i need a vacation!

yes i know,
we just returned
but the saying could not be
more true!

i need a vacation
to recoop
from our vacation!


we had a blast,
and have soooo
many things to blog about!


from earthquakes
to a donny osmond collision,
to aggressive squirrel families!

never a dull moment!


until then...enjoy...

{keeping secrets}

not usually a fan
i can keep them
but if it is a secret
of the surprise variety
it's hard to


but i have a secret
a big one
hubs and i know
the kids don't


and it is worth sharing
the daughter is no fan
of secrets and surprises
that she is not in on
this should be tons of fun!


i'll let ya in on it...
but don't tell...
we are taking the kids to disneyland!
their first time going!
{we will also hit legoland and the beach!}

i fully expect them to lose their minds!
that is, if i don't lose mine first
trying to pull this off!


have a great weekend
and
happy easter everyone!

setting the bar

i know
i know
two blog posts in two days...

enjoy, cuz this might not happen again!

so i know i need to get back into the swing of
blogging

it used to come so easy to me...
things to blog about were always
swirling around in my mind

but not lately...

so here it goes...
an attempt
if i start
maybe the swirlies will come again!

book club
i started a book club almost a year ago
we average a book every two months
cuz we are all too busy to meet more often!

here's a rundown of the books we've read...

the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime
by mark haddon
...love this book
...easy read
...loved the point of view
...highly recommend!

the thirteenth tale
by diane setterfield
...not much to say on this one
...i struggled to get through it
...not my genre
...will leave it at that!

the help
by kathryn stockett
...buy this book
...run! don't walk!
...thank me later!

the 19th wife
by david ebershoff
...another great one
...insightful
...spurs many many questions
...great for discussion! (and discuss we did! whew!)

the weight of silence
by heather gudenkauf
...this whole book takes place in one day
...what a long day!
...good, not great

and currently reading...

the girl with the dragon tattoo
by stieg larsson
...i think it might get good
...that is what i am told
...at some point it will grab me
...still waiting
...better happen soon!

so what are you reading?
i have so many books in my to read pile!

{uncertainty}

i know that a few months back
i said i'd return
i thought it would be sooner

but better late than never
i guess


where to begin???
remember this last year?
well, ditto for this year.
fully expected it, but sucks still
it was rescinded last year,
thankfully

and i hope it will be this year
but
there is still that uncertainty

so in the meantime
we wait
and wonder
and make changes
in case
i don't get called back

so many uncertain things right now

blog-pause

2 months and 2 days
since my last post

i've been
sidetracked
hijacked
derailed

i promise i'm working my way back
wait for it
it won't be huge
but i'll be back
promise....

you know you're an old married couple when...

...your dear husband tries to

pay you a compliment like

"you look hot"

and you reply by saying,

"no actually i feel just fine"

...your husband refills your

bottomless margarita glass

right after the last drink

without even being asked!

...he politely threatens to break

your arm if you bid at an auction

and it is considered being affectionate!

...shared desserts are a

highlight of your date!

...you attend a function that lasts until

midnight but you are home by 10:30!

1 down...179 to go!

for teachers, it's all about the countdown!

give me another day and i will have worked

out how many days until winter break!

anyhoo...here are the cuties from this am...

according to mason,

K is awesome

the only flaw?

he took an apple for his snack

he "ate it all, but meanwhile,

i missed all of recess cuz it took

me that long to eat it!"

different snack packed for tomorrow!

and the second grader?

stoked about no homework all week!

as am i!

baby steps please!

pass the tissues please

this handsome young lad
is officially a kindergartner



and this beautiful young lady
is a big shot second grader



and this is their mama
.

she is sad to be returning to work

but loves that the two cuties above

are with her at school!

lasting impressions

twelve years of teaching
that's a lot of kids
and every year
i hope i make an impact
on them
but what i bet they don't know
is that they make as much
of an impact on me

i remember them
the funny stories
the laughs we all shared
their personalities
they leave an impression
on me
it doesn't go away

so when i hear from them
after they move on
or they come back to visit
it is beyond wonderful
to just listen to them
to see how they've grown
it always makes me smile

so when i hear news
like the tragic news i got today
it hurts
it's beyond sad

a young person's life
cut way, way too short
he sat in my classroom
2 short years ago
but it feels like yesterday
he made quite an impression on me
but i bet he never knew that

so as a new school year dawns
i made a note on the last day
in my plan book...
it reads
"tell them how much they mean to me"

{PS...last night, i recounted a funny story about him
to some friends. the same night he passed away.
gives me chills.}

{oh no he didn't!}

if you know our
little big guy
in real life
you know he is a boy's boy
he is rough and tumble
he is hands on
he is passionate!

he loves nothing more
than wrestling with daddy on the floor

so about six months ago,
when he also wanted
to wrestle with his friends in preschool,
we decided to give him an outlet for his energy:
martial arts!
and a match made in heaven they are!
he loves every minute of it!
he is learning to defend himself,
when it is appropriate to do so,
and that discipline and hard work pay off!
he earned his yellow belt {with white stripe}
recently and is so proud of his accomplishment!
he has also filled us in on his plans...
to become an mma fighter when he grows up...oiy!




so last week, he went to
vacation bible school
on the first day he comes home with a shiner!
apparently he was intentionally
pushed by another
energetic young lad
{this according to the teacher}
and did a face plant on the play structure.
okay, those things happen, he shrugged it off,
and i was just thankful he didn't start it!
the next day i am buckling him in the car
and i see two red scratch marks on his neck
i ask about it and he says some boy did it
but he conveniently couldn't remember the rest!
alrighty then...maybe a lesson
on love thy neighbor
could be covered in vbs???
so a few days later, he asks me to feel
the back of his ear.
i do, and much to my surprise, it is all scratched up
and scabbed over!
i ask what happened and this is the conversation:


him: well remember the day i had the scratches on my neck?


me: yes...


him: well, i might get in trouble for telling you this...


me: just tell me, you will not be in trouble!


him: well, this boy, he scratched me on the neck
i don't know why, but i did what sifu said to do when
we get attacked...


me: {as the blood drains from my face} and that is?


him: i put him in a full mount



me: you what?!?!?!


him: i put him in a full mount


me: i heard you! why on earth did you do that? and at bible school?


him: cuz i was defending myself


me: ummm...okay...


him: it ended when he grabbed my ear


me: at bible school honey?!


him: yeah, and when i get older i am going to do it in one of those cages!


o heavens...a conversation followed
concerning the fact that he is going to K
in a few weeks
and he is NOT to touch another person
even if he thinks he is defending himself
i gently reminded him that mommy
works at the school and i will know
what goes on...
except i don't think he cares!
this might be a long school year!

he's ferocious, and he's five!

our little big guy

is 5 today!

this boy is 100% full of:

action

unbridled energy

humor

animation

sweetness

cuddles

physicality

cutness...

the list goes on!

have a great day sweet kiddo!

we love you!

mommy, daddy, and big sis

{mason got to navigate yesterday when daddy took him fishing!}

P.S. for a special story about his day of birth click here!

friday faves

{these are a few of my favorite things...}

i eat so many of these during the summer

and the only place to get really great ones

is the local farmers market

i eat them with everything...yum!

this little guy is a must!

especially with kids...

and speaking of kids,

they are well trained in its use!

especially the boy!

remember this post?

well i changed gears a little

and joined the women's class

OMG...addicted to kickboxing now!

i have lost several inches all over

in a matter of weeks,

have so much more energy

and just feel better!

i hate working out

but this class i love!

{and yes, hubs bought me the rockin' pink gloves!}

this salsa is to die for

it is fresh and yummy on

just about everything

i eat a lot of it...

and a neat fun fact...

the one i love was designed

esp for disney theme parks!

how do i love thee?

let me count the ways...

i cannot live without my cell

and look forward to upgrading soon...

i smell a blackberry curve in my future!

so what are some of your faves???

what the...?

i have uttered this phrase a lot lately...

like when we went to the park last night
and within 10 sec of being there
the big girl had two bites on her legs!
seriously, this girl attracts all bugs
of the biting variety!
she is always the only one in the fam
to get bites
no matter where we are!
and she has a tendency to
have a reaction to them
so much so that in the beginning of the summer
it warranted a trip to the doctor!
it is nuts!
i mean, i know she is sweet,
but give the girl a break!

and today, i thought what the...?
when we went to the free movie
and the four young children next to us
were being dropped off
by a relative to watch the movie while
that person ran errands!?
seriously? the kids ranged in age from
6-9, {i asked!}
and as soon as said adult left
they were at each other's throats!
thankfully the movie started soon after,
but am i the only one who frowns on using
the local movie theater as a babysitter
for such young ones????

oh, and then there was my announcing
what the...? loud and clear
in the grocery store
when the son, who was carrying the
loaf of bread, hands me a half
loaf of bread at the register!
oops!
i asked what happened,
{after saying what the...? out loud}
and he says,
"mommy the thing came off
way back there"
clearly meaning the twist tie,
and well, half the loaf!
i turn to look and here is a bagger
following us picking up bread!
we left a good trail!

so what has made you say
what the...?

{and would you participate in a weekly
what the...?
post if i hosted?}

happens every year...

but this year it is early.

i get this dream

before school starts back up

every year

it is a stressful dream

i wake up worried and anxious

every teacher has probably

had them...

the dreaded

back to school dream!

i remember my first one...

THE night before my first day

of my teaching career!

nice timing!

in the dream, i was a teacher

in the fifth grade classroom

in the elementary school

i attended as a child

and the kids were unruly,

outta control

and the easiest task of the day

was proving too much for this

novice teacher: attendance!

i just couldn't get it right!

every year since

i have had some sort of school

dream

but it is usually closer to the start of school

and they have become dreams about

bigger and bigger

issues...

like last night's...

i was teaching history to hs students {prob #1!}

and i had no clue what i was teaching

and the kids knew

and as you can imagine

hs kids love a weak spot

it was a feeding frenzy

and i was their lunch!

and no matter how many times

i woke up

and

went back to sleep

it was still there!

{why does that happen with bad dreams but not good ones?}

i am sort of hoping

that since this dream

arrived early, i might not have

another closer to school...

so what about you?

any dreams of the sort

that are recurrent???

i know i'm not the only one...

right???

its a swap thing!

so mamarazzi's swaps are the best!

you must do her next one...

coming soon i hear!

all very practical things!

thanks vanessa!

{click on over to see what i sent her!}

{rolling out the welcome mat!}

welcome

welcome

welcome

welcome

welcome!

~

loitering is allowed

shirts and shoes not required

no need to clean up after yourself

snoop in my medicine cabinet

root through my junk drawer!

and stay as long as you like!

thanks heather and tiffany

and the whole SITSAhood!

what an amazing bunch of wo{men}!

she's baaa-aack!

okay, so i never really went anywhere,

except across the country and back!

more posts and pics on that soon!

but i am here...just busy with

life

enjoying our summer

and time off school

and really,

i thought i'd have more

of my summer to do list

crossed off,

but of course i do not!

still have 6 weeks!

stay tuned for more on our adventure...

until then...feast on these:

7 days :: 7 states

started last saturday
left california
swooned over how beautiful
arizona is
crawled through
new mexico
tumbled in to
texas
where everything is bigger
met the humidity in
oklahoma
which led us to our
destination of
arkansas!
where we have been
enjoying hanging out
swimming, eating, playing
and yesterday we ventured
into beautiful
missouri
for a stop at silver dollar city
which didn't stay beautiful
for long once the sky
opened up on us!
had us wondering if ark building skills
were necessary!

we have decided to leave a day early
{weds}
in order to catch sight of:
the memorial in downtown
oklahoma city
and the hole that is
the grand canyon
and several stops in between!

i promise many pics soon to come!
ta ta for now!

memories in the making!

we are off on our road trip
first thing in the am
25 hours in the car
3 days of driving


we have not taken
a long road trip since we moved
so we are excited to hit
the open road

in all previous road trips
we have made some awesome
and some not so awesome
memories:


like the time we nearly lost
the load on the travel
rack on the top of the jeep
stressful, good times.


or the time when i was still nursing
and i forgot the most integral
part to the pump
and in the middle of the night,
while hubs was driving,
i thought i would drown in milk
or pass out from the pain!
where was a wal mart when we needed one???


or that same trip,
after we finally found a wal mart
for said pump part,
hubs came out to the car
with a donut and a candle in it
singing me happy birthday


or when we first realized
that when traveling with kids
they dictate the schedule


or when we counted the number
of billboards advertising
walnut bowls in missouri
and wondering how many
people stop and buy themselves
a famed walnut bowl


our kids are much older now
there are so many new memories
to be made on this road trip
i am excited that they will
remember this trip,
for better or worse!
and that we have many days ahead
of uninterrupted family time
for better or worse!

good times ahead!

i will occasionally
check in here
and if you follow me on
twitter or facebook
{click to follow...you kow you want a
blow by blow of the griswald's next adventure!}
i will be tweeting/facebooking
from the road,
which might be humorous
or maybe stressful,
who knows!


need to finish packing
and since we always forget something,
any guesses what we will forget this time???

swap time ladies

i am so excited for this!
i have done a mamarazzi
swap before and it rocked!

click on over...you won't be sorry!

hurry...go...now!