the els

  • Such a beautiful name…

    Warning. This post discusses loss.  We had a list of possible names for our baby daughter. Fifty or more different combinations. We knew we wanted to give her a name that paid homage to both our mothers’. I remember a day… Continue reading

  • A Birthday Surprise for the Els

    Turning forty was the icing on the cake… But, the C-A-K-E (aka the best part of yesterday) was sharing with our four children whether or not they are getting a baby brother or baby sister in January.We’ve never done a… Continue reading

  • Summertime!

    Okay. I know I’ve been stangely quiet here lately. But, it’s just because life is seriously always C R A Z Y! Can I say that again!? Life is so crazy. And, now that we are in a pretty good… Continue reading

  • Taking a breath

    We are well in the midst of fall. 10 weeks of the school year are complete. We took our time, but we are finally in a nice groove. I thank my husband for that.  He’s helping me. A lot. He… Continue reading

  • When homework is a gift

    Well, today’s kindergarten homework sure was a welcome surprise. Thanks, awesome Kindergarten team teachers! It said “help mom sort the laundry or…” Something else. I didn’t read the rest.  Not important. Don’t get caught up on the fact that it… Continue reading

  • Summer is over and I’m a bit confused (a mix of nostalgia, relief, stress, happiness, anticipation and anxiety)

    I am feeling a little sad this morning. A mix of nostalgia, relief, stress, happiness, anticipation and anxiety. I am nostalgic as I look upon my babies and think of all of the wonderful memories we have shared over the… Continue reading

  • The beginning

    Day 30 of blogging for 31 days in July is my birthday and I’d like to share a story. My story begins a little something like this: Once upon a time there was a family of four living in the… Continue reading

  • Beautiful Sunday

    It’s the last Sunday of July. The last Sunday of my self-imposed “31 days of blogging in July” challenge.  Five more posts and then it’s “so long, July! hello, August!” Yikes. August means: Back to school. Back to a more… Continue reading

  • Just a summ summ summer day

    What a day! About five months ago I co-chaired the Gala fundraiser for our school. #horngala15 It was a huge success, a ton of work, but also incredibly rewarding. More about the top picture later… So, at our school Gala,… Continue reading

  • Working full time with kids…it’s a whole new summer

    What a difference! We are 5+ weeks in with a few weeks to go and this summer has been very different from the last 10 “summers with kids.”10 years ago, we were “in the throws” with a newborn baby boy-… Continue reading