It's almost the end of the school year.  Nobody ever told me you'd relive your youth through your children...and you go through school again with homework, projects, etc.  I remember how excited I'd get at the end of the school year.  I must admit that I am looking forward to it, mainly because there will be no mad morning rush to get out the door.  I also no longer have a preschooler.  It is a bit sad.  My baby is not a baby anymore. 

So, I haven't written in a while.  There have been a few momentous occasions:

~Abby & Ellie ran their first 1 mile fun run.  Abby ran a 9.35 minute mile, while Ellie ran a 10.42.  Ellie got a trophy...Abby didn't (this was an issue).  The winner in Abby's age group ran a 7.2 minute mile.  Yikes.  I did not run the 5k.  That's the next to-do on my list.  I did run the 1 mile with Abby, so I had the same time.

~Abby made the All-Star softball team.  I'm proud of her.

~I've been running....and I've taken up pilates.

~Hubby has been in Canada for 2 weeks.

~Ellie graduated from Pre-K.

~Abby turned 7, Ellie turned 5, I turned....?

~We have a new kitten named Piper.  Abe, our older and wiser cat, tolerates him.

~I'm going to start tennis lessons soon.

~It's hot.  Hurricane season starts Sunday.  Blah.

Where does the time go?     

Tomorrow = the first official day of spring break.  No commitments...no softball 4 days/week, no gymnastics 2 days/ week, no piano, no school, no homework, no volunteering.....only fun time spent with my children, and I have to say I am so looking forward to it.  We may go camping for a few days, too, which my husband and the girls will love.  We all need the time together.

Speaking of girls, I am reading a book right now that is scaring me s**tless.  It's called Comeback.  It's a nightmare of a story of a mom and her daughter....how one minute everything is "normal" and in the next breath everything changes.  As much as I complain about wanting my "me" time and needing to be away from my kids, I now realize that I really, really am dreading them growing up.  They are so innocent, so naive, so perfectly themselves right now.  I am afraid for them...for what's out there that even the best parents don't always recognize.  It's scary.  Maybe I'm just too overprotective.  Maybe it's the book that's got me all in a tizzy, or maybe it's the fact that I registered my youngest for kindergarten today.  I don't know.  I'm a complete worry wart, but it's only because I love them so much.

Ranting....seriously, it's a good book, and I am lovin' me some spring break.  And yes, it is very springy here these days. 

Where, oh where, has my Xanga time gone?  I've been good at reading everyone's posts, but I've been bad at posting myself...and commenting.  I thought life would resume to normal after Christmas, but my January seemed to fill up rather quickly.  Here's what's been going on since Christmas Eve (so odiebug will stop giving me crap!):

Christmas...very nice with my parents, brother and his kids for dinner.  It was fun to be home this year and not have to travel, although we did miss our far away family and friends. 

New Year's Eve...went to my parents' house and left the kids with them while Mark and I went out for dinner at the restaurant where my brother works.  Food was yummy, but we were home well before midnight.  We just hung out with my parents, which was actually 100% OK with me.  Happy 2008!  No resolutions for me this year.  I'll always have the get in shape/no diet coke/be a better person goal in mind, so this is an ongoing idea that requires no resolution.

And then there was January.  Kids went back to school the second week of the month.  I jumped right back into volunteering at Abby's school.  I also had a few squadron commitments for the month.  One was to host the wives' coffee/meeting for the month with a friend of mine.  We took care of that, then it was on to hosting a squadron Mardi Gras party with our neighbors, who happen to be good friends as well. 

This was quite the undertaking for 60+ people.  We set up a huge tent and had to rent a last minute heater and find alternate heat sources, as the weather in sunny Florida decided to be cold and rainy that day.  It did stop raining just in time for the party.  It was a lot of fun, and I think everyone had a great time.  We had a crawfish boil that was so deliciously yummy, and the hurricanes were to die for (and I'm sure a few people wished they were dead the next morning).  We had a jambalaya contest....people can cook, I tell ya!  And we crowned a Mardi Gras king and queen, which was basically the 2 who we thought had the best costumes.  My kids stayed with my parents for the weekend, which was also a huge relief.  While the party itself was fun, it certainly wasn't a relaxing weekend without the kids.  We started set-up Thursday, worked a bit more Friday night, then spent all day Sat. getting ready, decorating, etc.  Sunday was spent cleaning up....and there was a lot of that to do.  The party actually took place at our neighbor's house because they back up to a golf course, which seemed to make sense.  We managed to keep everyone outside until around midnight.  The party kinda moved indoors...lots of dancing...and voila!...my neighbor's new hardwood floors are completely scratched, and I am mortified!  She is very easygoing and is dealing with it well.  I, on the other hand, would have been flat on the floor screaming and crying about my screwed up flooring.  I hope they can be fixed, and for a small fee. 

I voted in our state primary.

We left for Disneyworld the next Friday, which was last Friday.  We returned home yesterday with a sick girl who still isn't 100%.  Bless her heart, our little Abby had to endure the 6 hour drive home while barfing every 30 minutes.  I felt so bad for her.  She's better today, but she is weak and tired.  On a better note, we had such a fun time at Disney.  I'll write more about our trip in another post.  The girls really loved Animal Kingdom, but the highlight of our Disney experience was the Pirates and Princesses party that we went to the last night we were there.  It was AMAZING!  I took over 250 photos on the trip, but my camera battery died right after we got to the party that night.  Bummer!  I think I got enough other pictures to make up for that, though.  I'll post some next time.

So, that brings you up to date on what I've been up to.  February shouldn't be so busy.  I'm not making any promises, but I'll try my best not to wait so long between posts again.  I'm off to laundryland....have a happy day!