We are in a very busy season with the kids right now.  April has been crazy, and with about four weeks of school left, the crazy will continue through May.  

James finishes track season this week – a separate post all about track will be coming soon

While we live closer to both schools and ballet now, the number of trips back and forth hasn’t changed.  One day last week was a marathon day.  I picked Anna up from school at 3:30 pm, dropped her at home on my way to get James at 4:00 from an after-school band rehearsal, went back home to make a quick dinner so Anna could eat early, took James to track practice at 5:15, came back home, took Anna to ballet at 6:00, went home, picked James up from track at 7:15, and picked Anna up at 7:45 pm.  Kenny typically helps with the evening chauffering but had a commitment this particular night.  

I want to remember these days and what they were like.  When the kids were babies and toddlers I remember thinking that the “running around years” looked so fun and cool!  And they are fun and cool!  A day will come when I will miss carting James & Anna around.  

Dress-up day at school

Last week it looked like we might need to evacuate our home for a nearby grass fire.  It was a warm, very high wind day, and a fire started about a mile away.  Other nearby neighborhoods were being evacuated so Kenny asked me to start putting together some clothes and toiletries for all of us.  He had been out for a few errands, and couldn’t get home due to road closures in our area.  James was at school and Anna was home with three friends over.  So, another mom offered to get James early from school, Anna’s friends started helping her pack, and within 30 minutes or so, we had a suitcase and Kenny’s laptops packed. 

We are grateful in the end we didn’t need to leave our house and that the fire was taken care of.  That evening I was completely exhausted.  Packing that quickly and expecting a knock at the door asking us to leave was a bit stressful and I was done.  I scratched the new recipe I was going to make and instead made comfort food – scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast.  I was surprised by how tired I was from this event and how many emotions there were because of it.  We learned two things from this day: 1. Don’t neglect to pray for rain!  2.  Make an emergency evacuation packing list.  I didn’t even think about photos and keepsakes – just the necessities.  A list would be very helpful. 

Two days after the fire we had colder temps, a little rain, and snow.  Enough snow to cover the peak again!  Gotta love springtime in the Rockies.  And, James and Anna are getting used to jumping on the trampoline in all kinds of weather.  Look closely and you can see the snow.  

Spring is on the way and every March I get the itch to bring in some more green to the house and freshen things up.  

We attended a band chili dinner fundraiser for our school and enjoyed hearing the 7th-grade beginning band play.  James was on cowbell for one song and in the video, you’ll hear Kenny yell “More cowbell!” – a throw-back to the infamous Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell.  

I snapped this picture one night after the kids were in bed.  I think I was feeling a bit sentimental for this season we’re in with the kids.  I see Anna’s coat, her tennis shoes, ballet bag, and her school backpack.  James’s backpack for school, his track bag, and his track uniform hiding in the corner.  I see Kenny’s jacket and my purse and snow boots.  Sometimes the clutter of it all gets to me, but if I’m lucky, sometimes I appreciate it for what it is – a representation of the people who live here and the people I love.  I know I’ll miss seeing the kids’ bags one day.  

We enjoyed a night watching the Globetrotters in March!  A Christmas gift from Pap & Oma, Kenny’s dad and Kathleen.  We had a great time!

This week on the way to ballet, Anna and I had quite the conversation.  

Anna:  Are you going to hide Easter eggs again this year, and have Easter baskets, Easter Bunny?  
Mom:  (Gasp)  Anna!  You think I’m the Easter Bunny?
A:  Yeah, mom.  James told me.  You’re the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy.  
M:  Did you ask him or did he just tell you?  
A:  I asked him. 
M:  How did you feel when he told you?
A:  I was disappointed.  I can’t believe you guys lied to us all those years!  
M:  Do you wish we would have told you the truth instead when you were little?  
A:  No, it was fun.  And I want you to keep doing it.  But why do you act excited when you see what’s in your stocking every year if you put the things in it?  
M:  And why do you keep writing the Tooth Fairy notes?  You knew it was dad and I writing you back?  
A:  Yep.  I still have all of the notes.  I even saw dad come in one night and put money under my pillow.  

Well, the truth is out, but our girl (and I imagine our boy, too) still want us to continue these traditions.  

Some pictures from Anna’s class Valentine’s party…

In March, Anna’s class celebrated Pi Day with some activities with salt dough and of course, eating pie!

Anna dressed for 50s day and the all-school Sock Hop.  She had a blast!