Benny the Magic Bunny

 

Here it is...... Cally's first stage appearance.  In January, the guilty working mom in me, asked around to see if there were any fun classes Cally could take on a Tuesday when she's home with her dad.  As it turns out, a bunch of her friends from Poker Hill had been taking classes at the "Birds Nest" in Jericho-- it's a low key (and inexpensive) little dance studio above the garage of a women's home.  When I called to see if Cally could take the class, the dance teacher was a little hesitant.  She said she could take the class, but that it was likely that she'd have to sit the recital out because they had already ordered the costumes.  We didn't care about any of that, it was more about getting out to try something new.

Fast forward five months and Miss Sue did end up ordering Cally a costume.  On the day that they arrived, John helped Cally into her outfit and she was thrilled about the whole thing. 
.

You might notice that her dad got something backwards.

Miss Sue talked the performance up a lot!  Cally couldn't wait to wear make up-- which, fortunately, only entailed getting wiskers and a black nose.

At times, during the dress rehearsal, I worried that we were headed to the world of "Toddlers and Tiaras", but fortunately, we live far from that culture.

Despite practicing this one dance weekly for four months and playing the song fairly regularly at home, Cally never seemed to show us any choreographed moves.  She jumped around a lot, but we weren't expecting much on the stage, given the gene pool (or lack there of) she received.

She definitely didn't know all her moves, but by watching her friends, she was able to hold her own.

In the end, the two and a half minute performance was one of the cutest things I've ever watched.  Granted, it was my child up there, so I may be a little biased, but seriously, they could not have been more adorable!

 

Cally had a ball!  She loved the flowers she got, having so many people who loved her show up, and she had no problem being on stage.

 

And she had so much fun with all her little bunny buddies.

And the best part of being in the recital, was having an excuse to have Nana and Grandpa visit.

Nana saved the day by doing last minute sewing of the bunny tail and bunny "cuffs"

Grandpa played with the kids

The kids got snuggles with Nana, Grandpa, and Lobby every morning

We had an excuse to go get the best cremees ever!

We visited the "Funky Chicken" Market (getting ready for our own chicks to arrive too soon)

Having someone to read, read, and read some more

We have no idea where Cally stands in terms of a future with dance, but we certainly enjoyed watching her up there and hope it gives her the confidence to perform in whatever way she chooses to in life.

My Recipe for the Perfect Mother's Day

For the perfect Mother's Day:

1. Sleep in the guest room (so that no one can find you in the morning and get upset because you don't want to play and snuggle at 6:30am)
2. Put a pillow over your ears until 8am when your husband takes the kids with him to get fresh made donuts and the New York Times
3. Wake up to your daughter bringing you coffee, a fresh made donut, a card, and the New York Times.
4. After sipping coffee, eating donut, and reading your favorite parts of the NYT, head down stairs for a delicious breakfast prepared by that awesome aforementioned husband

 

5.  Head out for a family adventure in Lincoln.  It may start as a bike ride up the Natural Turnpike and turn into a hike in Lincoln Gap

6. Watch kids act like monkeys in the trees 

 

7. Visit your best friend who now has 3 foster puppies and 2 baby goats (to add to the 9 dogs, 3 cats, donkey, chickens and miniature horse)
8.  Have a delicious salmon dinner at neighbors house so that you officially get out of all meals for the day!

If recipe is followed according to the steps above, you will feel like the luckiest mother alive! 

Spring Break!

Can you imagine spending a week in a North Carolina forest in the Smokey Mountains with this cast of characters?  Pretty darn cute!  From left to right we have Henry Kelsey (16 months), Isaac Aubin (4 years old), Hazey, Cally, and Oliver Aubin (2 years old).  We all convened at the Davidson River Campground after 17+ hours of driving on a Sunday night.  We had a blast.  Here's a photo summary of a really fun adventure:

2 year old buddies

finding and climbing on magic rocks

counting tree rings

Finding a make believe stage and forming a band

lounging around and reading books

smores

Special guests Sherry and George Westerfield!

Quiet moments of drawing

Smokey the Bear Club

hockey, lacrosse, soccer.....

Learning about the forest with Sherry and George

Getting ready for kids hike-- "one for all, all for one!"

Awesome little hikers!

rest stop looking for birds

Fun bouncy bridge

Sitting in the gutter tree

Barefoot stream exploration

Good friends

Feeding Henry

Lots of Scooter Time

Biking on a boardwalk at the kids loop

Teeter Totter!

Cheering on big sis!

Buddies

 Best date ride ever!  Thanks to Sherry & George

A scare at the Transylvania County Hospital-- nothing broken!  Phew!

After four days in the Pisgah National Forest, I packed everyone up and we headed back to Vermont on the slow train, making some fun stops along the way.  The kids were troopers in the car.  Their patience in the car amazed us.

We got to stop in Baltimore on the way down and on the way back home.  The kids love hanging out with their cousin (and aunt and uncle).

Will even got a scooter between our visits, so the kids had a ball playing in the back alley of Roger's Forge.

Next stop was Rosendale, NY to visit with Beckett, Iris, Tim and Sophia. 

Running Race

Keeping up with the big kids!

Easter

 

 Happy Spring!  The snow has melted, for the time being, and the dog poop piles have been exposed.  The kids had a pretty low key Easter celebration.  Mom succumbed to the GI bug on Saturday night, but still got the kids to decorate Easter eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide.  Unfortunately, by the time the kids went out to hunt for the eggs, a certain family member of the four legged variety had eaten half of the eggs (who knew she'd eat the shell and all). 

The kids were thrilled to get a few jelly beans and hunt for the six eggs that hadn't been eaten.

 Someday, I might get it together to rally for a full blown Easter Luncheon, like my friend Erin did for her daughter and all her friends (they made crowns, decorated eggs, had bunny shaped P,B & J, etc).  But this year, the kids seemed just fine with a mini celebration at home.

 

 Because Mom needed some peace and quiet to recover, John took the kids to a nearby paved cul de sac for some scootering.  Apparently, they had a great time.

Here's to health, new life, and sunny days!

Stretched Thin

 

It's been a LONG month.  Today is the first full day I have spent at school since February 21st!  First there was Cally's case of pneumonia and then Hazen came down with a very similar cough/fever combo for almost two weeks.  John was away and I was terrified that he had pneumonia again.  He was waking up in the middle of the night, barking like a seal, and showing similar struggles that he had in September (when he was hospitalized for pneumonia).  Almost every night for the better part of a week, the two of us would sit in the downstairs bathroom with the shower running hot, so he could settle his bronchi down.  I brought him to the doctor twice in one week because his fever persisted and the cough sounded just awful (each time they told me his lungs were clear).

He had his last bad bout of coughing the night before John came home from Idaho and I was spent.  I had been staying up late most nights the week before planning so that my student teacher could teach my classes, grading, and getting my ducks in a row and would then be woken up for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes of settling the little man's cough.  About an hour after he had gotten back to sleep that night, I heard Cally cry out for me.  I almost ignored her, but some sort of sixth sense peeled me out of bed to see what was up.  She told me her belly hurt...... and so began another bout of the stomach flu in the house.  I won't go into the details about that, but let's just say that when she was still getting sick the next day after John came home, I walked away and he knew it was his turn.

Cally's stomach flu was not of the 24 hour variety.  It lasted 6 full days!  She was lethargic, ate almost nothing, and was sad for the whole week.  When something like that lasts for so long, you start to worry that a child's little spirit is being sucked away.  It's scary.  At one point, we almost made a visit to the ER for fluid replacement, but she learned that that would mean a needle in her arm and agreed to drink more fluids.

So, John, who had been out of work for almost two week, and I, who missed most of four of the previous days of school, had to figure out a way to each stay home with her (because she was in no position to go to school or daycare).  It wasn't convenient or easy, but we pieced it together and made it work for everyone.  She finally turned the corner on Friday afternoon (only after we went to the doctor, AGAIN) and things were looking up.  She got a bounce in her step, she had an appetite, and her little fiery personality was back. 

Within 24 hours of her revival, John went down with the same thing!  At this point, I was done.  My capacity for patience and compassion was at a low point and I was hard pressed to do more than keep the children away and deliver gatorade to him.  He was unable to even come downstairs for almost 36 hours and it was a weekend, so I was on my own, again.  The kids were great and all, but I had these hopes of going on a run with my running partner, maybe skiing as a family, or going on a hike.  I did end up getting the kids to Echo (a local museum), but I miss the family unit-- being able to do things together--- not passing the baton, as John and I did all week upon his return.

Checking out baby soft shell turtles at ECHO

Everyone seems healthy today.  If I've learned anything this month, it's that you can try to plan and organize your life, but you always have to be ready for a curve ball.  I'm one of those teachers who gives the students a five week calendar with every assignment and activity planned out.  It's important for me to get assignments back to students in a timely manner.   I use a calendar and map out my week every Sunday.  If I get a little warning and I can anticipate a change to this scheme, I'm fine, but I don't do as well with the whole "fly by the seat of your pants" thing.  When I actually write this, it makes me feel so old and set in my ways, but, it's what works in my chaotic life.  John, too, has his idiosyncrasies.  He hates what he calls "interspace".  He doesn't like being in a holding pattern and either wants to be told what he should be doing or have a plan.  This month has forced us both to let go of these quirks and just go with the flow a lot more.

Fishing at ECHO

I know I won't be winning any "Teacher of the Year" awards this year.  And definitely won't win "Wife of the Year", but I've really tried to keep my cool and be the parent I want to be for my kids-- even though the stress has seeped into my experience with them, I've tried to really appreciate the extra time I've gotten to spend with them (the alone time is so great).  They really are such amazing little people.

We aren't out of the woods yet.  Hazen had a rogue fever the past two nights and I'd love to find out what that is all about.  I'm downing a ginger, vinegar, honey, lemon, olive oil, and cayenne tea and flushing my nose with a netty pot, while also disinfecting all the surfaces in my house with a vengeance!  Crossing my fingers that we can avoid more germs.