Spring Break Recap

Hi Friends! Please do not get your hopes up on the misleading title of this post...yes, this is a spring break recap but no, we did not do anything exciting. I set off the week with big expectations that I would document all our fun things with photos but we really kept things low key at home with lots of rest- which is just what I needed to gear up for the final weeks of school. 

As you can tell by the multiple pairs of pajamas featured in the post you can get the drift of what we excelled at...staying in our pjs all day! 

It was nice to be home with Michael during the day and play his silly games with him or listen to him talk to himself as I was doing housework. Those are such sweet little, fleeting moments. 

"I'm Apple Eye!' 

I am not normally a big fan of leaving toys out but we've had our big duplos out in the living room and they get played with almost every day. I like that they are big pieces and it is something Michael can do creatively by himself. He is always thinking up the silliest things to make. 

My muffin making helper in the kitchen. 

My parents came for a visit the last few days of spring break and booked a hotel room downtown for the night. Michael had so much fun swimming in the pool and showed us how good he was at cruising along in his life vest. We all got in the pool and it was a fun way to relax as a family....definitely a good diversion from cool spring days!

So that is it for our spring break...I hope you enjoyed yours as much as I did! 

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Happy Friday!

This Friday seems extra happy (and a little bit like Christmas morning to me) because Cyclones are playing in the Sweet 16 tonight!!!! 

Wahoo! So exciting! I have been on cloud 9 all week and it so great to hear awesome PR for the Cyclones and for Iowa State University. 

I've been wearing Cyclone stuff all week and it has been fun seeing students around school doing the same and talking about "the game". 

Our awesome coach has also gotten lots of play this week as a video of him doing a post game dance in the locker room went viral. I've watched the #swagberg video no less than 100 times and it always makes me smile. 

In other news...it has been a plain awesome week and that is good because it means we are that much closer to our WDW vacation! 

My parents came last week and took Michael out for a fun day and ended up at a hotel so he could swim. He loved staying downtown so he could see the "golden tower" aka our state capitol building. He remembered everything about our adventure this summer downtown and how we took the trolley ride to the capitol to see it. 

I shared this on instagram, but Michael and I had lots of fun making a fun village for his angry birds and he didn't want to stop playing to go to bed. I told him we could definitely play again in the morning and well...of course, he was up before 6 a.m. the next morning ready to play! Luckily I was up also for early morning rehearsals but it was just cute how I know he wanted to play so badly and I know he was just waiting all night to get up again. Don't you wish you had the same zest for mornings? I know I do!

Have a great weekend! 

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I've been trying to take some photos of what we've been doing this spring break but honestly, it hasn't been anything very exciting! I have been enjoying just being home, hanging out with Michael and stocking up on enough rest to make it through the last nine weeks of school. I could definitely get used to the schedule I've had the last week but I know it is back to reality soon! 

I am thankful Michael is still my little snuggle bug. He likes to snuggle in with us in the mornings and also if I am resting on the coach or if we watch a show together. I am lucky we picked out a couch so long ago that can accommodate two snugglers at once!

Michael has gotten into making lots of fun lego creations with his duplo blocks. This one is a cat but he also likes to make robots and play with them (bonus points for when their arm or leg breaks off in a battle!). 

The little tease we've gotten of nice weather has been just that- a tease! I am ready for spring to be here for good. I am anxious to spend my time after school cleaning up the yard and planning for summer. It is so nice to be out in the fresh air and think of all the possibilities! 

And finally....March Madness is in full force at our house!! The Cyclones won the big 12 tourney and it was so exciting- something that hasn't happened since Scott was in school (you know, the olden days!). It has been a really fun season and I love the way it feels to win so many games and put away quality opponents. It seems like this is a pretty special club of guys working together as a team with a good coach who thoughtfully and calmly leads them where they need to go.  I am so proud to be a Cyclone! I think no matter what happens in the tourney, this season and players will always have a special place in Cyclone fans' memories! 

Photo Dump- February Wrap Up

I was looking through my February photos and figured I better get the month wrapped up since we are already into March! 

One of the biggest things I struggle with in the long winter months is that by the time I get home, it is dark outside and taking photos inside really stink. So if I am lucky enough to grab my camera on the weekend I will get some when it is actually light out. I took these of Michael in my big bathtub when he was feeling under the weather but it just happened to be a very sunny day outside. He loved the big bathtub and the "bubble maker" aka the jets that make mountains of bubbles. 

We also have lots of fun playing with PlayDoh and he has such a good imagination. Usually if I get him started he will keep playing by himself for a while, making up stories and building robots. He is at school all day with kids and sometimes I think it is good for him to have some solo play time- I know I for sure need some time to unwind after being around people all day. 

This photo was probably from one of the last days of ice skating since our pond drainage system broke and the ice became unstable. The pond is almost all open now with the warm weather we've had and I miss seeing that big blue sheet of ice out there. It is so pretty and reminds me how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful neighborhood. 

I think this wraps up February so I am on to March (although it is already half over) and hopefully I can take you along on some of our spring break adventures! 

Fun at Gramie and Grandpa's house

Michael had so much fun when we were home for my brother's wedding about a month ago. His favorite thing is playing with all of my brothers old toys like legos and micromachines (which I liked playing with too!). I'm glad that going to my parents house is a fun time for Michael and hope he has lots of good memories from over the years!

This time my dad even brought a little baby pig for Michael to see! The piglet was born just the day before and was soooo sweet. 

Michael was a little unsure of it at the time but once I showed him the pictures he loved them! I'm glad he could so something that we don't get to do everyday! 

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Happy Spring Break! 

My spring break officially started yesterday and I am already feeling a thousand times more relaxed and de-stressed. It was so nice to have a whole day with nothing planned except playing at the park, meeting dad for lunch, and watching the Cyclones beat the Jayhawks! I love days like that and it reminds me fondly of all the days that Michael and I got to stay home together when I was working part time. It was a precious time for sure and although I love my job at school, I also treasure those days and memories. 

It was a little cool yesterday, but Michael and I still hit up our favorite park for a little bit. It was nice just being outside and getting some fresh air. 

Michael has been making these little nests for years and I still just think it is the cutest thing. I keep trying to put away his huge pile of blankets but somehow he finds more and adds them to his pile. It is a never ending battle in trying to keep his room looking picked up but I guess they are only entertained by blanket nests for so long, right? 

My kind of happy hour- I splurged on a huge cranberry limeade when out running errands last Sunday and it was delish and only $1.17! 

We had a few friends over to watch the Cyclone game last night and we were treated to some awesome Scratch cupcakes! I've never had them before and they were a treat!

And finally, a little bit of school before I totally forget about it for the week-- I always try and get feedback from students on how things are going and sometimes I get a little gem that surprises me. This was a reflection sheet on our small ensembles (duets, quartets) that we took to contest and one student wrote that "Playing with others can be hard".  I think this is so truth, not only in band but in life. 

Have a great weekend! 

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Happy March! 

Things are busy as usual around here- I have my big solo and ensemble contest this weekend and I will be happy when that is over and we are on the home stretch to spring break. I am very nervous about every new thing I have to do with my new job just because I have a hard time visualizing things that I have never done before- like, what sorts of things can go wrong? What do I anticipate happening? What is the building like? Hopefully this will be the last year for all this worrying as next year I will have a better handle on things. 

We have this little desk set up for Michael and it always amazes me to find his little projects he is working on. He has a little scissors, glue, paper, markers and he just loves to create little things. It is usually a mess but I try to ignore that! :o) There is a little gap in time in the mornings after I leave and before Scott is ready to leave and I think Michael has really creative ways of entertaining himself! 

We are getting so excited for our upcoming Disney trip! It has been a saving grace for me in trying to get through these long, cold days. I'm not sure what I will do next year- I can't take a disney trip every year, right? :o) 

I've been listening to some podcasts to get me excited and in the mood- better than the news or sports talk radio right now. Destination America has also been running some Disney specials (aka, hour long ads) and we watched one with Michael that featured our resort and he is very excited now. We are also, of course, looking forward to visiting my sister who is down there with the Disney College Program and who is getting us all sorts of special treatment! 

We took a field trip at school this week to the ISU indoor football practice facility and also Hilton Coliseum. I thought it was awesome and totally geeked out about it. It was a nice change of pace and I hope the kids liked it too. I kept trying to tell them stories about how I was in men's basketball pep band but they did not think it was cool even though it as probably some of the most fun times I had in college. 

Clone Cone!

And finally a #tbt to my special guy! 

Why do they have to grow up so fast? 

Have a great Friday!