What were you doing last night?

After weeks of preparation the Variety Show at St. Mark has come and gone! We had so much fun putting together a great showcase of "talent"(notice how I used quotation marks around the word talent)! It was definitely entertaining! Here are a few pics of our fabulous performance. We were really channeling ABBA.

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Every once in a while I will check out the blogs of note. This time I found a great one! The girl who writes this blog is great. She makes me laugh! Check out her blog if you have time...

http://clevergirlgoesblog.blogspot.com/

Costume Shopping

I should know better by now. Never take your 4 year old shopping for their own costume. Two years ago we went shopping for a princess costume. She had talked about it for weeks, but once we got to the store she saw an Elmo costume and she wouldn't let me leave without it. Last year she wanted to be Dora, so I went and bought it for her. She was so cute in her little yarn wig!

So...this year she wanted to be Gabriella from High School Musical. Easy, right? Not so much. Little did I know there would be 3 different options, a cute little red dress from the 1st movie, a hoodie and shorts outfit from the 2nd movie, and a cute little white dress from the 3rd movie.

She insisted on the outfit with shorts. Of course the shorts are cheap looking and the hoodie is very thin. This was the costume she couldn't live without. Seriously!!! She didn't want the adorable red dress with a wig that we could buy really cute shoes to wear with...NO! She didn't want the cute little white dress that we could also get cute shoes for, as well as a neat microphone...NO! She wanted the cheap looking shorts and hoodie!

The picture below looks a lot better than the costume I now have hanging in our laundry room. Next year I think I'll just find out what she wants and get it without her.

I know I'm terrible...but at least I got her the costume SHE wanted. And I do think she will still look adorable. We are going to curl her hair some like Gabriella's and I'm trying to find her some cute flip flops (not easy this time of year). I hope it's not too cold on Halloween or she will have to wear the dreaded nude pantyhose. Do they even make them in her size?



Hopefully Luke's costume will be easier. He wants to be Indiana Jones. At least he does right now...we haven't gone shopping for his costume yet!

Black-Eyed Girl

Emilee just got her first black eye! Poor girl! She was in Luke's room and a bucket fell right on the corner of her eye. Apparently it was precariously placed on the edge of the top bunk and fell. She has a small cut/scratch and it looks slightly puffy. You can barely tell by these pictures, but I'll bet that it will look worse in the morning. I hope it clears up before school pictures next week!

Feeling a little overwhelmed...

I am beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. I have so many things coming up to work on that I sometimes don't know where to start. I love being busy...to an extent. I am loving my new job and I am looking forward to all of the fun things we are planning.

Here are a few things I am working on right now:

- Starting a new Sunday School class for Young Adults

- Opening another room up for a second nursery at church for babies

- Starting a Wednesday night program for the kids at church
- setting up the room
- finding the right curriculum
- setting up a Children's Choir
- making sure I have enough help

- 1st Annual Pumpkin Patch at our church
- I'm the co-coordinator
- finding volunteers
- planning fun things for Saturdays
- making sure we have everything we need
- and much much more

- Fall Festival at church

- Fall Festival at Luke's school
- I'm the co-coordinator on this too
- planning activities for each classroom
- getting donations
- and tons more stuff as we get closer

Sometimes I think I'm losing my mind. Just one year ago I had TOO much free-time with Emilee starting preschool, and I was beginning to volunteer some at Luke's school and get out of the house some. After being a full-time stay at home mom for almost 7 years I was ready for some adult interaction. I was having fun, and I wanted to help with everything. Now, 1 year later, I don't really have any free-time. I AM helping with everything. Plus, I've found a great friend who is just as involved as me at church...only she doesn't get paid.

I love being busy and feeling useful. I wouldn't trade this for the world! It's nice to be appreciated for things. Not that my family didn't appreciate me before...it's just different now.

It has beeen quite an adjustment with me having a job now. I only work at the office when the kids are in school. But sometimes it feels like I am working all of the time. Guy has really been wonderful! It took him a little adjusting time too, but he has really been a rock for me.

I couldn't do anything that I do without my family and a lot (A LOT) of prayer! I really am the luckiest girl in the world!

Sing Alongs

My kids have always sung right along to the radio and whatever was playing. In fact, Emilee caught me quite off guard last year when she sang along with the chorus of Sexy Back (she was 3).

I am happy to report that we have passed along the tradition to my nephew Caleb. He was happily singing along to the Mamma Mia soundtrack on the way home from school today. It was hysterical! Especially when he sang Dancing Queen! I was quite impressed with the lyrical knowledge he was showcasing. It was something I wish you all could hear! His Mom and Dad should be proud...LOL!

Things are rolling now...

We are definitely back to business as usual. Emilee and Caleb started school this week and they both had a lot of fun. And they haven't even kicked Caleb out yet...just kidding! He was so funny on Wednesday, he kept asking me to take him to his playroom.

Caleb - Janie take me to my playroom.
Me - Do you mean your classroom at school?
Caleb - NO! My playroom. With all my toys.

Evidently he is enjoying himself in his "playroom". Emilee is having fun too. I forgot to bring her blanket for naptime on the first day. So, I left her at school and drove home to get a blanket and back. By the time I walked back into her classroom she was sitting at the computer playing a game. She didn't even acknowledge me. Her teacher got her attention and told her to give me a hug and she wouldn't get up, for fear that she might lose her seat I guess. It was so funny, I had to go to her and then she gave me a kiss. I haven't worried about her all week. She loves school! I hope she feels that way for a long time.

On another note, we had a death in the family this week. Luke's beloved rat Jerry died on Wednesday. Luke tapped on his cage that morning and Jerry didn't move. Sure enough Jerry had gone on to the big rat cage in the sky. Luke was devastated. He cried all morning at home, on the way to school, and even at school. Luckily his teacher is an animal lover. She was a real help for him through the day. I never would have dreamed he would have reacted that way! He and Guy buried Jerry in our yard that afternoon, and he has been okay ever since. He still gets a little sad when he looks at the empty shelf that used to hold Jerry's cage. :(

I started my new job this week and I really like it. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough to do each day. But On Thursday I had Linda, Mema's hair stylist, reschedule her appointments to Fridays from now on so that I could work some on Thursdays too. I am spending most of my time learning about what my position actually is. I have so many ideas and things I want to do that I am struggling to decide what to start on first. I am looking forward to great things happening!

Lots of love to all who actually read this!