::kindergarten graduation::

Shoeless but otherwise ready to graduate.

She was very proud of this little braid I gave her. I found a great blog about hair styles for kids that had a video teaching me how to do it. Link here to see it.

Here she is with her punch and cookie.  

::pre-party mock up::

As the big last day of school parties come near the girls convinced us that they needed a practice water balloon fight.  Max quickly figured out how the whole system worked and made sure to make Emma give him most of her balloons.  

Prepped for incoming

Delicious

Slightly frantic attach look.

So cute

Ready to give some paybacks.

Last two balloons left = a duel.  We made them count off five steps and then they each got to have a turn throwing their balloons at each other.  

::first and last::

Here is a bus picture from the first day of school.

And here is a toothless, taller and leaner last day of school.  Notice they one croc has a broken strap.  And she didn't want to take her backpack to field day, so I didn't make her.  

::big lot's crafts::

I have just fallen in love with Big Lot's.  I got these craft packs for two dollars each.  They have everything you need to do the craft in the pack.  I think I will rename them "Distractions that Making Cooking Possible".  Quick and easy and big fat fun.  

::garden update::

Yesterday

April 9th

The garden is thriving.  I am so glad.  I would have cried myself to sleep every night if I did all that work and nothing popped out of the ground.  

Baby Broccoli - next year it needs a garden stake of its own.

Spinach circles

Pea's again fence, lettece at the front, onion at the back, and carrots in front of onions.

In the center is one of the fence tomato's.  Sink or swim good friend.  

Why is that vince on the wall growing with a hole in the circle.  Looks kind of cool.  See the pretty roses on the side?  They love this weather right now.  

::zoo field trip::

Lily's kindergarten class had a field trip to the zoo.  She was SO very extra super cute all day.  

::freestyle art::

When I was making dinner the other night I told Lily to go make a craft.  That's all I said.  She trotted her little tush into the craft room and came back with this little guy.  I did a post awhile back about how I organize their supplies - but I think I forgot to mention fabric scraps and plastic cups.  I think this thing is so cute. (the kid too)

::laundry room makeover::

The system for laundry in our house finally works.  FINALLY!  I like the functionality of our laundry room but one morning I walked into it and realized that somehow it had turned into a little piece of chaos.  Oddly enough it is one of the first rooms that you see when you walk into our house.  It sets a bad first impression and  it is not the kind of place I want to hang out in.  So I took a day and took every thing out.  I mean everything.  I wiped down all counters, moved out the washer and dryer and cleaned under them (something I have not done in the 8 years we have lived here GROSS), took down the curtains and washed/ironed them, and then put it all back together.  


For the record it was one of the things on my list of summer goals, so it was nice to check something off already. 

Before: Looks like "Hoarders" will be showing up at any time to help me out.  We have not used the high chair since Thanksgiving.  

During - I had some great help

After

I am trying to not use paper towels so I needed a rag bucket handy, the light purple container was begging for a job.  The purple cube is for goodwill items that come through the laundry room.

Before: This is exactly how it looked before.  No prior tidy up time.  Terrible.

Another After picture

I am using the little wood bowl and shaker boxes, all made by my dad, as catch all for little things like safety pins, hair bands, and other little stuff that ends up near the washer. 

Before view from my my kitchen.

During view.  The great purge was on.  See my stripy slipper in the bottom left?  It fell off and I had to leave it behind.

After - how much better.  This makes me feel calm.

Before - the basket area.  Every one has their own basket.  Nice to have all my bras hanging up right were you can see them from the door.  Classy.  At least they are colorful.

After - so much better.  With all the crummy lungs in this house I need a well organized medicine cabinet.  You may think it is odd to keep your meds in the laundry room, but I know the kids can't reach it.  I put the syrups in a drawer so they can't leak and drip on the shelf.  The top has all my different vases ready to go.  At the end is my ironing board and my mop hangs on the end.  

Here is the one of the oddest things I found in the laundry room.  A horse bit.  I do at least have horses or it would be even odder.  But how did this bit end up in the laundry room?

A fun find was my old iPod.  Maybe ancient would be a better word.  I showed it to Emma and she laughed and said, "That thing is huge!"  It really is.  I let it charge up and it works great.  So now what do I do with it?

  

   

::why NICU::

When I do the job I do and I do it well I feel that I have achieved a piece of my true potential.  I am by no means arrogantly blind to the fact that I will always have room to grow as a NICU nurse.  I am not stagnant.  I am not the best nurse by far in that unit, but I appreciate this job for everything that it is to me.  It is a part of my identity.  I feel that it is part of my life work to work in the NICU and to do my best.  And I try, sometimes I fail or get lazy, but I do try to bring one family a day to the verge of tears with some extra step I took for them and their family.  The selfish satisfaction that I feel from bringing them that emotion fills my soul.  I love making a memory for them.  I love being the first person to pass a baby to its mother or father.  I love teaching a Dad to change a 2 pound baby’s diaper, and telling him he did a good job, even if he really didn’t.  He and I will iron out that nervous shaking hands of his over the next few months.  

When the worst thing happens and we loose a baby, I morn that loss.  I cry with those parents.  But when they leave I look around and I am surrounded by people who have been through the same thing I am going thru.  You can go home from this job and try to explain to  you support system what it is to loose a primary (a baby that you sign up to have every time you work), and they may sympathize, but they can’t empathize.  The can’t really understand the relationship you had with that baby and his family.  But if you cry at work over the baby you lost and the family that you loved, the other nurses know right were you are.  You helped them through the same thing last year.

I love this job and I hope it is the only nursing job I ever have.  

The two pictures on this post are from my dear little quads that I LOVED! and took care of in the spring of 2008.  Go learn about their adorable-ness here.    

It doesn't always end like this.  But when it does I cry with tears of joy.  Standing next to a dearest friend (Shelly) with FOUR of the sweetest babies - that are going home - and getting my picture taking by two of my favorite parents.  You can't beat it.  It was a great way to come back from my maternity leave with Max.    

  

::lily in art::

My friend Connie is a great artist - true real talent.  She had a class about caricatures fresh in her mind when she  saw my post about making a book - that led her to this funny picture of Lily.  So she drew this.  Isn't it amazing!  LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

::flattered::

Through my blog browsing I have had the pleasure of finding some really cool blogs.  I did a post about it last week to highlight some of my favorites.  Through these blogs I learn about other blogs and it goes on and on.  I stumbled across this great blog called Trendy Tree House.  They do lots of fun things, one of which is a weekly photo contest.  The theme this week was friendship and I entered this picture -

And we won first place.  I am so flattered.  


Go check out their post's about it.