New Blog

After thinking things through and researching how to fix my current blog I have decided to abandon ship.  I have moved all of my posts onto a new blog with fewer bugs and now linked to my gmail account {which is typically the only email account I check these days}.  If you would like to continue to follow our lives here is the address:

tiffanytorontofam.blogspot.com

XoXo,

Tiff

ER Nurse

I love love love this person's remarks on working as a nurse in the Emergency Department.  It so perfectly describes how I feel as well.  I am not one who is typically great with putting my feelings and thoughts into words.  There are other who are great at it, such as this author.  I feel like it doesn't discount the relevance and I found myself nodding and agreeing with many of the things pointed out.

*Jennifer and I on my last shift working at BBMC*

Don't look at ER staff as cold, insensitive, and mean since patients and family have NO idea that they aren't the only ones who are human.

Seriously, wth is wrong with me tonight?

When people learn I work in the Emergency Department they usually ask, “How do you do it”? or say “Wow, I bet you see a lot of crazy things”. My answer aloud: “It’s never dull”. My answer in my head: “You have no idea”.

What profession do you walk out of a room that someone has just yelled, “I’m gonna kill you &%$#” and laugh? Do you perform CPR, call a time of death, then talk about your weekend plans all in the same breath? It gets worse. You don’t want to know.

Even the bad ones: a rape or child abuse. Even that has to be walked away from and on to the next stomach ache, cold/cold or even heart attack. It may, for a minute, leave a pit in your stomach the weight of bowling ball. But even then, you can usually get rid of it with a sigh so deep that it goes all the way down to your toes. Sometimes it takes two sighs.

Sometimes I give a high five to someone on my team. Not to say “congrats”, but to feel a little human touch and know I’m not alone.

If a tear even feels like it might try to work its way up from your throat, you swallow it quick. It does no one any good to let it out. The family can’t see it. Your co-workers can’t see it. We all get one turn to break down and then everyone else has to be strong. We can’t all walk around like sobbing messes. When I see another on my team tear up (dead children do it the most to us), I know this time, it can’t be my turn.

So we suck it up. We learn to turn “it” off. To well, in fact. What choice do we have? We cope. We walk into fatal car accidents with our first questions (mentally, at least) being…”were they drinking, were they high, they probably weren’t wearing their seat belts”. Something, ANYTHING, to separate us from this. Something, ANYTHING so we can sleep at night and try to convince ourselves that we are not so temporary. That our spouses and our children are not so temporary.

When we can’t find reasons, we have no choice but to swallow that lump. We come home, we hugs our kids, and we cope. By the time we wake up for our next shift, it’s almost gone.

Each time I had to do that, and I suspect I’m not alone, I lost a little something. I shut off that pathway: “sadness, remorse, fear” too many times. That now those feelings are hard to come by at all.

But I’m not alone. And it’s the people by my side that make me feel normal about this chaos that we live in. This peephole into reality, that only a few of us see. We, more than anyone understand the temporariness of it all. The unfairness of it all. That even children aren’t safe from this awful game of life that no matter what ALWAYS ends in death. What choice do we have? This our job. This is our life. Even if we quit it, it’s too late. Once you peep through that hole, you can’t pretend you haven’t seen it.

If you don’t live in our world then that last sentence is greepy, maybe…morbid? Depressing? In our world, it is fact. It is life. It is truth. We have no veil of ignorance when it comes to our own mortality. Much to the dismay of our family and friends we sometimes come off as “cold” and (I hate this one)…”insensitive”.

So we may cry a little less. But here is the upside: we also laugh a lot more. We love fully. We live without regret. We generally don’t waste time on negativity or pessimism. We understand fully “one life” and we aren’t about to waste it. We wear our seat belts and don’t drink and drive. We live smart, but never in moderation! We are the ones laughing the loudest! We don’t shelter our kids, because even children without trampolines are sometimes “temporary”. So we let them jump and we let them laugh, we just have a net! We don’t keep them home from the park because we are worried about the “Boogy man” because we know most of the time it’s “Creepy Uncle Ralph” that is doing naughty things to the babies anyway.

If I did this job alone, the isolation would be maddening. But, I’m not. My co-workers are my sanity. My family: my rock. Together we get through this life with our eyes wide open. I wouldn’t change my world for anything.

*Miss Christy and I*

{I still miss my Baywood peeps}

Never Truer Words

60 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE ROCK! 

1. PRAY TOGETHER ALWAYS 
2. READ THE SCRIPTURES TOGETHER ALWAYS 
3. Go on regular date nights
4. Hide notes in secret places
5. Go to bed at the same time
6. Listen to music together-share ear-buds
7. Buy him gifts he will love
8. Revitalize the romance with intimate dates
9. Wear shirts that tell the world you love your spouse
10. Praise your spouse to other people
11. Read a marriage devotional
12. Sleep in his t-shirts
13. Renew your vows privately with whispers and memories
14. Renew them publicly with cake and bubbly
15. Go away together at least once a year


For Women Only
16. Hang pictures of the two of you around your house
17. Make his favorite dessert
18. Make sex a priority
19. Spend time apart occasionally
20. Learn to enjoy something he loves
21. Surprise each other
22. Meet him at the door
23. Text each other from across the room
24. Set reminders on your phone to remember him/her throughout the week
25. Call him right now and tell him you appreciate him

For Men Only
26. Leave work on time and come home early
27. Engage every day in meaningful conversation
28. Compliment each other
29. Take one day a month to make your spouse your total focus
30. Argue fair: avoid these words “you always” and “you never”
31. Kiss every day
32. Find tangible ways to serve your mate without complaining
33. Forgive quickly
34. Be honest.
35. Get on the same page: plan your budget together
36. Look your best as often as you can
37. Guard your marriage
38. Laugh together
39. When you are together-BE TOGETHER (take a break from phones, technology, etc)
40. Tell her she’s pretty, especially when she’s not feeling it

Both
41. Make each other breakfast in bed
42. Do her chores for her
44. Get a couple’s massage or host your own privately
44. Dance together-soft music (both of you alone) or rocking music with the kids
45. Exercise together- hikes, bike riding, etc
46. Choose not to be annoyed by an irritating behavior/disappointment from your spouse
47. Thank your spouse often even for the least reason or gesture
48. Lay in bed together and stare into each other eyes, without talking
49. Learn something new together-take an art class, cooking lessons, etc
50. Leave a sweet comment on the Facebook wall
51. Support each other’s goals
52. Bring her flowers/gifts (even when she says they are too expensive)
53. Wear something your spouse loves
54. Share furniture-sit in his lap
55. Fight for your marriage
56. Make a point to eat dinner together most days of the week.
57. Never let your spouse feel like they come second place to your career or any other thing.
58. Talk about your dreams and aspirations. Be supportive of each other and dream big together!
59. Maintain a united front as your motto: Meaning- “Me and you against the world.
60. Speak well of your spouse.

Remember your Spouse Rocks- Even when they don’t at the moment!

*I love all of these simple reminders of things you can do to maintain a great marriage.*

My beautiful Cake

Last fall, I was called to serve on the Relief Society Activities Committee (our church's women organization).  I was a little overwhelmed initially, because in my past Arizona wards the committee went ALL OUT with each of their activities.  I didn't know if I had the time or energy to do this.

Luckily the ward (congregation) that we are currently in is very low maintenance.  They have gone from holding hardly any activities to a recent influx in members that have given them young, energetic families that want to get together.  This has been the perfect place to learn the very beginnings of how to host an activity.  

This past week we held a belated Relief Society Birthday Celebration, marking the 171st year since our women's organization was first formed.  We celebrated with a fun dinner of soups, salads, and breads.  Then we had a small devotional that discussed all the past Presidents of this organization and all the service that has been rendered by the Relief Society.  I felt a bursting in my heart as I looked out on all the lovely ladies that I have the privilege of knowing in New Hampshire.  I have so much love for them and have been so grateful for all the service many of them have provided to me and my family.  

We did decorate the cultural hall modestly, but in the end I was very proud of the results.  One of my many tasks that I was assigned, included a rainbow colored multi-layer cake.  Once again, I was intimidated and didn't know how it would turn out.  Part way through this baking adventure, I was ready for disaster.  The cake layers kept falling apart when I pulled them out of the oven. Ugggghhhhh.  Luckily I was able to solve that dilemma, which resulted in making another batch of cake mix and eventually led to adding an extra layer to my cake.  Once we cut the cake, I couldn't help but smile and feel a bit proud of myself.  It did turn out!  It looked so pretty and achieved exactly the results I had hoped for.  I have to say, I may just have to make another of these things in the future for one of my kiddos birthdays.

Easter & 31 on the 31st

Every so often my birthday happens to fall on Easter.  And this happened to happen this year {I wonder if anyone happens to be tired of me typing happen yet?} And I digress.

  I have been longing for this day for years. My golden birthday where my age and date line up.  Like since I was a kid longing.  Crazy right?  Well, by the time it came, I was much less muted with excitement and instead just looked forward to spending some good quality TLC with the family.  I had already gotten what I really really wanted: a fun girls weekend to NYC that included shopping, dining, entertainment, and lots of laughs.  Oh and my brand new pair of Toms were ordered off Amazon and being shipped to my house!

After another fun girls evening the night before my birthday, I really didn't expect anything on the actual date.  It was a great feeling to not have these impossible expectations that most likely would never be met.  It took the pressure off and I just had a fun day. 

The kids put out Easter baskets the night before that ended up being quite the patch job.  Apparently 99 cent buckets do NOT last more than a year, and so stretching to two years was a little much.  I seriously pulled out the packing tape and reattached half of the plastic on Eli and Robby's buckets.  Yikes.  Needless to say, they will all be ending up in the trash can this week.  No use saving them for a third appearance. 

Easter morning Maddie was the first to awake.  She ran in our room so excited to find out if the Easter bunny came.  We made her wait until 7am and then down she bounded to search for her basket.  Robby followed suit about thirty minutes later.  I have to admit, we were so tired that we didn't even bother climbing out of bed and taking the usual Easter morning pictures.  We were so lazy that finally we got up around 8am and then had to scramble to get ready for church.  Eli was plucked out of bed about 8:15am and barely found his basket before we left for church.  Maddie and Robby searched in vain for the parent Easter basket, but were unable to locate it.  The Easter bunny was really tricky this year and hid our basket in the ceiling of the kitchen (see pic below). Luckily Mom has really good eyes and found it after we got home.

Once again, I meant to take Sunday best Easter pictures.  Somehow we never really got around to it.  The best I got was a quick picture of Eli and Maddie at home right after church.  I think we may try to do a belated photo in a few weeks before church.  Maybe, maybe........

Doesn't he look handsome?  I sure think so.  Every time I look at this picture, I have to pinch myself in disbelief at how old he looks.  Since when did I let him grow up?  I am pretty sure he was instructed to never grow up.

Miss M in her Easter dress.  I am not really loving this picture, it seriously doesn't do this cute dress justice.  Maddie was upset that I didn't get her any frilly socks or new shoes for Easter.  Perhaps in the next few weeks this will happen.

After a fairly relaxing afternoon, we prepped ourselves and our food for a fun Easter dinner with our New Hampshire friend family. We had tons of yummy food that included funeral potatoes, Ham, Strawberry Avocado Salad, veggies, fruit, rolls and of course dessert.  Oh, the desserts we had.  My friend Steph made the most delicious homemade Cheesecake.  I NEED to get that recipe from her.  And my other sweet friend, Candace, made me my very own ice cream cake.  She knows that I'm not really a cake lover and so she specialized it just for me.  It was delicious as well.  I had a plate full of dessert that night and now need to go on a diet for a week straight to make up for it.

Later on that evening we did family presents and Skype sessions with each set of parents/family.  Robby and I had a little self photo session together as well.  I love that kid so much!

Maddie was super excited to show off her new gymnastics skills to the family and spent some time practicing before the skype sessions.  I am truly amazed how much she has improved over the past six months.  She is starting to really devote herself to this sport.  She practices constantly and talks about her goal of making the competitive team this fall. 

Oh the ice cream cake.  It was so amazing that it deserves a picture all by it's lonesome.  I will have to make one like this in the future!

Pre-birthday Ladies Dinner

I don't think enough can be said about how much I love these ladies.  They have made our time in New Hampshire fly right by.  They have built me up when I have needed it, they have listened to me complain and vent without judgement, they have made me laugh so hard I cry, they have shared many memories with our family, they have celebrated holidays with us, they have been on park dates, road trips, movie dates, lake trips, Boston Lot hikes, you name it.  All in all, they have been there for me through thick and thin.  They all know and love my children and I theirs.  We share our struggles and our successes together.  We run together, we walk together, we even do bus duty in pajamas and no make up together.  They have seen me at my very best and at my very worst.  And luckily they still love me.  I felt so privileged to have them take me to dinner for my birthday.  They are what I will miss the absolute most when we finish this adventure called Graduate School.

Tiffany, Candace, Catherine, Ashley, Michelle, Maren, Andrea, Stephanie, Laura

Tiny Tuckie Easter Party

I always look forward to Holidays around these parts.  I mean Tuck makes them so much fun.  Not only do we get to celebrate with great friends, but the kids get their own special "Tiny Tuckie" party for each one.  This year Easter did not disappoint.  C and S worked so hard and created cute decorations, there was yummy food, and they even did a fun Easter Egg Hunt.

Now if only we could get the weather to start cooperating I think that life would be about perfect.

One of our cute neighbors, Brynnlee, is absolutely adorable.  Her Mom is equally adorable.  They always seem to do the cutest things for us!  For Easter Brynn decided that she wanted to "play a trick" on us and do an Easter Egg Hunt on our front porch.  My kids were equally delighted to walk outside one day and find a note instructing them to look for hidden Easter Eggs on our porch!

New St Patty's Day Tradition

I have never been one of the put together moms, that has a ton of activities and traditions for each holiday.  I am now finding as my children grow older, they are forcing me to be more creative.  

This year, Maddie decided that she was going to make her very own leprechaun trap.  And in true Maddie fashion, she managed to wrangle together some supplies and off she went to do this.  She was so excited about the finished product, and even include some gold Easter eggs because "Leprechauns love Gold".  

The next day she was a bit disappointed when she woke up and no Leprechaun had come in her trap and left any candy.  Luckily we left it up just a little while longer and while we were at church a Leprechaun made some serious mischief in her room.  

Inspiration

One of the things I enjoy doing to while away the long hours at work, is to blog stalk during the wee hours of the night.  It is either that or crash over onto my keyboard out of pure exhaustion.  Since the latter would most likely get me fired, I go with the first option.  I have just recently found this fun Mommy blog called "Mama Sweat" and I have enjoyed reading her thoughts on motherhood.  One that touched in particular was called "Giving Up or Going On" in which she discussed the idea of resolutions to be made at any time of year instead of with the New Year. 

Her plan was to "COAST" this year, meaning "no grand plans, no expectations for change, no big goals, .....just full appreciation of where I am".  Although it is inevitable that in this stage in our lives, we will be having some major changes this coming, this phrase still rang true to me.  Sometimes the best way to live life, is to let it happen and enjoy the ride.  To appreciate the ridiculousness of reasoning with a preschooler, the inevitable tantrums with young children, the many sibling arguments, the messes made when you are living with three children; instead of feeling the need to wish the time away.  The song "Cats in the Cradle" always comes into my mind when I think of the fleeting time you have little children. 

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
Butt there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then


This was one of my dad's favorite songs when I was a child, and I remember him singing it to himself while he worked in his computer room.  Later when my brother was a little older, I would often hear Ben playing this song on the piano while they both sang along together.  Another reminder was when my brother came to visit over his Spring Break a few weeks ago.  He brought some of his sheet music and enjoyed playing on our keyboard, this song included.  What a great reminder to all of us to show our children that they are important to us, not our jobs, not our cleaning, not playing on the computer.

I was lucky enough to have parents that remembered this and made many wonderful memories for us.  I also hope to do this with my children.  I hope they remember the dance parties, tickle fests, many painting projects, the hours of playing board games, the ski days, our bedtime ritual that includes me reading stories while M and R split my hair in half and each brush or braid it. I hope the times I tell them I love them far outweigh the times I lose my temper or take out my frustrations on them.


Some of my new goals for myself on this Snow-storm filled March day are:

Do it now.  I am forever putting things off until later.  "I can clean the bathrooms tomorrow" "I will attack that list of people I need to call back tomorrow" "I will work on the ironing another day" "Maybe if I wait to do the mending it will magically fix itself".  The reality is none of this will get done without me.  If I ignore my undesirable to do list, they will still be there.  The bathrooms/floors/walls will only continue to get dirtier.  The mending/ironing pile will only grow larger.  I need to own this and just get things done instead of wallowing in my misery. 

Finish the task.  I am constantly starting a new project and then somehow my enthusiasm peters off and it lays only semi-completed for months.  I need to do better at picking one thing to work on and then finish it.  So some of these tasks right now include: finishing cutting out my quilt squares, finish making M's bow frame, hang my jewelry frame that has been sitting on my floor since before Christmas, catch up on my blog. 

Refrain from yelling: Orange Rhino Challenge.  After seeing this challenge on a friend from Arizona's facebook page I was hooked.  Basically it's a challenge to see if you can go an entire year without yelling at your children {yelling for them to come down for dinner or to stop them from being hit by a car DO NOT count}.  Publicly I feel like I do a pretty good job remaining a calm and collected parent, but there have been many a time that I have completely lost my cool at home.  I want to try to do better.  My excuse that I am tired doesn't cut it anymore.  I don't want my kids to remember me getting angry with them.  I want them to remember me as a kind, loving, patient mother that they can approach about any type of problem without fear of Mom's wrath.  So far it has been two days and I have done it.  Now just another 363 days of this......

M's Gymnastics Meet

Miss Maddie was so excited to finally get a chance to do a intersquad "meet" at gymnastics.  She wasn't able to attend the fall one because it was on a Sunday.  A few days before she said she was a little nervous and so we practiced her floor routine.  Too bad she never told me that she hadn't really learned her beam routine.

On the drive over to the gym, she announced to me that she was also nervous about her Beam routine, stating "I am not sure I really remember it". I encouraged her to do the best she could and told her she would be fine.

Bars started out well with a hit set!  She was so pleased to make all of her skills and was practically beaming with excitement.  Then Balance Beam came.  I watched her warm up and indeed she didn't know ANY of the routine.  At that point I started really worrying for her.  She looked so timid and nervous, whispering to her friends that she didn't know the routine. When it was her turn, she practically had to have the coach do the entire routine next to her because she didn't know it.  Because of this she fell twice and had a rough showing.  My heart broke as I watched her dismount and go sit down with her head held down and sob.  I wanted so much to go down there and take her in my arms to try to take away the pain.  Instead I had to stay seated in the stands and watch.  She did look up once at me and I told her I loved her and smiled and waved.  She gave me a weak smile and eventually calmed down enough to head to Vault.

Her first Vault was great, but then on her second one she stumbled and didn't go over in her Handstand Fall flat to back.  Once again she was upset and this just compounded from the previous event.  Tears flowed again and I was powerless to comfort her.

At this point I wanted so badly for her to finish off great on Floor Exercise.  And luckily it did!  Although it wasn't her best routine, she did do her Round off Backhandspring all by herself!  And with that the competition was over.  Ribbons and treats followed this and then we were headed home.  I think we were both emotionally exhausted and more than ready to be done.

We had a long talk together about the importance of being prepared for different situations in life, whether gymnastics meets or preparation for the Savior coming.  Then I promised her that I would help her practice her routines at home.  We took some post-meet pictures.  I can't even stand how cute my little girl is!

Love you tons little lady!  I cannot wait to see how you learn and grow over the course of this year.  I know great things are coming your way.

Playing Hooky

When we found out about the "Ladies Ski Day" at Pico Mountain last week while skiing with Ben, we knew we would have to come back and take advantage of this deal again.  So although it was a school day, we played hooky again and headed back over near Rutland, Vermont for another fun day of skiing.  One of the greatest travel buddies we have discovered recently is the audio CD children's books.  Over the past month or so we have read "Indian in the Cupboard", 4 books in the "Boxcar Children" book series and are now listening to "Stuart Little".  I love this because the fighting is practically nonexistent with these and the kids no longer constantly ask for a Kindle to play video games on as we travel.  I am hoping this leads to Robby enjoying reading a bit more and I am also enjoying listening to some fun children's books.  

We had a great day at Pico and were able to ski a little in the morning while Eli was at the Daycare center.  After lunch, we all headed out for some more skiing.  We had a fantastic time until Maddie's elbow got caught in one of the lift safety bars near the end of our day.  She was pretty upset about it and wouldn't move it the entire way home.  Luckily her funny bone healed just fine and she was in fine spirits by bedtime that night.

Robby was pretty excited that I let him ski most of the day with his ski poles that he isn't quite ready to use

One of Maddie and Robby's favorite parts about Pico is the smaller lifts that they are allowed to ride on with each other and the smallest one that they can ride all by themselves.

After an upsetting pack up with Maddie howling about how badly her elbow was hurting, she promptly nodded off for a nap most of the way home.  She is actually wearing Robby's sweat shirt after complaining that she was freezing cold :)

40 Degrees and Sunny

After being deprived of sunny skies and warm{er} weather for many months, we took full opportunity of a beautiful Sunday afternoon and dressed appropriately. Shorts, short sleeved shirts, flip flops by a couple of us, and of course Super Hero costumes!  

Too bad this only lasted for a few hours and now we are back in the midst of Winter with snow, gray skies, and cooler temperatures.  

Maddie has decided she is going to learn how to skateboard this year.....which means already scraped up knees and elbows

M has been trying to a toe stretch for quite some time and is still upset that she can't do it without holding onto something.  I love her concentration face in this picture

Spring Break: New England Style

I was thrilled when I got a text message a few months back from my favorite brother Ben announcing that he had his Spring Break from graduate school coming up in March.  He had caught the "skiing bug" and was trying to find somewhere to do this.  Luckily it didn't take much persuasion to get him to drive over and spend the week with us.  Our kids were once again beyond thrilled to have more family come to visit.  

I started searching local/relatively close ski resorts and the best deals for all of us.  In the end we kind of put plans in stone at the last minute, but it all turned out great.  Ben arrived LATE Monday evening.....3am late.  Because of this, we had a relatively relaxing day on Tuesday complete with sleeping in, kids in school, board games, chit chat, piano playing, and yummy food.

The next day, Ben and I headed out to the Dartmouth Skiway WITHOUT kids to ski for the day.  All the kids had school and Eli was watched by a good friend after his preschool.  We managed to borrow a friends skis for Ben that happened to be nearly the same shoe size and only a few inches taller than Ben.  Pretty much perfect.  We had a great time hanging out together on the lifts, trying some fun moguls and hills, racing down the mountain, crashing a few times a piece, and laughing together.  It has been a really long time since I have spent a day on the slopes without children.  

Around 2 pm we loaded up and headed back home to pick up Eli, grab the kids ski equipment, and pick up from school to head over to Whaleback Mountain for after school ski.  Once M and R were ready to ski, we got 4 pm lift tickets (<$10) and all headed back out.  Maddie especially had a great time with Ben after her lessons and got to show off her "Double Black Diamond" skills to a rather stunned Uncle.  In Ben's terms "I think she might be better than me".  That is quite possible, but more than anything she is fearless.  By the time evening hit, we were all exhausted and stopped and grabbed our family favorite Little Caesars Pizza.  

The next morning (Thursday), we loaded up our stuff, kept the kids home from school, and headed over near Killington to a Vermont local favorite ski resort "Pico Mountain".  This mountain was incredible.  It was way cheaper than the big resorts but nearly as large and had lots of lifts to ride and plenty of great snow.  Ben took M and R on some of the bigger lifts while I stuck with Eli.  We spent 5+ hours skiing to hearts content.  When we were all tuckered out, we packed up and headed back home.  We have found great pleasure in listening to audio books in the car as of recent and enjoyed listening to the end of "Indian in the Cupboard".  I am amazed at how well behaved my children are when we turn these on.  I don't think we ever pulled out the Kindles during the one hour car ride there or back.

Too soon I had to say my goodbyes to little bro and head off to work.  He left later on that evening with the plan that we will see each other at some point this summer.  I have really enjoyed him coming twice to visit this year.  It has been amazing to get to know him on an "adult level", instead of just being my little brother.  

*I loved all the beautiful music he played on our piano keyboard*

*The Dartmouth Skiway-- this place will always hold many fond memories of this year*

*Eli was so proud of his fighter airplane he built out of Trios that he wanted a picture of it*

*both members of the "Double Black Diamond Club"*

*Mommy and her crazy skiing kiddos at Pico Mountain*

*I love hanging out with this cutie on the mountain*

March, already?

Last year, February dragged on and on for me {used to happen to a lesser extent in AZ as well}. By then I was tired of cold weather, winter clothes, snow, snotty noses, long pants, etc.  The magical winter wonderland outdoors was no longer so exciting and I started to long for Spring time.  I felt like Spring would never come.  This year, that has definitely NOT been the case.  I feel like we blinked and February came and went. If I could describe February in word for our family it would have to be "skiing".  We have skied our way through this winter, and have all enjoyed it so much more because of that.  

Now that March has hit, I wonder how much longer this snow will stick around.  Last year we had a week with temperatures reaching 80 degrees.  Somehow I don't think that will be the case.  Until then I will content myself with smiling at this cute picture of my boys cuddling together on E's bed to watch a show on the Kindle.  It is moments like these that makes having children so close together totally worth it.  I sincerely hope that they will always feel close to each other, and that the good times will outweigh the fighting and arguments that seem to happen way too often.

Winter Sunsets

Thanks babe for taking such amazing pictures!  I can't wait until we finally buy a "real camera" for your landscape photos and my people photos :)

Kindergarten Photos

At Mt Lebanon Elementary School, each teacher has their very own "page" and Robby's teacher is FANTASTIC at updating hers with pictures of the children.  I cherish these pictures; I feel like it gives me some insight and peace of mind as to what my child is doing while he is away from me.  One of the things I worry the most about my kids, is whether they are happy at school.  Do they get along with others? Are other children nice to them?  Do they feel included?  Does anyone make fun of them?  Are they lonely? Bored? Do they listen to their teachers?  Are they respectful?  Are they loved by their teachers and staff members at the school?  Are they treated with respect in turn?  Do the teachers really work with their unique needs or are they unflexible?  The list clearly goes on and on. 

 I like to think that every parent feels that way.  I tend to especially worry about Robby.  Maddie is so couragous and strong, she radiates personality and happiness, she's friendly and makes friends easily, she easily adapts to new situations, and she always comes home bubbling with excitement about the fun things she has done at school.  Robby on the other hand, tends to be much more rigid, he doesn't like change, he has a harder time making friends, he keeps to himself about what he does at school and rarely will tell me about his day, and can sometimes be a bit of a loner.  I worry myself to death about how well he's adapting.  I just want him to be healthy and happy in body and spirit.  I yearn for a confirmation that public school is the best option for him.

So for me these precious photos mean the world.  They show me that he is growing and learning.  They show me that he is thriving, despite all of my worries.  They show me that he is listening to his teachers.  But overall, my favorite part is seeing him smiling and playing with friends.  To me that is number one to see him interacting with others and enjoying his school friends.

  I have had the pleasure to volunteer a few times a month in Robby's school class this year.  I love hearing other children call his name when they are told to pick a partner.  I love how all the children crowd around Robby and I when I read stories out loud during reading time {after snacks}.  

So although there have been several rough days of Kindergarten this year, I am happy to say that Robby is growing and thriving at school.  He is learning that he is not "running the show", that he can be brave during new situations, that he can use his "brave writing" during journal time, and that even when he has a hard day he can start over the next day and make it a great day.

I sure love this little {big} boy of mine.  He makes me worry, cry, laugh, sing, be silly, and smile.  He brings me so much joy.  He is so tender and loving with others.  He is not afraid to hug and kiss me in front of friends.  He is compassionate and is the first one to tell me he loves me when I need it the most.  My heart is bursting with love for my oldest son.  I couldn't imagine my life without him.   

Robby and Anja

Robby with his buddy J

Apple picking at Riverview Farm: Robby was pretty proud of his huge apple he picked. He was so excited that he saved the apple and brought it home to me.

Making paper Corn on the Cobs for "Fall Festival", ie Halloween

Thanksgiving turkeys....pretty creative if you ask me

Robby and Maddie's class performing at Morning Sing right before Christmas.  I was a total slacker and didn't go.  This picture is courtesy of a good friend.

{M is the shorty on the top, middle row wearing a short-sleeved green shirt, R is front and center wearing a maroon long sleeved shirt}

I am waiting to get the actual digital copy of this one.....but this is Robby and I on the day they celebrated his birthday.  We had a blast bringing blueberry muffins and getting to read "Zoomer", one of my boys faves at home "because it's so funny" per Mr R.

The kindergarten puppet shows are a riot!  These little kiddos have the funniest things to say.

FINALLY working on penmanship.  We {I} have waiting all year long to see academics pushed in kindergarten.  I am very pleased to hear they are finally working on reading, writing, and mathematics.  They have just started working on sight words as well (even though Robby is still way ahead of them).  I love seeing his handwriting slowly develop, I love seeing him begin to master books.  I cannot wait for the future with this kid.

This was such a cute idea that their classroom did.  In honor of the 100th day of school, they worked on performing 100 acts of kindness by V-day.  Robby came home with a stack of kindness hearts that listed all the cute things he did for others around him.