Hard Week

I started back to work this week. Every day this week has seemed like a long day, especially the first three because of a dumb assessment symposium I had to attend. Not only has it been long for me but it's been long for Rob and P as well. Rob is waking up at 4:30, working 10 hours, picking up P from daycare then coming home and doing things around the house to help me. P is the one having the most difficult time with this week. It breaks my heart when he asks to cuddle and watch Thomas with me after breakfast and I have to tell him no because we don't have enough time. He has cried every day I've dropped him off, today being the worst. Tonight when I put him to bed he just cried and cried. So I picked him up out of his bed and sat in the rocker with him for awhile. He was more than happy to let me hold him and tell me about his day. I'm glad I got that time with him because missing him has been the hardest part about the week. I would like to say that I only have to work tomorrow and then I have the weekend with my boys but I fear that I'll be working a lot this weekend to get ready for the first day of school. But come Tuesday morning you will be able to find me in my recliner with a cup of coffee, holding the cutest toddler in the world, watching Thomas the Train.

Back to Reality

This morning reality set in when my alarm went off early. Today I had to go back to the working world. That reality was hard enough but it made it even more difficult after such a fun weekend with my boys. Saturday morning Rob called and suggested we go support a friend at the Truckee rodeo.

We also decided to make it a spur of the moment mini vacation by staying overnight. The rodeo and hotel were nothing to write home about, so to speak. But the memories were priceless and enough to last a lifetime! When we got to the hotel P and Rob decided to take advantage of the heart shaped jacuzzi. Rob got P to like the jacuzzi bubbles after several attempts, all ending with P yelling, "No bubbles Daddy!". Finally, "No!" turned to "More please!". Although P and I didn't sleep well that night that didn't stop us from enjoying the morning once the sun made its appearance. We had the hotel's continental breakfast then walked along the marina to look at the boats. We also looked for trout and fed ducks.

Then we found a small, hidden treasure....a train museum in Truckee. P played with the Thomas trains/track for awhile but we had to leave to get to church. We then had to leave church early to go to a birthday party for one of P's little friends. After a super busy morning and little sleep the night before P took a long afternoon nap. Once he woke up and we had had dinner we finished the fun filled day by talking a mother/son walk around the neighborhood with the dogs. So, as you can see, this great weekend made it that much harder to go back to the working world this morning.

Perfect Way to End....

My new favorite song is by Brad Paisley, "Love Her Like She's Leaving". It talks about cherishing your wife and spoiling her every day. Well, that's what the past 2 days have been like for me. Last night, after starting my day with a sweet note, Rob brought me home gorgeous flowers just because. It was a perfect way to end the day.
This morning I woke up in a great mood, knowing today would be the perfect way to end the Summer vacation. I packed a bag and lunch for me and P then headed to the lake to meet up with a good friend and her two kids. We spent the morning catching up, playing in the sand, rafting and enjoying a picnic. P was so tired that he fell asleep on the way home and proceeded to take a 3 hour nap!

When he woke up I quickly gave him a bath to wash off all the sand. Then we went down the hill to start our next adventure...miniature golf. He is obsessed with me and Rob playing golf, talking about it daily. So we thought it'd be fun to go play putt putt as a family. It was!! Rob and I laughed so hard at P because he'd start whenever he wanted on the green and 99% of the time he would pick his ball up to throw it the rest of the way or drop it next to the hole. He is not a patient golfer but he sure gives each "whack" his best! He loved golf so much that he just came out to tell me, "Mommy, Daddy golf. Good job!" (Gotta love the freedoms of a Big Boy bed and being up past bedtime!)

Today was absolutely perfect! I know that it was a sacrifice of love for Rob to make tonight special after the crazy day he had at work and the pain he endured with his arm. But, between friends and my boys, I couldn't ask for a better way to end my Summer vacation!

Last Day

Tomorrow is my last day of Summer vacation. I can't believe how fast the time flew by! At the beginning of the Summer I was worried that I'd get bored with 7 weeks off from work. But 7 weeks later our house isn't incredibly clean. In fact, it may be dirtier than before. I didn't go on any vacations other than a day away here and there. I didn't see any more friends than I normally would've seen. I didn't get any big house projects done. Nor do I have a nice tan (other than my arms) from laying out, sunning myself. I didn't catch up on a lot of books that I've wanted to read. After my race I didn't even really run much. There are a lot of things I didn't do but there is one thing I did do....I HAD FUN!
I also learned something this Summer. I learned that I can do things by myself and be ok with it. A few years ago I would've been mortified if you would've told me I'd go to lunch by myself or ponder going to the movies by myself (which I never did this Summer). Although it's not my preferred method of doing things, I've learned I can be ok doing things by myself. I've also come to the realization that P is fun company. He makes me see things in a new, often fun, way.
On top of being bummed that it's my last day of vacation, I'm very nervous about this upcoming school year. Last year I had found a match made in heaven at my school. As a newbie, I had never felt so welcome. I loved all the kids and only called in sick if I had no other option with P. But a lot of the teachers struggled with the new principal and consequently transferred to other schools this Summer. Rumor has it that the class coming up is difficult and that has me worried because shared contract teachers typically get the "problem kids". I have no issues with difficult kids but a classroom full of them on a daily basis gets to be overwhelming. We only have 2 days to get ready for the school year (a process that usually takes 2 weeks minimum!) and we got an email saying that we probably have to move rooms. To top it off, a schoolwide parent vote mandated uniforms beginning this year. I am not a fan of school uniforms for SOOO many reasons so that in and of itself would cause me not to look forward to the year. On the bright side, I LOVE my teaching partner and only work a few days each week so almost anything is bearable when you look at it that way.
Time to call it a night so we can enjoy our last day of Summer vacation at the lake with friends. G'Night and enjoy your Friday, whatever you may be doing.

Big Boy Bed

Last night we took another gigantic step closer to boyhood and away from babyhood. We converted P's crib into a toddler bed. Usually I like assembling/disassembling things but last night was kinda crazy. The directions weren't very clear so we had to switch it up a couple times and even had to use a hacksaw to get rid of one of the bolts after deciding the railing wasn't secure enough. After it was all said and done it still looked very similar to his crib did but it's a transition....more for mommy than P.
He was so excited about his new bed and his Thomas bedding that he spent most of the night playing on his bed. He kept asking me to cover him up and then he'd pretend he was asleep. He'd run out of his room and then run back in, yelling "Thomas!" as he pointed to his bed. He closed the door several times and when I'd go check on him he'd be sitting on his bed with a grin ear to ear.
I thought bed time would be hard but it wasn't in the least. Rob checked on him about 45 mins after we'd put him down. He said that P was just sitting on his bed, looking around. I feared I wouldn't sleep and worry all night. But my back and neck were hurting and the half of a muscle relaxer I took knocked me out. The first thing I did this morning when I woke up, however, was snuck out to check on him. He was curled up in his bed sound asleep. Ah, our lil baby is growing up way too fast! The next hurdle to overcome....potty training!

Terrific Twos!

Wow, two blogs in one day?? It's your lucky day...ha! I've been meaning to blog about P for a few days but get easily sidetracked every time I sit down at the computer. Anyway, I just wanted to brag for a few minutes about how blessed we are to have such a smart and witty 2 year old. It amazes me that 2 years ago we were dealing with a super sick newborn, wondering what his future held. Fast forward 2 years and I can personally tell you that God provided miracle after miracle in making him as perfect as one can get. He continues to amaze us on a daily basis with how smart and funny he is. His vocabulary continues to expand and he has a memory like an elephant (something I'm jealous of).
Our poor lil guy has strep and a stomach virus that's going around so he hasn't been himself the past 24 hours. But, even when feeling punk, he's still on his game. At the doctor's office today he was on the climbing area. When he decided to jump down he proudly- and loudly- counted, "2..3..6..5..GO!". Everyone in the waiting room that was above 3 feet tall laughed. That got him going so he continued to show off until we were called back.
If you read our blog you are aware that P's most favorite thing in the world is Thomas the Train. He is starting to sing the theme song and has a favorite video, "Splish Splash Splosh". In the video Thomas and his buddy, Rosie, have fun going through water puddles, getting other trains and people wet. On the way to the pharmacy to get his prescription he asked for my water bottle. When I gave it to him- with minimal water in it-he tried to put his Thomas and Rosie toy in the water bottle. When they wouldn't fit in the small opening he proceeded to pour water over Thomas and Rosie, proudly saying, "Splish Splash. Thomas, Rosie bath". I was laughing so hard I thought I'd need to pull over.
The wonderful thing is that he constantly makes us laugh! They say laughing is good for the soul so being around him is definitely good for MY soul! We are aware that we are blessed to have such a wonderful two year old son, one that makes us laugh and entertains us every day. Thank you Lord!

Travel Bug

I realized with a start that my Summer vacation officially comes to an end Sunday. Next week will be grueling with 3 days of assessment training (Just shoot me now!) and 2 days of frazzled prep to get ready for the new school year. I'm nervous about the new year with all the changes that have taken place the past few weeks but that's another blog for another time. Back to what I started out saying....my Summer vacation is almost over and, although it's been fun, I haven't done anything HUGE! I haven't done any big projects around the house nor have I taken any fun trips. It feels as if my life is a perpetual cycle of cleaning, errands and being a mom. I love those aspects of my life but feel as if something is missing. While P napped today (He's sick and has been sleeping a lot the past couple days) I've reflected on the past 4 years. Rob and I used to travel a few times a year, aside from seeing family, and do a lot around town. Since P turned one it's the first year that Rob and I haven't taken any trips other than to see family and we rarely do anything. So it's no wonder I feel as if something is missing. P is at the age that he takes everything in and enjoys life so it'd be fun to do something new with him...a trip to the coast or to the many attractions in SF or a local ball game or miniature golf (That's be funny!) or ANYTHING! I want to get the "heck out of dodge" so to speak and go on a trip to somewhere new before the year is over. This rut is driving me crazy, making me claustrophobic. So, hopefully with the official end of my Summer vacation, will come a chance for a real vacation because I'm dying to go on one!