1st day at BIG BOY school

Lately we are into funny poses, so he wouldn't let me take a good picture until I took a silly one.

Today was Canyon's first day at preschool. He had preschool when he went to daycare also, but he refers to the new school as "Big Boy School". He was pretty excited and I didn't get any phone calls so it must have went well.

Usually he will be going to preschool 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. Today was just an hour. I didn't know what to do with myself. I had a whole hour. I'm sure it will come as no suprise to most of you I hung out at the scrapbook store (The Playground).

First Day

Today was Marissa's first day of Middle School. She seemed calm and collected, but, I'm not sure that I am ready for middle school. When we went to orientation I actually saw an 8th grader with a moustache! A moustache! My kid can't possibly be old enough to go to school with someone who has a moustache. All I could think about for the rest of orientation was how that moustache kid had better stay away from my girl. I know, pathetic, but he better! I don't remember anyone having a moustache when I started middle school 20 years ago. But, now that I think about it, I do remember some things that scare me much more than the moustache boy.

Birdie Camper

You must go and check out this totally adorable little altered bird camper that I found on Creatively Savvy, a blog that I frequently read.

http://www.creativelysavvy.blogspot.com/

It is one of the absolute cutest altered projects I have seen, stop by, check out all the cute pictures and give her lots of great comments.

Cute!

How cute are these pics from the science center. We really need to get there more often.

Grandma's Birthday Card

Marissa and I made a card for JT's grandma's 101st birthday August 3rd.

Tennis Anyone?

We did it, 2 weeks of tennis lessons. Marissa had tennis everyday, Canyon 3 times a week.



Marissa, being Miss Athletic, did very well. It is kinda cool that she picks up things so well, especially considering how clumsy and uncoordinated I am.

Canyon did much better than I expected. He did quite well with instruction and he didn't hit anyone (on purpose) with a ball or the racket. On the first day of lessons he got one of the instructors fingers, and really smacked one of the balls which got another instructor in the eye, but they were both accidents. Today, he was a challenge, whacking balls everywhere, running around the court, tennis racket sword fighting. When I left the courts I mentioned to one of the other mom's that I thought Canyon had one tennis lesson too many. She just laughed, which told me she agreed.

How cool is this???

Thanks to my dear friend Cathy at The Playground for nominating my blog for these 2 awesome awards. I am truly honored.

The rules for receiving this award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.3

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

These are the blogs that I will be nominating for these awards

http://www.lifeaslou.blogsome.com/ This is the coolest blog. Leah is soooo talented. I love all her stuff. I vist Leah's blog every day.

http://www.thekreativekarma.blogspot.com/ Karma is very inspiring. Remember my altered flipper?

http://www.kawiscrap.blogspot.com/ This one isn't in English, but her layouts are absolutely gorgeous

http://www.lucyscraftylife.blogspot.com/ very talented. I saw lucy already received one of these awards, but I had to nominate her for the other as well.

http://www.creativelysavvy.blogspot.com/ Beautiful layouts and lots of Disney, right up my alley.

http://www.kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com/ Some of the most beautiful cards I have ever seen. That is if you can pry yourself away from the CHA pics she just posted.

http://www.familiafilo.blogspot.com/ Michelle has a unique style and gorgeous projects.

Beauty

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy Independence Day celebration.

Canyon's Birthday Party Invitations

Just had to share Canyon's 4th Birthday party invitations. They turned out awful darn cute.

This is it!

Here it is, my last day at work. As of approx 5:40 this evening I will be officially unemployed. Well.... I did volunteer to come in for a couple hours on Monday so that a friend could have the day off for an out of town wedding, but it doesn't really count! Hopefully this unemployed deal works out for me. Wish me luck!

A couple layouts

playing with my new doodlebug glitter and new stamps.

Woo Hoo!

Woo Hoo! 500 visitors to my blog. Wonder how many of them were me?!

Mother's Day Card

Inner Turmoil (Should I Stay Or Should I Go?)

I have been at the same job for 13 years. Since I was 19 years old. I have loved my job, and I have hated my job. There have been days where I cried because I didn't want to go to work, and there have been days when I couldn't get there fast enough.

I gave my notice just over a month ago. I signed up my son for preschool in September and paid a registration fee. I also signed him up for swimming lessons and tennis lessons this summer. I signed my daughter up for 2 different sets of golf lessons and swimming lessons. I also bought weekly movie passes for the 3 of us. We have waterslide passes, maze passes, and Bear Country passes all lined up and ready to go. I admit, perhaps I got a little carried away, but this was going to be "the best summer ever".

Now I am thinking about the money. Why does money have to have such a pull on us? We are finally seriously paying down debt. We finally have extra. I finally don't feel like I have to hound my husband for his paycheck on payday because I already scheduled the bills to be paid or sent out the checks. We are finally at a good point and I have to go and quit my job. What if we can't make it? What if after all of this I have to go back to work next fall making half my current pay at a job I hate?

I have 3 weeks left and I am sure they will be the longest 3 weeks of my life.

My brain is screaming at me... "What are you doing? In a couple years you could be almost debt free. Think about how rich you will feel. You could be a business owner. You could never have to worry about work again."

My heart is telling me... "Look at those kids, they need you. Your babies have grown up before your eyes." I looked down at my little guy 2 nights ago, on his 4th birthday, and I couldn't believe it. He isn't a baby anymore. I no longer have a baby. My last baby is now a little boy and I missed it. Marissa is becoming a gorgeous young woman and needs her mother to guide her now, not in a few years.

I am so torn between what I want now and what I want later. I don't know what to do.