The Sweet 16 is So...

Sweet! Michigan State sealed the deal on Saturday night here IN DENVER to advance in the NCAA tournament. Their next game is on Friday night in Houston. GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

My fair lady...

Sofia sure is growing up fast. She looks like a little woman in this top picture. She is on the tail end of another ear infection. She is going to see an ear specialist in about 7 weeks. Tomorrow is Easter and we are very excited for Sofia and her new dress from Grandma Debbie and Grandma Mary. Tonight we are going to color some eggs and get ready for Easter dinner here at our house with friends. Easter pictures will surely follow, but it has been a while since we posted so more Sofia pictures. Enjoy.

About the last time she was able to fit into these shoes

Hold that pose, give me some attitude!
What a shovel for that mac'-n-quesso?

What girl doesn't like to play dress up? Last year swimsuit definitely does not fit.
Wonder where she found it?
Let's dance! Cha Cha Cha...Future marching band symbol player. Just what every parents wishes for...

Sofia and Meg at the largest St. Patrick's Day parade west of the Mississippi!
What two beautiful girls!

The Dollars and Sense of Friendship

One of the things that I have always cherished about my relationship with all of my parents is how well they model the importance of friendship. It is from watching them that I feel I have been able to establish bonds with women in my life that will withstand anything. I remember being about 10 and listening to my mom talk to her friend Carol. They had met their first year of teaching in the, ah hem, mid-70's. While my sister and I played, they talked about how neat it was to still be friends and now, be friends with children growing up (semi) together. Carol has two kids: Andrew and Amanda. Both have gone on to be incredibly successful individuals. How do I know this? Mom and Carol still remain the best of friends and are constantly updating all of the kids on life's happenings.

Just recently, I got an email from Mom about Amanda. She now lives in New York with her husband and child and works as a psychologist who's practice specializes in financial wellness. Her primary clientele is made up of young artists and actors with a variable income. Her practice has become such a success that she has been quoted recently in the New York Times and has been writing articles on About.com. She also writes a daily blog called The Good, The Bad, and the Money.

While her focus is mostly on clients with a variable income, in reading some of her posts and articles, I found that she touched on many of the issues that young couples and twenty-somethings face on a daily basis. Check out her site! It is really well done and could definitely shed some light on those in need of a little financial wisdom!

A Morning Conversation of Pooh

No. Not POO. Winnie the Pooh.

Sofia has just taken a liking to "Playhouse Disney", the morning series on programs on the Disney Channel. This morning, we had it on while Chris and I ate breakfast and Sofia was playing. As we chatted about what our day was going to look like, I happened to notice what was on TV and was horrified! Christopher Robin is NO LONGER a character on Winnie the Pooh! Now, they have some chick named Darby. What??

I voiced my fury to Chris. His response: "Maybe he wanted too much money and his contract couldn't be renegotiated." Followed by, "Or, maybe he was diabetic and decided that Poohbear and his jars of honey might not be the best friend to hang around."

A quick wit is definitely not something my hubby lacks!

A Little Perspective

This was not an easy week.

Chris's job site got really underway - meaning several mornings of leaving before 5 a.m. and getting home around 6 p.m. We had our state tests (CSAP) all this week and into Monday at school and I was in charge of planning four, one hour assemblies to finish each day. On top of all of our work pressures, Sofia has not been sleeping well at all - waking up 2 & 3 times a night for lengthy amounts of time. Need I even say that when we woke up this morning we were THRILLED it was Friday?

But, as I drove home this afternoon bleary-eyed and slightly grumpy that our home was going to be invaded yet again by potential buyers during our dinner time, I was struck with an incredible sense of guilt. Sure, we may be tired, pressured and inconvenienced from time to time, but there are definitely better ways to spend our energy than to feel bad for ourselves.

So, I changed my focus.

My dear friend of many years, Christie, who lives in Washington D.C. was struck by tragedy this week as her apartment building caught on fire and burned to the ground. She lost everything but the clothes she was sleeping in, her wallet, running shoes and phone. Luckily, she managed to escape the fire without injury (thank goodness!) and has a friend that has lovingly taken her in until she can find a new place to stay. We want to help Christie in any way that we possibly can. There were over 200 families (many low income) that were displaced as a result of this 5-alarm fire. If you are interested in helping Christie or people from her neighborhood, please let me know and I will point you in the right direction.

Chris's grandma is a trooper! We have been fortunate to listen to hundreds of stories about her life, family, singing, family business and amazing recipes. She has even beaten bouts with cancer on 3 different occasions! Currently, she is battling her 4th round of cancer and this one is proving to be a dousy. She recently spent some time in a Minneapolis hospital because the chemo treatments were taking a tole on her heart. She is home now, resting and as usual, is in good spirits. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she facing the last of her chemo treatments in the near future. Yay!

Being the perfectionists that Chris and I are, we often lose sight of the impact we are having on the people around us. To us, we can always do our jobs better. But today, each of us got a little something special and the realization that we actually do have an impact...

For Chris from two 1st Graders:

Dear Worker, I think you work very good. I wot to be like you be. I like working. Love, Haylee.

Dear Worker. I think you are working hard! You are doing a very good job! Fomr, Emma.

From my principal regarding this week in a staff email:

And Meghan, yes, you are a party planner Diva. You did a great job and we had a ton of fun. in the midst of what could have been a disaster (850 kids in the gym and no performer anywhere near showing up) we did one of the most fun things ever. When life hands you lemons...play dodgeball. From Sky Vista Gladiator, to Dodgeball, to the basketball game, I absolutely loved watching you all and the kids have fun. What I realized is that next year we will not pay anyone to come provide entertainment. Our staff can do a better job of that.

It feels good to be able to go to sleep tonight with less on our shoulders. There are lots of people out there who need us and deserve our attention. Being tired and having a bad day/week is going to happen. To dwell on those moments will not allow us to get anywhere. Our thoughts and prayers are with those we love and cherish.

Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day weekend!

What a Difference A Day Makes

Seriously. What a difference a day makes! Yesterday it was 74 degrees in Denver and today it looked like this...


























Yesterday, there was no smiling for this babydoll. But today...

Mmmm! Mashed potatoes and meatloaf! "I think I'll try a new mashed potato hair gel."


Bath time!











































Watch out Pantene Girls! Your
new model is going to be on her way soon!








































"Whoa!" ...we have no idea what she was looking at.

Poor Bug!

Sofia is sick - AGAIN! She is going on 30+ hours of a pretty high fever. Chris stayed home with her Tuesday and we decided she needed one more day at home on Wednesday and a trip to the doctor to see what's going on in her little body. I feel so bad for her! Please send your prayers to a speedy (and cooling!) recovery to our Divine Miss S.

...and maybe a P.S. for some sleep for Chris and I. :)

Web Camera

So we found a $20.00 web camera on clearance at Circuit City. We spent about 3 hrs trying to figure out the audio. I didn't work for capturing video (guess will stick to the camera video) but it did work with a web cast with our buddy Matt. His mom is in town until June helping out with the the twins (Piper and Elli) while Matt and Stacey are at work. Stacey is in NYC for work training. It is funny that now on a Saturday night we are web casting with friends while the kids are sleeping. Seems like just yesterday I was at Waldo's Tavern enjoying a cold pitcher of...well I digress. Anyway as I was saying, we now have a web cam and accounts on Skype and Yahoo Messenger if anyone wants to have a video chat! As the Jackson Five so perfectly put it, "Just call my name, and I'll be there..."

Hangin' In There

It's been a little over a week since our last post and we're, to say the least, hangin' in there. Sofia and Chris are definitely on the upswing and I am about 2 days behind them. It's okay though - Campbell's Soup Company is sure to have a rise in their stock by the amount of soup we have consumed! Thankfully, I had Monday off due to the holiday and Tuesday with no students, so it's a short week. The kids seem to like it as well. Chris started his first week at Lafayette Elementary School. He is getting to experience a world of little kids as they try and find all the holes in the construction fencing and responding to the question, "Hey Mister! What are you doing?" 10 million times a day. Haha. Welcome to my world, hubby! BUT, I do know that he is JUST the person to be the superintendent on this site as he is so amazing with kids and adults alike. I know he is going to do a fantastic job. Good luck, babe! :)

On the home-selling front, it was a pretty successful weekend. We were up early on Saturday preparing for our first Open House. The house looked sparkly, inviting and smelled really good too. We also had two booked showings for the day. Needless to say, once it hit noon, we were out of the house for the rest of the day. Lots of people came through and we got great feedback. At this point, we aren't getting our hopes up because the house has only been on the market for a little over the week. We did get quite the surprise this evening, however, when we got a call and a realtor and his clients wanted to stop by right then! We scooped up the baby, did a quick vacuum and clean-up and were out the door about 20 minutes later. It was quite the whrilwind! We went to our neighbors house and hung out for just a few minutes and then were back at home to tuck Sofia in for bedtime.

It is just about 8 p.m. now. My eyes are sleepy and my body is tired. I think I just may call it quits a little early this evening. More soon and love to you all.

Check out this cutie-pa-tootie this weekend rockin' her first pony tail.

Ugh

We are a sight for sore eyes and "ugh" is the only way to describe it. Sofia is teething and has a cold. Chris woke up in the middle of the night with a fever of 101 degrees and a sore throat. AND, I went to the doctor today and found out I have a pinched nerve in my neck. Ouch! While I don't mean to complain...I kind of want to complain. Thank goodness for humidifiers, tylenol and a tv in our bedroom!

More soon when I'm not so crabby.