Everyone headed back to school this week. Since Ree had been off for three weeks, it kinda felt like the first day of school all over again on Monday. We definitely all had to readjust to the early mornings. I think the trickiest part for me was getting back in the habit of making lunches. I'm not all that great at remembering to make lunches even when she goes to school every day. But I managed to feed her every day. Phew!
The best news, though, was that school was back to the regular schedule. During March the school day had been extended by 30 minutes a day to help make up for the six days we missed this year due to ice. That meant each day ended 15 minutes later. It also meant each day started 15 minutes earlier, and it turns out 15 minutes in the morning makes a big difference. It was nice to get our 15 minutes back.
Another thing that I really liked was the fact that Ree is back riding in the bus. Sometime in January (I think), I had started taking Ree to school due to the timing of her bus and the incredibly cold weather, and we just kept it up. On Monday, however, there was a monstrous line of people dropping off their kids, and it took an incredibly long time for me to get through the drop off line. Not so great when I am trying to get to work. Ree and I both quickly agreed that she would resume her bus riding.
The good part about bus riding is having a few minutes every morning to just, well, watch the morning. It helped that it was around 60 degrees and clear all but one morning this week, but even when it's not that nice, it's a relaxing way to start the day. We typically count the birds flying by, check for vapor trails for planes, and just chat. It's definitely a nice break in the chaos.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Spring Break
It was a bit of an odd Easter. It was cold and rainy and I had the flu. On the bright side, it led to a very relaxing day, which was much needed after the past week. It was Spring Break. Because she goes to year round school, Ree was off for three weeks, but this last week was the official spring break when the boys were off too, and it was a fun, but hectic, time.
Friday, April 11
Our first adventure was the preschool egg hunt. Thankfully, they allow siblings to participate. I had to work that day, among a slew of other things, and Nati described my schedule as "Work, home, work, home, work, home..." Even if that wasn't entirely true, it was a fairly accurate description of what the day felt like for me. (And, yes, I am incredibly grateful that I have a job where I can shuffle back and forth between things like that.)
Saturday, April 12
Saturday morning we went to the semi-annual consignment sale for the local Mothers of Twins Club. It's the one event of the year where the kids get to go shopping and pick out "new" toys, and it's always a big deal in our house. It started at 8am, and I was there with the 4 kids at about 8:04 to ensure maximum selection. I think they were all pretty happy with their choices, and we ended up making quite a sizeable contribution to the Twins Club.
After lunch, we headed to Azalea Fest where Ree performed with her ballet class.
We were able to finding parking easily, which was great, because traffic on the way there had been a nightmare. Walking around, it was easy to see why. The weather was perfect, and the crowds were huge. We attempted to buy the kids snow cones after Ree's performance, but the lines were insanely long, so we ended up heading to McDonald's where we were able to get some ice cream. The kids were also able to play on the shaded playground.
Sunday, April 13
It had been so crowded and so hot, that all we did at Azalea Fest on Saturday was watch Ree perform. So we headed back downtown on Sunday to actually enjoy the festival events. The highlight was definitely meeting Elsa and Ana from Frozen. (Natalia is hugging Olaf the snowman in the photo.) They got to see Spider Man, too, and we ended up eating a picnic lunch at our usual spot for Azalea Fest and Riverfest.
Monday, April 14
Monday brought forth a dilemma. I had planned on taking the whole week off, and then I realized I really did need to work, so I planned on doing family stuff in the mornings and heading in to work in the afternoons. Half days off were better than no days off, and I am hoping for real time off this summer. Only Monday we planned to head to the beach in the morning, and I didn't know how I would manage an afternoon of meetings at work (I was booked from 11:30 - 5), after going to the beach.
I shouldn't have worried. That took care of itself when Natalia got sick around 7:30 Sunday night. She hadn't been feeling right since Saturday afternoon, and the poor kid was sick to her stomach ALL night. She finally settled down around 3:30 or 4am, but Ree started getting sick at the same time, including two rounds where they were both sick at once. I slept less than 3 hours all night, and only in short bursts, so it was clear I was not going anywhere on Monday. I spent most of the day holding Natalia, who was fighting sleep. At one point, she stormed off to her room, where she proceeded to pass out on the floor and sleep for 3 hours. I did go outside for awhile with the boys. There's nothing like two boys in their jammies with their feet in a tub of water.
Tuesday, April 15
Leon got sick Monday night, and Natalia was still incredibly feverish on Tuesday, despite regular doses of ibuprofen, so Tuesday was another day of cuddles and rest. Leon was actually much better by morning. Jeff got everyone else out of the house, and I also managed to work a little while Natalia watched TV and slept. Laptops are wonderful things. Tuesday night, Natalia asked, "Will I be sick forever?" and the poor girl wasn't sad about it. I think she was truly curious. She was also probably plotting and thinking we were going to need some new DVDs if she was going to be sick forever.
Wednesday, April 16
We finally had a day generally go as planned! Everyone was feeling better, and in the morning I dropped Ree off for a playdate with a friend from school while I went into work for a couple of hours. My time at work was a blur, but at least I was able to get a little done. I have no memories of the rest of the day. I have no idea if that is good or bad!
Thursday, April 17
The kids had been promised a trip to an indoor play place, and we headed to Jungle Rapids. The kids had fun bouncing and climbing, although Natalia started getting cranky within 45 minutes of arriving. Thankfully, we had friends arrive soon after that, and Natalia was willing to play for 30 more minutes. We all went to Moe's for lunch, then we went back and played more. Everyone took good naps that afternoon!
Friday, April 18
My uncle was spending the month working from a beach house in Sunset Beach, and we headed down to see him. The weather was less than perfect for the beach - the air never got above 68 degrees, and the water temperature was about 61 degrees. However, we hadn't been to the beach yet this year, and that didn't stop the kids from playing on the beach and in the water for about 3 hours. To make it a true vacation day, much TV was watched and much food was consumed, and the kids are still discussing their desserts (sliced strawberries topped with raspberry/white chocolate chunk ice cream, whipped cream, and almonds).
Saturday, April 19
We got back late on Friday night and ended up not doing much on Saturday. I cleaned the house a little. (I had grand plans of cleaning the house over spring break. That didn't really happen, but I did do a record breaking number of loads of laundry on Sunday and Monday while everyone was sick, and I spot cleaned the heck out of a few areas. That counts for something, right?)
The kids did help decorate one impressive Easter cake. We were cleaning out the candy bowl, and this bad boy contains Peeps, Sweet Tarts, Starbursts, and chocolate eggs. Hello, sugar bomb!
Sunday, April 20
Thankfully we did empty out the candy bowl, because the Easter Bunny dutifully arrived at our house, and the candy bowl was refilled. The Easter Bunny also brings small gifts, and it turned out Mike received a Star Wars Lego set he already owned. Michael was not happy. Thankfully, he quickly calmed down when Ree reminded him that he had lost the main part of that Lego set and when it occurred to Mike that perhaps the Easter Bunny doesn't know all the toys he has. (Oddly, neither does his mother!)
I realized the kids had not bathed since Thursday night (oops!) since we got back really late on Friday and on Saturday night I was already feeling icky and Jeff tucked them in solo, so we took long morning baths today. We also watched the first Harry Potter movie, which the kids had never seen but had been dying to watch. (Especially Ree, since I just got done reading her the first two books.) We had a good, if unconventional, Easter dinner. I didn't really have the energy to make much, so we just had pasta topped with sausage, peppers, and mushrooms. After dinner we watched, "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown." It was an odd Easter, but not an entirely bad day. Now, back to real life!
Friday, April 11
Our first adventure was the preschool egg hunt. Thankfully, they allow siblings to participate. I had to work that day, among a slew of other things, and Nati described my schedule as "Work, home, work, home, work, home..." Even if that wasn't entirely true, it was a fairly accurate description of what the day felt like for me. (And, yes, I am incredibly grateful that I have a job where I can shuffle back and forth between things like that.)
Saturday, April 12
Saturday morning we went to the semi-annual consignment sale for the local Mothers of Twins Club. It's the one event of the year where the kids get to go shopping and pick out "new" toys, and it's always a big deal in our house. It started at 8am, and I was there with the 4 kids at about 8:04 to ensure maximum selection. I think they were all pretty happy with their choices, and we ended up making quite a sizeable contribution to the Twins Club.
After lunch, we headed to Azalea Fest where Ree performed with her ballet class.
We were able to finding parking easily, which was great, because traffic on the way there had been a nightmare. Walking around, it was easy to see why. The weather was perfect, and the crowds were huge. We attempted to buy the kids snow cones after Ree's performance, but the lines were insanely long, so we ended up heading to McDonald's where we were able to get some ice cream. The kids were also able to play on the shaded playground.
Sunday, April 13
It had been so crowded and so hot, that all we did at Azalea Fest on Saturday was watch Ree perform. So we headed back downtown on Sunday to actually enjoy the festival events. The highlight was definitely meeting Elsa and Ana from Frozen. (Natalia is hugging Olaf the snowman in the photo.) They got to see Spider Man, too, and we ended up eating a picnic lunch at our usual spot for Azalea Fest and Riverfest.
Monday, April 14
Monday brought forth a dilemma. I had planned on taking the whole week off, and then I realized I really did need to work, so I planned on doing family stuff in the mornings and heading in to work in the afternoons. Half days off were better than no days off, and I am hoping for real time off this summer. Only Monday we planned to head to the beach in the morning, and I didn't know how I would manage an afternoon of meetings at work (I was booked from 11:30 - 5), after going to the beach.
I shouldn't have worried. That took care of itself when Natalia got sick around 7:30 Sunday night. She hadn't been feeling right since Saturday afternoon, and the poor kid was sick to her stomach ALL night. She finally settled down around 3:30 or 4am, but Ree started getting sick at the same time, including two rounds where they were both sick at once. I slept less than 3 hours all night, and only in short bursts, so it was clear I was not going anywhere on Monday. I spent most of the day holding Natalia, who was fighting sleep. At one point, she stormed off to her room, where she proceeded to pass out on the floor and sleep for 3 hours. I did go outside for awhile with the boys. There's nothing like two boys in their jammies with their feet in a tub of water.
Tuesday, April 15
Leon got sick Monday night, and Natalia was still incredibly feverish on Tuesday, despite regular doses of ibuprofen, so Tuesday was another day of cuddles and rest. Leon was actually much better by morning. Jeff got everyone else out of the house, and I also managed to work a little while Natalia watched TV and slept. Laptops are wonderful things. Tuesday night, Natalia asked, "Will I be sick forever?" and the poor girl wasn't sad about it. I think she was truly curious. She was also probably plotting and thinking we were going to need some new DVDs if she was going to be sick forever.
Wednesday, April 16
We finally had a day generally go as planned! Everyone was feeling better, and in the morning I dropped Ree off for a playdate with a friend from school while I went into work for a couple of hours. My time at work was a blur, but at least I was able to get a little done. I have no memories of the rest of the day. I have no idea if that is good or bad!
Thursday, April 17
The kids had been promised a trip to an indoor play place, and we headed to Jungle Rapids. The kids had fun bouncing and climbing, although Natalia started getting cranky within 45 minutes of arriving. Thankfully, we had friends arrive soon after that, and Natalia was willing to play for 30 more minutes. We all went to Moe's for lunch, then we went back and played more. Everyone took good naps that afternoon!
Friday, April 18
My uncle was spending the month working from a beach house in Sunset Beach, and we headed down to see him. The weather was less than perfect for the beach - the air never got above 68 degrees, and the water temperature was about 61 degrees. However, we hadn't been to the beach yet this year, and that didn't stop the kids from playing on the beach and in the water for about 3 hours. To make it a true vacation day, much TV was watched and much food was consumed, and the kids are still discussing their desserts (sliced strawberries topped with raspberry/white chocolate chunk ice cream, whipped cream, and almonds).
Saturday, April 19
We got back late on Friday night and ended up not doing much on Saturday. I cleaned the house a little. (I had grand plans of cleaning the house over spring break. That didn't really happen, but I did do a record breaking number of loads of laundry on Sunday and Monday while everyone was sick, and I spot cleaned the heck out of a few areas. That counts for something, right?)
The kids did help decorate one impressive Easter cake. We were cleaning out the candy bowl, and this bad boy contains Peeps, Sweet Tarts, Starbursts, and chocolate eggs. Hello, sugar bomb!
Sunday, April 20
Thankfully we did empty out the candy bowl, because the Easter Bunny dutifully arrived at our house, and the candy bowl was refilled. The Easter Bunny also brings small gifts, and it turned out Mike received a Star Wars Lego set he already owned. Michael was not happy. Thankfully, he quickly calmed down when Ree reminded him that he had lost the main part of that Lego set and when it occurred to Mike that perhaps the Easter Bunny doesn't know all the toys he has. (Oddly, neither does his mother!)
I realized the kids had not bathed since Thursday night (oops!) since we got back really late on Friday and on Saturday night I was already feeling icky and Jeff tucked them in solo, so we took long morning baths today. We also watched the first Harry Potter movie, which the kids had never seen but had been dying to watch. (Especially Ree, since I just got done reading her the first two books.) We had a good, if unconventional, Easter dinner. I didn't really have the energy to make much, so we just had pasta topped with sausage, peppers, and mushrooms. After dinner we watched, "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown." It was an odd Easter, but not an entirely bad day. Now, back to real life!
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