29 April

Right Now......saying hello and saying goodbye.

Saying goodbye to 5 point harness car seats (so sad!!).  Our "good one" was sold via craigslist this morning.  Saying hello to 3 kids that can climb in the car and buckle themselves in their boosters.....and saying hello to a soon to be front seat rider (12+).

Saying goodbye to snow and winter and saying hello to riding scooters to the bus stop and riding our bikes to school (even though it's still cold!).

Saying hello to school meetings and saying goodbye to a favorite special ed teacher (retiring) and principal (retiring) and SCHOOL (the brand new one is opening in the fall.).  Saying Hello to a program where kids with and without disabilities are educated together in the same classroom.

Saying goodbye to junk and sugar and processed food and saying hello to smoothies and frozen treats in the VITAMIX.  Saying hello to eating way more fruits and vegetables and trying new things (and getting kids to try new things).

Saying goodbye to spending big money on house improvements and saying hello to big vacation planning and dreaming, Italy, California, the Grand Canyon.....someday soon (we're on a five year plan).  Saying hello to big kids that are old enough to be really fun on a big trip.

Saying hello to the summer swim season, saying goodbye free time at home in the evenings (although we'll fit in all the reading on the couch at home time in the evenings that we can!).

Saying goodbye to adult alone TV time in the evenings and saying hello to family stretching time, reading time, and playing time in the evenings where kids stay up almost as late as we do.

Saying hello to our basement office and saying goodbye to kids having a "toy room" and having to share rooms.  We should have done this years ago....we are loving it.

Saying goodbye to procrastination and saying hello to getting stuff done (nutrition presentation for middle school wellness day, backyard grass and garden planting, power washing, pool, fence, tree house, etc....) let's do this!

Saying good bye to one of my very favorite people in life:(  B's awesome support person LT is leaving us for a different job.  She's been with us four years.....that's almost half B's life.  I knew it was only a matter of time, she's been working so hard going to school, working and raising a daughter, but I was hoping the transition would have been slower.  It's going to be really hard on all of us (I'm so SAD!) , but we are so happy and excited for her.  Saying hello to meeting new people, and being open.

Saying goodbye to 1st, 3rd and 6th grades as we wrap up this school year (32 days!).  Seriously, who pressed the fast forward button on my life?  I can't say this year has been a cakewalk, though.  Saying hello to logistical summer planning for us and the kids, for work and camps and activities and travel.  Lots of travel this summer for T and his sports.  We decided L is going to rec camp 3 days a week this summer, good for us to work and good for him to stay in the grove of spending the day with friends.  Like school....but ALL fun.   It's a win-win.  All good stuff.

Life is just a series of hellos and goodbyes now isn't it?