Star Student and Star Daycare Provider

So much to say and so little time.

If you've been reading our blogs for awhile you know how proud we are of our boys. Although we're not naïve enough to think they are perfect, we know how truly blessed we are. Last week solidified that at P's first parent/teacher conference. His teacher went on and on about what a great student he is. He's at or above grade level in every area and she said he's one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and compassionate students she's ever taught. I know that teachers say that (I've said that many times!) but you can tell when it's authentic and I have no doubt she meant what she said. I don't think I could've been more proud of him when I walked out of his conference!
This week P was the Star Student of the Week, meaning he got all the classroom attention on him and he loved it! When he told me he had been chosen to be the Star Student he was on Cloud 9! Every day he got to do something special. The first day he got to decorate a poster all about himself to share with the class. He took so much pride in writing out his favorite foods (shrimp scampi, sushi and "zebra pasta"), hobbies, future occupational goals, etc. Rob and I got to have a part in his celebration by writing special letters to him, which were read in front of the class. But, I think that his favorite day was yesterday...favorite snack day. He had told me early in the week that every week the Star Student brings in cupcakes for their snack day and there's one little girl that can never eat them because of her food allergies. So he wanted to bring Halloween Jello Jigglers and "BobBob Juice" because he knew everyone could eat that. My parents sent the jiggler molds and Jello and I spent hours making 23 Halloween Jello Jigglers. When I picked him up from school yesterday he said everyone loved them and were so excited to have something other than cupcakes. Today was his last day at Star Student and he went out with a bang.....he brought the "Rio 2" movie for the class to watch. I don't know who enjoyed his Star Student week the most- him, his classmates or me. :)
When I started back to work last month I knew that E would be in good hands. Little did I know that he would be in AWESOME hands! Our youth pastor's wife cares for him and her three daughters, whom she homeschools, helps. E has built such a relationship with the ladies (and their pets) and loves to go to their house. What's almost as nice is how flexible she is with my ever changing schedule. She never bats an eye when I ask her if she can rearrange days with E or if she can watch E an extra day. I am so blessed that it worked out for her to be E's daycare provider! It makes going to work a lot easier.

Birthday Weekend

I don't know what day it is but I know I've been 39 for a few days and I'm surviving. Partly because I'm still relishing the memories of a nice birthday. Rob took me to Natchez, where I used and enjoyed my camera for the first time in a long time. We toured antebellum properties and old ruins. Here are some of my favorites from the day.....

3 For the Price of 1??

I'm going to do my best to write 3 blogs in this one post but we'll see if I can stay awake long enough to do it....

New Job
This week I started my new job and I LOVE it!!! I work for a grant funded organization, teaching 3rd-6th graders about self esteem, decision making, and saying no to drugs and alcohol. I get to use my creativity and the state curriculum to be in the classroom, teaching kids, without the hassles of dealing with parents or grading papers. It's the perfect job for me!! I only work about an hour a day right now but with the way my schedule is set up, some days Easton goes to daycare for 4 1/2 hours. He doesn't seem to mind in the least. I think this has been a good transition for both of us! I am so thankful that I've been blessed with this job because it has brought so much happiness to my life in the past 5 days. I didn't realize how much I missed being in the classroom, with students, and working outside of the house until I was given this job! Did I mention it's the perfect job for me at this phase of my life??

Rediscovering my Passion
Being in a funk has really messed with my photography. I have had NO desire to pick up my camera and capture any sort of beauty in the past several weeks. I took my camera to the zoo a couple weeks ago to try to force myself into enjoying it but, when I looked back at the pictures I had taken, I could tell they lacked passion. This week I've been thinking about my photography a lot and where I want to go with it. I realized I wasn't passionate about photography because I wasn't focusing on the genre that makes me the happiest...nature. I was trying different types of photography, trying to make it work for me because nature photography doesn't necessarily pay the bills. But what works for me is viewing God's natural beauty through a camera lens. That's not to say that I don't enjoy photographing people, but I'm most passionate about nature.
This week I went back to my roots and looked at pictures I was most proud of. I entered some of them into a daily Instagram photo contest put on by a national (maybe even worldwide?) editing business. Yesterday I entered a picture I had taken at our old house in the Highlands during a storm.

A few hours later I got notification that I was the featured photographer of the day because of it. I was thrilled! Professional photographers were complementing me on it and following me on IG. It was just the boost I needed. Then this morning I entered a picture of rain drops on a leaf taken just this week.

When I was notified that I shared the featured photographer of the day with 3 other photographers I was beyond thrilled! It was the icing on the cake for me. It's made me realize that it's time to get my camera back out so I can once again be passionate about photography. I may not like a lot of things about LA but it is a photographer's dream! I can't wait to get out there and capture some of the local Fall beauty soon!!

Perfect Day
Ok, I'm still awake so I will end this post by telling you about our perfect day. I have to admit, that when I was woken up before the sun to unclog a toilet due to my son's stomach issues, I had doubts about the day in store. But it quickly turned out to be the best day I've had in a long time! The weather was absolutely perfect, making it easy to be outside. The boys and I went to the annual Fall Fest because I wanted to go last year and missed it. We had a blast! There were vendors, food, free carnival rides, music, etc. We stayed for about and hour and a half and P thanked me profusely for taking him because it was "the bestest Fall day ever!" After we came home and took much needed naps we headed back out. The boys love the local produce stand as much as I do so we stopped there to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies. Then we went to get supplies for P's Halloween costume. (It's not a typical kid's Halloween costume but he came up with it on his own so I'm going to make you wait to find out about it.) After that we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather by going to the park. The boys played at the playground for awhile but when I told them I was going to go on a leaf hunt for a Fall project they happily joined me. We had so much fun laughing, looking for leaves and enjoying each other's company! When we got home, I popped a pizza in the oven and then we headed back outside to give my car a much needed bath. I doubt it got very clean since my two little helpers were making it double the work but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Once we got dinner and baths out of the way we opened the windows, turned on college football and decorated the house in Fall décor. I ended the day by cuddling with my oldest son and watching part of a Disney movie, just me and him. I absolutely loved today and will look back on this beautiful Fall day as the "bestest Fall day ever".

 

 

The candle that's burning on the mantle is what we used the leaves to make.

RAW

I've been on a blogging hiatus because I'm tired of being Debbie Downer. But, as I thought about this the past few days, I thought that maybe someone else may feel the same. Maybe this blog will touch someone else because of similar feelings. So I thought I'd right a raw blog, not to upset or offend anyone, but to be real.
I've been having a really hard time lately. I feel like I'm sloppy seconds and that people only want to hang out with me if nothing/no one better comes along. Facebook makes me cry because it reminds me of my Jr High years. In fact, I've taken a FB hiatus as well because of this. I feel I am not a priority in anyone's life lately. Maybe it's because I'm the most homesick I've ever been. I don't see Nevada through rose colored glasses and I know I struggled with this same issue with a few friends when I lived there. But it's not the same because there I had a lot of friends who made time with me a priority so it overshadowed the friends who didn't. Maybe it's because I am DREADING my upcoming birthday. There are only 2 days a year that I feel warranted in being selfish- Mother's Day and my birthday. That's in part because the other 363 days of the year are all about Rob and the boys. So I selfishly want 2 days to be about me. (Maybe that's wrong but I'm being truthful). This year that is not the case. I'd be just fine spending the day in bed, letting my birthday go by unnoticed. The only other birthday I remember feeling like this with was my 30th, the day my brother called to tell me he was going to propose to my (now) sister in law while I was painfully single at the time. But I guess it's hard to ever beat my 12th birthday, my best birthday to date, when my parents and their best friends threw me and another friend a huge surprise birthday party. I don't remember what I got for a present that year but I remember feeling like a princess when everyone yelled, "Surprise!". Maybe it's because I'm ready for Fall. Back home it's already snowed. Maybe it's not that I'm ready for Fall as much as I'm ready not to sweat profusely anymore. Back home people are building fires in their fireplaces and here I'm in shorts, running the A/C. (We do have a short break in temps this weekend and I'm thrilled!). So many reasons for feeling blah right now. Despite being in a funk, however, I do take time to reflect on the blessings in my life. My most recent one is my new job, which I will blog about soon. (Because right now I have to get to work!)
Bear with me while I muddle through these feelings. I don't need affirmation that I'm someone's priority because I know, deep down, I am. Like I said, it's a funk and I'll get over it just like everything else life throws my way. I just wanted to take a minute to share, to reflect, because someday I'll look back at this entry and know that God got me through this phase just like He does every other phase in life.

Blessed When Blah

I woke up in a blah mood. A mood where I wished I worked a 9-5 job so I could call in sick and stay in bed all day. Mainly because it's my birthday in a couple weeks and I know the difference in celebration at home vs here. (It's one of 2 days out of 365 that I want to be selfish and have all the focus on me for as long as possible!) Mainly because Easton was screaming and nothing could console him. Mainly because I don't want to start my last year of my 30s. Mainly because I'm homesick. Mainly because we realized that a trip I was anticipating to N. Carolina is not going to happen. Mainly because.....
It took me until an hour ago to shake this blah feeling and realize how blessed I am even when I don't see life through rose colored glasses. I'm blessed to be a SAHM, even on the hard days. On those days I push myself harder so when I go to bed at night I know I'm made the most of my "job". Today started out with reading to my oldest son as we cuddled in bed, then taking my youngest son (and our mutt) for a walk after getting home from taking P to school and going to the produce stand. Throughout the day I was blessed to have enough time to get 5 loads of laundry done, pickles canned, a work email sent, time on the exercise bike, our bathroom scrubbed clean, my closet organized, quiet time with my Bible and the floors vacuumed.
It's easy for me to focus on the things that have me down right now but it's these times that it's the important for me to realize just how blessed I really am.

I Have a Dream

Actually I have many of them....every night. Monday I dreamt I was a secret spy with my good friend, Krisi, and that we were driving through the streets of Chicago in a Lamborghini. (I've never even been to Chicago!!) Tuesday night I dreamt I moved back to California. The moving truck was jack knifed at the end of my parent's street but when a police officer asked me about it I couldn't tell remember where I had moved from. Last night I dreamt that I was in Carson Valley with a friend from LA and my good friend, Krisi (again). We were working on a fundraiser for my friend who had been in an accident (That part is real and true) and I kept crying because I missed NV so much. I've read that there is meaning in dreams and I believe it. But I honestly wish I could get through a night of undisturbed sleep, where I woke up the next morning feeling rested instead of more exhausted. I've tried most of the tricks....exercise during the day but not before bed, don't eat anything after dinner, take a warm relaxing bath, drink herbal tea. Nothing seems to work for me. It's not a matter of not being able to sleep. I'm so tired every night that I typically fall right to sleep. If I wake up during the night I usually fall right back to sleep. It's just when I'm asleep it's not peaceful sleep. If anyone knows of any other tricks (other than warm milk which grosses me out) please share. I want to sleep, really sleep, without dealing with the rest of the world.

Zoo Fun

Since we had so much fun at the zoo this weekend I couldn't wait to blog about it. BUT....little hands explored on the computer yesterday and I just got done doing a complete system restore. UGH! I'm thankful, however, that it was a fixable problem and that I can now share about our zoo adventure.

We got there right when the zoo opened Saturday morning and couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! Both boys love animals so it was a lot of fun watching them look at each exhibit. We even got some tree climbing and playground time in before we left. What a fun family time together! (And Rob tried to take some pics with me in them but I funktified my camera settings and it was too hard to explain about back button focusing to get the camera to work in his hands.) But I promise I was there and enjoyed the time outside of just taking pictures of my cute boys and the animals!