All partied out

Last week it was birthday parties, and this week was all about yearend parties. Thursday I headed to Valley View for Aurora's class ice cream party. None of the moms ate ice cream, which was kind of a bummer. She was glad I came anyway. I also took a picture at drop off on Friday morning - our last drop off of 1st grade!!! That seriously went by way too fast!

Friday was a half day and they made cheese quesadillas to celebrate the last day of her after school program. I picked Aurora up a little early so we could head to Clark's yearend party. Not many parents showed up for that one as it wasn't actually his last day. He'll be in the same class all summer! But hey, any reason to celebrate...

Afterwards we went straight to the lake for Aurora's last Girl Scouts meeting of the year. They had a bridging ceremony, symbolizing their graduation from Daisies to Brownies.

After so many last day parties, it was fun spending this morning at the summer reading kickoff party at the library. There were crafts, snacks, drummers, miniature horses and lots of friends.

The highlight for me was when I asked Clark what he wanted to do next, and without hesitation he said "read a book!" I swear, with all the commotion I forgot that was an option! We sat and read books while Aurora waited in (the incredibly long) line for balloon animals. She got a tiny turtle and he ended up with an amazing gecko. As we were leaving Chuck asked how many more parties we have on the calendar for this weekend, and the answer was NONE. We are all partied out!

Nothing says Memorial Day like playing with easter eggs in the closet...

Yes, we did spend part of the weekend playing with holiday decorations in the closet, as most of yesterday we were under a tornado watch! In-between the torrential downpour, thunder and lightning that lasted most of the weekend, there were a few perfect moments of sunshine which just happened to come right when we had outdoor activities planned. We attended three rain-free parties, including Clark's buddy Cam's 3rd birthday.

The day we got the invitation to Cam's party, I showed it to Clark and he was certain that we were going to Cam's party right then and there. He cried when we went home instead. Then when it was Cam's actual birthday and his mom brought cupcakes to class, the same thing happened. "It's Cam's birthday! We going to Cam's party!" Sweet boy, he had to wait until Sunday but he sure enjoyed it. We also celebrated Ruby's 1st birthday and Aurora went to a 7th birthday party. Then we attended a surprise party while getting an oil change (which turned into an oil change and 4 new tires), as the Mazda dealership grilled up hotdogs and hamburgers to feed all their customers.

Can we call that a party? There were lots of kids and it did last for 2 full hours. Grilling up burgers while getting the car serviced sounds like a much more patriotic way to spend Memorial Day than playing with easter eggs in the closet. But hey, we got to do both! 

Pizza & Guitars

This 3-day weekend will be full of birthday parties and playdates, but so far the highlights have been dinner at an awesome new local pizza place and guitar lessons.

I ordered a 3/4 size guitar for Aurora called the Aurora Luna (it actually has her name on it) and we took her to the guitar store so she could buy her own stand and picks. Chuck's already started her lessons and I think she's going to do great! Clark got pretty upset when he couldn't have a turn, but he's been getting lots of snuggles this weekend... he'll survive. 

Super Star

Those of you following Julian's Blog know that our graduating senior, Preston Slane, is the star of our family right now. Awards, honors, prom king, college acceptance - all around amazing! Well, this has nothing to do with anything like that. Last week Aurora was the Star Student at school, and I'm pretty sure it's just because her last name starts with W. Of course, the fact that everybody gets a turn did not take away from how excited she was to be the Star Student of the week!

You read that right - she likes bunnies, carrots, easter, cookies & cream ice cream, Karate Kid, and when she grows up she wants to be a singer. Huh? We're counting down to summer now - just two more weeks of 1st grade, which is pretty hard to believe. They don't have star students in Clark's class, but they did send me this cute picture last week. Each of the kids got cool new shades:

He wore them and his Superman costume all weekend long...

This last picture isn't a great photo, but it highlights something I want to write about, which is that Aurora and Clark are suddenly old enough to play outside without parental supervision. Last week they wanted to play outside as soon as we get home everyday, which is great - but by the time we get home, I'm ready to cook dinner. So I decided to let them go out alone, and it was amazing! It's totally buggy outside right now and I could hear them squealing about beetles, throwing rolly pollies, stomping ants, and marveling at the spiders and butterflies. They did sidewalk chalk, blew bubbles, and (most importantly) really got along with each other. Yesterday we went to a friend's housewarming, which is one of those rare parties that includes kids but doesn't revolve around them. We talked to friends, ate, drank, and just let them play...

Unless you have little littles, this might not sound like a big deal. Most of my childhood memories involve playing without my parents watching me. But as a working mom, I only get a few hours a day with the kids and I have to hover a bit to keep them safe and happy and spend quality time with them - especially while Clark's a toddler. I often feel bad that I don't have time to take them to regular swim or music lessons, but I like to think allowing them a bit of unstructured time is probably just as beneficial. I did ask Chuck if he could start giving Aurora guitar lessons, but for the most part our little super star and superhero seem pretty happy just going to school and being kids.

Lovely

Our Mother's Day weekend started on a somber note as we gathered with my best LIVESTRONG friends to celebrate the life of a beautiful, generous and awesomely surly mother, grandmother, and volunteer. You may remember Carmen from the years we've spent sharing Thanksgiving with her family, and she always helped plan holiday parties and ice cream socials at work. The service was truly lovely and she will be missed.

This morning began with a 5K run. The highlight of the event was Aurora running her first kid's 1K! At the last minute Clark decided he needed to run, too... it was adorable.

The Mom's on the Run group was there as well as our neighbors Megan & David.

Afterwards we went out to brunch at Hat Creek, which was delicious and deserted. I do understand the desire to sleep in and go out to a fancy restaurant, but I was sweaty and the kids really wanted to run around and play, so this was perfect. They even had $1 wine for moms! Afterwards Aurora and Chuck did all the food shopping, bought flowers and a cookie cake, and I opened my cards and gifts. I got a sweet tile with a picture of Clark, and Aurora made a lovely book all about me...

I guess I better keep exercising! Actually, the Daisy 5K was my last race of the season. The weather's about to get too hot for organized runs, but I hope I can find a way to keep running, doing yoga, and going to the gym regularly. If not, well... at least my insides are beautiful. Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely women in my life! 

Haircuts

As I mentioned yesterday, Aurora has been in need of a haircut. Today after school we decided to go to Cool Cuts 4 Kids and I have to say, they really didn't take as much length as I asked for. I said 2 inches and this was really just a 1/2" trim (we've all had this happen, right?). But, it was getting late and a trim and some new layering will definitely make it easier to comb through. Aurora does love her long hair so she's happy.

I was a bit preoccupied with Clark's adorable transformation. I asked for a trim for him, but his hair was getting so shaggy that cleaning up around his ears and neck made a big difference! I love these photos because they show off his personality. Clark has entered a phase where he rarely stops talking. Imagine the cutest little voice you've ever heard saying "Mama, dats MY yiddle car!"

And no... I didn't make her pay for the haircuts or dinner at Chipotle. Though, I did consider it!

Winners!

I have to tell you, these past couple of weeks have not been easy. Balancing a busy time at work with two kids, doctors appointments, scheduled medications, and (believe it or not) cleaning, nit-picking an combing for LICE (oh Aurora) has been such a challenge. But this week, we are WINNERS! First, I won a contest on Facebook and got a free book called "Tales From Another Mother Runner." It arrived today and it looks great. I needed a new running book! Then I got a call from A+ Federal Credit Union. When Aurora opened her account (and subsequently made a deposit) during Youth Savings Month, she was entered into a drawing and SHE WON THE GRAND PRIZE! A $100 VISA gift card!!!

When I told her about it, she screamed, did a fist pump and squealed "YES!!! I'M RICH!!!" She is totally rich for a 7 year old. She's got money in the bank and money to spend. I told Chuck she should spend some of it on a haircut (seriously, with the nit-picking and combing) but he told me I can't make her spend her money on stuff like that. He's right. I'm sure she'll be smart with her newly acquired riches and can't wait to see what she buys.

Last week I went to a mom's night out with my friend Amelia. It was a packed event put on by Austin Moms Blog, and there was a huge raffle. I didn't win anything there, but Amelia got herself a nice new stroller! I think that belongs in this post, right?

I did get a goodie bag filled with snacks and coupons and enjoyed a fair amount of chocolate and booze. All in all, I'm feeling pretty lucky! It might just be time to pick up some lottery tickets.

Good

After a week of doctor appointments, strep throat, fevers, breathing treatments, pink eye, antibiotics, etc... we spent the last few days making up for lost time. I rattled off about a dozen things we could do this weekend and Aurora said yes to all of them! For some reason I thought doing all of them sounded great, so we did everything. Honestly, we went on more errands and outings than I can list, the most fun being a Home Depot workshop, Little Helping Hands Open House, volunteering for Colin's Hope, and a Girl Scout meeting at the Farmer's Market.

We went shopping, visited friends, played at the park, I went for a run; some things we did with the boys, others while Clark napped and Chuck played video games. Our triumphant return to going and doing everything has me exhausted! But it was a good weekend of doing good stuff - and it's REALLY good to have everybody feeling good again.