crown uptown.

This is such a fun field trip. Exhausting, but fun.
I love that our PTO is willing to spend the money to send our school here each year.
Last year, it was just our K-1 kids who went to the dinner theater and 2-4 enjoyed a local production.
This year it was all of us... which is a lot of kids. The day before spring break... which was a little crazy.
But crazy can be fun sometimes...

This may be one of my favorite 1st grade pictures from this year... 

This little guy was less than thrilled to be taking a picture with his kindergarten little sister. But seriously... how gorgeous are their little faces?! 

I was responsible for this girl's retainer during lunch. Can't be too careful with that thing, after all.

This day sounds like it should be so easy for teachers.
But holy cow.
It is EXHAUSTING. Seriously.
Luckily we all had the entire week of spring break to recover. =)

{winner!}

Yep, I agree....comparison happens all of the time, and it's a dangerous trap that I've fallen into. I haven't fallen into it with blogs as much as I have with Facebook -- which is why I've had to take "breaks" occasionally.

Congrats, Sarah! 
You can take a little break, enjoy the nice weather and do some reading! =) 
I'll get the book to you sometime this week! 


Thanks to everyone who commented! =)

before spring break.

Our spring break is quickly coming to an end and there are way too many things left on my list! 

Somehow that always happens. 

All these pictures are from the week before Spring Break... when it was 70* and beautiful. 

This week it's done nothing but rain. Boo. 

But we have had some fun. Actual spring break pictures coming soon... 

Corey came home with these for me the other day. So happy sitting up in my kitchen window. (and they always make me think of you, Meagan!) 

I switched them to a mason jar... but there was something sweet and charming about the pork and beans can. =)

{giveaway!}

Does anyone else ever feel this way?? 

"She makes it look easy." 

"How does she...? "

"Why can't I...?"

It's so easy to fall into that trap. Comparing yourself to others... wondering why your life doesn't look like theirs... asking how she manages to get ______ done, while you struggle with only ________. 

This is so true. Nothing can steal your joy faster than comparing your life to someone else's. 

There will always be someone out there who appears to have it better. 

And appears is the key word there. 

I love blogging. 

I love reading blogs.  

I love the friends that I have made through blogging. 

I love the ideas and inspiration I get from other people's blogs.

But I also see the downside of reading blogs. 

source

I try to keep things pretty real here. 

I hope no one ever feels like I am only showing you the highlight reel. 

I do show lots of pictures of happy, smiling kids. 

But I also try to tell you things like... my goal for the last month has been to get through the mornings without yelling. 

And I have been doing really, really well. 

But I had to ask Corey to take over more of the responsibility at bedtime. Every night. 

I was just done by then and was losing my temper way too much. 

So the "no yelling" in the morning was probably just cancelled out by the frustration of bedtime. 

He's been doing 90% of the bedtime routine most nights. 

And I get to be a happy mommy who gives hugs and kisses and I love you's. And really means it. 

I get an online devotional every weekday from Proverbs 31 Ministry. Last summer, they were advertising this book... 

A novel for every woman who has looked at another woman’s life and said, “I want what she has,” She Makes It Look Easy reminds us of the danger of pedestals and the beauty of authentic friendship

I bought it. Read it. And reminded myself that it's not always true. The wife/mom/teacher/woman who makes it look so easy... often has some not-so-easy things going on in her life, too. Appearances can be deceiving. 

Thank you, Julie, for letting me share this fun little print! It's perfect. And so true. 

None of us have it all together. 

Seriously. 

I know I don't. 

If you don't have it all together... if you struggle with comparing yourself to others... if you have ever found yourself thinking, "How does she....?" or "Why can't I... ?" then leave a comment. 

I'll choose one of you at the end of the week and will send you my copy of "She Makes It Look Easy." 

It's that easy! =)

reverse thinking.

Don't you love that??

gretchie.

Two year olds are so much fun. 

Their little personalities are starting to really show... they are talking all the time... and they are funny. 

Really funny. At least my two year old is funny. 

Gretchen Jane, you make me smile every. single. day. 

Just a few things I want to remember about you when you were two... 

You have a freckle on your leg. Just one. You call it an owie and every single time you take a bath, you try to wash it off. Every single time. 

You adore your new baby cousin. (Mommy's pretty fond of her, too. I think we need to go visit again.)

You could play this game all day. You love to hang upside down. "I upside-down, Mommy!"

You creep over our shoulders or across our laps and get in our face like this all. the. time. It's one of your signature moves.

You don't usually say anything... just stay inches away from our face until we smile at you, talk to you or kiss you.  You do this to me every night at supper. Probably 5 or 6 times each night. 

You love to dress yourself. Several times a day on the weekends. You come up with some pretty fun and colorful combinations, too.

You've had a cold off and on this winter. You are really good at saying, "My nose needs wiping..."

I don't think you ever take a nap at home now without undressing yourself at least once. This day, I put you down for a nap wearing this kitty onesie, leggings and a skirt with bloomers attached. The first time I checked on you, you had the onesie and skirt on, but no leggings. When you woke up from nap, you were down to just the onesie... which was now backwards. 

You love to read books. Pretty much any book. You still love to bring us Sophie's chapter books and ask us to read those. =)

You are so snuggly and cuddly and lovey. You love to be held and carried. Most mornings before school, your feet never touch the floor.

You said "Love you" for the first time last weekend. I've been trying to get you to say it for the longest time, but you would just give me an ornery little smile and say, "No. I can't say that." We were at Grandma and Grandpa's, trying to get ready to go to a wedding... I kept shooing you out of the room and telling you to go find Grandma so I could get dressed. You opened the door and came back in for the 3rd time and said in the sweetest little voice, "Love you, momma."

You take your pajamas off every night lately. We put you to bed in warm footy pjs and I get you out of bed in the morning wearing just your diaper. (So thankful that you have yet to remove that!) I really don't think you get hot, I think it's just a game to you. You laugh every morning when we say that you are naked. 

Last night we put you to bed in just a onesie. This morning, I got you out of bed in a backwards, unsnapped onesie... and one of Lawson's t-shirts. Your sneaky little hands reached through the crib slats and into his dirty laundry basket. You thought you were pretty funny. =)

You chatter and chatter from your carseat some days. You end nearly everything you say with, "Right, Mom?" Half the time I have no idea what you just said (you talk pretty quiet) but I can't get you to repeat it. You just keep saying, "Right, Mom??" until I agree with you.

I love your little pigtails. You look so much like Sophie did at this age. You must have just learned "brother and sister" because you love to say, "There's my brother!" or "That's my sister!" But you usually call them your little brother and sister. =)

You tell us all the time that we are funny. "You're funny, Mommy..." You are really the funny one, though. You have the sweetest little personality. You make us laugh all the time.

You love to be outside... to swing... to jump on the trampoline... to ride in your bike or in your car... to go down the slide... and to run. I wish that I had half your energy.  You love to climb on the yellow stool and wash dishes in the kitchen sink. You love to get in the jar of dog biscuits and give Marley a bone. You love to watch Dora.

You are the sweetest little blonde pig-tailed person and I am so very lucky to get to call you mine.
We adore you, Gretchen Jane.
A little bit more every single day.

saturday.

I have an angry, swearing husband in my basement.

I really miss Miss Carrie. A lot.

I really like indoor soccer. To watch, not to play.

You've seen that Pinterest pin: "I don't run with scissors. Those last two words were unnecessary." Yeah. That's me.

I just had to use spellcheck to figure out how to spell unnecessary.

I'm really tired of whiny, arguing children.

I just had a little "Come to Jesus" meeting with my two whiny, arguing children.

Said children are currently playing nicely together. We'll see how long it lasts.

Gretchen is my only sanity right now, I think. She makes me smile.

I fed Gretchen yogurt and a pop tart for lunch. Mommy of the Year, here.

My hair has finally pretty much grown back in after all the breakage/hair loss/thyroid issues.

I had forgotten how much hair I really have. And how puffy it can get.

My to-do-list is too long. So, of course, I am sitting at the computer. (I do have laundry in, though.)

Watch DVR is still on my to-do-list, though.

I think I'll go try and accomplish that big task.  =)