Dive In!

The kiddos completed swimming lessons today. We've been going now for three weeks. We weren't able to get all the kiddos in the same session (getting into swim lessons is a BIG deal here and the spots fill up FAST). In fact, we weren't even able to get them at the same aquatics center. Bear and Mr. B began their lessons three weeks ago at the "old" aquatics center from 9:45 to 10:30am. Lessons are Monday thru Thursday for two weeks. It was the middle week that things got interesting. The older boys continued their same time, but the little ones began their lessons at the "new" aquatics center on the other side of town - from 10:30 to 11:15am. I'm sure you can see there's a slight problem with the boys getting done on one side of town at 10:30 and the little ones beginning on the other side of town at the same time. Thankfully, it worked out somehow. Because of my classes, I only had to worry about two days and poor Papa Edd dealt with the other two days (thanks Papa!). All the kiddos did well this year, but Miss Shay was the only one who passed her level (Cavy was so close). Today was "fun" day at lessons, so the kids could go down the slides or off the diving boards. I must say I was surprised and wowed to see both Shay and Cavy going off both the low diving board and off the high dive platform. I admit I was a bit nervous, but they did AWESOME! I wish I had some pictures of the big boys at their lessons - but they didn't bother to tell me that I could bring my camera on their fun day. :( All in all, I'm glad to have four little fishies, who love to swim, and are learning how to do it safely.

The big boys hanging out during the little ones' lessons.

Hurry up, Mom!  The sun is bright!!

Cavy & Shay in the middle.

There goes my girl!

I think Cavy was a bit nervous at first...

...but he took a leap of faith!  :)

There's both my babies - Cavy on the low board & Shay on the high platform!

Look at how high up he is!! 

I have some brave kiddos! :)

Well, that's all for tonight - it's late and I'm beat.  I just completed my "final" paper for my bio class.  It was 5 page minimum paper.  Mine turned out to be 20 pages (including the title page).  Sigh...  Now I just have to complete 2 assignments for my online class and my final paper.  I'm going to try to study hard this weekend - I'm so ready to be done and have some fun with my babies before it's time for them head back to school! 

Nighty-night!

~S

Gimme A Break!

I feel as though I haven't posted in a really long time.  I guess that's a good thing.  We had a crazy weekend - go figure.  On Friday, Mr. B had a friend over and decided it would be fun to race his buddy up the basement steps to the bathroom on our main level.  In the process, he whacked his foot on his little brother's train table.  He fussed about it hurting for awhile (and I'm sure it did hurt), but by the time the afternoon turned into evening, I started becoming concerned.  You see, football practice will be starting soon, and I kept thinking if his toe is really broken - he probably shouldn't be running on it.  So, like any responsible and paranoid mother, I took him to the doctor.  X-rays confirmed his toe was indeed broken, and apparently the crack runs right down to his growth plate.  Apparently that means there is a chance the growth of that toe could be stunted, but the doc said it's a very small chance.  Mr. B thought this all was fabulous and maybe even a bit funny...until he found out he had to wear this ugly post-op, ortho shoe for 4 to 5 weeks.  And when he found out that would interfere with football and also beginning a new school (middle school) with this ugly shoe on...the tears began to flow.  Ugh..  Why oh why do kids do such goofy things - like racing to the bathroom?  I guess because they're KIDS.  Anywho, he's been a pretty good sport about the whole thing, and even enjoyed some extra TLC from Oma & Papa Edd. 

In the doctor's office, waiting for the results of the x-ray.

The ortho shoe.

The bruising on his foot (his broken toe is the one next to his little toe).

Perhaps he'll start a new trend (I highly doubt it).

In other news, we had another garage sale over the weekend.  Our "across the street" neighbors decided to have a garage sale and offered to advertise a block sale if we wanted to set out some stuff.  The hubby worked on his sales skills (he really does enjoy stuff like that), and Miss Shay and I got out of helping because we had a baby shower to attend (and I was in charge of decorations).  Our good friends, the Mains, are expecting a little bundle of joy in just a few weeks (the kind that's sugar and spice and everything nice).  We are so excited for them, and I'm sure they'll get sick of us popping in to get our baby fix once their little darling arrives.  Tanya's shower had a good turn out and wow, did she get loaded up with some good stuff! 

Miss Shay at the baby shower.

Tanya with her cake - it was yummy!

Decorations

I re-purposed empty (and clean) Starbuck's bottles with scrapbook paper and such.  The Snickers bars were to represent Mr. Main (who Shaylen coud NOT believe hadn't been invited to his own kid's baby shower).  LOL  For those of you who don't know - Shay calls Heath, "Snickers," so it was fitting.

On Sunday, I worked on homework. I'm happy to report that tomorrow is my final class for the summer semester. We are dissecting owl pellets...oh joy! It's much better than the frog we had to dissect last week! So, next week I have finals, and then I can relax and enjoy summer for a few weeks before it gets crazy again! I'm thinking about doing some sewing for Miss Shay. I've really been missing that for some reason...feeling creative, I guess.

The frog "before."

And "after," see his little legs sticking out? :P

Well, I'm staring at the hubby, who is fast asleep in the recliner, and I'm thinking perhaps I need to get some sleep too.  I need some good sleep, because for some reason I did a lot of dreaming last night - odd dreaming.  Why do we dream anyway??  Another question to research ...some other time.  I guess there was an upside to all the dreaming last night.  It seemed I had a "magic" photo album and every time I flipped to the page with a picture of my dad with a set of golf clubs (that he apparently bought me), on my front steps, my doorbell would ring - and my dad would be standing on my front steps with golf clubs.  Crazy, huh?  He never bought me golf clubs in my life.  I will admit it was nice to hug him in my dream - and you better believe I did.  And then he would disappear (I don't know where he went), but I could go back inside, flip to that page and my door bell would ring again, and there he was again - so I'd hug him again.  This must've happened at least 4 times or so.  I have no idea what it means, do you?  Well, I want to be tucked in before the sandman stops by.  Sweet dreams!

Cavy snuggled and asleep next to Daddy with his blanket, "Blue," and his buddy, "Buddy."

I hope you are having a wonderful week!
Blessings~
S

The Lure Of Fútbol

The World Cup is over, and quite honestly, I only saw whatever highlights were on the news. Actually, to be even more honest, soccer is not really my cup of tea. I became a fan when my kiddos started playing the sport. I'll cheer for whatever they're doing...you know, because Moms are like that.

All of the kiddos have played soccer over the years, except for Mr. C, who got his first chance this summer. Yes, in the sweltering heat and humidity, every Tuesday night, Cavan has been bursting at the seams to get on the soccer field. This summer was our church's first attempt at a soccer league, and I think it's been quite successful.

Cavy posing with Daddy after a game.

It has been so fun to watch Cavy attempt to figure out the game of soccer. At first he was a little unsure, but his skill has grown with practice and he is LOVING it! He has scored quite a few goals, but more importantly, is learning how to be part of a team - and I really like that!

Ready for some action!

I have to say there is another draw to sitting in the heat and watching the little munchkins run back and forth after the checkered ball. Cavy has two coaches, and I have to say, even though they are both great - I am a little smitten with one of them. Maybe I shouldn't confess to this, but he has a wonderful smile and he is so positive with the kids. Dare I say he makes my stomach flip flop a bit? Well, what can I say...I'm only human!!

There's the coach I was telling you about on the left...you already knew, didn't you? :)  It's the hubby!!

Mr. Jones makes a fine coach and I'm his biggest cheerleader too. :)

Good game!

Well, that is all for today.  My house desperately needs picked up.  We're having a garage sale tonight and tomorrow (grrr), and I'm still not ready for that.  Oh, and I'm in charge of decorations for a baby shower tomorrow, and let's just say...I'm not quite done.  LOL  Keep your fingers crossed for me and have a wonderful weekend! :)

Blessings~

S

Sounds Like Rain...

I believe we've had more than our share of rainfall this summer!  We've had our boat out only once since the warm weather has enveloped us in its arms.  Of course, I can't blame all of that on the weather - we've been plenty busy.  However, we had a doozie of a storm last weekend.  Thankfully, we only lost a larger branch from one of our backyard trees, and we need to invest in a new flag post for the front of the house, but in comparison to some of the damage I saw on the news and have heard about - we were lucky. 

The front of the house - flag down, pole bent, welcome sign down.

We snatched the flag up off the ground as soon as I snapped the pics - I promise. :)

Our tornado sirens sounded about 3AM Sunday morning for high winds that accompanied the thunderstorms (not for a tornado).  I realize high winds can be very damaging, but gosh that's confusing for me.  I was raised knowing that if the tornado sirens are blaring - there's a tornado that's been sighted or on its way.  So, imagine my anxiety each and every time I hear that blasted thing go off!  We huddled in the basement for awhile, listening to our weather radio.  The kids, who did not want to get out of bed, were now wound up tighter than drums and ready to play.  It was after 5AM before we got everyone back to sleep.  Sigh..it was something, but we were all safe, praise God! 

View of the swingset.

Sunday morning we awoke and took a tally of our damage, like I said before, it actually wasn't too bad (and could've been much worse).  The hubby got right on the task of cutting up and clearing the mess.  Our backyard neighbor helped too, which was a really nice surprise (and very kind of him-it was HOT).  Then the kiddos picked up sticks for Daddy - teamwork - I love it! :) 

The tree.

The kiddos in front of the damage (and Miss Shay in her jammies).

Mr. B gives Daddy a hand while the others look on.  It makes me laugh how they are all standing the same. :)

Here's Bear lending a hand (wearing Shay's garden hat from her bday party). Ha!

As soon as he knew his pic had been taken, he threw the hat to the ground.  LOL

Well, it sounds like more storms tonight.  I'm praying they won't be destrutive - in fact, I'm praying they will just go away all together!  Dear Mother Nature...please send sunshine and LESS rain.  Thank you!

Hope you are staying dry. :)
Blessings~
S

Dopey, Doc, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, and ... Me

I'm tired tonight. I hate to say it, but I don't feel much like blogging. I feel more like soaking in a hot bath and maybe listening to some music that I like, and perhaps sipping on a glass of wine, but none of those things will happen. The kids are in bed for the night and the hubby and I are catching up on our DVR viewing. How is it that the DVR is supposed to save time and yet, somehow we have become a slave to it. We see that something is going to delete soon, so we "make" time to watch it. Sometimes it feels really wrong. LOL You know what I mean? There are so many other things we need to "make" time for ...things that have more worth than watching T.V., (even small things like soaking in a tub). Wow, sorry, I guess I'm tired and a bit crabby tonight. LOL I'll try to keep it under control.


I have a bit of good news - only three more weeks of summer classes for me! Hooray! Bad news is the three weeks are followed by finals week. :) Ah, it'll be alright. I've had so much homework to do, I'm looking forward to a few weeks off in August. I know, since I'm already anticipating the time off this much, it will be sure to fly by when it gets here.

In "family news," we got to spend some time with our niece (and her little guy), and our nephew on Saturday. It's been quite awhile since we've seen them and I have forgotten what it's like to keep up with a 15 month-old - exhausting!  It was wonderful to hug on Dana and Alex and listen them say that oh-so familiar line, "Auntie, you are so weird." LOL What's the point of having nieces and nephews if you can't be a little nutty with them? I have to really push to get my nuttiness out when I see them, because I'm bound by the laws of parenthood to not be that nutty with my own kids (I'm not a squirrel, ya know). :)

Bear & Shay before the parade.

Kaevon & Mr. B

Dana & Baby

Cavy & Kaevon before the parade.

Ready for candy - except for Alex (who is up in the chair - yawning). LOL

Miss Shay enjoyed wearing Dana's shades. :)

Papa and Emmitt

So much for a little guy to see.  :)

Like I said, it was great to see them. They came down with Papa Edd for our town's SummerFest parade. It was a hot morning for a parade, but the kids enjoyed it and they retrieved a lot of candy. Oh, sugar high, how I hate thee. The hubby had to work during the parade, which was a bummer, but we got over it. Highlights from the parade included watching a young policeman chew out some kids for running to get candy out on the "parade route." He even gave the parents a warning - but hey, it wasn't my kids, so I can think it's funny. ;) Another highlight was seeing my great-nephew, Kaevon, dancing away every time he heard music. It was great - he kept me smiling. Lowlights from the parade included Cavy feeling increasingly ill, and the stinking heat. Ugh. I would have to say the most interesting thing during the parade was a float featuring poll dancing. That was something new...to say the least. I guess times, they are a-changing.

Cavy feeling yucky...Papa took him home before the parade ended. :(

The pole dancing float (I wasn't kidding)!  LOL

He's so cute - I could just eat him up! :)

This pic is a bit fuzzy, but so sweet. :)

After the parade we went back to the house, hung out and watched some old videos of the kids (the niece and nephew too). We laughed a lot! Then, the hubby came home and we grilled for supper. I was a bit bummed to find out the hubby was feeling under the weather too. When it came time to put the kiddos in bed, Miss Shay said she couldn't swallow without her throat hurting, Cavy said his ears hurt (and he was running a fever), Mr. B said he wasn't feeling well, and the hubby was feeling worse. Sigh. So, Sunday morning we all slept in (and missed Church again :( ..), and the hubby took Cavy and Shay to the doctor (Mr. B said he was feeling better). Turns out the hubby has a sinus infection, Cavy has ear infection and some spots on his lungs (that I'm assuming could've turned into pneumonia?), and Miss Shay has a canker sore in her throat and one in her mouth - ouch! It's a little ironic that as soon as I'm done taking my meds for my sinus infection, we now have Cavy and Brett on meds. Ugh. Being sick during the summer really is the worst, and missing Church two weeks in a row is really putting us in a funk.  Bleh. 

Shay & Daddy sharing their pain.

(That's Cavy under the blanket.)

Thankfully, Cavy seemed to be feeling better after his first dose of Zithromax, so we went to watch ending "ceremonies" for SummerFest (aka: fireworks), on Sunday night. The bugs were tolerable and the rain stayed away, so it was all good. We even had a surprise visit from Mr. Main & Kaden on their bicycles. Mrs. Main was not out bicycle riding (and for good reason). I got to see her for the first time in ages over the weekend and her little tummy is a-growing! I can't believe we'll have a new baby "neighbor down the street" in just a matter of weeks! I'm looking forward to getting my baby fix!

Speaking of babies...back to mine. ;) He was feeling much better when I saw him after class this morning, and this afternoon we even made banana bread together. It doesn't get much better than that.  I'm so glad he is doing better.  Now, if he could just get rid of that nasty cough!  I think the hubby is feeling better today too.  Poor Shay is just playing a waiting game, but is getting plenty of ice cream for that throat! :)

Well, this didn't turn out too bad. I'm even feeling less grumpy. :) Perhaps a little bit of blogging is just what the doctor ordered. :) I hope YOU are staying well and are enjoying these lazy (and not so lazy) summer days.

Blessings~
S

If I Only Had A Brain

Define:  Nerd - •Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age-inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. ...


Remember the song the scarecrow sang in The Wizard of Oz?  It began like this...

I could wile away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain


And my head I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain...

I felt like that loveable scarecrow this morning...with my head all full of stuffin'.  Today it was back to the real world.  After enjoying much needed laziness over the long holiday weekend, it was back to my 8AM class this morning.  After I got into my minivan (yes, for cripes sake, I drive a flipping minivan...it could be considered "hot" in some alternate universe - or if I lived on the east coast the past few days - hope you guys get some cooler weather soon - seriously)...like I was saying after I got into my minivan for the third time this morning (yes third - and I hadn't left the garage yet), I was having some serious doubts if the neurons in the ol' brain were going to fire today.  So, I get to class (in the pouring rain) and while I'm waiting for the instructor to arrive, I try to further awaken my sluggish cerebrum by trying to decide which color of blazer he would arrive in - I swear he has one for every day of the week.  Today he was wearing a black blazer with brown slacks...and here I was guessing a brown blazer/black slacks combo...boy was I off.  Tee hee.  I wish I had the guts to tell him he'd look so much better (and younger) if he'd forego the sport coat.  For now, I'll keep working on delivering the message through telepathy. LOL ;)

Now, I do my best to enjoy each and every class I take, and this class has not been my worst experience by far.  It's an interesting class, just a bit unorganized...but who am I to judge??  I had to go back into the house twice this morning after starting my van...TWICE...once for my notebook and once for my cell phone. 
These things may seem trivial to you, but I am lost without my...notebook...did you think I was going to say cell phone?  Seriously - I am such a nerd.  I am the only person in the class that takes notes over everything - or at least the only person in the first two rows (I can't see behind me) but I think there is some invisible nerd forcefield that divides the classroom.  The first two rows define the students (nerds) who really want to learn from the students in the back two rows ,who just want to sleep.  Ha. 

The class I am taking is a science class and I am not really a science-savy person.  It's just not my strong suit, but I try.  I try.  In my class a girl sits next to me.  I like her very much - she's funny and friendly...and young.  I have to laugh because she talks to me throughout the whole class - which is very distracting because I'm old and have cobwebs in my noggin and need to pay attention to the instructor.  Anyway, today she leaned over repeatedly to say things like, "Ugh!  I can't stand this class!"  "Science just isn't my thing!"  "How much loooonger?!?"  I just politely smile and try to figure out what the instructor has said while I was exercising my facial muscles in a positive manner.  It's hard to take pity on my classmate.  She has missed at least 2 weeks of class (summer classes only last 10 weeks).  One of the weeks was for vacation - lucky her - just her and her hubby (they don't have kids).  Yes, she's a bit young and wet behind the ears, and today I just felt like enlightening her a bit when she said to me, "How can you find this stuff so interesting?"

I assured her that I do find class interesting, but there was a time in my life that I perhaps would not have felt this way.  However, after 10+ years of being a stay-at-home mom, my opinion of learning has chaged a bit.  This little gal does not have kids yet,but I wanted her to understand where I was coming from, so I said to her, "When you spend every waking minute of your day, for the majority of 10 years, watching Sesame Street, or Barney, or the Doodlebops, or Teletubbies, or whatever program your children are obsessed with at the time, you seriously start doubting your mental health."  Don't get me wrong, being a Mommy doesn't make you stupid, that's not what I'm saying at all.  But when the majority of your time is spent with people shorter than you (and I'm pretty short), and I'm not saying they're short by some genetic condition (it's just because they're kids, ya know), you feel like you lose your ability to communicate with other adults.  Or, at least communicate intelligently and effectively.  So when I returned to college last fall, I was very concerned if my brain would work how I wanted it to and how I needed it to.  I tried to make my table parter understand that every time I understand what the teacher is saying, and can make some kind of connection with it...that is a small victory for me...and I want to celebrate it!  I am excited that my brain is still capable of learning and I rejoice in taking my notes and listening intently (even if the subject isn't all that interesting to me).  I am a first-class, Grade-A...NERD, and I'm proud of it too! 

Early proof of my nerd-ism:

Yup...what can I say?  n*e*r*d

Blessings,

~S