1st Grader

This past week was a huge week for all of us. First and foremost, Jack started 1st grade! He was very excited and took to the new routine like a champ. When I picked him up after the first day he said it was the "Best day ever!" On the second day when I asked him he said "It was great!" On the third day he said, "Why do you keep asking me that? Every day I go to school is going to be a great day!" We'll see how long that lasts...hopefully until the end of the year!

It was a big week for me too. Even though I've been working for weeks in my new classroom at NVHS, my first day with students was Wednesday. I was so nervous and anxious. I hardly slept...thinking about every detail and everything I wanted to say. Wednesday was a blur, Thursday was a little more memorable, and finally Friday I felt like I accomplished something. My students are great, and I'm so excited to be a part of the Nooksack community. The staff is so wonderful and supportive.

Jovie had to begin a new routine too. Prior to me getting the job at Nooksack, we had no idea what we were going to do about childcare for her. Our wonderful nanny from last year took a different job (one that she could have year-round), so we were back to square one. Little did I know that I wouldn't have to do any looking or figuring at all. God's hand were at work orchestrating a schedule that I couldn't have dreamed up. My friend Brooke (who also works at NVHS) was looking for someone to do a nanny share with, so there you have it. Problem solved. I was a little nervous about how Jovie would handle going somewhere she had never been, playing with kids she had never played with, but so far so good.

September and October will continue to really busy and fun-filled for us, and since fall is tied with spring as my favorite time of year, I'm so excited for lots of family fun and excitement! Stay tuned :-)

Family

Nothing brings our family together like fresh caught and prepared food! Last weekend it was crab, and hopefully if all goes well, this weekend will be full of crabbing too. We all (except for one of us...I won't expose you) love crab!!! And what is better than catching your own and eating it fresh? I HEART these pictures, and my heart was filled to the brim with love and happiness last Saturday night. 

Jack is 6!

Here's a random list of pictures from the 4 little birthday gatherings we had for Jack. It was a week full of setting up, preparing food, cleaning, taking down, and cleaning again to cram in all these get-togethers, but it was totally worth it. We had such a nice time with all our family and Jack's friends.

The grand finale was the best salmon dinner I think I've ever had. My Dad and Adam caught a couple Kings on the Fraser River, and were kind enough to share them with all of us. They did a little pre-smoke on the fish before it went on the grill, which resulted in this amazing smoky-flavored crust. I made a wasabi-avocado-shrimp appetizer, some mango salsa, and a potato dish to go along with the meal. We finished our wonderful meal off with raspberry filled and topped chocolate cake. Truly a Northwest dinner. At the end of the night we discussed how lucky we are to be able to "live off the land" and have such wonderful, fresh food. There's nothing that says summer in the NW better than salmon and raspberries...we are truly lucky!

Round 1, with Mom, Dad, and Jovie

Getting ready for Round 2 with friends

Silly birthday party boys, plus Jovie. Clockwise from Jack...Crew, Eli, Logan, Kobe, Jovie

Trying to get four boys to sing happy birthday is impossible!

Round 3 with the Days...He's been waiting for a long time for this Lego set.
Thanks Grandpa & Grammy Day!

Tackling the 7 bags of Legos that contained the "Pirate's" ship.

Round 4 with the Van Diest clan...the present on the floor is Jack's very own crab pot
from Grampy Van Diest! Lucky guy!

Yummy chocolate raspberry cake with trick candles!!! :)

Congratulations, and Stay-cation

Congratulations to Rob! He just finished his coursework, and has obtained a bachelors degree in accounting. It's been over a year of rigorous coursework, met with long hours at work...especially in the last few months, but as of Friday, he is officially done with the coursework for his degree.

Because of Rob's school and work, and because we're going to Maui in five months (yahoo!) we have decided to stay very local this summer. In fact, we don't have one single vacation planned. I was really itching for a vacation earlier this summer, but now as the summer seems to be dwindling away very quickly, I have no desire to leave home. The kids and I have been enjoying a very simple life lately. We mostly just hang around the house, go for a walk here, head to a friend's or sister's house there...just wait for Rob to get home so we can enjoy the time we have with him. Even though there's a strong part of me that wants to pack up the car and head on another road trip, I have finally come to terms with the fact that it's not the summer to do so. Good thing we have a wonderful trip coming up in a few short months. I can't wait go to Maui with Rob and the kids!

I have been neglecting my camera lately, but here's a cute little photo of Jovie and her friend Emerson taking a movie break while us adults and older kids were outside having a 4-square tournament in the alley.

We Love Summer

What a life! This kid knows how to relax, and is so happy we are less on the go these days.

Happy Independence Day!

Ta-Da! Whimsical and full of it lately!

Wine with friends! This is the evidence of a really, really fun night...even if we did both pay for it the next morning. Sydney, there is nothing like your company. Thank you so much for the impromptu visit! We love you and miss you guys so much!

You'd think that since it's summer break, life would be settling down a little...quite the contrary. Rob has recently been "blessed" with a promotion at work. I say "blessed" because while this is a great opportunity for him, and a blessing for our family, it's made for an interesting last couple months. Rob is trying to finish the last 3 courses of his accounting degree, in addition to his new demands at work. He often gets home between 7-8pm, and then has hours of accounting to do. I don't share this to make anyone feel sorry for him or us. This was a choice he made a year and half ago, and quite honestly, he never complains...I do! However, his course work will be done in less than three weeks, which means at the end of July he'll have finished a second bachelor's degree in accounting!

The most recent change in my life is that at the end of August I won't be going back to work at Mount Vernon High School. I left my teaching position there for a position at Nooksack Valley High School. I have had a lot of mixed feelings about this change in my life. I've been at MVHS for 4 1/2 years. I was just about to start my 5th successful year of teaching there. My coworkers have been amazing, my students have been so important to me, yet it was never supposed to be a long-term placement. I mean really, how much longer could I have handled that commute? Driving 2 hours a day with two young children at home and school has been challenging to say the least. When the position came open at Nooksack, (the school is 6 minutes away from my house) I had to apply. My interview went great, and obviously they liked me because they offered the job to me right away. Even though I was slightly hesitant, I knew it would be the best thing for me, my career, and my family. Now my "relaxed" summer has turned into a summer of cleaning out my office/rooms at MV, moving into NV, and preparing for all new classes, new students, new faculty & colleagues! I'm nervous, but very excited. I can't imagine what it's going to be like to be home when Jack gets off the bus, get an extra 45 minutes of sleep, and just be more invested in my community!

For now, I am soaking up every moment of time with the kids. We enjoy our lazy days around home. We don't have any family vacations planned until winter, so we will be very homebound...probably exactly what we need.

Countdown is on!

To the end of the school year, that is. After tomorrow I'll only have 8 more days left of school before summer vacation. Mount Vernon had so many snow days that we are in session until the 22nd! Jack on the other hand only has 2 days left as a kindergartner (tomorrow and Tuesday)!

In less than 2 weeks I'll have more time to devote to blogging.

Is it May...Really?

I'm feeling majorly behind on blogging as of late. It seems like we've had so much going on that I've wanted to blog about, but no time to do it.

All I can say about life (as complicated as it is sometimes) is that I am so happy and grateful to have my family...Rob, Jack, Jovie, Dad, Sisters (and some very close friends) to help every milestone, every hard moment still seem manageable. I "Keep Moving Forward" (Walt Disney's motto, and my new favorite saying) to accomplish, live, and record all the wonderful and important things that keep me sane and grounded.

To finish off my spring break, I chose to tackle the job of potty training Jovie. She was just a bit over two, but I knew it was either now or during the summer, and I really thought she was ready. My was she ever!!! Anyone who knows us understands that sometimes things don't come very easy with Jovie...however she proved me wrong with this one. It literally took a day to potty train her. I think she had MAYBE 3 accidents in her underwear, and we took the diapers away cold turkey. I'm so happy she was able to have such success. I love your little undies tush Joves!

Yay! No more diapers!!!

Easter was full of tradition and fun, yet empty of the one who put together the tradition. It was so hard to celebrate Easter without our Mom, not to mention Easter was only a few days past the one year anniversary of her death. It was hard not to think of what we were doing last year this time. We were coming off of funeral arrangements, going through flowers and cards, constant reminders of her scent as it was still everywhere in the house. I tried my very best to remind myself that my Mom got to spend her first Easter in Heaven with Jesus. The one who bled and died on the cross for her sins. The one who sacrificed himself so that she could make Heaven her home. What an amazing scene Easter in Heaven must be! Someday we'll see. Jack and I talked about that recently. He misses his Grammy so much, however as each month passes I can see his memory of her fading further and further into the past. What a lovely reunion they will have one day. Lord, I pray that Jack's heart remains yours and that you give me the strength to encourage his faith. Easter pics:

No sooner was Easter over that it was time to start preparing for opening weekend of fishing at Silver Lake. Another tradition that my parents started years ago. We had the best sights ever this year! A nice grouping of three large campsites with hookups that fit my Dad's trailer, Lisa & Corey's camper, and my Grandparent's trailer which they so lovingly brought up there for Jack and I to use. Since Silver Lake is just a short 30 minute drive from our house, it wasn't a big deal for them to bring it up there for us. Jack and I arrived at 5:30 on Friday evening and the trailer was all set up with the lights on and furnace running. What a welcome!!! I had to take a picture of the twin beds Jack and I got to sleep in all weekend and him all decked out and ready for fishing (they didn't catch any by the way). Despite the nice weather, it was still a little cold and the fish just didn't want to bite. We still had a wonderful time. Lots of sitting around the campfire. Lots of talking and laughing. Lots of eating!!! Seriously needed time away. Jovie and Rob went to visit Uncle Jason & Aunt Sydney for the boy's 6th or 7th annual NFL draft party, so we missed them a lot, however Jack and I got some much needed quality time together and Jack got to pretty much be free the entire weekend.

Spring Break





We kicked off Spring Break with a little ferry boat ride to San Juan Island. We stayed at Roche Harbor with our dear friends Jason, Sydney, and new baby Tate. The kids were really excited about the ferry boat. It was a pretty lazy few days considering the weather didn't allow for much exploration around the Island, however it was a much needed mini-vacation. Lots of fun memories, laughs, games, and not much sleep for the adults...I wonder how many bottles of red wine were consumed in those three nights?!?

Upon returning mid-week, we decided to start potty training with Jovie. She was natural! I'm fairly certain I can say she's officially out of diapers, with the exceptional pull-up during naps and bed time.

Between our trip, potty training, and squeezing in some fun time with sisters and friends, the week flew by! I'm sad spring break is over, but so happy that summer vacation is right around the corner with lots of things to look forward to in the coming months.

March Happenings

We've really been soaking up the sun that has been surprisingly given to us this past week. What a blessing and signal that Spring is officially here! Even though I know there are still lots of gray, rainy days ahead, this week was just what I needed to lift my spirits.

Last weekend we had such a nice evening out just us four. We took the kids out to dinner and went and saw Rango...hilarious!!! Everyone needs to see this movie. Such a funny, sweet message about finding oneself. Also it marked a milestone in our life since Jovie has joined our family...we went an entire evening (dinner at a restaurant and the movie theater) without a single meltdown from the sweet pea. LEGEN...wait for it...DARY!!!

Rob's birthday was on Tuesday, so on Sunday his parents came up for the day to visit and wish him a happy birthday. He got the coolest bonsai tree and kit/book to plant it, and what perfect weather to spend some time outdoors to put it all together. It was serious business. The kids and I pretty much just played while Rob and Cathy dissected the tree and replanted it in a pot, and finally the kids got to come around to put the finishing touches on the top (place the rocks that is). It's pretty cool. Rob even saved his Buddha from college and placed it in the pot.

Believe it or not, she's smiling. I know it looks like she's in pain...this is the new look she gives the camera.

Bright Sun!!

Zilla. Such a beautiful dog. 

Just like any weekend, our fun came and went too quickly, but we still had a nice modest celebration for Rob on his actual birthday, March 22nd. I didn't get any pictures, but I got him a yard cart (glorified wheel barrow) and Jack got him a video game which they are diligently trying to beat as we speak. I'm so excited for longer days, sweeter smells (which often means manure in my town), and a countdown to summer vacation!