They're Back!

If you're not local, you may or may not be familiar with schools that are year-round. Many of the elementary schools in the Raleigh-Durham area have gone to this model as it allows for more students to attend a school. Here in Raleigh, students typically attend school for 9 weeks and then break (or "track out") for 3 weeks. There are 4 tracks at a school and there will always be 3 tracks that attend and one that is tracked out.
On Katie's track, she gets her summer break the month of July, so that's when we typically take our summer vacation. Her first track-out of the school year comes in October and it's nice because the weather is still warm enough be outside, the state fair is in town, it's pumpkin patch time, yada yada yada. This past October, Rob and I snuck away for a long weekend and went to Asheville, NC and went ziplining. FYI once you turn 40, never mention such things to your husband in a moment of thinking "40 ain't got nothin' on me" because once you stand on top of that ziplining perch, you may rethink such grand statements. But I digress...

the last zipline...I made it!

The next track-out occurs right after Christmas break. So Katie got out on December 19 and doesn't return to school until January 28.  Not gon' lie...this is a looooong break. There's not much to do, it's cold and I'm probably overly-paranoid that they will catch every virus known to man if I take them places. Katie is the type of child that needs to be busy and she will look at me each morning and say, "Where are we going today?"

Enter Rob's mother, an angel of mercy if you will. She always asks for the girls to come visit for a week or so while Katie is tracked out.  The girls and I both look forward to this "vacation" each track-out. I relish the quiet moments, sleep, and time to recharge. Rob and I have had actual dinner conversations. It's always shocking to me how quiet the house becomes when there's not constant fighting and screaming. I also start to think I probably don't truly have chronic fatigue syndrome or some crazy disease,  I'm just your average frazzled mommy trying to keep up with them (why didn't I get married and have children sooner than I did?)

Anyway, Rob and I drove to pick them up on Monday and then once we got back home this happened...

I told Katie if she didn't pull her tooth (which had been loose for a good 3 months and had just recently turned black at the top) I was going to get Daddy to do it. So, she yanked on it a few times and it came out. She was very proud that she didn't cry!

Tuesday the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny so we hit the park. Truth be known, I'd be perfectly happy if we went straight from New Year's to Easter. I have no use for January, February and even some of March.

Later, I found Lily reading Bible stories to one of her baby dolls that night.

Today, I'm hoping to take the girls to see the movie Paddington and I'm praying they'll be entertained the whole time. Just trying to  keep them busy, busy!