It's about that time

The snow can only delay this for so long.  It's time to go back to school.  I have been thinking about (dreading) this day since Parker was born.  I could not imagine leaving that sweet face in the hands of anyone else.  Sometimes when I thought about my return to class and clinicals my chest would actually ache.  Thankfully God is in control and allowed me to ease into this process.  An opening was available for Parker for daycare in the middle of November.  In order to keep the spot we had to start paying then (yikes).  I have worked at this daycare off and on for a few years so I started working there part time again.  It was the perfect way to ease into leaving him.  I was able to work down the hall, or sometimes even in his room, and I could check on him all I wanted :)  Don't get me wrong...there is no other place I would rather him be than this daycare.  I know Parker is so loved.  They were very excited for him to be born.  They got to see me when I was super pregnant because I worked there over the summer up until 2 weeks before Parker was born.  They even gave me extra breaks and wouldn't let me spend much time in the sun.  I love this place and the people that work there. 

That being said...this is still a dreaded day.  Any type of school keeps you busy, but nursing school is ridiculous.  The hardest part is knowing that when I pick him up to go home my work isn't over.  There will always be chapters to read, clinical paperwork to fill out and tests to study for.  Ben is ready to have some extra quality time with our little guy, but selfishly I want that quality time. 

Here is where is gets less depressing ;)  I am so very thankful to have the opportunity to go back and get my degree.  It has been a loooong road filled with many unforeseen obstacles.  I should have graduated in May '08.  I am trying not to dwell on the fact that my little sister is graduating before me.  Let's just hope I finish before my youngest sister (kidding, kidding).  To be honest, I am a little excited about getting back into classes.  I love nursing.  I love human anatomy, I love compassion, I love my blue scrubs.  I was made to be a nurse.  I am a little nervous about how rusty I will be at clinicals.  If you are headed to the hospital please don't be scared.  I promise to practice all invasive procedures before performing them on you, ha.  I am especially excited about 2 of the 3 classes I have this semester:  Peds and OB.  Honestly I should get extra credit for just having gone through labor. 

Moral of this story:  please pray for me.  Putting him to bed tonight was difficult.  There may or may not have been some tears.  Pray for my attitude, my lack of time management skills and for my relationships with Ben and Parker.  I also am going into a new class.  I like familiar things, and I like my comfort zone.  I already had my nursing school friends.  I have a hard enough time putting myself out there and now I have to do it all over again...great...ha.  Tomorrow is a big day for me. 

...or maybe the roads can be extra icy and they decide to close after all.  either way ;)

Rice Cereal

This will only be interesting to a handful of people, but not everyone is around to witness the "firsts" so here is Parker's first attempt at rice cereal.  He did great for the first time!  

Christmas

Christmas for the Calvert Family is a busy time.  We celebrated with family from the 23rd to the 26th with EVERY side of the family.  We are fortunate to have our family live so close but that can make for a busy holiday trying to get to every event.  We wouldn't trade it for the world though.

We were so excited to wake up to a white Christmas on the 25th!  Technically I did not wake up to snow.  Parker decided he was ready to be up for the day at 4:00 am (too excited about presents??  further proof he is like his daddy!).  It started snowing around 5:00 am so we watched it all from our living room couch.  I am the worst morning person you will possibly ever meet but his sweet smile makes it not as painful :)

My favorite part of the holidays this year was Christmas Eve night.  Christmas Eve was a busy day for us.  Ben took me and Parker to breakfast at Another Broken Egg (yum!) and then we had lunch at my parents house with my dad's side of the family.  Right after that we went to the Christmas Eve service at Southwood with my family and headed to our annual Martin/Ware Christmas Eve dinner.  Caylen and David, we missed you terribly!  Even though I look forward to all of those things all year here comes my favorite part.  Ben, Parker and I got in our pajamas and settled on the couch to hear the Christmas story.  This year Ben read from the Jesus Storybook Bible since we received that as a gift at Parker's baptism.  I really enjoy the way it is phrased for children, but I also realize it is no substitute for God's Word.  Here is one of my favorite parts...

And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in 

the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift.  The

baby that would change the world was born.  This baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm.  They made a soft

bed of straw and used to animals' feeding trough as his cradle.  

And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes,

and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"-which means

"God had come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had.

The Calvert House after a few hours of snow

Maggie loved it.  She ran in it, rolled around in it, and tried to eat all of the snow.

The drive over the mountain on Christmas morning was not the safest decision, but the trees were gorgeous. 

Parker's first Christmas was a white Christmas!  How special!

Parker didn't really get the unwrapping gifts part of the day.   Apparently he was too busy losing his socks.

Merry Christmas!