Week 10 of 13 (3 of 4)

The end is so near! I had the realization that I will be done with my master's degree in less than a month on Friday, and I felt giddy. Yes, giddy! Today I got a tentative date for my final presentation. My professor said he was hoping to have all of them complete by April 26! Yes!! I am so excited. I might become nervous right beforehand, but right now, I am just ready.

I have started to dream about what will happen after I am done, but mostly I'm just excited to think about a summer without a class. A vacation without worrying about finding wi-fi to get in some discussion board posts. Time spent with my husband and children. Painting and making necklaces and whatever else we want! Bike rides, T-ball, the possibilities are endless.

The other portion of my headline refers to the classes I've been teaching this semester. For just four weeks, I teach on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. I love the time with the students, but it makes for long days/weeks. I am hoping to continue teaching in this capacity next year, and I can only imagine how much easier it will feel when I'm not also worrying about homework.

Sorry for the boring post. It's just on mind today!

Joe's a state champ!

A few weeks ago, Joe's basketball team competed for a state title. In a whirlwind weekend, I flew down to Louisiana with my parents to cheer on Joe and his team. It was such a crazy, exhausting weekend, but so worth it!

The night before the game, Jenny sent me a text asking if I thought Mom and Dad would be willing to drive up to Michigan and then fly out with me the following morning. After a lot of discussion, we all decided to go for it. I left poor Denny, who had thrown out his back, at home with the kids. My dad and I were both running on zero sleep, but I was able to sleep some in the air and in the car, so that was nice.

The game itself was awesome! Joe's team dominated the first quarter and still had a solid lead going into the half. The second half was a different story. The other team came back and fought hard, but Joe's team held tight for the W. It was so exciting to see all of Joe's hard work pay off.

It was also great to see Joe, Kelly, Bobby and Riley for the weekend. I love them and miss them so much!

Rainbow trees

I really try to reserve my weekends to spend time with the kids. I work as hard as possible to get all of my homework done so we can makes some fun memories. One day last week, I asked Emma what she wanted to do on the weekend. I suggested making a craft, and she loved the idea. She said, "Let's make rainbow trees." I loved the idea!

I worked as hard I could on a really big assignment during the week, but I had to finish it up on Saturday morning. Luckily Aunties Jenny and Alicia were over to entertain the kids so I could finish. It was fabulous having them there to help me. I didn't even feel stressed or anything.

Any way, after I finally submitted the assignment, we headed to Hobby Lobby to get paint and browse. I ended up spending $29 on crafts, but it was exciting! The next day, I set up paint stations for Emma and Colt at the kitchen table. Colt lost interest fast, so I sat down and painted my version of a rainbow tree. Emma loved it and wanted to do one herself. She asked me to help her, which I planned on doing after I changed Colt's diaper. But, when I came back, she was already done. I love it! She has done a few more since then.

She has also made robots and Easter decorations with the craft items we bought from Hobby Lobby. I love the creativity and the time it gets her away from the TV or iPad. It was definitely $29 well spent!

Colt Buddy is two!

My little, ahem, big boy is growing up so fast. Colt turned two on Feb. 27, and we had a pretty great little family celebration that evening. It was just the four of us, which I really treasured. Don't get me wrong; I love that we have such a great extended family that lives close by, but sometimes it's nice to be alone as a family. We ordered Peppi's and ate a small cake, and Colt opened his presents!

Emma picked out a Nerf gun for Colt. She helped me wrap and made him a card. It was so sweet! He loved it so much, he almost didn't care about the gifts from Denny and me. He eventually opened those as well. We got him a Jake and the Never Land Pirates chair and a play shotgun. He loves that shotgun. It cracks me up!

The Saturday after his actual birthday, we had a larger family party with the Jake and the Never Land Pirates theme. It was pretty laid back. We ate, opened presents, enjoyed cake and ice cream, and then Emma and Colt whacked the pinata that Aunt Jenny and Uncle Aaron made.

At two, Colt amazes me with how smart and coordinated he is. It could very well be the same with any child, I really have no idea. He is a big boy: 39 inches and 34 pounds. His doctor did not tell me where he ranked on the charts, so I looked it up myself. If I read them correctly, he is in the 99th percentile for height and off the charts for weight. This doesn't surprise me because he eats everything! He amazes me with how well he eats.

Some of his favorites include:

Toy: shotgun or any type of ball
TV show: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (it's so cute to hear him sing theme song)
Song: Row, Row, Row your boat
Food: Cheesy bread (Peppi's)
Drink: Milk
Friend: Emma

He also loves to cuddle (and I love it, too!) and leave the house to go anywhere. He is always the first to get his coat and boots on. Colt can also be a stinker. When we tell him something he doesn't want to hear, he either gives us a huge pouty face or yells back and points with a scowl on his face. It's really hard to not laugh.We love him to pieces!