How I Spent My Summer Vacation (so far)

You would think that with my infrequent blogging, we are just busy, busy, busy with summer activities. Um, yeah. Not so much. Still, summer is flying by and we have to be doing something to pass the days like:

I would be the one doing this, not the kids. Usually they are my audience or play Webkinz on the computer while I sweat away. And considering I started this shortly after my birthday in March, I am doing more of a 100+ day shred.

I read more books in the summer than any other time. While the girls play outside, I sit my ass in a chair and attempt to read inbetween requests to get snacks, put on helmets, applying sunscreen and negotiating world sisterly peace,. So far this summer I am into books about people who find dead people. The first series I read was by Charlaine Harris (still have to read the first book in the series of three) and the one I am currently reading is the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz.

Ah yes, a majority of my time is spent making peace between the girls. They actually play together about 90% of the time--I maybe have to intervene 25% of the time.

Since I read a lot, we tend to visit the library a lot. The girls also love to read and check out DVD's. Right now we currently have 46 items checked out. The girls are both doing the summer reading program; Emma has probably read a ton more than I have given her credit for.

With the grocery store around the corner now, we seem to make it there once or twice a week. Maybe someday we'll even walk there.

Of course there are the weekly trips to Target.

And when you mix Target with 90+ degree temps and humidity that would rival the Amazon, you end up with things like this. Of course we never had one growing up, so who am I to deprive my children the opportunity to slide down a wet, slippery piece of plastic into ice cold water? Leah can't quite hurl her 30lbs down the slide, so she ends up running and then crawling to the end. Yesterday I put in in the backyard down a slight decline, so gravity and a push from big sister helped give her some momentum. I haven't tried it out yet, the warnings of death are so far deterring me. That and I don't want to look like and idiot when I get stuck halfway down the slide, too.

At the end of next week we will make our annual trek to Omaha for baseball, food, fireworks, family, the zoo, and anniversary celebrations. After that is the county fair--the girls and I will spend the better part of a week up at my parents. Then swim lessons for Emma, the State Fair, and school will be starting. Summer is almost over! :P

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Friday was hubby's birthday. Since his birthday was pretty much covered by the new golf clubs, shoes, driver, clothes, and golf trip to Nevada at the beginning of the month, we had a pretty low key birthday celebration. I had the girls color some pictures for him and we hung those up around the house with some balloons and put streamers on the door into the house from the garage. Emma drew him a picture from the cat and they helped pick out his poker-themed birthday card.

He got to pick where we ate tonight and his choice was more about the view than the food. There is a restaurant near campus that is located on the 7th floor of an apartment building. From the windows you can see campus and beyond--the girls loved the view. After supper we took a quick walk around Lake LaVerne and even saw Sir Lancelot and Elaine. The girls love going on campus and Emma told us she is going to live ON campus when she grows up. If she is anything like her dad who spent many a late night studying at the library or in one of the engineering buildings, it may feel like she literally lives on campus.

When telling the girls how old daddy was, we said he was a Leah (3) and an Emma (6). Note, it isn't addition, just putting the two numbers side-by-side. ;) Don't think that will happen again!

Here are the girls singing "Happy Birthday" to daddy


The birthday boy and his cake


Happy Birthday, honey!

Miss Independent

Geesh, you give a kid a kindergarten diploma and she thinks she's ready to "set off" on her own. Seriously, those were her exact words. We were talking to the fabric cutting lady at JoAnn's and Emma told her she was going to set off on her own when she had enough money and buy a dog. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Here she is getting her diploma at the end of the school year

And with Grandma who came to watch the program


Her plan is to move into the house next door and live by herself. But she would come over to get food of course and Dad would pay the bills. Why do I foresee her living with us after college?

She is our athelete and just finished up softball. Albert Pujols, watch out!

Hubby was working on her batting out in the front yard and she was crushing that plastic Better Batter Baseball ball. The next night she had a game and told her coach "My dad gave me a few tips for batting." When her coach asked her what they were, she replied, "I don't remember."

If you remember, she used to wish she was a boy. She liked boy colors. She wanted her hair like a boy. Last night she asked if she could sleep in just pants with no shirt, just like a boy. I told her that was fine because I remember wanting to do the same thing when I was about her age.

But she surprised me yesterday when she asked to get a dress. And she wanted it to be just like Leah's so they could match. Huh? Where did this come from? The girls want to surprise Daddy on Friday for his birthday by wearing matching dresses. We'll see what he thinks since the last time I dressed them the same he thought it was silly and said, "They aren't twins, you know." That time it wasn't voluntary; this time they thought of it themselves.

I really should start writing down the funny things Emma says. Like this morning when she told me I should really clean up the cat puke because, "When I am a Mom, I would clean it up right away!" Or the other night at supper after I told her "no" to something she told me, "I would always say 'yes'!" She has many parenting tips for me, yet she claims she isn't going to have kids when she grows up.

Just stay like you are, I'm not looking forward to the angst of the pre-teen/teenage years!

The Shoe Saga part Deux

After three months of buying and returning various sizes, styles, and colors of running shoes I may have found a winner!! You may be saying, "yeah right, you said that a month and a half ago" but this time I think it is for real. If you remember this post, I had my hoped pinned on a very cute pair of Sauconys. I got them, put them on, and wore them while making dinner. Just during that short period of time my shins started to hurt, so they went back in the box without even getting a trial run on the treadmill.




After some research, I came up with these

They are Saucony ProGrid Guide 2, in wide. I would've loved to get the orange and white to be funky, but they didn't come in wide. Blue happens to be one of my least favorite colors (sorry, KKG) but hey if the shoe fits. Ha ha. I have been on the treadmill about 5 times with these and no pain--not even from my bunions. I did order two different sizes and am waiting on the next size up to come to see if I'm in the right size.

All I can say is thank god for online shoe places that have free shipping/return shipping. I know I've sent back at least 6 pairs of shoes so far. The place where I ended up with these is www.runningwarehouse.com and I'll buy from them again. They have free 2nd day UPS service and great customer service. They also have the cheapest price that I found on the shoes I wanted to order. Check them out, they have a large selection.

Now that I have the shoes, I need to get back into my C to 5K training. I've made it through once, started it up once again, and am now starting on Week 5 (once again). My sister and I are hoping to sign up for a local 5K on July 11th, so I need to get moving!

Bring on Summer!

Sorry for the absence last week, it was a crazy week. Visitors, finishing up school, softball, getting stuff ready for vacation bible school, hubby gone--we were busy every day. The week actually flew by which was nice since hubby was off playing in the desert, but not so nice that I had headaches/migraines at least four of the days. We made it through, school is done, and hubby is home once more. I'm sure he'd rather be golfing and losing money in Vegas than working for the money, but he has to pay off his gambling debts somehow.

So Friday was the first official day of summer vacation. How many days until school starts again?! Thankfully the girls will play together, but playing together nicely 100% of the time doesn't always happen. We have vacation bible school to keep us busy this week, but even with that I'm hearing, "Can we have a playdate?" "Can we play at the playground?" "Can we play outside?" This will happen every day for the next three months ad naseum.

It's about time to make lunch. By the end of the summer we will have consumed enough peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches to build a house. Sometimes we get crazy and do peanut butter and honey. Last week we ate them outside. Next we may try in a box or with a fox or on a boat or with a goat. We'll see, gotta keep it fresh.

Almost done!

Even though there are three days left of school for Emma, I don't think much is getting done. Today was "fun in the sun" day, so they could wear their swimsuits, bring towels and beach paraphernalia and must've had some games planned. Too bad it is 60 degrees and raining. :(

Tomorrow is Emma's presentation for her Project Go reading enrichment group on the Gold Rush. She wants me to take her to school (a first all year!) and I'll help her get into "costume". We spent $1.50 on a yard of fabric so my mom could make her a long skirt and we fixed an old apron I had so she could wear that over her skirt to look like she lives in the 1840's. I'm pretty sure they had Gap glitter flip flops back then, because that is what she has for footwear at the moment. I'll stay at school and help her teacher pack up toys and things while the kids get to watch a movie and eat popcorn.

Thursday is the last day of school which includes make your own sundaes. That reminds me, I need to add Gummi Bears to my shopping list--that is our contribution to the sugar high they will send the kids home with. It is hard to think back to that first day that we put her on the bus and went in to listen to the teacher read "The Kissing Hand" to the class.

Emma also has a softball game on Thursday night. so after softball I will take the girls to Hickory Park for a celebratory dinner and ice cream. Hubby's long-awaited guy's golf trip happened to fall on this last week of school (since last week was supposed to be the last week--gotta love those snow days!) so he is missing out on all the fun.