The Things I See

What a day it has been.  I'm so burnt out from school and the end of the semester that I just couldn't bear to bring myself to do schoolwork today.  I have three separate piles on the floor next to my desk that should have been worked on today but I just couldn't bring myself to do any of the work.  Bad I know!  Perhaps I was empathizing with my friends back home who were enjoying a lazy relaxing snow day by watching Christmas movies, viewing the snowy landscapes, and cozying up by the fire (based on the beautiful pictures that appeared on my Fb newsfeed).  Or maybe it's because I'm super excited about the second Christmas Cookie Exchange of the season that will be held tomorrow evening or maybe I'm feeling restless since tomorrow morning's meeting will be the last official one with my advisor before my defense in January...!  If all goes as planned, I will be submitting my dissertation to the editor this time tomorrow...eek!!   

 

So, today was a whirlwind of boundless activity on my end.  I started the morning at the post office before returning home to  vacuum the nursery, guest room, dining room, living room, kitchen, and laundry room, washed and put away the dishes, completed and am still working through countless loads of laundry, baked several dozen cookies for tomorrow's CCE, finalized December & January travel plans, and figured out last minute Christmas gifts.  Heck, I even wound the cuckoo clock.  Ha!!

 

It is now evening and I've yet to do any schoolwork but I've 100% lost my motivation. 

 

What's more, I've decided I'm going to put my little Christmas tree up with the help of my oldest nephew tonight. I can't wait to tell him about that fun task as I had originally planned to skip putting out my Christmas decorations this year and I just know he will love being my little helper.  I was also invited to my niece's dance class Christmas party tonight so I'll help with that as well.  Yeah, I don't think schoolwork will be thought of nor touched tonight.  One day off won't hurt right?

 

As I worked around the house today, trying my best to match up tiny socks and folding mini shirts and pants and making the children's beds, I recalled the nights of tucking them in or checking on them in the middle of the night (I keep late hours especially these days) before retiring to the guest room.  They're small like this for such a short time and I can't believe how quickly they're growing.  I remember Clark was just 3 weeks old when I started my second babysitting summer down here and now he's 4.5 years old.  We have a picture of me holding Mason Noelle when she was a baby in a fuzzy purple frame downstairs that when you ask a child who is in the picture with Aunt Megan, the response is that it's Nicholas (or whoever the baby happens to be at the moment).  Hehe.  I love how Braden always has to go hunting for his pacifiers before he gets in his crib since he likes to throw them overboard in the mornings and everywhere you turn these days, you are likely to see Nick standing by pulling himself up holding onto the edge of the coffee table, the children's kitchen table, the chair legs, and whatever else he can get his hands on...what an honor, albeit noisy one at times, it has been to be living within these walls with my beautiful NC niece and nephews.  What love toward me was demonstrated by my sister-in-law and brother in opening up not only their home to me but their lives.  

 

As I reflected on these thoughts in making the babies' beds today, a pang of sadness hit me.  This time next year, I will most likely be wrapping up the first semester of my "new" yet again life.  I will more than likely be living alone in a small apartment (with Dusty God willing!) and may be in a new town where I won't know anyone and will be starting over again.  I will most likely be packing and surely counting down the days I will get to travel home or to wherever the holidays will be celebrated by my family.  The thought of not seeing these beautiful children everyday and not hearing how their days were at school or seeing them play with their beloved toys or hearing their giggles and yes, dare I say it, their meltdowns, brings more than a tear to my eye.  

 

However, we will have Skype and hopefully I won't live so far away that we can't make trips to see each other fairly often....guess only time will tell!

 

So, in thinking about my time here...since last Spring I've been meaning to create a humorous blog posting about the "things I see around the house" in having 4 little children under the age of 6 for roommates but life was too busy.  I guess now is appropriate a time as any! 

I always knew when it had been a "play outside" type of day when coming home from work. 

I was greeted by this when I came home last week.  Somehow I don't think I'm the princess in this house.  ;)

View outside my window when taking a break from writing during the last snowfall last winter

Easter 2012 (before Baby Nicholas was born in December)

 

Seeing this bag made me giggle...it's neat seeing the same toys from our childhood making a comeback during the next generation!

Seriously?!  I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this one afternoon.  I don't know the back story...was a child attempting to "clean"?  Who knows?!

 

 

The above photos were from one of Mason's homework assignments.  What a sweet gesture to include Dusty Shamrock and me!!