March Inn

Why"March Inn?" March Inn was the name of that magic place where I spent my summers growing up. I have alluded to this place before, and I probably will again. March Inn is no longer standing. The waters of Katrina rendered it unlivable so my children will never know that "March Inn." That makes me sad. In fact it brings me to tears whenever I think about it. I want my children to have their own "March Inn," and I want to capture our lives as they are growing and changing. I invite you to "march inn" to our lives. My hope is that you will catch glimpses of the real world. You will see our creations. You will see our chaos. You will see our affection. You will also see our frustrations, fears, and disappointments. Enjoy your march!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Signs of Summer

Mary Frances finished up her first grade year on Friday.  It was a good one!  Thank goodness ~ at the beginning of the year I was a bit concerned.  I am thankful to say you love to learn as much now if not more than when you entered first grade.  I love that you always have a smile on your face.  I hope you don't ever lose that.  You really do love to learn ~ you listen well and have a fantastic ability to retain information .  You have become a proficient reader, and I never cease to be amazed with your math skills.  You are responsible and take care of your things.  I'm proud that you are always willing to try even when you aren't the most comfortable in the given situation.  You know what you want, but for a six year old you are remarkably flexible and willing to adapt to changes.  That my love will take you far in this world.  You seem to get along well with others and have some good friends.  That too is a blessing! 

As I've stated here before, I'm looking forward to summer and having all of my chickadees close to me.  I love watching my children play together.  I love watching them interact with each other and their friends.  I love watching them look our for each other.  They have incredibly vivid imaginations and they learn from one another.  Now don't let me give you any false ideas that it is always peaches and cream around here.  Trust me is it isn't - they fight just like other siblings, however they love each other so much and that love is evident to all who see them together.  If you hear me say it once you'll hear me say a million times, my children will each have their own set of accomplishments, but together they can do anything they set their minds to.  
No school year is complete without field day ~
Field day is a fun way to end the year - even for the spectators ~ 



Summer is in full swing at our house!  The signs are everywhere we turn.

Discarded crocs ~
Strapped in ~ on the road again ~
Catchin' critters ~
Life jackets and boat snacks ~
A house {and table} full ~
Dripping in sweat ~
Peaceful moments ~
Excitement ~
Fun ~
Snacks and snuggles ~
Swimming ~
Swinging ~
Lounging ~
Tubing ~


Boat Driving ~
Time together ~

Surfing ~
Rocking ~

Loving it all...

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Onto the Next Thing

Last night we had a small group dinner for Frank's office.  It provided a much needed excuse to really clean my house - at least the downstairs.  I wish my house always looked like it did when guests arrived through my door yesterday.  Alas, it doesn't!  In fact my house often looks like a hurricane has not just blown through but instead come and stalled for a few days.  Hard as I try it gets this way every so often.  I try to go to bed with a clean island but once one item gets forgotten it is easy to add another and then another and...way to quickly it looks like this!
Now let me tell you why I think my house gets this way.  We are all too often moving onto the next thing.  Sometimes I wish I could just sit back and enjoy a nice, quiet and clean house, but it just doesn't seem to be in my DNA.  Why couldn't I sleep late this morning, enjoy a cup of coffee, and linger over the newspaper?  Just couldn't do it...

Instead I was up before the sun to check off some things before heading out the door for a run and back in the door to prepare for Mary Frances' birthday celebration at school.  She had requested a cookie cake, and I just didn't get to it yesterday.  I'd never done it before, but I made my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe into a cake.  You know like the ones that come in the red boxes. It was tasty and easy.  I would do a few things differently, but I would definitely do it again  It got rave reviews from the kiddos.
While I was finishing up the cookie cake, my boys set out on their own backyard adventures.
And then they came inside for a reading break...
Mary Frances loved having us at school for lunch!
and a birthday song.
Before we know it this little lady will be walking through these doors as a kindergartner.
I love to see my little ones holding hands.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

High on Summer

One day this week as I was driving around town completing typical tasks.  You know the drill ~ groceries, dry cleaning, doctor's appointments, carpool, etc.  I can't tell you where I was or what I was doing.  I couldn't even tell you if I had one child or four with me at the time, but  I heard the line "high on summer" in a song.  Now don't ask me what song or which artist.  In fact don't even ask the rest of the lyrics, but that one line resonated with me.  I'm sure I'm using the line completely out of context, but we are "high on summer" in this house.  At least I'm high on the anticipation of summer.
Preschool is finished for the year!  On Thursday Stephen's class had a lemonade stand
On Friday, Frank arrived home and found a little one wide awake.  The went on an adventure to the golf course.
While Mary Frances still has one week of school left, my mind has already switched gears.* 
I am excited about summer!
I'm excited to have all of my chickadees close.  I'm excited to hang out and do nothing and I'm excited for adventures galore.  I'm excited to see what the creative minds of my little ones can come up with. 
I'm excited for the pool to open.  I'm excited to have no carpool and no after school activities.  I'm excited to go to the lake.  I'm excited for trips to the zoo and the park and the library. 
I'm excited to prepare picnics and hopefully in the process develop some new lunchbox ideas.  I'm excited about bathing suits and sockless days.
I'm planning game nights and movie nights and more.  Maybe we can even have a pajama day.
I'm demanding afternoon "quiet time" ~ for the children and me.
A couple of things I'm not looking forward to ~ sunscreen and mosquitoes!  However, that is a small price to pay to get to spend our days outside!
Summertime brings a different and much needed pace to our lives.  There is still the day in day out that can be wearing, and the packing and unpacking of bags can get burdensome.   Don't get me wrong, as the dog days of summer linger on, I'll be ready for school to start back.  I'll be ready to have much needed structure and routine, but for now I'm excited for the change of pace.

*It is a good thing all of my children will be out of preschool by the time the first begins the rigorous routine of exams.