keep it real,  clearly! 

Here's to a great Monday. TEN days!!!

Thankful on Thursday

- 11 days. Let's repeat. 11 days! 

- I got a new student who speaks no English. I am thankful the first graders are so kind, and that 6 year olds are sponges. He is picking up so fast!

- My dad brought me lunch today! Teachers never get to have lunch out, so it is such a treat!

- My mom is going through so much wth my grandmother right now but still makes time for me and the kids (and Peter!). So lucky. Hopefully they help her stress level, not add to it. HA!

It's important we say it again. 11 days!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Love having this boy at school with me. LOVE. 

And, swim team is back. Love that too. 

12 days. Love that!!!