My mom, the teaching legend, retires

My mom celebrated both her birthday and her retirement after 37 years of teaching on Friday.  A few weeks before her last day of school, they threw a retirement party for her.  The kids and I met my dad, my uncle and grandma, and tons of teachers, administrators, and even some family friends to celebrate her wonderful teaching legacy.

My mom has taught bilingual kids in elementary school for more years than I've been alive.  I subbed for a month or two between graduating and starting my first job, and I remember one half-day in particular subbing first graders was the most challenging four hours of my working life!  I'm so thankful there are wonderful teachers out there like my mom - who clearly aren't in it for the money, but because it's a calling.  They invest in their students' lives, care so much about their education and their well-being, mentor younger teachers, and are remembered by their students generations later.  And as a teacher's kid, I'm also grateful for the holidays and summers I had with my mom at home with us!

Maya and Collin . . . and Maya in particular . . . stole a lot of attention at the retirement party, which I think was just what my mom preferred.   

One of teachers at my mom's school spoke so kindly about my mom's incredible impact in her years of teaching and read Proverbs 31 about her.  It was one of many times I was tearing up, so I have no idea how my mom kept it together!

Lucky for me, I had a cute distraction around my legs playing peek-a-boo with my grandma during the sappy tribute!

The school put on a skit, rewriting words to Fiddler on the Roof and other Broadway songs, with teachers acting as my mom working out, eating cottage cheese and peaches, traveling, etc.  

Then we watched a slide show, where some of my mom's students held up one word adjectives.  Collin sat on Brownie's lap so he could read the sweet words the kids used to describe my mom.

It was getting a little emotional in the room until a girl's sign said "harmless" and lightened the mood.

Collin "helped" my mom open gifts, resulting in none of the cards being placed back with the presents, which made it super fun for my mom when writing thank you notes.   

 Maya wasn't sure why everyone kept clapping, but she joined along, excited to use one of her few tricks!

Both of these guys are excited for my mom's retirement!  My dad has been nagging her to retire for the last few years, this year relentlessly.  And Collin can't wait to see a lot of my mom in his last year before elementary school!

And all four generations were delighted to be a part of the party and are thrilled we'll get to spend even more time together in the fall.  Children's Museum, here we come!

After the party at school, we headed to my parents' for dinner and a little driveway fun with neighbors.  My mom and her granddaughter.  While Maya looks a lot like Collin, I think my mom may be a close second in her resemblance, and Maya thanks her for the recessive blue-eyed genes!  

Maya is babbling, "Hey guys, don't leave me behind, I want to hunt for lizards too, and then I want a turn firing the rocket."

This girl is a dog LOVER.  She loves ours but gets so excited when she sees other people's dogs - like Dash next door!

 First snail in hand -

The girls get a turn with the rocket -

I went inside to spend time with my grandma, and when I went back out a few minutes later to call them in for dinner, both of my kids were soaking wet.  It's not an afternoon at the grandparents' house without a squirt gun fight.  

I'm not sure there could be a more smitten grandfather!

What a perfect time of life.  My kids are at such a fun age, and now I get to spend more of my four days off work with my best friend and mom - and probably her best friend and mom!  What joy!  Happy retirement, Mom.  We can't wait to see more and more of you this year!

When you're too sick to go to church

Sunday morning at breakfast time, Collin announced that his stomach hurt.  Though he was acting perfectly normal, he was adamant that it did not hurt just a smidge, but a whole lot.  I was pretty suspicious when he assured me that it didn't hurt so much to turn down a cinnamon roll, but that he was too sick for church.  We talked about it at length, if there was a reason he didn't want to go to church, how the whole family was dressed and ready to go, how disappointed we'd be if Collin stayed home and suddenly felt better.  But because there's been a bad stomach bug going around, we decided not to be the family that brought it to church, and the kids and Cas stayed home.  

As part of our discussion, we thoroughly explained to Collin that if he was too sick for church, he was too sick to play in the backyard or go swimming later in the afternoon.  And of course he was fully recovered from his non-existent illness by the early afternoon and extremely disappointed that we were sticking to our guns about no swimming.  Initially we hung out calmly with a big book - 

And used the book to play peek-a-boo with Maya - 

The faker -

Reaching a compromise, we picked up all the toys in the living room to fill the rug with pillows from the couches.  Maya thought it was a scream -

Taking a rest from her pillow climb -

Tickles from Collin -

I love watching them play together -

Happy girl - 

Silly, and clearly healthy boy, leaping off the couch to the pillow pile - 

Do you see the little tear in her eye?  Push-over Mommy handed off my cellphone to keep my teething girl from melting down -

We made a trade for her toy phone from Alex and Coady as soon as I could distract her -

Later in the afternoon, Maya and I went for a swim but Collin had to stay inside.  He told me, "I'm so angry at you, I just want to crush you."  While we're glad he was using words to express emotion, we still have a ways to go on tone and respectful words!

Grandma Libia pool fiesta

Every Wednesday when Grandma Libia comes over, it's FIESTA TIME!  And last week it was an extra special visit.  I was out of town for three days, and Grandma Libia came to spend the night the two nights I was away, giving Cas an extra hand.  

Each afternoon when Cas would get home, they'd hit the pool.  

 Maya and her grandma enjoying a late afternoon plunge -

Floating away and practicing her wave -

Collin had a ball with Grandma, really enjoyed hanging in the pool and the special attention that was given to him during her stay. There were movies watched, bedtimes ignored, music danced to, and hugs and kisses galore.  The kids love their Grandma, and it was great to get some quality time with her that week.

Mother's Day 2014

Mother's Day 2014 was:
- Collin hiding his card and gift from school under his bed, asking me multiple times when it would be Mother's Day, and telling me he was giving me chocolate but he wasn't going to tell me what kind of chocolate.
- A happy son gifting me with a cute card and hand-painted box of Hershey kisses in the morning

- Opening two necklaces from Collin.  Cas took him shopping at Sam Moon, a store I never shop at, to pick out a gift for me.  He wanted to get me what Cas described as an over-the-top rhinestone cross necklace, so the compromise was a green flower necklace that was a bit closer to my taste, but still gaudier than I ever would have chosen for myself.  Hopefully the lesson learned for Cas was to take the kids to one of my favorite stores where the chances of success are much higher!  But of course, I wore the necklace Collin picked to church and posed with the kids beforehand.  I am just delighted that I get to be their mom!

Maya was not particularly delighted to be taking pictures.

After church, Maya napped and Collin played with her birthday present doll house.  The doll house currently is in Collin's room, since he played quietly with it during rest time.  But compared to the ways the girls in our preschool Sunday School class play, Collin's dollhouse has more battles and aggression!

Sunday afternoon, we had the family over for a meal my sweet parents prepared.  Neither my mom or I had particularly relaxing Mother's Days, as I was cleaning up our house and my mom was cooking, but we both had a great time that afternoon and evening with all the family!

Mother's Day 2014 was dinner with aunts, uncles, and cousins from my mom's, dad's and Cas' mom's side of the family - such fun!  My cousin Leo in the pool - 

Collin and Jackson - wherever Jackson is, that's where Collin wants to be - 

Beauties Stella and Melissa watching the guys in the pool - 

Maya spent a lot of time with my dad and Uncle Bobby around the backyard.  

Uncle Bobby had her smiling away, but not when she'd see mama behind the camera -

First time with cookie cake -

Pretty sure she's a fan!

Mother's Day was capturing a [blurry] picture of a common moment with my daughter.  Often by late afternoons on my days off, the kids and I wait for Cas to get home - or kill time before dinner if he's traveling - swinging and cuddling on the hammock and listening to music in the backyard.

And Mother's Day 2014 was pictures with the moms - both my grandmas with Bobby and Larry -  

Mother - sons - great-granddaughter -  

Cas jumped out of the pool to take a quick photo with his mom -

And my mom and Maya having a gleeful time together -

Compared to Mother's Day 2013 when Maya was three days old, this Mother's Day was more restful, more exciting watching Maya take steps all around the backyard, and more fun to have a functioning pool and family to celebrate with on Sunday evening.  I'm so fortunate that I have a family full of incredible mothers, that Cas and I feel we have the best moms ever, and that I have the gift of being a mommy to my two favorite children in the world!