My New Adventure

I've started a new job. Didn't quit the old one, just added another. I know, I am my mother's daughter. I am now an OB clinical instructor at Johnson County Community College. It started out that I would be covering a 12 hour shift at St. Joseph Hospital for an instructor out on maternity leave for the fall semester. I was super excited when I found out I'd gotten the position. I've always wanted to be a clinical instructor. I had such an awesome instructor - Kathy - when I was in nursing school. She inspired me to become a labor nurse and want to be a clinical instructor. A big thanks to Laura Sulentic for referring me for the position too! Well, as usual, something else came up and they needed someone to cover Tueday & Wednesday 8 hour shifts at my hospital. How could I pass that up? Learning a new skill in a place that I am most comfortable? It could only help me at my Thursday clinical, right? So now I'm doing both. That means 3 days of clinicals, Tuesday-Thursday and then my usual Friday & Saturday nights of regular work. Whew! I haven't worked 5 days a week - ever!

It's been two weeks now and I've been re-evaluating my decision. I'm really enjoying the clinicals - just missing my family. Somedays I feel like I'm letting them down by not being there and keeping up on things. It's only for the month of September I keep telling myself - and everyone else! I'm just feeling a little guilty.


I miss sending Kate off to school with a good bye kiss.




I miss spending every waking moment with my little buddy.



Maybe this is good for me though. I am definitly appreciating my time with them more. And remembering why I don't work the day shift!

A fun filled weekend

Last weekend was filled with fun for the White family. We don't usually do much over Labor Day weekends. I'm usually working while Steve & the kids just hang out at the house and do the usual weekend things - play with the neighbors, ride bikes, destroy the house. But last weekend they headed back to Marceline (while I worked) to put new lights in the wonderful new screened porch at Poppa & CoCo's. I had a great work weekend. It was just like old times at SLS. We were dead. I was working with some of my favorite people. We did some crafting, too much eating and a lot of laughing -- good times, good times.

I headed to Marceline on Sunday to meet them and for my favorite 2 yr old's birthday party. Charley is the big #2! It was a fun filled day at the Country Club park in Marceline. There was lots of playing, giggling, bubble blowing and cake eating - success!





Isn't she a peach?! I could just eat her up!


Hamming it up for the camera



What would a birthday party be without a dog pile o' Zane?!






Later that night we took a little trip to Brookfield with our friends the Stewart family and watched some big, beautiful balloons at the annual Pershing Balloon Derby.





Balloons aglow.



Monday we went out to the R&S Bison Ranch for a birthday gathering to celebrate Aunt Nicky. Yummy ribs!


We made it back Monday evening in time to get prepared for bed and school the next day. A busy, but fun filled weekend - boy was I whipped!

Back to School

It's that time again, school! Katelyn was so excited to go back, even with a new school and new teacher. Raytown changed their boundries last year, so we are now at Norfleet Elementary in Miss Schnakenberg's class. They've been back for two weeks now and are already bringing homework home every night. Did I mention this is the first grade?! She is reading more, spelling more, mathing more and just getting smarter every day. She amazes me. Here are some pictures from her first day of school.



Yes, she picked her outfit all by herself.





Outside her classroom.


Brett has decided he doesn't need to go to school. He knows everything he needs to for kindergarten (according to him). So he is going to spend this first semester of school just hanging with Mommy & Daddy (who is now laid off) and going to visit CoCo & Poppa (who is now retired). He said that would be better for him than going to school. He is missing his playmates though. At least five times a day he asks where Sarah (neighbor in Kindergarten) and Kate are. We've been doing lots of bike riding and play dates to keep the boredom at bay.



Oh yes, and playing Super Hero.

Way too long...

It has been way too long since my last post. If I was planning on keeping this blog as a journal of our family life, I am failing. You'd think we fell off the face of the earth! But instead, we were living life, enjoying summer and now we're back into a school routine. I'm going to try to improve on my journaling by blog and even try to get some of these gazillion pictures compiled - in scrapbooks or photobooks. So here's what we've been up to since last post...

This summer we spent LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of time at the pool. Is there anything better than hanging out in the sun and water when it's hot outside? We have a great pool here in town called SuperSplash. It is our community pool, but also a little water park. Both kids transformed into fish for the summer.



I swear I saw gills!

Katelyn even surprised everyone when she decided she needed to jump off the high dive at the Marceline pool - YIKES!!






Katelyn played tball again this summer and had a great season.



This year they found a rule that is a ball was hit to the grass, it counted as a double & the batter could run all the way to 2nd base, not just one base at a time. Well, our little slugger hit 2 out of 3 doubles at every game! She was awesome!!



She had the same coach as last year who was wonderful with the girls. Coach Connie Rocks!



We spent the week before 4th of July in Marceline with the Klingsmiths. Camping out on the new screened porch, visiting in KV,




swimming at the Disney pool, eating lots of ice cream, fishing and of course, carnivaling in the park!





We spent time with our YaYas and Petit YaYas and had a genuinely great time.

We came back to nightly play practices for our little Munchkin. Katelyn participated in the Raytown Arts Council's performance of the Wizard of Oz. They put on five wonderful shows for the public.



She loved every minute of it! She may have changed her career goal though, from actress to director!!


We took a mini vacation to Branson for some family fun - go karts, mini golf, Silver Dollar City. But I think their favorite part of the trip was just staying in the hotel!







In the mix of all this, we also fit in Vacation Bible school, trips to Deanna Rose, lots of play dates and of course, work. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty great summer. My only complaint would be that it just flew by way too fast.

My big First Grader

Friday marked Katelyn's last day as a kindergartener.



I can't believe you are going to be a "Big First Grader" as Mrs. Alverson called you! I think I feel the same way about this stepping stone - excited, but a little sad. So excited at all the things you have learned, the leaps and bounds you have covered in such a short time. You are already much smarter than I was at this age. You are reading, writing, compiling sentences. You can add and subtract and "predict". I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished - especially the citizenship award you won. Nothing in life is more important than being nice and considerate of other people. No matter how smart, rich, prosperous you become in life, nothing matters if aren't a good person on the inside.



I'm also a little sad. You are growing up way to fast and I would really like time to slow down, even just a little. Kindergarten is such a wonderous time. You are able to straddle that line of little kid/big kid. I'm sad that that time is over for you and for me as your mommy. I know very soon I will just be "mom" and you won't want to snuggle with me like you do now. My baby is growing up and I know I'm not ready. I hope this summer we get to do lots of fun things together, but mostly just get to spend time together. I realized toward the end of the year how much I miss you while you are in school all day and just want to get a little Kate & Mommy time back, especially while you still enjoy it. I love you Katie-bear and I am so proud of you!

My Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I got the most wonderful gifts. First, there was the gift of uninterrupted sleep until 3pm. Being that Saturday I only was allowed 5 frequently interrupted hours, then had to stay up all night working, I was most appreciative of this gift! Next, I was awoken to breakfast in bed (yes, at 3pm). It included some of my favorites - Steve's famous (at least at our house) cheesy eggs, mini pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, bacon and oj. I got to eat about half of it. I guess making breakfast in bed makes you very hungry and you must taste your own goods too. My most favorite gift was presented next. A canvas painted and handprinted by the kids.



Isn't it beautiful!? I just love it!! I now have to decide where to hang it - for all to see or mostly for me? I think in my room for me to see every day will be the decision. After the breakfast was eaten and "family hugs" were shared, they asked, "now can we go play?" I had to smile and say "of course". I then got up and did all my "mom" stuff. Some people might say, "but it was Mother's Day, why didn't you take it off?" But after all the love I got, I really didn't mind. Maybe it just reminded me of a saying I've seen about how you should be thankful for your messes - if you have dirty dishes, it means you have food to eat; dirty laundry, you have clothes to wear; etc. Don't get me wrong, there are days when I curse it all, but today wasn't one of those. Today, I was just thankful for these blessings that call me Mommy.



Aren't they just the sweetest?

Only You

My friend Dana has turned me on to the whole "playlist" thing. Yes, I knew about them. Yes, I'd seen them on other people's myspace and blogs. But I love, love, love Dana's playlist! It inspires me, mellows me and moves me. One of my favorites right now is "Only You". It's mellow, sweet and I just love it. So I've changed my playlist again and I did copy some, okay quite a few off of hers. "Only You" has become "our song" for Brett and me. He likes to listen to our playlists with me - yes, he has his own list.

The sweetest thing happened the other day while we were listening. He was sitting at the computer while I was cleaning the kitchen - talking away, as usual. "Only You" came on and I said, "shhh, let's listen. I really like this one." He stopped talking, listened for a little bit and then said to me, "wanna dance with me". I scooped him right up out of that chair and we held each other tight and danced. I hadn't "danced around" with him in so long and it was wonderful. He hugged my neck tight while it played and even gave me a little kiss on the cheek. Tear bobs (a Meissen family term) came to my eyes and I said a little thank you to God for such a sweet, sweet boy - my sweet, sweet boy.



Hope you enjoy my new playlist as much as I am!