It's been a while, so I thought I'd post just to confirm that I'm still living. Yep. Still alive!
What a busy spring we've had! Here's what's been going on.....
Grace was in a play, called "Give and Take" at school. She played the part of a leprechaun. She was terrific! It's not every middle schooler that can pull that off, you know!
My school had it's annual carnival last weekend. The girls and I went while Aaron worked on fixing the fence (just in time for our really big storm). I got really sunburned - not peeling yet - and then got sunburned some more when we took apart our playscape in the backyard in preparation for bulk pickup. I pulled muscles I didn't even know I had hauling all that stuff to the curb!
On Sunday, the girls and I participated in the Girl Scout Amazing Race in our Service Unit last weekend. We had a blast! None of us had ever done it before this year. I went along with Grace's troop as the adult in charge of keeping the driver company, while Elissa and Kaity went with their troops. We didn't win (none of us did), but we had a great time, and I even learned something about Plano! I wore sunscreen for this event, in hopes of not burning more! It seemed to work.
What else is new? I've been working really hard, Aaron's schedule has been insane (read - we barely see each other during the week), and the girls are really busy too!
I have to admit, I'm looking forward to summer break just so we can slow down a bit!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Dirt, Sweat, and Smiles
Dirt, sweat, and smiles. That just about sums up my Saturday!
It started early with the dirt part. Before Grace was even fully out of bed, I was off to Lowe's to acquire more plants for my front flower beds. While cleaning out my wallet earlier this week, I realized I had a merchandise credit for Lowe's that I had yet to use. Woohoo for me! $43 worth of plants for $3 - that's my kind of shopping. I purchased coleus, phlox, and several other perrenials that are meant for shady gardens. My once sunny or partly sunny front flower beds have become quite shady over time as the trees in the front have gotten quite large. It's amazing to think that when we bought our house eight years ago (almost nine!), the trees in front were basically twigs, but now they are huge!
After finishing my gardening, I continued the pursuit of dirtiness by finishing my sprinkler repair job. My dad and I had repaired a leak in the sprinkler line last month, but we had waited to fill on the hole over the pipes just to make sure it was working properly. Well, it is, at least at that spot, so I went ahead and filled it in. Another item checked off my list. The remaining sprinkler repair will have to wait for another weekend, I'm afraid!
After lunch, the girls and I headed back to Lowe's to purchase more plants for their mini-gardens (large pots on our back patio). This is probably the best part of gardening - doing it with the kids! They picked the annuals they wanted (Grace chose a veggie and an herb), and of course we had to plant them when we got home. More dirt.
As if that wasn't enough activity for one day, we then headed to the park at the end of our street for more outdoor fun. Grace and Elissa are pros at riding two wheelers, but Kaity hadn't quite got the hang of it yet. However, when she realized they were both going to ride, she decided she'd rather bike than scooter down there. So, being the daring mom I am, I decided to throw caution into the wind and let her try. Keep in mind, that the sight of blood for an eight year old causes serious screaming, crocodile tears, and Mom having to carry the bike and maybe the child home as well. Luckily, things worked out well, and she managed to ride it down there, then figure out how to start on her own without me giving her a push. Probably the funniest part was her screaming while riding because it was "scary." We only had one little wipe out, but there wasn't really any blood so she was able to cope. The bike's a bit small for her, so I'll have to garage sale for a new one. Hey, if you have one you'd like to get rid of, please let me know - I'll come and check it out! So - biking - sweat and smiles.
When I reflect about the gardening and activity with the kids today, I can't help but think about how things change. When we first moved to Murphy, Grace was starting Kindergarten and Kaitlin was only four and a half months old. Now Grace is almost finished with seventh grade and Kaitlin is eight! Elissa was a feisty two year old when we first got here, and now she's this amazing fourth grader with a totally different personality. Just as the trees have grown from twigs to huge shade trees, my girls have grown from babies into amazing people. Those trees will continue to grow and shade my house even more, and the girls will continue to grow and change in their lives as well. Sometimes I'm sad that they are not babies anymore, but only for a fleeting moment. Now they are these unbelievable people with whom I can share the things I love to do, like gardening. The best part is that I will have many more days to share moments with my girls. Like Dr. Seuss said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Today I'm definitely smiling!
It started early with the dirt part. Before Grace was even fully out of bed, I was off to Lowe's to acquire more plants for my front flower beds. While cleaning out my wallet earlier this week, I realized I had a merchandise credit for Lowe's that I had yet to use. Woohoo for me! $43 worth of plants for $3 - that's my kind of shopping. I purchased coleus, phlox, and several other perrenials that are meant for shady gardens. My once sunny or partly sunny front flower beds have become quite shady over time as the trees in the front have gotten quite large. It's amazing to think that when we bought our house eight years ago (almost nine!), the trees in front were basically twigs, but now they are huge!
After finishing my gardening, I continued the pursuit of dirtiness by finishing my sprinkler repair job. My dad and I had repaired a leak in the sprinkler line last month, but we had waited to fill on the hole over the pipes just to make sure it was working properly. Well, it is, at least at that spot, so I went ahead and filled it in. Another item checked off my list. The remaining sprinkler repair will have to wait for another weekend, I'm afraid!
After lunch, the girls and I headed back to Lowe's to purchase more plants for their mini-gardens (large pots on our back patio). This is probably the best part of gardening - doing it with the kids! They picked the annuals they wanted (Grace chose a veggie and an herb), and of course we had to plant them when we got home. More dirt.
As if that wasn't enough activity for one day, we then headed to the park at the end of our street for more outdoor fun. Grace and Elissa are pros at riding two wheelers, but Kaity hadn't quite got the hang of it yet. However, when she realized they were both going to ride, she decided she'd rather bike than scooter down there. So, being the daring mom I am, I decided to throw caution into the wind and let her try. Keep in mind, that the sight of blood for an eight year old causes serious screaming, crocodile tears, and Mom having to carry the bike and maybe the child home as well. Luckily, things worked out well, and she managed to ride it down there, then figure out how to start on her own without me giving her a push. Probably the funniest part was her screaming while riding because it was "scary." We only had one little wipe out, but there wasn't really any blood so she was able to cope. The bike's a bit small for her, so I'll have to garage sale for a new one. Hey, if you have one you'd like to get rid of, please let me know - I'll come and check it out! So - biking - sweat and smiles.
When I reflect about the gardening and activity with the kids today, I can't help but think about how things change. When we first moved to Murphy, Grace was starting Kindergarten and Kaitlin was only four and a half months old. Now Grace is almost finished with seventh grade and Kaitlin is eight! Elissa was a feisty two year old when we first got here, and now she's this amazing fourth grader with a totally different personality. Just as the trees have grown from twigs to huge shade trees, my girls have grown from babies into amazing people. Those trees will continue to grow and shade my house even more, and the girls will continue to grow and change in their lives as well. Sometimes I'm sad that they are not babies anymore, but only for a fleeting moment. Now they are these unbelievable people with whom I can share the things I love to do, like gardening. The best part is that I will have many more days to share moments with my girls. Like Dr. Seuss said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Today I'm definitely smiling!
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