Surprise, it's Nicole and I'm here

Last night at ten to eleven I got a message on Facebook from Nicole.  She's on tour with Diana Krall, was in Hamilton enroute to London and wanted a visit.  After a bit of back and forth Nicole decided that she would rent a car and drive to Tottenham, and I'm so, so glad that she did.

The blessing of life long friends.  I'm going to tear up a bit.  I have a number of long time friends.  They are all so different and all such gems in my life.  Nicole's friendship has always meant so much.  The wonder.  She is my wonder friend.  When I think of Nicole I think of her absolute joy, her enjoyment of the world around her, the wonder of it all.  Everyone needs a Nicole in their life.  We met in French class in grade nine, and have been friends ever since.  BC is very far away, and I've only been out to see her once, I'm so thankful that her Mom is still out here and she's been back to visit so many times.  I still can't believe she drove five hours round trip, on her only other day off (the other spent with her Mom of course) to hang out with little ole me.  Treasure!

We had such a lovely evening.  The girls ate her up.  Nicole entertained them all.  The guessing game - pick an object in the room, don't tell anyone, then everyone has to ask questions with a yes/no answer until they guess the object.  The girls wanted to play it all night. 

Oh dear sweet Nicole, come back again soon please!  (Oh and happy birthday yesterday to you!)

Sunday just because

I finished the first week back and Fiona's a little sick (weird barf/fever) but not really, and I'm a little sick, and life is a little crazy, but good, and Auntie Wendy sent the cutest dresses from England in triplicate, and we'll have to take a pic again when Fiona's there too, but for now, just because.  Just because life is good.

Ciaran's 6th Birthday

I keep wondering, is this the last one?  I need to stop doing that, and just go with it, and enjoy.  Ciaran's 6th birthday party was today.  It was at a City of Toronto run play place, and it was fantastic!  We had the play area for an hour, and the party room for an hour.  The girls had fun, Ciaran didn't stop running the entire time, it was everything a fun kid party should be.

Drama Llama

I need to go to bed... I have to go to work in the morning!  The mixture of terror and tired that I'm feeling right now isn't good.

I think that I've done fairly well not being a drama llama until today.  Today I might have been having a bit of a pity party.  It's silly.  I love my job - it isn't a job.  I get paid to teach kids music all day.  How awesome is that?  I'd rather be home, but well.

I've had two years off.  I still have a job to go back to.  How blessed am I? 

I get to come home before dinner every day and play with my girls.  I am still Mom. 

I only have to go to work for six weeks and then I'm off for the summer.

My first week back is only four days, and the first two days are half filled with track and field.

I had an amazing LTO covering my classes this year.

There's a job action and I don't have to write report cards.

I have an amazing friend that will be caring for Alice and Fiona two days a week.

I have an amazing husband who is stepping back from working full time, to working part time and caring for our kids three days a week.

I still feel like I want to barf.  I should read the list several more times, but I need to go to bed.  It is already WAY past my bed time.  Here's to hoping I can sleep.  Here's to hoping that tomorrow flies by and I'll be back home with my babies before I have a chance to miss them.

Or here's to hoping that my life turns into the Ground Hog Day movie and I get another year of today...

No Fit Alice

Alice, oh my sweet crazy Alice.  Alice is usually happy.  She is independent, curious, opinionated, and usually happy, until she isn't happy, and then look out.  It seems that lately there have been more fits than is reasonable, so it seemed to me it was time for a chart.  So, for five days in a row Alice did it, she was fit free.  We will still have work to do, progress to make, but at least we've had a little respite from the melt downs, and Alice got a cute cheetah!

Play

What do you do before you go back to work?  You play, lots.  These last two years being a stay at home mom, have been so amazing.  Hard, but amazing.  But a good hard.  I'm still feeling so torn, and when I get over tired I'm feeling awful, but underneath it all there is peace.  And friends and play, makes life sane again.  We've had lots of play dates the last little while and this is kind of a catch all.  I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life!

Claire and Griffinn (Heather and Kim)

Playing with Ramona and Bronwyn (Jenn)

Fiona at the OEYC outreach in Beeton

Playing with Lucienne and Norah (Erin)

Yesterday Michelle and I took the girls to Hot Stacks in Cookstown - our traditional send off breakfast for lunch.  Our third trip.  No more leaves for either of us.  Perhaps we'll have to do a summer trip.  I'm sad I didn't take a picture. 

Okay, no getting sad.  This is not the end of playdates.  I am so blessed to be a teacher.  I will have ever summer from not to forever to fill up with play.  And really, I'm only going back to work for six weeks.  It will fly by!