Week 23

We made it past graduation week and are now enjoying the start of summer.  The house is much more relaxed.  Tyler is back to work as a lifeguard and the other 2 have a week to chill before their summer camps start.  It's been super hot so the pool has been in full use to help keep us cool.  This hot weather and pool time actually helps make it feel more like summer.  We're all so happy school is out and summer is here.  Yay!!!

Take a look at our crazy, eventful, and full week last week--prepare for picture overload ;0)

Day 151- Monday, 5/30/16

Happy Memorial Day!  We took time to reflect on those that lost their lives to serve this country and then we enjoyed our free day with some good family time.  Highlights included pool fun, BBQ goodness, and fire pit s'more creations.  The best part was that it didn't seem like a Monday at all.  That's the sign of a good holiday.

Day 152- Tuesday, 5/31/16

My family came to town today for graduation week.  These pictures represent that but were not actually taken on this day.  I was having so much fun enjoying my time with them that I just totally forgot about pictures so these shots were both actually taken on Thursday which was graduation day and as you can imagine I already have too many picture for that day so they'll go here.  My parents and aunt & uncle both are traveling in their RVs on a larger trip but planned it so they could be here in time for the big day.  It was great seeing them and having some good family time together.

Day 153- Wednesday, 6/1/16

Happy June!  The two younger kids got home just in time to help clean up after my cake making.  I let them lick the beaters in exchange for my monthly marker picture and of course they obliged.  Poor Brandon got a little too much sun today at the school's field day.  We all forgot he'd be outside all day and not in the classroom.  Later Justin had his tennis banquet and then we had another large family meal with the relatives.

Day 154- Thursday, 6/2/16

It's Graduation Day!  What an amazing journey it has been and we are so proud of Tyler and all he has accomplished.  Today was a special day celebrated with family and friends.  That last picture sums it up beautifully--a whimsical and magical moment where they are all graduated and headed off to take on the world.  Be still my heart!

Day 155- Friday, 6/3/16

What better way to start off summer break than with National Donut Day?! School is officially out or the summer and today we enjoyed these treats and just chilled at home to decompress from our eventful week.  The extended family has moved on and the only other thing on our plate was a quick trip to the vet for the dog's shots where Brandon was fascinated by the pickled heart full of heart worms.

Day 156- Saturday, 6/4/16

My front flower bed is exploding with these beautiful red and yellow day lilies which is great to see.  They seem to be blooming a little late this year but better late than never.  We also received a shipment of new bedding for the younger boys.  I was shopping for Tyler's college bedding when I found what I needed for the other two.  Go figure!  Don't worry though, I also found something for Tyler to take to school in the fall.  They all really needed new bedding and a fresher look in their rooms.  Now to find the time to actually get the comforters on the bed ;0)

Day 157- Sunday, 6/5/16

On to the next great thing.  These kids and their leader are headed out on an educational tour of Costa Rica and Nicaragua in two short weeks! We met today to go over the last details.  I can't believe it's finally happening. They signed up for the trip 18 months ago and now here we are.  There were 16 kids going back then and today we're down to 4 but that's ok--it will still be amazing and the trip of a lifetime for each of them.  What a week!  Is it really over? Time to take a breath and enjoy the serenity of the pool as I reflect on the past week, the past school year, and heck the past 17 years. Time sure does fly.  Enjoy those young ones while you can because before you know it they'll be preparing to leave the nest.  It's a good thing though, and I'm not sad about it--I'm excited.  I'm excited for what the future holds in the next chapter of my young adult's life.

That's all she wrote.  Check back next week to see how our first week of summer break went. 

Week 22

Welcome back.  I hope everyone had a nice long weekend and thanks to all the veterans that gave their lives fighting for our country.  It's Tuesday and the Tuesday of a very special week for us.  Tyler graduates in 2 days!  He's on his senior trip right now, we have family coming into town today, and all kinds of other end-of-school-year events and activities.  Not to mention it's down right hot!  We'll be hitting the century mark this week.  I hope those kids don't melt in their caps and gowns especially the boys who have to wear dress pants, dress shirts, and a tie under all that.  We'll just have to see how it all goes.  

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 144- Monday, 5/23/16

Justin had no idea how strong the smell of garlic can be especially fresh picked from a garden.  He picked some in his farm to fork class this afternoon and hasn't been able to get the smell out since.

Day 145- Tuesday, 5/24/16

It's senior awards night so all the Booster's kids got their scholarship and then Tyler received 2 other awards which will help for paying those upcoming college expenses.  John was supposed to be on a business trip but it got moved back one day so we are happy he could make it.

Day 146- Wednesday, 5/25/16

I went to a work BBQ in Davis and Brandon likes to come with me especially to Woutrina's house since she has cats, a very friendly dog, and chickens.  He loves it there and all those animals helped him keep his mind of the pre-teen vaccines he got today and his sore arm.

Day 147- Thursday, 5/26/16

It was another busy and exhausting day so since all the kids were home for dinner which is rare and John is away on business we decided to eat out grabing burgers and shakes at In-N-Out.

Day 148- Friday, 5/27/16

This afternoon was Brandon's end-of-year awards ceremony.  This kid!  He made a paper airplane out of his honor roll award before I could even get a picture and look at that messed up mop on his head.  He'll be getting a haircut this weekend.  His medal is for perfect attendance which also means no tardies to any of his six classes each day for the whole year.  Good job kiddo!

Day 149- Saturday, 5/28/16

I'm was so excited to find some Shasta Daisies at Lowe's for my backyard.  We had these in our yard growing up and I remember my brother brought the first set home as a Mother's Day gift for my mom when he was in kindergarten.  You don't see them around here much so I hope they do well in this valley heat.  Later John grilled some shrimp and tri-tip for dinner as we cheered to the three-day weekend.

Day 150- Sunday, 5/29/16

This is a typical weekend morning with me and my coffee during the quiet early hours and only Justin and the cat up to keep me company.  Everyone else know how to sleep in.  That afternoon as the temps climbed and it got downright hot we officially opened the pool for the season.  Bring on summer--we are ready!

Wait, one more!

May's Family Photo

Taken this weekend while enjoying our backyard.  We love it out here even if it keeps us working hard to maintain it's wonder.

Ok, now we're done.  See you next week on the other side ;0)

Week 21

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Only 7 more days left of school.  It's super crazy to think about and still so much to do but the end is in sight.  We had a hot week last week in the high 90's for a few days and then the tides turned and a storm blew in with some impressive rain.  Talk about crazy May weather.  I know we still need the rain but I'm ready for summer and over it.  Bring on the heat so our pool can warm up and we can enjoy the outdoors especially once school's out.

Here's a look at how last week went down:

Day 137- Monday, 5/16/16

Time to vote by mail.  It's the only way I can get it done.  It kind of sucks to be on the west coast though because by the time we get to vote our options are limited with so many on the ballot already dropping out.  I feel like I need to choose between the lesser of 2 evils.  Lord help us.

Day 138- Tuesday, 5/17/16

Today was the field trip with Brandon's class to Mercer Caverns.  They got to explore the cave and mine for gems.  It was super hot out so the cool cave was a nice treat.  It was a fun trip but the broken bus we had was no joke.  I'm too tall and too old for a school bus ride longer than an hr and with our overheating engine the 2 hr ride slowly turned into 3!  Thank goodness Mercer was kind enough to let us stay longer than we were supposed to so all the kids still got to see and do everything and thank goodness the district sent a new bus for the ride home.

Day 139- Wednesday, 5/18/16

It's staff appreciation day at UC Davis so we got a free picnic lunch and this year it was catered by the Buckhorm which means tri-tip sandwiches for the win.  Luckily we found a spot to sit in the shade because it was 98 today and the sun was intense!  As a result we didn't stay long.

Day 140- Thursday, 5/19/16

The yearbooks are out and it's the first year Tyler actually wanted one.  That makes sense with it being his senior year and all.  There's only a couple short weeks left and then this boy graduates!

Day 141- Friday, 5/20/16

So much for the heat and sunshine.  Huge thunder clouds moved in today and brought a good downpour of rain this evening.  Talk about dark and wet!

Day 142- Saturday, 5/21/16

Today is still cold and dark with only short peeks of the sun so it seemed like a great day to bake.  Brandon helped me make some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and they were a huge hit.  Yeah, no more left ;0)

Day 143- Sunday, 5/22/16

Justin was catching up on some recorded shows while enjoying a ham sandwich he made.  The boy can eat and loves to experiment in making some pretty interesting sandwiches.

That's it for now.  Check back next week for even more fun.  We'll be prepping for incoming family since graduation is upon us.

Week 20

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  I'm headed out on a field trip with my youngest today to Mercer Caverns so I have to make this quick.  Sadly, I'm not sure how many more field trips I'll get to go on.  My kids are growing up way too fast so I'll enjoy as many as I can in these last few years.  At least they are still ok with me tagging along.  One more week before crazy really starts to hit.  It will be a busier week than it has been but still not too bad.  What is really helping right now is no more swim and no more tennis but next week watch out.  The end of the school year craziness kicks in and of course the boys will be itching for it all to just be over so they will be squirrely and I'll have to keep them focused.  Lucky me.

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

Day 130- Monday, 5/9/16

My Mother's Day flowers are looking good by the front door in the afternoon sun and then later in the evening sun I'm loving how Rusty's ears light up as he watches the birds play during sunset.

Day 131- Tuesday, 5/10/16

Tyler finally brought home a print copy of the huge sports banner that hangs outside their high school gym.  He was selected to be in the picture to represent water polo this fall and is posed just under the start of the large R.

Day 132- Wednesday, 5/11/16

It's the end-of-year open house at Brandon's school and we took advantage of the food trucks there for dinner before heading to his class rooms to see what projects he's been working on.  The game board his team created in math was pretty cool and the Pandora's boxes the kids made in English were very creative.

Day 133- Thursday, 5/12/16

Justin's archery club officially started today and he's happy to have his friend Minh-tri there as well.  It was a good start and a nice change of pace now that tennis is officially over.  Their tennis team finished yesterday as league champions.

Day 134- Friday, 5/13/16

This guy has taken to playing basketball in the evenings with friends.  It's a great way for him to de-stress and end his day especially now that he's not swimming.

Day 135- Saturday, 5/14/16

Time for dinner out with the Wongs.  It was a beautiful evening and we went to a couple different places for drinks, appetizers, and good eats.  What a fun weekend night!

Day 136- Sunday, 5/15/16

Garden wars continue.  The struggle is real people!  There was blood, sweat, and tears but I tamed the jungle and am officially done with the entire yard.  At least it was a really nice day so I didn't mind being outside.  I just wish some of those plants were a little smaller, didn't require a ladder, and didn't have thorns.  In the process I did discover that the neighbor's tree which hangs into our yard is now full of beautifully red cherries.

Ok that's it.  Check back next week to see our our cavern's trip went.

Week 19

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Last week was much slower than the week before and a nice change of pace.  This week is not looking too bad either and then it starts to get real crazy again just before graduation.  I'm just going to enjoy the slower pace for now and worry about the busy as it comes.  I'm also looking forward to a warmer and dryer week.  It is May after all!

Here's what happened last week which was a fun one:

Day 123- Monday, 5/2/16

Justin is super excited one of his favorite teachers is starting an archery club.  They used to offer archery as part of PE but no longer so having an after school club is just as nice or even better and it starts next week right after tennis season ends.  It was meant to be ;0)

Day 124- Tuesday, 5/3/16

Karate has started up again after a nice month-long break in April.  We're hoping it will be over for good before the end of summer once Brandon tests for his Black Belt.  He's so close and just needs a bit of motivation to kick it in gear.

Day 125- Wednesday, 5/4/16

May the 4th be with you!  I pulled this mask out of Tyler's room for today mostly to see how this kid would react.  He hated it as a preschooler and was so afraid of it that we had to hide it in a closet for years.  I was happy to see he picked it right up, gave it a good inquisitive look over and then said, "Hey mom, you should take my picture with this today."  Now he wants it to live in his room.  My baby is all grown up and no long afraid of the Vader in his house.

Day 126- Thursday, 5/5/16

Happy Cinco de Mayo, and I'm home for the afternoon so I can actually cook.  We decided on nachos with fresh guacamole. Yum!

Day 127- Friday, 5/6/16

This afternoon I weeded the front yard and found this pretty flower in full bloom on a weed-yes it's a weed!  I left it alone at first because it was so pretty but then an hour later it closed up so I decided to pull it.  We don't need anymore weeds even the pretty ones.

Day 128- Saturday, 5/7/16

Girls trip with these lovely ladies to Napa for some wine tasting and a little picnic.  Sadly the weather did not cooperate and it rained pretty much all day, but we still found a good dry spot for our picnic and had a lot of fun. 

Day 129- Sunday, 5/8/16

Happy Mother's Day!  I was spoiled by John and the boys with gifts and a nice breakfast.  Then we all went to see The Jungle Book together--my pick.  If it were up to the boys it would have been the Captain America: Civil War movie--maybe next time.  The weather also cleared up and it turned out to be a really nice day which will hopefully lead into a really nice week.  I hope everyone else had a wonderful Mother's Day as well.  You all deserve it.

That's it.  Be sure to check back next week.