Vacay

This week, I took the girls to Virginia Beach for a few days so they could have a little vacay before I had to work again on Friday. It doesn't hurt that my hometown is a vacation destination and that I can stay with my parents for free :)

The whole family went to the Ocean Breeze, which is a water park that I worked at a few summers while home from college. I can not remember the last time I was at a water park with my Mom & sister...and not sure if I have a single memory of seeing my Dad in a body of water. lol He went down the large tube slides with Hannah...they go super fast, and the heavier you are...the faster and crazier you fly down that slide. Well, since Hannah only weighs about 38 pounds or so, she slid daintily down the slide and landed in the pool below without getting wet at all (which is great, because she flips out if even one molecule of the stuff gets on her face). Then Dad came flying down, swerving all crazy from side to side on his tube raft, and proceeded to flip completely upside down once he hit the pool. It was hysterical....I mean, where's the camera when you really need it?! The girls had a blast...it was their favorite part of the trip.

The next day, we went to the Virginia Aquarium....which, I suppose has changed it's name from the "Virginia Marine Science Museum". I think I went there for a class field trip every single year of my childhood. They have made some awesome improvements though, and it's come a long way from the late 80's :) The sharks were awesome, but my fave were the giant sea turtles...they were gorgeous!

Here's one of the girls at Ocean Breeze. I didn't get many pictures from our trip. Sometimes, I just have to enjoy the moment, instead of stressing over getting pictures of everything.

Manic Monday

Is she cute or what?! This past weekend, our favorite dog/house sitter graduated from high school. She will be attending VMI in the Fall, the same school that her older brother just finished last year. Chad has enjoyed helping to prepare Chantal for her 'rat' year. I had absolutely no idea what to get for her gift. When I went off to college, all I wanted were phone cards & a cute comforter! With all the rules at VMI, I wasn't sure what she was allowed to have. So, I bought her some regulation black socks, bandaids (gotta ward off blisters from her boots), and an alarm clock (without a radio). JOY! Her family threw her a great party, complete with a D.J., dance floor, misters (in case anyone got too hot), and gourmet cupcakes.

We have a busy busy week coming up! I work a couple of days this week at Hallmark, and Hannah's dance recital is Friday evening. Chad's parents are coming in town for that & Father's Day....then the girls and I are packing up to head to VA BEACH!!! So, this means that I must clean the house AND pack for myself & 2 kids. (which is enough to make me very crabby with anyone who gets in my way) ;)

Summa Timmme!

Summer has begun! Going to the pool tends to bring out the stark differences in the girls' personalities. Hannah is terrified of the water! She seems to have forgotten how fearless she was last year at Ocean Breeze when she played in the wave pool and went down HUGE water slides.

Sadie, on the other hand, would run and dive into the deep end if I let her. I literally have to hold her back. She's trying to get away from me in the picture above :)

Ah, summer. I had written it off because I was supposed to have foot surgery at the end of this month, which would leave me on crutches for 8 weeks. That changed when Chad lost his job...so I've pushed it off for a while....hopefully next year. With the new prospect of having two usable feet this summer, I'm scrambling to come up with a plan to keep everyone occupied and happy. Hannah's dance recital will be on June 17th. Thank God!...I'm so ready for dance class to be over. I think she is too. She hasn't seemed to enjoy it as much this year, and the pressure is starting to be too much for her. She melted down last week in class. See, it's crunch time before the big show and the teacher wants to make sure the girls have memorized their short dance. Up until this week, she's been standing in the front of the room going through the steps with them...and they all just watch her for the next move. Hannah is one of the few who really knows all the steps by heart. She got upset though, when she accidentally started following some of the other girls who were doing it wrong. It threw her off and she started crying and saying how she "just couldn't remember" ...she said "mommy, I'm here to learn how to dance and I can't remember the steps...that's bad!"

Sigh.....so I know 2 things.

1. NO more dance ....it puts too much pressure on my 5 year old. If one day, she says to me "You know, I'd really like to pursue professional ballet"...then that's fine. But we are done for now. There are not many places around here that focus on dancing for FUN!

2. In my quest for a more nurturing & less competitive and stressful activity for her, I stumbled across the Girl Scouts. She's been in a 6 week "pre-Daisy' program and she absolutely loves it. Looks forward to it every week. She has earned two badges already and will earn her final one on Friday during a little ceremony. She loves it so much, that I have decided to become a troop leader for the Fall. I'm officially registered with the Girl Scouts of America and have my troop number!! :) I have some online training to do over the summer (a friend and I are doing it together) and in the Fall when she starts Kindergarten, she will have her own Daisy troop as well.

Freaky Friday.....and this ain't no movie.

I always wondered what it would be like to trade places with my husband. Not trade bodies or anything...like Freaky Friday, because I actually quite like my own. But I always thought it might be interesting to swap roles. I never thought we'd really get the chance to do it though. True, the circumstances are not ideal....but over the past month that Chad has been unemployed, we've really gotten a good taste of what it's like in the other parent's shoes.
Since I took the job at Hallmark, he's taken on my role as main care-giver during the day. He has taken the girls to play-dates, the park, grocery shopping. He's made lunch & dinner, unloaded the dishwasher, changed diapers, and brushed hair. And in turn, they have made him absolutely insane. lol ..just kidding, but really..he has seen just how challenging and isolating it can feel to be a "stay-at-home-parent". I know he loves his babies and has enjoyed spending all this time with them. I also know it will never be this way again, once he finds a full-time job. So this is GOOD!!

Usually, whenever he talks about how the kids wouldn't listen to him, or Sadie ripped her diaper off and ran around the house naked, or he couldn't talk on the phone because the girls were were having a yelling match.....my reply is "I'm sorry, but WELCOME TO MY WORLD!"

The other day, I was in a rush to get out the door to work and I couldn't find a white shirt to wear to work. The dress code is black pants, white top, and black shoes. So, I literally have 3 white tops that I only wear to work....and when I finally found one, it was a bit wrinkled...so I threw it into the dryer to fluff it out. When I took it out of the dryer 20 minutes later, it was even MORE wrinkled than it was when I put it in. Chad overheard me mumbling about my shirt that looked like I'd slept all night in it, and yelled up the stairs "Ah, the stress of finding wrinkle-free clothing to wear to work...WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!"

I love my life.

My Turtle is Moving On....

A few minutes ago, Chad looked at me and said "just breathe, Sarah"....so that is what I'm doing. Breathing and drinking a Blue Moon.

Today was busy, and I don't think I stopped to breathe at all. My baby had her very last day of preschool...and I have been tearing up all day. I just don't know what happened to the time? God, I'm so thankful I've been able to stay home with her for the first 5 years of her life. Yesterday during our conference, her teacher said "Hannah is doing great, and she is more than ready for Kindergarten" ....you have no idea how much I needed to hear that.

She also told me that Hannah excels in math related activities...like puzzles & counting (which I already knew). She has learned so many sight words and is eager to sound out new words...she wants to read so badly! She also has made great strides when it comes to using her "Big Girl voice"...standing up for herself more often. That is something I worried about because she is very much like her Mommy......quiet & always wanting to please.

Ms. Gretchen gave each of the Moms a little turtle charm, and said "Remember them when they were just turtles".....there was not a dry eye in the room. Then she gave each turtle a small photo album containing pictures of everyone in the class :) We could not have asked for two better teachers this year. Gretchen and Chris genuinely loved all the students and wanted to see them succeed & grow.....and my child is better for it!!

Saying goodbye to Ms Gretchen....

Then, we hit the pool for the "Turtles End-of the Year Pool Party"....Beautiful weather...warm, but a nice cool breeze. Sadie was chillin'....