Master of Procrastination; Chocolate Munchins

I should be working on a blood vessel lab right now, but instead I am surfing the Internet looking for ideas for home improvement and eating chocolate from the kid's Easter basket. Both events are unwise and unhealthy! Lately I have had a hard time devoting any attention to my school work. I have so many wonderful distractions - planning a vegetable garden, looking up bread recipes, or planning out a swingset for the kids!

Easter morning at our house was a blast. When Ella finally woke up, she went from zero to 100 in a split second; she was running around the house collecting eggs faster than I could count. I now appreciate my parents needing their coffee brewed before any holiday festivity begins! We got our coffee made while Ella and Colin (in competition with Moose) searched for Easter eggs. Later in the day we went to Matt's parents and celebrated Easter with my mom as well. Ella and Colin in the pictures are modeling their "spring bonnets" as well as some of the leftover chocolate they sampled throughout the day!

While I was watching Ella and Colin, I couldn't help but remember those Easter mornings when my sister and I hunted around the house searching for goodies. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was the child. And now I don't even get carded at the grocery store when I buy wine or beer - I am really getting old! Lately, I have been much more aware of just how fast life passes us by. I have a "Life Goal" list I keep in my planner. There are times when I add to it, and occasionally I do get to check items off the list (having children, taking a class again, running races). I really don't know what my point is here except I always cherish the saying my mom honors, which is "live each day to its fullest because one never knows if it will be the last." There really is not a dull moment in my life, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have as well as the people in my life who provide me with wonderful opportunities! I feel fortunate to have children who are healthy and happy and who appear to love life. I am very fortunate to have a husband who supports my endeavor to become a nurse midwife, who appreciates the job that I do at home, and who puts up with all my crazy ideas and thoughts! I am grateful for family and friends and the wonderful energy they provide me!

Hired Help and Personal Growth

I have found some really professional, efficient, and cheap help to keep the house clean these days. My new cleaning crew has really helped me manage my cleaning chores around the house even with my return to school! On another note - I have taken part in a lot of introspection lately about pursuing my career (second career) versus motherhood. My passion is to become a nurse midwife, and I have returned to school part - time to pursue this dream. I was accepted in an RN program but decided to defer for a bit. I am starting to understand and appreciate the saying, "Enjoy your children now because they grow up so fast" more and more these days. I hated hearing this from people when Ella was first born. There were moments then that I couldn't imagine life without a newborn. But I find myself craving those moments back (not all the time)! I decided that school will always be there for me, but my little people will not. I feel blessed to be able to stay home with our children and feel good about being happy about staying at home with them! I like making peanut butter sandwiches and wiping noses. I like taking walks together even if it means Colin cries in the backpack, Ella has to go potty two minutes into our walk, and Moose pulls too hard. So - my new goal is to be a nurse midwife by 50! I will accomplish this goal, but right now I am busy with my little people!

Easter Eggs and Off to The Races

This morning Ella and Colin participated in an Easter Egg Hunt. Plastic eggs with goodies inside were scattered throughout the field and kids then collected them. Colin quickly got the hang of it, and Ella was able to still collect some eggs after an emergency potty break!

After the Easter Egg Hunt, we ran home to get some dry socks - then it was off to the races. Ella ran her first running race (1 mile fun run). She was very excited and had her running pants on, running socks on, and her "race car" shoes. She ran the entire way - 13.22 minutes! Afterwards, I ran a 5K. One of the highlights of the run with Ella included her comment, "Mom, I won't need to take a shower later because I won't be smelly like you after your running races." Needless to say, we both took a warm shower when we got home. All are tuckered out!

Dirty Man and Little Leprachaun

Colin is adamant about feeding himself these days, even when it comes to whole milk yogurt. He insists on using his own spoon and fork at meals as well. You will see with the picture just how successful he is at getting the food to his mouth. The other photo shows Ella with the hat she made at school yesterday. They are learning about musical instruments right now, and I was able to see Ella sitting so quietly yesterday in circle as they were talking about different types of instruments. She sits so perfectly still in school - what happens when she gets home?? Right now Colin is playing with an old cell phone. He is walking around the house talking - very businesslike. And Ella is in Colin's room putting Olivia and Kiki to bed - she reads them books, puts the music on, pulls down the shade, and then tucks them into Colin's bed. She is quite the nurturing mama!

Boston in the Rain

I wanted to share with you our trip to Boston this past weekend. I learned that children are much more tolerant than adults of most anything. We went down to visit a friend and decided (I will be honest, I decided and coerced Matt) to make a weekend trip out of it. It was pouring rain as we entered Boston and headed for the Boston Aquarium. Needless to say, we waited in the rain for the tickets and did get in. Ella really liked the big tank of fish, and it had been quite some time since I had been there myself. After two hours of the crowded aquarium, we headed out to go to our friend's apartment to figure out some dinner plans. At this point it was pouring rain, and of course we had to walk to the Prudential Building where there were no restaurants available for over an hour. Needless to say, kids were amazingly good. I fed them crackers, and Ella loved going up and down the escalator while Matt and Patrick went back to get the car. We finally were seated for dinner by 7 PM. Matt was soaked, the diapers in the diaper bag were drenched, and my white shirt under my pink sweater was now pink as well! The highlight of the trip for Ella was the hotel (she got to stay in a big bed) and the escalator. We also visited the Children's Museum on Sunday. I really enjoyed this part of the trip, but people were all getting pretty beat. I learned a lot from my children this weekend. Children appreciate the small and simple things in life. Ella was content drinking a juice box and going up and down the escalator. She really didn't need the museum, but I guess I feel like I want to provide them with these opportunities. I reflected on this experience with Matt on our drive home and commented that I think I handled this trip much better now that I am a parent than before the time of children. Ella and Colin have taught me how to be more patient as well as the importance of really slowing down and enjoying all the beauty in our world.

Getting Started . . . ???

I have always enjoyed reading friends' blogs, so it has been a goal of mine to create my own. When I mentioned it to Matt, we weren't sure it was going to be worthwhile since a majority of our family lives in New Hampshire. However, the more I thought about creating a blog, the more I wanted to do it to share photos and stories with the family and friends who are further away from us. In this day and age, computers are so handy at staying in touch. And although I always enjoy talking on the phone with family and friends, I do understand how convenient it is to have a computer always handy. So, today marks my experiment . . . Will I stay up to date on this? Will anyone read it? Wish me luck on my new adventure!