The New Normal

Well, we have started life at home with our four beautiful children. It is so nice to be home; all together. The New Normal.

And it is the old normal. I got the two older kids to school - both on time! :-) Unfortunately it was pouring down rain in the afternoon to pick up the kids. I haven't been out in that hard drenching rain for quite some time. (My shoes were not adequate for the rain and had water running through my toes, eww!) Good thing I had both the car seat and the stroller to protect Baby Might Mouse from all that rain! But I do see I need to ScotchGuard both canopies.

Grammy left around noon today, sob. She got lunches ready then had to catch the ferry. Big D was at work all day today catching up after getting home from Seattle, but all was well with the kiddos and baby so the day went well. I am feeling extremely tired right now and am hoping to go to bed after the 7pm feeding/8pm meds.

Still, I am feeling "ahead", I guess because I am coming home with a 10 day old baby instead of a 2 day old baby. That is nice. We were able to get good feedings right away at the hospitals without interruptions (read: refereeing the other kids, etc.) He is already on a fairly good schedule - approx. 3 hours between feedings, except after the meds at 8pm where he does get pretty sleepy and goes more like 4 1/2 hours between feedings - fine with me - more sleep time!!

I wonder what tomorrow holds? (Maybe some picture posting... no promises.)

School Starts... Blogging Stops?

Is this how it works? I was wanting more "schedule" in my day, but is this it? Is there really a schedule? Ummm, where does blogging fit in???

Maybe I'm just not there yet. I was having the B man get his shoes on a whole hour before we were supposed to leave to get the H girl yesterday... totally messed up on time. (Granted it takes him a while to get them on, but a bit extreme in this case!)

I am not settled into a routine for sure. The kids are getting closer to it, though it has been a transition for B to go to school on different days than last year (M,W,F instead of T,TH). He gets confused with that. H seems to like going everyday.

And they are so tired! This PM kindergarten/preschool stuff is hard on us! The kids need naps still, but doing them when we get home is too late, too close to bed time - not that they would do it at 4PM anyway... And after being babies they have not napped before lunchtime so that is out of the question now. A couple times I have gotten B to sit with me for some quiet time on the couch with his blanket before lunch, but never H.

So we are working on it.

It just seems like we are spending our mornings just waiting for lunch to come around so we can go to school. There isn't yet any real defined activity times that we do things in the morning except the TV goes off by 8/8:30 depending on what time we are done with breakfast... then get dressed and then free playtime with a small snack around 9:30 and then lunch around 11:15/30 (so we can get toys put away, ready to leave for school around 12:05.)

So writing it out here, it looks like I could (if I really wanted to/had the energy to/really obeyed what I should do...) put in some kind of Mommy&Kids activity between 9:30 and 11:30. I have thought of a "chore jar", or some Christian homeschool curriculum (just something light and fun since H is in public school now not Christian preschool anymore), or some other form of activity.

Here are some thoughts now that I am sitting in the quiet (yes, older two are quietly playing together and lil'D is napping...) and thinking...

Maybe one day is "game day" to play board games or outside together (Monday?);
another a "learning day" for worksheets or special Bible reading, etc. (Wednesday?);
maybe two days of the "chore jar" (Tues/Thurs);
and what for another day?? "Art", "Kids choice"? ...hmmm, those scare me a little! :)

(I would love to hear some more ideas from anyone here...)

Not to mention filling in the time with the things I need to be doing like dishes, laundry (I have already noticed that I am not hanging out the laundry as often because of the time crunch...bummer), other cleaning, figuring out dinner.

I have already been able to determine I am not going to get through this (hmmm...life?) without a meal plan for the week, and I am not going to be able (usually, depending on the meal) to get away with "starting dinner" after the kids get home from school (3:30-4 ish.) There are too many needs/wants the kids all have during that time that I just can't focus on the kitchen stuff...which is usually a disaster by that time anyway. I feed the kids a small snack when they get home and we talk about their day, but with lil' D being awake also, he isn't willing to sit for as long as the other kids, and then "the chase is on."



It is so hard not to turn on that TV and "plug them in" for awhile... but I am doing really well so far at not until I "have to" to get through. (Oh, yeah, yesterday was a bad day, I was quite a grouch from 3 'till 6 ish...headache, mean, tears, ask for forgiveness, etc..) :-{ So, when the older two are at school, I need to get any errands done while in town, then come home, entertain lil'D (because he rarely has a nap after the morning one... ...gee, he has a bit of a strange schedule, but it seems to work for him), give him some "Mommy time" - he loves sitting and reading books then- and trying to get what I can going for dinner while chasing an 18 month old out of the kitchen. Fun, fun! :-)

And, looking at it all from this vantage point, it is fun.

Or at least like mostly fun,
should be fun,
except the tough parts,
and that is my call to reach out to God for help.

I am reading a great book right now, really inspiring, called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God and it is really helping me to see God's vision for women/mothers. It is a quick read; unless you want to look up every verse referenced for context, and then it will take you f-o-r-e-v-e-r! There is a lot of Scripture packed in there - it would be a great book to pass along to young Christian wives/mothers, maybe for Christmas? It is far from being about perfectionism - since there is only One who is perfect! But real. Written from the vantage point of real women who have been there, who are there, who have lived to tell about the blessings.


So, as it goes, we are working on it. I am working on it. A life in process. Hopefully progress!

For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

VBS, other

We started our busy week of vacation bible school (VBS) today. It was a challenge to get it in gear this morning and make it out of the house by 8:30. It was even earlier than we left when the kids were in school last year. But we made it no problem. Lots of kids. Lots. I think Rachel told me there were 109! That is so awesome! I'm not sure how many they were expecting, but it looked like more kids than they thought were coming.

My kids said they enjoyed themselves and would be happy to go back tomorrow. Of course H didn't like that B wanted to be her partner on the hand motion song, and B was upset that H didn't let him be the partner. Also, they didn't like all the snack that was provided, but, hey, they still said they had a great time. I think they just liked seeing all those kids together and the mixture of kids from our church they know along with kids from school and MOPS they know, as well as all the other kids they didn't know yet! They enjoyed listening to the VBS music CD that was given them on the way home today.

Also today we hurried home from VBS to get lunches down so there could be naps before going to the dentist this afternoon. The kids did great for naps. I even got a nap today!! (Oops, I forgot to do the grocery list, but that nap was SO good!) They did good at the dentist, though H wasn't liking the x-ray tabs they wanted to put in. They were able to get one picture - no cavities/decay! That is great since she has sticky PB&J every day for lunch. B was really talkative to the Dentist today, coming up with all sorts of strange things. I guess maybe Grammy and Papa are his "comfort zone" because he talked about them right away. And then our cat. Funny what 3 (4 in two weeks) year olds come up with to say.

Tuesday and Wednesday look fairly uncluttered with stuff to do, just the VBS from 9 - noon. It was very strange for me to just have li'l D home with me this morning. He loved having (almost) free range over the toys and playroom. He was in toddler heaven! He grabbed one of the fire truck books from the library and brought it over to me so we sat and read for a while, too. We also got to stop and see Daddy at work and li'l D though he was pretty special to get to go see Daddy w/o the other kids. He got to play with all the toys at Daddy's office w/o hindrance from the older two. Very special morning.

Thursday and Friday will seem a little busier for me because I will be in the church nursery with li'l D helping care for the VBS workers infants/toddlers. I think there will be maybe 5 kids including li'l D and I think a "helper" of some sort. I will definitely need a nap those days!

It was a triumph for me today that I didn't stop anywhere to spend the rest of my months "blow money" and buy a cookie or treat at those beckoning coffee drive-throughs. (Background: Anytime I feel like I have extra time with "no where to be" I suddenly feel starving for those super sweet sugar cookies with pink frosting, huge scones, or major rice krispy treats you see at the coffee shops.) BUT NOT TODAY! Well, let me clarify, I wanted something for sure, but instead, I went home and made a batch of scones and promptly ate half of them... :-( Oh well, still cheaper than buying one! They weren't great, however, and I have got to find a better recipe.

Strawberries

Well, we are heading out to Bells Strawberry Farm today with the local MOPS group. Yes, I'm bringing all three kids - we shall see how this goes! (These kids better enjoy this effort!!) I think I will have lil' D walk since we only have a rickety umbrella stroller or a double jogging stroller - the double I don't see fitting down the rows and the umbrella would get stuck in the dirt for sure.

Yeah, I'm not planning on them "picking" too many berries - and I'm not planning on picking any while watching lil' D - but it might be fun for them to see the plants and once they see the other kids doing it, they should get the idea. I think I will have them bring their Halloween buckets - lightweight and easy to carry. Oh, I need to bring something to put the berries in, right? See, I don't do this very often, the actual picking part. I haven't gotten to the enjoyment part of standing in a hot, too sunny, dirty field, trying to pick only ripe berries while simultaneously watching the kiddos step on and mash berries, fall down in the dirt, and listen to them scream about bugs at the same time. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for the enjoyment of the kids, and I'm sure on a nice cool morning, by myself, berry picking would be fairly satisfying. I just try for the least stress possible, and I'm not sure berry picking with the kids is it.

I'll let you know how it goes! I'll try to bring the camera and see if I can get a few shots.

Oh, yikes!

I didn't realize it had been so long since the last post. Lots of happenings here over the last weekend. Well, grilling, dessert/fireworks partying, Nana and G-pa J visiting, hammock sleeping, garden planting, soccer playing, bike riding, horse feeding, sprinkler hopping kind of happenings.

Also, I am realizing I am way (no... way) behind in reading all my books. I have made a mental effort to read my bible first which is really "cutting into" my other books. ;-) But I am being totally blessed by it. I have (if you remember...) started the Old Testament reading in one year schedule. I am behind. That's OK, I just keep going, starting where I am. I figure things will get sidetracked once the baby comes a bit anyway, so I am hoping to at least finish it all by the end of next year. That's OK. God blesses me with whatever I read so I figure it doesn't really matter what gets read on which day.

So far I have been reading in Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, and Proverbs. This is the first time I have really spent any serious time reading in the Old Test.. Some of it (most in the beginning of Isaiah) is hard for me. Most of it is very interesting and I love the stories in Genesis, learning where "Israel" came from, learning about the "Fathers of the Faith". Crazy how messed up some of the beginnings are - oh such scandal! And yet, how God blessed them in spite of their personal trials. There is hope!

I do think, sometimes, that it would be much better to live, like then, in a time where it was just "...and God spoke to him..." and told him what to do. Wow, how cool would that be? Just have this clear voice from the sky (or wherever?) telling you the absolute thing to do. Of course we have guidance now, but rarely (if ever for me?) do I actually hear a voice. Sure we have that ever quiet voice telling us things, giving us suggestions it seems, but to just have that clear voice saying "do this..." seems so much easier.


Anyway, before I talk myself into (another) circle, I will let you know about the books I am reading and want to read.

I am taking the Omnivore's Dilemma book off the list. I am just not that into it and it is a struggle for me to read all his "big words" when I am already tired at night. I'll let D read it and pass on the interesting stuff.

I am into my church's summer "book club" book called Finding Calm in Life's Chaos. We are into the 4th chapter called "Hey, I Need a Little Direction Here!" with the focus verse being John 8:12 - "I am the light of the world." This is reaching close to home after our recent job struggles - "What do you want us to do, God?" And now, again, that we are staying, revamping our priorities and saying "What do you want us to do, God?" I guess it is just a perpetual question.

I am trying to get through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Revisited, but it is due back to the library tomorrow and I am only 1/2 through! Of course there is another hold on it so I must return it. I guess it will just open up more Bible time until I get it back from the hold list. I am finding it very similar to the Total Money Makeover book so far, so I wish I was further into it to know if it gets much different.

Now, to add to my desired reading list: Dare to Discipline and The Strong Willed Child. Guess what I have been having problems with?? :-)

I am not sure if it is the lack of schedule this summer or just growing older, but it has been a real struggle with H lately. She really wants to "rule the roost" as it were. Going so far as to tell D and I what to do, blatantly ignoring requests, being far from respectful, oh, and my personal favorite "NO, I am going to do THIS" with a great big foot stomp and a whole lot of attitude.

I know these are all things "normal" to parenting, but our kids have really been fairly well behaved and this thing has come and gone quickly in the past (a day or two and they figure out they aren't getting away with it so why bother) but this has been hanging on for a couple weeks now. Maybe it has to do with cutting her hair. It isn't weighing her down anymore? Letting her hold her head a little higher maybe??

Well, whatever it is, it must stop now!!!

What are your favorite parenting books?

Locks of Love "the event"

So my H girl has really (really) long hair. She has had her bangs trimmed a few different times, and one haircut of 6" taken off, but even still she has long hair.

Or, maybe I should say, had.

OK, first of all, don't freak out.. . Hair grows back,
and H was totally on board with this idea.
(D thought it might have been my idea since I had complained so much about having to comb out that hair everyday - except it didn't happen everyday because it was such a chore, and then of course the next day, or two days later, what a nightmare! And plus, it was a little my idea, I mean, how many 5 year olds just "know" about locks of love?)

So I made the hair appointment for Saturday (tangent- I know I could have done it myself, but this was an "event" for H, something much more special than if mom had done it- OK, sorry, back to the story) thinking that D could watch the boys and H and I would have a little girl time. Turns out D wanted to plant the garden so I said I would take the three to the salon and then to the park. It went surprisingly well! H was very excited to go and the boys were just excited to go to the park, even if they had to make a stop before going there.

H was a trooper! So brave. She was even able to tell the stylist what she wanted to do with her hair: donate to locks of love to someone who needed it - because she "didn't need it anymore."

The stylist brushed it out and put a rubber band in just below where to cut. Then she braided the length. When she got the scissors out and started cutting, H wasn't quite sure what to think. The stylist really had to cut and cut and cut her way through that braid - it was very thick. Then H got to see her braid and happily said "Hey, that's my old hair!" H went to the sink with the stylist, but couldn't really sit still there (a new experience leaning that far back against that hard, cold sink, water spraying in your face) so it was just wetted down.



Back to the chair for the final cut. H had a hard time keeping her head up or down as directed because she just wanted to look at the mirror in front of her. The stylist finally got smart and twirled her around so she wasn't facing any mirrors anymore!



Final product: cute bobbed haircut with about 16" donated to the Locks of Love organization.

Oh, and a fun rest of the morning at City Beach Park where I was able to tell another mom about the blessings of MOPS - Go God!

What I learned this weekend:

Don't just taste fresh lemonade with the mixing spoon.

Pour a glass.

Then you will know much better if it is truly that "nice and lemony" flavor you thought it was on the spoon...

...or if it is really that "knock your socks off" sour taste finding this out, of course, after you have already poured 4 peoples cups! Ugh.


Here, would you like some sugar for that?


ALSO,

Apparently to a 3 almost 4 year old boy, 2" wet brown hair clippings on the floor of a salon look alarmingly like eyebrows - to which he had to run and check out H's face to make sure the stylist didn't cut off her eyebrows!! So cute, so concerned for his sister.
Gotta love these kids!

Here comes the sun

Wow! The sun is out! And has been out for a couple days now... wait, I think it is the sun. You can never be too sure here, especially in June, you know?!

We started swimming on Monday. The kids are loving it so far, though I'm not real sure if they are "learning" anything yet. I guess that is what I get for signing them up for the Preschool Level 1 class... basically "Swimming 99" or "Pre-Level 1." Actually, it is a good thing. B is hesitant and it is a good thing that sister is there. Also H doesn't like to get her face wet at all and is a little unsure of the actual letting go part. So all in all, it is a good acclimating class for them. I am a little frustrated that I chose to do a Aquatot class with D at the same time so I am not available to listen in on the older two's class so I can talk with them about it better later. As it is now I have to ask leading questions and see what I get for answers. I did talk to the instructor and she said this was a good pick of classes for both of them, so I'm happy --ish. ;-)

So the big D man got a haircut yesterday! He wouldn't let the clippers anywhere near his head, but he was totally OK with the scissors! (Totally opposite of his older brother who seems to have a mortal fear of scissors, but doesn't mind the clippers one iota.) For 16 months old he sat really well (in front of a veggie tales of course) so I am hoping this will continue in future months. Sorry, no before shot, but lets just say it was far below his eyebrows and well below the ears in the back.

On a fun note, I was also able to go get a haircut today!! Woo Hoo!! It is a little shorter, and I haven't styled it myself yet, but so far I think it will be good. It will be better a little shorter, maybe I won't put it up all the time and actually style my hair most days!!


Amazing, though, how much effort it actually takes me to go and get a half an hour hair cut! No one tells you this before you have kids! (This is all especially hard if you don't live in the same town as the grandparents - free babysitting!) My loving husband took time off work, in the middle of the day, to watch the kids. The regular babysitter was headed to Mexico for a missions trip, so she was far from available! (Hubby also felt a little guilty since I had also cut his hair last night. He always feels better not being so scruffy, so I guess he thought I might feel better as well... Good thought, Dear! And, oh is he handsome!)

So, why when taking pictures do the kids always come running up to be right in front of the camera?!!




More summer fun updates to come!

Family IS important - by actions

I have an awesome extended family.

We went to Kent this weekend to celebrate a surprise 70th birthday party for my Uncle. It was a blast. There were over 50 relatives there, some driving from over 8 hours away. Uncle was totally surprised, he thought he was just coming over for a game/cards night to his sons house and then after he came in we all filed in from the back deck and he was so surprised everyone was there, too. (Glad there was no heart attack involved!)

There were same age cousins for our kids to play with as well as Grammy and Papa and older cousins in their 20's that couldn't help but play with all the kids. It was a little cold and drizzly off and on, but that didn't stop the festivities. There were tent canopies and propane heaters that kept us comfy outside and a fine space inside for conversing and meeting the newest cousin baby Abby - 2 weeks old over from Olympia.

I just love that we can be teaching our children that family is important, not by saying it, but by showing it. By going to these functions, having people over, but mostly, just by making the effort that is required to do this now that everyone is spread out. I wish we were better about hosting functions, but I guess we are a little "out of the way" out here - you know, anything North of Everett must be in Canada! But we have done a couple things since we have been over here and the kids loved having everyone at their house.

Something in me (probably the grown-up me after being an only child) really loves having family around. I love seeing everyone and talking. I love the business of it. I love having those people out there that you love and know love you back. Of course, I still like my hermit time at home and the quiet time I used to have as an only child. Maybe because I was "alone" growing up (and I'm sure loved it then, but it is different as an adult not to have any siblings) I love having this extended family now that is so "close". I am also blessed to be part of a loving in-law family. I now have a sister and brother and the in-laws that go with them. It is great.

If you love your family, show it. Go there, do that trip. Take the time. Be involved. They're not? Host a party. Have a game night. Go watch Jeopardy with the older ones. Most of all, make the effort. You only have a limited time. Don't regret it later.

Minor Coup!

We did it. By the grace of God we were able to land swimming lessons for the three kids all at the same lesson time! Woo Hoo!

It was our first attempt at signing up and I had heard last fall that people line up far in advance to get their desired times. D was able to come home and watch the kids and I was there about 30 minutes before sign ups started. I was about the 10th one in line (5th in the AM time slots) and was able to sign H and B up in the same beginning preschool class and D in the "Aquatots" baby and parent class held at the same time. There were over 50 people in line when I left 15 minutes after sign ups started. Glad I was able to get there when I did.

The preschool class should be good for both older kids. Since they have only been in the pool a handful of times, they aren't really used to getting their faces wet yet and don't really understand why you would want to. (I mean we don't stick our heads underwater in the bath tub, right?) There are only four in the class, so H and B are 1/2 the class. Hopefully they will have fun together and H will listen to the teacher and won't try to be the mom to B while in there!

Now we have to wait two more weeks for the lessons to start. They had early sign ups but don't start until after "big kid school" gets out for the summer. We will update about swimming after the 23rd.

Updates

Wow. We survived last weeks crazy schedule! We enjoyed the BBQ at the V's house on Monday without any rain. It was fun to have the kids together and there was tons of food. (Quite good for the pregnant people!)

On Tuesday David went to the Doc and he is growing right at the same rate he has always. He is 24 lbs 3 oz which puts him at the 45th percentile for weight and is 31" tall at the 50th percentile. (Head size for any that care was 47.1 cm - 50th percentile.) He is working on getting another tooth on the bottom front (so he will have 5) and the Doc said the molars are getting "mushy" which means they will be trying to come through soon also. A little unusual since he hasn't filled in the others yet, but these kids have always had strange order in their teeth popping out. (With Helen still missing one on the front top without a gap for it.) David got three vaccines at the appt. and did very well with that and no afteraffects for him. He will have another "well baby exam" at 18 months. I wonder what city we will be in??

Helen had her preschool graduation on Wednesday. That was cute. It was just a short day for them, just the little ceremony and then a picture video of the year followed by cookies and lemonade. Helen was so sad because she wanted us to leave and her stay at school with her friends for the rest of the normal school day and then us come back and pick her up. It was hard for her to understand the end of school.



Ben had his last preschool day on Thursday with a fun game day. There were different games set up in four different rooms that all the parents and kids were going back and forth to. Then there was a potluck "lunch" at the end. He had a good time, but wasn't really adventerous when it came to the games. He probably participated in only half of them. (Helen was all over those games, participating at least twice I think!)

Helen's final day at school was on Friday where there was an outside game day with sack lunch (hot dogs) provided. There were lots of people there and the kids had a good time. Helen didn't get to see too many of her friends because everything was so spread out, but did hook up with two of them and ran around together for a bit. They mostly wanted to just play on the play equipment like a normal recess. It was fun and the sun was out! Hurray!
I think we actually didn't do anything on Saturday. Just played outside and D did mowing/weedeating, etc. But on Sunday we went to the Family Swim at the local pool for the first time with all three kids. It was fun. All the kids really had a blast. I am signing them up for swim school this Friday. Lord willing we can get the class time I want so I can take David to the "Mommy and Me" type class at the same time. He really enjoyed the kiddie pool after he warmed up to it. It was a really unusual time for us to do anything like that as a family, but it worked out really well. We had an early dinner (yes, even earlier than our normal) at 4:15pm and the swimming at the pool started at 5:30pm. We stayed about an hour and the kids were worn out!!! Thankfully I had brought them some apples for the ride home and they gobbled them up. (Wish I would have brought some for D and I!!)

A busy few days for sure, but fun was had by all.

For you planners...

For those of you asking about ideas for our summertime birthdays (sheesh, far enough away yet?) I have added links on the side of the blog to our families different "Wish List"s at Amazon. I know it has been said some of us are hard to buy for so this should give some ideas. On the children I have added clothing as well so you could get the current sizes. I didn't add shoe sizes because they are so hard to fit anyway. So, thank you for asking and I hope these may help.

Blog Crazy / Crazy Schedule

So in reading various blogs (my new favorite thing to do - it must be the adult "conversation"), I am noticing many are about only one topic. Like only Gardens, or only Fabrics, or only Life. Unlike mine which is a mish-mash (my new favorite and oh so appropriate word) of various topics and happenings. But these other blogs seem to have enough going on in their postings on these individual subjects to justify an individual blog on the topic. I don't think I could support an individual blog just on gardening, although that is the topic of choice right now. There just isn't enough going on with it at this point. And no way for fabrics and crafting right now.

So I guess this will remain a little about this and a little about that. Mostly my life as I adjust to it (an ongoing process for all...) and some special highlights during certain seasons of time (like gardening currently.)

The pregnancy is going OK for someone who isn't the best pregnant person on the earth. I am already experiencing symptoms that are very easy to complain about, but I am really trying to refrain since it is still early and I have so long left to complain!!! I am 17 weeks along; on Thursday I will be considered 4 months along.


The next few days and next week are going to be crazy.

Saturday H was invited to a friends swimming party at the local pool. She had a blast and can't wait to have swimming lessons. I think she will love it. She was very brave in the water, wanting to try different things - that is until the water splashed in her face at which time she immediately panicked... but quickly recovered. She will be fine.

Sunday H sang at church with all the kids. They did an awesome version of "Rock of Ages" and then "God Bless the USA". They really belted it out and looked great. They were mostly all wearing red white and blue and had hand motions (sign language type) for the second song. It was a great showing for Memorial Day by the kids.

Today (Monday) we rested and then went to a friends house for our small group's end of season BBQ. That was fun, but the weather was a little cool. It didn't stop us from being outside of course. The kids were very worn out by the end and B fell asleep in the van maybe 2 minutes into the drive home!

Tuesday is B's last full day of 3 year old preschool. H will go to a friends house for the morning because I am taking D for his 15 month doc. appt. where he will receive some more immunizations.

Wednesday at 9:30 is H's 4 year old preschool "graduation". It will last about an hour and they all have little lines to say and will sing some songs.

Thursday at 10:00 is B's preschool end of year "family picnic pot luck and play day" at school. **Mental note - remember to bring something for the pot luck!!

Friday at 12:00 is H's combined 4 year old preschool family picnic and play day" with the three other preschool classes, AM and PM. So there should maybe be 60 little 4 year olds and their families running around that day. Should be interesting!! It is also a $2/person fee for some food, so I wonder what that will be? At least I don't have to remember to bring anything!

Saturday: Wait a minute... ...is there nothing on the calendar???? Could it be??? Yes, it is true, .but we haven't been up to Concrete for quite a while to see D's folks, so that might be the time since the next weekend is already booked. Hmm Though I think D was thinking about borrowing the neighbors DR Brush Trimmer (insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor/Home Improvement noise here) to trim the ever growing taller ditches that weekend. That "trimmer" really mows it all down though, so it shouldn't take him too long. Maybe we can to both things. I guess we will wait on the weather forecast.

I guess I'm not going to know what to do with myself in June with school being out for these kiddos. I am going to have to create some kind of park schedule or something! How am I going to entertain these munchkins? Aaaaah! As the years keep going by and the munchkins keep growing my responsibilities keep changing! How is one to keep up??? I was just getting good at diapering! Now I have to entertain 4 and 5 year olds that have been used to professionals for half the day! Yikes. Maybe I'll hide in the bathroom (more) and just let them figure things out.