Sunshine On My Shoulders!

JACOB!

JACKSON!

Last week was Jackson's spring break from school! As many already may know, we (Jacob, then Jackson and I together), unfortunately, spent most of it being...................sick!!!!!! As Carleta put it in an email to me.........we just don't know how to do spring break!!!!! lol!!!!! Too Funny!!!!! :) We did try and go to the zoo (my favorite place) on Friday evening for the Eggs, Paws & Claws, but it was what I call "a bust!" For one thing, it was jam packed full of people!!!! I haven't seen the zoo that busy in a long time. And..........you just can't enjoy the zoo (or anyplace, really) when it is that crowded! Plus.........we really weren't well enough to go in the first place. So.........we got to the zoo by 6:00 pm and left by 7:00! lol!!!!! Can't say we didn't try! Now, some of you may say we are crazy for even trying in the first place, but after being sick and stuck at home all week, we wanted to do something! We really don't even mind that it didn't work, it was nice to simply drive and be out of the infested house!!!! Speaking of infested house, Mark got sick the next day!!!! lol!!!! Whatever we had seemed to last a day (24 hrs.) and then is gone! I tell ya, tho, that day SUCKS!!!!!!! I haven't felt that bad for a long, long time and let's hope it is a long, long time before I do again! I spent the next few days AFRAID of getting it back!!!!! :))

The boys and I did get to spend some time w/Gracie on Saturday (poor Mark was sick). Our Gracie time is always fun! :) Then, the boys and I got to go to "The Cheesecake Factory" w/some good friends and that was fun, too! Poor Mark was still sick! lol!!!! I told him, at least I kept the kids out of his hair while he was sick!!!! When "I" was sick, the kids were home the ENTIRE time! No one took them away and gave me alone time! lololol!!!!

Jackson went back to school today after being off from spring break. I think there is only like 11 weeks of school left, so he is going to be counting down the days! Oh, not sure if I mentioned this in a previous blog, but Mark and I finished the school yearbook!!!! WooHoo!!!! Exciting stuff, man!!!! lolololol!!!! :) We are SOOOOO HAPPY to be finished!!! It was a LOT of work and, although some of it is fun, it ends up mostly being a lot more work than it should be. I admit - I put more time into it than most people would (I can't have my good name on something I'm not proud of), but even if you just did the bare minimum, it would still be a LOT to do! We have done it now for two years and are ready to hand it over to someone else. We will be ready and willing to help whomever takes over.

Well, everyone here is well (for this week, at least)! :)) That is good news!!!!! Let's hope it continues on that path!!!! It's all good! :)

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March Madness!

Yep, the ruler says "15 inches!"

Awww! Our little pine tree!

I love these pine tree pics! There's no place like home!

The snow is (almost) higher than Jake!

Jack helped shovel! And made hot chocolate, too!

Snow Memories! :)

The snow has come and gone and yet, somehow, the memory still lingers!!!! :) Maybe I'm just a little scared of a "repeat" of that day!!!! Although I absolutely LOVE my pics, I definately do not want it to come again - not this year or next! lol!!! :)) And, can you believe, we never even got to build a snowman, either!!! Jackson had been sick earlier that week and Jacob had gotten sick that Friday and Saturday! Poor Jacob wanted to come outside soooo bad (so, of course, I let him for a little bit that Sat. night). He only came out for a bit and went back inside while Mark, Jack, our dear, sweet neighbor, Dennis, and I all shoveled. We never did get back out that week to play and by Tuesday, the snow was almost gone! Some friends of ours went sledding that Sunday, but it was not meant to be for us! I am going to make sure the boys get to go sledding next year! I think they would really like that! :))

Our neighbor, Dennis, suggested we put a ruler in the snow to show how much we got!!!! Wasn't it crazy??!! I still can't believe it really snowed that much!!!!! I also never got to get out and take any pics, either! The only ones I got were in our front yard that night we shoveled. Even though I would have loved to get more pics, I think the two pics of our little pine tree are precious! We just got that pine tree this past April, so it was the first winter to get any pics of it! I think I will make it a tradition each year to take a pic of it in the snow! That way we will have pics of it growing from year to year! :)

Not much going on here. Mark and I did get the school yearbook finished!!!! WooHoo!!!!! :) It took up sooooo much of our time, but it is finally done!!!! We submitted it this past Friday. It feels soooo very good to have it done. I can finally relax a bit!

We got to take my niece, Gracie, to see the Easter Bunny! That was soooo much fun!!! Stay tuned b/c that will most likely be my next post - a picture of my boys and my Gracie girl! :) She is getting so big and she's such a sweetheart! Speaking of getting big, my baby, Jake, will start kindergarten this fall!!!! He has his kindergarten evaluation on Mar. 31st! It feels bittersweet to me! Sooooo, needless to say, this is going to be "The Summer of Fun!!!!!" (Actually, I think that was my motto last summer, too)! lol!!! You only get to be little once, so let's make it great!!!!!! Kids have their whole adult lives to worry about life and learning and all that stuff. I want them to have soooo much fun while they can! Life is too short not to live in the moment!!!! Soooo, that's what we are going to do, especially this summer!!!!! Live life to the fullest!!!!! :)) The funny thing is............I think I almost need it more than them! In the end, I benefit as much, if not more, than the kids! :)

On that note, I am going to say good-night! The snowy weather has come and gone and..........I lived through it! lol!!!! For the first time in FOREVER, I have been seeing the beauty in the snow! Watching it fall the entire day on Sat. was crazy yet amazing! And to see how quickly it melted was awesome, too! I still can't believe it melted so fast!!!!!

Here's a toast to spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been hearing the birds chirping every day and it is the most beautiful sound!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY and HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)