Mama of 2 P's in a Pod

So, I had one of those over-booked, super panicked mom moments! The kind that makes you certain that someone out there is ready to nominate you for the 'worst mother of the year!' award. Big P was part of a 1st-3rd grade cheerleading clinic at our district's high school last weekend. I had it plugged into my iPhone calendar of course, along with the 10,000 other things going on. My calendar told me it got over at 12:30pm! So around 12:20, I get a call from the coach to make sure I'm ok, the clinic got over at noon and she was with Big P waiting for me. I freaked! I didn't want to be 'that' mom and I certainly didn't want my little girl traumatized! Thankfully no trauma! She was coloring and happy as could be when I got there at 12:30, the time my super mom calendar told me to be there! But I was embarrassed to say the least! And I'm sure this Friday night, when we brought her to the football game to cheer on those T-Birds, the coach was thinking, ...

Kris and I have been plotting a trip to Disney World for a few years. About 6 months ago we decided to make it a reality. We made our final payment on our trip yesterday. We had talked about keeping it a surprise until we actually left, but after some thinking and talking and more thinking, we decided it was important to include them in our first family vacation. We want them to realize why we are no longer going out to eat...."do you want to grab that Happy Meal or have spending money at Disney World?" And our travel agent and friend Kela gave us some ideas her parents used to get them to work hard on their chores to earn spending money on our trip! Plus, we want them to have some say in planning our time in the Sunshine State. We got a few goodies to help with the surprise after school yesterday. Here they are reading the letter we wrote them to tell them about what we are doing! Big P has turned into quite the reader! And here they are after they finally figured it out! Al...

With the start of the new school year, is also the beginning of the girls' activities. Yes, I am aware that I signed them up for extra-curriculars, but thankfully I have not gone overboard with what they are involved in. I have a few friends who are not very good at saying no. Kris and I want the girls to try everything and see what they like and are good at, and go with those, but that does not mean we need to try everything at once. Big P danced last year and did awesome at her recital in June! Little P did AWANA at church (coincidently the same night as Big P's dance class which made for a fun shuffle across town) and LOVED IT! In fact, Big P realized mid school year she wanted to do AWANA. We told her we would let her try it this year. SO they are now both in dance one night and AWANA the next. They both played T-ball this past summer, thankfully on the same team. Next summer will be a different situation. Big P would like to try volleyball and soccer. Little P loves to pla...

Tomorrow is Little P's first day of kindergarten...and Big P's first day of first grade. They are sound asleep, mommy is wide awake! Much like that night before Christmas feeling! I'm so excited and yet a little sad to see them go. Summer went too fast! But I know they will love it! So much to learn, wings to spread and life to live. So I will be fine...yep fine. No I'm not crying I have an eyelash in my eye!

Three years ago today, I got a phone call from my husband saying a fellow brother and firefighter mentor had died while fighting the same fire he was on. It was a brief conversation, one that literally took my breath away. And one that still haunts me today. It was a hot day, much like today's forecasted high of 104. I had taken the P's to the lake to ride their bike and trike across the dam. But the heat was too much and we gave up pretty quickly. Oddly enough, the picture I took of that little bike ride is on my very first blog post. Kris called as I loaded our girls into my SUV. I automatically drove to firestation number 8, or 8's, Tony's station and what is now Kris' station. My husband is an emotional person, but sometimes he is very difficult to read. Our girls were very young at the time, 2 & 31/2 and I didn't know what I was supposed to do. He seemed like he wanted to be with his brothers, so I left after a short visit. Hindsight of course tells me ...

We enrolled the P's in school today. A little bittersweet to be sending Little P to kindergarten already! But I know she's ready, and I think in a lot of ways we are too. I do worry that her strong will may get us a couple of phone calls from the principal, but in a lot of ways that strong will help her and her big sister. Big P is very ready for first grade, in fact she asked if she could just go to school year round. I hope that enthusiasm continues! I start a new job next week. Sadly, its not at the girls' school which is what I had really worked and hoped for. I will continue to try and get a fulltime gig there, but until then, I'm working for our local Emergency Management Dept. Thankfully, its part time and it sounds like it will be extremely flexible, which is what I need after my other recent job experiences. I won't go on that tangent today.:)I am excited to make a little bit of money for our family again, and to have a glimpse of my own identity again. I j...

Today is Little P's 5th birthday! A pretty big deal!! Its so bittersweet, because while part of me is happy to see her growing into such a sweet little girl, the other part wants time to stand still to keep her little forever! We had a fun day as a family. Lunch at one of her favorite places, some shopping and playing and it was all topped off with a 'friend' party at Chuck-E-Cheese tonight! Where has the past 5 years gone? I remember holding her in my arms that first night, not wanting to sleep just so I could watch her sleep, feel her sweet breath on my neck and wrap her hand around my finger. Thankfully, she had no problem letting mama snuggle with her now, I hope that never changes!