January
Sean has wanted to enroll in gymnastics ever since he attended a party at iPower here in Champaign. We had a gift certificate to Little Gym that my parents got for him for Christmas last year, so it seemed now was the perfect time to use it! Sean had 16 weeks of balancing, tumbling, swinging, and flipping, and loved every minute of it! He couldn't wait to get back every week! I had a nice time getting to know some of the other Moms that were there, so it was fun for me too!
February
Presidents Day 2013... a day that our family will never forget. This is the day we said goodbye to our beloved Seabass after 14 years. We knew that he wasn't going to be with us forever, but I had no idea how hard it would be to lose him. We know the best decision was made, but it still breaks my heart to think that he's not part of our family any more. My heart really broke for Jamie, who got Seabass when he was only 8 weeks old. It was his best friend, his buddy. We miss him every day, and our hearts will always hold a special place, just for him. ♥ Here are beautiful flowers our veterinarian’s office sent us the next day... what an incredible gesture!
The last weekend in February, 70 of my sorority sisters met in Chicago for the weekend. Talk about a WONDERFUL weekend! People came from Georgia, Florida, and one of my besties came from Texas! I was the most excited to see Lynda and Emily (two of my best friends from college), of whom I hadn't seen in over four years! The three of us shared a room, and actually came up the night before the reunion. I can honestly not remember the last time I laughed that hard... it was so good for my heart to be with them! I was excited to see so many of the girls, but those two really made it amazing! Here are several pictures from that weekend of the three of us. As much as I love seeing these, it makes me so incredibly sad, as the fourth member of our group isn't with us. It was actually at her funeral that I saw these two beautiful ladies the last time. I miss Melissa (aka Cherry) every day, and can't wait until that day we are reunited. Miss you sweet girl!! ♥
As a working Mom, I don't often get to do many things with Sean and his class, but in February, the Mom's were invited to a special "Teddy Bear Picnic". Everyone brought in their favorite teddy bear (Moms too!), and we had a fun afternoon with crafts, teddy bear games, and cupcakes! I loved being able to spend that time with Sean in his element. Such a fun afternoon! ☺
March
The month started off doing one of our absolute FAVORITE things! Heading to St. Louis with our dear friends, Ryan and Jodi, for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament! We missed it last year, so we were SUPER stoked we were able to join them. It is an amazing weekend of basketball, good food, beer, and of course - awesome friends!! Of course SIU
My sweet, sweet friend, Erin, invited me to join her in Bloomington, IL at the Hearts at Home Conference. Let me tell you, this weekend was a game changer for me. I learned so much about myself and my parenting style that I couldn't wait to get home to share what I had learned with my family. I know that there is no such thing as a "perfect Mom", but that doesn't mean I should stop trying! I did learn some key pointers to help me in this role of a Mommy, and I have learned to cut myself a little slack when I fall short. I'm telling you, game changer. I can't WAIT to go back next year!!
The most exciting part of March for our family, was our NEWEST ADDITION! Allow me to introduce Jax Lance. We found Jax at a humane society in Franfort, IN. Someone brought him and his brother in, after finding them abandon in a dumpster. CAN YOU IMAGINE??? Who would do such a thing?? It absolutely infuriates me, but I'll save that for another time. Seriously, this nine pound ball of fluff completely stole our hearts! We know he cannot replace Seabass, but having Jax in our family definitely makes our house feel more like our home. He has been a wonderful puppy (although he's growing up too fast!), so we definitely hit the jackpot with this one. Isn't he the cutest thing EVER?
Of course, nothing compares to our favorite dog... the Nate-dawg. ;-)
This year, we had a little visit from the sneaky little leprechauns on St. Patrick's Day. They were up to no good doing silly things to our house (drawing a green mustache on Daddy when he was "asleep", turning the toliet water green, dumping all of their stuffed animals on their bed, filling up the bathtub with green balloons, etc.), and even sent the boys on a scavenger hunt for the pot of gold when we got home from dinner! There were ten clues, but they found it!! Hopefully those sneaky little fellas come back next year... it was a blast!
Most people would think the end of March should feel like Spring. But we all know in Illinois, anything is fair game when it comes to the weather. We had about eight inches of snow in one day... and we LOVED it! We had hoped we would have a good, big snow... we just didn't expect it to be so late in the year! The boys' school was cancelled, so we spent the day playing outside. They had a BLAST! I got so many great videos from that day - I wish I could put them all on here so you could here the giggles. But these pictures will have to do!
More to come soon for April, May, and June... Stay tuned!!
