Feeling patriotic!

Even though summer doesn't officially begin until June 21st, the unofficial start to the summer in my books is Memorial Day Weekend!  And man, oh man, was it a beauty!

I regret having to divide and conquer our weekend and I especially regret missing out on spending the weekend on the lake, but it made more sense for me and Evan to stay behind.  Scott and Sean left Thursday evening to head up north to help Scott's parents move from one lake house to their new one about 20 minutes away from the previous house.  A full weekend of moving and rearranging sounded like a good weekend for me to catch up with my parents and friends.

Evan and I had our fair share of the sun and the water.  Well, if you count a kiddie pool and a hot tub as the water.

We dined with my parents on Friday at Rochester Mills for half off appetizers during happy hour, grabbed ice cream from the Dairy Treat, and soaked in the hot tub.

Saturday was a play date at the park with my best friend, Trisha, and her kids, Reese and Aaron.  A lazy afternoon and a BBQ for dinner rounded off another great day.

Sunday, my mom and I grabbed breakfast out with Evan before heading to the zoo.  The animals were as active as can be and the polar bears put on a great show!

After the winter we've had I can't even believe I'm saying this, but it was hot.  By 11am it was time to go home and get out of the sun!  And let's face it.  With Evan waking up at 6am every.single.morning of my long weekend, everyone was ready for a nap.

I needed to head back home for a get-together with some work friends that evening, so I met up with my friend, Kristen, for lunch on the patio at my favorite spot: Tavern on the Main.  I rushed home to quickly set up and shower for my party and then it was girl's night!

Every time I get the opportunity to spend an evening with friends, I'm reminded of how much I miss getting to spend more time with all these ladies.  We had such a great time playing Cards Against Humanity and taking rounds of shots!

The downside to a night out:  Having to wake up early to go and pick up Evan.  It wasn't a hangover; it was the 5 hours of sleep from the night before taking a toll on me the next day.  But, Evan and I survived Memorial Day together playing out in the kiddie pool, having a BBQ, and watching Frozen.  And then the rest of my family came home just in time for baths and bedtime!  There's nothing quite like those snuggles from a certain 3 year old who missed his mommy for four days!

This week is my seniors last week of school and final exams.  I can't believe it's that time already!  It's probably the first school year that I'm not anxiously awaiting their departure.  I'm going to miss some of these kids!  With graduation next week, the all-night party, the senior breakfast, and many other work obligations, I'll be a busy bee!

Tomorrow morning is my appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to assess the status of my back since it's been 10 years since my surgery and I've been experiencing some pretty bad lower back pain.  I can't live off Advil and Motrin forever!  I'm definitely nervous about the results.

A beautiful flowering tree in my parent's backyard.

And oh my gosh, there's 3 weeks from today that we'll be leaving for Portland and that means less than 3 weeks until Father's Day!  There's so much to do from now until then to get everything ready for both Father's Day and our vacation, so I'm off to Etsy to order Scott's present from the boys....a t-shirt car track so he can have the boys give him back scratches!  Curious...check it out!

Canon Beach, OR

Multnomah Falls, OR

A taste of summer...

Somehow spring managed to fly right by and we are a mere 18 school days away from summer vacation.  Don't get me wrong.  The weather still feels like spring.  Jumping from 75 degree days back down to 50 degrees.  But, what once seemed like our Portland trip was a lifetime away is now sneaking up on us.  Less than a month until we depart, less than a month until I have the entire summer with my husband, two little boys, and my poochie.  I can almost taste the freedom...

This past weekend was as low-key as a weekend can get.  Swim class, farmer's market, movie night with pizza, and a play date with the cousins.

We managed to gobble up every ounce of sunshine that came our way since it has rained for what feels like weeks straight.  It was a blessing just to be able to enjoy the monotony of weekend chores like cutting the grass and putting away groceries.

Last summer we tried our luck at keeping a caterpillar in a jar to see if it would turn into a butterfly.  We figured...what a great thing for Sean to experience.  It was a bust.  I'm pretty sure it didn't make it but two weeks before it finally croaked.  We tried.  So, it was a complete surprise when we found the start of a birds nest a few weeks ago above our garage light.  We've been watching from the window daily to see if the eggs hatched and much to our delight, they hatched this past Thursday!  The boys and their cousins have really enjoyed getting some quick peeks into the nest this weekend to see the baby birdies.  But, we're being very careful as they are robins and the mama is keeping a close watch.

We're anxious to see them learn to fly and I'm secretly hoping some of the egg shells are still in the nest to look at after they leave.

As our weekend came to a close and a new work week started this morning, I was excited to get back to work as it's my seniors last full week!  I'm sad to see some of them leave, as I've really enjoyed some of them in my classes this year.  I have the pleasure of attending the Senior Honors Dinner at a local country club on Thursday as the #1 student in the senior class asked me to attend the dinner with her.  Every year, students with a 3.5 GPA or higher are invited to the dinner and are asked to pick a teacher who impacted their learning.  This is my second time being asked in the 8 years that I've worked at this high school and it's truthfully the highest honor.  She will have to give a speech about how I've made an impact and I'm packing my Kleenex as I'm sure it will move me to tears.

Memorial Weekend Scott is taking Sean to his parent's new cottage to help them move in.  It's only 20 minutes away from their old cottage so it's nice that it's still by the same golf courses, restaurants, and of course, the outlet mall!  That leaves me home with Evan all weekend to visit my parents, some friends, and have a night out with some girlfriends from work!  I'm really excited for this one-on-one time with Evan, as it's a rare thing these days.  But, I'm a little bummed to miss out on seeing the new cottage and watching Sean explore the beach and fish.

Memorial Weekend always seems like the unofficial start to summer (the official start being the last day of school!).  It's time to get in summer mode and so we are busy planning our summer, trying not to get too carried away with plans.  A trip to Portland (a post to come with our must-do things in Portland), a mini-trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, baby showers, a bridal shower, the fourth of July, trips up north, and more.  I can't wait!  The four week countdown begins...

Reflecting on Mother's Day

It was sort of a coincidence that teacher appreciation day and Mother's day happened in the same week.

One full week where I can be recognized for the work that I put in at my 9-5 (technically, my 7-4) and for the work that I put in at home.  But, let's be honest.  People don't become teachers for the recognition or appreciation from students, administration, and the community.  Nor do we become mothers to be given flowers, jewelry, or dinners out on one particular day of the year.

Be that as it may, it's not easy to not build up certain expectations.

By Friday, I was feeling a little disappointed.  Out of 156 current students and hundreds of former students that still walk the halls at Thurston, I had one lone student hand me a card giving me "thanks".  Some generic thing she printed off the internet that she signed her name at the bottom for each of her teachers.  I should be grateful, right?

As usual, it took the disappointment to remind me that the real appreciation wasn't something that I could put on my desk.  It was there in all the hugs I received at Prom that evening as I chaperoned the junior/senior Prom at the Ford Convention Center.  It was a student saying to me this afternoon, "You could win teacher of the year award.  I love the way you write your notes.  I just get you."  It's my favorite "groupies" who choose to hang out with me after school instead of going home or hanging out with friends.

Lord knows I don't need the chocolates.  Flowers will die.  Even the cards will be tossed in the garbage eventually.  But, it's the hugs and kind words that we strive for as teachers.  For those feelings will last a lifetime.  And for that, I'm forever grateful.  For, that's the true reason most of us chose to be a teacher.

And as Sunday rolled around for Mother's Day, my family didn't disappoint.  There were no expensive gifts or flashy jewelry.

Scott asked Sean, "What would you like to give or make mommy that would make her so happy?"

His response:  "It makes mommy sooo happy when I write my name.  I want to write my name for her."

So, I was showered with a bouquet of flowers that Sean picked out and cards that the boys drew themselves.  A 90 minute massage to help with my recent back pain.  And a dinner with a lot of my relatives that I haven't seen since Christmas.

And it was exactly what I needed.  They get me.

I have nothing left to show of this day (well, except for Sean's name written out that I'll probably keep in his memory box to give him when he's 30 like my parents have done for me) other than the way I felt when my family showered me with love and appreciation.  That's good enough for me.

So, without further ado:

Happy Teacher's Appreciation week to my fellow teachers who pour their heart and soul into a job that doesn't always return the favor.

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, my mother-in-law, my grandma, my relatives, and all my mommy friends!  It's truly the hardest job out there, but the most rewarding and one I wouldn't trade for the world.

For I am somebody's granddaughter.  And I am somebody's daughter.  But, most importantly, I am the world to little boys named Sean and Evan.  I am their world.

April showers bring...

more showers in May.  And a busy schedule.

I'm too tired to elaborate, but here's our weekend recap just in photos.

Date night.
Swim class.
Farmer's Market.
Flying a kite.
Cinco de Mayo dinner party.
A Day Out with Thomas.

I'm dragging my tired-self to bed.  With Teacher's Appreciation crafts, chaperoning Prom, and Mother's Day, this week is keeping me just as busy as last week.

Goodnight!