Hispanic Professionals Join Here....

Linkedin thinks I should join the following groups:

• The Hispanic Student and Professionals Network
• The Estate Managers and Domestic Staff Network

Once again, I am reminded how having a web presence doesn't necessarily tell anything about you. 75% of the recommendations I get from most internet sites are completely worthless. But if I ever decide to become a Hispanic student or professional, I'll let you know.

Ultimate Dog Tease

Yes, this made me laugh. The kids loved it, too.

When Mommy's Away, The Kids Will Play....

My kids have joined legions of others in the time-honored tradition of cutting their own hair. *Sigh* In our case, it's the brother and the sister cutting the sister's hair. I think. I'm not completely sure at this point, since I discovered this after Brandon had left for school. He hasn't been formally charged but, knowing Brandon, the guilty look on his face when I ask will tell me all I need to know.

I was at a meeting last night, and didn't get home until after the kids were in bed. The story I got is that last night during clean-up time, both kids joined in to chop about an inch (squared) of Caitlin's hair. It's not horrible. The girl does have short hair after all! But still! I've always trusted them with scissors. I've never had this happen. I know it'll grow out. I guess she'll just have a very short haircut this summer after we get it all evened out. This does explain the bits of hair I found laying around the house this morning. I thought I'd just been lax on my cleaning.

Angry Birds

Spring is here. Buds and leaves are appearing on the trees. Flowers are (kinda sorta) starting to bloom. The landscape is greening up, and we look like we live on earth instead of being trapped in some sort of gnarled tree, Tim Burtonesque movie set. Above all of that there is the sound of possibly.... the angriest birds ever! That, or we have a bird sorority living above our heads. The constant chatter every morning is a bit daunting and very loud. Usually it doesn't bother me. I'm even happy to hear it after a winter of silence. But our lack of winter meant a lack of birds. There was no missing them last winter. It seems as the bird population has significantly increased the year, and are taking advantage of their well developed vocal cords. Even Brandon noticed it on the way to school this morning. The constant fly-overs by the nest-building crew, along with the crazy early morning chirping, is getting a little old. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike birds. I just feel like I'm in a war zone every time I'm outside!

It's been a struggle to get the birds to nest in crazy places like, say, the tree, instead of the eves of roof, right above the kid's bedrooms. I'm not sure I can handle another year of nasty bird poop all over the kid's bedroom windows and screens (so unsanitary), or picking the dead birds off the yard after their flying lessons went wrong. Bleah! The kids have also voice their opinion on the subject, and would like to join me as I stand on the roof blasting water under the eves. This needs to be fixed or I'm going to get a call from CPS wondering why my kids are on the roof! On the bright side, I got to sleep in until 6:15 this morning. The reason - no birds woke me up at 5:00 am with their incessant chirping. I'm happy about that!

"Worst Soccer Morning" Award!

This morning won. It won the title of "Worst Soccer Morning Ever!" Last spring was cold. Almost every game day we froze. On top the cold weather was the wind. It's so useless to have so much wind here, but Colorado is a windy, windy place. I've often felt sorry for friends in California who have to stand in the rain on a regular basis to watch their kid's soccer games. Today, though, we had them beat.

It was suppose to be cold. We knew that. It is, after all, only April. The sight of snow when we woke up wasn't welcome. If you know Brian and me, this is an unusual sentiment. Although it was a wet snow and cold outside, the snow wasn't sticking. We assumed it would let up by 10:00 am. Wrong! Brian and Brandon left for Brandon's game a little before 10:00. Caitlin and I were going to walk down the park around 10:30 so I could watch some of Brandon's game before watching hers (practice for half an hour at 11:00 - game at 11:30). I thought about driving since the snow had gotten worse (Brian even called to ask me to bring gloves and a hat for Brandon), but Caitlin was so exited about riding her scooter that the idea of driving was preposterous (!) - to her, anyway. The walk in the 35 degree driving wet snow, coupled with 10-20 MPH sideways winds was no good. Walking...? Wrong again!

When we got to the park, a mere half mile away, Caitlin was cold, wet and sniffling. Brian was wet, and Brandon was so bundled up he was almost unrecognizable as goalie (he and his team mates were troopers, though, and played well despite the inclement weather). Then Caitlin started crying. She was cold, so she cried..... And she cried..... She continued to cry for an hour. She swore off all soccer, saying she never wanted to play again (which she later recanted and said she meant that she never wanted to play in the cold again). Since some of her soccer team had showed up, along with the other team, Caitlin's team played a short game before the other coach called a forfeit so we could all go home. It was hard for Caitlin to run or even keep up with her team mates since she couldn't see through her tears or breath through her clogged nose. The boys ran home after Brandon's game to change out of their soaking clothes, and we we headed out to lunch. Caitlin shocked us all by falling asleep right after ordering, and proceeded to sleep through lunch. I can't remember the last time she did that! Her lunch at that point became her dinner.

We had some bad spring soccer days last year. It was damp and windy during most of them. Even practices on Thursday evenings weren't fun. But today took the cake. It now has the title of "Worst Soccer Morning Ever". Let's hope we don't have to clarify it with a year sometime in the future

Worms

Caitlin just told me about the worms that she and her friends found at preschool today. It was a damp, rainy morning - which is rare in these parts. Worms are a hot commodity. These were the names her worms had:

fatty
grandma
grandpa
longy
mediumy
smally

Smally was the sweetest one. He didn't bite.

First Day of Soccer

Today was the first day of soccer for both kids. Unlike last spring, when Brandon played soccer for the first time, todays game was played in a warm 75 degrees. Last spring was freezing, wet, muddy and usually windy. Our warm, dry "winter that never was" has lead to a warm, dry spring, making for an enjoyable opening weekend. It's suppose to snow tomorrow, so who knows what the rest of the season will be like, but today was nice. Brandon requested the same coach again this season, so he's back on Mr. B's team with a lot of the same kids as in the last two seasons. They're playing really well together, and today they played exceptionally well. They won their first game, 5 to zero, with Brandon scoring the first goal of the season!

Brandon getting kudos from his coach for scoring the first goal

Going for the kick!

After Brandon's fun filled winning game, we hopped in the car to meet up with Caitlin back in town. She also had her first game of the season, and her coach is none other that her friend's father! It was a life saver for me today. Brian's out of town on business for a week, and Brandon's game was about 9 miles away. Seeing that I couldn't be two places at once, I was able to drop Caitlin off at her friend's house and them meet up with her as soon as I could after Brandon's game was finished. Caitlin's team this year is named The Cheetos, and she's so excited about that. It goes well with the flaming orange team shirt!

Caitlin and Mattie

C and M, as co-forwards, going after the ball

So now our Saturdays are gone for a while. I was reminded of that this morning when the alarm roused me from a deep sleep and a really nice dream. I'm okay with it - for now. The kids and I are looking forward to a lazy weekend for the rest of the time. All neighbors are out of town, and daddy's traveling. Now that the soccer games are over for the weekend, I'm looking forward to just being at home.

Brandon as the Babe

Brandon's class did their Living History Museum today. In preparation, Brandon read a biography on Babe Ruth and wrote a speech. His speech is a little hard to hear due to the background noise. I'm so proud of him! He's so good at memorization that we didn't even worry that he wouldn't be able to do this short little speech. I mean, this is the same kid who has already memorized his way through two AWANA books in 7 months (the norm is one book per year/9 months), and can recall all the verses when given the name and chapter. He had a very definite idea of what he should look like, which kept Mommy busy trying to get a costume ready that was both authentic and affordable. Enjoy!

Why Having A Toddler is Like Living in Poltergeist

Why Having A Toddler is Like Living in Poltergeist

Taken from Suburban Snapshots.com. I take no credit for this, but it made me laugh!

If Poltergeist isn't one of your all-time family classics, well, your family is probably a little more balanced than mine. But really, who doesn't enjoy possessed trees, evil clowns, and angry, decomposing Native Americans? That's got quality time written all over it.

10. Items reappear out of place mere seconds after you've put them away.
9. In the dark, you sense an unwelcome presence in your room.
8. You frequently resist the urge to run screaming from your own home.
7. You're never really alone.
6. You can't escape the voices calling your name.
5. You could have sworn you just turned that light off.
4. The TV has more power over your child than you do.
3. You're often terrified by what you find under the bed.
2. A very small person keeps telling you what to do, and strangely, you keep listening.
1. You know that the only way you'll get any peace is a hotel room clear across town.

Instead of Blogging....

Ten things I did over the last 5 days instead of blogging:

• Took my family to the airport and sent them off to California for 5 days.

• Went to bed when I was tired. Didn't wake up until I'd had enough sleep.

• Slept in the middle of the bed.

  
  

• Had a long and argumentative conversation with God. Asked Him to show me a few things I had questions on. Still waiting for confirmation.

  
  

• Came to an complete understanding of what other mothers meant when they talked about spring break and summer and how hard of a transition it was having the kids home. Several years ago, when I was a stay-at-home mom of young children, I had no context for these discussions. At that time, everyday was just about the same, except the weekends or holidays when daddy was home. Now I get it. It's different to have time with family, time with kids, time alone during the week, and complete and utter time to yourself for a few days. All are needed. All are necessary.

• Washed, folded and put away only my own laundry.

• Stained our coffee table. Messed up. Wiped it all off. Stained it again. Coated it with a protective coating. Thought I messed up again, but took a deep breath (without getting light headed) and let it dry overnight. Much to my surprise, it all worked out. You can still see the places where the veneer was scraped off, but they're less noticeable, almost the same color as the table, and not divots anymore.

  
  

• Cleaned the house. Marveled at the fact it remained clean for 5 days.

  
  

• Had a long lunch with a good friend who's in a rough spot.

  
  

• Painted the fire place grate from gold to black. Now I only have one gold light fixture and a bunch of gold doorknobs to replace.

  
  

  Oh wait.... one more....

  
  

• Did I mention that I went to bed when I felt like it, and didn't get up in the morning until I'd gotten enough sleep?

I'm now about to head out to the airport to retrieve the family members. Tomorrow and the next day I will attempt to get back on track with the schedule imposed on me by society. But I'm grateful for the rest, relaxation and alone time I just had. I'm also grateful that my family is coming back into town. Our house is too big and quiet for just me.

The Winter That Never Was

The wind is shaking the house. I'm not sure what the wind speed is, but the weather reporter on the morning news said we should expect 50-60 MPH gusts for most of the day and night. Although the windows are shaking and rattling, I don't wonder if they're going to blow out until the wind gets up to 75 MPH. Here in the front range of Colorado, that's not uncommon. You don't hear much about windows blowing out, but the crazy wind is the reason there's a lot of fence and tree damage in our neighborhood. Maybe also the reason there aren't a lot of natural trees on the flat lands. Last week the winds were so high and at just the right trajectory that I was worried our bedroom windows might blow, or at least crack. The winds woke me up at 4:00 am that morning, heralding in yet another sleepy day. Sleep was again elusive last night as the winds woke me up on a constant basis. I'm getting use to not having enough energy to get through the day.

It's now officially spring as of yesterday. It's as if the lilac bush outside got the memo, because this morning it had already started to sprout little green leaves. With our complete lack of any moisture this winter, I'm not sure where the bush is getting any nourishment to start the process. I'm calling this last winter of 2010-2011 "the winter that never was". "The winter that never was" got about a foot of snow. That's it. Winter snow in Colorado is dry. We get almost no moisture from it at all. When it snows just a little you can blow it away. It's like a down comforter exploded and the feathers are the snow. But just a foot of snow all winter? Combine that with our one, maybe two thunderstorms over the summer, and we've gotten no rain or snow since last April. Can you say "drought"?

"The winter that never was" has also been very warm. Except for a few weeks here and there of cold or extremely cold weather (below zero), it's been balmy. I bought a new coat in September - one I could wear in public without embarrassment - and haven't worn it all that much. I'm not even tired of it yet, and by the end of winter here I usually hate all the clothing that weighs me down! I did buy a couple of sweatshirts, as it's been cold enough to warrant the wearing of them. The high country has been buried in snow, which I'm sure is great for our water tables and tourism. Skiers everywhere are rejoicing about the great powder in the Colorado mountains! But we've gotten none of it down here. I sweep or vacuum more than normal because of all the dry grass and tanbark from the dry school playground that is tracked into our house daily. Most of the Coloradoans marvel at the warm temperatures. I'm just sad about it. I'm trying not to complain, but it's hard. One of the great things about winter is that it makes me look forward to summer. I hadn't looked forward to summer in years before we moved here. I practically dreaded it. While I'm not currently dreading the upcoming summer, I haven't had one iota of desire for it to start. Except for the greenery. I love, love, love all the blooming trees, flowers, and the greening of the grass of late spring. Summer's one of the few pretty, green seasons here. Without snow, the winter landscape just looks dead and barren.

So now "The winter that never was" is over. It's like we had an extended fall. It's weird. It falls into the whole weird weather in Colorado category that Coloradoans are so proud of. The saying is if you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait 10 minutes and it'll change. It's true that it can change quickly, but I doubt I'm going to get any rain in 10 minutes. Maybe this summer. Maybe.

Even Though....

Yesterday at Brandon's school, I got called crazy. Not the exact word, but still - crazy. The reason? I put my son in school even though his birthday is near the Colorado school grade cut-off date of September 30th. Even though he was going to be the youngest in his class. Even though.... it's a theme around these here parts.

Caitlin was playing with two little boys in the school playground. They were getting along well, and I asked the woman in charge how old they were. We only know a couple of kids going into kindergarten at the same time as Caitlin next year, so I guess I'm always scouting around to see who might be in her class next year. Anyway, both boys are 4 1/2, and both had birthdays in September. The woman said that one boy, the one who wasn't hers, was going into kindergarten next year, even though his birthday was September 22nd (emphasis hers), because his mother believed that was the right thing to do. The other boy, who was hers, also had a September birthday, was not going until the following year. I mentioned that my son was a September birthday, and that he was young in school. She, the mom, pointed out with (again) added emphasis that she did not believe in putting a child into school if the child's birthday was after May. They just can't, she concluded, keep up with their classmates at such a young age. She was worried about the second child because of this.

She obviously doesn't know my son.

Brandon does really well in school. He reads a grade level ahead of where he should be at for second grade. He excels in math and science. We're pretty sure his teacher gives him extra math homework, and we know she gives him math challenges in class. Yes, his handwriting is messy, and he usually only wants to do his math homework. Really, though, does any kid want to do homework? After I got home from school yesterday, I had an e-mail from his teacher saying that he had just tested into the TAG program (Talented and Gifted) at his school, and that we would look at the options after spring break. I had inquired about the TAG program early last year, but decided not to do it because Brandon often doesn't want to tell you about or interpret what he's read. Brandon's teacher encouraged us to test him because she said it would put him on the right track for math. We were all for that, so he tested last week and passed. He got a 99% and 97% in the non-verbal categories (math is part of that), and 89% in the verbal (interpretation is part of that). Kids need to score 95% or higher in 2 of the 3 categories to qualify. Yeah, Brandon!

So, back to being the crazy mom. The other mother said that she didn't think younger children could keep up with their classmates. Brandon disproves that theory! We thought about this decision a lot. It was not made lightly. The conclusion has always been that he was ready for school. No doubt.

The biggest thing I've noticed with this trend of holding back kids (or, "redshirting" as it's now called), is that many kids are bored in class. Many are a lot bigger than the other kids. Some are mean. I wonder if it's hard for the teachers to teach a class of kids with up to an 18 month difference in ages instead of a 12 month difference? That alone can be huge. Yes, there are children who aren't ready for school. They aren't ready socially, emotionally, or academically - or a combination of all of those! If their parents don't think they are ready to go, so be it. I'm all for looking at each child on a child-by-child basis and making those decisions as they apply to each child. But not enrolling your child in school when they are eligible and ready doesn't make a lot of sense to me when there's no good reason. I'm not sure what these parents are hoping to gain by not putting their kids in school during the child's eligible year. Do they presume that it'll give their child an edge on maturity? Are they trying to prolong childhood and delay adulthood? Will the child be bigger? Is this all about sports? I know for some people it is, but our lives are not all about sports. Will these kids wonder why they are the oldest one in the graduating class? Will they wonder why their parents made these decisions? I just don't now. All I know is that Brandon was ready. We knew it early on in his life. Of course, when we made this decision his birthday was 3 months from the school cut-off. It was only when we moved states that we were faced with this even though decision that has been repeatedly tossed into my face in the past few years.

So, lady who will have the older kids in the class, please don't call me crazy because my child is a younger student. I don't understand your reasoning, and I didn't call you crazy with my tone of voice and choice of words. My child was more than ready to go to school when the time came. He's also doing just fine! I'm not worried about his academic future. Things may happen. Things may change. But right now he's right where he should be, and doing well!

Meet the Finklestones

Tonight Caitlin requested to watch "The Finklestones". Having absolutely *no idea* what she was talking about, I gave her a blank stare. Brandon then said, "Do you mean 'The Flintstones'?"

Oooohhhhh!!!

It's amazing how she managed to change the entire show in my mind with one little mistake.

Dark Vader

Caitlin is currently upstairs fighting an unknown enemy with a lightsaber. Despite all my attempts to correct her, she keeps yelling "I'm Dark Vader!"

The Toothless Wonder

The toothless wonder strikes again!

It's been almost a year since he lost his first and second tooth (tooths?). Now, in 2011, we're on to #3, and on to the top teeth. He was very proud that it came out at school (when he bit into his PB and honey sandwich). I guess it's some sort of badge of honor for the second grade set. For the kid who got 6 teeth in 6 weeks, starting at 6 months old, he's pretty slow at having them come out. And, once again, the adult tooth is already poking through.

Glow in the Dark Mini Golf!

Caitlin's in yellow sweats. Brandon's in light jeans and a white shirt. They knew what they were doing this time and dressed appropriately. Caitlin can't putt a golf ball to save her life, but we had a good time.

breathing

I had the most amazing, colossal, knee-shaking, scary asthma attack this morning. Coughing strong enough to bring me to my knees. Gasping for breath. Shaking all over. All from shoveling the front walkway. The walkway! That little, no more than 3 foot long cement path that runs from our driveway to the front door. It took 5 minutes! I'm not sure if it was the cold air (3 degrees), the dryness of the air, or the fact that I'm not over this illness yet. Whatever the cause, it was scary. I was grateful for the inhaler that the doctor gave me last week, and I could feel it opening my lungs. Except for the fact that I had to go upstairs to get it, I was grateful.

Now I'm wondering - should I get on a regular prescription for this stuff? Maybe at least until winter's over? Should I shovel the sidewalk? It is the law around here (and the town newspaper and all the media make sure we know that we're legally liable to clear our sidewalks of snow). Brian's gone for a few days, so it's all up to me. Should I worry that my loud cough didn't wake up Caitlin? Really. She slept through the whole thing. This cough seems loud enough to wake the dead. Would she come to my rescue if I passed out? Hmmmm....

I'm not use to this. My asthma only comes into play when I do sports like soccer, or cross country. Anything that involves running and heavy breathing. So I just don't do things like that, and I have no problems. But this..... this is hard. I'm still sick. I'm having a hard time breathing, and the dry air makes it worse. Maybe no snow shoveling for this girl this week. As much as I love winter and snow, I'm looking forward to the temps in the mid-40's by the end of the week. I want to breathe easier.

Oh My, What a Week!I

I'm writing this before I take my narcotics infused cough syrup for the evening. Why? Because I'm afraid that after I take the lovely elixir of sleep, I'll be unable to type a coherent sentence (or stay awake to see if it posted!). Oh my, what a week it's been! Everyone home, all at the same time, for two extra days. I don't know that I'm cut out to be one of those women who is suppose to be home with her family 24/7. Yet another reason home schooling is not for me.

The week started out normally. We hosted small group on Sunday, which isn't small. Making dinner for 20 people is always a challenge. The kids were so excited that people were coming to our house that they waited outside for 15 minutes for people to show up. You'd think we never had people over! We were okay with them being outside and running around, as the weather forecast showed bitter cold moving in soon. Might be the last time they'd get out for a few days.

Monday was a free morning for me, so Caitlin and I had a relaxing mommy/daughter morning. We're busy most mornings, so this one was a rare treat. We get one Monday a month together. I'd heard about possible school cancellations on Tuesday, so we hit the stores with stealth, stocking up on everything we needed for a few days. By noon it was bitterly cold outside Temperatures had fallen by at least 20 degrees since I'd woken up. By school pick-up it was blowing snow. My fingers were going numb in my gloves as I waited for the boys to get out of class. By 3:15 the notice had gone out that school would be cancelled Tuesday due to extreme cold. Fun.

By Tuesday, I was coughing - hard. No fun. Brian worked from home, and the kids were both home with me. Although it was cold, everything was open, so the kids and I headed out for lunch and play time at the mall. They're too big for the mall play area, but it's heaven when the high for the day is 1 below zero. The roads were steamy from the sun and melting snow, and the sidewalks sparkled with cold beauty. But by Tuesday night, I was miserable.

On Wednesday, school was closed. Again. Below zero. Again. The news treated this arctic blast as if it was the coldest snap we've ever had here. Not so. It's been colder before and there were no school closures. The high was somewhere around zero again. I was deep in the throes of a cold. I barked like a seal. I was sure my head was coming loose from my body whenever I coughed. If I'd had a paying job, I would have taken a sick day and stayed in bed. But I don't get that option. Instead, I managed kids and tried to stay upright. It was just kind of wimpy that school was closed again. I spent a lot of time on the couch. I was able to get in and see a doctor, who said I had inflamed lungs and put my on steroids. Brian was nice enough to make dinner (it was the only way he'd eat!), which freed me up to lay around some more. At this point I was sure I was turning into an old lady. My whole body ached. I had a hard time opening my hands, or even gripping anything. I felt like I had arthritis all over. I'm not sure how much of this was due to my illness or to the cold weather.

Thursday - school was open! Yay! I almost danced, but due to cold weather induced arthritis like symptoms, much coughing and lack of sleep, I decided against it. My joy was short lived when Caitlin came downstairs crying. She was running a 99.5 degree fever and was miserable. Brandon went to school, but Caitlin and I stayed home. We did a lot of laying around together. My cold got progressively worse. The high for the day got up to 27, which was downright balmy compared to zero.

Then came Friday.... the least fun day of all. My cough was so extreme that I was up all night, sure I was going to lose my dinner. By Friday morning I was shaking and crying for no reason. For 4 hours. So, so tired. So achy. So run down. I called my doctors office first thing, and by 3:00 pm I had secured a prescription for some powerful cough syrup. The kind you can only take at night. And some antibiotics. Why does the doctor think I need antibiotics for a cold? She never gave me a good explanation. I'm not planning on taking them. Caitlin was home again with me again, still running a fever. Poor thing! She cried and cried when I told her she couldn't go to school. It was a sad, sad morning here, complete with two crying females. Bet Brian was glad to go into the office! We did what we were good at - more laying around and napping - which alleviated some of the shaking. I can't tell you how excited I was to go to bed that night. And I slept!!!! Yay!!!

So here we are at Saturday. I felt all charged up from sleeping! After three nights of not sleeping well, or at all, I felt like I could take on the world! I was quickly brought back to reality after having to recover from taking a shower, and changed my mind on that. Nope, still not recovered. Not even a little. The kids are back on track. Not sick. No fevers. Just a little cough. And waayyyyy too much energy.

I'm really hoping for a more normal week next week. And I'm hoping this pesky, powerful, persistent cough will be gone. But now.... on to that cough syrup....

Dreaming....

I watched about 20 minutes of "New Moon" last night. For all the hype, I thought the special effects would have been better. I guess they were good enough, since I spent most of the night having dreams about werewolves. Man, I'm tired today!!

On Turning 5

It's been over a week, and I haven't even written about Caitlin's birthday! Probably because it's taken me until now to recover from it all! I'm not sure why I agreed to letting Caitlin have a sleep-over, even if it was with only 3 other friends. Probably because her older brother got to have one for his birthday. I'm not sure why I agreed to Brandon's request to have his friend J spend the night during Caitlin's party. Probably because on of Brandon's friends came a long distance for his sleep-over in September, so I added in the friend's little sister (a friend of Caitlin's as well) to sweeten the deal. But I do know why I was exhausted..... too many kids!!! :-)

So, as you know, Caitlin requested a sleep-over for her birthday. It was more of a requirement, actually. She came up one day and announced the names of the friends she wanted to invite to her sleep-over. Excuse me? We're having a sleep-over? In the end we agreed, and managed to whittle her list down from just about everyone in her school to 3 close friends.

We did the party the Friday before her birthday. My preference would have been doing it the weekend after her birthday, but I was gone that weekend, so that wouldn't work. Doing it when we did meant jumping into birthday planning with both feet right after returning from our holiday trip. Nothing like sending out a birthday Evite a week an a half before the event! Crazy at it all was, it went pretty well. We are all aware of the bossy friend, and the quiet friend, and the rambunctious friend. I now know which of Caitlin's friends doesn't do well staying overnight, and which ones will eventually go to sleep if Brian plants himself on the couch at 10:00 pm. I even managed to plan a menu that worked well with nut and dairy allergies. Go me! I sometime think we're the only family around without any food allergy issues. I also know that having a friend over for the other sibling isn't necessary, just fair. But now we're all even, so I don't need to do this for a loooonnngggg time.

Caitlin's sleep-over was a success, and I brought snack to her school the day before her birthday. We were all set to bring snacks to AWANA on the night of her actual birthday, but the crazy, fast, windy, blowing snow got all evening events cancelled. We did managed to celebrate her birthday with Daddy after he arrived home almost 3 hours after leaving work. I'm sure his co-workers were thrilled with the 3 dozen frosted cupcakes he brought to work the next day. I was happy to see them leave.

I'm also happy that I don't have to do another birthday party for 9 months. Yay!