The Worst Part of a Trip

We are in the midst of preparing for our Spring Break trip. I have realized that the worst part of the trip is the few days before we actually leave. I am not a big fan of packing... deciding what I will want to wear for the next week, what shoes to bring, how it will all fit in a small bag, packing for the girls, packing for Dave - or helping him pack anyway. :-) It is hard to know what to pack... who knows what mood I will be in or what the weather will be like... you just never know what to put in and what to leave at home.
The toiletries can't really be packed until the last minute, so it can't really be organized ahead of time. Then there are the new guidelines with the airlines... so everything has to be in 3oz containers or smaller and in a clear zip lock bag.
And there are the plans to be made with our friends and family that we will visit (hopefully). I think I finally got that part done... for those that may read that live where we will visit, we will be at Pat and Oscar's at 6pm on Tuesday the 27th. :-)
Well, that about sums up life here for the moment. I am off to finish laundry so I can finish packing... there's always more to be done, isn't there?

Birthday Celebrations

Princess Anna, Birthday Princess Emma, Princess Camille

at the beginning of the sleep-over...

Emma's decorated Princess cookie. She had fun using LOTS of frosting and sprinkles!

Tea Time fit for a princess!

The family celebration... blowing out the candle on the tiara cake.


Emma had a great weekend and as she put it, she "played hard"! We were all tired when it was over! It didn't help that we lost an hour this weekend. There were things scheduled almost the entire time from Friday night to Sunday night. Emma and Camille had a great time playing until late at night and then waking up early in the morning. Thankfully they did get some sleep in between playing. They continued to play hard until tea time. It was fun to get all dressed up. Dave wore his suit, I wore a velvet dress (that I found on sale for $2.98!), Emma wore a beautiful dress she borrowed from Camille, Camille & Anna both wore a pretty velvet dresses, Jil had on a dress exactly like mine (same price too!) and Mom also dressed up... not in velvet though. We wore Jil's hats & the girls had tiaras. We had a great time. When it was over, we came home and the girls played some more. Shortly after Camille left, we went to some friends' house for dinner. It was another late night for the girls. Sunday was church and then to Nan and Papa's for the family party. We all had pancakes for lunch (Emma's choice) and ate cake. A fun time was had by all. I can't believe my little Emma is 6 years old!

Birthday Weekend

This marks the beginning of the birthday celebrations for Emma's 6th birthday.

It started with making the cake... my first official "decorated" cake. I started with a tiara cake pan and then used some fancy cake decorating tools to make the final product. Not perfect by any means, but I am pleased with my first cake! Emma is excited about her cake and last night claimed that this will be her "best birthday ever!"

Tonight is another first... her first "sleepover". Her friend Camille is sleeping over tonight. We will play "tea party" and decorate cookies.

Tomorrow we go to a "tea party" at Aunt Sue's Tea Room. It is a girl event with Emma, Camille, Anna, Mommy, Nan, Aunt Jil and... Daddy! Emma really wanted her Daddy to be a part of the celebration. The girls will get really dressed up and wear gloves, boas and fancy hats.

Sunday is her actual birthday. We will celebration with the "fam" with lunch after church.

Monday she gets to celebrate at school. She gets 4 days out of this! I say, "Milk it for all it's worth!" Hey, you only turn 6 once. :-)

Every Four Years

There is something about four years...

I think it started in high school. I was there for four years, then I graduated. Next came college. I was there for four years, then I graduated. I went into teaching. I taught in the same classroom for four years, then switched. I taught fourth grade for four years before moving to kindergarten. I lived in Santa Ana for four years before deciding to move to IN (although it took another year for us to actually move...)
I have been in MOPS for 5 years, four years on steering. Had I left last year, I would have left feeling great. I think it was time. However, circumstances weren't right, so I stayed another year. I am now feeling burned out and stressed. What is it about four years? It seems I have an internal clock that is ready for something different every four years. Why is that? I apologize to all the MOPS moms that read this blog. It really is nothing personal! I think MOPS is a great organization. I think it is so beneficial to moms. I am all for it! I just am not all about being coordinator at this point. I am sorry if it shows. I am not good at "faking it".
I just think it is strange how four years go by and I think it is time for a change. We had lived in our house for four years before really starting to change things in it. After four years of looking at a kitchen we really didn't like, we changed it. Next on the list is the basement. Four and half years is ENOUGH of a basement that leaks. It should be fixed later this month. :-)
There are some things that I never want to change...not in four years, not in eight, not ever. Things that I don't want to change are relationships.
(Unless they change for the better!) Relationships with my husband, my kids, my extended family, my friends. That is what is truly important!