Another week gone by

I can't believe it's already Friday. This week has flown by. Not to say that it was an easy one; there were some challenging moments (not unexpected for a mom with 4 young children). For starters, I didn't have to teach at all this week! The gym's pool was closed for painting. This enabled me to play racquetball every day without interruption (very happy). Sam had a week of early release due parent/teacher conferences (love early release). Again I showed up for conference on the wrong day (very embarrassing). Oh well. His teacher happily squeezed me in. Sarah has shown great progress in her reading this week (very happy). Joe and Mary continue to talk up a storm - it's so fun to watch them grow. There's more but I'm tired. Still hoping to get a new camera so I can post pictures.

All Hail Friday!

It's a glorious Friday. The winter weather in Arizona is so great that it makes up for the hellish summer heat. I'm almost used to it, again.
So this week has been, well, tough. It all started last week when Sam got sick. High temp and tired, he spent the 3-day weekend on the couch. Sam passed it on to Sarah. Her high temp and tired symptoms created a monster who was grouchy and mean. I managed to stay cool and finally sent her to school today. Joe was the third victim. He's the saddest looking one of all - tired, sad and watery eyes, red cheeks and fever. Mary got it today. Her cheeks are red and her fever is up there. She is handling it well. So who will get it next? Me or Mike?
I didn't mean for this post to be a gloomy one, just a record of the week. I am excited for the weekend, as you probably already know. No plans.

A chilly week finally comes to an end, maybe.

It has been so cold this week. One morning there was ice on the windshield of our van. Sam thought it was really neat and tried to scratch some off and eat it. Tasty! The kids don't mind that it's cold - still wanting to play outside or go to the park - so yesterday I took Sarah and one of her classmates to the park to eat pizza and play. They had a blast! Joe and Mary had a grand time chasing after the bigger kids and swinging in the baby swings. I signed Sam and Sarah up for Aikido classes. They've made it through the first two weeks and seem to really enjoy it (will report more later). HI-Yahhh!
This post is somewhat lame, I know, but I promise to do better next time. Happy Valentine's Day!

Rain Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

The day started off chilly and gray thanks to last night's rain. I was sitting comfortably on the couch with Mary enjoying her company. Sam, Sarah and Joe were busy doing this and that, Mike eating an apple. I heard a noise that I couldn't quite figure out. Mike said it was an airplane. The noise sounded closer to my house than an airplane should be and the roar faded differently than a passing liner. Then my eye caught a short burst of lightening. I looked out the window and saw sideways falling rain, strange. I heard another noise. This time I knew what it was...it was thunder with a vengeance! I shouted in my this-is-a-once-in-a-year-event voice, "Kids, Look outside!" The kids ran to the back door and their eyes quadrupled in size. It was a HAILSTORM! I opened the back door so the kids could go outside and experience, for the first time in their lives, (pea-sized) HAIL! The trampoline was covered with tiny white ice balls. The grass in the backyard looked as if snow had fallen. Sam and Sarah ran inside, grabbed their coats and took off into the yard to try and catch some of the ice. More thunder caused Mary and Joe to shiver with fright - seriously terrified. Mike and I each grabbed one of the twins and I attempted to sing the famous song from The Sound Of Music. I remembered the beginning and the chorus. Good enough. The storm was short lived. The excitement lingered. I managed to get a picture of the backyard and trampoline with my cell phone (will update later). The ice melted after a few minutes. A meterology lesson followed. Curious kids.

Hello Friday!

What a great day! I am so looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully I can resist the pleasures of relaxing all day tomorrow and get some much needed housework (maintenance) done. I'll have Mike by my side helping me manage kids and completing tasks (said loosely). We'll probably take the kids out to lunch at a restaurant place they can play wildly at and have fun. Then we'll come home and finish up as much work as we can before we all sit down on the couch and relax in front of our favorite appliance: the TV.

Wednesday Morning at the Park

Winter weather in Arizona is gold. I spent a few hours at the park this morning and loved every minute of it. The sun was shinning, the sky was clear and the wind was blowing ever so slightly. Joe and Mary had a great time playing in the sand and swinging in the baby swings while Sarah jumped from slide to swing to sand with new and familiar friends; I soaked up the fresh air and sunrays like a spounge. AH, what a morning!