Jason's 39!

I'm sure Jason won't mind my telling you that he turned THIRTY-NINE on Sunday.   364 days til 40. 

I wonder if he'd appreciate a countdown calendar.  One of those where he can tear off each day... 363, 362, 361....  I could probably make one really quickly. ;) just teasing!

Sarah prayed Friday night at dinner, "Lord, please help us to come up with a birthday plan for Dad's birthday."  Wow, thanks for tipping my hand that we had nothing planned for Jason's  birthday.  I may have to teach her to stick to "God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food."  No one gets into trouble with that one.

Saturday we had the crawfish boil, as I mentioned in the post below.  Afterward Sarah came up with the idea that we could make Jason breakfast in bed on Sunday.

.........................

As an aside... 

Do you like breakfast in bed?  Receiving not serving.  I remember as a kid thinking that bringing Mom and Dad breakfast in bed (which we did a handful of times) was the most fun thing EVER.  But honestly I'm not a fan of receiving b.i.b.

(Can I abbreviate please?  It takes a long time to type "Breakfast in Bed".)

Here's what I don't like about b.i.b.

1)  When I first wake up, I'm not hungry.  I want to slowly drink coffee.  Then maybe work up to a muffin or a bowl of cereal.  Not in the mood for eggs or pancakes right away.

2) We don't have a good b.i.b tray.  So it's awkward to eat.  The tray has to be set on the mattress so you kinda have to be hunched over to eat.  Not so great.

3) Crumbs in bed.  Yuck.

But I feel bad about not liking b.i.b because I feel like I'm supposed to love it.  Like it's a kind or (depending on whose serving it) romantic gesture that I'm supposed to swoon over.  Like picnics.  But I don't like those either.  Flies land on your food.  Your sandwich gets warmed by the sun (ick!), and your food tastes like the wind smells. 

You may have to read that last sentence more than once to understand what I'm saying.... and you may never understand.  But the point is... not a huge fan of b.i.b. or picnics but I fear that makes me the most horrible person and perhaps even un-American.  I'm not entirely sure.

..................................

Ok, back to Jason's birthday...

Sarah wanted to do b.i.b for him.  I agreed. Thus Jason's birthday plan was born... at about 8:00 the night before his big day.  Wife of the year!

Caroline's present for Jason wrapped lovingly by Sarah--

It was this picture of a house.

Jack's present for Jason was wrapped and in the freezer...

It was a frozen peach cobbler.  Jack's idea.

Don't judge the messiness of my freezer.

Sarah's present to Jason....

It's a picture of Jason and her standing in front of the Goose at the deer lease.  Les had given her 5 turkey feathers when he cleaned his bird that weekend.  She gave one to Jack, Caroline, and me.  She kept one for herself, and she hid the fifth.  She had always planned on giving it to Jason for his birthday.

This picture will be framed and put in his office.  Hand-drawn. With an actual feather from the very first Daddy/Daughter weekend.  Yep, it's a keeper.

Then here's his breakfast. 

Cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, milk, coffee, and ketchup for his eggs.  Just the way he likes it!

Great plan, Sarah!

Happy birthday, Jason!!!! 

Crawfish Boil 2013

Another year, another neighborhood Crawfish Boil.  There's not much to say that I haven't said in years past.

Saturday was the big event!

They still serve crawfish (and hot dogs for those who don't like mud bugs. And folks will call them "mud bugs" as you're trying to eat them. Ruins my appetite every time.). Everyone brings a side or a dessert.  They inflate some bounce houses, and we turn on some music.

Always a good time.

^^^

Couldn't be bothered to move the paper towels out of the way.  One of the kajillion reasons I'll never make money as a photographer.

 



Then I tried to take a picture of my food, simply because this is a post about a crawfish boil.  I felt there should be a photo of a crawfish. 

But I had one of those moments of realization that I was about to take pics of my food and others were sitting at the table with me.  People who aren't related to me and don't have to love me.  I realized they might think I'm weird.

So this is my "Take the pic really fast and put the phone down like you didn't just take a pic of your food."  shots...

Also-- I knew if I posted this pic I'd feel the need to explain that piece of bread on the left side of my plate.  It had chicken and cheese and artichoke hearts on it.  That's why it looks like that.  It was really good.

We were one of the first families at the boil and so were some of the first people to go through the serving line.  The man who made the bread was cutting it into long strips (as you see above) as we were walking through the line.  So I grabbed a piece.

Later when I went back for more salad, I saw the finished product of his efforts.  Apparently his intent was to cut the big strips of bread into thirds.  I didn't know that.  So when I grabbed a piece, I actually took enough for THREE people.  :/  **oops**  **no wonder he gave me that look**

But it was really good. :)

Not to brag, but...

Earlier this week I practiced softball with Sarah.  I can't throw or catch, but I'm good at rolling the ball and fielding grounders.  You're super impressed, I know. So that's what we practiced.

She rolled the ball, and I'd stop it.  Then I'd roll it, and she'd stop it. 

I don't know why the coach hasn't asked me to assist at practices.  I'm a natural.

I knew she needed to practice throwing the ball so I told her I'd do my best to catch it.  I hate playing catch though.  I'm not any good at it. 

With my little brother's old glove on my hand, I stood there.... with my glove up about shoulder height.

Stopping there for a second...  Having my glove up above my waist is huge.  I've only been known to catch balls when I hold my glove underhand.

She closed one eye as she was supposedly aiming for my glove.  I was positive she was going to hit me in the face.  As she released the ball, I closed my eyes, hunched my shoulders, turned away from the ball, and shrieked.

It turns out the ball was nowhere near me, but I don't like balls being thrown at me.  It's not natural to try to catch a ball coming at me; it's natural to dodge it.

I picked the ball up off the ground and tried to gently toss the ball underhand to her... knowing that she catches about as well as I do.  I was trying to toss it so gently that it actually bounced on the driveway before it got to her and then nailed her in the foot. 

She started hopping on one foot, and I realized that was probably the first time she's ever been hit by a ball.  I decided then and there to not toss anymore balls to her.  I didn't want to make her even more afraid.

I'm getting to the "not to brag, but..." part, I promise.

After a few more tosses and an internal pep talk, I decided that if I kept my eyes open and watched the ball, I just might be able to catch it.  Glove up and all.

Guess what?! I did!!! I even caught a ball above my head.  For the first time EVER!!

Sarah was so proud of me.  She said she wished my dad had been there to see it.  He'd have been so proud of me too.

Sarah suggested that I take up T-ball again and give it another shot. A great suggestion.  I'd dominate the games I'm sure. So if you know of an adult T-ball league, let me know. 

Job change

There has been a lot going on that I haven't posted about, but I think it's safe to post now.

I have 4 weeks left at the preschool in Frisco where I work with my friend, Robyn.  Starting in June, I will be working at my church, ParkwayHills, at-- what is now being called-- the child development center.

The Mother's Day Out program and Weekday Preschool program are combining to be a 3 day program called ParkwayHills Child Development Center.  Mother's Day Out is now Younger Preschool.  Weekday Preschool is now Older Preschool.

To be a licensed program, they  needed someone with a degree in elementary education and experience at a licensed preschool to be at the helm.  That person is ME. :) Technically, I'm over the center on paper only for licensing purposes. Functionally, however, I am the Director of the Younger Preschool. 

It's exciting to be out of the classroom and have this opportunity to gain some administrative experience.  Everyone is very supportive of me and glad I'm coming on staff.

It's a very long story how all of this worked out.... one I won't take the time to blog about, but I'm thrilled!  It's going to be challenging and help me grow in a lot of ways.

I am still pursuing my Master's.  (In fact this summer, I'll be taking 31 Continuing Education hours, working out a new curriculum, leading staff development courses for my new job, and taking 9 hours for grad school.)  But this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

Who knows what the future will hold, but if I stay the course of my original plan,  I'll have my Master's and later pursue a position as a counselor at a public school.  Now when I interview with an ISD, I'll have administrative experience to add to my resume.  Never a bad thing!

However, this position also has opportunity for growth, which is awesome! I've never had anyone sit me down and tell me the potential that they see in me in the way that Debbie, Paula, and Sam have. I haven't felt this confident or smart since high school.  It's a great feeling. :)

AND I'll have an office (that I'll share with 2 other people) but still... My very first office!  Yippee!

Soooo there's lots of change.  Lots of things going on. 

I'm sad to leave Robyn.  She has proven that working with fun people makes work fun!  On the days when I've been grouchy, I've always laughed with her.  She's been a really good friend to me, and I'll miss her... and the way we like to break out in song and dance at random times in the classroom.  We're unpredictable like that. ;)

I'm a little nervous about what I'm stepping into.  I know I can do this.  I can lead.  I can make decisions.  I know how to talk to parents and be supportive of teachers.  And what I don't know, I'll learn... right?

Anyway... that's what's been going on with me.  I've had all of this stuff happening and haven't been really sure when to blog about it and when not to.  But now you're all caught up.  And now you can start to pray for me. ;)

The deer lease continued...

It was pointed out that I've failed to update on the rest of the weekend.  Sorry.

Please remember that these stories are in fragments.  Some from Jason.  Some from Sarah.  Lots of "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you... " and "Did I mention that....?"  When two people go on a trip with no thought to the fact that I'll want to blog about this, they don't come home with as many stories as I'd want.

But I digress.

Here's what I know... In no particular order...

~ Sarah got to sit in the front seat of Jason's truck as soon as they got on country roads.  She drove when they got on dirt roads.  Pressing the gas pedal and all.  Remember-- everything's legal in the country. ;)

~  There was a campfire going on Friday night when they got there.  Everyone had already eaten dinner.  Jason and Sarah stopped at Whataburger on the way over.

~ Sarah had her choice of sleeping in the house in a bunk bed with the ladies or sleeping with Jason in the trailer.  She chose the trailer.  He thinks that next time she might choose the house.

~ On Saturday, Sarah was decked out in camo.  They drove around in the Goose, the truck pictured below.

Funny story... when they climbed into the Goose (a standard transmission by the way... Sarah had never seen anyone drive a stick shift before), Sarah asked, "Dad, what are these silver knobs?  Do they do something?" 

Jason said, "Yeah, baby.  Grab them and crank like this.  The windows will roll down."  :)

~  The rest of the crew that was out at the lease went turkey hunting.  Sarah and Jason went to a stand to look for turkeys.  Jason didn't try to shoot any.  He wasn't sure how she'd react to killing a bird.  He didn't want to traumatize her the first time out, so the only shooting they did was with a camera.

She took some pics...

 

Then she called the turkeys.  She'll tell you it goes... "chirp chirp chirp gobble gobble"...

And it worked. 

Jason took a few pics to document her turkey-calling skills.

~ Sarah shot the BB gun with Jason.  She told me it was cool.  But when I asked her if she hit the target, she was upset because she hadn't. 

Her story---
I was doing exactly what Dad told me to, but he kept telling me I was doing it wrong.  But I wasn't.  He made me sad.

His story---
I was trying to explain to her how to line up the sights on the gun.  You can't just point the end of the gun at the target.  You have to line everything up.  I could tell she was going to shoot over the target, but she'd insist that she was pointing right at it.  She'd shoot over it and get frustrated.  I could tell she was about to cry so I said, "Hey, let's leave this for a while and just go take a walk."


~ Later Sarah shot a pistol.  She was trying to hit a water bottle.  She nailed it, and Jason said she grinned from ear to ear.

~ The fellow Daddy/Daughter Weekenders...  Disclaimer--  Some names will probably be misspelled.

Catherine (John Garrett's daughter) and Les Miller.

Les has been one of Jim's best friends since elementary school. 

Sarah really hit it off with Catherine.  She's in her late 30s I think and has a daughter around Sarah's age.  I heard she was really good at talking and relating to her. Sarah would apparently leave Jason to find Catherine so they could hang out.

From left to right:  Tonya (Les's daughter), John Garrett, and Les.

Garrett is also a great friend of Jim's and the cook at the lease.  I've heard stories for years about the gourmet lease cooking Garrett does... As a side note, he and his wife gave me the KitchenAid stand mixer that I use all the time when Jason and I got married. :)

 

Les and Sarah :)

 

The whole gang.

~ Les shot a turkey.  I don't think Sarah watched him clean it, but she did say that something was "disgusting".... and I know Les gave her some turkey feathers to bring home for Jack, Caroline, and me. 


Sarah has told me several times that she had a great time with Jason.  She's said that, at home, he's the parent with all of the rules.  (I guess that would make me the sucker/pushover.)  But she said, at the lease, he was nothing but fun.

I'm glad that they had a wonderful time together.  Caroline's already asking when she gets to go.

The start of our weekend...

Sarah and Jason are headed to west Texas to spend the weekend at the deer lease for Daddy/Daughter weekend.

There will be sleeping in trailers.  Riding of 4 wheelers.  Shooting of BB guns.  Stories around campfires. Sarah couldn't sleep she was so excited!!

Jason took her to Cabela's and got all things camo that had a little pink on them. ;) 

The other dads that will be there are Jim's age, and the daughters there will be in their 30s and 40s.  So, for Sarah, hanging out with the girls will be like hanging out with her mom and aunts... but-- hey!-- Her mom and aunts are pretty darn cool so I fully expect her to have an awesome time! :)

Sweet Sarah

Book Fair was this week at the kids' school. 

Sarah wanted to spend her own money on the books she wanted to buy.  I thought that was a great idea, but when I saw her put $40 in her backpack, I was concerned. 

"Sweetheart, don't take $40 to school.  Only take as much money as you need,"  I said.

She told me she needed $40.  I asked her what she was planning on buying that would cost that much money. ?!?  She said there were 3 books... a cookbook, a Minnie Mouse book, and something else.  I thought it was odd that she wanted a Minnie Mouse book, but, truthfully, I was happy she wanted to get a cookbook for herself.  I love that she shares my interest in baking. :)

I told Jason that she was bringing $40 of her own money to the book fair, and while we agreed that we wouldn't choose to spend it that way, there are worse ways to spend money.  Besides Sarah's good about being willing to work to earn more.  So we let her do what she wanted to do.

This afternoon she came home with a sack of books.  We came inside and she proudly pulled out the Minnie Mouse book and gave it to Caroline. It came with a musical Minnie Mouse bow, which is what made it an expensive purchase.  Then she pulled out a cookbook of "Just Desserts" and gave it to me because she knows I love to make desserts.

There was a third book on her wish list that she had wanted to buy for herself but the total was $43 so she put her book back and bought for Caroline and me instead. 

When I realized how selfless she had been and that she had made a sacrifice for me, my heart hurt.  I almost said, "Baby, you shouldn't have spent your money on me,"  but I knew that would have crushed her.  She was SO excited to see the looks on our faces when she handed us our books.

I told her I couldn't wait to read all of the recipes and that I hoped she'd help me make them.

$40 of her own money on books that weren't for her.  Such a sweet generous spirit.

Dallas Zoo

Today was our preschool field trip to the Dallas Zoo.  I had actually never been to the Dallas Zoo so this was a first for me.

I took a ton of pictures of the animals for some reason.  I'll spare you.  I assume you've seen zoo animals. ;)  Instead I'll tell the story of our day in pics of people.

At the beginning of the day.  Ready to go.  Wanting to pose with the sunscreen.

One of our first stops.  In the children's area of the zoo with her school friends, Milla and Brooke.

On a side note, the lady in the blue tank top is Caroline's teacher, Katy.  We love her. :)

The girls fed the birds.

The birds went straight to Milla.

Caroline was up for it.  She held the cup of worms up... and waited. 
But nothing.

Then the zoo worker helped her.  Success!

Then, as quick as the bird came, it was gone.

Jana made friends with the birds so the kids got to pet one.  Thanks, Jana!  Better you than me.  :)

Then we went to the petting zoo, and Caroline saw some goats.

She rode the pretend horse and played on the playground.

Caroline and Asher with the river otters.

Caroline, Asher, and Emerson climbing on the tortoise statue.  Emerson was obviously worried that he was going to fall off.

Caroline with the big Texas cats.  Cougars and something else.  An ocelot maybe.  Are ocelots in Texas?

So this is the halfway point of our day.  We broke for a picnic lunch.  I had to sort of "meet and greet" my students and parents who were there.  A bird pooped on me.  That was awesome... and it started the decline of our day.

It got hotter outside.  We were tired.  And we still had elephants, lions, giraffes, gorillas, zebras, etc to see. 

Caroline and the penguins.  (After I got this shot, a penguin swam right up to her and she got a good look at it. It was pretty cool.) 

Note: The smile is more forced than in previous pictures.

Looking at a monkey with Robyn and her boys. 

The giraffes.

I had to show this one animal pic to show that they were right there.  All of the animals were out today, and Caroline got to see most of them up close.  It was pretty great!

Then she saw a cheetah.

Sat on an elephant statue.

And saw a lion.

I think this face says it all.  We were done.  She was done. I was done.  Robyn's kids were done.  We were all over it. 

Tired.

Hot. 

Done.

We zoomed through the gorilla section and got outta there.

I met Robyn at 9:00, and we didn't get back to Plano until 2:00.  It was a fun day, but it was a loooong day. I think Caroline and I will both sleep really well tonight. ;)

A few randoms rollin' around in the old noggin

On facebook:

* When someone comments on a pic that they've shared with a caption like, "Wow!!! This is amazing!", sometimes I wanna say, "That's photoshopped.  You know that, right?"



* "Loose" and "Lose" are not synonymous.  Never have been, never will be. 

I'm so glad you made it to your Crossfit session again.  You are not loosing weight though.

And your team didn't loose the game.

And your candidate didn't loose the election.

I am "loosing" my patience with that one.



* I'm afraid that, if I ever posted a question as my status, no one would answer me.  All of my friends who ask questions as a status have great friends who answer them. Some people get 25 or 30 people to chime in with an opinion or a solution to the problem. 

I'm afraid that I'd post something like:

For Caroline's birthday-- Chuck E Cheese or Little Gym?

And I'd get no responses.  **crickets chirping**

Then I'd wonder, "Was that a dumb question?"  "Are my friends just not on fb right now?"  "Hello?  Is this thing on? [tapping an imaginary mic]  When is someone gonna answer me?"

Can we make a pact that, if I ever have a question and post it on facebook, you will answer me or at least comment so it's not like I'm talking to myself??  Thanks!



On Food Network:


* In my humble opinion-- although I know there's much debate over this one-- pecans are not pee-cans; rather they are puh-kahns.

Sarah's first softball practice

Today was the first day of a sport for any of my kids. And we couldn't have started with a better one.  Softball.  A sport where I know a lot of the rules and the terms used.  A sport I understand.  Hallelujah.

I knew we'd be the only family at the practice.  Most kids show up with one parent, but it was her first day.  Neither of us wanted to miss it... and we wanted to assess the skills of the other girls. ;) 

I was the mom taking pictures with my phone.  Jason was the dad taking note of the things Sarah does well and what she needs to work on.    I was nervous every time she had to field the ball or bat.  Jason was vicariously competitive every time she got near a ball. 

If Sarah had seen or heard either of us, she would have been thoroughly embarrassed.

Caroline and Jack were yelling, "Go, Sarah, go! Faster, Sarah, faster!"  They're a supportive pair.

Lining up for a drill.

She's in the pink shirt and matching batting helmet with the long blond curly ponytail.

Running bases. 

She's a pretty fast little runner, but Jason tried to prepare her for running in cleats.  He told her she'd probably fall until she got used to her new shoes.  She looked at him defiantly last night, and said, "No, I won't."  He said, "Yes, you will.  It's inevitable. You'll trip."

She didn't.

Batting.

This was the first time she had ever swung a bat... let alone had someone tossing a ball to her.  Of course Coach Ledsome was really good about throwing smooth pitches at the perfect height, BUT she only missed 3 times before she got a hold of one. 

(Yes, I realize missing 3 times is technically a strike out.  Pipe down.  Let me have my moment of pride.)  ;)

Her second time at bat she got a good solid hit.  That smack of the bat hitting the ball really energized her.  I could see it on her face.  All the moms in the stands cheered for her.  I think she's going to have a great time belonging to a team.

Speaking of her team,  some of those girls are GOOD.  Wowsers!

My attitude is kinda... Hey, who cares if you're the star of a good team or just on a good team.   Either way it's fun. :)

She practiced for an hour and a half.  Hopefully she'll sleep well tonight, and she'll be so hungry that we can put some meat on those bones. ;)