Art Projects

I have a love hate relationship with art projects.  On one hand, I love the time and enthusiasm my children put into these fun little projects.  But there is also SO MANY OF THEM.  How can I possibly keep every single one they bring home?  Solution......I have started snapping pictures of their school work.  That way I don't feel so bad throwing them out and I still have a record of these darling things for when they grow older.

Here are the latest and greatest:

 *Eli's hand pot of gold from St Patrick's Day

 *Robby's morning papers that they work on when they first arrive

 *Maddie has started to do these fun research projects on different topics.  She loves dogs so this was a perfect subject

 *I was shocked at the depth of Maddie's poem she wrote at school.  I can't even believe my seven year old came up with this #shesaprettycoolkid

 *I don't even remember when she was "a little frustrated" and gave me this note, but I receive countless notes from Miss M about various things

 Robby's corn that he made last fall around Thanksgiving

 Maddie's art project in abstract

 *Robby's hand tree: this was when he used to write his b's in capital for his name #socute  

 *Robby's hates writing so him writing me a note that says "I love you" meant a lot to me

*Maddie's school Mother's Day gift

Lake Winnipesaukee: Take Two

Sometimes life feels a little bit like deja vu.  For instance, last year the weather was still finicky in May.  We would have days where the morning was nippy and cold, requiring jackets and long pants.  But by afternoon it was hot and sunny, with sweaty children exiting the bus at the end of the school day.  The grass was growing in green and flowers were popping up out of the ground everywhere.  Moods were lifted with these pleasant days.  There was still a moderate amount of rainy days....hence all the green vegetation surrounding us, but not as much as in April.  I was also busy running multiple days a week and looking forward to spending a morning with good friends next to Lake Winnipesaukee running the "Big Lake Half Marathon".  I was nervous and excited, being that I had never run that far before.  I felt adeqautely prepared after spending many Saturdays slowly building up my mileage, with long runs accompanied by friends.  I felt like I was in pretty good shape and was feeling the high of lots of endorphins. 

I have been experiencing all of these things this year with two big exceptions.  Number One: I am definitely not a seasoned pro, but with two Half Marathons under my belt I know what to expect just a bit more than last year.  I still feel nervous as the race approaches but I know that I can do it...since I've done it before.  Number Two: I walked into last years race MUCH more prepared.  Last year I had begun running steadily since beginning of March, thanks to unseasonably warm weather.  I had slowly built up my mileage and had run 6-7 long runs prior to the race.  This year, I basically decided to run consistently three weeks before the race.  I had been debating back and forth whether I was going to do the race.  Because of this, I never really got serious about training.  Finally I hit a point where I decided to just go for it.  I knew this would be my last long race with these friends so I didn't want to miss out. 

At that point I knew I had to start doing long runs immediately.  My first week I ran 3 miles on a Friday and the very next day jumped to 8 miles.  I wouldn't recommend anyone doing this.  I hurt badly afterwards and felt horrible on that long run.  Thank heavens over the course of the remaining weeks I put more short runs interspersed with the longer runs.  By the week of this race, I felt much better but still not where I was in 2012.  This year I only did three long runs: 8, 9, and 11. With that knowledge it actually made me more comfortable entering this race.  I am a competitive person by nature and tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to finish beating previous times/records.  Because I knew I wasn't prepared, that stress was off me immediately.  I knew I wouldn't beat my time from last year so it essentially didn't matter when I finished.  My only goals were to finish feeling good about myself and enjoying the run.  My fall 2012 race ended badly with me hurting and hating the last half of the run.  I think that is partly why I quit running for so long paired with cold weather.

Amanda, Amy and I decided to drive up the night before the race and stay at a local motel in Alton, NH.  We had a great time spending some girls only time (despite the fact I had worked the night before and was TIRED).  It was nice to settle in early for the night and to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go.  Luckily we were able to sleep in until after 7am, get out of bed, dress quickly and then head over to the starting line.  We were a little discouraged when we looked at rain clouds, and dismal weather.  We figured we were in for a miserable, wet, cold 13.1 miles.  Thank goodness this wasn't the case.  There wasn't any rain during our race and towards the end the sun even appeared!  I am happy to say I accomplished both of my goals.  I felt great nearly the entire race and in fact sped up the last two miles which normally never happens.  I ran with Amy and Amanda (two women I work with at DHMC) for about the first 7-8 miles before I slowed down and they ran ahead on one of the many uphills.  I enjoyed myself immensely and spent much of the race on my own.  Those two phrases normally are a contradiction to me....I usually hate running long distances on my own.  This time was different.  I was able to relax and really listen to my music, love the scenery, and like running at my own pace I set.  I didn't feel the compulsion to speed up or slow down for someone else.  I didn't feel like I needed to come up with conversation pieces.  I didn't feel like I was racing to beat a time or I would fail.  I just ran.  For the first time as I crossed the finish line, I immediately thought "I can and will do this again".

The only thing that could have topped off that feeling was what came next.  I turned around to these little voices screaming my name.  My kids and sweet husband had driven nearly two hours that morning to surprise me at the finish line.  I couldn't believe it!  Apparently I had been so focused at the end that I missed them a mere 100 yards from the finish and ran right past.  Oops. I loved hugging those sweet kids of mine as they congratulated me.  I also loved seeing all my friends that finished and continued to finish.  What a fun race, what a fun day.  We topped off the day by stopping at some outlet stores and KFC before heading back home (I rode home with the family).  Maddie and Robby's highlight was stopping at the Gem Store near home and coming home with a bag each of pretty rocks to trade at school.  Right now that is the latest rage in the Second Grade per Miss M.

Thank goodness I had such a great time in Winnipesaukee because unbeknownst to me I later was super sick.  By that evening I was aching all over.  At the time I figured I must be really sore from the race.  Later I found out that I was coming down with a 6 day stint of strep throat. Yuck.

My ER family: Hanna (Kristi's daughter), her friend, Kristi, me, Amanda, Amy, David, Jen's fiancee, and Jen

*it was so fun to see all of these lovelies at the beginning of the race.  Heather was missing from this picture but she also ran and finished like her typical speedy self*

My New Hampshire family: Tiffany, Ashley, Michelle, Catherine, and Maren

*Seriously love all these ladies so much.  4 lovely ladies that I go to church with. 3 that moved here within a month of us. 2 that have run all three Half Marathons with me. 1 missing from this race because she is preggers (Andrea).  I am glad that we were able to squeeze one final run in before we start heading our separate ways. 

There was a live band performing at the finish line that Maddie rather enjoyed.  Her and I both got out there was strutted our stuff for a little while.  Eli took a break from his stroller as well and did his own version of dancing with a cast :)

My family: my loves, my life, my reason for smiling, my best friends, my pride, my joy

Tuck Class Pictures

It has been very bittersweet as the end of our graduate school is nearly at a close.  It seemed so far away two years ago as we were prepping for our move, but now I cannot believe how quickly it has gone.  We are excited to head back into the real world of jobs, real income, and suburban neighborhoods. We are sad about leaving lots of close friends, close knit student housing community, family time with Daddy, sleeping in late together on non school days, and the frequent social events at school.  Oh and starting to pay off student loans, yuck.

I am so glad that we have had this amazing experience and we will definitely never forget it.  I feel like our friendships we have made will last a life time. 

Without further ado......I present the almost Tuck Class of 2013 

Five of the six T'13 LDS students: Ryan Layton, Snow, Mike Holbrook, Brent Dance, & Jesse Toronto

JJ's Birthday Party

My children recently attended JJ's birthday party {our good friends son}.  They loved the superhero theme and Candace worked really hard making it cute, entertaining, crafty, and yummy.  They enjoyed snacking on pizza, doing obstacle courses, getting their faces painted, snapping superhero pictures and watching him open his presents (my boys favorite part of the party).  Words cannot express how grateful we are for all the good friends we have here in Hanover.  They have become something much closer than "friends" to us.

Maddie trying her hand at the balance beam.  She was showing off just slightly, and did cartwheels every time on the beam.  The other kids kept trying to copy her with their own gymnastics tricks.

Robby picked out a race car for his face painting {shocker} and loved racing around the obstacle course as fast as possible.

Eli loved the yummy otter pop treats that were served during the obstacle course!  He picked a spider for his face painting

Little Miss posing with the birthday boy.  He is yet another younger child in our neighborhood that thinks she is pretty cool {she has a whole fan club}.  One of the coolest things about Maddie, is how nice she is to other children.  She is so patient with them following her around, copying her every move.  She truly does enjoy hanging out with them and frequently tells me this phrase..."Mom, xxxxx is so cute, he/she said ......."

Tuck World Cup Soccer

One of the cooler things about being a part of Tuck is all the extracurricular family friend activities.  For nearly every sport they have a club team.  They organize "World Cups" between other business schools and then compete against each other.  This year Jesse has tried to participate in as many of these as possible. 

For soccer they held it here in Hanover at the soccer fields by our house.  After a long Saturday morning run {gearing up for my Half-Marathon in two weeks} we spent the majority of the day at the soccer fields watching Jesse play soccer.  The kids loved kicking the soccer balls on the sidelines, playing with all the dogs that came to visit and cheering their Daddy on.  The best part for me?  No injuries from the Mister :)

*action shot of the my hot husband

*my kids are somewhat celebrities around the graduate students and their partners.  Mr E had fun hanging upside down with Heidi

Maddie is OBSESSED with dogs.  She particularly loved Claire and Will's dog Honey (above) and spent lots of time petting, walking and playing with her. Miss M dreams of the day when her parents cave in and buy her her very own dog {might never happen}  We are so grateful for all the dogs in our neighborhood that Maddie has unofficially adopted as her very own.  It staves off the constant barrage of questions from Maddie of when we will get a dog.

Spring 2013 School Pictures

{I think} In an effort to make more money at my children's school, the photographers schedule two "school pictures" every school year.  Crazy right?  I am always hesitant to even pay for one picture, being that I have three children to pay for.  And the fact that normally they don't turn out great, and I rarely will use all the annoying sizes of pictures that they offer.  So when the picture order forms came around the second time, I threw them away without even thinking twice.  Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later, I am sent home a FULL collection of pictures of each of my children.  FOR FREE.  Nevertheless I snapped a photo of each child and then sent them right back to school because I most definitely did not pay for them.  Annoying yes.  But I have to admit they are pretty cute pictures of pretty cute kids {I am not biased at all}.

So now we have 2012/2013 School Pictures: Spring Edition

Preschool

Eli Toronto: 4 years old

Kindergarten

Robby Toronto: 6 years old

Second Grade

Maddie Toronto: 7 years old

ER Nurse

I love love love this person's remarks on working as a nurse in the Emergency Department.  It so perfectly describes how I feel as well.  I am not one who is typically great with putting my feelings and thoughts into words.  There are other who are great at it, such as this author.  I feel like it doesn't discount the relevance and I found myself nodding and agreeing with many of the things pointed out.

*Jennifer and I on my last shift working at BBMC*

Don't look at ER staff as cold, insensitive, and mean since patients and family have NO idea that they aren't the only ones who are human.

Seriously, wth is wrong with me tonight?

When people learn I work in the Emergency Department they usually ask, “How do you do it”? or say “Wow, I bet you see a lot of crazy things”. My answer aloud: “It’s never dull”. My answer in my head: “You have no idea”.

What profession do you walk out of a room that someone has just yelled, “I’m gonna kill you &%$#” and laugh? Do you perform CPR, call a time of death, then talk about your weekend plans all in the same breath? It gets worse. You don’t want to know.

Even the bad ones: a rape or child abuse. Even that has to be walked away from and on to the next stomach ache, cold/cold or even heart attack. It may, for a minute, leave a pit in your stomach the weight of bowling ball. But even then, you can usually get rid of it with a sigh so deep that it goes all the way down to your toes. Sometimes it takes two sighs.

Sometimes I give a high five to someone on my team. Not to say “congrats”, but to feel a little human touch and know I’m not alone.

If a tear even feels like it might try to work its way up from your throat, you swallow it quick. It does no one any good to let it out. The family can’t see it. Your co-workers can’t see it. We all get one turn to break down and then everyone else has to be strong. We can’t all walk around like sobbing messes. When I see another on my team tear up (dead children do it the most to us), I know this time, it can’t be my turn.

So we suck it up. We learn to turn “it” off. To well, in fact. What choice do we have? We cope. We walk into fatal car accidents with our first questions (mentally, at least) being…”were they drinking, were they high, they probably weren’t wearing their seat belts”. Something, ANYTHING, to separate us from this. Something, ANYTHING so we can sleep at night and try to convince ourselves that we are not so temporary. That our spouses and our children are not so temporary.

When we can’t find reasons, we have no choice but to swallow that lump. We come home, we hugs our kids, and we cope. By the time we wake up for our next shift, it’s almost gone.

Each time I had to do that, and I suspect I’m not alone, I lost a little something. I shut off that pathway: “sadness, remorse, fear” too many times. That now those feelings are hard to come by at all.

But I’m not alone. And it’s the people by my side that make me feel normal about this chaos that we live in. This peephole into reality, that only a few of us see. We, more than anyone understand the temporariness of it all. The unfairness of it all. That even children aren’t safe from this awful game of life that no matter what ALWAYS ends in death. What choice do we have? This our job. This is our life. Even if we quit it, it’s too late. Once you peep through that hole, you can’t pretend you haven’t seen it.

If you don’t live in our world then that last sentence is greepy, maybe…morbid? Depressing? In our world, it is fact. It is life. It is truth. We have no veil of ignorance when it comes to our own mortality. Much to the dismay of our family and friends we sometimes come off as “cold” and (I hate this one)…”insensitive”.

So we may cry a little less. But here is the upside: we also laugh a lot more. We love fully. We live without regret. We generally don’t waste time on negativity or pessimism. We understand fully “one life” and we aren’t about to waste it. We wear our seat belts and don’t drink and drive. We live smart, but never in moderation! We are the ones laughing the loudest! We don’t shelter our kids, because even children without trampolines are sometimes “temporary”. So we let them jump and we let them laugh, we just have a net! We don’t keep them home from the park because we are worried about the “Boogy man” because we know most of the time it’s “Creepy Uncle Ralph” that is doing naughty things to the babies anyway.

If I did this job alone, the isolation would be maddening. But, I’m not. My co-workers are my sanity. My family: my rock. Together we get through this life with our eyes wide open. I wouldn’t change my world for anything.

*Miss Christy and I*

{I still miss my Baywood peeps}

Never Truer Words

60 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE ROCK! 

1. PRAY TOGETHER ALWAYS 
2. READ THE SCRIPTURES TOGETHER ALWAYS 
3. Go on regular date nights
4. Hide notes in secret places
5. Go to bed at the same time
6. Listen to music together-share ear-buds
7. Buy him gifts he will love
8. Revitalize the romance with intimate dates
9. Wear shirts that tell the world you love your spouse
10. Praise your spouse to other people
11. Read a marriage devotional
12. Sleep in his t-shirts
13. Renew your vows privately with whispers and memories
14. Renew them publicly with cake and bubbly
15. Go away together at least once a year


For Women Only
16. Hang pictures of the two of you around your house
17. Make his favorite dessert
18. Make sex a priority
19. Spend time apart occasionally
20. Learn to enjoy something he loves
21. Surprise each other
22. Meet him at the door
23. Text each other from across the room
24. Set reminders on your phone to remember him/her throughout the week
25. Call him right now and tell him you appreciate him

For Men Only
26. Leave work on time and come home early
27. Engage every day in meaningful conversation
28. Compliment each other
29. Take one day a month to make your spouse your total focus
30. Argue fair: avoid these words “you always” and “you never”
31. Kiss every day
32. Find tangible ways to serve your mate without complaining
33. Forgive quickly
34. Be honest.
35. Get on the same page: plan your budget together
36. Look your best as often as you can
37. Guard your marriage
38. Laugh together
39. When you are together-BE TOGETHER (take a break from phones, technology, etc)
40. Tell her she’s pretty, especially when she’s not feeling it

Both
41. Make each other breakfast in bed
42. Do her chores for her
44. Get a couple’s massage or host your own privately
44. Dance together-soft music (both of you alone) or rocking music with the kids
45. Exercise together- hikes, bike riding, etc
46. Choose not to be annoyed by an irritating behavior/disappointment from your spouse
47. Thank your spouse often even for the least reason or gesture
48. Lay in bed together and stare into each other eyes, without talking
49. Learn something new together-take an art class, cooking lessons, etc
50. Leave a sweet comment on the Facebook wall
51. Support each other’s goals
52. Bring her flowers/gifts (even when she says they are too expensive)
53. Wear something your spouse loves
54. Share furniture-sit in his lap
55. Fight for your marriage
56. Make a point to eat dinner together most days of the week.
57. Never let your spouse feel like they come second place to your career or any other thing.
58. Talk about your dreams and aspirations. Be supportive of each other and dream big together!
59. Maintain a united front as your motto: Meaning- “Me and you against the world.
60. Speak well of your spouse.

Remember your Spouse Rocks- Even when they don’t at the moment!

*I love all of these simple reminders of things you can do to maintain a great marriage.*

Playdate with KTG

We were finally given the opportunity to have the famous "Kate the Great" over to our house for a playdate.  We have been patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for the opportunity to help Maren out and get some baby time in.  Finally the day came and Eli was so excited to show Kate all of his "cool toys".  Eli quickly brought down his Bat Cave and showed her all of the figurines that go with it.  Eli couldn't understand why she was more interested in eating Batman than playing with Batman.

No problem.  Eli found another solution.  He let her share his ring pop instead.  Kate was definitely a fan of this and I loved seeing those eyes of hers pop open wide as she experienced this treat for the first time!

Afterwards Eli went on to entertain her by sticking the plastic bin on his head and looking all around. 

What a fun day at our house!

My beautiful Cake

Last fall, I was called to serve on the Relief Society Activities Committee (our church's women organization).  I was a little overwhelmed initially, because in my past Arizona wards the committee went ALL OUT with each of their activities.  I didn't know if I had the time or energy to do this.

Luckily the ward (congregation) that we are currently in is very low maintenance.  They have gone from holding hardly any activities to a recent influx in members that have given them young, energetic families that want to get together.  This has been the perfect place to learn the very beginnings of how to host an activity.  

This past week we held a belated Relief Society Birthday Celebration, marking the 171st year since our women's organization was first formed.  We celebrated with a fun dinner of soups, salads, and breads.  Then we had a small devotional that discussed all the past Presidents of this organization and all the service that has been rendered by the Relief Society.  I felt a bursting in my heart as I looked out on all the lovely ladies that I have the privilege of knowing in New Hampshire.  I have so much love for them and have been so grateful for all the service many of them have provided to me and my family.  

We did decorate the cultural hall modestly, but in the end I was very proud of the results.  One of my many tasks that I was assigned, included a rainbow colored multi-layer cake.  Once again, I was intimidated and didn't know how it would turn out.  Part way through this baking adventure, I was ready for disaster.  The cake layers kept falling apart when I pulled them out of the oven. Ugggghhhhh.  Luckily I was able to solve that dilemma, which resulted in making another batch of cake mix and eventually led to adding an extra layer to my cake.  Once we cut the cake, I couldn't help but smile and feel a bit proud of myself.  It did turn out!  It looked so pretty and achieved exactly the results I had hoped for.  I have to say, I may just have to make another of these things in the future for one of my kiddos birthdays.