Still here

I'm still alive. Things have been a wee bit chaotic these first two weeks of summer!

Most normal people relax and slow down during summer vacay! At our house, it's the opposite. Lance's busy season is summer and so is mine, so our kids don't have the hazy,lazy days of summer that I did growing up.

Plus, the kids have spent the last two weeks in swimming lessons; N had Space Camp this week and we had VBS every night! The exhaustion has arrived!

But, Lance leaves town tomorrow morning and the kids and I have exactly two things planned for the weekend: playdate with friends and church on Sunday and THAT IS IT. I'm beside myself with excitement at the lack of things to do. Although, I'm sure a few loads of laundry and some vacuuming may have to be squeezed into our weekend of laziness!

Swimming

Swimming...that should be the motto of our summer this year. Summer 2008 - the year of the swimmer.

How weird is it then that my kiddos are just now taking swimming lessons? Who does this? Well, pretty much a momma and daddy that were not on top of things when it came to signing up in the spring! When you wait too long, August is the only time left and 8am at that!!!

So how are the lessons going?

LeeLee is a little fish - she loves to swim!!! and knows no fear!!! In her little class of 3 and 4 year olds, she was quickly given her own little teaching assistant because of her daring abilities and that fact that she is scared of NOTHING!

N, is my fearful child, but is doing well also. He has learned how to do a backstroke this week which is HUGE for him - he has never let us put him on his back before. I'm proud of him and how far he has come this summer. Back in June, he wouldn't even put his head under the water and now he loves to dive under.

Next week, we head south to South Padre Island. Our cottage that we are renting has it's own private pool that we'll swim in, we're also planning beach time and a day at Schlitterbahn. My little fishies will get one more week of glorious summer fun before we head back to school.

N starts 1st grade on August 25th and I honestly can't believe it. Last year was huge starting K, but truly it was harder for me on the last day of school than the first. I guess I saw how quickly time flew by and that before I knew it, I'd be watching him graduate.

1st grade will be fun - he will start getting "real" grades and I'm sure the expectation levels will be higher. We've got new shoes, new backpack and lunchbox, and a new back-to-school outfit (well, shorts and shirt) and his school supplies are purchased. I can't think of anything else to do! We are ready!

Hope you all enjoy your last carefree summer moments!

He's coming home!

Lance is coming home tonight from his last overnight trip of the summer! Yippee! I'm so excited. Although this summer has been the easiest yet with the kiddos, they're older, they went to grandparents for a week, it's still not my favorite time of the year! I really admire single mothers - whether it's a permanent situation or whether it's long-term temporary - like military wives or women whose husbands work somewhere else and don't make it home often. I'm a single mom every year in June and July and while I love it the first week, the rest of the time, not so much!

These are the things we do while Lance is gone:

swim, swim, swim

see movies - we've seen WallE (very good!) and Kung Fu Panda (not so much!)

eat sandwiches and chicken nuggets for dinner - yes, really every night, well except when we have mac n cheese!

read books, play games, ride bikes, go to the park

I have little structure and it is summer, after all - but I'm ready for him to come home and have a little more structure.

I try to make things fun for them while he's gone so that they are making happy summertime memories. The hard part for my kids is that our vacations will never be in June or July like the rest of the free world and sometimes you just need Dad around to talk to for fix stuff.

N is starting to get to the age that he needs his Dad around more and I think we are going to have to get more creative to make that possible.

Weekend of Spoiling

My Mom arrived in town Friday afternoon and has spent the weekend spoiling the kids and I. She always plans a trip once in the summer while Lance is gone. I enjoy visiting with her and having company in the evenings once the kiddos are in bed and the kids enjoy the special treats that come with having Nana here. She always has a goody for the kids and buys the Sunday newspaper for me. Before kids, I read the Sunday paper every week. Now, I'm lucky if I read it 2 or 3 times a year!

This year, she has been splashed on by the pool and grunted at by L. I'm not sure why, but L has decided to be a little pill for Nana. N has always favored his Nana since he was a newborn and enjoys cuddling with her although it's getting harder and harder to cuddle with a very skinny 6 1/2 yr old that barely fits on her anymore!

Thanks Mom for spoiling us and keeping us company while Lance is gone!

super saturday

Today was "family" day at our house! This means no friends, just the 4 of us. This doesn't happen very often as friends are usually always welcome, but....this is the last day we have together for 2 weeks. That's a long time!

I'm used to the crazy summer schedule as that's the only one I've had since marrying Lance in 1994. Before kids, I used the time alone to watch "chick" flicks and work on projects. Once N arrived in 2001, things became the "single" mom life and when L arrived in 2005, things became even crazier. I have great respect for single moms who do everything and do it day in and day out - what a difficult job. I also have admiration for those moms whose husbands travel all the time.

Things the kids and I will be busy doing this summer while Lance is gone: swimming, swimming, and more swimming! My kids have turned into fish this year. L is especially good and adventerous in her aquatic adventures. Today she ventured off the "big kid slide" at Adamson's Lagoon. N is gaining more confidence and is stepping out of his comfort zone to try new things (like the slide today!)

The kids are also enjoying an additional week of fun this summer---a trip to grandparents for a week! They will split their time between my parents and Lance's. This is the first time they will go for 5 entire days by themselves. They will have a great time and I will have the opportunity to get some projects done and enjoy some time with friends and of course, work :(