Class of 2012
What a day! It’s been 12 years in the making. It’s unbelievable how quickly time has passed, how much has changed, and how my heart can just as quickly be transported back in time 12 years. Back to a time when I was so over my head I couldn’t think straight. I was so overwhelmed, so scared, so completely without any sense of what to do next. Not only was I away from home, teaching a class I didn’t know how to teach, managing money, navigating unknown roads without a smart phone and GPS, trying to meet new people despite my non-social tendencies, and missing my “soon-to-be-fiance” who was finishing his last semester of college, but I was also holding two jobs.
The headmaster (God rest his soul) was an incredibly generous and loving man. I grew to love and cherish our early morning (6 a.m.) greetings as he would cheerfully meet me at the school so that I could get my class in order before 7 a.m. mass began. He didn’t want any of his single teachers on campus alone EVER. How I loved Dr. Tierney! He was a bright star in an otherwise morning dread…how would I ever “entertain” these kids for another day.
In addition to teaching, I ended my KG day and became an afterschool nanny. Yep. I was in over my head AGAIN! Trying to make ends meet, the money was great and thankfully the kids too. I did homework, ran carpool duty, cooked, cleaned, made menus, and loved these two incredible kids.
However, there was this constantly nagging sense that I had no idea how I was going to wake up the next day and TEACH twenty five-year-olds anything of value. What, indeed, was I going to teach? What was I going to do so that ALL of us didn’t end the day merely thankful it was over. Golly, that was the year. These were the kids!
What I didn’t know between August and December of 1999 was how completely I was going to LOVE these kids. These amazing children taught me so much. They caused me to be better than what I was before them. They showed me what it meant to laugh, to fight for all things good. They forced me to LIVE the school’s motto, “Semper Altius” – Always Higher. I fought hard to change the dynamic of this first year teaching, with all it’s complications both exterior and interior. I had to PRAY hard every minute of that year. I prayed for my students, I prayed for myself, I prayed in thanksgiving for the most amazing mentor who believed in me and invested the time to make me a great teacher! What I didn’t know was how great it would feel to embrace your talents (and failures) and fulfill the vocation God had intended for my life…teacher (and later wife and mother).
Then and Now…
Yes. My first Kindergarten class, the one that taught me what TRUE love really meant, has graduated from high school.
These kids who taught me how to sacrifice, how to pray, how to rise above my failings, are “all grown up” now.
I watched them process into the gymnasium this afternoon as tears trickled from my eyes. (I might add that our kids were quite disappointed in having lost the bet with daddy….$1 each if mommy didn’t cry.) I remember how exciting it was to wear that cap and gown, to hear the incredible band play Pomp & Circumstance as we walked in candence down the aisle of Century II Convention Center in Wichita, KS. As irony would have it, I was dressed in green and yellow also. Indeed, Pinecrest Academy has always been home.
As luck would have it, so much of what they taught me I share now as a mother to my own children and beautiful husband. In addition to what this class of kids shared with me, the Pinecrest community shared even more. It’s become our family and even after 12 years, 8+ years of which I’ve no longer been a teacher, it’s still home. We share it now with our kids and the tradition continues.
Congratulations Class of 2012. I’m proud of you and honored to have “known you when”. God be with you!
The best surprise week ever!
Oh my! This week has been so wonderful and so very, very busy also.
Michael’s soccer game, although admittedly very painful to watch, was fun to recall my own days in soccer as a child and mom & dad sitting on the sidelines.
We aren’t ones that have a regular starbucks, but during their Happy Hour promotion, we make a point to stop in. It was fun introducing our NON-COFFEE Frappucino favorites to mom and dad. They were skeptical you could order anything yummy that wasn’t coffee.
Katie crafted my crown as a gift on Mother’s Day morning with the request that I wear it all day. I tried my best to oblige. 
As luck would have it, she found old pictures and a kids meal Burger King crown. Love that girl!
We are, however, one of those families that bring the ipad to Starbucks. In our case, it’s to play a round of Blokus. Michael’s drink of choice…double chocolately chip frappucino.
Aunt Jenny & Julius were here Sunday afternoon to share the 3:00 happy hour. Jen’s the only one (besides Nate) that drinks coffee. Of course, no one tasted her drink.
The afternoon was spent at The Avenue walking around, reading at Barnes ‘n Noble, visiting the “new to us” toy store, and shopping at Charming Charlie. Julius & Clare didn’t get their afternoon nap…these two thumb suckers were quite content to snuggle with their blankets.
Happy Mother’s Day
Our 2nd annual pre-Mother’s Day trip to Callaway Gardens was wonderful as ever. The weather was gorgeous. We had a yummy picnic lunch, saw the butterflies and bird show, fed the turtles and fish, walked the grounds and took lots of pictures. We feel as though we’ve been there so many times now, that our time there is no longer “we have to see this”, but rather, “let’s just walk around”. I love it! Thank God for my husband who doesn’t mind driving…I get to sleep in the car.
The butterflies are Katie’s favorite. She is always hunting those big blue ones who are a bit sluggish and don’t mind sitting on your finger.
This visit we also let them play on the beach and I rocked the baby for a short nap…one for me too.
Daddy’s favorite is definitely the birds of prey show! It’s one of the rare times that he really gets excited about having the camera. He takes this serious!
A sleepy baby meant Michael and I missed the Birds of Prey but scored a very sweet perch in the midst of bird feeders and quite the colorful visitors. It also meant Clare got to nurse and Michael got to play in the trees and among the pine cones. I seriously cherished these moments!
It was also next to the little stream which housed this snake. Awesome to see it on this trip…we’ve never seen it in previous visits. Consider us in the right place at the right time.
I already look forward to our next visit to Callaway and thanks to friends in Columbus (only a 45 minute drive from the park) AND an annual pass that has reciprocal membership, I hope to make it back every few months or so. We still haven’t taken the bikes through the park or hiked the trails.
We were tired and hadn’t eaten and it was 7 p.m. when we finally stopped. Thankfully, the kids were happy to be sitting and eating that it was an enjoyable dinner. What I didn’t know was how critical this lingering dinner really was in the grand scheme of the night unfolding.
I took Clare to the bathroom to bathe her (yep we are one of those families). The baby has ketchup in her hair and there’s a sink availabe, this momma is going to give you a “bath”. After dunking her head under the water, I moved to the handicap stall to change her diaper and put on her PJs for the ride home and straight to bed. Katie knocks and I let her in and thanks to peripheral vision, I realize that she hasn’t locked the door to the stall and someone is walking in. What I can’t comprehend fully is that I’m staring at my mom (here from Wyoming no less). Yep. They did it. Not only did they come to Atlanta, but they managed to surprise us none-the-less. Unbelievable!!! I think this is going to be a great week!!!
I love you mom and dad!
Just another week
Our weeks have largely consisted of finishing the remaining lessons of Katie’s school year, fulfilling a new home cleaning routine, getting to as many Taekwondo lessons as possible (at least 3 a week), and helping my tutoring kids prepare for their end-of-the-year projects and finals. I’ve chosen just a few “ordinary” photos of our week.
This girl loves watermelon as much as her mom and sister. We polished off a quarter of a watermelon at snack this week!
Free ice cream cones at Haagen-Dazs. YUMMY and a great reason to sneak over to the Avenue also.
Crazy blue eyes!
Maybe “forcing” her to crawl on concrete will be motivation to actually walk. The turkey has been crawling for 4 months now and having perfected it so well, refuses to walk. Even a bear crawl is better than attempting an actual walk.
Apparently, her daddy slept with his limbs out of the crib also.
A little school work for the big kids.
Happy Birthday to me
What a day! My mom and sister Jenny have a tradition of starting the birthday greetings a day in advance. The “It’s almost your birthday, n-nah, n-nah, n-nah” are texted and phoned repeatedly before midnight! Love you guys!
After getting up with Clare early and putting her back in bed, I got to sleep in until just before 8 a.m. when the kids woke me to say they’d helped Dad prepare breakfast. I’d requested a Strawberry Nutella pannini, sausage and frozen yogurt with a fruit bar. Yummy!
My poor husband after working into the early morning hours, got up at 6 a.m. to put the yogurt (I’d premixed and set into the fridge) into the freezer per the note I’d left. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that meant the ice cream freezer and I didn’t realize the ice cream freezer base hadn’t been pre-frozen. Therefore, I was served my frozen yogurt a bit unlike the frozen yogurt I was expecting. Never mind. Serve the frozen ice cream instead. It’s tradition afterall…ice cream for breakfast.
The kids were dying to give me their presents.
Katie chose a craft project from the closet that hadn’t been completed and diligently worked on it all week.
Mikey, not to be outdone in generosity, ran upstairs to get a “gift” from his room. Clare AND I now get to share the pig pillow. Sweet. It’s a good thing regifting isn’t frowned upon in this house.
Anna has been itching to present me with my weather barometer after snagging it a few weeks back while at a glass blower’s shop in Dahlonega, GA. She was telling me the owner’s family have been glass blowers for the last 100 years. They own the patent on this particular shape. Cool! Oh yes. She also wrote “Happy Birthday sis” and drew a super large heart on my bathroom mirror. It’s the privilege of living with us AND having access to window markers. (The kids and I leave bathroom messages for daddy all the time.) Thanks Anna. I love it. We’ll share your love of storms a few hours ahead of our next storm.
The Atlanta Botanical Gardens was our mid-afternoon destination. Our neighbor, Sara, spent the afternoon with us also. Golly, we “ran” through the gardens though as we were pressed for time. Crazy! Thank God for reciprocal memberships. We’ll be back soon! Look at all the reciprocal places we can visit.
The rose garden smelled so fantastic!!!
We brought Sara back home (barely on time) and arrived to a little outdoor decoration compliments of her mom! Thanks Rebecca for adding to the specialness of this day. You made me smile! We love you too!
A surprise for the kids…we went to the movies.
We’d watched the trailers and interviews of this movie during Clare’s morning nap. The kids were so interested, but we allowed them to believe it was an adults only movie. We pulled up outside the ticket window and the grins from the backseat were priceless. Thankfully, Daddy had received his Coca-Cola free movie tickets this past week so we enjoyed the movies free of charge. Awesome and such a blessing! (It’s really crazy expensive to take your family to the movies!)
By the way, this was a fantastic movie! Loved by both Katie & Michael AND us. Clare was very good in her first movie! She’s such a turkey…crying with any stranger that we felt it was better to take our chances and bring her to her first movie. Thankfully, we didn’t regret it.
The song and dance scene at the end of the movie was especially fun! We didn’t know until arriving home and looking it up that Lily Collins (Snow White) is actually Phil Collins’ daughter and the singer of I BELIEVE. I think we simply must add it to our ipod. Michael needs something new to play as our self-proclaimed family DJ on ALL car excursions. He truly loves music. We laugh at the variety of music found on our ipod. It’s fun for me to see what he picks as we drive along our way.
After the movie, in an attempt to make up for the frozen yogurt I didn’t get at breakfast, we went to Yogli Mogli for some frozen yumminess. Rebecca & Sara joined us for the remaining festivities.
I try and carry a game or two in my purse with me at all times. Tonight’s game is our newest. Michael’s actually among the best (if you take Daddy out of the mix as the sure winner always). Mini Mouth is both challenging and quick to complete. It takes very little tabletop space and with a minor accommodation (Michael gets to spell phonetically) everyone has an equal chance at winning.
Thanks for a great birthday. Despite the fact, that my youngest sister (by 10 years) reminded me that I’m now only five years away from being FORTY, it was a great day! I’m incredibly blessed and reminded once again how very precious life really is. Thanks mom and dad for making birthdays special growing up. They really are special occasions! Happy birthday to me one more time.
Love to laugh
Happy Easter!
An empty crown means lots of grace in the kids’ heart (and a small token gift on Easter Sunday).
Easter Sunday means sunrise Mass (in the parking lot) at 6:00 a.m. LOVE it!
Arriving home we stopped to watch two hot air balloons lift off from the empty lot next to Ingles. What a beautiful sight at sunrise on Easter morning. We are spoiled to see them most mornings, especially on the weekends.
Thanks Gramma & Papa for Clare’s easter bunny.
An egg hunt means we discovered a few things growing that I hadn’t yet seen. I love spring!!
Happy Easter from us.
Grandma & Grandpa have arrived
Welcome to Atlanta! Grandma & Grandpa being in town means there’s a little play.
(BTW…we highly recommend the game Distraction. Fantastic!)
A little “pretend” play with real tea and cake.
Video games (ipad style this time).
Life as usual.
Taekwondo Class…a little high blocking, kicking, jumping, running, all things wonderful.
A little warming up to our guests.
… and of course lots of baby snuggles, laughs and play. (She might be just a little bit partial.)
Spring at a friend’s front door
This is seriously the coolest thing I’ve seen! Joneser you win for the best videography AND blog content this year! Seriously in love with this…wonder how I can use this for some science lessons. This is awesome!!!
Mary is a friend from college and one of our bridesmaids.
(Mary is on the far right in this picture.)
In fact, she caught the bouquet. (Which we actually almost forgot to even toss before leaving for our honeymoon.)
Sadly, it has been so long since we’ve seen one another…pre-children I think even. In fact, I’ve never even got the privilege of meeting her dear husband (nor their beautiful children).
I have, however, gotten the great pleasure of introducing her to the world of the digital scrapbooking. She has made some seriously fantastic books and canvas prints for her wall. It’s been really fun to connect again and to share the things I love so very much…photography and stories of our children and husband.
Mary is the queen of detail…simple details. You know the ones that make a difference without being cluttered and fussy. Her blog title says it all. It’s been a fun journey to see her venture forth in the blogging world.
366 day project
Yep. I am caught up! (I won’t mention that the 2011 book still isn’t finished. Bummer.)
