Flashback Friday-Back 2 School

I thought this would be an appropriate post as students are returning to their classrooms this week for another year of school. My parents always took a "first day of school" photo every year...till we were old enough to really protest.

As you can see, older brother Danny already thought it was lame!

(WHAT IN THE WORLD DID TOMMY DO TO HIS HAIR!?!) I think this haircut was courtesy of Bev's School of Beauty...I remember the tears after this one!

Wordless Wednesday

School, Job & Park

Jonathan seems to be enjoying his second week of school. Nick will only be going three days a week so that he has two days at home with his sissy & I...something that benefits us all as he is a great source of entertainment for her. He's simply not ready for that structured of an environment at 2 1/2.

The new job has been a HUGE blessing...Sincerely, thank you Lord! I am able to effectively multi-task between course contacts, answering calls, emailing, skyping and...more importantly, playing with my two babies and attending to their needs as well as the needs of our home.

I've made a tradition (habit) out of taking the kids to the park after I pick the boys up from their Montessori.

Smiles, Songs & Laughter

Jonathan~Growing up waaaaaay too fast! Saying things that both baffle and amaze his parents. Headstrong & determined. Still willing to give mommy HUMONGOUS kisses and hugs!

Nick~Talking up a storm...sly, sheepish & still incredibly snuggable! Do boys get any sweeter than Nicholas?

Kate~Sweet, feisty and affectionate. Obsessed with shoes and jewelry. Favorite word lately: "No!"

Flashback Friday

Thanks mom, for loving me even when I was ugly.

I couldn't leave this one out... lol. Jason is next! :-)

Flashback Friday-Ode to a Best Friend

I met Jennifer in kindergarten an my best recollection from that time was fighting over the balance beam! :-) We later attended Holy Rosary and Clinton High School together. We went our separate ways in college, but always remained in touch and eventually served as bridesmaids in each other's wedding...hence the Flashback Friday photos. Jennifer is the kind of friend that is always there...even if time together and regular contact escapes occasionally...we manage to pick right up where we left off! :-) The kind that always has your back...and never expects anything in return. Love you Jennifer...here's to getting older & wiser together!

"A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." ~Lois Wyse

Jennifer's Wedding in 2000

Jennifer visiting me in New York in 2001


Bachelorette party in 1999

Prom-1994

First Day of Montessori Preschool!

Don't adjust your eyes....Jason had the camera on the wrong setting! :-)

Need another laugh?

The boys stayed with gaga & grandpa Sunday afternoon thru Tuesday so that I could get some serious work done with the new job. Gaga took the boys to the newspaper office so she could attempt to get a little work done herself. The boys were caught with a perm. marker...

Flashback Friday~1994

Clinton High School After Prom Party 1994
(Jason was already through his freshman year at MidAmerica Nazarene College and was kind enough to come back & take me to my Sr. prom and the after prom at the Clinton Civic Center...which no longer even exists!)
Jason~19
Emily~17

The Skinny~

Last Sunday I ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure where 27,000 people participated. I arrived there early to get my race number and chip & had my phone with me as I was trying to hook up with a friend (27,000 people). No luck. I raced my phone back to my car and had a sudden need to go to the bathroom AGAIN...so bad it was reminicent of those last few months of pregnancy where you were just sure you were going to pee your pants (27,000 people). Port-a-potties had obscene lines so I had no choice but to run into Union Station and again, was reminded: 27,000 people. I had no choice but to wait...and wait...and wait. By the time I was finished, it was two minutes from til the start and the start line was a block away. As I rushed through crowds of....27,000 people....I heard the gun go off. It was a very crowded & slow start, and a very hilly & hot course. My legs were screaming...but what an amazing sight to behold. 27,000 people all present with the common purpose & goal of raising funds to fight breast cancer.

Monday I traveled to the University of Missouri for Staff Development for my new role as instructor for the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program. I feel honored to be a part of such an incredible staff. Online education has very quickly moved from strictly the realm of highter education to the K-12 population. Missouri is the only state in our nation to provide state-funded seats to take courses through MoVIP. This provides incredible opportunities for many students who have varying needs for taking a strictly online course at no cost as opposed to a traditional brick and mortar school setting. This position is exciting for many reasons, however, the number one reason I am excited comes from my "family first" mentality. This position offers such flexibility with our family situation (me working from home)...affording more opportunity to be with my children, yet still exercise my passion for education. Every new venture is mixed with anticipation and little anxiety...but I'm ready to dive in...

Wordless Wednesday

(Disclaimer: Owner did not truly physically alter badge....however, it doesn't mean she didn't want to)

Bikes, Trikes & Scooters

Many mornings this summer, and afternoons for that matter, have consisted of playing outside in the culdesac & in the backyard. Today was our last weekday of the summer before I begin work next week.

This summer Jonathan transitioned from a small bike with training wheels to a big bike with training wheels. Nick naturally inherited Jonathan's small red bike with training wheels & learned how to ride it in a matter of days...Jonathan was 3 1/2 by the time he mastered it....Nick is only 2 1/2. He learns very quickly watching his big brother!

After seeing his neighbors and friends ditch training wheels, Jonathan decided he would give it a go. His new yellow bike is like mounting a horse...very large for his small frame. Although he's comfortable on it, I'm not quite comfortable with the notion of him riding it without the training wheels just yet. The only smaller bike we have without training wheels is a hand-me-down purple girls bike with a doll rack on the back for Kate. This didn't deter our headstrong boy from learning to ride it all by himself. He has such tenacity and persistence when he gets something in mind he wants to accomplish...something both Jason and I are proud of him for.

So here is some video of Nick on his little bike, Jonathan on his purple bike......and poor Kate trying to ride her trike (It'll be a while).

Flashback Friday-Jonathan

My how life changes so quickly. Jonathan is just one week old in this photo. Four years later he's become so independent, so grown up. He's a little boy with a big heart.

The video is of Jonathan's "treasure map" he made for me yesterday. He told me that it had a present just for me at the end & I asked what was inside. He said,

"um.........a Golden Dr. Pepper!"

LOL The child know's what his mamma likes!

Here he is describing his map when Daddy got home from work.

Susan G. Komen~in honor of Aunt Lydia

The Kansas City Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

is Sunday and even though I've slacked off the last couple of weeks and don't consider myself to be in 5K racing shape...this race isn't about me, or my time, or my finish for that matter. This race is about remembering my Aunt Lydia who, although she didn't specifically have breast cancer, died of ovarian cancer she was unable to fight due to other medical conditions.

This race is in remembrance of this amazing woman to whom I give credit in shaping me into the woman I am today.

She taught me:

• That family ALWAYS comes first.
• That you must give more than you receive.
• That what makes a woman truly super is not whether she breaks down, but whether she gets up again.
• That kindness matters, and that we must leave things better for the people who follow us.
• That character is doing what is right when no one is looking, and that the good things in life are meant to be shared. (and countless other amazing things)

She was a truly inspiring person and she still remains my greatest hero in life.

Wordless Wednesday

Bathtime Fun

I'm glad our boys love taking baths!

Need a laugh?

My boys play well together (most of the time).....and what Jonathan does, Nick does...what Jonathan say's, Nick does....so I laughed till my gut hurt when I went upstairs to find them like this...all on their own.

(Jonathan said he was the boy princess and Nick was the queen.)

Sister's Wedding Weekend...*warning...pic heavy post*

This amazing wedding was planned by Katie and my mom and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY! I have never been in, nor been to a wedding that was so personal, so emotional, so humorous or so FUN as this wedding. It is so evident that Katie and Mark are surrounded by numerous & astonishingly loving friends and family.

Katie is a lucky gal to be an official part of Mark's family....and Mark is a lucky guy to have snagged my sister. :-)

Reception at Osage National Golf Resort

The love of my life and I.

My GORGEOUS sister!

My dad & Katie before the father/daughter dance

The kids & cousins having a great time & Aunt Nataliya showing them how it's done.

Great Aunt Jane White Brown.

Grandpa Walter T. MacCarthy.

The boys were ring bearers & Kate was a flower girl...they all did a PERFECT job! :-)

The rehearsal dinner luau

Megan (a former student of mine) came along for the weekend to help with the children. WHAT A HUGE HELP!!!

Jonathan and I drove down early so I could attend Katie's bachelorette party. When I pulled into the resort, I hit a curb while on my cell phone and blew the front tire of Jason's Accord (he was not happy with me). We happened to be right in front of the pool....so when my dad rescued me, he took Jonathan to the pool while waiting for AAA. :-) Jonathan INSISTED we go back to the pool so Katie and I took him prior to the rehearsal.

Before the bachelorette party began...the rest of the pictures would have to be censored. Teehee!