(For Grandpa Mike: Christmas Photos Finally)
Update: Christmas
Gift opening is sometimes a group effort
Little girl.
For our Cupcake Wars aficionado, her own Easy Bake Oven.
A trunk of princess dresses for Eva to share with Prince Piercey.
Big girls.
Update: Daddy
This handsome man is staying BUSY.
Joe has put his teaching certification on the backburner for a bit while he works a 9-5 sales job.
He would say "it pays the bills" and for the time being, it works.
In the evenings, he is enjoying being a soccer referee for Stampede Sports (2 nights/week)
Update: Mommy
Where do I begin??
In January, I quit my job as a NICU RN.
I miss my coworkers and the babies terribly, but to be honest,
after we figured the financial situation out, it was an easy decision to make.
I am now attending clinical full blast! 3 days a week at a clinic in Dallas working with a wonderful CNM who happens to be a wonderful teacher and preceptor. I am so fortunate! Her clinic serves mostly uninsured or state insured minority women and the lessons I am learning.... wow. Invaluable.
When I am not at the clinic, I am home with the girls while being on-call for Inanna.
I was unable to attend clinical there, but am THRILLED to be there as a Birth Assistant!
Update: Social life
That title is so funny to me.
As if we have one.
The first week of February was special because my dear, sweet, lovely friend Jami came all the way from the Ranch in Nebraska with her hubs and baby Connor to visit me.
It was Baby Connor's and my first meeting.
It went way too fast, as usual. But I was happy that we got to do all the things I imagined us doing.
On February 6th, Joe turned a year older.
After the big 3-0, we both agreed to leave numbers out of it from now on.
We celebrated with a quiet night at home;
Happy Meals for the girls and take-out sushi from our favorite
restaurant for the birthday boy and myself.
Remember the Easy Bake Oven from the Christmas Update?
Mia and Ali cranked out the thimble-sized red velvet cupcakes for Daddy.
The pride they obviously felt was adorable.
Next week, Joe's cousin will be visiting from California.
He is staying with us, but I believe most of his time will be spent with a special young lady who recently relocated from California to Texas. Conveniently near us.
Update: Girls
Well, there's soccer.
Always soccer.
Ali is enjoying the recent move to the Odyssey Club.
On her team are many familiar faces from school and from years past playing recreational soccer.
Several weeks ago, Ali came home from the neighborhood park disgusted with the amount of trash scattered about. She decided to start a recycling club - the "Spic and Span Club" in an effort to keep the park clean. Her focus is on recycling.
I thought it would be one of those things, ya know? Initially sounds like a good idea, but passes quickly?
She has impressed me with her follow-through however.
She created fliers and made copies with the help of her 3rd grade teacher and then distributed them in the going home folders of her classmates.
Her teacher is awesome.
Now she conducts weekly meetings at the park with club members
who get their chores and homework done on time.
They discuss the importance of recycling and keeping the Earth clean.
When the trash is all picked up, they play tag until their moms call them in for supper.
This has been going on for 4 weeks.
I love it.
Mia has started to attend club soccer practices, although she plans to play her last year of recreational soccer with her beloved Red Racers this spring.
The '05 Odyssey Team is comprised of 5 and 6 year olds, Mia being one of the youngest.
They will be the youngest team in the club and the league!
But when your sister plays and your Daddy is one of the coaches... you sorta come by it naturally.
Mia is getting to know her fellow neighborhood Kindergarteners well and bugs me for playdates daily.
She can hardly wait until her birthday in 2 weeks.
Eva is in pretend mode all the time these days.
She is a butterfly.
She is a princess.
She is a baby.
She is called "Sara".
She loves preschool, Dora the Explorer and her cousin Pierce.
She wakes up in the morning and asks "Where I go today?"
If I answer other than "Gramma's House", she will opt to go back to sleep.
She loves puzzles.
That is all the update for today. Possibly the month. I will try to be back soon.
XOXOXO
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