Weekend Recap

Why does it feel like the weekends fly by and the weekdays drag on and on forever? We always say we are not planning anything and staying home and getting caught up around the house, and that normal changes as soon as the last bell rings on Friday and we hit the road running.
The last couple weeks my weekend tradition has become heading to our local Family Thrift Center. Last year, our dear teammate Julie introduced me to it and I've sort of become an addict it now. They will put together book bags. Normally there are anywhere from 5-8 books in a plastic bag for usually 2.92! For like, brand new books most of the time! I need one of those signs, You know you are a kindergarten teacher when you can pumped about cheap children's books. Seriously, it is great and the best part of the challenge is the digging under junk to find a great deal. Mom surprised I haven't gotten weird looks because I'm pretty sure when I find a good bag I'm talking to myself the entire time.
Anyway, this weekend we had just a few things on our plate. Friday night we went over to Jerimiah's parents and we made some pizzas. They were delicious according to Carlie. The girl's vocabulary amazes me everyday. Also, the other night April brought over a bike for Cohen. He is still not quite sure about the pedaling, but we are working on it. Saturday we helped April and Max move there stuff to a house they are renting out in Hempstead. Today was church, naps, lawn mowing, bike riding and my favorite part of the weekend, snuggling with my babies!

Pictures

With the world these days, I forget about people who DON'T have facebook.  My grandparents being one of them.  I am so blessed to have the majority of my family on facebook, that I forget that they don't have it so they do not get the privledge of being spoiled with so many pictures of beautiful babies.  So my dad asked if I would take some so he could print for my grandparents in Iowa and so I could print some for my grannie in North Dakota.  I don't know what I was thinking that they would actually cooperate and it wouldn't take long to get a great picture of them both looking and smiling.  HAHA, yeah right momma!  We spent some time Saturday afternoon taking some pictures and got some good shots.  Hope everyone enjoys!

My beautiful TWO year old.  Stop growing missy!

Laughing!

Cheese!  He looks so old!!

I'm ok!  I'm ok!

 

Beautiful babies!

Roar!!!

Binkie Boot Camp

One of my new year's resolutions is to try to get Carlie off her binkie, or at least during the day. When Cohen was little, he also had one but as soon as he started getting teeth, he basically took himself off it. For him, we battled his bottle for along time. He got down to having it just before bed, but it sure was a challenge. With Carlie, as soon as she had her 1st birthday we just went cold turkey and moved onto a sippy cup. Although she was not near attached to it as her brother. Her thing, her "b".
This week we have let her have it at bedtime and nap time only. She asks, begs and cries throughout the day, but each day it has gotten a little better. I'm fine with her still having it to sleep but the goal is for her not to want/ have it during the rest of the time. So far, so good though. We will see how this week goes and hopefully even get her away from it all the time. Thanks Miss Kim for helping us during the day also with this. Next up, potty training!

Carlie's 2nd Birthday

We had a great day for Carlie's birthday. We started by going to church in the morning. Then in the afternoon her Gigi, Auntie and I brought her to The Cheesecake Factory and then to the American Girl store that recently opened in Houston. She loved trying all the dolls and accessories out and we bought her the Bitty Baby. When she is 5/6 I would love to buy her an American doll. We then went back to Gigi's house and had cupcakes and she got an awesome bi pink trunk with dress up stuff. She loves it! I can 't believe my baby is 2 already. Happy Birthday baby girl, we love you so much!

Christmas 2012

 

We stayed here in Texas for Christmas this year. It was a little weird with just getting out of school and then celebrating right away. But, it also makes it nice that we will have another week to hang out and rest up. Christmas Eve we spent at home with our family of 4 and opened presents with the kids. Then Santa came and brought things in their stocking for Christmas morning. Jerimiah's family came over for lunch and we made fajitas. It was so yummy. My dad came in a few days later to spend the weekend with us and tonight we are having a very low key NYE.

 

Hitting Home

As I've had more time now to sit and watch and read of the horrific events that took place in the small Connecticut town, I weep.  As an elementary teacher, it hit home, hard.  Every year we practice drills at our school.  To be honest, it sometimes seems as if it is just quick, let's take five minutes and mark off that we practiced.  When I go to my room tomorrow, you better believe I'll be pulling out my flip chart and looking at it alittle more careful to know what exactly the procedure is.  This year, our district changed the procedure though to an intruder lockdown.  Fight or Run or something like that it is called.  It is now MY choice what I do with my precious students.  Do we stay in the room or would it be safer to run out and get the heck out of the situation.  I can't even fathom having to make that decision, especially if it were in situation like Friday.
My heart is saddened for the families of these beautiful babies and adults that were killed.  I watched a clip on CNN of a 30 year old dad whose 6 year old blonde hair beautiful girl was one of the students killed.  He wept.  He spoke of her and how she made sure everyone around her was happy.  She would carry her markers and crayons around and make cards if someone was feeling sad.  I have 22 just like her.  Although this is going to be a stressful week and students throughout the school are a little more energetic then normal, I'm just going to love on them.  The stories of the couple of teachers who lock their kids in the closet and protected them, breaks my heart.  No teacher signs up to be a defense person like that to children.  I pray that I never have to face a situation like this, please join me in praying for all schools across this nation, that this never has to happen again!

How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art...I get choked up everytime I hear that song or we sing it in church.  It was the last song we sang at mom's funeral and thus, I am reminded of it everytime.  It is a beautiful song and since then have sang it at most of the funerals I have been to since.  Today was a tough day.  Jerimiah's dear Aunt Penny lost her battle with cancer on Thursday morning.  She had surgery back in the spring and it was too bad that she did not have any more treatment and was given a short time to live, which turned into about 7 months.  Although I didn't spend a huge amount with her besides major holidays, she always made me feel so welcome to the Kindrick family.  She had such a sweet quiet spirit, similar to mine, and she loved Jesus with all her heart.  She made Jerimiah and I's wedding photo DVD for us and found so many pictures of my husband to add and was so fun to learn some of the storie behind them.  Her spirit and fight in fact was that similiar to mom's.  Maybe that's why today was difficult for me.  It is never fair or fun to have someone die, but when people like her do, you can't help but rejoice that they are now enjoying the streets of gold and living with a perfect body again and do not have to suffer any longer from the horrible cancer disease. 
Lately, I have been missing my mom so much.  There is so much in my life that makes me so sad that I can not share with her and with my sister's life.  Like how Amy lives life to the fullest and is a friend to all she meets.  She strides for what she wants and is excited to start to new job doing things that she absolutely loves and is good at, like taking photos.  Or how my beautiful babies will never know the most incredible grandma ever.  Carlie has taken too carrying around a picture of her that is in Cohen's room.  She knows exactly who is and not that I'm hiding her, but it has just never come up with a one year old who that lady is in the picture.  But no, she know's thats "my gamma".  Break this momma's heart.  I would never wish in a million years for mom to be back and dealing with weekly chemo treatments and MRIs and all the long drives to Sioux City, but dang it, I miss my mom!  8 years sees like a lifetime that she has been gone, but in the other hand, it seems like yesterday.  So  much has happened in those years and I can't hope but believe that she has been up there helping God orchestrate all the wonderful things that I have been blessed with.  Because that was her, wanting to provide and give me and my sister and dad what we wanted.  And most of all, that was her unconditional love.  Just like Aunt Penny.  She left some words that the sweet Pastor read about hopes she had for her two children, Amy and Andrew and her grandchildren.  What a sweet touch and thoughts to leave them with from an incredibly brave mom.  
I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the reason why God chose to take my mom from me so early in my life, but I know that is all yet to be seen in his amazing plan.  I do believe though part of it what my life is now.  Here, in Texas.  There is no way I would have packed up and moved if she was still fighting the fight.  Thus, no Jerimiah, no babies, so I see Gods plan in that, but for me who was depended on Mom for alot of things(just ask my sister who still gives me grief), I often wish I had her here on Earth to help me through life. 
A sweet young family friend of the Kindrick's sang and played piano that Penny had taught her to Natalie Grant's In Better Hands Now.  I...lost...it.  She did a wonderfully job and rejoice in the fact that she, along with many others who suffered from ugly cancer, are in much better hands with healthy bodies enjoying God's presence everyday.  So tonight, I'm going to kiss my babies a little more, hug my husband tight and tell them I love them and thank God for them as we never know when our life on Earth ends and new life with him will begin.  But until a day, I've been inspired again to try and be that light and person of love in this terribly dark world.  Here's the beautiful song that was sang.  Enjoy.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yKlQ6zoqDE