end of my first year...

This morning I was able to attend Cameron's awards ceremony at school. I'll be headed into work for a 1/2 day in an hour. This is also my last day until August 1. Wow. I still can't believe I am done with my first year back to work.

Had you asked me a couple years ago if I would go back to work full time this soon, I would have said you were crazy. Even when I started my long term sub position last spring, I remember meeting with my friend for coffee and telling her I would NEVER consider going full time.

But things change. :) I was scared to death, but enjoyed being a School Psychologist during that time. I enjoyed having "work friends" once again. When a position opened up, it just seemed too perfect. A five minute commute? Summer and holiday breaks off? Helping my family financially?  A husband who works from home and can be with our kids? Chris and I both felt it at least needed to be tried.

So I tried. And I made it. I cried on numerous occasions and I did NOT like the amount of work I had to bring home. But I enjoyed my work overall, the people I worked with, and now when all is said and done, it went pretty okay. ;)

The thing that made being away from the kids much easier was knowing that when I was at work, they were with Chris. I like knowing their relationship grew even stronger. I'm so thankful for a husband who made not having mommy full time actually fun. Whether it was taking them out for their once a week lunch dates, or helping them with their homework, or me coming home to the three of them playing board games...he's pretty great.

So things will be pretty much the same for me next year except that I will be full time with preschool and I won't have an elementary site. I'm REALLY excited for this move.

But I'm also REALLY excited for summer!! Really. Excited.

redstone balsamic vinegar

*Desert trip today. Kendall was excited to get her free book from Barnes and Noble (summer book club). Costco followed with lunch and way too many groceries. ;)

*Yesterday we made our annual summer calendar. Three more days of school for the kids and only two more for me!!!

*A friend from work brought me some Redstone flavored balsamic vinegar (Cranberry Pear). It is delicious on salads. I don't need anything else but the vinegar and the flavor is amazing.

*Cameron passed his most recent belt testing for Taekwando. We've had a few rough patches where he wanted to quit. However we encouraged him to at least push through to the next testing, and each time, he finished feeling excited and motivated to continue.

*Last week I made cookies for the kids' teachers. Cam's teacher can't have gluten. These turned out really tasty!

Cranberry Orange Cookies

weekend

We spent this past weekend up north at my in-laws. Chris' brother's family was also there, which made the kids have that much more fun. :) We also got to see our dear friends, Matt and Jana, for the last time before they move out of state. We had LOTS of fun and got plenty of relaxing in.

A game of Monopoly...right before our enormous barbeque. :)

 

The kids always beat the parents for early wake up times. They know they can head straight into grandma and grandpa's room to watch TV.

 

One last picture before our friends left... :(

 

The morning we were to leave, Kendall woke up not feeling well. She was pretty lethargic the whole way home.

 We did have to make one stop on the way back to the Crocs Store. We buy the kids a pair each summer and it's the best investment as they wear them every single day!

 

Yesterday Kendall stayed home from school because she still wasn't feeling well. I made sure I came home for lunch for some snuggle time. She still wasn't 100% this morning, so I took the day off :)

syrup

*Full disclosure: the number of homemade/healthy snacks coming out of my kitchen has decreased since I began working full time. There are a few things, however, I have continued to make time for. One of them is homemade pancake syrup. It is just too easy, tastes better, and is so much cheaper.  

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

Bring to a boil and reduce heat for 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add 1 tsp. maple flavoring.

*On Saturday we took a bike ride to an ice cream shop :)

*This was such a sweet sight to come downstairs to this morning. The kids had woken earlier (surprise, surprise!). I came down to the two of them just chit-chatting away. I wish I had known before they saw me because I would have sat on the stairs and listened. :)

*It had been a while since we made our desert trip. Barnes and Noble and Costco today!

hike

The past couple of hike dates we've had have ended up with Cameron and my dad going for a bike ride instead. I've just been too pooped at the end of the week. This time I didn't want to let "pooped" get in the way. :)

We hiked out in the desert, our favorite.

 

Fellow hikers, in general, are aways really friendly. Here we are discussing our trail with someone we met. He ended up giving us his map. :)

 

 

We were dead tired by the end of the hike, but it sure was fun and totally worth it. :)

Today we had my mom and dad over for Mother's Day. Chris BBQ'd carne asada and made a declious meal for everyone. The kids made me the sweetest cards and I felt very loved. 

Now the week begins...but only 3 1/2 weeks to go!!!

8

I'm tired. I'm tired of getting to work early, never taking a lunch, then coming home and working more. I'm tired of thinking about my weekend, trying to decide when I can squeeze work in. I want summer. Now.

Okay. Enough complaining. My favorite girl on the planet turned 8 last Sunday. The day prior we met Chris' family for a production of, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (at the theater in Victoria Gardens). It was very cute and she loved it.

We next went out to dinner at Lucille's. I was teased for getting a garden burger at a restaurant known for meat, but I didn't care and their sweet potato fries were the best I've had. :)

On Sunday, we started out with her breakfast request: Waffles with AS MUCH whipped cream as she wanted. :)

After church we headed over to my parents for lunch and her request, lemon meringue pie. I had never made one before. It was very labor intensive, however it was quite the hit (my dad gave it a 10.1!!).
 

I think our little girl felt very special. :) I just love her to bits.

legoland

Today Kendall's class took a field trip to Legoland. We decided to make it a family day and had such a fun time. We spent the whole day with both Cameron and Kendall's good friends (and their parents), who happen to also be brother and sister.

Kendall and her little friend spent most of the day like this. So incredibly precious.

Legoland closed at 5:00 p.m., which was right during rush hour. We hit quite a bit of traffic, but we broke up the trip a little with a yummy dinner at Pat & Oscar's.

Such a fun day and WELL worth taking a day off work!!