Any May a Beautiful Change

My friend Marie's sister Katherine has written a book. A book I've heard is absolutely fabulous and is on my to-read list. 

May is all about celebrating this wonderful book. You can read about Any May a Beautiful Change here on Katherine's blog. There are also links to many others sharing their stories about a Beautiful Change.

For me, the beautiful change in my life was becoming a stay-at-home-mom. It's something I never thought I wanted. I knew I wanted kids and I was excited to become a mother one day. But it wasn't until I met Michael and we started discussing having children one day that I realized I wanted to stay home with them. I thought for sure I would be a career woman. I was in college long enough, I had to work to make that degree worth it, right? But no. The next work day after I found out I was pregnant I told my boss (who was also my friend) that I was putting in my nine-month notice.

I love staying home with my kids. 

I can't say it enough. For me, it's the perfect choice. I get to spend every day with them. I see every milestone occur. I get to experience all the things they learn right along with them. I get to have pajama days where we snuggle in the chair and watch cartoons. I get to color and craft and do puzzles with them. I'm able to teach them and watch them learn. I get to help in their classrooms and attend their school parties.  I get to eat breakfast and lunch with them. I get to take them with me everywhere I go - errands, to the gym, the library, to visit friends and out to lunch. I can grab a hug and a kiss whenever I want. 

Now that's not to say there aren't times when I need a break. I'd be lying if I said every moment was joyous and every day runs smoothly. They aren't and it doesn't. But that's okay. I'll take the bad with the good and embrace it. Because before I know it all three will be in school and my time with them will become limited and I'll be wishing they were there to drive me crazy.

So I'll take the temper tantrums and crushed Kix and underwear left all over the house (I have no idea how this happens) and messes and frustrations and whining and the constant calling of my name.

I'll take it all and I will treasure it and try to remember every little detail and embrace it. Embrace them.

This is what I'm meant to do. Be a mom. Be home with my kids.  

I wouldn't trade it for a thing.

Warrior Dash 2011

Last Sunday I ran the Warrior Dash with three of my friends/boot camp girls.

We started our nice and clean in our fringed and beaded cammo shirts, courtesy of Michelle. We ended up really muddy and gross and minus a pair of shoes.



(me, Michelle, Lisa, Noelle)

The giant pile of shoes. You really don't want to keep your shoes after wearing them in the race. They're disgusting. So this charity takes them, industrial cleans and sanitizes them then sends them to third world coutries. Pretty cool.

We took a waterproof disposable camera with us throughout the race. We weren't trying to win. Obviously. Or even be a tiny bit competitive. We just wanted to have fun, so our goal was to finish in under an hour. The guy who won? He ran it in something like 22 minutes or less.

It's in Hocking Hills so most of the course is hilly. And it had rained the night before so it was super slick with mud. So slick and hilly that instead of running, we did a lot of careful hiking.

I'd just jumped in over a dead fish. Awesome.

The best part? Jumping over fire. This was the second to last obstacle. Just before the crawling to mud part.

See, very muddy.

On the shuttle bus back to our car. We'd been sprayed off by a giant hose so while from a distance it might appear we're slightly clean, we weren't.

I think we might do it again next year. It was fun. Mud and all.

Photo 365: 1/10/11 - 1/16/11

1/10: Mackenzie's first swim lesson. She loved it. She was so excited to finally be big enough to take lessons. The girls lessons are back to back, so we're there from 7 - 8:30 by the time we shower them and get them in their PJs.


1/11: Playing the Cat in the Hat game Emma got for Christmas. I put my camera on the floor and set the timer.


1/12: I knew when I left this morning without snowblowing I was going to get stuck in the driveway. And I did. So I had to snowblow around my car, move it in to the garage, then finish the driveway.


1/13: We met my mom at the mall so the girls could use their Disney Store gift cards she gave them for Christmas. It was so fun watching them check everything out. Emma kept asking, "can I get this?" and if I said she could but only that and then there'd be nothing left, she'd put the item back. She wanted to be sure she could get two things. Their final purchases were exactly the same, of course - princess art kits in a zip around case and stickers. They were so excited.

1/14: Poor Ryan, already being dressed up in tutu skirts. And he's already perfected the, "Are you serious?" look.

1/15: Date night. We went out to dinner with my workout girls and spouses. Twenty-two of us in all, which meant we needed a room to ourselves. It was fun to hang out, chat, eat and then play a few games before heading home.

1/16: Shelby and Angie stayed the night after babysitting for us, so we took them to lunch after church. Not that we need an excuse to go to Bob Evans, we go so often after church that the girls expect us to go to "the pancake place" every Sunday.

Five on Friday

1. So when Bloglines changed ownership, not all feeds transferred over and mine was one of them. I know because it stopped showing up for me, and according to Marie, for her as well. So if you usually read through Bloglines and aren't getting it anymore, hopefully it'll start showing up if you re-subscribe. Unless it was just us. Although I'm going to go with all the people that used to read this aren't getting it anymore and that's why I've got about five people following right now. ;)

2 I got my new zoom lens (Merry Christmas from my husband) two weeks ago. I love it. I love that I was able to zoom in on Emma and get this:


3. Made me laugh when I saw it in the mailbox though. I think the mailman was determined to make the box fit no matter if the door didn't close.


4. Had snow and ice and cold temps this week, which meant snow days for Michael and Emma, a cancelled class for Emma and Mackenzie and a cancelled play group for Mackenzie and Ryan. Now the weather is fine but we're still at home because Mackenzie is sick. Although due to the miracle drug Motrin, she's acting just fine right now.

5. I ordered the girls swimsuits from Land's End. The ones I posted about on FB as being the best girls bathing suits ever. And then they came and they've changed the cut and I was disappointed. I've reordered Mac's in a size up, and am going to order Emma a completely different suit and hope they'll work.

Bonus picture just because he's so cute.


Happy Friday!

Scholastic

I can clearly remember book fair days when I was in school. I would be giddy with excitement all day, waiting for my turn to go to the library and peruse the tables and tables of books. It was peaceful and quiet (I realize that seems weird it was quiet, because there had to be a lot of kids there, right? But I don't remember that part - did we go as a class or on our own every year? Bad memory and all. I do remember going one year when I must've gone during an off time, because there were only a few people in there, I had the library to myself practically. All those books and just me) and smelled good. I know, weird. But it smelled like new books. I loved looking at them stacked in neat piles on the tables. It was so hard to choose which ones to buy, because I wanted them all it seemed. It's hard to put into words, but if I close my eyes, I truly can imagine myself back there, loving to read, being overwhelmed by all the books and just feeling happy to be at the book fair. As you can see, I really, really like books and reading.

For the past couple years I've noticed the signs on our schools announcing the book fair. Each time I think about how I can't wait for Emma to go to her first book fair and pick out a book all of her own choosing. But, we're still a couple years away from that.

Then last week, I found these in Emma's parent mailbox at preschool:


Scholastic Book Fair order forms!

I was unbelievably excited. Giddy all over again. I restrained myself and only chose eleven books. But that was a bit excessive, so I narrowed it down to five and turned my order in today.

We'll soon be adding these books to our collection:
Apple Trouble
Wise Up, Silly Owl
Pumpkin Town
The Silly Turkey Party
The Very Cranky Bear

I'm happy.