End of the school year

So many things going on at the end of the school year!

Evan had a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum and field day in the same week! (I got a sunburn both days, too.) Unfortunately, my camera was being repaired, so I don't have any digital pictures to share. That didn't bother Evan, of course, and he had a great time.

The next week was the last week of school. On Thursday he had his final awards day of the year. He was one of three kids in his class to have received "All E's" for the entire year. (This is the same as all A's, but doesn't get called that until second grade.) I was proud of how hard he has worked this year, and excited for him because he really does enjoy it (both school and the awards).


On Friday, the last day of school, everyone got out early. We all went to a local sprayground with some other friends from school to celebrate. We spent a good couple of hours there, and the kids had a lot of fun. It was a nice way to celebrate the beginning of summer vacation!

The peaches are ready!

As we drove back in from Granbury we were greeted with an unpleasant sight: one of the limbs on our peach tree had cracked from the weight of the peaches. This was the second limb to crack this year, even though Steve had pruned the tree and thinned out the peaches. I think we have learned to thin it out even more and maybe even earlier in the season.

The peaches were (mostly) ready to be picked anyway, so Steve picked a lot that night. There were still a lot left on the tree, so some friends came over to help pick the next day. We almost cleaned off the broken limb that morning. I finished it off that afternoon. I had lots to share and lots to eat here.




We still have some on the tree, so if you live close by and want to pick some for yourself, call me! We would love for them to find good homes (or bellies)!

Memorial Day in Granbury

Since Grandma was in town, Steve was off from work, and neither of the boys had school, Memorial Day seemed to be a perfect day to drive to Granbury. It was nice to just get away from home and all of the things to do - even if it was for just one day.

One of the highlights of the trip for the boys was going to a swimming pool with a diving board. Evan was a little nervous at first, but then we had trouble getting him off when it was time to leave. Joel tried a few times, but didn't like it as much. He wanted to cover his ears when he went off the board. Of course, after I got my camera out and ready to take pictures, he didn't want to dive anymore.





Another highlight was getting to play with all of their dad's old Lego sets. They even got to pick out some to bring home! Joel picked a big castle and Evan picked some cool cars. Since Joel likes to make his own designs, Steve has been busy at nights putting the sets back together. (We have lost a few pieces from the boys sets, and really don't want to lose any of the pieces from these.)

We also brought back the other bed so that the boys can have bunk beds. We haven't assembled them yet, but it is on the "to-do" list.

All-in-all it was a relaxing day for us. However, it's important to remember the real reason that we set aside this day as a holiday and be thankful for those men and women who have given their lives so that our country can remain free. And I was saying extra prayers that day for my nephew who is currently serving our country overseas. So, I would like to thank all of our great veterans and their families - especially those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Thank you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Evan!

I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera after I got the camera back from the repair center. So, the pictures I took of Evan's birthday breakfast and present opening didn't get saved anywhere. I did get some pictures from his afternoon present - a new bike! Now Joel can officially claim Evan's old one, which he has been riding for a while anyway.


Evan did have a nice birthday, including some quality time with Grandma who was visiting. In our family the birthday person gets to pick out the meals for the entire day. He started the day off with french toast and strawberries. After breakfast he got to open some of his presents from us and Grandma & Grandpa. He went to church for his last day with his first grade group. After church, he had macaroni & cheese and hot dogs for lunch. I stayed after church for a meeting, so on my way home I picked up his bike as an afternoon surprise. The day was topped off with a tasty dinner of frozen pizza. He seemed to really enjoy his birthday and I enjoyed reminiscing about how he has grown these past few years!

from this ...


to this in 7 short years

First swim of the season

It's getting warmer. That means school is almost out and the pools are opening! We took the boys to the pool for an hour or so on Sunday. They were so excited about it! Unfortunately Evan has very little body fat, so he got cold pretty quickly. He still had fun, even wrapped up in a towel stretched out on a chair. Joel has asked me about this year's swim lessons. Guess I better get working on that!

Crazy, crazy week

I may have mentioned before that I need to adjust my idea of "normal". This week just proves that again. What is normal when you have little kids? They are constantly growing and changing, so our lives seem to be in constant chaos. I know that it is not really chaos, but it is constantly changing, and that feels like chaos.

This past week has been an especially challenging one. We are getting close to the end of school, so I am trying to take care of things that need to be done without the boys. Unfortunately, my boys decided to get sick this week. Now, I know that they didn't really plan this, but if they had they would be in a lot of trouble. It's hard to get upset with them when they are sick, but after a couple of days of crying, whining, complaining, and arguing about everything I try to do for them - it gets much easier!

It started with Evan complaining about a headache when he was supposed to be getting ready for bed on Monday night. When I got home (from a meeting at church), I checked on him and he looked bad. He woke up around my bedtime crying with a sore throat. The thermometer confirmed what I knew after touching his forehead - high fever. He ran the fever all day Tuesday, even getting up to 103.8 degrees. I looked in his throat that afternoon and saw red spots, so we went to the doctor. The strep test was negative, and the doctor wanted to do a mono test, too. It was also negative, so we got the "viral infection" diagnosis. His fever finally broke overnight, so Wednesday we dealt with a sore throat. By Thursday he was able to go back to school. I was very thankful because: 1. he had a special "writing open house" event at school that day 2. I needed a break.

Unfortunately, I didn't really get a break because Joel started running a fever Wednesday night. He missed school yesterday with a fever and a sore throat - complete with red spots on his throat. His fever seemed to break last night (pretty much on schedule with Evan's run), but today his temp is a little elevated. It's below 100, so it's not really a fever. Joel is actually eating food, though. This morning he had peanut butter toast for breakfast. (When Evan was sick I would only get him to consume smoothies and applesauce. Joel, on the other hand, won't touch the smoothies or popsicles that I bought for him.)

In the middle of all that, Joel had his spring program on Tuesday. When I started to take pictures, I realized that my camera battery had died. When I tried to get it out to charge it, I couldn't. (This is my new camera.) After checking online and calling Sony, it was determined that I needed to send it in for repair. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh! It's tough to get to the post office with sick kids, but I finally made it yesterday. I am relying on friends for pics from Joel's program. For Evan's writing open house (and in anticipation of his last football game and the awards night to follow, and the pool's opening), I went back to old-fashioned film. That camera has a zoom, so I am hoping I can get some good pics at his last game. I wasn't sure if I would be able to find film easily, but I did, so all is well.

I really feel like I need a nap! Poor Steve has been getting the kids to bed without much help from me this week because my nerves are pretty much shot by the time he gets home. I won't say that I hope that we are getting back to normal now, but I will say that I hope that I am getting more sane!

Feeling like a Queen!

The guys gave me such a nice Mother's Day! It was more like a weekend, actually.

It started out with the boys giving me gifts that they had made for me at school (Joel on Thursday and Evan on Friday).

Joel wanted to eat the cookie that was part of his gift. He thought it was his cookie, so we had lots of discussions about that. We did share it on Saturday. The pink flowers are made out of his handprints. Such a cute idea!


Some of the things Evan wrote made me almost cry! He is growing up and that was evident in his writing this year. It also touched me because he is more of a "daddy's boy", but what he wrote was really sweet and special for me. Here is one example (but you may have to click on it to read it better):
On Saturday I helped to host a shower for a friend who is getting married. I was gone for most of the afternoon, and when I got home this is what I saw as soon as I walked in the door.
What a treat! Steve had decorated so nicely and had cleaned a lot while I was gone! He had also bought me some roses. That night he grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for me, too. They were so yummy!

On Sunday we went to church together early in the morning (at least it was early for us). After church Evan took me to the Texas Rangers game. We had a nice time, even though it was cold and kept trying to rain on us. And the Rangers won! Since they had won the first three games against this team, I figured we would lose yesterday. But we won and swept KC!

Steve grilled for us again last night, so I had another great meal with my guys. He also made some cupcakes for me to finish off the meal. What a great weekend and my guys made me feel very special! I love them all very much!!!