Three months have come and gone quickly.  Time flies when you're having fun, right?  Well, I cannot say that it's been all fun, all the time, but I do know that we have reached the end of another school year (almost) and that does not seem possible.  For the sake of prosperity and nostalgia (should we ever look back to this blog to recall what life was like for the Battles at the end of May 2014), here's a little timeline of significant (or not) events.

The end of February and most of March and April were full of graduate school assignments, but guess what?  I FINISHED!  I absolutely finished.  I feel very accomplished and very relieved and very ready to have a summer free to read what I want.  I did make some time over spring break to read a couple of novels loaned to me by my friend Tina.  They were completely different but completely wonderful.  Both are set in Seattle, so I would now like to visit Seattle.  I'm impressionable like that.

Lilah's class and another class in her hallway performed an Earth Day play.  It was the cutest thing ever!  Their costumes were homemade and their lines were simple as was their message.  They were so proud and I just kept thinking what a perfect first grade memory this will be.


Then we had PROM!  Oh, my.  I reminded myself on a daily basis from January to April 25 that when you are a seventeen year old girl, prom is huge.  It was huge for me, and it was huge for Parker.  We had a little dress drama going into the season, but it worked out perfectly.  I think PJB's dress was one you either loved or did not love.  We loved it.  She accessorized perfectly and her makeup was spectacular.  It was a little difficult to keep in place up top, but trust me we taped and we taped and we taped.  She and her group had a bonfire afterward and I think that all in all they had the night of their lives.  I was a chaperone this year and I had my dancing shoes on!  I managed to play it cool and only danced about three songs.  Parker and her friends didn't mind at all -- they let me right in and we boogied!  Our group asked our athletic trainer to take our photos and she did a fabulous job.  It was really nice to be able to watch and let Ms. Patti do all the hard work.  So, for all the great pictures that I'm posting, she gets the creds!












A super significant happening was Mom's retirement!  Her retirement celebration was perfect.  Truly, when you are shaping young lives together year after year and, in some cases, decade after decade, you become family.  I will have to post about the love and kindness and thoughtfulness and generosity we have experienced in the past year in another post.  There is no question that my mom is loved by many people.  We are so excited to see what retirement hold for her.  When people ask me what she's planning on doing, I respond, "Anything she wants!" 

Lilah fulfilled a little dream of hers -- she competed in a pageant.  Now, this was no Toddlers and Tiaras gig.  No, this was a little local fundraiser which is about all I have the patience for.  I am no pageant mom!  Come to find out, Lilah is really no pageant girl, either.  She did not want to spend much time getting ready, so her hair looks like it looks every day of her life.  She did have a good time, but we haven't heard her mention that she'd like to do it again. Whew!


Mother's Day was good.  I asked for a hanging basket for the front deck.  I did not get a hanging basket for the front deck (surprise), but I did get a lovely picture frame and some Turtles.  I suppose I'm supposed to just be happy with spending the day with my beautiful children and my wonderful mother (and I am), but getting stuff is nice, too!

I've enjoyed outside time.  Lilah has continued gymnastics.  Molly read a book! Yay!  Parker has stayed busy with school and work and Ryan.  Overall, life just keeps on moving forward.  But, that isn't to say it's always perfect.  In fact, without getting into any details, I can assure you that you wouldn't waste a prayer on us.  God is faithful and I am asking him to increase my faith in a particular situation. 

I will try to pop in more.  In fact, I actually made a list of topics I'd like to cover on my blog.  So, stay tuned!  Summer and all that glorious TIME is just around the corner!