Gymnastics, Cookies and Cake

Another week has come and gone and tomorrow is March, so there is hope for warmer temperatures ahead. The boys ask at least once a week if it is warm enough to go swimming in our neighborhood pool yet.

This has been a mixed week. I had a good time making a birthday cake for a friend's step-daughter and I made cookies for Olivia's birthday which is in a few days (I can't believe she is going to be 7). But the week of school layoffs was also promised to be delivered by the end of February. The good news is that I still have a job, but the bad news is that my half time counselor position has been cut and I will be moved into full-time teacher. I truly dread going back in the classroom. I liked being a teacher when I was one, but since I've been out, I have had no desire to do that again. I will still look for a counseling job and maybe one will open up in a year or two. In the meantime, I am fortunate to still be working. My friend and colleague was laid off and 3 other high school counselors (including 2 tenured ones) in the district were cut. I'll have to go through this again next year and the next and the next until I either make it to tenure (which is concept I disagree with entirely) or the economy/Colorado state funding drastically changes. Or maybe I can win the lottery and make enough money to open up a cake/cookie decorating business :)

In other news, Ryan went to gymnastics on Saturday. I thought that he needed something that was completely his thing. I think he had a blast and especially enjoyed doing something without Luke around.

Practicing jumps and spins.

Other news:

• The boys are now in separate classrooms. We received a phone call Monday night from the school director asking to meet with the 2 of us the next day. I thought, great, my kids are 3 and I'm already having parent-teacher conference. Her term was that the boys "interrupt" eachother's learning. That really means that they bug the crud out of each other all day and fight. I didn't disagree with any of it. We had already planned on keeping them in separate classes once they started Kindergarten. Ryan moved classes because we thought he would be excited about his own new thing. He has done great, but Luke wants to move, too. But I don't know if it is because he really misses Ryan or because he thinks Ryan is playing with new toys.
• At school on Monday, before our phone call, the boys' teacher mentioned in passing that they both peed in the sink that day. Proud moment as a parent. They (meaning the school) wasn't upset about it, but we were really embarrassed.
• Luke likes to wear his jacket unzipped and call it his sweater. Greg asked him tonight why he calls it his sweater and he said "because God told me so."

Soccer ball cake.

I'm going to mail these to Olivia tomorrow. She is going to Dallas at the end of the month to the American Girl store for her birthday. I don't know anyone besides myself and my grandmother who enjoys dessert more than Olivia, so these seemed only fitting.

Luke drew this picture of me - he told me it is me on the right and my makeup on the left. I have it taped to my bathroom mirror so I can use it as a reference point when I get ready in the morning.