Back to Reality

Friday morning we checked out of our resort at 9:15am and drove back to my Aunt Tina's condo in Ponte Vedra Beach (near Jacksonville). We spent a little time at the beach, and then we had cake and she gave us presents. She gave Paul a bag of cashews as his graduation gift (we received his diploma in the mail today), a few little things for Nadia and Ian, and she gave me an amethyst ring that her mother (my Grandma) had given to her years ago. It was very sweet of her! Around 4pm we said our goodbyes and drove to the airport. After we had gone through security, we found out that our flight was delayed. We didn't take off until after 8pm. The kids did very well on the flight. Oliver slept in my arms almost the whole flight, and Ian sat beside me. Nadia sat beside Paul. We arrived in DC around 10pm, and as you can see from the picture (at left) the kids conked out in the stroller while we were getting our luggage. My parents drove their SUV and our minivan to the airport. We left directly for home in our van, and Paul's parents rode back to my parents' house to get their vehicle. We both arrived at our respective homes between 2-2:30am.

 

My least favorite parts of going on vacation are #1 packing and all the other things that have to be done to prepare, #2 the travel days (both coming and going), and #3 all the laundry and unpacking that need to be done when we get back. The days in between are certainly worth the hassles at the beginning and end of the trip, although when I first get home the thought of going on vacation again is ususally unappealing, but then over time I get excited about our next trip.

This time around the kids and I were gone for 12 nights - 3 at my parents, 2 at Paul's aunt and uncle's house, and 7 in Orlando. There were 4 days when we were on the road for at least 3 hours - the drive to Maryland, the drive to Orlando, the drive back to Jacksonville, and the drive back home. None of these drives were pleasant because Oliver didn't sleep much (which means he cried a lot). The most unpleasant one was the one on the way back home because there were several times when all three children were crying at the same time. Ian would wake up after sleeping for 30-45 minutes and would start crying. That would wake up Oliver who would start crying, and then his crying would wake up Nadia and she would cry as well as yell at Oliver to stop crying. Oi vey. There was one stretch where Ian slept for 90 minutes straight (midnight to 1:30am), and I was able to sleep for about one hour during that time as Paul was driving. I then slept from 2:30-6:30am in my own bed. I was amazed at how much energy I had today despite getting only 5 hours of sleep.

This morning Oliver got up at 6:30. Ian got up shortly after that but he fell back asleep in our bed with Paul. Nadia and Ian were still asleep at 7:45am, and I was struggling with whether to wake Nadia up or not. I finally decided to wake her up because part of the reason we had come home so late at night on Friday was because she had a soccer game at 9am. I thought she'd only miss one game while we were on vacation, but a game that was supposed to happen before we left was rescheduled for a Thursday while we were in Florida. If she had missed today's game, she would have missed half of the eight games. Oliver and I stayed home so that Oliver could take a nap in his crib, and I could mow the lawn, which REALLY needed to be mowed. Paul had missed her second and third game. He told me she *almost* scored a goal, but someone from the opposing team got the ball away from  her just as she was about to kick it into the goal. She did score one goal today, but it was for the opposing team. OOPS! At least that means she kicked the ball!

 

We went into high gear today with getting the house ready to put on the market. The realtor is coming on Wednesday so we can sign the paperwork and such. We're praying it doesn't take too long to sell the house, in part because it's going to be so hard to keep the house "show ready" with three little munchkins. Plus I was busy with doing dishes, laundry, unpacking, mowing the lawn, etc. Paul did some weedwhacking, spackling, and sanding. The two things I need to work on as we get back to "normal" are #1 helping Ian have a more balanced diet (he had pizza for dinner almost every night) and #2 helping Oliver get back into a good routine with his naps. NONE of his naps were very long during the 13 days we were away from home, even when he took a nap in a pack and play. Today I had to help him get back to sleep in the middle of his morning nap, which normally I don't have to do, but I understand that he's all out of whack due to the trip. Well I have so much more to write about and SOOO many more pictures to post, but I need to go to bed!

Thankful Thursday

1. It was great to spend time at the zoo on Friday with my friend, her two sons, and my Aunt Tina.

2. Our resort is really nice. If you're looking to stay in Orlando (but not at Disney), I highly reccomend Marriott's Harbour Lake resort! I almost made our reservations for the place we stayed in August 2011, but I'm glad I didn't because this place is even nicer!

3. The weather has been gorgeous. It's only rained for one hour over the past 8 days that we've been down here. Last year it rained ALL the time on Grand Cayman so I brought far more books and DVDs for the kids this time around. They've hardly been touched, and we haven't made use of the ping pong, pool tables, foosball, etc. that we could have used if the weather wasn't so lovely.

4. It's been heavenly to have Paul spend so much time with us.

5. We had a great time at Sea World on Monday (details to follow in a separate post).

6. We had a great time at the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday (details to follow in a separate post).

7. Nadia is doing a great job swimming with her arm floats.

8. Ian is doing a great job swimming with his inner tube.

9. Paul has a phone interview this evening with West Liberty University. It's for a tenure track position at a small school to teach general and physical chemistry. It's in West Virginia but not too far from Pittsburgh. We're trying not to get our hopes up, but this is FAR more appealing to us than most places he's applied or interviewed. It is his first phone interview since April 8. Within the next four days he should learn the results of his last in-person interview.

 

 

Fun in the Sun!

On Friday morning we left Aunt Diane and Uncle Jim's house and drove to the Jacksonville Zoo where we met my friend Jo and her two sons (5 years and 5 months old). I met her online about 10 years ago, and this was the fourth time that we got together in person (the other three times that happened when she was visiting her mother in Pennsylvania). I really, really wish we lived closer to each other! We spent about four hours at the zoo, and Aunt Tina joined us for about the last hour we were there. Nadia enjoyed the splash pad at the zoo. Ian didn't participate in that. My favorite exhibit was the giraffes because they came up so close to us. If the line hadn't been so long, I would have paid $2 so Ian could have fed the giraffes.  After the zoo we drove to Orlando and checked into our resort. The place is GORGEOUS! Paul's parents are staying in a one bedroom efficiency. We are staying two doors down in a two bedroom suite that includes two full bathrooms, a living room, full kitchen, and dining table that can seat at least eight adults. Oliver is sleeping in a pack and play in our room (that has a king size bed), and Ian and Nadia are sleeping in the other bedroom that has two queen size beds. Sharing a room has translated to them getting far less sleep than usual, but last night they finally got 11 hours of sleep even though they were sharing a room.

 

After we brought up our stuff to our rooms, we changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the pools. The resort has several jacuzzis, several baby pools,  several larger pools, and a large splash pad area. The water in Aunt Tina's pool was a bit cooler than we like; so I stayed in the jacuzzi there. At the resort the water is delightful. The coolest water temperature is 83 degrees, and the warmest is 102 degrees. We put Oliver in the "boat" that we bought for Nadia when she was an infant. She loved it. Ian never liked it, but Oliver is like his big sister and loves floating around the pool. Nadia is working on learning on how to swim without her tube. Sometimes she wears the tube, but many times she doesn't wear the tube in part because they don't allow her to wear the tube when she goes down the big water slide (that Ian is too short to go on as you have to be at least 42 inches tall) and many other parts of the pools are shallow enough that she can stand in it. We tried Nadia's tube on Ian on Friday evening, and he liked it! He would NOT wear it in previous years. Paul's parents and I went grocery shopping after we put the kids to bed on Friday night, and we got Ian his own tube. It will be much easier for me to take the three kids to the pool this summer by myself if they each have a flotation device of some sort ("boat" for Oliver and tubes for Nadia and Ian).

 

Ian at first didn't want to try any of the four small water slides on the pirate ship, but now he has done three of the four slides. He also loves standing on top of a water jet in the pirate themed splash pad. The resort also has tennis courts, a soccer field, miniature golf, basketball courts, a playground, volleyball, etc. They also have a special activity every hour on the hour from 9am to 9pm. We attended the magic show last night at 7pm, and Nadia participated in some games led by two pirates at noon today (hula hoops, sponge relay race, water balloon toss, etc. Ian surprised me in that he didn't want to ger too close to either pirate (a husband and wife). Friday night we ate dinner at a restaurant beside the pool. We ate breakfast and lunch in our suites yesterday and today using the groceries we bought Friday night. Last night we had pizza delivered to our room for our dinner. Aside from a brief theunderstorm that pushed back our trip to the pools yesterday afternoon by one hour, thus far the weather has been perfect - it's warn enough that you want to be in the water, but it's not ridiculously hot or humid. After experiencing lousy weather in Grand Cayman last May, it's not something I take for granted!

 

Paul's parents went to church this morning, and on their way home they stopped at Walmart. I asked them to buy some arm floaties for Nadia as I thought that would be a good transition from using the tube to swimming independently. We shall see how she does with that! Oliver got his second tooth last week! He has been making a lot of progress with eating table food. For breakfast this morning he ate almost an entire blueberry cereal bar plus half of a container of strawberry banana yogurt. On Wednesday night he ate half a slice of pizza!

 

Since today is Mother's Day, I must pause and give thanks to the Lord for giving me a loving mom and a loving mother-in-law. It has been really special the last almost five years for me to see how much they love my kids and how much my kids love their grandmas. I also will be forever grateful for the three children the Lord has allowed me to carry and give birth to. What a miracle! Every Mother's Day I feel a sense of sadness - not for myself but for those women who have longed to become a mom but haven't yet (or in some cases never will) experience it. I wish I could lend them a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or a hug. I had to wait until I was 36 years old. I can identify with their pain. I think Mother's Day will be forever bittersweet for me even though I no longer feel the pain of empty arms. I also am very grateful to Paul for enabling me to stay home with our three blessings. The best part of this vacation is that we're all together. The kids and I have had very little time with Paul over the past several months. It's been heavenly to vacation together!

 

 

 

 



Thankful Thursday

1. The concert on Saturday night was AMAZING, and Cheri bought my ticket as a birthday present.

2. The kids and I got to spend a couple of days with my parents. I particularly enjoyed having dinner at Chevy's, as it had been more than a yeat since I had been to a Mexican restaurant, and I also enjoyed a game of Boggle with my dad, another very rare treat.

3. Paul officially earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry on Sunday!

4. Earlier this week Snapfish asked me to give some feedback regarding some new features with their photo books. In exchange for talking to me on the 20th, I get one free photo book (including shipping) plus $100!

5. We had a safe trip to Florida yesterday. My parents drove us to the airport in northern Virginia. We met Paul and his parents there. Atlhough we arrived 1hr 45 minutes before our flight, we got there JUST in time. We were one of the last people to board our plane, and we didn't have time to buy any lunch. The kids did great on the flight. Oliver was laughing every time he made eye contact with the stewardess. Ian sat with Paul, and Nadia sat beside me (Oliver was in my lap).

6. We got to spend time with my Aunt Tina yesterday! It was her first time meeting any of our kids. It was Oliver's first time in a bathing suit. Nadia and Ian went in the swimming pool. I took Oliver in the jacuzzi.

7. We are spending the day with Paul's Aunt Diane and Uncle Jim. Their house is right on the San Fernadina Beach. Nadia and Ian are sharing a queen size bed, which is the first time they've slept together. It took them awhile to fall asleep. It's such a gorgeous day to spend at the beach! nadia had fun collecting shells this morning.

8. I am thankful that Paul was able to interview in Utica last Friday. He found out from Colgate this week that they didn't pick him. I've been able to submit more applications this week. I'm working on three more today, and I did one yesterday at my parents' house. By tonight I should be up to 56 applications. Still praying for a job offer.

6-9 Months Times Three



Nadia at 9 months old

1. Ian and Oliver still laugh and smile more easily than Nadia.

2. Oliver is like his big sister and usually only has one messy diaper each day. I went through far more diapers with Ian than I did with Nadia or Oliver. Neither Nadia nor Oliver get diaper rash like poor Ian did.

3. Oliver has gotten better with spitting up, but he still does it way more than Nadia did and far less than Ian did.

4. The only solid food Ian was eating at 9 months old was orange vegetables (baby food). He would gag on Cheerios, Gerber puffs, baby cereal, etc. Nadia was eating mashed potatoes, yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, etc. Oliver isn't quite as far with solid foods as Nadia, but he does enjoy Cheerios, Puffs, yogurt, mashed potatoes, etc. At the buffet on Sunday I gave him the filling from a piece of blueberry pie, and last night I gave him some refried beans. He loved it! Table foods here we come!



Ian at 9 months old

5. Nadia weaned herself off of nursing when she was 6 1/2 months old. At 9 months of age Ian and Oliver were nursing once a day (first thing in the morning).

6. Oliver is still a grabber like his brother was (for example always pulling my hair) whereas Nadia never grabbed so much.

7. Nadia was sleeping 11 hours at night by 6 months old. Ian started to accomplish that feat during this time span. Oliver has very recently gotten back to sleeping 9-10 hours at night. Nadia and Ian went to bed around 7pm, whereas Oliver usually goes down between 8:00-8:30pm.

8. Ian enjoyed making raspberries. Neither Nadia or Oliver did that at this age.

9. Nadia learned to go from lying down to sitting up on her own before she turned 8 months old. Ian and Oliver couldn't do that yet at 9 months.



10. At 9 months Nadia could say three words - hi, dada, and Daddy, Ian could say mama, and Oliver can say Dad.

11. At 8 months Nadia could pull herself up to a standing position. At 9 months neither Oliver or Ian had attempted that feat yet.

12. By 8 months Nadia was very mobile through crawling, scooting, cruising, and rolling. The only way Ian moved around the room was when he was sitting. Nadia and Oliver never did that. Oliver can scoot backwards pretty quickly (or forward in his crib by grabbing on to his sheet and pulling himself forward).

13. Nadia got her first two teeth at 6 months. Ian didn't have any teeth when he turned 9 months old. Oliver has one tooth.

14. At 9 months old Nadia weighed 18 lbs 9oz, Ian weighed 19 lbs 12oz, and Oliver weighed 16 lbs 12oz.

15. Ian was taking two or three short naps a day (often 30 minutes long). Nadia was also taking three naps a day, but she slept for a total of 3-4 hours a day. Oliver also naps for 3-4 hours a day, but he only takes two naps a day. His morning nap usually starts around 9am, and his afternoon nap usually starts around 1pm. Oliver can be put down wide awake, and he puts himself to sleep without crying. Nadia could also do that at this age, but her skill came through sleep training. We have never had to use any form of "crying it out" with Oliver (yet anyhow). Thank you, Oliver!!

16. At 9 months old Ian was scared of the See and Say toy. Nadia and Oliver both loved hearing the various animal sounds.

17. Nadia was definitely a thumb sucker at 9 months old. Ian never sucked his thumb or any other finger. Oliver sucked his thumb or other fingers when he was smaller, but over the last few months he gave that up. Ian didn't put toys in his mouth. Nadia and Oliver put EVERYthing in their mouths - board books are for chewing on, right? Oliver puts clothes in his mouth more than Nadia did. None of mine used a pacifier at this age.

18. They all had blue eyes. Oliver's hair is darker than the other two, but the newest hairs are blonde so maybe he also will become blonde? Time will tell!

9 Months Old!

Oliver turned 9 months old today! I brought the Steeler ball blanket and large teddy bear to my parent's house so I wouldn't need to break tradition. I didn't bring the scale though.

1. On Sunday he weighed 16lb 12oz, which puts him at 4.1 percentile for his weight (not taking his prematurity into account).

2. He has continued to make progress with his sitting skills although he still topples over every once in a while.

3. He can scoot backwards very quickly, particularly on a smoother surface (linolium, tile, hardwood floor, etc.). He cries when he backs himself into a wall or door.

4. He also has made more progress with eating. He still hasn't mastered the use of his tongue (some is still ejected rather than swallowed), but I've decided to work towards having him eat all table food by the end of the month. I also am going to attempt to introduce a sippy cup, but he may not be ready for that, which is fine. He can use the bottle for a few more months. He nurses once a day.

5. He has one tooth (on the bottom) and can say one word (Dad).

6. He's starting to go back to sleeping through the night (8:30pm to 6:00am) although he had a 5am feeding this morning. He takes two naps, which total 3 to 4.5 hours in length. He sleeps on his belly and can be put down wide awake or asleep.

7. He still loves to play with his feet and enjoys peekaboo, being tickled, music, being kissed, swinging at the playground, and splashing in the bathtub. He laughs when he sees his brother or sister in a costume.

8. His belly button is still larger than normal, but it continues to shrink. Right now it reminds me of a deflated balloon. I'm still hoping it will become an "innie" on its own and we can avoid him needing a surgery when he's five years old. I have held off on scheduling an appointment with a urologist until I know if we're moving to another state or not this summer.

9.  He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. His socks and bib are usually drenched because he's had them in his mouth.

He did it!

As of yesterday at 4:30pm, Paul has graduated (again) from Penn State; this time with his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry! I am so very proud of my hubby!!! He hasn't worn a cap and gown since 1988. I was hoping he'd participate in the commencement. I am sure I would have been crying happy tears at the sight of him walking across that stage, but #1 he's not much into fancy ceremonies, #2 he didn't want to be asked what his future plans were since he doesn't have a job offer yet, and #3 he feels awkward because he's about 15 years older than the next oldest person earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry. He started his bachelor's degree in mathematics at a branch campus of PSU in January 1998, 11 months after I met him. I never would have dreamed back then that on May 5, 2013 he'd earn his Ph.D. Way to go, Paul!!! He'll feel much better about this accomplishment once he gets a job in his field. The school where he interviewed on Friday told him that they are interviewing five people, and he was the first. They said they'll let him know one way or the other by the 20th.

Saturday morning I dropped Nadia and Oliver off at Cheri's house so that I could go yard saleing with Ian. I put him in the stroller and walked for about two hours. I got some of the things on my list (ex. harder puzzles for Nadia and shoes for Nadia). Last year I spent far more time at these yard sales, and I'm pretty sure if I had done the same this year I would have been able to get a few more things from my list (ex. a booster seat for Ian to use in the minivan starting in December and clothes for Oliver to wear this summer), but I didn't want to leave the kids at Cheri's house for too long. I got several dresses and shoes for Nadia, a few books, etc. Nadia's favorite  purchases was a brand new pair of white patent shoes (they still had the tags on them and I only paid 50 cents!) and another magnetic Melissa and Doug doll (with dresses, shoes, and hats). My most expensive purchase was a dress I bought for $8. The woman said her daughter wore it as a flower girl. At home I looked it up and found it sells for $120 new. I got Oliver a pair of LL Bean soft blue leather shoes with green turtles on them (like Robeez) that looked brand new and a pair of sandals. Ian was a trooper. I bought him two small toys for a total of 75 cents (one was a PSU matchbox car). While we were shopping he was wearing a Darth Vader costume that I had bought on Friday morning at another yard sale. It was his idea, but I realized afterward that it was perfect timing as Saturday (May the 4th) is referred to as Star Wars Day ("may the fourth be with you"). Ian has never seen the movie, but I am certain Paul will have the kids watch those movies when they are older as he's been a huge fan since he was a child. I've never been much into science fiction atlhough I did watch quite a few episodes of Star Trek: Voyager with Paul when we were dating.

 

Saturday afternoon I was busy cleaning, packing, doing laundry, and cooking dinner so we didn't make our usual trek to the playground. That evening I went to a concert with Cheri. It was FABULOUS. It was a blast from the past as the artists (Steve Green, Larnelle Harris, Wayne Watson, and Twila Paris) sang songs I remembered listening to when I was in college (20+ years ago).  Sunday morning after Sunday School and church (Nadia saw her first baptisms) we drove to a restaurant near Paul's parents' house to have an early Mother's Day lunch with his side of the family. After we ate, all ten of us went back to Paul's parents' house. The kids and I only stayed for about one hour as then we got in the van to drive to Maryland. It was Oliver's second trip to Maryland, and it didn't go as smoothly as it did in December. Paul and his parents are going to meet us at the airport in Virginia on Wednesday morning. Oliver slept in until 6am the past two mornings. It would be SO wonderful if I could sleep from 10pm to 6am each night while we're on vacation!!!

 

 

Second Thoughts

I know that Paul has wondered if he made a mistake earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry. We had no idea it would be so hard to get a job in this field. Many people I know are intimidated by physics, chemistry, and math. I never would have guessed there would be a glut of people out there with a Ph.D. in chemistry. I chaired many tenure track searches for my early childhood and elementary education department, and we received a tiny fraction of the number of applications it seems are the norm for a chemistry position. This job search process has been very discouraging for both Paul and I. The last few weeks I felt at peace about it and assumed that he would be a professor or post doc somewhere in the fall. Yesterday I found myself feeling very discouraged again. Here we are hoping for a job offer that would mean moving to a place neither of us want to move at a school where he'd have to teach 19 credits a semester (12 credits a semester was full-time where I taught for the past 10 years) for a smaller salary than I started at.

I have really been enjoying staying at home with the kids. I love that I can sit on a chair and read a picture book with Nadia and Ian on my lap in the middle of the day or go on a walk to the playground, but there have definitely been moments when I've wondered if I made a mistake in resigning from my position considering that if Paul is offered the post doc or this job he's interviewing for today, he will make less than half of what I would have made if I were teaching full-tume right now. Hopefully in the end we'll feel we made the right decision. I'm also second guessing our decision to postpone putting our house on the market. It would have been ideal for it to be shown the next two weeks while the kids and I are first in Maryland and then in Florida. It would obviously be much easier to keep the house clean and ready to be shown without the munchkins around! We held off because Bloomsburg is hiring two FT adjuncts in their chemistry department, but thus far he hasn't been invited to interview. Right now it looks like we'll put the house on the market as soon as we we return from vacation. Hopefully it won't take too long to get it under contract for a good price.

Nadia's car did well on Wednesday night. Each car raced in four heats. She won at least two of her heats. She thought she was going to get a trophy, but she didn't win one of the six trophies (three for design and three for speed). She did receive a blue ribbon for completing the second Cubbies book though! Last night she had her third soccer game. Paul wasn't able to go due to preparing for his interview and teaching demonstration, but Paul's parents were there to cheer her on. Our team didn't score a single goal. Most of the game the ball was on the other half of the field. Nadia gets a lot of exercise though! Tomorrow's game was rescheduled for next Thursday night, but we'll be in Florida. She's participated in the team's first three games, but due to our time in Florida and our trip to Sesame Place on June 8, she might get to only participate in one more game (at the most two more if we come back really late at night on the 17th so she can be there for the game on May 18).

The last two years my best yard sale of the year has been in Milton the first weekend of May. It was an utter disaster today. Trying to go to yard sales with three kids ages four and under is not a great idea. I did buy a few things (a puzzle and a game for Nadia and some pjs and costumes for Ian) before giving up and returning home. Paul will be at work tomorrow as he took yesterday and today off due to the interview. There's a development right near our church that I'm going to try tomorrow morning. I'm going to put the kids in the stroller and see if that works out better. If not, maybe I need to stop shopping at yard sales. Oliver took a tiny nap in the van (amazing he slept at all given how loudly Ian was screaming) and that turned out to be his morning nap for today. Hopefully he'll take a long afternoon nap to compensate for his morning nap lasting less than 10 minutes. He did sleep through the night for the first time in a couple of weeks last night (8:15pm to 6:05am), but Paul had me up since 4:45 so I didn't get to stay in bed until 6:05 like Oliver did.

Thankful Thursday

1. Paul has an interview in Utica, NY tomorrow. I'm praying for at least one more interview and more importantly a job offer. We've submitted 52 applications thus far.

2. We finished Ramona's World and are half-way through Fantastic Mr. Fox.

3. For the gift of salvation. This past Sunday (4/28), I celebrated my 37th spiritual birthday. It's been years since I had a special dessert on my spiritual birthday, but this year Nadia, Ian, and I enjoyed a delicious peanut butter pie from Perkins (from my parents). All three of us enjoyed that treat the past few days!

4. That the ringworm hasn't spread on me or to anyone else in the family. PTL!

5. For the wonderful day we had at Knoebels last Saturday.

6. That Ian can feed himself a slice of pizza. Eating at restaurants is much easier now that he enjoys pancakes, pizza, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

7. That Paul's parents are coming to Nadia's third soccer game this evening. She's had grandparents attend each of her games thus far. How special is that! I never played on a team sport, but if I had, none of my grandparents would have been at any of my games. This is another reason to hope we don't move TOO far away.

8. I'm planning to go to a concert on Saturday night (with Cheri). The artists include Twila Paris, Steve Green, Larnelle Harris, and Wayne Watson. I can't wait!!!

9. At this time next week, we should be in Florida. YAHOO!!

10. The beautiful weather has been such a blessing! I'd love to live someplace where it was in the 70's all year round. :)

11. Ian actually asked for a haircut! He wanted it done at a salon. We have an appointment for 11am. Hopefully it will go well.

Her last night

Tonight is Nadia's last night of Cubbies. She has really, really enjoyed being in Cubbies since September 2011, and she's really looking forward to joining Sparks in four months! Ian will be starting Cubbies at that same time. One advantage he has of being the younger sibling, he already can sing  the AWANA theme song (he calls it the marching song), Cubbies song, and the Sparks song! We often sing as we talk to and from the playground. We take turns choosing which song to sing. Ian's choices lately rotate between "Row, Row, Row your boat," "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho," and the AWANA song. Nadia lately has been choosing songs from Mary Poppins or Annie. My choices are far more varied than theirs. Most churches don't have the Cubbies participate in the Grand Prix. Paul has put so much time in to Nadia's car. More than he has for his upcoming job interview. He'll be tackling that tomorrow. Hopefully we'll all have fun tonight at the award ceremony and Grand Prix. My little girl is growing up so quickly!

Oliver woke up at 5:15 and decided he was up for the day. He wanted to take his nap at 7:30, but I kept him up until 9:00 so that I could mow the lawn during his nap. I didn't mow the lawn many times last year due to my 10 weeks of bedrest, but last spring it was much harder to mow the lawn since Ian wasn't taking a long nap yet and the kids didn't play well on their own outside. This spring neither child is afraid of the lawn mower any more (whew!), and they can play very nicely outside while I mow although we are working on the concept of not wandering into the neighbor's yard to play with their toys (when the neighbors aren't outside). I also did some weeding and spread two more bags of mulch. I've now spread eight bags of mulch so far this spring. I'm hoping Paul will spray the apple trees and mow the lawn once more before we leave for Florida. The grass is growing very quickly these days, and we'll be gone for more than a week so the grass is going to be very tall when we return from our trip. Once we return, I'm going to buy some flowers to spruce up the flowerbeds that I've been weeding and mulching.