Summer Fun

We had two encounters with old friends this week. First we hit the zoo with my friend LN and her four kids (including the 4-year old triplets!) We hadn't seen the kids since the triplets were like 18 months old. Nothing like seeing the zoo again from the eyes of a preschooler! LN and I have been friends for probably 20 years!



Thursday we hit Cedar Point with the girls and an old friend of JC's. She is also a bestie of cousin RM and she came to stay with them for a week. She and JC were in second and third grade together and they got to be great friends. The Point was busier than we expected for a Thursday, but they had a great time. For a change, the weather was not blazing hot and 90! They got on most of the big coasters which was a plus!


School starts in a month.....still much fun to be had by this gang!

Summer Winding Down

JC finished swim team this week. He made such great progress. He shaved almost 8 seconds off of his breast stroke and about 6 off his freestyle. He made it to the consolation round for breast stroke in championships this week. They had a little party and he received the most improved award....which he ironically also received after his first Middle School season. One of the parents who has been around swimming a long time said he has just made such tremendous progress and said we really need to keep him in the pool. We are looking at options, but most range from 700-1200 and are year round! We have one option that is a short fall pre-season, so we are looking into whether he is old enough for that. Let's hope!

Baseball evaluations for fall ball are next week....hard to believe. It feels like we just finished spring ball. JM is doing a lacrosse camp in a few weeks to try it out. Figured he needs to see if he likes it before we spend the money on equipment!

I got a full-time job at the elementary school as a TA for math/literacy support, so I am less than excited than ever for summer to end! We have been gone so much this summer that it seems we are now just relaxing. The pool pass has been great with these horribly hot days. We have just had constant heat this summer.....more 90+ degrees days than ever! Been really trying to catch up on the scrapbooking before school begins. I'm not too far behind....just finishing up Christmas of 2009. Could be worse!

Wow, one year later....

It has been almost a year since I posted last, and looking back there are some things that never change! 11 months later and my mother is back to scheduling surgery for what might be a cancerous growth on her kidney. My dad just finished a grueling new treatment a few weeks ago. He has a new tumor that is wrapped around his carotid artery and causing him to black out and have seizures. He still has not found out if it worked; they are hoping it shrinks it enough that he is more comfortable. Nothing else much they can do.

We are into our second week of summer vacation and so far, so good. We spend week one in North Carolina and had a great time. JM, for the first time, loved the ocean waves. The kids were swimming either in the ocean or our pool probably 6+ hours a day. Their skin shows it....very dried out! It as 90+ every day and we only had two small storms after dark. Perfect way to start the summer.

We are back to baseball, swim team, and JC volunteering at the library. JM's team got a bye in the first round and won in round two. Now we play tomorrow and if we win, Saturday is the championship. He hit in the winning run last night. It seems we are pretty booked this summer, but will definitely use our pool pass as much as possible! JC's first swim meet is tonight, should be fun.

Off to shoo the boys off of Wii and the computer to get them to do a little reading. They read a lot in the car during the vacation and trying to not slack off already!

Life in the Crazy Lane!

Life has been a little nuts the last month....I know, what's new?

We just learned that my mother has cancer. She had some pre-cancerous tissue removed in the same area about 6 years ago. It is considered a "high-risk" cancer...what ever that means. So, she goes next week for a pre-surgical appointment and hopefully they can get her in soon for surgery. She is in a lot of pain and discomfort. Luckily, my dad is recovering well from his cancer surgery. He is working on talking again and is even out riding his bike. Get one better, and one falls apart...geesh!

My brother's wife went into pre-term labor last week. The little bugger was about 5 weeks early, so that was little scary. They transported her to Toledo to give birth because the hospital where they live was not a high enough level NICU. He is doing remarkably well for being so early and was home in two days. Can't wait to see him! JM is glad he is no longer the youngest.

It has been 18 weeks since I hurt my foot and it is still not 100%. I am done with PT, but still have a lack of strength and stability and pain. So, the doc is looking at some surgery to clear out what he thinks is scar tissue causing the pain. We'll see. He THINKS it is from scar tissue...can't you do a scan of some sort and know for sure before poking around in my foot and sending me back to PT...umm, I think so!

This is our first week without baseball since April 8th! It has been nice.....of course the boys are out playing catch with dad as I type. They love their baseball. Evals for fall ball and tryouts for Spring travel are next week, so the break is short lived. JM is not sure he is trying out for travel...I think the tryouts are too close to the end of the season and he is a bit burned out. He loved playing, but when he looks at tryouts already he gets a little apprehensive.

So, such is life! Crazy, busy, and full of surprises!

Summer Vacation, So Far, So Good

Our summer has gotten off to a fast and furious start. School was over on a Friday and we headed out camping that Sunday. We went to Kentucky near Mammoth Cave with my Sister-in-law and her gang. The kids took the tent, and DH and I stayed in the camper (I hate tent camping!) We had great weather and the campground was great. Bathrooms and showers were super clean and the kids loved the pool. We had to drag JM out of it each day. There was a little mini-golf course and activities for the kids. They went down to watch movies most evenings and played hide and seek another night. I had to miss the trip to Mammoth Cave because of my darn foot. Way too much walking. I am at 12 weeks and still swollen and bruised. My physical therapist highly recommended I avoid the cave....figured he didn't want to seem some story on the news of me being rescued!

Between baseball, JC's fitness camp and volunteering at the library, I am back to my job as taxi driver. If only it paid as well as when I was subbing! I think I made three trips out so far today just to tote JC around town. Tonight he has convinced me to go watch playoff baseball games for his league...his team finished in first and earned a bye. JM's team won their first playoff game last night 16-11. He was 2 for 3 with two doubles. Fun stuff! They even got to play under the lights.

We are excited to see all of the cousins in a few weeks. Always a good time when we get together. Our theme for the cousin's party this year is a "50s-60's Bash". We are going to watch a "drive in" movie and the kids are all going to make cardboard cars to attach to their chairs. Should be a good time...hopefully the weather will cooperate.

It Happened Again.....

I came home from subbing yesterday to find a Sheriff's car in front of my house and DH home.....2 hours early. Someone broke into our house AGAIN (2nd time in 15 months) and my oldest was the one to come home and find it. The bastards tried to kick in both doors (which DH reinforced after the last break-in). When that didn't work, they ripped the sliding screen door off our bedroom french door. When that failed, they threw a damn rock through our kitchen window. We think there were two, and one got a cut from the glass (HA HA) and bled on one of our new King size pillows. They took two entire drawers from one of my dressers....not just the contents, the whole damn drawer. Duh! They took a pillowcase....just dump the contents please. (Can you tell I'm a little pissed!) We had been saving change to help buy JC the mini-motorcycle he wants for his birthday. We had rolled about $100 in coins over the weekend....gone. I am still racking my brain to remember what all was in the drawers. The tried to take the Playstation, but left it. The alarm must have rushed them enough.

I am so angry that JC had to go through that. I found it the first time and know how much it freaked me out. I hate not feeling safe in my own home. He will no longer be coming home from school by himself, which also ticks me off. He enjoyed the responsibility, but I just can't do it. They left a lot behind, and I am afraid they will come back. DH had to replace both doors, although they didn't get in that way, they were damaged. The window is on order. Not sure what the insurance will do about the dresser...we really need to replace the whole thing. They did have a lead for a guy who cut his arm and was in the ER....he had no explanation of how it got there...DUH...make up a excuse idiot! Not sure what good it will do. I'm sure they released him, and if his blood is a match to what they found, what will they do. Issue a warrant and hope they run into him. Oh, and the detective that came was a jerk...hello, a little sympathy and consideration please.

To top it off, our well pump died Friday and was $1300 to replace. I give up at this point!

Preview of Great New Book

Most of "us" are too old for this....but I am sending out a fun challenge (for our kiddos!) I was sent a copy of "The Double-Daring Book for Girls" to help with promotion. I need to throw out a challenge from the book....so (from page 120) how many jumps can your kiddos do on a pogo stick. For those of us in the 35+ crowd, don't hurt yourselves....but feel free to give it a try! Let me know how many you get in!