Preschool Graduation!

I am coming to realize that I am a person who gets attached to things and people and places and moments, etc. I guess I've always know this about myself which is why I find it ironic that for the last 10 years of my life I have moved around and said good-bye and hello more times than I can count. Anyway, my attachment issues came to my attention again this week as Jordan finished her first year of preschool. Can this year really be over? It seems like just yesterday we arrived in Texarkana and now here's my Jordie, 6 inches taller and another year older.

After we had only lived here a few days, I loadad up my girls in the Texas heat, and we drove around town to "find Jordan's school." After a few stops and phone calls, we found the Walnut Church of Christ. We got out of the car, went into the school, talked to the director and Jordan turned to me and announced, "This is my school." I heartily agreed. We both felt so right about the situation. Enter attachment issues. Now the year is over and we are preparing to move again. I have had a tough week saying good-bye to her wonderful (seriously two of the best ever) teachers, her darling friends and her amazing school where she has grown and learned so much! Hello people, this is only preschool, right? I think Tod is beginning to wonder how I'm ever going to survive watching these girls grow up...lots of hellos and good-byes ahead of us. I'll just keep my box of kleenex handy for the next several years!!!!

The pictures are from her last few days of school. She had a program on Tuesday night, and it was so cute. Jordan is very detailed oriented, so she had picked out her outfit, shoes, necklace and hairstyle. For the last day of school, the class went to Chuck E. Cheese.

Mother's Day Photos

I am finally getting around to posting these pictures from last Sunday! Mother's Day is an interesting day for me. I obviously miss my own mom and that brings with it lots of emotions. But because she is no longer here for me, I find myself treasuring even more the time that I have with my girls. It's strange to think that her absence has brought any kind of blessing, but one thing I can say is that I don't take for granted the time that I have to spend with my daughters. I know that it could be taken away from me in an instant, and in a strange way, I am grateful for that reminder. This year I had to give a talk at church, and I was a little bit worried about it, worried about being able to express myself and keep my emotions in check on a day that is difficult and a topic that is sensitive. I was asked specifically to focus on being a mother of young children. Of course, I used Elder Ballard's talk from last conference which to me is an absolute landmark talk, one that will be referred to for years to come. His four suggestions to young mothers: Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments, Don't overschedule your self or your children, Take time for yourself, and pray, study and teach the Gospel. Great advice. I am so thankful for my own mom, an incredible mother in-law and a wonderful step-mother, too.

Note: I've been playing around a little with photoshop and digital scrapbooking, so I had some fun with these pictures. There is so much more to learn!

Mom's Day Tradition

Last year, when times were a-changin' for our family, I decided I wanted to start a Mother's Day tradition. And since it was for Mother's Day, I did the choosing. We decided to go on a picnic on the day before Mother's Day. Last year, we went to Scott County park in Iowa. This year took us to Millwood State Park in Arkansas. It was a gorgeous day, and we had a lot of fun. We ate lunch, enjoyed the playground, fed the geese and went on a hike. The hike ended abruptly when Tod spotted a 4 foot long snake! But it was fun while it lasted. I am hoping this tradition continues for years to come!

Field Trip Adventures

Last Friday, I went with Ashton on her kindergarten fieldtrip. Our first stop was to the fire station. The kids loved touring the station, exploring the trucks and seeing all the gear. At this point, I might mention that the weather was "threatening" (heavy humidity, clouds, etc.). This was a concern because our last stop was supposed to be the park for a picnic. After the fire station, we headed to Albertsons for a tour of the store which was actually very interesting. However, as our tour was concluding, cell phones started ringing and we where informed that there was a tornado warning with sightings in the area. Seconds later, the sirens started going off. Not wanting to upset the 80+ kindergartners who were already whining about the park, we were herded into a "refrigerated vault" where they store the produce to "wait for the buses". Actually, to take shelter from the storm. We stayed in the vault for 30 minutes. Fun times. I will never look at Albertsons the same way again. Needless to say, we never made it to the park...instead we picnicked in the classroom. I really did have a lot of fun with Ashton and have really enjoyed being able to be so involved in her class this year.

I also should add that my good friend who has 3 little girls of her own was tending Jordan and Regan. When the sirens went off, she had to wake both babies from their naps and herd all 5 girls into the bathtub to take shelter! I definitely owe her big time!

Twenty Nine Years Ago!

Twenty-nine years ago today, I became a big sister. Happy Birthday Mel! I love you so much. I love the lifetime of memories that we share.

What We've Been Up To...

With the shock of our move finally wearing off, things are beginning to get back to normal around here. I still have my moments, but for the most part we are moving forward! Here are some pictures of some things that have been going on.

Jordan got to play in the soccer game on Saturday since Ashton's teams was one man short. Jordan was thrilled and did really well considering most of the girls are about 2 years older than her.

I ran in my first 5k of the season- the Genoa, Arkansas Dragon race. It was a really pretty race course, all along country roads and great weather. I finished 3rd in my age division. The picture is yucky...at least it wasn't a beauty contest.

The girls love being able to wear shorts and t-shirts to school with the warm weather. I love these long bermuda shorts from Target.

Regan has decided that not only will she not sleep in her crib anymore, she also hates the bathtub. When I was too tired to fight about it, we opted to let her try the sink.

And finally, I finished a massive clothing reorganization. Three girls equals a lot of clothes. I limited myself to one bin per size. I'm so glad to have that done.