To put the past couple of months in a nutshell...
Christmas was great! John and Abby got new bikes, Lucy got her "big girl car seat" (booster seat) from Santa, Max got more Legos, Ruby got a sit and spin and I got an iPhone :) Spent the morning at home then headed to my mom and dad's house to await the Charlotte contingent of the family and celebrated a loud messy Christmas together. A couple of days after Christmas John headed up to Charlotte to go to the Bowl game (NC State) and the kids and I headed to Beaufort to hang out with my family some more.
New Years was uneventful. The neighbors got together to shoot off fireworks and hang out but John and I had to tag team it because Lucy refused to step foot outside! Ruby, on the other hand, was oooohhhhing and aaaaahhhhhhing during the whole thing...go figure!
We had basketball games on Fridays/Saturdays (Max) and swimming lessons on Saturday mornings (Abby).
The first weekend in February was a memorable one. I got to go on a Girls Weekend with my mama and my sisters! We went to Asheville for the weekend and spent Saturday at The Biltmore. It was wonderful to hang out and shop and eat and talk and laugh and SLEEP! Another reason it was a memorable weekend was because it was the first time that John has EVER had all 4 kids to himself overnight! Better yet, it was 2 nights :) He did great and the house was still standing when I got home on Sunday!
On the way home from Asheville that Sunday I talked my mom into swinging by Charlotte so my sister's hairdresser could cut and highlight my hair. She cut off 13 inches of hair and boy can I say was that ever a load off! I mailed it off to Locks of Love the next day. Speaking of the next day...
Monday the 6th...my 40th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! I was showered with love and flowers that day. John sent me flowers to my school, my mom stopped by with cupcakes for my class (see, you're never too old for your mom to bring cupcakes for your birthday) AND I received flowers at school from my mom and dad a few minutes after she left. My two room moms also brought me a bouquet of flowers and MORE cupcakes for my class (thank goodness they have special area at the end of the day so I didn't have to deal with the sugar high!). I also got a Starbucks gift card from one of my students and a Carrabbas gift card from another student. John and I got Italian takeout for my birthday dinner that night :)
Tuesday the 7th was my baby sister Mallory's 27th birthday...dang she's gettin old! I didn't get to see her but we exchanged texts and voicemails (played phone tag)
That Saturday John and I were able to go out for a combined birthday /Valentine's dinner (thanks Mama for babysitting). We used the PF Changs gift card I had gotten from my class for Christmas. It was delicious food, handsome company, and a great time. We even stopped at Target on my way home to use another present from a student in my class (Target gift card) to buy me a new pair of jeans! Haven't had a new pair in over a year so I was due (only had the one pair!)
We've had a break from sports and are now gearing up for another round...Abby in soccer and Max in baseball.
I am taking a class for recertification that is on Saturdays (8 in a row) from about 12 - 6pm. We are taking field trips around the area (some about 100 miles roundtrip) to look at historical places. I am learning and hearing some cool stories about Revolutionary War and Civil War times.
Ruby got her first haircut this past Saturday. John took the 3 older kids to Charlotte and Ruby and I stayed at my mom and dad's so they could watch her while I went to my class. She's had a cold for the past couple of weeks and I was so tired of trying to keep her stringy hair from getting stuck to her face by her runny nose so we took her on impulse and had her "mullet" cut and gave her some bangs and some shape. John was excited and keeps trying to talk Abby and Lucy into getting their hair cut. They aren't having it :)
Let's see, oh yes, Abby has recently joined Daisy Scouts and attended her first meeting a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it! Max is still enjoying Cub Scouts. Lucy's preschool class participated in a Hop-a-thon for Muscular Dystrophy and she won her class competition. She jumped 410 times! Her teachers said they were hoping the kids would be worn out...NO SUCH LUCK with Lucy :) Our little Energizer Bunny!
Well, that is about it for now. I do have some pictures to share but I have to find my camera buried down deep in one of my school bags so those will have to wait until this weekend. I did update my picture at the top of the blog to our more recent Christmas card picture...that will just have to tide you over...
Be back soon...I hope!
