It's Over!

So - yes, the semester dictated that I not have a whole lot of time for blogging...(sounds good, right? Score - a valid excuse!).

As it stands, I am officially finished with school, minus commencement which is a week from tomorrow. I am a GN (graduate nurse) until I pass my boards this summer. I am in the running for a job and am thrilled to be where I am right now! The reality has not set in yet that I am done with classes and clinicals...the last day was bittersweet, and it is difficult to comprehend that I very well may never step foot on that campus again.

So, anyway - Ron is down to this and next week then he is done at Citi. It's going to be a very different kind of summer for us! It is, in fact, quite possible that I could start orientation for a new job the Monday following Ron's last day at work! God is so good! Who else could orchestrate such perfect timing?

As intimidating as change can be, we are welcoming all the new things that are ahead for our family. I will work harder to keep up!

Home Stretch

Tuesday marks the beginning of my last semester...I graduate in May. I'm scared and excited like crazy! Every once in awhile it hits me. I had a preliminary interview at Women & Children's Hospital in Buffalo on Monday. It went really well and I liked the nurse recruiter I talked with. Now I can only sit tight and hope for openings for me!

Diapers, In One Size

So, I now only have to buy diapers in ONE size! Ahh, yes, only size 5s on my shopping list now...but not because I only have one in diapers - because Seth and Noah wear the SAME SIZE! I don't know which is more ridiculous: that Noah is still wearing diapers full-time or that Seth's dimply bottom is the same size as Noah's! Honest to goodness - that baby is my "fattest." Yes, people comment on how tiny he is for his age but relatives know he is a chunk by our standards - and he's short! His stubby little legs toddle around and Noah whippersnappers right by him with his own diapered bum exposed (any advice on keeping clothes on a three-year-old?). And don't even get me started on that stubborn little man! Noah will not give in to our appeals to go on the potty. We tell him, "You're a big boy, now you're three, big boys go on the potty." To which he returns, "I don't wanna be free, I wanna be two!" I know they say that they won't go to school in diapers - but I am convinced Noah will graduate from school in diapers.

Christmas is when?!?

Can you believe Christmas is this week?? I may be more prepared than other years, but feel less ready than usual. I don't think that makes any sense...

I spent the weekend baking and our Christmas day meal is going to be super simple as in deli tray simple - no joke. I will not cook on Christmas anymore - too time consuming - I want to play with my kids. We are, however, having a traditional (well, sort of) dinner on Saturday with family. I was very organized about shopping and spending this year. I am very happy with how that went. We also made it through Seth's first and Noah's 3rd birthdays! I am woman - hear me roar!!!

I will take lots of pictures this week and post them soon as I can!

Merry Christmas!!

Halloween!

Ok, so these kiddos had a blast! I took them to the mall on Thursday night for practice...they were really good. Friday night, can I just say, was the hardest I have laughed in a long time! Noah may be the funniest person on the face of this planet. Well ok, in our house. Anyway, I wasn't sure how well he'd keep up or how long he'd last. He was great! Lagging behind the rest of the kids by 20-30 feet, yelling "Come on, guys!," as if he was leading them. Running back the way he came from and turning in his tracks. My neighbor accused me of having a crack problem :o) He was just hilarious to watch! Sorry, I'm going to continue on about how flippin' entertaining he was. After taking 16 minutes to approach the door of a very well decorated house (maybe not that long) - we're talking animations, lights, and sounds - he was nervous, he walked away without looking back and said, "That house was stupid." What?? Our neighbor had taken to carrying him across the long gaps. When he put him down to catch up with the others, he comes running to me and cries out, "That guy won't hold me!" He literally had us in stitches all night long! Here are some shots of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, the sheepdog (and self-proclaimed Nana the nursery dog), and Tick Tock the Croc...

OK - so really - seriously...

What I meant to share on Thursday:

There may be no way to make this a short story, but here goes...

LAST Thursday (as in week and a half ago), a friend (K) and I wanted to make an appointment to meet with an instructor (Ms. V) to review a test that we did not do well on. Ms. V happens to also be my 1st rotation clinical instructor (the one referenced previously that I really liked). Well, she said she'd be putting up a sign-up sheet for appointments later that day and that she would fill our names in for 11am on Tuesday. On Tuesday, we show up before a 10am class to see that she gave that appointment to someone else and put us in at 3pm. Hmm. I decide to keep it but K works at 3 so she can't stay. She signs up for Thursday at 9:30 instead. Still following? At some point that day, K decides she can go into work an hour late, so we go together to the 3pm. While with Ms.V, I asked if I could then take the Thursday @ 9:30 appointment for my CPE (this is the evaluation & grade from clinical - that I want to know so badly!). She said it was ok so I crossed off K's name and put down my own. Now, I have to make additional babysitting arrangements to cover because I don't have class until noon on Thursdays ($). SO, Thursday morning, I show up in the office to find K (she had met with a different teacher) and another classmate, C. They tell me that Ms. V was not aware of the switch and that she said, "You can't just do that." WTH? So I go in to her office as if unaware of this. She proceeds to insist she knew nothing of the switch and that she was not prepared for me, she didn't have my stuff. Grrr. And that's putting it mildly.

Big deal, right? Wrong. I have been having an extremely trying semester. I had a bad week for grades - on our last test (the one we had asked to review), a micro test I did less than well on, and a micro lab practical that I didn't feel too good about. Add this to an upcoming test on my mind. All I wanted was some good news. I really feel like I did really well in clinical with Ms. V. I was so looking forward to finding out I did great to ease some of the tension, er, depression I was feeling.

Alas I wait...
Grrr.

Seriously