Week 38

Happy Tuesday!  We had a really great week last week--busy as usual but also a lot of fun. It's almost time to bring out all the fall and Halloween decorations. I do love this time of year. Hopefully the temps will continue to cool and we'll get some more fall color soon. 

In the meantime look at what we did last week:

Day 259- Monday, 9/16/13

Brandon was having a good time rolling around on the floor with Bella.  This is exactly where he wants to be right after homework is done or maybe even on a break during homework ;0)

Day 260- Tuesday, 9/17/13

Tyler had a minimum day so I had to take him back to the school for water polo practice later.  It's all about mom's taxi service these days.  He'll have to hitch a ride from someone because I'll be driving the other 2 to karate just as he's done.  It truly does take a village!

Day 261- Wednesday, 9/18/13

Time to pop some popcorn and grab a seat on the couch for the premier of Survivor.  Everyone was home so we could actually watch as a family--loved it!

Day 262- Thursday, 9/19/13

Since Tyler's hardly around anymore Justin has been able to ride shot-gun more and more.  He loves it, but it seems strange to me.  He looks so small in the front seat.  I keep forgetting he's 12.  We're heading home from tennis practice right now.

Day 263- Friday, 9/20/13

Rusty is the only one up when I get up in the mornings so he keeps me company as I get ready for work.  I forgot how much I missed having a morning companion once our older cat passed so it's been wonderful to have Rusty fill that void.  Sometimes he's quite the distraction though as he loves to play, play, play.

Day 264- Saturday, 9/21/13

Today it was pouring rain so it's a good thing we had planned to have Tyler's birthday party at an indoor racetrack.  He turns 15 on Monday!  All his closest friends helped him celebrate by racing with him and then staying for a sleepover.  It was great fun, and he loved every minute of it. 

Day 265- Sunday, 9/22/13

LOL!  The morning after ;0)  Here are some tired teenage boys that stayed up too late watching movies and chatting.  They look so peaceful, and now I will probably wake them banging around in the kitchen to get breakfast started.  No matter--I'm sure they'll be happy to eat.

That's it for now.  Only one week left in September and it's actually starting to feel a little like fall.  Hope to see you next week.

 

Week 37

Where did the weekend go?  There is so much to do and so little time plus being gone on weekends doesn't help.  Last week was super busy and of course this week will be more of the same. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm coming or going.  It's a good thing I have my boys to keep me straight.

Here are the pictures from last week:

Day 252- Monday, 9/9/13

We started the week super hot.  It was still 100 degrees out at 5:30 just before I needed to walk the dog.  The sun was intense, but we found a few sprinkler spots for relief.

Day 253- Tuesday, 9/10/13

They had to rush through homework today.  These two had tennis, then Tyler had a water polo game, then the younger ones were off to karate.  For dinner-- grab and go Subway.

Day 254- Wednesday, 9/11/13

It's back-to-school night at River City High School and Tyler is showing me around his classes.   I must be getting old because most his teachers look so young!  This is Tyler's Body Systems class and each student gets one of these little skeletons to add clay muscles, tissue, and organs to.  At the end of the class they'll have a completed person inside and out--super cool elective class that he loves.

Day 255- Thursday, 9/12/13

Brandon decided to give tennis a try and so far so good.  Look at the form on my lefty ;0)  He told me he really had a lot fun today as I tucked him into bed at night.  It can be hard to keep them active logistically, but the benefits far out weigh the trouble.

Day 256- Friday, 9/13/13

It's my lunch hour and I'm out running my car through a car wash because I just can't find the time to do it any other way.  Right after work I need to run to the store to stock up on tourney food for tomorrow, get the younger kids to tennis, and then put in a couple hours at the booster's snack bar for football.  I can't wait to put my feet up, enjoy a glass of wine, and watch a movie with my hubby.

Day 257- Saturday, 9/14/13

Tyler and I are at Bear River High School near Auburn for an all-day water polo tournament.  The boys had another great run and took first place.  This tournament wasn't as big as the last one so no trophy just bragging rights ;0)  Now we get a 2 week break before their actual league games start.

Day 258- Sunday, 9/15/13

It's another day-long event with my oldest.  He's involved in a teen brain study through UC Davis and got to play computer games while having his brain scanned.  We were here for almost 6 hrs!  Thank goodness they had wifi and I had my labtop.  Tyler also made over $100 today for participating so he's happy about that.

That's it!  This week I'll be prepping for a birthday party which is always fun.  Check back next Tuesday to see how it turns out.  Tyler will be 15!  How can that be?

 

Week 36

Well school is ramping up and activities are in full force so last week was really busy, but we had nothing going on this weekend so that was a treat.  I had time to regroup and actually get a few things done around the house that I had been meaning to do all summer. Too bad it won't last.  The next few weekends are already booked.  Oh well, such is life!  But you know what?  It's my life, and I love it :0)

Here's a look at the pictures from last week:

Day 245- Monday, 9/2/13

Happy Labor Day!  I love 3-day weekends, and I wish they were all that way.  Justin asked to do a bunch of odd jobs to earn money for this game he purchased today.  He already had most the money he needed and worked hard to earn the rest which made the purchase all the sweeter.  He's a huge Luigi fan so this game is perfect for him.  It was also really hot today, but this afternoon a thunderstorm rolled in to help cool things down and clean out the air.  It was amazing how many people were out enjoying the brief showers and rainbows as I walked the dog in the refreshing weather.

Day 246- Tuesday, 9/3/13

Karate was down for the month of August which was a nice break, but now that it's September we're back on for Tuesdays.  Justin and Brandon continue to work towards their belt goals.

Day 247- Wednesday, 9/4/13

I was supposed to include a work picture on here once a month, but I'm a few months behind.  The summer months are always crazy at work with more students and projects in the lab which means less time for pictures.  Anyway, things have slowed down as the students are back in classes, and now I can focus more on my work.   Today I'm purifying an antibody by vacuum filtration so we can optimize its use in screening environmental samples for pathogens.

Day 248- Thursday, 9/5/13

The long school days and full weeks are catching up to him :0(  I guess he won't be doing homework tonight, or having dinner, or messing with the dog.  Poor thing!  He came home with a migraine and has been throwing up ever since.  

Day 249- Friday, 9/6/13

John is working on cleaning up his bike for a weekend trip with his friends in the city (San Francisco).  He leaves tomorrow, and we won't see him again until late Sunday.

Day 250- Saturday, 9/7/13

It's been a hot week and today is no exception.  Thank goodness for the pool.  Justin is enjoying an evening dip.  He's the only one that wanted to swim tonight so it was just me and him out by the pool having fun taking silly frog pictures and videos clips of his cannonball jumps.

Day 251- Sunday, 9/8/13

Yep-still hot or should I say even hotter!  We hit triple digits today so Tyler is enjoying a Drumstick ice-cream out on the porch swing after dinner.  I took him to the bank this weekend to get a teen account set up for all the money he's been hoarding--made mostly by pet sitting.  His debit card should be here next week.  This will be a good learning experience for him and is yet another milestone.  When exactly did he get so grown up?

That's another week come and gone.  Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I'll see you next week.

 

Week 35

Welcome to September!  How did that happen? This time of year always speeds by so fast.  My oldest will be 15 in a few weeks then it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  The year is almost over!!  OK, OK--slow down!  I'm not ready for all that just yet.  Let's take it one day at a time and just breathe. We'll start by taking a look at last week.  You'll see a lot of sports and homework and maybe a little food and wine ;0)

Day 238- Monday, 8/26/13

Tonight it's panini for dinner.  We still have meat left over from John's grilling on the weekend so that's perfect for making sandwiches especially on a weeknight when there is not much time or energy for making dinner.

Day 239- Tuesday, 8/27/13

Tyler's high school water polo season has officially started.  We are at their first game to see how the new JV team works together.  Tyler is still number 5.  It was actually a very painful game to watch.  They looked lost without the older players who are now on the varsity team, but somehow still managed to pull off a win.

Day 240- Wednesday, 8/28/13

So far this year the homework has been much easier for Justin.  He's not struggling or taking hours to finish, and we are all so happy about that.  I'm pretty sure it will mostly stay that way too because he has many teachers that simply do not like to give lots of homework--yay!  He's having a snack and finishing up before enjoying the rest of his afternoon.  It was a minimum day today because it's back-to-school night for them.

Day 241- Thursday, 8/29/13

I'm giving Brandon a pre-test on his spelling words.  Doesn't he look thrilled?  Thankfully he's a good speller and doesn't need much practice, but he has a "spelling contract" to complete for the week and a pre-test is an easy way to get points for that.

Day 242- Friday, 8/30/13

Justin's tennis time has changed from mornings to afternoons with the start of school which wouldn't be too bad if it weren't so hot.  It was 100 degrees out as he practiced today.  HOT, HOT, HOT especially on that court!  I've got to get him to start wearing a hat.

Day 243- Saturday, 8/31/13

Wow!  Big exciting day!!  This picture makes me so happy.  We are in Napa at a water polo tournament and our JV boys actually won the entire 2-day event (they were here Friday too).  They played some amazing games and looked like a completely different team from Tuesday.  I'm not sure what happened but things just clicked.  Their confidence and team work was quite impressive.  I love their smiles here.  They are so excited, and I think a little surprised :0)  What a great bunch!

Day 244- Sunday, 9/1/13

It's September 1st!  Time for my monthly marker.  John is grilling again, and we are entertaining guests so I made some summer sangria for us to enjoy.  Thank goodness tomorrow is a holiday.  I need that extra weekend day just to play catch up at home.

All done!  I still can't believe it's September.  Dare I say Christmas will be here before you know it?!  It's time to start prepping for our Hawaii trip too ;0)  Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I'll see you next Tuesday.