Leap day

 

We haven't really had much excitement lately.  We are busy, but it is just normal stuff....just work, school, sleep, repeat.  The girls aren't playing any sports, we have not started spring 4-H activities yet, the weather, although nice, is making me think about gardening and planting, but I know it is a little too soon.  So just life going on around here.  We do have some entertainment in the form of a couple of little grandkids though!  Evelyn is so excited about starting kindergarten, she reminds me every day that next year she won't be in my office, because she will be in school allllll day!  I know she is excited, but for the last 5 years, she has been my constant companion, and I am not ready!  The girl is a talker, I am afraid that I will be falling asleep at my desk!  :)  

GG got them matching shirts.  Evie was soooo excited about it!  

Today, while we waited on the bus, I told Evie she had to let me take her leap day photos!  She did not disappoint!  I probably should apologize to the teacher, as she was making plans to tell her teacher they had to leap around at school today!  

Last night, Jim and I attended a town hall meeting about the schools.  They are beginning talks to either reconfigure the buildings, or my opinion - they want to talk about bond issues.  It is like if we pay off a bond we MUST begin all over again.  I get that schools need facilities, and that keeping things up and running is important, and I would encourage them to explore all their options.  I will say that the school situation makes me mad a lot, and a little bit sad as well.  What I know - the teachers are trying as hard as they can, with as much as they can give.  They are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.  What I heard at the meeting....we want to see them do all day preschool instead of half a day, we want them to add on and build new.  What I saw - one room being purposefully left empty so that they have a space that angry kids can de-escalate.  Computer labs no longer needed since we have all the kids on ipads in their rooms, now turned in to special ed rooms, where they are partitioned off and segmented so that multiple types of services can be offered in one space....and a dizzying amount of stuff piled in every nook, cranny, and corner of each room, as they have so much stuff they are expected to do with these kids.  But what are we doing?  Why are the schools struggling to educate?  I think it is because they are also supposed to be doing literally every single other thing the kids need.  They are spending days teaching social - emotional learning, table manners, empathy training, impulse control, anger management, insuring they are fed, making sure they have supplies/food at home, being mandated reporters for abuse, offering all types of therapies for all types of needs, covering medical needs, being in charge of making sure everyone has adequate clothing,  and then being forced to go to meetings where they are told by people with no educational degree how to do their jobs, despite them having master's degrees in education....the list just gets longer and longer, and has more and more expectations added to it, and then we all stand around scratching our heads wondering why these kids test scores are low, and why teachers are walking away.  Public education right now is hard....and let me be the first one to say this it is NOT due to covid.  It is a societal problem.  Reality also is that Hope should not be going to these types of meetings because I just get my undies in a wad, say things when I should not, and will probably end up on one of their "lists!"  I will say that while I was there, a lady introduced herself.  She thanked Jim and I for raising such a great woman, said that Mallory had made such a difference for her son, and that she was so thankful that he had her as his teacher this year.  She even got teary eyed telling us how much she appreciates Mallory.  I am proud of Mal, the things she endures take some sort of super human power.  

Circus weekend

 

Back in the day, Jim's grandfather Ray always gave the kids tickets to the Shrine Circus.  Jim and I have tried to continue this tradition, in his memory, when we have the chance (there have been some years where we were involved with wrestling and basketball and could not make it happen).  Today, I realized that grandpa Ray was a little bit smarter than we are.  He always gave the kids the tickets, but he never actually took the kids to the circus.  I think he was on to something there - here are the tickets mom and dad- you take your kids!  Kidding.  only kidding....

I actually really love the circus.  I know over time, they have become sort of controversial, with questions about animal cruelty, and of course it has been a target of everyone's least favorite church group in Topeka, but I still love it.  The daredevil freak show appeals to me.  Would I do that stuff?  Heck no!  Am I worried about other people falling to their deaths?  Also no.  You want to throw yourself in a cannon and shoot it across an arena?  I'll clap for you! 

One thing about the circus that I dislike, and yes, I know it is a fundraiser for the Shrine, but they could take a small break from trying to sell me stuff at some point in the time we are there.  The part where they pulled out a pony dressed as a unicorn and charged money to take a picture with YOUR camera, I was sort thinking they went a bit too far!  Weirdly, the line for that was long!  I told Evie we could paint a rainbow on poor old Coco and take her photo!  :) 

I do want to teach our dogs to jump rope now however.  

And who doesn't love to watch elephants parade around and do tricks?  Plus, there was cotton candy.  How could you have a bad time with all that?

We got done in time to have Sunday dinner.  Madison seems to be getting around better today, which is a relief.  Wrenley was her happy self!  I was watching Andrew feed her off of his plate and was laughing when it was time to have strawberry shortcake.  He gave her some cool whip....her little eye brows went up and she about flipped herself over to get another bite of that amazingness!  She is the cutest thing with such a huge personality!

It was a good weekend.  I am feeling relaxed, and we actually accomplished some things too.  On to new adventures.

It stays behind

 

This week, thankfully, has been a little less "eventful" than the last couple!  That being said, I am more than eager to claim my weekend!  

Madison fell down the stairs on Wednesday and messed up her ankle pretty good.  She had an x-ray and it is not broken, but she is having a hard time walking and getting around.  Mallory has stepped in and had Evelyn for a couple of nights.  Jim ran early this morning (because we were out of bus subs, and so she had to drive) and he helped her move the car seats and diaper bags so she wouldn't accidentally drop the baby.  Grandma took over her noon run so she won't have to go out as much, and I am planning to help her reload for her afternoon run.  It makes me happy that the kids are close enough that we can help them out, and it makes me really happy to get to see my girls!  

I mentioned before the that weather has been incredible for most of this month.  The other thing I notice is that the sunrises and sunsets have been extraordinarily vibrant.  I love the part of the day (morning and evening) where the only light is barely peeking over the horizon and the world is all shadowy and sleepy feeling.  In the morning, it is the promise of a new day, before life comes along to make a mess of things, and in the evening, I am generally starting to think about evening things, people getting home, having a nice meal together, and relaxing after the chaos of the day.   Time I need - happy thoughts to start the day, and relaxing thoughts to end it.  I am thankful I live where the sunrises and sunsets are not blurred out.

And I find myself once again in a reflective mood, as I am planning to attend the funeral of a classmate tomorrow.  We aren't young by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think we are to a place where burying people I graduated with is the norm yet.  I love where I live, I am fully immersed in the community,  I live here, work here, try to do my business here when I can, send my kids to school here, and I believe wholeheartedly that it is an amazing place to be.  There is a part of it that I feel we don't discuss much, and that  is that I went to grade school (k-8th grade) with the same 30 kids.  We went on to high school together as well, and were added into 2 other communities to make a bit bigger graduating class, but my childhood was spent with the same kids.  When you are in a small class, you really get to know people.  You are invited into their homes for birthdays and holidays. You took your first tests together, learned to read, and to drive together, skipped school and got in trouble together, took your first sip of Jack at the county lake leaning on the back of their first crappy car together.  You get to know their siblings, their parents, and sometimes even their grandparents.  You know when they have children, and your children go to school with them.  You are in their lives whether you want to be or not.  So when one of them passes, it sort of hits weird.  Like an extended family member.  Since I graduated, I have not really kept up with all of my classmates, however, because I know their siblings, parents and extended family members, I have kept tabs on most of them.  I care about what happens to them, and I am saddened to think that one of them isn't here with his family any longer.  Life is a little unfair sometimes, and a whole lot odd.  I feel like some of the stuff I have learned in my life was completely worthless.  I have never, not once used any of the geometry I was forced to take.  I have never been asked to recite historical dates, or been told I have to name every bone in the human body in order to get a job (although I could totally do that).  What I never learned in school, or in life really was how to handle situations like these.  How do you adequately show sympathy to a person's family who you have not really kept up with?  How do you look at your own kids and not wonder if they will be affected in the same way some day because they are forming friendships with people and getting to know their families?  And actually  hoping that they do, because having connections and really getting to know people is a blessing.  And wondering if someday, when it is your turn to pass from this life, the legacy you leave will be a positive one.    You know, light and airy thoughts for the end of the week.     

And now that I have added in my 2 cents worth of random thoughts, I will just say I am thankful that this week is one we can leave behind us, and I am happy that we have an entire weekend in front of us to relax, take in some sunshine, and perhaps share a warm meal with loved ones.  And I will be soaking up all of the family time, because I still can.

It’s a good day.

Madison passed her CDL driving test!  We are so very proud of her!   I guess, anyway, sometimes I am not sure driving a bus is that much fun.  But, it is a good opportunity to have a job where she can take the girls, where it is local, where as long as you show up and aren't naked, they don't really care what you wear, where although sometimes you are out in bad weather, mostly they call school off if it is truly terrible out, and where when the kids have a day off, so do you.  Not the worst gig in the world by far!  Plus, she set a goal, and reached it, and getting your CDL is not that easy.  Good job Madison!

Quincy was accepted into Wichita State.  She is almost sure she wants to attend college there....anything could change with her, at any time, however, she wants to get a degree in criminal justice, and do crime scene type work, and this school has a great program for that.  I am proud of her for taking care of the paperwork, and getting her ducks in a row.  She even talked to her brother about living in his basement...!  Now we wait to see how that works out! 

Since the girl's momma was taking her driving test, I got a morning to snuggle, although this one may be too busy to actually snuggle anymore!  She is busy!  She was helping me!  Evie was also helping me - and I had to laugh when Wrenley messed her pants and Evie asked me "what will we do?  Momma isn't here!"  Ummmm I have no idea, I have never changed a diaper before?  We managed!  

My family makes fun of me for being jumpy.  Today, as I was getting ready to drive the bus, this jumped out of the shower at me.  Yes, I jumped out of my skin!  Dang cat!

This dress was Mallory's when she was in kindergarten.  I have no idea why we still own it, but Evie was sure excited about it!  

As bad as the weather was in January, this month has been amazing!  I love the sunshine, warm days, and outside time!  Beautiful days make me happy!

Thank you to GG for driving Madison to the DMV and waiting for her to drive around!  

Wrenley was so busy while they were gone, she was absolutely exhausted when they got back!  :)