Tell me what it is you want to do with your one wild and precious life? -mary oliver
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts

Sunday, September 11, 2011

These Moments


To say the beginning of school is busy is an understatement.  Add multiple curriculum nights, the kids' activities beginning, Sarah's meetings, Andy's travel schedule, and these past weeks have been a blur.  Every year at this time, I do something that tells me I need to slow down.  One year, I scheduled a substitute for the wrong day.  This year, I took Addy to a meeting that wasn't until next week.  Poor Sarah is crashing in bed around 7:30pm from her new school schedule, but we are surviving.    So when Andy texted me the Thursday before Labor Day about a quick over-nighter up north, I jumped at the chance for all of us to get away.

The trip was one comedic error after another from the moment we started the journey until we arrived back home, but the kids enjoyed themselves and we left the cluttered home and work schedules behind for a brief 24 hours.

The weather was cold and rainy, but that did not stop our kids from living in the moment and celebrating our time together.



Sarah enjoyed her first time at an amusement park, and was thrilled when we found rides that she could go on.

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Thank you to all who emailed me about a website for glasses that are designed specifically for kids with Ds.  The ones we ordered from the doctor do not stay on, so we'll most likely be ordering another pair.  We're learning:)
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Sarah's adjustment to the preschool is wonderful.  I was able to meet her teachers at curriculum night and share her story.  They were apologetic about the red marker that was all over her clothes when she came home.   My response,"Clothes are replaceable.  Experiences aren't.  Everything is new and she loves to try and experiment!"

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 On this day of remembering, my heart is filled with gratitude on so many levels.  I was teaching first grade ten years ago, Andy was in another state, and I was scared to bring a child into this world, where something like that could happen.

Until I heard the words, "If we live in the state of fear, we let them win."

One year later, Addy was born.
Seventeen months later, Austin came into the world.

Seven years later, we crossed the globe and lived in another country for seven weeks to bring home Sarah.

Our gifts, our blessings, our love.  Our glass is always half-full, knowing we are bountifully blessed with our family and friends.  May you all celebrate the gifts you've been given and be filled with gratitude, no matter how big or small.

Gratitude...it's a wonderful thing.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Road Trip

 Around this time of the summer, I get that feeling like I haven't done it all yet.  School will be starting soon and it will be time to get my teacher game face on.  So I want to pack as much as I can into this last month.  No regrets, no "I wish", just leavin caution to the wind.

Yesterday morning,  I received a text from Imogen around 8:45am as I was taking Sarah to her ENT appointment.  "My planning skills are in top form this morning...Would you be interested in going to The Works in Newark?  Around 9:45ish?"

Heck, yeah.  So I called her and we made plans to leave as soon as our appointment was over.  My text looked liked this when I pulled into our driveway..."I'm home. Give me 20 minutes..."
 Enough time to change clothes, pack some snacks, diaper bags, and tell Andy we're off!!  Don't know what time I'll be back.  I told the kids we were going on an adventure, and they kept guessing the entire way.  Until we rode into the city, "Mama, are we in Lima?"  "No, Baby.  But it looks like it."  A quick lunch, and then we walked into this perfect, hands-on museum for our kids.


We all stepped in front of the heat-seeking machine and could see ourselves on the tv.
Some exercise and physical fitness booths, along with a Wii Fit exhibit to "try" out.

A "tear apart" a computer place, complete with safety goggles and real tools.

But their most favorite place was the Farmer's Market and dress-up pretend place.


 I sat on the bench, listening to them weave their make-believe tales, and ad-libbing as they went along.  The magic of make-believe and pretend, the fairy-tale land.   A wonderful place for all ages.  I foresee us making more trips over there in the future.  (Fortune Telling is my next career:)
We're trying to stay cool in this "Can't believe how hot it is" week our country is in now.  Pool, library, and more inside adventures on the horizon. 

Happy Wednesday:)