Almost 40...written a few weeks ago..

Tomorrow is the big day, well really I am hoping its unnoticed. As I was reminiscing on my 30's, it really was a busy decade.  I found a job in my home district, my commute is 3 miles to work.  we bought a lot and built our long term home, in the same neighborhood as my parents.  We love our neighbors, location, and house.  We dislike the rise in school taxes, our taxes have risen a $1,000 since 2008 and our approaching $5,000. Yikes and that is only our school tax, county taxes arrive in January.
      This decade gave us 4 pregnancies, 3 angels, and our beautiful kids.   We found a few incredible doctors in Syracuse, Buffalo, and New Jersey.  Unfortunately we came into contact with more poorly trained doctors than good ones.  We found the same to be true while my Dad was sick.  I made many friends through my losses.  after losing Rachel my obgyn had a patient that lost a daughter a year earlier call me.  I then went to one support group meeting and ended up with more friends.  two years ago my ob called and asked me to call Katie and another new friend.  I also made a group of 5 friends through our attempts to adopt. My adoption star friends all successfully adopted and we meet a few times a year to catch up our kids are All around the same age.  I guess life does put certain people in your path and I am glad they have remained.  If I had went to school with these women I probably wouldn't have made friends but I am glad we have crossed paths.
    During the last ten years my Grandma had a major stroke and spent 5 years in a nursing home before peacefully passing on.  Marc's Uncle Gary passed away after emphysema and dementia.  My old neighbor lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 49.  Lastly my dad, I never would of imagined ten years ago he would be gone this soon.  A funny thing keeps happening, my dad used to get giant bags of nickels from the bank.  He would unroll each roll looking for certain nickels of value.  It used to drive mymom and I crazy.  Well at school I am in charge of the bookstore and sophomore class and while depositing money the first nickel I picked up out of each box was a valuable nickel.  I feel like he is laughing as I find these. As much as I hated the nickels he spent time going through I love finding them appear.
     We are all surviving school.  Evan loves his teacher and the challenging kids Are no longer in his class.  Sara is missing mom and crying most days.  I think the class size is overwhelming and noisy.  We had our first play date yesterday with two wonderful families.  Evans friend Brady gas a sister that is 2. Sara's friend abbey who also went to preschool with her and is in her dance has 3 older siblings

Happy Birthday Sara

It amazes me with each birthday how fast the time passes.  As we were trying to conceive and adopt the weeks dragged on.  I put off vacations, parties, and life hoping that pregnancy or adoption would occur.  Luckily that saved a ton of money, but we also missed out on traveling alone.  We would do a yearly vacation but could have done much more.

Well we have been celebrating this Birthday for almost a week.  I was very brave and decided to host a princess party at our home.  I hired two of my incredible juniors to be princesses.  They were just as excited as the little girls.  We asked them each to wear a princess dress and come for 1 1/2 hours.  The girls made crowns, magic wands, necklaces, we painted nails and put lip gloss on, had dancing games, ate pizza and cupcakes and opened gifts.  It was a complete success.  I looked at the pictures and there are complete smiles the entire time.  I thought the moms would stay since the girls are only 4.  Only 1 mom stayed for the party.  I know if it was reversed Sara would never let me leave.  The girls told there moms to go back home when they arrived for pick up. 

The girls believed that the big princesses were real, many times I heard, Cinderella could you help me.  Snow white, I watch you on TV.  It was a crazy party but a so magical.  Evan and Dad left so we wouldn't be terrorized ( I imagined the Batman costume would appear).

Sara had the cafeteria sing to her on Monday, while my mom and I did lunch duty.  Tuesday she brought a treat to school and received a red ribbon and a crown.  She even wore her crown to church!  This morning we awoke to balloons in her room (I bought a helium tank that fills $50 balloons for $20 and can use it for both kids birthdays).  We opened presents and today we are going to see Frozen. We saw Frozen is was over 2hours long but adorable! My mom laughs and said she never gave me birthdays like this.  Well, all the more reason to make them special! 

Yesterday I had parent teacher conferences with both teachers.  Evan had nothing but a glowing report.  Of the tests they do on kindergartner's, sounds, letters, numbers, writing, identification.  Evan was one of four students to get 100%.  The teacher told me he is a perfectionist.  No surprise there, I think he is destined to be an engineer.  His fine motor skills have always been amazing.

Sara also had a positive report.  The teacher told me Sara is the youngest pre-k student she has ever had.  She said Sara hold her own very well and is very self confident.  No surprise there.  She is on track with writing, numbers, letters, etc.  I do have a meeting with the school district this week for speech for Sara and I am hoping she qualifies.  If she is approved by the committee and the school board (the district I work for) then they will send a speech therapist to school.  She has a vast vocabulary but blending sounds are very tough.  Yesterday she asked for a quarter and I had no idea what she wanted, she told me it was a circle and bigger than a penny.  She has no problem expressing when we can't understand but it happens to often.