Grub Worms. IEP's, and Retreats...OH MY!!

Watch and be encouraged, be inspired, and learn a little more about Stephanie Lane!

Enjoy this update and PREVIEW of two new projects coming up SOON!!!

Monday Sept 24, 2012

MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY...enjoy with a giggle :)

Long week...

I can't remember the last time I had a week this busy! It went by so fast...I am glad that I have pictures and video to prove that I actually enjoyed it :)

I joined the hip-hop dance group at my church called Pulse to join in on some fun, get some exercise, and help out with fundraising at the same time.  Monday was my first practice and a HUGE reminder that I am 31 years old and my body doesn't move like it did when I was 21 lol.  I actually had a neck-ache the next day from whipping my head around!  There should be a warning sign outside of our practice studio that says:

SIDE NOTE: Last night me and my friends daughter (Coach Layla) practiced the dance moves together and had a blast.  We made a video:

Monday I rushed from work to make it to my break-neck dance practice with Niki (who is fabu BTW) and then home to cleaning and mommy stuff.

Tuesday was great...I got to volunteer in Ryder's kindergarten class for the first time and LOVED it!  I never got to volunteer in Patrick's classes because I was a single mom, worked, went to school full-time, and was a Sunday School teacher.  All I did was tear out 21 packets worth of curriculum pages for the next math unit the kids will be doing.  But I did it with PRIDE...I ripped those suckers out like they were $100 gift cards to Target! (as an OC mom, one of my favorite stores)  I can't believe how different Kindergarten is from when I went...it's seriously like 1st or 2nd grade.  The kids don't really know the difference, but I can't help but think of the benefits of homeschooling and allowing my 5 year old to just be a kid and not a programmable robot.

Anywho..I rushed from the school to the hospital where THIS was waiting for me:

 Edith Lenore Burchett.  My newest niece, who I can proudly announce as my Namesake...my middle name is Lenore which was my great-grandmother's first name who I share a birthday with.


This was waiting for me too...

 
But, this is the reg for Jason (being obnoxious that is).

I got to change Edith's FIRST EVER poopy diaper...can you see the pride in my face here?  There are a lot of firsts one can potentially experience in life: first date, first lost tooth, first dance at a wedding, first grade, first step. How many people can actually say they changed someones FIRST EVER bowl movement?  I consider this an absolute honor...it will never happen again in Edith's life for the first time...and I was THERE...and ready!

Let me give you the inside scoop on this FIRST EVER sister photo:

LORI: Is more concerned with the new-born than anything else here because she is a natural care-taker and massive worrier for others' well-being.  She will one day be a teacher, veterinarian, or pediatrician.
RUBY: Being the toddler that she is, is not happy that the world is not revolving around her, and that her daddy (who she has wrapped around her pinky) is not holding her.
JESSICA: Is obsessed with having her picture taken so she is the only one ready for the photo, she is a super-star and will one day be in theater or class president.

These girls remind me of what true love is...because I truly love being an aunt :)


THEN...I rushed from the hospital to Back-to-School night at Ryder's school which was pretty kick-back, I think I want to volunteer to coordinate their annual Carnival because I love that kind of stuff and I have nothing better to do with ALL of my FREE time (sarcasm).

Wednesday was work all day and Back-to-School Night at Patrick's school WITH baby Ruby in tow.  I was nervous the entire time because just thinking about being on campus of a Jr. High (in my day we called it Jr. High, not Middle School) made me have anxiety because of my experience as a preteen.  I was horribly teased and picked on, I had almost no friends, my home life was all jacked up, and I had diagnosed dyslexia.  My poor husband had to put up with my awful attitude that was a direct result of my unrealistic emotional flashback...he is a good guy though :)

 Patrick has 9 different classes!  What the crap!  We had 7!  AND there is no "Snack" break where they have 15 minutes to take a breath and get some protein.  Don't tell my kids I am saying this...but school sucks!  Shesh!  Kids already have enough pressure with becoming a hormonally-raging power-struggling over-eating preteen.  I can't believe the school puts so much pressure on these kids with little slack.

Back to School night was an hour and a half long...with an energetic toddler...and an emotionally irrational mother.  Give Jeff a big pat on the back next time you see him.

Thursday was my "brutal" day...which I explained in my FIRST EVER video blog, which you can find right below this blog.  I had my 13 month old niece most of the day, drove her home in an hour and a half traffic to rush to family therapy, and then to my Women's Bible Study.

Friday was FOOTBAAAAALLLLLLL!!  I love that Patrick has found his true match athletically as a quarter back.  He has a great team and great coaches:

Saturday was the BEST part of our week because we had a lil swim party that some of Patrick's teams' families came too...it was a blast!

Jaycen and Layla spent the night Saturday night which was great...I don't get to spend enough time with these two kids and I love them like they were my niece and nephew.  I have a funny story about late Saturday night:

So I wake up at 3 am to Jaycen yelling "Oh My Gosh...the cat!!"  I ran out of my bedroom still half asleep going "shhhhhh...Jaycen everyone is trying to sleep, I told you like 10 times you have to use a quit voice!" He responded in a hushed tone, "I know but your cat was in here with a giant mouse!  I let him outside!"

Still in a sleep-deprived daze I said, "Jaycen it is 3am, you REALLY have to be quiet because people..."

Then I abruptly stopped as I was replaying what he had just said and looked at him slowly saying, "Wait...there was a what...in my living room...a MOUSE?"  Jaycen rapidly nodded his head as I looked completely confused, I shook my head to make sure I was hearing him right and had to ask again, "Jaycen...there was a mouse IN THE HOUSE...with the cat?  Actually in my living room? For reals?" He looked at my like I was crazy (I don't blame him) and said "YES!" and opened the front door where my cat was proudly sitting on our porch with a LIVE RAT (the ones that look like hamsters with long tails and are actually kind of cute) keeping it alive long enough to show me as a trophy and play with it before he consumed it.  He has brought live birds int he house before...but never a RAT!!  Poor Jaycen was horrified and tried to save the "mouse", but I stopped him and explained to him that Mr. Kitty is doing his job and I WANT him to kill "mice" when he finds them around my house.

Ew.

Besides that, we had fun!

This is how I found Jaycen in the morning:

 This is how I found my living room in the morning...

 This is how I found Ryder's room in the morning...

But, I forgave them and made a big breakfast :)

After Jeff and I revived our house...I went shopping with my friends Allison and Joel to buy wedding invitation supplies to get started on their invitations this week, so I have some fun ahead of me still tonight!

I have another VERY crazy 7 days ahead of me so keep a look out for some updates and another BIG Blog post next Sunday.

The first of many!