School Music Program

Andrew had his K-2nd grade music program last week. It was so cute. The kindergarteners came out and sang four songs. Then the first graders came out and sang 4 songs. The second graders were next with their four songs. Finally, they had all the kids on the stage and they all sang one closing song. Andrew was chosen by Mr. Williamson, the music teacher, to be one of the bell players during their songs. He was very cute. They sang a song about thankfulness. During the song he had several students come up and say what they were grateful for. A couple of the kids that were supposed to come up were not at the performance. He asked Andrew to go up but he was too shy. I asked him later why he did not go up and he said he had nothing to be thankful for. I had to get after him for that, but all in all, it was a great program. He was really cute.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was really nice. The kids made cards at church that each had a coupon in it. Marin's coupon was for help with the laundry. Andrew's coupon was for help planting the garden. It was very sweet. They had each given me several other small gifts and cards leading up to Mother's Day. Marin had wanted to make me breakfast in bed, but I am not much of a breakfast food person. I also don't eat breakfast till about 10 am. It was a nice sentiment though. I got up and went for a six mile run. When I came back, the kids were anxious for me to open my present. Before I could get to the gift bag, Andrew said, "Daddy got you a (and made the hand motion for a camera)". He loves to spoil presents, so we have to be careful what he knows about presents. Anyway, Kevin had gotten me a camera that was small enough so that I can take it with me in my purse. Our other camera has a zoom lens and is very cumbersome, although very nice. This one will be much more functional for my purposes. Hopefully, I can just remember to take pictures like my good friend Laura.
We had a nice meeting at church. We came home and I phoned my mom and one of my grandmothers before we hosted Mother's Day dinner for the Harker clan. Kevin did all of the cooking. He grilled ribeye steak and chicken on the BBQ and had chimichurri sauce for it. There was multigrain chips with hummus and guacamole. We had a fresh fruit salad, chicken tortilla soup, and a delicious strawberry cake for dessert. It was a wonderful meal. After the meal, we exchanged gifts with Marilyn and Lisa. The Harkers got me a pedicure and Kevin got me a manicure at Dosha salon. I am excited to use those for some relaxation. It was a great afternoon. Fun was had by all. What a great family I have that made my Mother's Day a special one.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and grandmothers. Mother's day is a day often fraught with disappointment or unfilled expectations. It seems so contrived to have a special day to thank our mothers and grandmothers when we should be doing so all along the way. I would like to say that I hope I am better at appreciating each of you throughout the year and not just on Mother's Day. I look to all of your examples as I am fighting my way through the trials of motherhood. It truly can be a thankless job much of the year. I am hoping that at least this Sunday, if not the rest of the year, each of you will feel loved and appreciated by your families.

Backed up Sink

I had a lovely morning spent at the Mother's cafe at Andrew's school. In the afternoon, there was a plastic bag that was for food donations placed in our mailbox. I thought I would grab some things from the pantry to donate. I found quite a few boxes of Noodle Roni and Rice a Roni that our family just doesn't eat. I looked and found that they had expired. I didn't want to donate expired food so I decided I would dump the dry pasta and rice down the disposal and recycle the packaging. Not a good idea. The dry rice was the problem. I created about a foot of stuffed up pipes in my kitchen sink. Two hours later, I finally managed to empty all of the pipes under the sink, clean up the water mess from the plugged pipes and get myself cleaned up. What a way to finish a day. Note to self--dry pasta is better just put in the garbage.

Mother's Cafe First Grade Style

So Andrew's class decided to have a Mother's cafe to appreciate their moms for Mother's Day. They enlisted the help of fathers and grandfathers to make pancakes and waffles. They had the room decorated like a cafe. Each child had decorated silverware with beads and wire wrapped around them. There were place settings, menus, an assortment of drinks, flowers, and many other fun items. Each child had a responsibility to find out how many were in their party, seat them, take their order, and serve as the waiter or waitress. Andrew was so adorable during the whole process. He served me, Marin, and Marilyn. Kevin was one of the cooks. When Andrew would come to check on whether we needed anything else, he would steal a bite of one of our pancakes. He asked Marilyn what she wanted to drink. She asked for half a glass of orange juice. He told her he would get a full glass and drink the rest. What a waiter he was!!! It was the cutest idea in the world, executed perfectly. Thank you Andrew for a great breakfast.

Mother's Day Wishes

Marin just informed me that she is wanting a Mother's Day present. She said that she deserves one because she is a mother to her babies. I like the logic. I told her that I was not her mother and that she would have to get a present from her babies. She proceeded to tell me that her babies couldn't buy any presents and that I would have to do it for them. Marin is always thinking of ways to get presents. Anything for something new.

Let's Play Ball

Andrew had his first baseball game of the season today. It was the second for the team, however Andrew missed the first due to illness. He was a bit nervous prior to the game. He wanted me to check my email to see if it was canceled. He began the game at third base. He moved to short stop in the second inning and made a great play. A grounder came to him and he tagged the runner, getting his first career out. He did really well with batting. This year, the coach pitches. He got a hit for all four at bats. Two were fly balls that sailed over the short stop's head. Two were grounders. He scored all four times as well. I just have to brag a little, even though I know that kids this age almost always get on base and rarely get out once on base. I am so proud of my little Padre.