"Apartment Day!"

As part of Catholic Schools Week, Thursday was Department Day, although Shyla kept referring to it as "apartment day."  Each department is assigned a color and a charity to support.  Kindergarten is red and their charity is The Ronald McDonald House.  Dress code was not required (even nail polish was allowed!) and students were encouraged to dress in their color from head-to-toe.  You can't see in the pictures but Shyla also had a red ribbon in her hair that I cut out of one of my own red socks the morning of the event!  In addition to wearing their assigned color, the students spent some time on Thursday writing letters to the families currently living at The Ronald McDonald House.  Such an amazing community outreach program and a simple way to teach empathy.

{Also, I love the look on Shyla's face when Harper jumped into her picture …. you'll notice that Harper got a sock-scarf that morning as well!}

Parent's Day!

O.M.G. today was Parent's Day at Shyla's school as part of Catholic Schools Week and we had a blast!  

We got off to a rocky start because upon arrival we realized that Shyla had forgotten her cougar bag and lunch box.  I got her checked in with her teacher and then Stevie and I ran over to Panera and brought her back an egg sandwich for lunch.

Anyway, we got to enjoy some coffee and juice with the other parents and got to view a short film about all the cool stuff happening on campus.  Then we headed to the Kindergarten area where the kids were ready to get the event started.  Shyla's friend, Payton, joined us for the morning because her parents couldn't make it.

We did a scavenger hunt and some other worksheets, but mostly just chased Payton around and admired our beautiful and amazing 5 year old!

Good news - tomorrow is Grandparent's Day so there is more excitement to come.

Star of the Week

It was a very exciting week because Shyla brought home her information about being Star of the Week.  She has been looking forward to this for months!  Star of the Week entails creating a poster about yourself and doing a presentation to the class.  She worked really hard on her poster and decided to bring the following things with her: Hello Kitty (Goodbye Binky), her "S" from her wall, and Violet.

In other news - today is also the first day of Catholic Schools Week which meant Pajama Day and Pancakes for breakfast!

My Date!

Lately I've been feeling like Harper is needing some extra one-on-one time.  I don't know if it's because of how busy I've been with work and the move, or maybe it's just her age, or maybe it's because she is still demanding to sleep with me each night.  But, in any event, I always try to make every minute count and am constantly reminding myself to breathe and enjoy.

Yesterday I knew that Stevie would have Shyla for her half-day and they always do something fun (this week it was sushi and fro-yo after waiting for the cable guy) so when I (finally!) left work and got Harper we headed straight for Starbucks for a quick date.  

Starbucks isn't necessarily special because we go just about everyday.  But, it's special when she gets a milk (this time she chose a box of vanilla) and when we share a baked treat.  And, it's extra special when we sit down together and …. just enjoy being together.  So blessed.

So This Happened:

Ugghh.  Not much to say here but I am seriously bummed!  I have to wait until Tuesday to talk to someone at the district office about what I do now.  Silly phone jumped right out of the car!

Cousins!

Normally when I talk about cousins I am referring to the love that Lilly, Zac, Shyla, and Harper have for each other.  But tonight, I'm going to refer to my own cousins!

Tonight was Taco Night!  A time-honored family tradition in which everyone is welcome, everyone talks over each other, and everyone gets mad at whoever doesn't show up but gets a to-go plate anyway.  Also, as we discussed tonight, there are a few things that are ALWAYS topics of conversation: weight, speed of talk, and bi-cracky bars.

It's crazy nights like these that make me realize how fortunate we are to have such a close family.

Cousin Cindy was in town for the weekend so the four of us girls got a little catch-up time.  It doesn't happen often, and it was loud and busy, but we are so lucky to have each other!

Shyla Under the Weather

We are coming off quite a week!  Let me tell you a little bit about it:

TUESDAY: Late night at Site Council and PTA for me meant a late night for Harper at Chelsea and Mikes and a late night for Shyla at Grandma and Grandpa's.  {Have we mentioned that it takes a village?}

WEDNESDAY: Shyla got sick at school and sent home.  They couldn't get ahold of me so called Stevie and he, much to the surprise of my coworkers, left work immediately to get her.  I finished my day and then took Harper for a haircut (more on that later) and finally made it home.

THURSDAY: Super busy work day for me, but with Shyla still fighting a fever I stayed home with her.  That evening Stevie and I attended, as planned, a financial aid meeting at St. Cyrils (perhaps more on that later as well) while Grandma and Grandpa took care of the girls.

FRIDAY: After a really rough night of temperatures, crying, and vomiting, I got up and ready for work.  My mom showed up at about 6am to wait for Shyla to wake up and take care of her.  However, when Deborah (my amazing principal) found out about Shyla's status, she demanded I stay home to take care of her.  We went to the doctor and she was negative for both strep and the flu so we were sent home to fight the virus and treat the symptoms.  I made Miracle Healthy Soup for the family and Grandma and Grandpa.

SATURDAY: We slept in until 8am!!  Wowzer!  And spent the rest of the day resting, Harper and Stevie went to Movers & Shakers, and we began our move!  Harper and I also got the go to taco night while Shyla and Stevie stayed home.

Phew!  What a week!  Here's hoping next week is not quite as busy and that everyone gets and stays healthy!

Harper's Date with Grandma and Grandpa

Earlier this week Grandma and Grandpa took Harper on a special date!  Grandpa picked her up at school and, after getting Grandma, they spent the evening at Trail Dust Town and even had dinner at Pinnicle Peak!  {With how busy we were last week, we forgot to get her a cute tie!}

She had a great time and was exhausted by the time they got home.  Most importantly she felt very special to get that time with them!

New Plan!

Things change quickly around here and sometimes, I admit, it's tough to keep up!  We've decided to back out of the new home we recently bought and will be getting our earnest money back shortly.  We are still going to sell our current house (although it's much nicer now that we've gotten rid of so much stuff!) and will rent for awhile.  This will give us time to save some more money and then eventually we will sell the Marquise rental and bank the equity and be ready with a substantial down payment when the "right" house come on the market!  Exciting!

So, what's the "right" house, you might ask?  Well, it's not so much the house as it is the area (85749 or 85748) and the SPACE!  I want SPACE!  I don't want to be right next to my neighbors in a matchy-mcmatcherson house anymore.  We will be looking at homes (likely ranch style) sitting on at least 3/4 acre.  They types of homes are currently WAY out of our price range but if we do well on this house and on Marquise, who knows?

I chose this picture because I LOVE the style of this home.  Even with both sales, this home would likely still be out of budget but I really love it and will be working hard to make it (or, obviously, something similar) a reality-ish.

Saturday Happenings

Today was a GREAT day!  We had so much fun and everyone got along with each other and was well-behaved all day.  Today made my heart happy!

I got to start by sleeping in until about 7am and staying in my pajamas for another couple hours.  Stevie and Harper got an early start and headed off to her first Movers & Shakers class.  She had really wanted to try soccer but I couldn't find a league for 3 year olds that fit into our busy schedules.  This class is through Parks and Rec (my fave!) and it's one that Shyla did with Stevie when Harper was first born.  As you can see from the pictures below (taken before) they were both excited to move it and shake it!  She had a great time during the whole class except for the beginning stretching, which was probably boring to her.  This will be important time for she and Stevie to have together and it will be important for Harper to know that she has something that can be "her thing."

Shortly after they got home, both girls and I headed off to Zackary's first baseball game.  The girls mostly played with Lilly and cheered for Zack and random moments, but the grown-ups enjoyed watching him.  Due to illness and weather he hadn't made it to a practice yet but he will pick it up right away.

Next we went to Shyla's tennis lesson.  She continues to do great and love it (and, doesn't she look amazing in her tennis outfit?)  It's so fun to watch her have fun with something and she's such a good listener to her coaches and is always trying her best.

We were, understandably, hungry after that so the three of us went to my favorite restaurant Pita Jungle and enjoyed a ladies lunch.  The girls were so well behaved and they both ate nearly all their meals.  It was just lovely.

Finally, after driving around to look at various property, we made it home for some rest time and to see Stevie.  Seriously, today was a great day!

{PS - the pictures got out of order on this post and I'm unsure why….}

Zoo Time!

Keeping our house in condition to be seen by potential buyers each and every day is going to be a challenge.  Today the girls (and I) really needed an outing even though it was pretty cold!  Luckily, we got to meet Sadie and Auntie Beth at the zoo for a little girl time.  These girls love their time together and had a blast!

Lots of Work Being Done

We need to get a lot done around the house before it goes on the market and the clock is officially ticking.  (We have 55 days from Friday to sell it based on the contingency!)  So, the whole family is pitching in!  Stevie has been doing the most work outside and I've been trying to keep the inside looking decent.  With these 2 active girls, it's going to be very challenging!

{Oh, and of course, Shyla took a break from working to make a mud pie!)

A New House?!?

A few weeks ago I finally admitted, out loud, that I am not happy with our current house.  The house I told everyone would be our final move.  The house I said would be the one where our grandchildren would visit us.  The house in which I was going to die.

Oops.

It's still a great house, don't get me wrong.  But, the yard sucks and that's both something that we could change.  And the wood ….. oh the wood …. all over the house.  The doors, the trim, the baseboards, the table, everything is wood and I can no longer handle it.

So, yes, after just 20 months of living in my "last" house, we started house-hunting and ultimately bought, today, a new build.  The purchase is continent upon the sale of our current house (we DO NOT want another rental) so it's time to get this baby on the market and sold.

Please wish us luck.  Luck selling our house, luck not spending a small fortune at the design center, and  please wish me luck in someday living down this reputation that I've built for myself of moving every 2 years.

{Pictured below you will see Stevie falling asleep while signing page 67 of the agreement and then my dad, realtor extraordinaire, whose business card was stapled to the wall of the business office.}

Happy New Year - 2015

Today is New Year's Day and as I sit here writing this I am watching Shyla and Harper nicely play "Mommy" - which for some reason involves a lot of wrestling and pretending to sleep (?).  I am sipping  my first of 31 free days of coffee (thanks Mom and Stevie for the refillable tumblers).  And Stevie is upstairs folding laundry.  To point out the obvious - life is pretty good.

2014 just ended and it was a whirlwind of a year.  I started a new job (which I love) and finished my 2nd Master's Degree.  Shyla started Kindergarten and Harper started Preschool.  I barely blogged at all, which makes me sad, but I was just too busy.  (I was also having a hard time getting photos off my phone and onto the blog - but I think I may have figured that out.)

Want to know something crazy?  It snowed last night!  We didn't make it anywhere close to midnight last night but we woke up to a Winter Wonderland this morning!  We are excited for the new year and excited for the fresh start that seems to come along with it.  We aren't making any resolutions this year, but are going to focus on the Less/More list pictured below.

Cheers to a great year!

{PS - in case you're wondering - before I was able to type these three paragraphs the girls turned from nicely playing to screaming at each other.  Ugh.}