Spring Break

It was unseasonably cold for it being Spring Break, wish it was warm enough to play in the water, or wear shorts.  We were going to go camping, and I was so looking forward to it, but Stephen had a business trip come up and we couldn't go.

We got a new roof put on, which was loud, so we headed to the Perot Museum to play with some friends, we built blanket forts and watched movies.

We did spend one day with our friends the Torpy's where we discovered the magic of pearler beads and literally spent HOURS scouring Pinterest for ideas.  We also went in their heated pool.  It's fun to have good friends.

Worst mom day ever....

Kaitlyn is a special kid.  At school, each month teachers recognize a boy student and a girl student at a morning assembly as the "Marvelous Maverick".  For whatever reason, Kaitlyn hadn't been recognized since the 1st grade, and she's in 5th.  She never talked to me about it, but her siblings each got it each year, and I knew she noticed.  I silently prayed for a teacher in 5th grade who saw the special that she had in her.  5th grade has been different.  She has a teacher who pegged her as a book lover like him from the beginning of the year.  I love Mr. Gebhardt.

I didn't tell Mr. Gebhardt about my concern of her not being a Marvelous Maverick, I wasn't going to be one of "THOSE" moms.  But silently I hoped and prayed that she'd be recognized in this way, I knew it would be so good for her.  So I was thrilled when I got the email that she would be recognized at the morning assembly.  But I blew it, really really blew it.

With being sick, really really sick, I wasn't functioning at my normal level.  Stephen had been out of town that week and I'd been trying to be both mom and dad, at any rate.  The day of the assembly came and I forgot to come.  I wasn't there.  I realized my mistake when a friend texted me some photos of her at the assembly and I screamed and literally threw my phone across the room.  I was crushed.  I'd prayed and fretted over this experience for her and then when it came I missed it.

I called Stephen, dosed up on medication, and took her Chick-fil-a at lunch as a surprise.  She cried a bit when she saw me, she was hurt I wasn't there as well.  But repentance is real, and God puts us in families to help us practice principles of repentance and forgiveness.  I know I'm not perfect.  It breaks my heart that I let her down.  I do the best I can, and I guess that's all I can do.

Bonus Snow Day!

It snowed again!  Ridiculous that it's early March and next week is Spring Break, but we'll take it.

I was super super sick.  A cold morphed into a double ear infection which ruptured my ear drum!  I was really bummed because I wanted to be out enjoying the snow with my children but I couldn't be out there.  A bunch of the neighborhood gathered at the park and I am thankful for friends who took some photos for me.  Sometimes it takes a village.

Sam is busy

February 2015, Sam achieved his "Bear" rank in cub scouts.

And he learned all about Robert E Lee and participated in a "Wax Museum" project at school where he had to dress like Robert E Lee and share some fun facts in the first person.  The costume was a bit last minute, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.....he loved this assignment.

Too Many Toys

Matthew is still home with me.  He does go to preschool 3 days a week but he's so busy, and so social, he has a hard time with being satisfied.  He loves doing special things with me, and we were quite proud of this one.

He and I had been enjoying this book called "Too Many Toys" by David Shannon.  It talks about a boy that has way too many toys.  His mother asks him to pair it down by putting what he is ready to give up in a box.  It turns out the box is the best toy ever.

Matthew and I got a box and made it to look like the one in the book, then he got into the box just like the boy in the book.  SO FUN!

SNOW!!

Snow is a BIG DEAL in Texas.  We usually get one snow storm a year, often it's an ice storm which shuts everything down because it doesn't happen often enough to justify the investment of our cities to have the equipment to clear roads etc.

We had some snow this year and as always, it was magical!  I was especially grateful to Sam's 3rd grade teacher who took the opportunity to let her children spontaneously play in it when it happened--letting children be children. LOVE IT!



And then when school is cancelled my children spend ALL DAY outside.  The dryer is running constantly drying off gloves, socks, fleece pants, and other clothing as they come in to change out for dry ones.  We drink a gallon of hot cocoa and its one of my favorite times being a mom.  I'm so glad I am blessed to stay home with them so when these days come, we can enjoy them.  Here is how my children appreciate snow days....

And....

Sam is a home-body.  He preferred to lay around in his pajamas and read, he would do that ALL THE TIME if I'd let him.

We even convinced Dad to stay home too....

Pinewood Derby

When Stephen and I began having a family, we never really cared what gender our children were, we just wanted them to be happy and healthy.  When we had a girl, then a boy, most people assumed we were "done" because we had one of each.  They didn't understand that we wanted a family, not just to continue the human species.  When we had Kaitlyn, then Sam, then Lindsey and knew there was a 4th one yet to come.  Stephen really wanted a boy.  He specifically mentioned that he loved the scouting stuff and would be sad if he only got to do that once with a boy, so we hoped for a boy and got it when Matthew was born.

Well, this was Sam's FIRST pinewood derby and Stephen and Sam together worked so very hard on this car.  It was pretty sweet.  I found this blog that was all about how to have THE FASTEST car on the track, how to position the wheels, how to tilt the axles, where to place the weight in the car, how to sand down the axles to make them smooth, etc.  They spent HOURS working on this car.  They painted it Texas A&M maroon and it looked pretty sweet.

True to expectations, it was one of the fastest cars out there.  We still contend it was THE fastest out there but due to some funky way the standings went in the races, Sam came in second, but that was good enough for him.  What a fun memory.