Busy Busy

The last couple of weeks have been crazy in our household. Dustin and Ty had the flu (not H1N1...even though you would think that it was by the amount of county, city, and state public healthcare officials that called me to ask about them!! But that is another story...), I got them better...only to become sick myself, and Dustin started his new job. All in all...the last couple of weeks have been busy busy! Which leads me to my excitement over the fact that we leave in just 5 short days for our cruise!!! We are taking our first real family vacation ever and I couldn't be more happy! Now...I just have to get through the next few days of school, work, meetings, a garage sale (a little extra $ for the cruise culdn't hurt!), massive amounts of laundry, and getting the house all in order. I guess the next 5 days are going to be busy busy!!

Day 2

So...I made it to the car today before I cried!! That is definitely progress!! Here are some pics of the kiddos on their first day of school.

Why am I still crying?

Today was another milestone in the Burke household. My little man started 2nd grade and my baby girl started Kindergarten. And I…am still trying to fight back tears almost 3 hours later. It all started yesterday.
I decided to take off work because I wanted to spend the whole day with Maddie and Ty. I told them it would be “Monday Funday” (an expression coined by my amazing friend Shanta when she watched the kiddos a few times for me this summer…on Mondays) The kids were very excited and so was I. The morning started with breakfast at Tim Horton’s for donuts…which they love. Then we started our errands. We had to go and finish getting Ty’s school supplies and a few more uniform shirts. Then we headed to McDonalds. We ate inside (because for some reason they think that is such a treat!) then we headed home. I got all of their school supplies labeled and packed in their back packs. I laid out their outfits and made sure everything was in order. We played a few games…had a few tickle attacks…and made a fort. Pizza was on the menu for dinner (per their request) and so was cuddling on the couch. They had their baths then we ate and cuddled together for a long time. I didn’t want to send them to bed. I just wanted to hold them...but it was getting late so I told them they had to go to bed. They both went upstairs to wait for me to tuck them in…or I thought they both did. Maddie waited for Ty to get into his bed then she came back downstairs. I asked her what she needed and she said that she just wanted to dance with me before she went to bed…and of course I agreed. In the dimly lit living room…we danced. There was no music playing…just the sweet little sound of my baby girl humming. Our dance wasn’t choreographed and it wasn’t planned…but it was perfect. In those moments I remembered all the memories that had happened in that room. I remembered feeding Maddie in the middle of the night. I remembered how she crawled “her way” (for the longest time she crawled on her back…she still likes to do things her own way!!). I remembered the times that she fell asleep on my lap while we sat on the couch. I remembered all of the games we played…all of the books we had read…all of the times we were princesses. And I knew I would remember this moment. My baby was getting older…she was starting school. I was trying not to cry as she held my hands and spun all around the living room. She was in her pink princess nightgown with her freshly washed hair flowing behind her and her little bare feet standing on their tip-toes. She stopped dancing and told me she was ready for bed…so I picked her up and carried her to her room. I prayed with her and sang her “You are my sunshine” …like I do every night…although it seemed a little harder to get through. I told her that she was going to have an amazing first day of school and that I was SO excited for her. She just smiled and sleepily said, “I love you mommy…good night.”
I left her room and tried to busy myself with laundry and dishes. It didn’t really help because my tears just kept flowing. I called my mom to talk…well I cried…she talked…but it was nice to just hear her voice and comforting words.
The morning came too early. I actually prayed that when I woke up it could just be 2:45 PM so that I could just go and pick up the kids instead of having to drop them off…but that did not happen. I got the kiddos dressed…made breakfast…and fixed their hair (a spiky/mohawk style was requested by Ty and a pretty ponytail for Maddie) then it was off to school. The kids were being goofy and talking the entire car ride which was very helpful for their “on the verge of tears” mommy!! We got to school and took pictures and started the dreaded walk towards the school. We dropped off Ty first. He was SO excited. I got all of his supplies out of his bag and helped him put them in his desk. I gave him a kiss as his friends started to crowd him…they were all very happy to see him. I gave him one last hug and headed for the door. Still no tears…I was doing well. Then I looked at Dustin and Maddie waiting in the hall for me…I could feel the tears creeping. She grabbed my hand and we headed down the stairs to her classroom. Her teacher was there and greeted us all with a huge smile (she was Ty’s Kindergarten teacher and we absolutely love her!!) I tried to say “hello” as I looked down into Maddie’s book bag to pretend to look for something so that I could suck the now forming tears back into my eyes. We walked her into her class and found her seat. We opened her crayons and got her started on the morning coloring paper. I took a few more pictures and then told her that I loved her. She leaned over to me and said, “I’m a little scared.” I hugged her then whispered into her ear (with a seemingly happy…yet shaky voice) “You are going to love it and I cannot wait to hear all about your exciting day!” Then I got up and looked at Dustin with a look that said, “You can stay…but I have to leave now before I lose it!” He bent down to Maddie and hugged, tickled, and kissed her while I walked out. I made it out of her classroom…through the double doors…and under the staircase…then the tears just flowed. I tried to stop…but I couldn’t. I kept thinking I could stop…then another wave would hit me. I am sure I was only under that staircase for about 2 minutes but it seemed like an hour. Dustin stood guard for me so that I would not look like an idiot if anyone walked by. Then he grabbed my hand and we walked out of the building. We didn’t talk too much…he knew I was doing well to just be walking without sobbing. We got to our cars and he told me that he was proud of me and that he loved me. He asked if he could do anything and I told him that I would be okay…I just needed to get through this day. I got into my car and headed for work (I figured work would make the day go faster) and cried…and cried…and cried. I was not fearful or anxious. I knew she was in a wonderful place with amazing people. I knew she was ready for school and even excited to go. I knew that she would be able to sit with Ty for lunch. I knew she was still mommy’s girl and that she would be excited to see me when I picked her up. So…why am I still crying?
I am crying because even though a new, wonderful season in my life is starting…I have to say goodbye to an old one. I don’t know what all this new seasons holds…but I know what my last season held. It had great memories and amazing times that I will always remember and cherish. That season was comfortable and routine. It was life…everyday life…and I loved it! It will always be a part of me…even though it cannot be the season I am in now. It seems as though every time I go into a new season I dread it…only to realize that I like it better than the one before. Hopefully this season will be the same way.
I am excited for my baby girl and for all that she will learn and do. And someday…she will call me crying about her babies going to school and I will let her know that she will be fine and so will they. However…that phone call had better not come for a very, VERY, long time…I still need to get through her first day of school!!

You can do a lot with Wet & Wild make-up

TY's first grade class had clown day last Friday. The kids were allowed to dress up in mis-matched clothes, wear clown face make-up, and basically just look goofy. Ty LOVES days like that at school. He was very excited and I told him that I would make sure that I got him a good outfit. I looked through his clothes to see what I could find...like any mom trying to not spend a ton of money would! (I could not find coupons for a clown costume :)!!) And after raiding his drawers and Daddy's closet we came up with a perfect outfit...or at least one that he loved. However...his little heart was set on having clown face paint. I googled images of clowns to try to find some ideas (I use google for everything!). I found some good ideas...but I was not sure where I could find a clown face paint kit. It was the first day of Spring and I was pretty sure that all of the Halloween face paint was no longer on the shelves. I went to a few stores and was not having a lot of luck. So finally I went to Target...Target would not let me down!! I figured that I would go and look in the cosmetics section. The first aisle I went down had a large Wet & Wild display...I did not even know that Target carried Wet & Wild...but I did know that they have low prices. I was determined to find something! I picked up a black eye liner, a white eyeliner, and a tube of very red lipstick. I looked at my little girl and said, "Here goes nothing!" I checked out and paid my $3.21 hoping that I could make it work. When Ty came home from school that night we laid out his clown clothes and I let him pick out the "clown face" that he wanted to have. I put the kids to bed a little early that night knowing that I was going to have to spend some extra time on Ty's face the next morning. When I woke up...Ty was already up and getting dressed in his clown gear (I told you...he gets very excited about fun days). We finished getting him and Madison ready, had breakfast and brushed teeth. Then I went to town with my black and white eyeliners. This is the finished product...

He absolutely loved it...and that was all that mattered to me!! I went in to his classroom with him that morning (to drop off the goldfish and marshmallows I signed up to bring). He was so proud of his costume and I was so thankful for Wet & Wild make-up!

Lookin' good

Early this morning I was doing dishes as Madison was dancing all around the kitchen. She asked me to dance with her...so I started to dance as I put away the dishes. Madison stopped her dancing to watch me...then, after a few minutes she said, "Mom, you got some great moves! You're lookin' good girl!" She makes me laugh.

Prophetic Paper Towels

Yesterday was such a busy day...let me just expain. I overslept in the morning and had to get myself ready for work...Ty ready for school...Madison ready for preschool...and my work organized to bring to the office. Dustin was out of town in Chicago with his band and was going to be returning later that day. I was running around the house getting everything ready and somehow we managed to get into the car on time and off to school. (I forgot to tell you I also had to get the "letter bucket" ready for Madison. What's that? Good question. Each child takes a turn filling a huge bucket with the objects that begin with the letter(s) of the week. Guess what we got? X Y and Z...yup, you heard me. :-) I dropped Ty off, headed to Madi's school and dropped her off along with her letter bucket and snacks for 20 children (I also had snack-duty this week for her class). I kissed her goodbye and headed to work. We had a tech guy in the office that day to make sure that all of our computers were secure and protected. Which is a normally a lovely thing...but not today. I needed my computer to print off the addresses of my almost 65 letters that I needed to mail out that afternoon and the tech man could not tell me how long it would take to look at my computer. I asked him politely if he could check my computer last and he said that would be fine. I got my letters addresses and stamped just in time to go pick up Madi from preschool. I packed everything up...then realized that Mr. tech man needed my computer. I left it on the confernce table and told him I would be back after I picked up my little girl. I got Madi from her class and picked up her friend Amanda (one of my best friends little girls). We all got in the car and headed to the place where I was meeting her mom. As I am driving...I pass an intersection and see my husband (who had just got off his bus from chicago and is now headed to his recording studio) I pull into the gas station to drop off Amanda and Dustin pulls in behind me. I get to hug him and welcome him home.....and I get to run errands for him. :-) He asks me if I can go to two different banks...I say, "sure...no problem" (I was being a good wife) I leave the gas station and head back to work with Madi (Are you beginning to understand my day?) Mr. tech man is not done with my computer. So I have Madi sit and practice writing her name while I go over the mailings with my boss. Mr. tech man finishes and I pack everything up (again) and head out the door. I go to both banks and I start to drive home...until I remember that my friend from college is coming over that evening. I totally need to get a dessert to make and I need a few cleaning supplies...so off to the grocery I go. I grab what I need and head for home (again). We get home and it is WAY past lunch time...so I make Madi a sandwich and put a Lean Cuisine meal in the microwave for me. I start doing dishes and cleaning the house. Then, my wonderful husband comes home. We sit and talk about his trip and plan our schedules for the rest of the week. While we are planning...Ty comes home from school. Dustin gets ready to go back to the studio for another session and Ty and I start on his homework. We finish and I start cleaning again...although I am cleaning what I have already cleaned because things have been dropped around the house now. I will not name the dirty culprit......but I do love him so much. :-) Ty's little friend comes to the door and asks if Ty can play...perfect...one less child to clean up after! He heads out the door and I come inside to see my baby girl very sad. "Who am I going to play with?" she asks. I look at her sweet face and tell her to go get the bubbles I just bought, and we head out to the front porch to blow bubbles. As I am blowing bubbles, she is "catching" them, and I am thinking ...I can still make the cupcakes and homemade frosting if I mix the batter quickly and do the dishes at the same time...once the dishes are done I can mop the kitchen floor...the kids rooms are done...but they need to be vacuumed...I can vacuum the upstairs and the downstairs in between frosting...I can do this...and I can do this before my friend comes over that has never seen my house...which is why I want it to look its best. Madi then interrupts my thoughts and says, "mom...you are not a very good blower today." So, back to blowing bubbles...and blowing them well! Then a neighbor girl and her mom ask if Madi can play in their back yard for 30 min. "Yes, yes, yes" I say. She skips away and I think to myself..."I have 30 minutes to get everything done before the kiddos come back and need dinner...GO!" I rush into the house to start mixing batter. I pour everything into a bowl and get out my hand mixer. Much to my dismay the bowl was too tiny and when I started to mix the batter...it splattered. Now...this was not any batter...it was red velvet cake batter...which is red...and splatters red...on my tan and white floors and counter...Aaauuuggghhh!!! I went to get a paper towel to start wiping up the mess...when IT happened...the "prophetic paper towel". I usually do not read my paper towels before I buy them...I actually normally only get plain white...but these paper towels were on sale and they did not seem like too much of an obnoxious design...just blue and white with butterflies. However...in my moment of business....I looked at these paper towels and read what they said, "Share the simple joys". I had been "running" all day...my light blue shirt was now splattered red...I had more cleaning and dishes to do...I still had dinner to make...and what if my house was not perfect for my friend from college? I then laughed out loud. I was a mess and so was my kitchen but I had missed the "simple joys" in my day. It was a beautful warm day. My kitchen curtains were blowing in the wind because my windows were open to let the beautiful fresh air in. I could hear my kids laughing as they played with their friends. My husband was home and safe from his trip. I got to sit on the couch with him in the middle of the afternoon and talk about our days. It had been a busy day...but it had also been a good day. I started to clean up my red velvet mess as I heard the front door open...the kiddos were home and they wanted to blow bubbles with me on the front porch. I looked at the almost clean kitchen...looked at the clock...and said, "Well...let me put the first batch of cupcakes in the oven...then we will blow bubbles." We all went out to the front porch and blew bubbles. They laughed and ran after them. I laughed and blew bubbles for them to run after. We were only out there for 16 minutes (I brought the cupcake timer out with me) but it was a wonderful 16 minutes...and I enjoyed those minutes with my babies. The simple joys are the ones that I remember and I want to take more moments to make them. The kitchen got cleaned and the floors got vacuumed. The kids had dinner, baths, and got in their pajamas. The cupcakes were made...and even half of them got frosted. I was even able to change my red splattered shirt and put on some lip gloss before my friend got there. All-in-all it was a wonderful day (my friend and I had a wonderful time talking and catching up too!) So as I started my day today I reminded myself to realize the simple joys...and I encourage you to do the same.
So what's the moral of the story? You should buy your paper towels at Wal-Mart...they might have a message for you!

Finally

So...I finally gave in to the blog world. I hope you all enjoy!