At Considerable Cost

Emmeline finished fourth grade and I will have my first experience as an intermediate school parent next year.   I am longing for the set-up of schools who have a K-6 organization.   K-8 would be nice right about now, too.   Deep breathing: inhale, exhale.   Everything will be okay... She loved her teachers this year and made some great memories.   She missed fewer days due to illness.  YEA & thanks be to God!   She did not plan to wear the same top!   Clare finished first grade and is already looking forward to second grade.   I love seeing how they grow during the year! And next school year...I'm trying not to think about it... He is very excited, though!

I grew up on a little farm.   It was situated at the dead-end of a mile-and-a-quarter country road.   We had a circle driveway right in front of our house and our yard and pastures wrapped around the house.   Between the road, with its creeks and wooded areas to explore, and our land, I was surrounded by wild and tamed nature.   It was a great way to grow up and it makes me sad that my children won't have the same experience.   My husband and I have neither the knowledge or time to maintain acreage.   And septic tanks?   Sorry, but both of the homes where I grew up lay outside city limits and I've lived with the expense and frustration of septic tanks.   No, thank you!   It is also very important to me that we always live near a hospital.   Oh, yes, and there's the cost of land in our area, but our children can have a taste of the nature I experienced, thanks to our neighborhood....

This was my last-minute, night-before outfit for dress-up day at school.   I bought a cute pink sundress, an iron-on poodle, a white sweater cardigan and scarf at Wal-Mart.   White cardigans are the best piece of clothing for a little girl's wardrobe.   I always buy them when they go on sale so the girls have them in every size.   You can stretch more time out of a summer dress by pairing it with a cardigan in the fall and sometimes, winter.  

This spring, it was time to move up to a big boy bike for Thomas.   His toddler bike with training wheels broke and with a December birthday, it was just too long to wait for the usual Christmas or birthday bike.   He taught himself to ride after a day.   I didn't take him seriously when he told me to "Come see!"   He was the only one of our children to own one of the small toddler bikes and I think it really does help with learning to ride a bike later.   Our former neighbor found a great deal on that little bike, so it was less than $20.   This active boy is still enjoying his bike rides.

All dressed and ready for the Easter Vigil Mass!   They really do so well and I like to see the adult baptisms at the Vigil.   It reminds me of the Vigil mass when I came into the Church.   Plus, since we're not "good Catholics" ;) who are always able to participate in the Triduum , we like to take advantage of the privilege of participation in the Vigil.   After mass, I come home and eat my first Cadbury Crème Egg.   Then, they all fall asleep in their Easter clothes & that makes for some pretty Easter morning pictures! I had one of those little bird water whistles when I was Clare's age. Our Easter table  "Yes, I decorate with bunnies."   In my head, I said that like Shirley McClain in Steel Magnolias when she tells Annelle, "Yes, I pray."   Mama always had bunny decorations, but I do wait until Saturday to set them out. Emmeline's godmother, Nancy, bought these beautif...