Just Cram It All In

There are a few highlights from the past couple of weeks that I need to mention before I give up on the backlog of blog posts and just move on with current events.

First off - Happy Birthday ME!.....I'm now 39....yay....  I've begun the last year of my 30's which in some ways is sort of daunting and freaky but I have to admit that there is also a feeling of empowerment and freedom.  I'm ending a season of life that seemed to focus almost entirely on nap times, diapers, feeding schedules, sleeping through the night, ear aches, teething....you get the idea.  I feel like in some ways I'm coming out of a deep fog and my brain is kind of waking up again.  Oh hello - maybe I can think about stuff again! I could maybe stir my creative juices and get excited to set some goals to accomplish before I'm 40 and ...woah.  I think I just returned to freaking out a little just looking at that number-that-starts-with-a-four.  

I had to post this shot of Bitty during the solar eclipse whenever that was.  Sure, lots of people went out and bought fancy glasses but we happen to have a pretty cool welding helmet in the garage that comes in handy for staring at the sun.  This photo just makes me laugh a little.  Take me to your leader.....

We enjoyed a lovely evening with a dear friend from Troy's college years one Sunday evening.  I love how you can have a friend you see only once every five years but when you do get together things are just as warm and open as they always were.  Lee has a darling 5 year old daughter whom Bitty took under her wing.  The two girls started out the evening as strangers and by the end of the night were inseparable. I love watching Bitty make friends.

We spent Memorial Day up at Jordanelle Reservoir with Troy's boss who really did turn 40.  She hosted a little BBQ/paddleboard outing which sounded fun for our family to attend.  Once we got there I was a little unsure that the kids would have a good time since the area of lake where we were didn't have much of a beach or safe access to the water but the kids ended up having a ball anyway.  All you need is water and rocks to throw into it and kids are happy, plus there was this great little horseshoe-esque game they played with once they were too cold to stay in the water.  Love the way Bitty squints as she's taking aim at the target.

 We have had a TON of stuff going on at school as the year winds down.  How did that happen so fast?  Spring takes me by surprise every year.  All through February and March I'm dying for the weather to get warm and when it finally does and suddenly - uh, hi, I guess school is over.  Stomper had one more music show and tell during which he displayed some impressive recorder skills:

Bitty had a play, what our school calls a "Town Meeting," though I don't actually know why, and it was very cute.  I actually understood the plot and most of the dialogue this time which is a vast improvement over last year's kindergarten play.

Plus we held our school's annual Arts Showcase - the big fundraising shin dig we have at the end of every year partly to give the kids a chance to show off some of their art from the year.  In the past I was just one of the nameless hoard of overwhelmed parents being dragged by their offspring through the crowds.  However, since I was coerced several months ago into being part of the PTA board I was behind the scenes this year and I have a huge new appreciation for what goes into that Art Showcase as well as all the other events at our school.  Secret's out - I kind love being on the PTA even though it can be quite stressful at times. And I do love seeing the art the kids produce every year.

Let's see...what else....

Nope, I think that's good for now.  Basically the last few weeks have been FULL and makes us all go like THIS: