Flakes of snow (please go go go)

Well. . . I think I'm ready for spring. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of snow. I really do enjoy it. And I am also a fan of the occasional snow day, both as a parent and as a teacher. However, this is our fifth snow day in the course of about a month and I'm starting to get 1) stir crazy; 2) irritated; and 3) concerned about my own students' coursework.

Believe it or not, in spite of my lofty concerns, my children are just thrilled with the snow. Yesterday's flakes were the soft, wet kind that make perfect snow balls. Today it is just too cold and too windy to enjoy, plus we haven't had any new precipitation. The really frustrating thing for me as a parent is that we are within walking distance of Zach's school, the roads are clear, and yet school is out for the day. Aaaggghhh.

Regardless. . .

FINALLY: A Living Room Makeover

Last week Mike and I made a much needed makeover for our living room. The boys' Christmas toys had completely taken over one corner of the room and I was going a bit insane. In addition, our old TV cabinet was looking pretty sad. (Yes, we are THOSE people who only have one TV in the house and it is pitifully small.)

Anyway, we found an old, but solid wood, hutch at my new favorite junk store and brought it home. About an hour later we had an instant transformation. You can see it in pictures:

Old tevevision cabinet:
Aaagggh! Too many toys!

New TV cabinet + toy storage area:

Wow, look at that awesome drawer perfect for Imaginext guys.

Ooooh Look!

The complete transformation!

Figure of Speech

This morning the boys were bugging Mike about playing the Wii this afternoon. He told them "probably not." Later, I told the boys that if they were really sweet and played well with each other then I would put in a good word with Daddy. Zachary said, "Okay!" Alec said, "What's the word?"

He wanted to know what that "good word" would be. I could see the wheels spinning. He was thinking, "If only I knew that good word, maybe I could always get what I want!" Silly, sweet boys.

Furry Friends (and a gap toothed grin)

My boys are big fans of stuffed animals. Alec especially loves his "sleeping buddies." Last week we went to Build a Bear Workshop to spend Christmas giftcards and to celebrate successful report cards. The boys were thrilled to see the new Star Wars outfits for their new buddies. Alec made a green frog, dressed him as Darth Vader, and called him Darth Ribbitt. Zachary made a brown bear, dressed him as a clone trooper, and named him Clone Captain Bearemy. Clever, funny boys I have. (That was a weak attempt at speaking like Yoda.)

Funny thing about my boys and Build a Bear Workshop: We've gone about seven times in the past three years. Each boy has built about seven buddies. Alec has built a frog, a tiger, a lamb, a rabbit, a kitty, a pumpkin cat, and ONE bear. Zachary has created a SIX bears and one dog. He got a bit wild and crazy one day and decided it WAS (maybe) okay to build something other than a bear at Build a BEAR. My boys are so very different in their personalities. Zach is a rule follower. Alec is. . . not. :-)

This is Alec in his pjs with his new sleeping buddy keeping him company while he works on Playhouse Disney online. This is part of our morning routine on preschool days. (Don't pay attention to my MESSY office.)

This morning Zach pulled out a tooth, so we've got another gap toothed grin! I love those silly smiles.

Following Mom

I've been organizing pictures this week and I was struck by something. One year ago my mom was able to walk unassisted and talk fairly coherently. The pictures show it better than I can describe.





Dec. 2009

July 2009----------------------------------------------------------------------

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March 2009

Dec. 2008------------------------------------------------------------------------


One year's time, 365 days. How can this disease be so awful?

Fun makeover

Thanks to some Christmas money from Mike's parents (Thank you, Mikie and Dwayne!) the boys' room got a nice little makeover last week. I found this awesome hutch at an "antique" store a few miles from the house. It has become the chapter book/LEGO storage area. The boys' LEGOs were starting to drive me bonkers and this seems like a nice solution for everyone involved. Plus, it looks awesome!

The regular bookcase got a good cleaning out. I was so sad to do it, but most of the board books have been boxed up and sent to the attic. Sigh. My babies aren't babies anymore.

This is the reading corner of the room. I LOVE love LOVE having a little sofa in their room. It makes it a great place to hang out!

Hey, I posted again! Aren't you super proud of me? :-)

Phoooooeeee. Can't keep up!

Okay, so I'm not sure how I'm going to manage maintaining a blog! I'm struggling to stay on top of responsibilities these days. Two kids and two teaching jobs and a hubby and a household and an ailing parent are just adding up to be a LOT for me. I want to try to document the last month of our family's comings and goings, and I think the best way for me is to just upload a bunch of photos.

Zach had a wonderful Christmas musical in December. He played the part of a Christmas ornament named "Tex" who learned the true meaning of Christmas. It was a great performance and my little man showed a lot of promise as an actor! He's amazing.
We also spent time with Mike's family in Texas. FINALLY got to meet my sister-in-law to be. Buddy and Jessica have their date set for early June. The boys thought Aunt Jessica was pretty awesome.

The weather in Oklahoma was snowy and cold. Wynnewood got about 12 inches while we were there. The boys LOVED it.

I admit it was pretty and I enjoyed playing in it with my children, but it did create problems with travel and with taking care of my mom. My mom is still home; still being cared for primarily by my dad. We were able to stay about a week and help him out; I can only say that I am in awe of his stamina. I can't believe he's still managing her care alone. She is now completely home-bound. Her world revolves around a "lift" chair in the living room and a hospital bed in the adjoining piano room. While I was home she began to have issues with incontinence and I had the responsibility of braving the snow to go buy adult diapers for my mother. I was so thankful that I could be there to help my dad though. She fell once while we were there and I shudder to think of what might have happened if Mike weren't there to help get her back up. My dad's love and devotion to her leaves me speechless and in tears. He is a good man indeed.

We loved seeing my brother and sister-in-law while we were home.
The boys found some of Dad's old army digs. Wow! That was instant entertainment.

Anyway, random photos to follow. Please post or e-mail me to keep in touch!

(Zachary's got a girlfriend!)

This is a photo of my sissy's little girl with my boys! Cuties!