Six Weeks?

Seriously? I just realized that I haven't blogged in six weeks. Six weeks in blogshere is paramount to a lifetime. Now that I sit down to write something that isn't related to the criminal justice system, I realize how much I have missed blogging, and in fact how much I need it. But first a recap ...

This one, amazes me every day.

• She loves school and continues to do very well.


• She impresses me with her reading and I can tell she will have a lifetime love of reading like her parents.


• She started spring soccer (it is cold) and is adjusting. She is on a different team this year and doesn't know any of the kids (most of them are older than her, she has mad skills).


• I am learning that it is getting a bit tougher for her to adapt to change. (She had a substitute bus driver the other day and for some reason she had a tough time with that.)


• She packs her and Blake's lunches every day.


• She would craft all day long if she could.


• Recently went to her first hockey game.


• Loves IKEA and going out to eat (also known as a perfect girls weekend!)

This one, makes me laugh every day.

• He is potty training like a rock star.


• He starts soccer on Saturday (with his "lellow" soccer ball).


• His fashion idol is Napoleon Dynamite.


• Would watch cartoons (mainly "Olivia" and "Max and Ruby") all day long if I would let him.


• Thinks every baby he sees is "Baby Terling" (his new cousin).


• Is obsessed with superheros (and underpants with superheros on them).


• Likes shooting "bad guys, witches, and chickens" with his gun.


• Still loves to snuggle his mommy.

This one, still makes my heart pitter-patter.

• He is figuring out what he wants to be when he grows up.


• He is gracefully and professionally dealing with politics and politicians.


• He is riding his bike and grateful for the days of sunshine.


• He is doing PX90.


• Which means he is losing weight (20 pounds so far).


• He is reading a lot.


• He likes to shoot baskets in the driveway.


• He is taking Mylie to a math night at her school tomorrow.

And me, well, what to say about me ...

• I am tired ... but I have used 10 pm - 2 am as workable hours for so long, it is hard to give them up.


• I am excited that spring is getting close. I can hear birds chirping in the morning.


• I am behind on grading ... but may have accepted the only time I will ever be caught up on grading is at the end of the semester.


• I am feeling creative - I just can't find the time to do much about it.


• I think about taking pictures a lot, I just don't do it a lot.


• I love picking up my kids from school every day.


• I love visiting prisons and am looking forward to taking students on field trips this month.


• I am not sure if I am looking forward to taking 8 students to a conference out of state next week.


• I am wondering how my home office got so cluttered again, when it was spotless two weeks ago.


• I am *slightly* addicted to Angry Birds, but have been stuck on level 12 on my phone for days now. Sigh.


• I have been streaming Law and Order SVU at night while I grade papers.


• I am slowly losing weight (17 pounds, but many more to go).


• I have cut down on diet coke and LOVE mango peach crystal light in my water bottle.


• I am realizing that my personality traits may always cause me to struggle with finding balance in my life.


• My favorite show on TV is Parenthood.


• Jeff mocks that fact every Tuesday night.


• I hung up crime scene tape in my cubicle this week.


• I like my new haircut.


• I just ate 3 jello cups.


• I shouldn't do self portraits at midnight.


• I have probably bored my blog readers (all 2 of them).

Til next time ...

Yee-haw

I have too many funny Blake stories to remember them all, but yesterday, we were at Coscto. We were walking down an aisle and Blake sees an older gentleman wearing a cowboy hat. At the top of his lungs he yells, YEE-HAW!

Oh Blakey.

Willing Spring ...

We had a spring teaser last weekend. It was beautiful, like 60 degrees beautiful. After church we took the kids over the playground at the school. Mylie took her scooter, though she got the scooter when she was two and a half, she is a bit too big for it now. But she still had fun.

She was so proud of herself trying the monkey bars. I love this look on her face!

Blake stayed pretty busy on the playground.

We took Blake's bike and Jeff was helping him ride it. I love these next two pictures.

Of course, the spring teaser was just that, a teaser. It has snowed, been windy and cold for the better part of this week. Sigh. It was fun while it lasted.

Happy Birthday Blakey!

Three years ago it was superbowl Sunday. Instead of watching the game at home and partying, we were watching it at the hospital. I don't remember who played or anything about the game, except that during the 5 o'clock hour a big bundle of joy came into our lives. Blakey (AKA Bubba) was a whopping 9 pounder who stole my heart and has not given it back.

Before having Blake I could not imagine how I could love another baby as much as I loved Mylie. I couldn't comprehend how my heart could hold that much love. But it does, it just happens.

Today we celebrated Blake's 3rd birthday. He got to take cupcakes to school to share with his friends. When Daddy got home from work tonight we opened presents.

Taking a call from Papa.

Wondering why Lila got him a bike bell?

Mylie was so excited for him to open his presents from her. She got him batman silly bands, books and a coloring book.

THIS is my favorite picture from the whole day. We told him to close his eyes while we got his other presents.

Then he decided to just cover his eyes, except he was peeking.

Daddy brought in two surprises for him. A new big boy bike!! He was so excited.

And a new gun. Let's just say that Bosco may need therapy someday. He is Blake's favorite moving target.

Apparently all boys like guns that make noise and light up.

Blake picked Carl's Jr. for his birthday dinner. So after opening presents it was off to there. The kids had fun playing. We came back home for birthday cake.

I think Blakey had a great birthday. He certainly has added so much to our family. He is such a funny little boy and I can't help but laugh every single day. He is a cuddlebug and a momma's boy, and I like that. He is also a daddy's boy and his sister's best friend.

Trying to hold up 3 fingers ... its kind of tricky!! Happy Birthday Blake!

Professor Breach!

It has been an exciting week for me so far. On Monday, two days before my 35th birthday, I started my absolute lifetime dream job, as a full time college faculty! I am so excited to be teaching at College of Western Idaho and excited to continue to interact and inspire my students.

Between inservice meetings I have been decorating my new office.

Granted, my new office is a cubicle, but that cubicle is only 11 minutes from my house. I could have had an office in Boise, 45 minutes from my house, but the Nampa cubicle won hands down. I had such fun over the weekend crafting some decor to help make my cube feel like home.

I am so very excited to begin this phase of my life! Excited to teach, to work with the community, to interact with my colleagues, and to pick up my kids from school EVERY DAY!! Whoo hoo!!

Dear Internet ...

Dear Internet,

It is 10:59 on the last night of Christmas break. Sigh. I found the last bit of hidden Christmas candy (pretzel M&Ms, sorry Jeff!) and am munching away and uploading a few photos. My little space heater is working away keeping my feet toasty warm. Next to me is a stack of textbooks. I am quite excited to start my new position at the college in one week (1/10/11) ... it is just the week between now and then that makes me want to break out in hives. I have two online courses to finish (AKA start) developing (hence the reason I am at the computer instead of tucked into bed reading the Outlander series, sigh).

This week has some mixed emotions as I will be finalizing all my work with Youth Court and wrapping everything up there (the reason for the hives!!). It isn't so much that I am sad to say goodbye to Youth Court, I enjoyed my time working there and had a great experience, and feel ready to move on. I feel like I am saying goodbye to more than just Youth Court, but to a phase of my life that is ending. The phase where I was a mom with babies. My babies aren't so baby anymore.

{Yes, I realize that Blake is sitting in the ottoman. He's a strange one.}

I am in the process of giving away the baby stuff. Soon there won't be a swing, an exersaucer, or a bouncy seat shoved into the closets. Soon my baby won't be in diapers anymore. It is a strange feeling. I really feel like we are entering into a new stage of our lives. And it is strange.

Looking Back. Looking Forward.

2010 was really a wonderful year for our family! Jeff tested for and received his Black Belt in Kenpo. We went to Disneyland with the Ritchies and Mylie got to meet her favorite princess. Blake started and finished speech therapy and is a completely different little boy now. I was hired to my dream job, a full time Criminal Justice (and also the program head) for Criminal Justice at College of Western Idaho. Mylie started Kindergarten and Blake started preschool. We travelled, we played and watched soccer, we watched lots of movies, we laughed (and laughed some more). We were grateful for our families and friends and enjoyed all the time we were able to spend with them. We were busy.

My word for 2010 was EXAMPLE. I have been thinking about it the last week, trying to gauge how I did. I tried ... does that count for something? I feel like I have tried to be calmer with my kids, to be a better example of handling emotions. I try to be an example of a good person with all people I come into contact with. I believe that this word is something that I should always work on.

And for 2011 ...

There are so many things I want to SIMPLIFY - my priorities, my house (major purging), my diet, my finances. I believe that a lot of how complicated life is depends on how complicated we make it. This is the year I turn 35. I have so much to be grateful for, we have so many wonderful things in my life. I want to slow down and appreciate all those things, not always worrying about the next thing.

I feel optimistic that this is going to be a great year for me and a great year for our family. Happy New Year!!