murder mystery

There is something so refreshing about getting out with friends.

Without the kids.

Not the we don't love our children.

Not that we don't love spending time with our children.

It is just that there are times when you need to get dressed up with high heels, skinny jeans, and a done face.

You have a moment, of "that's right, I know this girl."

We picked up our friends and drove in the Spencer mobile. Another reason I love having my hip minivan besides the practicality with 3 boys; cruising with a group of friends to a Mystery Murder Dinner.

It was a gift from the husband's to the wives. Pretty creative if you ask me.

So we piled in, chatted the whole way there, and nervously walked in together. We were sure one of us was going to be part of the show. We picked our names. Since there were 6 of us we went with Brady Bunch gang.



I was the perfect child.

And our fears were confirmed when our friends were picked to participate.

It was too funny and I must say they handled it quite well.

We laughed the whole way home and promised each other that we won't wait to hang out together so long.

I am thankful for great friends.

Much love,
Katie

oops...this is so typical of me

Well, it is official my friends.

I've lost my mind.

In the midst of starting my new job and taking care of a house full of sick kids and husband, I neglected to notice that today is a big moment for me. Praise God for big moments, right?!

My first post on the new and way awesome, Beautifully Rooted, is up today.

And what did I do?

I took my kids to a birthday party and spent a few hours in my classroom.

In addition to keeping busy with our to-do's, I am completely off with the long weekend. Does that happen to you too?

I love me some extra days off from school, but it throws me out of the universe.

So here it is chicas.

I hope you enjoy!

Much love,
Katie

we survived a broken tradition...V-Day 2012

Once upon a time there was a sixteen year old girl who was about to celebrate her 1st Valentine's Day with a special boy.

She wore a navy blue dress, with heeled Mary Jane shoes. Curls bounced down her back despite the rainy forecast. She was not going to let rain spoil her 1st real Valentine's Day.

And as she and her boyfriend of a couple of months strolled hand in hand under an umbrella towards the end of the pier to get clam chowder, she felt giddy. But, she didn't show it because she was playing it cool.

When the young couple approached the restaurant, they realized that it had been closed. Permantly. They stood there in disbelief as the rain tapped gently on their shared umbrella. Disappointment over the fact that their vision of clam chowder in sourdough bowls would not become a reality washed over them.

However, being that they were more thrilled to celebrate their 1st Valentine's Day together than about clam chowder,the couple walked back to the car, found a random restaurant, and went with it.

17 years later, that couple still loves walking on the pier and eating clam chowder, although we skip the bread bowls. Dang carb avoiding and getting older.

This year, Kevin and I postponed our celebration due to our heavy work schedules and a house full of sick peeps, but we could not go without making it special for the boys.

Nothing over the top.



Just a simple way to say "I love you."



There is no better way to say "I love you" to my boys than with Legos.



Legos are their love language.



This is the 1st year I didn't go all out with a Valentine's breakfast. I broke a tradition. If you have been following along for a while, you know I am freak for traditions.

But a girl has to do what a girl has to do. Returning to teaching (which I am loving) means that I cannot do it all. Not that I could before either. I was just in denial over it before. Now it is confirmed.

I was bummed. I was longing for the heart shaped pancakes, but not one of my boys asked me about them.

They were busy opening their mailboxes, reading their notes, and building mini-figures. Their hearts were content.

Mine was too.

I hope you each had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Did you do anything special?

Much love,
Katie

l.o.v.e.

Source: redletterwords.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Happy Valentine's Day!

Much love,
Katie

p.s. Check out the new blog, Beautifully Rooted, which consists of Christian writers. Heather and Rachel have an extraordinary vision for this blog.I am thrilled to be a contributor. My first post will be shown next Monday, but go over there today and be blessed by a community of writers who desire to share their hearts with you.

time....Hawaii 2012

It has been 2 weeks since we rose before the sun and drove to the airport.

For weeks leading up to the trip, I worried about so many things. Of course, flying on the death machine was at the top of my list. Although I have flown on airplanes since I was a kid, I have never learned to overcome my freakish fear as irrational as it may seem.

But a little "edge remover" made it more doable....



No shame my friends. No shame at all!

I stressed over filling backpacks with new activities for the boys. I worried about adjusting to the time difference and how it would impact the boys' sleep schedule. I spent countless hours tossing and turning over the daily plans.

And now, here I am two weeks later. I survived the death machine. My kids had toys that were left untouched in their backpacks because they were content to play with their long established favorite toys. They slept just fine.

Our plans changed from day to day and yet the new plans always turned out to be the best plans.





Even with 3 sick kids, including one who threw up twice on the flight home, the trip was just what we needed.









It doesn't take much to fill this mama tank of mine.

Just time with these fine gents.



Soaking up time together on our last two days is what we did like it was going out of style.

I didn't realize how much we needed this time together.

Time for the spontaneous to overrule the agenda.

Time for simple fun.



Time for togetherness.



Time for observing 3 little guys having the time of their lives.





TIme is a gift. How are you using it today?

Much love,
Katie

Hawaii and that job thing

Oh my friends, there is so much to write, but so little time. Our trip to Hawaii was amazing. AMAZING. We played so hard. My parents were along, too so Kevin and I were able to attend some of his work events and a day excursion sans kiddos. Here are a some pics of our first 3 days...





























Our plane was delayed 5.5 hours on Tuesday so we didn't get home until almost 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Jack was burning up and threw up twice on plane. Once home, I ran inside, took a quick shower, and drove off for my 1st day of teaching 4th grade.

The kids and their parents are fantastic. But, I am feeling very spread thin about gearing up materials, lesson plans, and rearranging the room mid-year. It is much more difficult than when I had time to prep and plan prior to the students starting in the fall. I worked long hours last week and was in all day on Saturday. Thank goodness for a devoted friend of mine who basically came in and did all my walls while I sorted through curriculum and piles and piles of paperwork from the previous teacher.

It will get easier, I know it will. I just need time to get into a routine. As a perfectionist, time is not my friend.

Fill me in. I've been gone so long. How are you? Did you have plans for the Super Bowl? We are not sports fans so we used the day to chill. Like wear sweats and read PEOPLE magazine chill.

Have a wonderful week. Live it up.

Much love,
Katie