Go, Go, Goers!

This past week was Spring Break for the kids. Three out of four of us stayed at home, and worked, or took it easy, but one of us had a grand adventure. We had been planning for this trip for almost a year, so it was surreal that it was really time for her to take off for the East coast...without us! I don't have a ton of pics to share, but the kids had a packed week, full of sights, like the White House, the Capitol, the Udvar-Hazy Center (Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum annex), a haunted nighttime tour, Jamestown, Mount Vernon, ALL of the memorials and monuments, and...Dave & Busters, lol. Her flights out and back were non-eventful (thank God), and she learned what it's like to share a hotel room with three other girls. They didn't get a lot of sleep, they ate junk food, and overall, tasted a bit of independence.  We missed Ava very much, and she missed us a bit, too, so the big hug at pickup at the airport on Thursday night was amazing! It did give us time

The week after the Daylight Saving Time change is a doozy. I know it's "just an hour" but after a month of really bad sleeping at night, I felt this lost hour to the core. I'm so happy that it's the weekend, so we can all try to catch some extra zzzzs. In my 3+ years at Patterson, I've never cashed in on my VTO (Volunteer Time Off) that they give to us each year, so I decided to use at least a part of it this year before the fiscal year end (end of April.) The RHS Marching Band is such a behemoth, and they rely on parent volunteer hours to get things done. This year, all of the 9-11 grade kids, as well as the incoming 8th graders needed to be measured for new uniforms. I spent four hours at the high school on Tuesday morning (there by 7am!) chatting with and measuring high school kids.  It was pretty neat to get to see so many of the kids who Ava is going to interact with in the upcoming school year. In fact, there was one girl who I instantly thought of as be

Ava has outgrown her longer hair, and has been wanting a short, "edgy" haircut recently. I was a little hesitant, but I just read something about allowing your kids to do what they want with their hair...cuts, color, etc. so they can showcase their personalities. So, on Monday, Ava's hair went from shoulder length to super short and sassy! The stylist we went to was super positive and excited to cut her hair, and showed her how to style it quickly each day. And the wide smile on Ava's face when she left the stylist chair was priceless. She told me later that this hair cut was a huge confidence booster for her, which honestly, makes it a no-brainer. I love that she now likes what she sees in the mirror...anything we can do to help boost that self-love is worth it! Look at that big, beautiful smile! So, the next big thing will be a color change...we picked up a semi-permanent dark blue, so look for an update with that soon. Ava wants to have that done before she heads t

I'd like to take a pause this week on giving updates about our family. Instead, I think we need to focus on families...moms and dads, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc. who have been thrust into a war, and have been forced to flee from their home. I can't imagine what it would be like to live somewhere that has been invaded. The sound of the sirens and shells, long lines to get food, money, and exit the country...these are not things that we've had to endure.  When I lie awake at night, I think about the Ukrainian people, as a whole, who are now living in terror, forced to other parts of the continent. I also think about the Russian people...and I feel deeply sad for them. They did not ask to be a part of this, yet their economy, their livelihood, their freedom, their access to truth-telling press...these have all been removed or destroyed.  I struggle with how we can help...what can I do from half a world away? In fact, there are many ways