Flowers & Fevers

Summer is around the bend, and I am looking forward to positive changes for our family. The girls are enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having this week. We've been heading to the park almost everyday. The Clark County park has an enormous sandbox that I can't seem to keep Sadie out of....and I'm sure the interior of the van will have a thin coating of gritty sand until mid-August.

Poor Hannah woke up this morning with a fever & sore throat....I'm thinking either a sinus infection or strep, which she gets on a regular basis (on account of her monster-sized tonsils) & I hear it's been making it's rounds in her school. My girl doesn't "do" sick very well....but I think she secretly enjoys our "sick kid routine" :) I pull out the sleeper sofa in the playroom & put on a movie, and she gets to pile up pillows and stuffed animals around her. Best of all?...Sadie is not allowed to get on the pull-out bed with her because Mommy is worried about germs. Also, she gets to eat ramen noodles for dinner....in the bed....

Big Changes

Time to write about what has been going on with us over the past couple of weeks.

Chad lost his job 2 weeks ago, and has been searching & interviewing for various new positions. Things seemed to come to a screeching halt when we found out he'd no longer be working at Woodmark. We felt completely derailed and helpless. We moped around for one painful week, took some time to figure out a game plan, and finally came to the resolution that EVERYTHING will be alright. Chad's interviewed with 2 companys already, both of which want to see him again this coming week. I have complete faith that hiring managers will be falling over each other trying to make him offers, and that he will end up having a choice between several jobs. He's just that awesome :)

In the meantime, I have taken a part-time job at Hallmark....and I start tomorrow!! I have been looking for a job with flexibility for some time now and I think this is going to work out great for us. It is something that I hope to maintain even after Chad begins his new job. I realize it's only a part-time gig at a mall, but I haven't worked in 5 1/2 years....so I'm really excited.

Though these past couple of weeks have been difficult and stressful, I'm trying to take the advice of a friend who told me to enjoy all this extra time together. She we should take the kids to the D.C.zoo on a weekday(it's free)...or pack a lunch and head to the park together (also free). As much as that is easier said than done, we are trying to make the most of it!

Yesterday we went to a local fruit farm and picked 5 pounds of yummy strawberries.

Wacky Wednesday

Today was "Wacky Wednesday" in Hannah's pre-K class. We had fun picking out her wacky outfit this morning, although Hannah was a bit nervous about wearing her bright yellow swimsuit cover-up. She remembers the time she was wearing it last summer and got stung by a wasp at the park. She believes the wasp stung her because he thought she was a sunflower. So, when I pulled it out of the drawer, she got tears in her eyes and said, "But Mommy, what if a bee thinks I'm a flower and tries to sting me again!?!" I told her that since it was about 33 degrees outside & sleeting this morning, I was pretty sure we would not run into any bees or wasps on our way to school.

I registered Hannah for Kindergarten on Tuesday. We went to the school with her buddy Peyton & her Mom right after pre-k. They had tables set up for parents to fill out paperwork, and one of the Kindergarten teachers asked the girls if they'd like to see her classroom. They both trotted off right after her, and she showed them her class (complete with actual Kindergarten kids, because she had a class going). She also showed them the nurses office and the library. Hannah was so excited....she came running back to me saying " Mommy, you have to see this...there is a whole nurse hospital in this school!!" :)

How do you measure a year?

I'm back. Yes, I know it's been over a year since my last post. No, I'm not going to recap the entire year of 2010. I'm going to jump straight into what is going on NOW!

Hannah Grace will turn 5 next month. She is a more amazing and loving daughter than I could have ever hoped for. She is incredibly smart and soft-hearted; clever and hilarious. She will finish up her last year of preschool this Spring...and then it is the big yellow cheese wagon for her! She is super excited, but I just can't believe I have an "almost " Kindergartener. Wasn't it only last week that our little family of 3 was just starting out, living in Music City? Hannah is precious to me, and I have loved being home with her for these 5 years. I hope to continue staying home with the girls as long as I can....there is nothing in the world I would trade it for.

Sadie Everett is a gorgeous, silly, wild-hearted 2 1/2 year olds. She literally cracks us up everyday. She is half baby still, and half big girl (if not half teen-ager!) She loves her babydolls, playdoh, and almost anything that Hannah likes. I say this because she wants to be exactly like Hannah...and will repeat exactly what Hannah says....and will walk exactly how Hannah walks. Though she strives to like her big sister, Sadie's own little personality shines right on through. She is considerably more fearless than Hannah, which is awesome because she can encourage Hannah to try something that she normally would not attempt if Sadie were not around.

Together, they are quite a pair. The play together, fight together...and miss each other when they are not together. Sadie asks about Hannah all morning, every morning while Hannah is in school. Then finally, 1:00 comes and Sadie barges into Ms. Gretchen's classroom and takes back her sister.

I don't know if the future holds more children for us, but I am so thankful those 2 blondes have each other to love. And I'm even more thankful for how complete they have made my life in the past several years.

And just like that, my quiet time is over....more to come soon.

Love,

Sarah

Sledding

Well, today is the first day back on our normal routine. Hannah got to school, Sadie is down for a nap, and now I'm having a golden hour of silence. The house is a wreck, and I should probably be cleaning like a good little "home maker"...but I'm much too in love with my new laptop! This is a pic that Chad took last week when we were finally able to sled down the backyard hill. The snow had been much too deep up until recently. It started to melt away, then we got another dumping of about 2 inches...which made for perfect sledding. We had fun :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2010, and we have had a lazy post- Christmas week. Chad has been home since Christmas eve...and I'm not sure if I remember the 4 of us ever being in the house together for over a week straight. It has been SO nice having him home all week, and I think I'm officially spoiled rotten.
We had a wonderful Christmas! It was different this year in that it was the first year we didn't go to VA. Beach for the Holidays. But I have to say, it has been one of my favorite Christmas'. I decorated the entire house (even got my crafty bug on), PREPARED MEALS ( i know, i shocked myself too), played in the snow (all 20 inches of it!), and had a blast watching the girls open thier gifts of Christmas morning! Hannah is the perfect age for the whole Santa phenomenon and we had so much fun doing all of our Santa traditions. And her face when she saw all the gifts under the tree was just precious. She was amazed!! Definately one of my favorite things about being a parent.
I also can't think of a time when we've had a white Christmas AND a white New Year's before. All this snow has been a lot of fun. The only thing that stunk was that the "Blizzard of 2009" foiled our plans to head to South Boston to see Chad's family. But luckily, I got to spend time with all my local family.... and my parents and Erin& Matt came up here. It was nice having my parents here for Christmas dinner....not to mention, it was like a 2nd Christmas for the girls when they got here.
Yes, all in all...2009 shaped up quite nicely. And I only hope that 2010 will bring even more peace & happiness to my family. I truly do not have much to wish for. I'm a lucky woman. I may not have everything I want, but I'm so blessed to have everything I need. I hope that 2010 brings you all health and happiness. Love to you all!
Joe & Charlotte, we can't wait to see you next weekend!

Giggles

I love this video of Hannah making Sadie laugh....