Had me a blast

I know that I am not the only one who barely posts any blogs during August...just when I think I can't get any busier, something else pops up. The last few weeks have been all about working on enjoying time with the kids. We have gone camping in Olympic National Park and had two Japenese Exchange Students for a weekend. We got a trampoline for Hamda's birthday. I cut off all my hair. The Grandmas, the girls and I went to see Mamma Mia!! We have been enjoying watching the Olympics. The biggest event of August has been marking Hamda and Shkuri's one year anniversary as Biggerstaffs. We finalized their adoption in court. At the moment I don't seem to be able to reflect on the first year here; it's hard to imagine them not always being a part of our lives.

The kids seem to be a bit tired of summer now - they now utter "I am bored" with a frequency that was unheard of in June. I used to insist that I would never be a Mom who would want their kids to go back to school (I would enjoy every minute of my time with them), now I am really looking forward for September 3rd!!
On September 4th, I head back to Kentucky for a week of intensive courses on physical assessment and skills (learning to do a pap smear, sutures, and remove a cockroach from a toddlers ear, etc.). When I return, I am going to start my nine months of clinicals to finish up my Masters Degree. This is going to involve my normal M,W,F work schedule (which provides our family with health coverage), plus ten hour clinical days on Tu and Thu. I am very excited about my ARNP clinicals, but very anxious about working 45+ hours a week. I have not worked full time since Isaac was born, and haven't ever wanted to. Luckily, 3/4 of the kids are in school full time and both Grandmas will be there to pick them up from school. Ariel will take the kids to school two days a week and I will do the other three. The next two weeks are going to be a major race for me to finish my last course, check off my to do list, and complete all the kids back to school stuff. Such an exciting time!!
I have been thinking about all the things I can do to reduce stress and anxiety, and one thing I came up with is to stop worrying about the election. A patient went on ranting (among other things) for a long time about the evils of Obama and what he would do to this country...I kept my mouth shut about how crazy she sounded, until I realized that I have a similiar fearful response to what might happen if McCain wins. It is pretty stupid for me to feel anxious about what might happen in the future. I will cast my vote and hope for the best (which is of course, Obama) and leave it at that.