All Things Considered...

All things considered we've had an easy March. Knock on wood! My kids are growing like weeds and we're all doing well. We were on spring break last week(March 15-19) hence my lack of a recent post, and we did not go anywhere out of town but we still managed to have fun. It's amazing how the little things still mean so much to Jake and Emma. Actually that is something I am really proud of, in these times. We have fun as long as we do it together and the proper amount of sleep has been rendered. Ha,Ha. We went to a place called Incredible Pizza Co., which is like a casino for kids, if you want to be honest. Pizza buffet, loud music, games of all kind, bumper cars, indoor go carts and lots more. Think of it as chuck e cheese on steroids. You got it, a parents nightmare... but I did have fun because my kids had a blast. Crazy how seeing things through their eyes can give even the worst places a better touch. Jake finally was able to drive his OWN go cart, wait I'm flashing forward ten years in my head and I just had a heart attack! It was a moment that made me tear up, as I saw his little face light up with joy. He thought he was hot stuff. I just sat and thought where did my baby boy go? So many new adventures ahead. Too bad he was going too fast for me to get a great picture of that, but I did manage to get okay pics of them driving the bumper cars. Once again by himself and this time Emma was tall enough to drive all by herself. Check out the outfit she dressed herself in for the day, oh my! She really likes clothes now, but we don't always agree(and it begins) and just got her hair cut in a short angled bob(pre photo here, I'll send out new photos of haircut soon). We had to let her cut it because she was driving us crazy wanting to cut her hair. But I was in a panic. It looks really cute to say the least and she says she looks fabulous. Her next question in the salon was when can she get a strip of color (pink) in her hair like the big girls? I calmly blinked my eyes and uttered those words all our mother's told us, "When you are 18!" And I turned and walked away. I'm in so much trouble! Anyway, she loved it and rammed her brother so many times. They both giggled and went right back at it! Would be great to have those at home, and be able to get out any frustrations without hurting each other!
We also had some great spring weather, so of course we went fishing! Mark took a couple of days off and so we went to our local Glennsprings Lake. It's a nice Tennessee state lake not too far from home. We all were skunked except for Emma. She got her first Crappie with her real deal fishing pole and reeled it in all by herself. "I'm sure it was the pink bait that made the fish bite it," she said. Crappie fish like pink, like me. Her daddy was so proud!! Can you tell from the picture? The second picture is Jake driving the boat.(cheese ball smile working) I'm starting to see a common theme here...Lord help me. He has also learned to drive the John Deere lawn tractor. Guess I'm going to lose my yard cutting job soon... I love to cut the grass, he'll have to flip me for it!
We also went to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the new movie from the very successful books. It was super cute with a lot of good advice and lots of gross stuff(think boogers, moldy cheese, and moles with hair) that my kids loved. But watch out for the cheese touch cause you never know where it will be next, see the movie and you'll get it.
So a week off of school flew by and now we are back to the grind. However many days we get off from school there never seems to be enough time to spend together. But, all things considered we had a blast and made some more great memories.

Taekwondo and Craislist

Why ask why? This is my new motto for this week! We have had an interesting week. Jake started our Monday in the wee hours with a stomach virus, that never fails to happen after he has made it to our bed. Not that he can help it, the sweet thing. Of course I had to work at school Monday, so Mark being the best dad ever, stayed at home with our puny little man. Thankfully it was a short and relatively uneventful episode and so far no one else has gotten it(knock on wood)!
Last weekend, Jake tested for his blue belt in taekwondo. He is so talented, and is really good at kicking his opponents in the head. That is his secret weapon. The one picture is of him breaking a board at graduation and the other is at a tournament here in town. He won two medals, one for sparring and one for weapons. Of course, those are his two favorite parts of martial arts. Only 5 belts left to go to black belt. We are so proud of him!! As Emma watches me post this she is immediately wanting to know where the pictures of her dancing are going to be. So here is Emma at her Christmas recital standing with one of her gal pals Kaitlyn. She really lights up a room and is so animated and comical. Dance suits her personality well, and the sparkly costumes don't hurt either, in her mind anyway.
Jake's fall basketball is finished and Emma's cheer is done as well. Jake is gearing up for spring baseball and Dance doesn't end til May. Emma is also learning the piano, which has turned her daddy into Beethoven, or so we let him believe. So with all our extra curricular activities and crazy schedules Mark, husband extraordinaire, decides it's time to sell my Honda CRV. There's never a good time to sell a car, but he felt we could put the car on Craigslist and by the time we sell it, in a month or so, we'll know what new/used car we should get. Three days later the car sold. Go figure...I feel like I'm back in high school bumming rides from all my friends. I didn't realize how dependent I was on my car til I didn't have one, and how many friends I was blessed to have help me out. We think we've reached a compromise on the car/truck we should get. Of course he wants a truck and I prefer an SUV, so the wage is on. I do believe we've found one that suits us both. A FORD, yes I did say FORD! Me miss foreign car lover has broken down for a FORD Explorer Sport Trac. A compromise from the F-150. A little bit of truck and SUV at the same time! Hopefully I'll have something by Monday. I have learned a lot this week about timing, compromise, blessings, and of course why ask why. Things all happen for a reason, and most are blessings in disguise.