HELL YES! It's MAY! 8 school days left! I do not know who is more excited, me or the kids ;)
We've had a great spring, some beautiful weather (we've teetered on the edge of over 100 degrees already but then dipped back down to some nice temps) and lots of blooming flowers! Blooming flowers, blooming kids, the world just keeps on turning faster and faster at every blink of an eye.
Cassandra is still working. She's getting between 16 and 35 hours per week in addition to school. She's busting her ass! She's working on driving still, I have high hopes that we will really make some great progress this summer when we have an abundance of time together and much more flexibility in our schedules. She's loved at her work, they are constantly calling to ask her to help with extra shifts. They always make a point to tell me how much she is liked and respected for the work she does! She is wrapping up her 10th grade year beautifully. Can I just let you know that I'm in shock that she'll be a JUNIOR ?? WTH?
Savannah is doing awesome! She is super excited for Comic Con in June! There are so many actors and writers she is interested in seeing! She's had a great year despite all her illness/absences. She's caught up her grades every time and is getting two awards on the last day of school. One for math and one for language arts! She doesn't know she's receiving them, I am so excited to see her face. She's reading the Hobbit in class, she used her saved up Xmas money to buy the movie trilogy and she's got me watching the movies with her. I love it because she loves it and her enthusiasm is contagious. There is a drawing class for the summer that she is very interested in, I hope we are able to get her a spot in it! It covers a lot, including anime which she is dying to get more direction on. She'll be at the high school with Cassandra...I don't even know what to say other than I'M GLAD they'll have each other!
Griffin is doing well! His grades are good after ups and downs due to absences. We've had a bitch of a year all around for illness. Stomach bugs, upper respiratory, sinus infections...we got it all, multiple times! He pulled it together and had a great year. We will sure miss his time at his current school. He had his teacher for two years in a row as the teacher went up a grade level with his class. It's hard to leave a great teacher, harder when you've had them for two years. He's improving on his long board, I don't know how much practice he'll get this summer with the heat but perhaps it will entice him to get up early a few mornings each week to ride it. He's looking forward to a baseball camp for three days in July and trying out for the track team for 7th grade.
Alyssa is doing amazing in 3rd grade. Her year has flown by! She's settled in at her new school since December and you'd never know she was the "new kid" by the way the students and teachers greet her! It really makes me all the more positive it was the right decision to move her, what a great environment. She LOVES Minecraft! Her birthday is June 14th and she's already let me know that her party will be Minecraft themed. Thankfully Pinterest is loaded with party ideas!
Shane is busy busy and more busy! His ankle is healing well and he's getting back to his old activities which is so good to see. I've got some sign orders that he'll be cutting wood for me. He's working a lot of hours but doing great things for the District. He is taking us to the Alton Brown show this Thursday, we are so excited!
I'm doing well, subbing has been BUSY but wonderful! I've been volunteering in the special ed class as well which is always my happy place. I'm running for the school board, I start collecting signatures tomorrow. This will be an interesting adventure!
Everything else is moving along, I hear Shane and Cassandra getting home from work so I am off for kisses :)
Monday, May 9, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
March and April 2016
March flew by! We had a wonderful spring break :) We spent the first week relaxing and doing some spring cleaning. The second week we spent 4 days in Pinetop! The weather was gorgeous, we swam daily, did some very light walking (I was keeping a close eye on Shane's recovering ankle!) and fishing. We had a killer game of Horseopoly, Shane is so cutthroat when he plays that game! It was really relaxing and made me realize how much we needed that as a family. We had not traveled since the previous summer which is not like us but Shane's ankle had been so bad...I'm just so glad he's back to feeling and moving so well.
Easter was wonderful...it always throws me off when it's so early! We had our 3rd annual Italian Easter (as Shane's step mom calls it) at Buca Di Beppos. My parents, my sister, Shane's brother/wife/family and my sister in law's parents came to dinner. We had a wonderful time and ate entirely too much!
We are back at school, testing is throughout the month of April and then Cassandra and Savannah will have final exams in May. Never ending testing...pisses me off! I feel so bad for kids today, it feels like all the teachers are pushed to do is test and teach for tests. We need change, fast!
Cassandra is doing great with her driving, she's logging the hours like crazy! Work is going well for her and she's keeping up her grades too, score!
Savannah is excited for the upcoming Comic Con in June :) Griffin is looking into basketball camp for a couple of weeks this summer. Alyssa is excited for the Alton Brown show in May, Comic Con in June and possible drawing lessons this summer ;) I'm just looking forward to NOT driving to all our schools and sitting in line every day! HA
I won't bore with more typing...let's roll some pics!
Easter was wonderful...it always throws me off when it's so early! We had our 3rd annual Italian Easter (as Shane's step mom calls it) at Buca Di Beppos. My parents, my sister, Shane's brother/wife/family and my sister in law's parents came to dinner. We had a wonderful time and ate entirely too much!
We are back at school, testing is throughout the month of April and then Cassandra and Savannah will have final exams in May. Never ending testing...pisses me off! I feel so bad for kids today, it feels like all the teachers are pushed to do is test and teach for tests. We need change, fast!
Cassandra is doing great with her driving, she's logging the hours like crazy! Work is going well for her and she's keeping up her grades too, score!
Savannah is excited for the upcoming Comic Con in June :) Griffin is looking into basketball camp for a couple of weeks this summer. Alyssa is excited for the Alton Brown show in May, Comic Con in June and possible drawing lessons this summer ;) I'm just looking forward to NOT driving to all our schools and sitting in line every day! HA
I won't bore with more typing...let's roll some pics!
Griffin, Mimi and Gumpy at the Irish 4 K
Spring Break camp out :)
I fancied up the front porch for Easter
Cuddling Griffin on the drive to Pinetop
Breakfast at Darbi's Cafe
Savannah and I opted to snuggle on the picnic blanket while the others fished
Remember when her favorite show was "River Monsters" and every sentence began with "Jeremy fished....."
Hot tub cuties!
Permit time, CLEAR THE ROADS
Easter egg fun
Monday, January 18, 2016
Making signs!
I sometimes forget to share that I rarely post about the signs I am making!
Here is a sample of some I have been working on....check me out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/arizonahomesweethome/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Here is a sample of some I have been working on....check me out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/arizonahomesweethome/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Friday, January 1, 2016
Happy New Year 2016
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope everyone has a wonderful 2016! I used to get wrapped up in making New Year's Resolutions but as I've matured I have realized that making goals for yourself really don't have to happen on any magical date. I made one of the biggest resolutions for myself back in August 2009, I like to think that we can make daily promises to ourselves on what to improve, what to give up, what to take on.
2015 was a pretty great year overall. I think that adopting the feeling that any day you wake up is a good day. What happens after your eyes open is just bonus so don't waste it. I think our views of what is "waste" and what is not vary greatly. Some days I want to get up and run top speed accomplishing much for my family and myself. Other days, getting dressed and drinking coffee while snuggled watching Netflix with the kids or Shane is the greatest level of accomplishment for me. Life is short. It goes fast..too fast. I hope that I can keep a happy balance of what needs to be done with what I want to be done..whatever that may be for that particular day.
At the foremost of every decision and thought is my family. How do I help them move forward but keep them in the moment? How do I prepare them for the future but enjoy the now? This quandary becomes more real as we approach Cassandra's junior year. High school has gone so fast (she says the same thing!) and I find us facing her pending Navy enlistment. Talking about her joining the Navy in the 8th grade seemed so far in advance...now she's 16 and can technically "early enlist" at age 17. She recently decided she wants to push as hard as she can to graduate as a Junior which would mean...next year is her last year. I'm almost frozen with a mix of emotions so I can only imagine how she feels. I have so many questions and I'm so afraid of the answers that I don't even ask the question. I just wait which just perpetuates the circle of anxiety. Why do I do this? LOL! She has big things in the "now" as she's applied for a job, going to get her driving permit and step forward into more "adult" decisions. I hope she's ready ;)
Savannah is her usual self...anime, reading, writing, drawing in peaceful seclusion. I drag her out of her room unwillingly at first and then she becomes quite a social girl! She's got me watching a new series called Assassination Classroom. I love it! I think she loves that I love it so that makes me love it more. See how that works? She is excited for high school, mainly because she'll have Cassandra at school with her again. The idea that Cassandra wants to graduate early makes me sad for them both for the high school years that they will miss together. It will be what it will be, I suppose. Savannah wants to take drawing lessons, I'm on the search for that currently.
Griffin is always hovering the line of success and getting his ass kicked! I swear, that boy keeps me on my toes! In so many ways he is an easy going "auto pilot" type of kid and in so many others he is high maintenance. He has been longboarding with his sister since Christmas, he enjoys participating in the 5K events with Cassandra and my parents. He's still a gamer at heart and maybe that concerns me. I am going to encourage him to continue his welding with my dad and more outside activities while we are able to enjoy them with this weather! All too quickly the heat will return and then we are truly stuck indoors.
Alyssa is Alyssa. She is making a big change for 2016! She has changed schools!! I am excited for the new opportunities in a much better environment than she was previously in. I hope she makes good friends and comes out of her shell. She's an "old soul" and I think she gravitates towards adults and older kids rather than her peers. I'd like to get her moving more (she got a bike for Christmas) and all of us eating healthier. She's too smart for her own damn good and I find myself laughing at her comments more than I should. School work is effortless for her so I don't have much to help her with in that department. She's very self sufficient when it comes to her school work, deadlines, etc.
I need to work more on everyone consistently doing chores! I'll let you know how that goes....HA!
Shane is doing well at work! He's keeping very busy and very involved. He's brought the District into the current times with a Facebook page, educational videos about what they do and much more! I'm so proud of him and the efforts he has but into that aspect of the company. I think it will do great things for all involved. Educating desert people about water is always a good thing! He is having ankle surgery on Jan. 22nd. I'm oddly happy for him as his pain is uncontrollable at this point. I always worry when he's having surgery but I know that he's ready for some relief. The recovery will be long but worth it. The doctor is confident and that helps a lot!
Aspen made it to her 1st birthday! Some days I wasn't sure that was going to happen ! She's doing well and I plan to do more "play dates" for her with other dogs to keep her socially aware and not such a derp! I'd love to look into training classes for her to be a therapy dog so that she can visit with the severely disabled class I have worked with so much. I get conflicting reports on age requirements for her. I'll keep looking into it. If anyone has information, please share it!
I hope everyone has a wonderful 2016! I used to get wrapped up in making New Year's Resolutions but as I've matured I have realized that making goals for yourself really don't have to happen on any magical date. I made one of the biggest resolutions for myself back in August 2009, I like to think that we can make daily promises to ourselves on what to improve, what to give up, what to take on.
2015 was a pretty great year overall. I think that adopting the feeling that any day you wake up is a good day. What happens after your eyes open is just bonus so don't waste it. I think our views of what is "waste" and what is not vary greatly. Some days I want to get up and run top speed accomplishing much for my family and myself. Other days, getting dressed and drinking coffee while snuggled watching Netflix with the kids or Shane is the greatest level of accomplishment for me. Life is short. It goes fast..too fast. I hope that I can keep a happy balance of what needs to be done with what I want to be done..whatever that may be for that particular day.
At the foremost of every decision and thought is my family. How do I help them move forward but keep them in the moment? How do I prepare them for the future but enjoy the now? This quandary becomes more real as we approach Cassandra's junior year. High school has gone so fast (she says the same thing!) and I find us facing her pending Navy enlistment. Talking about her joining the Navy in the 8th grade seemed so far in advance...now she's 16 and can technically "early enlist" at age 17. She recently decided she wants to push as hard as she can to graduate as a Junior which would mean...next year is her last year. I'm almost frozen with a mix of emotions so I can only imagine how she feels. I have so many questions and I'm so afraid of the answers that I don't even ask the question. I just wait which just perpetuates the circle of anxiety. Why do I do this? LOL! She has big things in the "now" as she's applied for a job, going to get her driving permit and step forward into more "adult" decisions. I hope she's ready ;)
Savannah is her usual self...anime, reading, writing, drawing in peaceful seclusion. I drag her out of her room unwillingly at first and then she becomes quite a social girl! She's got me watching a new series called Assassination Classroom. I love it! I think she loves that I love it so that makes me love it more. See how that works? She is excited for high school, mainly because she'll have Cassandra at school with her again. The idea that Cassandra wants to graduate early makes me sad for them both for the high school years that they will miss together. It will be what it will be, I suppose. Savannah wants to take drawing lessons, I'm on the search for that currently.
Griffin is always hovering the line of success and getting his ass kicked! I swear, that boy keeps me on my toes! In so many ways he is an easy going "auto pilot" type of kid and in so many others he is high maintenance. He has been longboarding with his sister since Christmas, he enjoys participating in the 5K events with Cassandra and my parents. He's still a gamer at heart and maybe that concerns me. I am going to encourage him to continue his welding with my dad and more outside activities while we are able to enjoy them with this weather! All too quickly the heat will return and then we are truly stuck indoors.
Alyssa is Alyssa. She is making a big change for 2016! She has changed schools!! I am excited for the new opportunities in a much better environment than she was previously in. I hope she makes good friends and comes out of her shell. She's an "old soul" and I think she gravitates towards adults and older kids rather than her peers. I'd like to get her moving more (she got a bike for Christmas) and all of us eating healthier. She's too smart for her own damn good and I find myself laughing at her comments more than I should. School work is effortless for her so I don't have much to help her with in that department. She's very self sufficient when it comes to her school work, deadlines, etc.
I need to work more on everyone consistently doing chores! I'll let you know how that goes....HA!
Shane is doing well at work! He's keeping very busy and very involved. He's brought the District into the current times with a Facebook page, educational videos about what they do and much more! I'm so proud of him and the efforts he has but into that aspect of the company. I think it will do great things for all involved. Educating desert people about water is always a good thing! He is having ankle surgery on Jan. 22nd. I'm oddly happy for him as his pain is uncontrollable at this point. I always worry when he's having surgery but I know that he's ready for some relief. The recovery will be long but worth it. The doctor is confident and that helps a lot!
Aspen made it to her 1st birthday! Some days I wasn't sure that was going to happen ! She's doing well and I plan to do more "play dates" for her with other dogs to keep her socially aware and not such a derp! I'd love to look into training classes for her to be a therapy dog so that she can visit with the severely disabled class I have worked with so much. I get conflicting reports on age requirements for her. I'll keep looking into it. If anyone has information, please share it!
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