Livvy - Future Vet

The kindergarten classes are currently doing a unit on Community Helpers. They got to take a field trip to a bakery to see how things worked, and they've had mystery guests each day this week--parents of kindergarteners who are coming to tell about their jobs. Today the mystery guests were a "people doctor and an animal doctor" according to Livvy. She was so excited and kept talking about how she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Katy had also said she wanted to be a vet at preschool graduation last year, but she has now decided that she wants to be a fashion designer. It will be interesting to see how these dreams either change or are fulfilled through the years.

Evidence of Them

I recently read about an interesting photography assignment. At least I thought it was interesting. You look around your home to find evidence of someones existence there. Bedrooms don't count--too obvious.

Today after the kids had left for school and I was cleaning up the kitchen from the morning rush, I noticed proof of Olivia and Katelyn's existence in our home, and it made me smile at their sweetness. Honest! Okay, so maybe a tiny bit annoyed that they hadn't cleaned up their stuff, but mostly I thought: "Hey! Here's what I can photograph for that 'evidence' project."

As you may already know, they are really not into baby dolls. At all. But they love stuffed animals. I guess they wanted to be sure that this dog would be fed while they were away, and perhaps they actually remembered the "no eating out of the kitchen" rule... Or perhaps they were suggesting we have pizza, soda and ice cream for dinner.

I Found You!

Our kittens really enjoy playing with and being loved on by our kids. That being said, they also really enjoy having special hiding places when they're not in the mood. For that matter, I wish I had a special hiding place sometimes! When we first got them, their favorite hidey holes were under the couch and under Katy's dresser. But they've grown, and no longer fit quite so easily into those spots. While putting away laundry today I discovered Bella's newest hiding spot--under the lowest level of clothes hanging in Kevin's closet.

Limerick Time... Again!

Our neighbors, the Sedgleys, have a super fun St. Patrick's Day party every year. Everyone brings delicious food, we have lots of beer and Shamrock Juice. This year I brought a Chocolate Guinness Cheesecake. It was divine. But the highlight of the party is the limerick contest. To read your limerick you must climb onto a stage, ring a bell and don a ridiculous hat. It is so much fun! And my limericks have been one of the winners each of the past two years! Tonight was no different. I would share my rhyme, but it was a bit too bawdy...:) Oh, and the party started on Saturday night, but this picture was taken well into Sunday morning.

This is the End

My life has become one marked by seasons. No, not the ones you'd think. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter have been replaced over the years I've spent with Kevin by Baseball, Football and Basketball. Now, while March Madness may just be getting started in the world of college hoops, today is the end of the basketball season for Ryan's team. They had tied for second place after the regular season, so were in the championship bracket of the league's playoffs. Last weeks win gave them the privelege of playing for the championship today against a team that was only defeated once, and that was because half their players were out with the stomach flu.

Our boys were so excited, and after the first 3 quarters we were winning by 2 points! Our team played some amazing defense and did a great job of shutting down the other team's offensive game. Unfortunately, our team committed a few too many fouls during the last quarter, and their kids sank every single foul shot. We ended up losing the championship, but it was an amazing season of growth for all the boys on Kevin's team. Just about every parent wants their child back on Kevin's team next year too.












Baseball begins next Saturday. And I need an SLR for next basketball season so I can actually get decent shots during the games!

Strings

While at the vet for routine shots, I noticed a poster on the wall showing how cats age compared to humans. During their first year of life, kittens age the equivalent of 20 (!) human years. Midnight and Bella are about 2 1/2 months old now, which makes them the human-equivalent of about 4 years old. They are so playful and inquisitive. The tiniest thing becomes a mesmerizing source of entertainment. But their favorite is the old kitty standard: the string. Doesn't matter what kind, or whether it's attached to something. If it's a string, it's fun.

Jump

Not satisfied with just riding his bike, now Ryan must learn how to do tricks on it. Like riding without hands. And popping wheelies. And jumping. Makes my heart stop, but Kevin assures me it's a boy thing and I just have to relax.

They Survived

As you may remember, one of the things I was most concerned about with last weeks surprise snow was whether our flowering trees would still flower. After all, that is one of my favorite parts of Spring (aside from the gorgeous weather and longer daylight hours). I was quite relieved to see our trees covered in beautiful blossoms this weekend. Have I mentioned how much I'm loving the macro feature on my camera?

Worn Out

These used to be a pretty Carolina blue. They used to each have a strap for the back. The bottoms used to have treads for traction. They didn't have holes in the soles and toes. They've traveled to West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Ryan has gotten a lot of miles out of these Crocs. His new ones, in Hokie maroon (his request), should be arriving in the next few days. Hopefully they won't show the Carolina clay quite as much!

Letting Go

It doesn't seem that long ago that we got Katy her first tricycle for her 2nd birthday, complete with a special handle that let us help her to make it go. Now, less than four years later, not only has she graduated to a bicycle, today she gave up her training wheels. Kevin ran behind and held on for the first 10 minutes or so, teaching her the basics of stopping, learning to lean into a curve, etc. But then he had to let go and let her go on her own. Funny how teaching your child to ride a bike is analagous for parenting. You hold on to your child for a while, but eventually you hope that everything you've taught them is enough and you have to let go. And then you get to sit back and watch them succeed, or be there for them when they fall down. Today, we were just cheering for our big girl.

Patience & Dexterixy

When I first saw heat and set perler beads, Ryan was about 4 years old. I thought they looked like a great way to improve manual dexterity, and they truly are. However they were a bit too tedious for him to do for any length of time. The girls have recently become more interested in playing with these beads and will spend a fair amount of time making designs and patterns out of these little bits of plastic. This weekend, Ryan, Samantha & Cameron got in on the fun and really made some interesting and intricate designs. You've got to love anything that will keep kids so engaged for such a long time, even if it does pose a threat for a monumental mess...

Hey Kevin!

You just coached your grade 3 boys basketball team to an exciting, 27-22 victory in the semi-finals and will get to play in the championship game next week! What are you going to do next?

We're going to Big League Hot Dog Company for lunch!

How I Like to Spend My Day

If I had my way, I'd spend my days scrapbooking. But that just doesn't work into my schedule of other stuff that HAS to be done. Plus it's just not as much fun to scrap by myself. But this weekend, Steph and the kids have come down for a visit, my other chores are under control, and we will be scrappin' the days away. It doesn't get much better for me than hearing our children have a great time outside, listening to fun music, chatting with my best friend, and being creative and productive.

Handsome and Hopeful

Well, it's been exactly 2 weeks since Kevin found out that his position at JP Morgan Chase was going to be dissolved in April. He has been busy posting his resume on The Ladders and Monster, and networking with his years of contacts. He has three promising prospects at this point, and today he is going to a second interview to be the VP of Sales at a mid-size company in Charlotte. This meeting is with the CEO, so if all goes well he may be coming home with an offer. Gulp.









ETA: Things went well with the interview! The CEO and he really clicked. Turns out the CEO knows the man who was the CEO of the company Kevin was working for before JPMC bought them. They've had him do a personality profile test (they said his scores showed him as compatible with their company's environment). He has another meeting with the VP of Marketing next week, and then we'll see. He's also being flown to Baltimore next week by another company for an interview. He's feeling much more positive now.

Works for Me

I know I'm not the only one who deals with the mystery of the missing socks. But aside from the obvious, one of my biggest frustrations about this dilemma was what to do with the socks I DO have. I kept misplacing them in "safe" places, and then when I'd finally find its match, I wouldn't be able to locate the other. So now, this is what works for me.

Rock On

I wish I could somehow have sound attached here so you could hear Katy singing along LOUDLY to her music! She had her door closed and she was just rocking out to Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor". It just gave me flash forward kind of visions of her pre-teen years. And flashbacks to mine. :)

We Interrupt the Regularly Scheduled Weather...

to bring you lots of snow. At least it's a lot for here. I'm trying to be positive and enjoy the beauty, but honestly I'm not real thrilled. It is pretty though. The kids are off school today, and even though we have some melting on the roads, they'll be off tomorrow because the temperatures are supposed to dip into the low 20s all night so everything will freeze. Nothing around our neighborhood has been plowed, and there is NO WAY the bus is coming down the hill into our neighborhood! Unfortunately that means they'll be taking away days from our Spring Break since there are no snow days built into the school year here. I'm hoping that there won't be permanent damage to all the flowering trees that have been blooming and the daffodils. We will be losing at least one more of our pine trees, maybe two since it's a wet, heavy snow. But as you'll see in one of the pictures, it could have been worse! Chip & Allyson were VERY lucky-two trees down, one right in front of their cars, and one right behind.
On a more positive note, I've take TONS of pictures, but will only be sharing the scenery shots here--you'll have to wait until Christmas for the cute kid pics! We've had some massive snowball fights. No snowmen have been built yet, the girls were too cold. And instead of using boxes for sledding, we broke out the boogie boards.

Inside Out and Backwards

Legend has it that when students wear their pajamas inside out and backwards on a night when snow is predicted, school will be cancelled the next day. Well, they are calling for us to get 4-8 inches of snow (in CHARLOTTE, in MARCH, can you IMAGINE my HORROR!!!!!), so Ryan did his part to get the day off tomorrow. We also flushed ice cubes (another legend recently learned from our friends in Virginia). Based on the fact that it is snowing quite heavily and that it's already sticking on the roads at 8 p.m., I have a feeling it will work.

Oh, and since our area reputedly does not own snow plows, it may work for several days...

Trouble Spot

I know that every home has areas that are hard to keep in order. This desk and counter area by our garage door is one of the worst for me. I really do try to straighten it every few days, but if I miss a few times it just blows up. And then I get overwhelmed. And then I ignore it. And then it gets worse. And so on, and so on. Can you tell where we are in that cycle today? I plan to get it back in shape by the end of today.

On another note, I'm now 2 months into this project, and enjoying it so much! Already finding it interesting to look back on the year. It motivates me to keep going. And I'm finding it funny that I've done more posts in two months of 2009 than the entire year of 2008. Hope you all are enjoying too!











Edited to add: DONE!

ROYGBIV

I love to organize things. And I love rainbow-order (just look at my closets, sometime!). For years I've been separating my little scrapbook embellishments into individual categories. It's nice to have everything so organized, but I find that I forget to use lots of the fun little doodads that I have in my stash. So I'm trying something new. I've put all those little bits into rainbow order. It was a little hard at first to start dumping buttons and brads and eyelets and flowers all into a single drawer, but now that I'm almost done, I think I like it! And if I change my mind, I still have all my little containers to sort everything back the way it was.

More Spring Signs

One of my favorite trees in our wooded area is this one that has just started to pop with its pretty red blooms. I have no idea what kind of tree it is--it was here when we moved in--but it makes me smile every spring when it starts to flower.

Trying to be "Super Mom"

I have a tendency to not schedule playdates for Olivia and Katy. It is mostly because of laziness. I feel like they always have each other, and we have tons of girls their age in the neighborhood that they play with frequently. Oh, and if I make a date with just one of their friends, it often results in someone feeling left out thanks to that "3" thing. So today I made a playdate with Ashley for Olivia and Caroline for Katy. They were all so excited! I picked all four girls up from school, so they got to be car riders--a thrill in itself. They did art projects when we got home. Next they played hopscotch (after a lengthy meltdown by Olivia about wanting to go first despite our house rule that guests go first). And then they each got to ice and decorate two cupcakes (one for then, and one for after dinner). Fortunately it was a beautiful day so they did the uber-messy cupcake activity outside. They all seemed to have fun, but I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon. And reminded why I tend to not schedule playdates...

Silliness

Sometimes my kids just crack me up. This is how I found Katy's bear while straightening up before vacuuming today. Yes, those are fuzzy gloves on his little feet. Not sure why they're there. Maybe he was cold? Maybe she wanted him to have shoes and couldn't find a pair that fit? Or maybe she just stuck them on because they were there. She's at school so I can't ask her, but it made me smile when I found him--it's just so Katy.

Good Times

One of my favorite memories from elementary school was the annual book fair. I can remember pouring over the flyer when it came home and trying to plan how I would spend the money that mom and dad would allot to me. So of course I was excited when Ryan began having book fairs to go to a few years ago. This year is even better, though! Now that all 3 are in school, I get to actually help out with the fundraiser. It is without a doubt my favorite fundraiser done by the school. I plan to head it up in a few years if I'm not working outside the home.

Cat Fight!

When Oreo and Airy joined our family in 1993, we were still living in the era of cameras that used film. I took a few pictures of them through their lives, but none as kittens. Suffice it to say that I am having a lot of fun photographing our new additions. I had forgotten how ferociously they play fight at this age! With all the meowing and growling and pouncing and stalking and biting and clawing, you'd think one of them would get hurt. This is why it's nice to get 2 kittens...they take their need to "fight" out on each other instead of us!

Everyone Always Says...

One thing I've learned over the years is that generally if "everyone" says something, there's a pretty good chance the statement has some basis in reality. For example, "everyone" always says that you don't need to buy children expensive toys because they're just as happy with a cardboard box. We got our final jetpaks for the hot tub yesterday which yielded four nice-sized boxes. This particular box has been transformed into a dog house. Want to guess who's been the dog lately?

Winter Swimming

Who needs an indoor pool during the winter when you've got a hot tub? The girls have been enjoying playing in the hot tub a lot recently. We turn the temperature down to 99 degrees so it's safe for them, but still nice and toasty. And I love the way they look in their little bowkinis (that's Katy & Livvy speak for bikini).

Love/Hate

For years now, I have had a love/hate relationship with Kevin's fish tanks. On the one hand, they can be pretty and the sound of the water is relaxing. On the other hand, finding a good place for them (so that they don't leave a room looking like a dorm or bachelor pad), and the mess they can create during cleaning can be annoying. I was enjoying the lack of a fish tank for the first two years that we moved, but last spring Kevin got the itch to set one up again. It's been in our dining room. Along with an air hockey table and a portable fridge. Can you say "dorm room"? It wouldn't be so bad if that wasn't the first room you see as you come in our front door. I've hated it. A lot. But after painting the powder room Kevin suggested moving the tank in there, and you know what? I think it works!

Fancy Katy

Currently, Katy's favorite books are about a posh girl named "Fancy Nancy." Until recently I had to read them to her, but tonight I caught her reading to Bella, her posh new kitty (posh is a fancy word for fancy, by the way). Bella seemed quite interested and was purrfectly happy to sit and listen to the whole book.

A Boy and His... Cat?

Most people instantly assume that dogs are the natural companion for boys, but not my boy. He adores our cats. From the time he was a baby he would squeal and laugh and love on our older cats, Oreo & Airy. He prayed diligently every night for Airy after she died when he was almost 4--asking God to please give her some love and a little bit of shrimp to help her be happy. When Oreo died this past summer, he took it harder than my girls. And when they began asking for new kitties, he would comment that he just wasn't ready yet. Tonight as I peeked in on him, this is the scene that greeted my eyes:












I'm not sure which one of them looks more content.