April and May, 2024

Puppies, puppies, and more puppies! Around the middle of the month, these 14 (!!!) little creatures became mobile and started eating some moist puppy food. We transferred both litters downstairs and loved on them each and every day. It has been so amazing to see them go from helpless, fat potatoes to clumsily play-fighting each other. With so much work to do, we had to forego our trip to Ireland. This was tough for me because I was looking forward to connecting with some of my family over there. And with Dad gone and our family dwindling, connections with family that we have left are more important than ever. I wanted the kids to see their cousins. I could have easily justified it as "something Dad would want" and gone anyway. If you don't already know, I can find a way to justify just about anything that I want; it's pretty much a superpower of mine. But I was needed at home, and Ireland (and my family) will be there next year.

Cha continued to love t-ball with Coach Daddy. For the last few games he was hitting slow-pitch balls.

Very proud of our girl who placed on a swim team at the local high school near our house. There's a wait-list, but she's now officially on it.

Because we stuck around for Spring Break, we worked in a full day at Disneyland, followed by a full day at Legoland. We also spent a day at Legoland with Uncle Glen, who now has an annual pass. He even treated them to some souvenirs.

Although spring is a busy time, we worked in a few date nights. As April came to a close, we celebrated my birthday and prepared for our girl's first Holy Communion.

Dad has always loved cats.

I was going through some things at my Dad's home where my brother now lives, alone, and I found an incredible picture of him with cats that I had never seen before. He loved his cats and spoke often of them on his weekly skype calls to England, and so it is amazing to find evidence of his life-long love.

Our girl's First Holy Communion went off without a hitch!

We were going to have a reception at our home, but with 14 puppies, we hosted at Polly's Pies instead!

Just as things were gearing up to be beyond busy, I was placed on paid administrative leave for an unknown reason for an unknown amount of time. This was a trying time, with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. I tried my best each day to focus on the good and trust and know that I was in the right, but with so much uncertainty, some days were easier than others. As the weeks rolled by with no word, I started to wonder if there was a fictitious allegation against me. After 18 years at the same site with ONLY positive reviews, this came out of left field. It is easy for me to understand why so many "go along to get along," but when issues are important and affect the well-being of children, we must speak up. I am glad that I did. At the end of my career and the end of my life, I do not want to look back and know that I was a part of the problem or too cowardly to voice a concern that nearly all are in agreement with. Ultimately, I was returned without so much as a suggestion or modification of any behavior or actions, not even in my site file. This is evidence that I did nothing wrong. Although it didn't feel that way at the time, I am glad that I sent the email that ultimately enacted change. 

During this time off, my brother treated me to see Placebo at Pappy and Harriet's out in the desert.

If you haven't seen a show there, it is an amazing, intimate setting—just like seeing them perform in a friend's backyard. It is totally worth the drive; they sounded even better in person, and I discovered some of their new songs.

This month is always special because of our birthdays and also Mother's Day.

We did a Disney day with a friend a few days before for our girl's birthday and went on the Incredicoaster for the first time!

On the morning of her birthday, she woke up to a balloon garland on the stairs, a Victorian dollhouse, and presents before a surprise trip with three friends to Camelot for miniature golf, followed by in-n-out, ice cream, and swimming!

Welcome to the family, Honey Snow-White! 

As the month came to a close, so did their school year. Last day of pre-K, and the last day of 3rd grade!

Our girl's 9th birthday party was a success, with a lot of her girls attending. We held it at a place called Oddessy VR at the Irvine Spectrum, and I loved that we had two party hosts to lead the girls through the two hours of activities so that we could visit.