Good days, bad days and everything in between

Life is such a roller coaster. Yesterday I was in a SUCH a foul mood. Nothing went right. Everything was annoying or irritating or extra work just to DEAL with it. Without any real good reason, any warning. I went for a Salem stroll around 3pm to get some air and a caffeinated beverage. What would have been really great turned sour when I realized I had SEVEN mosquito bites to show for my stroll. Well. Suck.

But I was determined to make it better. So I planned dinner in my head, reserved a Redbox movie and headed home at 5. Traffic was relatively clear and I stopped for a movie and wine. Came home to an excited Hayden and a puzzle-making Lila, made dinner and sent two kids to bed early for bad behavior. Good news? We got to start the movie at a decent time. Jay fell asleep but I (for once) stayed up and watched all of it (Noah).

This morning I woke up with a much better attitude, because a bad mood can't last forever. It was hard to leave my sleeping husband but my kids were in a fun mood so we headed out the door in a flood of giggles and fun.

Being a wife and a mom is hard. Doing it while working full time and commuting 30 minutes to an hour each way is even harder. I don't get as much time with my family as I would like. I love my job, I love my students, I love what I do. But balancing it all is tough. And let's not forget my friends, whose calls I miss and texts I get hours after they were sent. Time for myself? It's limited in all aspects. So sometimes, I just need to have a bad day. It makes the good days better. I told someone yesterday, I'm a generally positive person and try to find the good in most days. So when I have a bad day I feel like it hits me harder than the average bear. The trick is to remind myself it's OKAY to have a bad day and be a cranky pants and feel like the world is out to get me (it's not).

Sweet face

Sundays

Sundays are for movies, moms and bed! 

Strong are thy walls...

Definitely my single favorite image of the student center so far.

The first pitch

Every year our staff in the Admissions office gets the generous use of Keiger's box seats or party deck for one night at a Dash game. The perk of being a corporate sponsor for that game is that one lucky guest gets to throw out the first pitch. This year, Hayden was elected to represent Salem and throw out the first pitch.

Seriously, have you ever seen a kid so happy? He practiced for DAYS on end and could not wait to go to "the dashes game". We barely made it on time thanks to some traffic but when we got there it was all worth it. The only downside was that Hayden spent the week thinking that he was pitching the whole game.

Hayden: So the dashes don't have enough pitchers and they need me to pitch?
Me: No Hayden, you just get to throw out the first pitch. It's really special.
Hayden: Well if they need me I don't mind pitching the whole game. I can do that.

The kids had an absolute blast. They ate hot dogs and beans and chips and cookies, got new Dash hats and posters and even watched a little of the game. We stayed the WHOLE time, until after 10, and they were champs. Love these memories!

Civic duty

I love taking my kids to vote. This year we have a primary, a runoff and general elections so it's a great year to teach them about our responsibility and privilege to vote!

Hayden: Mom who did we vote for?
Me: Well Hayden we keep our vote a secret, we don't have to tell anyone.
Hayden: Mom. You don't have to keep it a secret from me; you're my son. *pause* Wait, that's not right. I'm YOUR son.

I dodged that question and instead explained to him what a runoff was. He seemed appeased.

Summer fun

My kids are such a cheap date!

This is Lila's cheese face. You might recognize it because it's eerily similar to Hayden's creepy face, reserved for Santa and school photos.

Pool party

For her 8th birthday, Zoe wanted a pool party. The kids are recently obsessed with the water and Hayden is getting braver and braver when it comes to the deep end. We just bought him a new life jacket and he feels like a big kid now!

He also got a haircut "that sticks up" (a mohawk) so he is on top of the world. 

He loves jumping in the water from the side of the pool and loves being able to "see the feets" while he's under the water with his goggles. He's a hoot. Neither one wanted to get out for pizza and cupcakes but they ate fast and got right back in. 

This baby girl is fearless and loves swimming in her "wife jacket". Especially with her daddy! 

Back to the zoo!

So, we love the zoo. We have family passes and try to go as often as we can. The kids love the animals (so do I) and we're almost certainly guaranteed a good night's sleep after a day at the zoo. The last few times we've gone I've tried to leave the camera at home and leave my phone in the bag and just enjoy the moment instead of documenting everything.

But this weekend was different! July 20th was Visitor Appreciation Day, which meant the attractions that were normally a few dollars a head were free. Jay had an unexpected Sunday off so it worked out perfectly. Hayden had really been wanting to see the Rio 4-D experience and everything is better free.

We started off in North America. Lila loves the polar bear, Patches, and Hayden loves to watch the sea lions swim at the underwater viewing area. Lila loves all things bear, really, so when we got to the bears and they were actually moving around, she lost it. Overjoyed.

We saw the alligators and the turtles and the Sonora Desert but these kids really wanted to get to Jungle Junction! (That's where all the free stuff was) We grabbed a snack in one of the cafes and headed into the Rio movie. Thanks to the drizzly weather early in the day, things weren't too too busy so we didn't have to wait long.

Rio was really cool because a) the kids are currently obsessed with the sequel and b) it was a totally interactive experience. There were puffs of air blowing behind your ear, things flapping at your feet, birds flying at your face, the smell of sunscreen and even a little spray of the ocean! Hayden loved it, Lila tolerated it (in my lap). 

Since the carousel was free, we rode it all together. Lila always picks the Polar Bear; Hayden wanted to be beside her and that left the dolphin in the middle for me. They wanted to ride it over and over but we said one was enough. There was more to see! So we headed over to the Bugs exhibit.

This was so cool because the bugs were all giant so you could see all their moving parts. Hayden loved it; Lila hated it of course. But they learned a lot! Hayden has a recent obsession with scorpions so it was awesome for him to get to see a giant one. He was a little worried that the enormous spider was going to come to life, come down off the web and get him. So he was cautious in taking a picture with it.

Somehow, we have missed the Aviary on our last 1000 trips to the zoo. I can't remember ever having gone in it in the past four years. We stopped to see the flamingos, which was a huge hit with the kids. Inside,we saw pineapples growing, a ton of amazing birds and some that were hiding from us! 

By this point in the afternoon the kiddos were running out of steam but they won't leave the zoo without a trip to see the elephants, because they know they're my favorite! This time, we were there at the same time as the elephant keeper so we got to see a mother and daughter up close and personal, and even doing a few tricks for treats! 

It was a beautiful day well spent! We saw our baby baboons and the gorillas and a quick stop at the zebras and giraffes before we finally headed out. The biggest bonus? Lila rode in the stroller for the first time in over a year. Parent win! She loves the zoo and loves to walk but gets tired of walking pretty quickly, doesn't want to ride in the stroller and doesn't want Jay to carry her. So that means a long day for mom. This time, Jay told her "you're riding in your stroller, end of story" and she went for it! 

Thanks for taking it easy on mom, Lila! 

Hayden's Preschool Graduation

So my little dude is five. He's done with preschool. He's heading to kindergarten. Some days I'm okay with it, some days I'm super excited, some days I'm terrified. He's only FIVE. How can I send him out into the world? With fifth graders?! Complete. Terror.

Then there's the logistics. He's not riding the bus. So I have to navigate the drop off line. With Lila learning she's going to one place, he's going to another. I feel like August is going to be a disaster. But before that...

He had the most precious preschool graduation!

It was held at a little church multipurpose room out in Oak Ridge and it was adorable. 

The kids all had a chance to tell Ms. Marsha what they wanted to be when they grow up. Hayden wants to be a Sergeant in the Army and save the world. They got to draw pictures and say why they wanted to do what they did. During graduation, Hayden told Ms. Marsha he changed his mind, and that he also wanted to be an artist. In the Army. Such a wide variety of interests! 

They sang adorable songs and wore their adorable caps and gowns and got wee little diplomas and it was amazing. I cried less than I thought I would. They came to hug the parents and gave the dads a picture and the moms a flower and said why WE were special. It was precious. I love him. 

He was excited to see us and his nana and Erin & Eric and his cousins and grandma. It was a special day.