Saturday Snapshot

Since I'm a little late for Photo Friday, we'll call this little post Saturday Snapshot.

Best Buddies

Don't Look Now

Don't look now, but this is today's 2nd post! Two post in one day...I should totally get extra points or something.  I am sure you are asking what could be so momentous that it could require and 2nd posting today.  Well, I'll tell you.

Kara at Kara's Party Ideas is hosting an AWESOME giveaway. She is offering up a chance to win a Silhouette Craft Cutter. Don't know what that is? Go here to check it out...go ahead, I'll wait. Okay, now that you have seen all the super amazing things that it can do get on over to Kara's Blog and enter to win.

If You Fear Change...

we heart it

 I wouldn't say that I fear change, or even that I fight change...in fact in most cases I welcome change (my husband will probably disagree). I think that change is a part of life and when everything is said and done I am generally pretty happy with the results. It's just the act of changing and the waiting that I am not so good with. I am a planner by nature and I like to have control of the details and thus control of the results and sometimes life (and change) just doesn't work that way. There are lots of changes brewing in the Land of Douglas right now and I am doing my damnedest to put on my Patient Panties,  roll with the punches, and embrace the waiting and the forthcoming changes.

How do you handle change? Do you fear it or embrace it?

She's a Maniac

She's a maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

Back To School

Summer is coming to and end and parents, kids, and teachers are getting ready to go back to school.

Chris has already gone back and is ‘’enjoying” a week of teacher in-service before the kids come back. His college class didn’t make this semester, but he will have three preps at MHS since the board approved his proposal to start a ceramics program. He’s also the president of the local chapter of ATPE and the sponsor for the LEO’s club. I’m sure he will tack a few more things onto his list of responsibilities before it is all said and done. This is Chris’ 5 year of teaching so we are pretty used to the back-to-school-routine.

Last Friday brought a new routine, and it’s taking a bit of adjustment - Alyvia started daycare.

First Day of School (8-13-2010)

We survived the first day drop-off (and all the rest for that matter) with no tears from her or from me. In fact, she generally seems happy to be there, smiles at the teachers and is eager to get to playing. We went ahead and started her in the 12 – 18 month class since she will be 1 in a little over a month (YIKES!) They have a fairly structured schedule that includes outdoor playtime, early learning activities, snack time, nap time, etc. By all reports Lyvi is doing really well at all except the naptime thing. Her teachers have tried everything and she just Will. Not. Sleep. So by the time we get home with her at 4:30 she is exhausted and grumpy and cannot carry on without a nap… a nap that while necessary, totally throws off our evening routine. (I should note that we have considered pushing on without the nap in hopes of encouraging a normal bedtime and a regular nap schedule the next day, but that is just not an option at this point). So for now we will celebrate the no-tear drop off, adjust our evening routine and keep hoping that she adjusts to daycare enough to nap.

Napping aside, we are actually excited about the daycare program she is enrolled in and think that she will ultimately benefit from the program and the interaction with the teachers and kiddos in her class. Everyday they send home a daily activity sheet to tell us about her day and yesterday they sent home her first art work!

I love that I was able to stay home with her for so long and that we are now able to give her this opportunity to learn and make new friends.

Life Happened

I saw the rest of my old friends

At our reunion at the Holiday Inn

And it seemed like it was only yesterday

Standing in the gym in our cap and gown

Full of wonderlust and glory bound

We set out to chase our dreams on wings of passion

But somewhere along the way we got distracted

Life happened

Our clothes went out of fashion with our songs

We started families and bought SUV's

Became step dads and soccer moms

I finally realized we turned out alright

And we spent the night just catching up and dancing

And life happened

                                   - Tammy Cochran

A little of 10 years ago I was a high school senior. Friday Night Football still ruled the weekend, our lives revolved around who was hooking up, who was breaking up and who was hosting the next party (in which pasture). A little over 10 years ago I was one of 217 kids who thought we knew it all, who couldn't wait to graduate and to leave Montgomery in search of bigger and better things.  Many of us found the bigger and better we went in search of, we started careers, changed careers, got married, had children and a few of us even found our way back to Montgomery. Life Happened

Yesterday many of us reunited at our 10 year reunion. Our class officers worked hard to put together a memorable evening of dinner, dancing, and good friends.We are all older, some of us are wiser and all those things that mattered so much 10 years ago (the rumors, the drama, etc) it ceased to exist. We spent the evening reminicing about old times, laughing at how smart we thought we were, and toasting to how far we've come.  Life Happened.  .

When I graduated from college and embarked into the career world I measured each job opportuinty about how I would feel about claiming that job at my high school reunion.  I was ashamed that I eneded up using my college degree to be an assistant.  (I was young, and dumb - I know better now).  With each step I took in my career I thought about how I would measure up at that dreaded reunion.  I finally achieved the managment position I desired and built a resume I would be proud to discuss amongst my high school peers and then I walked away from all of it.  I went to my high school reunion with no career to compare to my peers...and you know what? it didn't matter.  In the last 10 years I have grown up alot, and I finally understand that everyone's path is different and that you can't really compare where you are to where someone else is (yes, my parent's told me that over and over again...it just took a while and some experience for it to sink in) I am proud of all that I have achieved and happy with the life I have built and the family that I have started. I am happy with how my Life Happened.

Box Car Kid

Baby in a Box

Lyvi gets the biggest kick out of having Chris push/pull her around in whatever empty box she can find.  She squeals and even makes a car noise while they speed around the living room (usually chasing Marciello).

Making God Laugh...

They say if you want to make God laugh, you should tell him your plan. I can say with a great deal of certainty that he is getting a good chuckle out of my life right now.

I am a planner by nature....always have been, probably always will be.  I make notes, I make list, I pour over the details, I establish a clear Plan A and Plan B.  Before Lyvi was born I planned all the things I would do as a stay-at-home mommy.  Reality made it pretty clear that I was overly ambitious.  We eventually settled in to a nice routine and I gave up on crafting and housework and just focused on enjoying the moments and memories with my sweet baby girl.  Last Sunday I planned to go to church.  We were all up and dressed and ready to go; nap time beckoned Lyvi, a melt down ensued, and we stayed home. I am getting use to my plans changing at a moments notice, but it doesn't stop me from my elaborate plans.  When the time came to discuss going back to work, I had a plan for that too.  Alternative Teaching Program - Teaching Job - PPR Test in December - Teaching Certificate - BING! BANG! BOOM! There is just one little hitch - no one has hired me :( So for now I will continue to work on the online portion of my alt. cert training while substitute teaching and hoping a teaching job or something else pops out of the woodwork at the appropriate time. I'm also going to try to tackle the aforementioned stay-at-home mommy list, maybe a few entrepreneurial endeavors (more on those later) and I just might squeeze in some me time.

So I guess you could say that for now the plan is to just see where life takes me and leave the planning to a greater power.