An Easter Tradition

Over the years, we have tried several versions of this tradition...

My favorite?
"Coloring" egg-shaped cookies with frosting and sprinkles. Delicious!

This year, we decided to dye eggs together. The kids both did a great job of making their eggs very pretty. Sammy was super careful not to spill the dye (thank you very much) and Jonathan had so much patience as he held his egg partially submerged waiting for the dye to color half of his egg.
Although I don't have pictures of the finished product, we also added funny face stickers to our eggs. Sammy's were the silliest - having multiple mouths or several sets of eyes.

I do wonder...
When will the kids feel too old for this tradition?

Employed at last

As many of you know, I have been actively searching for a teaching job for the past couple months. The biggest problem is that so may states are cutting their funding for public education. Translation: smaller budgets, lots of layoffs, no hiring.

When I came across a listing for elementary teachers in Tennessee, I was interested but unsure. I really wanted to stay in Indiana (where I already have a valid teaching license) and more specifically, Bloomington (where the kids and I have friends and a good support network). But when jobs are scarce, a person can't be picky. So I applied.

Over Spring Break I had a phone interview with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. Later in the week I got an email invitation to a job fair at the end of March. After a little persuasion, I decided to make the trip to Tennessee for the job fair. I wasn't sure if it would be worth the time and money, but I felt like I had to at least try...

JACKPOT!
I was offered a position as a fifth grade teacher at Minglewood Elementary School today!
YAHOO!

When I sat down with the principal at the job fair, she began by telling me that she didn't plan to do any hiring that day. That is she liked me she would call me back for another interview. After about five minutes she was asking me for my references. After ten minutes she had me call the assistant principal for a phone interview. By the time I had finished talking to the assistant principal, the principal had filled out a form with all my information and a start date. She said all I had to do was sign it to say I understood.

I told her I wasn't sure that I did understand...
Was she offering me a teaching position at her school for the fall?
Yes.
Would I be interested?
Well, of course!

So, we will be moving once again. To Clarksville, Tennessee.
I am torn. I am so thankful to have a job, but I am sad to be leaving Bloomington once again.
I suppose this is just another adventure. And luckily Tennessee isn't as far away as England...

ATV Fun

Here's what we did today...
Sammy's favorite part was driving Stacy's four-wheeler!

JUST KIDDING!

But great picture, huh?

This is more like it...

Sammy absolutely loved riding on the back of the four-wheeler with Aunt Costa. They never really got out of second gear, but she had a blast anyway. She said her favorite part was going over the hills.

Jonathan and Andrew rode all over the field too. What a couple of goofballs!

Thanks to Aunt Costa and Stacy for letting us come out and ride around on their "toys" for the afternoon!

Visiting the Dabaies

On our way home from Virginia, we stopped in Ohio to visit April and her family. Mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company, but here are a few pictures of the other things we did while at their house.

Sammy and Kate drew all over the place with chalk. Kate's favorite thing to draw was Mickey Mouse. She even drew a Mickey Mouse on one of the outdoor pillows - oops!
It was so pretty out that we decided to take a walk to the park. Kate insisted on carrying her own soccer ball - just like Jonathan was doing.

Soccer at the park. Why is it that dogs and kids always stand right between the people who are trying to play? Funny.

It was so sweet - on the way home Kate wanted to hold Sammy's hand. Doesn't Sammy look so grown up compared to her little cousin?

Before we left, Sammy wanted to take a picture of Kate. Knowing that would be a challenge (ha ha) I quickly grabbed Kate and held on to her while we "cheesed" for the picture. I actually like how it turned out. (NOTE: This is the only photo from our entire trip that I am a part of...)
What I didn't get a picture of was Kate cuddling up to Jonathan on the couch. It was so cute. She just climbed right up and scooted closer and closer until she was scrunched up right next to him.

Constant Motion

From the moment we arrived at April's house, Kate was chattering. Basically, her entire conversation consisted of "Hi Sammy! Hi Jon! Hi Mary!" (She called me Mary half the time!?!) She followed Sammy and Jon around everywhere and just thought they were the greatest.

Taking a picture of Kate during our visit proved to be more challenging than I thought it would be. I guess I had forgotten what it was like to have a two-year-old. She was constantly moving, turning, playing, and talking.

The only time I was able to snap a shot of her without chasing her down was when she discovered this manhole cover on our walk home from the park. For some reason she thought it was so fun to stand on it. So I took advantage of her "stillness" and captured this shot. Could she be any cuter?

I do have to admit that as adorable as Kate is and as much fun as I had hanging out with her - she really exhausted me! Two-year-olds are so exhausting! Another thing I had forgotten about.

Maymont Park - Richmond, Virginia

A visit to Virginia just wouldn't be complete without seeing Uncle Paul.
After delivering a bunch of food to his apartment and going out to lunch, we headed to Maymont Park to wander around the gardens and see some of the animals that live there.

Here the kids are posing with Uncle Paul sitting on the "couch rock". Super cute!

Typical - Jonathan riding the bear statue while Sammy gives it a kiss on the nose.

Everyone got in on the fun when we saw this statue of kids walking on a log...

Peeking through the holes of a bridge. Notice the stuffed turtle above Sammy's head? It was lovingly placed there by none other than Uncle Paul.

It was a beautiful day for walking around outside, and it was so nice to visit with Paul.

Uncle Paul

Why is Uncle Paul one of the best uncles out there?
Because he is so much fun!
And why do the kids think he is so much fun?
Because he acts like a great big kid!

Today while we were wandering around Maymont Park in Richmond, Paul decided it would be the perfect opportunity for Sammy to photograph her stuffed turtle "in it's natural environment"...
Every time we turned around, Paul was climbing around on rocks and into creeks to place Daisy (the turtle) in the perfect location for a photo. He even took some "candid" shots while Sammy was taking a bathroom break - she had asked Uncle Paul to watch her turtle and her camera for her - uh oh.

Grandpa's Favorite Holiday

For as long as I can remember, March 17th has been a day of surprises.
Green surprises.

St. Patrick's Day is Grandpa's favorite holiday. He takes pride in the many food items that he can, will, and has turned green over the years.

Today's highlights...
Green pancakes
Green milk (yes, the whole gallon)
Green butter (who knew this was possible?)
Green bread (home made, of course)
Green egg salad
Green cake
Oh, and green poop (as Sammy informed us later in the day -good to know)
I told the kids that the worst memory I have from St. Patrick's Day is the year that Grandpa turned the creamed corn green. Just imagine what that looked like. YUCK-O!

Typical Tourists

Today we drove to Washington DC to tour the many national monuments. Even though we had done this before, this time the kids were older and could appreciate their meaning a bit more.

The plan was to head downtown early and get tickets to go up in the Washington Monument. Well, we weren't early enough. By the time we arrived, there was a sign posted saying that no more tickets were available. Bummer. So we had to settle for a few pictures outside instead.

At the Lincoln Monument with the Washington Monument in the background."The Wall" at the Vietnam War Memorial. This wall has the names of all the soldiers who gave their lives for our country during the Vietnam War. 58,195 names. Incredible. And very sad.

One of the newest national monuments (for me, anyway) was the World War II Memorial.

I especially love this picture of Jonathan at the World War II Memorial with the Lincoln Monument in the background.

The Korean War Memorial.

One of my favorite monuments was the FDR Memorial. It was interesting to walk through the four outdoor "rooms" that represented his four terms as president. Of course, the kids had to stand in the breadline for a picture.

We sure did a lot of walking today. Thank goodness it was such a beautiful day today. After seeing the monuments, we took a lunch break and ate our picnic in the back of Dad's truck. Next, we went to Arlington Cemetery and saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. I still can't believe that they have someone posted there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!

After this, Sammy had to go to the bathroom, so she and Christy headed to the visitor's center while Dad, Jonathan and I walked over to see the Kennedy gravesites. When we were done, we called Christy to see where she and Sammy were. She said they were waiting for us at the truck. Sure enough, when we got to the parking garage, they were sitting in the back of the truck eating snacks and having what looked like a fun little party together. No wonder Christy was so willing to take Sammy to the bathroom! (Just kidding.)

Sounds of South

Congratulations to Jonathan!
He was selected to be a part of Sounds of South, the advanced choir program at Bloomington High School South. In order to be considered, Jonathan had to audition for the choir director. He had to sing a solo, sight-read a rhythm, and sight-read a melody. Oh, and agree to cut his hair. Apparently his style is a little too long for a Sounds of South participant. So we will be working on a new, shorter style in the upcoming months.

Moved in but not unpacked

Today was an exciting day. Today our things finally arrived from England. It ended up taking over two months, but at last we have everything here in the states.

The movers arrived at 1pm and were done unloading everything an hour later. I suppose it made it easier that everything was just going into the garage and not being unpacked, but I was still surprised at how quickly they got it done. Now we have a mountain of boxes in the garage.

While it is a relief to finally have our belongings here (instead of at the bottom of the ocean), we don't really plan to unpack anything until we have a more permanent home. Hopefully that will be this summer. Sammy did, however, insist on opening one box of stuffed animals because she had missed them so much.

The biggest surprise was that our bikes were delivered DISASSEMBLED. When the movers loaded them into vans in England, they were in one piece. When the movers put them in the garage here at the Ostlund's house, they had been completely taken apart. I assume this was to make our total shipment take up less space, but it does leave me with a bit of a problem. How exactly do I get them put back together without any directions or tools? Thank goodness for wonderful home teachers!

Cooking 101

There's a new chef in the house...

JONATHAN.

My motivations?

(1) He wants to learn to cook.

(2) He needs to be able to cook on his mission.

(3) I am tired of cooking.

The results?

(1) A day off for me.

(2) He feels accomplished.

(3) He will be prepared for when he moves out.

Fashion (?) Show

When Jonathan and Andrew went upstairs to find something to do this afternoon, I never imagined that they would come back down looking like this...

I'm so glad that cousins have such fun together. And I am so glad that the Ostlunds have such a wide variety of dress-up clothes!

A confession

Okay.
I admit it.
Some days I wish I wasn’t a mom.
There.
I admitted the worst.
It’s just that sometimes it is SO HARD for me to keep going.

Today I had a wake up call.
I was watching one of my favorite TV shows, Extreme Makeover Home Edition. And they were building a house for a family that had their daughter kidnapped ten years ago. As I watched, I was touched by the hope the family still has as they work to help abducted children to be reunited with their families. And I realized exactly how lucky I am. I realized how much I love my children. I realized that I love being a mom. I realized how selfish I had been in wishing I could give up sometimes.

So I am working on changing my attitude and outlook.
I am working on being more patient and more positive.
Most importantly, I am working on appreciating the opportunity I have to be a mom.
And NOT giving up.

Valentine's Day Cookies

Decorating cookies with the kids always makes me laugh.
And I needed a good laugh today...

We woke up to yet another snow day - no school.
No school = no sub job = no pay check.
Determined to make today less boring than yesterday, I formulated a plan. We would go to the store and get ingredients for sugar cookies, invite friends over to decorate cookies with us and have chili and cornbread for dinner.

Well, our friends couldn't come over. I used up all the baking powder on cookies and couldn't make cornbread. I forgot to buy a red pepper for the chili. And some of the cookies broke.

BUT...
Jonathan and Sammy still wanted to decorate cookies, so we did.
And I am glad we did because it was fun watching them create little masterpieces out of frosting and sprinkles.
Sammy's cookies always have a TON of frosting loaded onto them. This one is a large sandwich cookie with two smaller sandwich cookies on top. Lots of frosting and lots of sprinkles were added later to make an enormous sugary mess. I couldn't stop laughing.

Jonathan decided to make each of his cookies look like a face of a different expression. He had one that looked like a pig, one that was smiling, one that was yelling, and one that was supposed to be whistling.

I ended up mass producing about 30 cookies for the kids to take to their church activity that night. Not nearly as cute as the kids' cookies, but still yummy.

There's no business like snow business

Last night it snowed about 5 inches. Not a ton, but enough to cause the schools to close. Bummer for me because I lost out on a sub job, but the kids were happy to sleep in and play all day.

When the doorbell rang this morning, I had a feeling that it was some kids wanting to shovel our driveway for us - for a fee, of course. I sent Jonathan to answer the door and when he called up to me to see if I wanted to pay them to do the work for us, I replied, "No. YOU can do it, Jon." I am sure he was thrilled...

But being the good son that he is, he headed outside and completed the task. He even hammed it up for a photo when I came outside with my camera.
Sammy got all bundled up and went out to brush all the snow off the car for me. What a cute little helper.

I am so lucky that my kids are willing to help out around the house. I really appreciate their help.

Too much of a good thing

While we are staying at the Ostlunds house, we have a pet cat. Their cat. Felix. And Sammy loves Felix. Sometimes too much. Poor Felix has lived alone for the past three years while the Ostlunds have been in Japan. Since we have been here, Felix has had the benefit of company every day. Unfortunately, she just isn't used to it anymore.
Sammy wants to pet Felix all the time. She tries to carry her everywhere. She wants Felix to be in her bedroom with her. She wants to play with Felix. But sometimes Felix just wants to be left alone for a while. But Sammy doesn't seem to get the hint. Even when Felix finally has enough and scratches Sammy, she continues to try to play with her. It's something we are really working on - leaving Felix alone when she's had enough attention - but it isn't easy for Sammy. She just loves animals so much.

What's on my mind

I am a worrier.
It's just part of my personality, I guess.
And lately I feel like I have a whole lot to be worrying about.
Here's just a glimpse into what's been on my mind...
- I worry about finding a permanent job.
- I worry about my belongings arriving safely from England.
- I worry about money and bills.
- I worry about the kids getting settled at school.
- I worry about being alone.
- I worry about not having health insurance.
- I worry about my car breaking down.
- I worry about finding a place to live.
- I worry about getting depressed.
- I worry about being a good teacher.
- I worry about being a good mom.
- I worry about renewing my teaching license.
WOW! No wonder I have a hard time falling asleep at night!

Answers to prayers

Wouldn't it be nice if you could pray for exactly what you need or want and Heavenly Father would answer your prayers?

Immediately...
Exactly the way you want him to...

Well, that just isn't how it works.
I've really had to adjust my thinking lately. I am trying to notice and appreciate the ways in which Heavenly Father answers my prayers. And lately that has been through the people around me.

I have had friends and family offer me a place to stay. I have had friends offer me employment. I have had friends give me helpful advice on ways to access affordable healthcare. I have had people invite our family to dinner. I have had people give me job leads. I have had people suggest housing options. I have had family and friends offer us furniture. I have had people call to check up on us. I have had people give us free services and items when we really needed the help.

And so even though Heavenly Father may not be answering my prayers in the exact way that I would have hoped, he is not leaving me alone. He is helping me through the people around me and the opportunities that I am presented with. And I am grateful.

Another Teenager

I am officially a mother of two teenagers. I can hardly believe it. Sammy turned 13 today!
It was a pretty low key birthday - just some cake and ice cream and one friend (Mina).
The cake was a butterfly. Cute and simple. And I don't think I have ever made a butterfly cake before, so that was nice to do something different.

For her birthday Sammy got a new digital camera, a gift card to Borders and one to Walmart, some books and some socks, a stuffed dog, and a handmade wooden sword. She is pretty excited to go shopping now.

Growing Up

Guess what Jonathan did for the first time today...
He shaved!
I know, I know. It was only a little peach fuzz on his upper lip, but it was still an exciting day for him. For the rest of the day he kept touching his upper lip and saying how different it felt. My little boy is growing up!

Location, location, location...

It's all about location for us as we settle into living at Tracey's house. It didn't take long for each of us to claim our spots in the living room.

Sammy loves sitting in the leather recliner and kicks a fit if anyone else dares encroach on her territory.

Jonathan enjoys spreading out on the couch - whether he is reading, watching TV, playing on his laptop, or doing homework.

As for me, I have made the over sized chair and ottoman my cozy corner - although I don't mind sharing with Felix (the cat) because she keeps my toes warm.

Snow Day

We had a mini blizzard last night. Nothing to write home about, but enough to cause the local schools to be canceled. The kids were thrilled to have the day off school and were ready to go outside and play at - wait for it - 8am. Okay, then...

Costa and I were not about to go out in the cold weather that early, so we convinced them to wait until afternoon when we hoped that it was a bit warmer. Well, it never really got warmer, but we did get bundled up in lots of layers and went outside to play.

I am not really a big sledding fan - you know, sliding down a steep hill hoping not to crash and break any bones...um, not my idea of a fun time. BUT the kids absolutely had a blast. And for me, that was what made the day fun. Watching them have such a good time.

Who loves ya, baby?

Over the holidays Sammy spent most of her time playing with her new best friend, Maggie.

They were mostly inseparable. In fact, one night at 3:00 am I woke up to hear Sammy playing in the living room with Maggie. I sent her (Sammy) back to bed immediately. About 30 minutes later I found her still in her bed - but with Maggie. I tried to get Sammy back to sleep for the next couple hours - even stooping to threatening to "ground her from the dog" if she didn't get back into bed. Finally she fell asleep at about 6:00 am. Unfortunately I was awake for good.

I'm back...

Seriously,
It has been a long time since I have posted.
Life has been crazy and eventful and downright hard.
But it is a new year.
And I am making a fresh start.
(with a fresh look too)
So,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!