Birthday Party!

 The girls had a great time at their gymnastics birthday party last weekend. Unfortunately, many of their friends from school didn't show up, but all of our loyal friends drove a very long distance to play! Dad and Kris came down for it, so I guess they drove the farthest! Adilyn and Kacy could care less about who was there. They were running around like crazy girls jumping, running, and playing. They were both so sweaty! There was a huge blow up train that everyone loved. Kacy liked running down the trampoline runway the best, and Adilyn like hanging from the trapeze and falling in the foam pit. The Hrobars, Griffins, and Schmaltz were all there, and two of Adilyn's friends from school came. Grandmother Henderson and Amy also showed up to celebrate. It was different having the party at a place vs. at our house. I think I like the house parties better, but the girls seemed to have fun at the gymnastics party. Oh well, wherever it is, when family and friends get together for fun, pizza, and cupcakes it has to be fun, right?!?! Happy Birthday, sweet girls!

The Summer Routine

It has taken us a while to get used to all being home together so much more than we had been. There are still days where we all go a little nuts, but those days are fewer and fewer. I have tried to establish a bit of a routine to keep things moving smoothly. Here is our typical day: wake up, eat, and watch two shows. Adilyn's favorites change all the time, but Kacy's remains Dora. I try to change them up a bit, but somedays that doesn't go over well. After the shows, somebody usually gets a little fiesty and throws a fit. I try to distract them with an activity. I like to go outside and ride bikes or go for a walk before it gets too hot. Sometimes we do a craft or activity, sometimes we play dress up, and sometimes we play with dolls. After that it's lunch time, and we try to nap after that. I decided that Adilyn needed to have a little quiet time everyday, so we don't call it nap time anymore. It's simply "room time". Kacy usually naps for at least an hour, and Adilyn will stay in her room for about 30 minutes. After that we might run errands or do something else until dinner time. We eat dinner, maybe play outside, and then it's bath and bedtime. I thought that I might go crazy staying at home all the time, but the days do go by so fast. I am so happy to be able to be home with them a spend some special time with them. There are times (like when Kacy whined and cried for an hour straight this morning for no reason) that I wish I could just have a little time alone, but the girls won't be this age forever I try to focus on the fun times we are having, and not the frustrating times. It seems that Adilyn and Kacy are getting along better. They still fight a lot, but when they get on a roll, they can play together for over an hour. I love hearing how they work together, how they give and take in what they want to do, and how they play make believe. I hope as they get older, the playing time gets more frequent, and the fighting gets less frequent. 

Here is some of our simple summer fun so far!

Hanging out on the couch

Painting

Playing in the water table (with Cash)

An afternoon ice cream treat

Toys on ice

Polly Pocket in an iceberg

It's her Strawberry

Brooke has two little hemangiomas that appeared a couple weeks after she was born. A hemangioma is a collection of blood vessels that make a raised, red birthmark. The one on her head looked like a little scratch at first, but now it has grown bigger. The other one is by her ribs, and that one hasn't seemed to grow too much. I have had friends whose kids had them, and theirs went away as they grew up. Now, I know that it's nothing more than a cosmetic issue for Brooke. Hers are not in places that can be dangerous for her hearing, sight, or growth of her skull. Still, I worry. Of course, people ask about it a lot as it is getting bigger. Almost every single kid that looks at her asks about it. Again, I should not be bothered by it at all. There are a million other things that could be way more serious, but I still hope that it goes away before it starts to bother her. They say most go away by the time they are 2, so it shouldn't be a big deal for her. I did read, though, that sometimes the scalp hemangiomas will kill all the hair follicles in that area and create a bald spot. That would be kinda sad to deal with. I know that kids can find something to tease every one about. I was picked on about my buck teeth, my ridiculously long, skinny fingers, and my hairy arms. I got passed it, and I know our kids will too! I remember coming home crying one day about some name that somebody called me, and my dad said, "Are they perfect?" When I said, "No." He said, "Well, just ignore them because nobody is perfect." After that, I did just ignore most of what people said about me. That's not to say that words aren't hurtful, but you need to believe in who you are and be proud of that no matter what people say about your appearance. Anyway, off my soapbox now...I just do not look forward to that day when Brooke or any of the girls come home and feel bad about themselves because of what a stupid boy said. I saw a Dove commercial the other day that said 6 out of 10 girls will quit doing what they love because they feel bad about the way they look. That broke my heart, and I hope to be able to instill a confidence in my girls to do whatever makes their hearts happy no matter what they look like!

Kacy just started to be bothered by Brooke's birthmarks. She said the other day, "I don't like that thing on Brooke." I told her that it's her strawberry, not a "thing", and she is super cute with her special little mark. She thought for a moment, then said, "Yeah, her cute always."

5, Seriously?

Adilyn turned 5 today. I know that every year I will say the same things...how can she be this old? Where does the time ago? And all those other typical things parents say as their children grow up so quickly right before their eyes. I don't know why, but 5 seems like a big deal. I feel like it's one of those milestone birthdays like 13 or 16. Turning 5 to me marks the ending of being a little kid. Obviously she is still a kid, but there is something about the way she is communicating, learning, and interacting now that makes her more of a kid, less of a baby.  The start of her formal education will begin this year, and all the social and educational changes will begin to affect who she is and how she thinks. (Wow, that scares me as I type this!) 

I love the person that Adilyn is...at 5 she is getting braver, but she is still very reserved and timid at times. She does not like to do things that are new to her or that she thinks she won't be good at. She especially doesn't like to do new things in front of a crowd. It seems that she gets along with people pretty easily. She is more outgoing at parks and places like that these days, and she usually ends up finding someone to to play with. (Not like she used to be when she didn't want to get out of the car when there were "too many peoples" there.) She loves to play with her Barbie dolls and her tiny princesses. Whenever we play, the prince always has to be a part of our game. Adilyn can get super silly and hyper at times. She usually gets silly after bath, right before bed. Running around, jumping on the bed, dancing crazy, and making faces in the mirror are all things that may be a part of her craziness. It's super cute, but at that point in the day, it's not as cute as it might be at another time of day. She loves to sing and dance, and she will just make up songs and dance to them as she sings. Unfortunately, she is starting to hit and/or be mean to Kacy. I knew it would happen if Kacy kept bugging her, but it hasn't made the arguing any better between the two of them. Adilyn also loves to make crafts. When she does make things, she usually makes them for someone. She desperately wants to learn how to do things to take care of herself like tying her shoes, doing her own hair, and dressing herself. I am quite impressed with her hair skills, and her outfits that she comes up with are very self-expressive to say the least. I love that she wants to do certain things that she thinks a 5 year old should be able to do!

5 words that I would use to describe Adilyn at 5:

1. Dramatic

2. Fun

3. Energetic

4. Inquisitive

5. Creative

I love my beautiful Adilyn Kade! She is a great big sister, and I love being her mom. I can't imagine life without her in it!

Questions for Adilyn:
What is your favorite color? Azul
Favorite friend? Chloe
Who would you marry, if you had to get married now? Daddy
What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher who teaches teenagers
Favorite food? Macaroni and cheese
Favorite place to go? Fuddruckers or any fun park
Favorite show? Jem
What do you like about school? Learning and playing games outside with "my girls"
Favorite thing to do at home? Play with dolls
What do you love about Kacy? She plays with me
Favorite animal? Giraffes and zebras
Favorite thing to do in the car? Play my game player and do rhyming
What are you good at? Playing
What do you want to learn now that you are 5? To do a cartwheel

That's All Folks!

I don't know when or if I will ever go back to teaching, but I know that it will not be in August 2012. I didn't know how I would feel when it happened, but I actually felt very apathetic. There was no sadness or regret, no feeling at all really. These last 2 years have been the least enjoyable years of my teaching career. I wouldn't call them horrible, but when I left Beck teaching definitely was not nearly as much fun. Who knows how I would feel if I would have stayed at Beck or if I would have been able to stay at Cimarron. What I do know is that the school I was at this year was not for me! I was so glad to walk out of there :)
I don't know what is in store for me for the future. Right now, my plan is to go back to teaching in a yearr or two in whatever area we end up living in. I may have to sub for a little bit, so that would be interesting. I would love to find something to do part-time, but who knows about that.
It is very strange to think that I won't be working. I have worked since I was 15, so the thought of not working is kind of nerve wrecking. Even more nerve wrecking is the idea of being a stay-at-home mom. :)

Unsold =(

Bummer! After the inspection, the buyer decided to terminate the contract. The inspector found some "possible foundation" problems. The buyer freaked out, and he refused to even get a foundation expert to come check it out. He just walked away from the whole thing! So disappointing, so frustrating, and so sad! Back to showings and the unknown timeline of things. I keep telling myself that it will all happen the way they are supposed to, but that doesn't mean that I am not tired of all this! Oh well, there are some other potential buyers, so we will see what comes next.