Spring..?

I think it is Spring.. the flowers are blooming.. pollen counts higher than high but it is CHILLY!!! Seriously chilly and rainy.. I really don't mind the rain.. I know the beauty that is coming our way.. During Spring Break we went to Ocean Shores .. it was very relaxing.. It was windy and we had to wear our winter coats. I keep telling my peeps that someday they will go to the beach and actually wear just a bathing suit! Truly.. even in July in Southern California it was too cold for just a bathing suit.. :)

Baseball season has started.. it is going well. Abraham decided he wanted to play on a team with his friends from school. He has moved up to actual baseball with rules .. He is the starting catcher and does a really good job with it. I think he is starting to like this Position.

Parker June was in a play last week , called "going". It was about a group of people who were going somewhere but we didn't know where exactly.. It was very interesting and each student wrote their own monologues.. The time period was in the fifties. She tried for the talent show at school today belting out some Taylor Swift. She surprises me every day!!

Violet is a busy mama. She is taking dance lessons and has her recital tomorrow. we are very excited to see it.. I PROMISE to post pictures. I feel as though with fb I can post pictures and I neglect the blog a bit.. I can post more photos on the blog and write a bit.. I will try to keep up with it more.. I feel as though I say it often ;) Violet loves school and is coming right along.. We had baby chicks in the classroom last week and a LAMB is coming next week. I am a lucky girl to work at such a great school..Sometimes I have to check myself to see if Violet is testing me as a mother or as a teacher but truly I know how blessed I am to be both.. (even with the deep breaths taken - for reals )

All three peeps are signed up for soccer which should be so interesting.. LOTS Of running around with two of them on teams that travel..

berry bushes are all planted along with a cut flower garden.. James told me I have 29 more feet for the vegetables. I ned to get those planted for sure..:)

We decided that the girls need separate bedrooms.. I was really hoping they could just stay in one bedroom.. I always wanted a sister to share a room with.. probably because I did not have a sister. But feel like Parker june really does need her own space.. as a big sister she should have place all her own.. so operation craft room move began last week and we have been busting our behinds to get this done.. so I guess I am finally unpacking the last of the boxes from our move last July..

We have had some great family time since james returned from a trip but alas another trip begins Monday.. we are keeping our chins up..

I am here...

I am here just slack.. clearly.. :) I have some pictures of Abe's crazy Chuck E Cheese birthday party and a few other things.. So happy daddy is home! :) It was a week early so he was suprised a bit too. (total house disaster) :) Will post pictures this weekend ..

Christmas Break..

I am so thankful for this Christmas "Break" We have been so busy lately it makes my head spin just thinking about it.. I am not sure if I could..would.. should.. do another Nutcracker performance if I had to again by myself.. whew... it is a good thing it only comes once a year..:) School for all of us has been great and I really love teaching in the morning vs the afternoon like last year.. Violet and I are finding our groove ..finally.. she is one of the youngest in the class and certainly HEAD STRONG so that makes for some "moments" shall we say, that test me as a teacher but also as a momma.. I know these will be her strongest attributes if we can just "use her powers for good"! Oh that little pumpkin.. ..

We have been laying low.. and I love it.. we have done some fun things but mostly just hanging out. We went to zoolights last night and it was fun until Violet fell asleep.. she is not very heavy until she is asleep..:) very very very very heavy..

At our Company Christmas party we made Ginger houses with graham crackers and milk cartons.. They had yummy goodies and someone kept sneaking the goods. I caught her eating a graham cracker off of the house even..really..

The little people here are so excited to open presents.. I think Violet is THE most excited.. She is driving me crazy ..she can hardly stand it..

We were getting into the car the other day.. and abe said 'Christ!!" similar to the way violet said "Jesus" not long ago.. (see former post) and The folks parked next to us, and next to them, and probably next to them heard him and I even heard someone gasp.. (for reals) and I turned around to give Abe MY HAIRIEST eyeball.. this is the day after my hideous Christmas pageant encounter with Violet.. to put it into perspective.. and he was smiling so angelically and said "may your CHRISTmas be blessed!!" and was so excited that he realized that Christmas is all about Christ.. my heart melted a little..:)

Christmas pageant..

Here are a few from the Christmas Pageant.. I have mostly Abe in these because he came on before Parker and then my battery died because I left the camera on.. I did get some crappy ones of Parker on my phone and posted those to facebook. The other pictures are of an even on post called Tell me A story and everyone that goes gets a signed copy of the book. We were having fun in the picture area.. :) That was something new we tried and it was fun and something I think we should do every time for families to have of the day.. Abe was at Boy scouts so he missed the fun..:)

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you had a wonderful day yesterday.. We definitely missed someone very special and I think we all had a sad moment throughout the day, but the bottom line is that we have a lot to be thankful for.. health, family, friends.. thank you for being a part of it..

snow..

It is snowing.. last year it did not snow once.. I think we are really in for it this year. The kids had a half day of school today and they decided to cancel school for the rest of the week. Parker and Abe were only supposed to go tomorrow and for half a day on wednesday.. I wish I could say I am excited.. but I still have one more day of teaching this week.. The children have been preparing the food for their feast since last Thursday and have been making their outfits for at least a week... I hope we still have the feast tomorrow.. Abe had his last soccer game on Saturday and I guess he is on to basketball. His soccer team is hoping to all play basketball together.. I remember going to Zane's games around Abe's age and it can summed up in one word.. Painful.. really painful.. not a lot of action.. a lot of whistle blowing, but it will be fun for him.. Parker is getting ready for the Nutcracker.. She had a costume fitting last week and next week they move into the theater for rehearsals there.. Violet well Violet is just busy being herself.. full force Violet is what I have been calling her lately.. busy busy girl.. she made our dinner tonight.. stromboli.. it looks very messy but will be tasty.. I taught Parker how to make paper chain bracelets tonight so she is working on that.. VIolet made a video for dad.. will post.. an original song.. ;)

true story..

Before the yo gabba gabba madness that was .. we had to sell pies for the cub scouts at the craft fair at the local middle school.. It was actually quite fun. Even thought the parking was utterly ridiculous but that is another story.. as we were leaving, violet screams "Jesus" not in a praise Jesus, Amen sort of way.. it was more like JEEE-SUS I just stepped on a lego in the middle of the night kind of way, or in a "I can't find my keys and have to be a work in 7 minutes " sort of way.. or even the kind of way one might say this when one walks into the kitchen and both dogs are on the kitchen table sort of way.. hmmmm? So about 1,000 people turn around to hear who would scream JJEEE-SUS in such a manner and I want to crawl in a hole and I turn around and Violet is pointing to a Nativity scene and in fact Jesus is there.. :) and she was right.. she was just excited to see him..

YO gabba gabba

more pictures of the party.. :) I will say it was funny that all of these children were screaming for Biz markie.. yep of the "you say he's just a friend" Biz.. at first he was on the screen and said he wished he could be there and then .. there he was and had kids come on stage.. at the after party.. (loose term) he talked to every family and was very kind.. it made me giggle.. I was also very shocked to see grown men .. dads with children in the DJ lance rock entire costume.. it IS an orange bodysuit.. it was a little disturbing ;) talk about taking one for the home team... VIolet is rocking out at the end of the video clip.. we had 6th row seats in the center.. very nice for her to stand on my lap the entire time and rock out.. I totally like music.. like really love it.. I am thankful that my children love it as well.. even though right now we listen to a lot of justin beiber, taylor swift, jonas brothers, etc.. Parker's fave is taylor swift, Abe loves blink-182 right now, and Violet LOVE owl City.. not so fun when we were at the Children's museum for sing a long time and the nice lady in charge was taking requests and she requested" Song 3# on the owl city CD" not so fun at all for mom.. or when they are walking the grocery store singing " all the other kids with the pumped up kicks better run and run and try to dodge my bullet" ( at the top of their lungs) again not so fun..