Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Week 21

What a week!  I have to make this quick.  I'm heading out on a field trip with Justin's class to Mercer Caverns.  He's super excited, and I think it will be a fun day for all.  We're actually going camping up in the big trees near that area this summer--amazing natural beauty to explore.  There are so many activities going on this week and next with the end of school fast approaching and then we're off to Southern Calif for vacation. I can't believe it's finally here.  We have a lot of fun things planned for summer, big and small, to help us reconnect.  I'm done with everyone going in different directions.  Hopefully with school out we can accomplish that at least for a couple months anyway.

Here's how last week looked:


Day 140- Monday, 5/20/13
Brandon has been enjoying the nice weather by playing out in the backyard after homework is done.  He's great about taking the dog out there and just enjoying the outdoors like boys do.  Trees and sticks and rocks with a dog by his side will keep him entertained for hours.





Day 141- Tuesday, 5/21/13
My day lilies are in full bloom out front.  These red ones are my favorite, and I look forward to them opening up every May.





Day 142- Wednesday, 5/22/13
It's open house night at the school and the 6th graders are putting on a wax museum for their English and history class.  Justin is Spartacus, and he's standing in front of the backdrop he painted last week.  All the kids look great in their costumes with their paintings.  Poor Brandon was home sick and missed out on all the fun.





Day 143- Thursday, 5/23/13
This is my afternoon helper.  He likes to make and pack lunches which is great for me because it's a chore I hate.  These past couple weeks he's really stepped up to take over this task whenever I've needed help.





Day 144- Friday, 5/24/13
Brandon helped me make peanut-butter, chocolate-chip cookies this afternoon.  We're taking them to a party tomorrow.  He can't wait for that first batch to come out so he can taste test his handy work.





Day 145- Saturday, 5/25/13
Here's a selfie.  I needed a current shot for a mother's group project and was dressed up for a party so I went out back near the flower beds and snapped a quick shot before we left.





Day 146- Sunday, 5/26/13
Tyler is our ice-cream scooper.  He's always done with dinner first and eager for dessert so he's taken it upon himself to get the job done.  I think these are the first ice-cream cones of the summer! 



Wait!  One more:

May's Family Photo






We're running out of time in May so this long holiday weekend seemed like the perfect time for a family shot.  I was hoping we could take one by the pool, but it was actually overcast, cooler than normal, and even raining a little bit so the pool was covered and not picture ready.  Oh well, we found another spot out front, and the lack of bright sun helped keep everyone from squinting ;0)



OK! That's it.  Thanks for stopping by.  Only 8 days of school left!  Hopefully I'll see you next Tuesday.

 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Week 20

Welcome back and happy Tuesday.  Thank goodness last week flew by.  John was out of town, and I was flying solo with three kids and all their activities to manage.  I think the pets suffered the most.  They just didn't get the attention they are used to because mommy was spent!  Oh well, everyone is still alive and kicking so I did something right.  This week will seem like a breeze with my hubby back to help.

Here's what last week looked like:


Day 133- Monday, 5/13/13
Tyler had his swim banquet and earned his varsity letter as a freshman since swimming at this school is a varsity only sport.  He'll go from high school swim right into swimming for the city's swim club and also starting water polo back up in preparation for Jr. Olympics.  Busy, active kid!





Day 134- Tuesday, 5/14/13
All 3 boys are back in karate this month.  Tyler is volunteering to help the younger kids learn.  He usually leads the warm ups and then takes a small group off to work on their Kata.





Day 135- Wednesday, 5/15/13
I picked up some new bathroom towels at Target today and Rusty thought he'd check them out.  They don't quite smell like his peeps yet so he's not sure what to think. 





Day 136- Thursday, 5/16/13
Justin is working on painting the background for his wax museum project.  He was really nervous about using paint and wanted to color the whole thing in colored pencil, but I strongly encouraged him to at least try the paint, and thankfully he was surprised at how easy and quick it went.  He'll add trees and some outlining later.  My European vacation pictures from last summer came in handy for this project.





Day 137- Friday, 5/17/13
The best thing about the warms temps and bananas that go ripe too quickly is banana bread.  We had a really long day with swim practice, Brandon getting sick, Tyler having an interview, needing to prep for a swim meet and squeezing in a late dinner so I'm not sure where I found the time or energy, but I did and this was a nice way to end the day.  It's the perfect comfort food--Yum!





Day 138- Saturday, 5/18/13
We're at the Blue and White time trials meet and John is the new swim team DJ.  He say's he gets the best seat in the house, and is happy to find a swim job he enjoys.  The poor guy is tired though.  He didn't get home from his work trip until after midnight and we had to be at the meet by 6:45 this morning.





Day 139- Sunday, 5/19/13
Brandon got a new book yesterday and couldn't put it down.  It's early Sunday morning and he just finished.  He has a thing for famous architectural structures and luckily his favorite Geronimo Stilton books have stories about many of them.  This one was all about the Eiffel tower so he asked me to take a picture of him with his book next to our very own tower.


That wraps up another week.  Only 3 more weeks of school.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back again next Tuesday.

 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Week 19

Happy Tuesday!  I hope everyone had a great Mother's day.  My gang is always wonderful at spoiling me and making me feel special and appreciated.  Did I say May was going to be a slower month?  Well not this week.  John is out of town so I'm juggling things on my own which is never easy.  Hopefully I don't drop too many balls.  There are a lot of projects but also fun things happening as we work towards the end of the school year, swim meets are starting which means very little weekend time, and I'm trying to organize all our summer plans.  My head spinning, but hopefully if I can make through this month I'll be good.

Here's is how last week looked:


Day 126- Monday, 5/6/13
This afternoon the clouds rolled in and it even rained a little bit as the younger kids were coming out of swim.  Then there were a few lightening strikes so Tyler's water polo practice was cancelled.
 




Day 127- Tuesday, 5/7/13
Justin had to stay after school for a meeting today so it was just me and Brandon heading home for a quiet afternoon together.





Day 128- Wednesday, 5/8/13
This new lavender plant I put in the side yard is doing really well and is just the right shock of purple I was looking for.





Day 129- Thursday, 5/9/13
Flip-flop season is on!  We're off to the pool for swim practice.  The time trial meet is next week.





Day 130- Friday, 5/10/19
My boys are loving this Friday afternoon.  Tyler is even home, and they all found a video game they like to play together.  It's about time!





Day 131- Saturday, 5/11/13
The backyard pool is ready and it's balmy out so this weekend was the perfect weekend for our first dip of the season.  I'm surprised my boys even want to swim but they had a blast just messing around and cooling off.





Day 132- Sunday, 5/12/13
Happy Mother's Day!  I had a great day with my boys.  They made me breakfast, washed my car, made me diner and showered me with gifts and love.  What more could a mother ask for?   Then we all watched the season finale of Survivor together while eating gelato and macarons--Congrats Cochran!



That's all folks.  Check back next week for more crazy fun.


 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Week 18

Welcome back and welcome to May.  I'm so happy it's May.  April was way too busy for my liking and at least there is light at the end of the tunnel in May.  Summer is upon us and it even feels like it here--hot, hot, hot!  Still windy but hot.  The younger kids are going through STAR testing which means little if any homework and the break has been so nice.  It's hard to believe we almost have another school year done.  We have a lot of fun things planned for the summer so I can't wait for the family fun to begin.

Until then here's what happened last week:


Day 119- Monday, 4/29/13
Bella likes to be in the kitchen on the cooler floors when it starts to get hot.  She always lays with her left leg out and her right curled under her like this.




Day 120- Tuesday, 4/30/13
This is a common scene almost every afternoon now that swim practice is in full effect.  I have to get a good coat of sunscreen on my fair skinned boys before they head out in the sun.




Day 121- Wednesday, 5/1/13
Justin and I posed out back with the monthly marker by one of my many rose bushes in bloom. It's nice to see the yard come to life this time of year.




Day 122- Thursday, 5/2/13
These two!  On Sunday at a water polo tournament Cameron somehow broke his foot on Tyler's shin.  I still can't believe he actually broke it so when I saw them together at swim practice today I had to snap a shot.  I can just see them in 10 years with Cameron saying, "Remember when I broke my foot on your shin."  LOL!




Day 123- Friday, 5/3/13
The Teen Hero applications were due today.  Tyler is applying for another year to volunteer at the city kid camps for the summer.  He had a great time last year and it was a wonderful experience for him.




Day 124- Saturday, 5/4/13
John's work decided to switch from Blackberry to iPhone, and he got his new toy this week.  Too bad it has taken him most the weekend to figure out how to transfer all his contacts and info.  Blackberry did not make it easy.




Day 125- Sunday, 5/5/13
Justin helped me plant our tomatoes today and then we cooked up a huge Mexican feast for Cinco de Mayo.  Yum!




That's all I got for now.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week.