hitting the ground running

I really believe that for the past month our family has been busier than we have ever been. I am counting down the days until school is out for the summer (Hannah has 1 and Avery has 6 1/2). I am counting the days until we can stay up late and sleep in, until we spend our days playing and eating popsicles and, until we are no longer in a constant hurry.

Here are a few highlights from our house over the past month:
* Jeff completed a huge mission project for our church, repairing and repainting homes in a low-income neighborhood. The project was meant to only take 3 weekends but turned into more like 6 because of rain.
* The kids attended no less than a half dozen birthday parties.
* We are 98% finished with our master bedroom makeover. I still need to make it out to buy some frames for the walls.
* We had a Family-Fun day at Fair Park and took the kids through the museums. We spent most of the day looking at dinosaur bones and cool, hands-on science exhibits.
* The girls completed 2 of 4 weeks of swimming lessons with Miss Margaret. The lessons are every day and were back-to-back at 4:45 and 5:30. We rushed home from school, had a snack, did homework and rushed off to swimming lessons. Then, we rushed home, hurried to eat and hurried to get everyone bathed and in bed. This round (started yesterday), we have better times and are getting home earlier. I keep telling myself (as I struggle to entertain Ethan for an hour while the girls are in their lessons) that it will all be worth it when Hannah is swimming independently this summer and I only have 1 child on my hip in the pool :-)
* I started going to Jazzercise. I love it! But, it has been a real challenge because going to Jazzercise means losing 2 hours out of my workday by the time I do the actual workout and then shower later. I have had to really "trim the fat" out of a workday where I really didn't think there was much fat that could be trimmed.
* We have survived 3 cases of Fifths Disease.
* I helped throw a baby shower for my sweet, prego friend (who was banished from my house because of the Fifths Disease).
* We farmed the kids out to our parents' for 2 Saturdays so that Jeff and I could do yardwork. The first weekend, my parents took the kids while Jeff was away and I spent 6 hours working in our front flower beds. I cleaned out acorns and leaves and planted all of my annuals including the caladium bulbs that I had dug up and saved from last year. The second weekend, Jeff's parents took the kids while Jeff and I trimmed hedges and laid a whopping 50 bags of mulch in the front flower bags and 10 more in the back. Everything looks so good!

I think that about sums it up!