Happy 4th!

We had a great day on Monday. We started by meeting some friends for a small town parade where Andy grew up. It was great! The parade was at 10am, was only 30 minutes long and the boys loved it. They got candy and saw lots of fire trucks and tractors. Win - win! Then we headed back to our downtown for more festivities. We looked at a few vendors, let the boys play a shooting game, & bought kettle corn for the evening fireworks. I bought two Christmas gifts that I am really excited about!

Then we let the boys play in the fountain. Of course they got soaked! We all took a nap in the afternoon and then Danny, Steph & Co. came over for a cookout. We kept it simple with burgers and hot dogs on the grill. The kids had a lot of fun playing outside. We all spent most of the day together which was fun! Then we went and saw fireworks that evening. The boys had 3 late nights due to fireworks last weekend. We had some grumps but overall it was fun anyway!

Summertime Thoughts

So we've entered my last free week of summer. So sad. Next Tuesday Andy and I are going to school to set up as much as possible. All furniture and technology for sure - then as much beyond that as possible. My mom is keeping the boys so we can be sure to get a lot done. I'll probably go in a couple other times that last week of July. Then starts PD, first day preparations, Parent Orientation etc. So I'm making the most of this last full week of freedom! This summer has been great but it has flown by. It was definitely a short summer.

Here are some things I've enjoyed:
* California. Wow.
* TN with my family & extended family
* shopping with the girls (SIL, MIL & friends from school)
* reading
* taking the boys to the pool, library, and just hanging out at home
* staying up late and sleeping in till about 8am
* getting myself back into running- just need to do it more
* the good feeling after a big cleaning project- cleaned fridge today and cleaned the Jeep a couple weeks ago. Still need to tackle the van and playroom...

Things I'm still looking forward to:
* Cincy with Andy and the boys to visit the Lego store and have a fun day!
* Taking Wilson school shopping
* A day at the lake
* more reading
* more pool with the boys

Things I could have done without this summer:
* falling out of a hammock swing (butt is doing better but still bruised. On a weight machine at the Y today I really felt it.)
* injuring my arm while trimming bushes for 3 hours. I developed tendonitis and had horrible pain for 2 weeks. Then wore a splint for 5 days and am feeling back to normal!
* Fighting and whining. But I wouldn't trade my boys for anything!

Tyler

Well, Tyler found out something he likes about the pool today. The snack bar! After my PD today I came home and our whole family went to the pool for a couple hours. Andy bought a cinnamon sugar pretzel to share with the boys. All 4 of them ate it. Every chance Ty had, he tried to walk back over to the snack bar. It was hilarious! I guess he thought we'd buy him another snack if he kept walking over there! He loves his food. :)

At home, before we went I tried to get him into his swim gear. He kept fussing and fighting me. Then when we got to the pool he was acting the same way as he did Saturday, wanting nothing to do with the water. We finally got him in for a bit and then he just walked around the edge with me following closely behind! It's going to be hard to go with all 3 alone unless he realizes he can stand at the side in the water and play or sit in the super shallow part...

See Gayla, I already ppsted again!

Summer Time!

So happy that summer is here! I finished packing up my room on Friday. Tomorrow I have PD all day and then I'm free! Thankful that this year is over. It was tough! Wilson is so excited to be a 1st grader, but more on that with his own post. The boys and I went to the pool yesterday to get summer started off right! It was fun. Ty did not like the pool at ALL for about 20 minutes. He stood on the wet concrete next to the pool and wouldn't even play with his toys. Finally somehow Andy was able to get him on his lap playing catch with me. He got braver and braver. As we played Andy kept inching in a little bit further until the water was on Ty's legs quite a bit. He realized that the pool is a fun place and did not want to leave with Daddy for his nap. Wilson, Luke, and I stayed an hour longer. The big boys jumped right in and did so well in the water! I was proud of them.
I leave for CA on Thursday morning way early and will be home Monday night. That week is our church's VBS so I'll be helping with preschool VBS Tuesday-Friday. This summer I'm just looking forward to time with the boys, going to the pool, reading some good books, and just relaxing! I've also started my morning exercise routine I'm going to try and make a habit over summer break. I woke up Friday and Saturday to exercise. Sunday is my day off from exercising I guess because I let myself sleep in today! Hoping to stick to my plan.
Our other plans this summer include going to Gatlinburg with all of Andy's family. We're also hoping to take a couple day trips as a family. Summer flies by - I want time to stand still!!

Strawberry Picking!

Yesterday the boys and I went strawberry picking with Cara and Co. It was fun! A very hot morning but we didn't pick berries for very long. The kids had a great time. When we were done picking berries Silas had a red mouth! He picked to eat, not fill a basket!! Wilson was more into picking berries than Luke. Luke just wanted to hold the basket for me! Wilson was off picking on his own - for about 10 minutes! We bought enough to make 1 fresh strawberry pie and to eat berries this week. It was a great morning!

School's almost out!!

One. More. Day.

So looking forward to being home with MY kids and taking care of them!! It's going to be a great summer!

School's Out!!

My 7th year of teaching is over! It was a good feeling to walk out of there yesterday. I had a good year and overall great class but I'm so glad it's over! Next week I'll go in Monday to finish packing up my room for summer cleaning. Andy is going to come help for a while as my muscle man. Then Wednesday and Friday I have PD for next year. My team and I have reservations for PF Chang's on Wednesday. We received a gift certificate from our student teachers to use as a team so we've saved it for our end of the year celebration. I need to find a long term sub for maternity leave in the fall and that is worrying me right now. I'm dreading back to school time since I will be cow sized and having to unpack and set up my room without any energy! I hope I can find a good sub. Summer plans aren't set yet but we're hoping we'll be moving. We are going to West Virginia for several days - Andy has a youth mission trip there and the boys and I will be visiting his Nanny. We've talked about a short trip to Cinncinatti to take Wilson to an indoor climbing place and then take the boys to Kings Island. I want to take the boys swimming a lot (just have to get a maternity bathing suit first) and spend lots of time relaxing! I hope to have several Mary Kay parties over the summer (let me know if you want to host!!). Have a great summer!