We survived band camp week

I feel like this title actually deserves an exclamation at the end.  We made it!!  Catherine is pretty tired, and so am I, but we made it.

It doesn't mean things are relaxing though.  This evening is the swim wrap-up dinner.  Andrew is helping our friends move out-of-town today, and tomorrow we are heading out of town ourselves.  We have to be back early Monday afternoon because of football and band, and Robert begins cross country with an overnighter.  I have to have some band paperwork finished by practice Monday evening, which means I need to get it down this evening.  However, I also need to get some things finished at church, and of course laundry needs to be finished so we can leave tomorrow.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

And of course next week is August, and the rat race only gets crazier!

Hanging up the swim towels for another year

There is currently a load of swim towels in the washer.  We are officially finished with another season of summer swim.  Andrew was able to take Robert to the meet this evening and as expected, he didn't swim.  We are just grateful that the expected storms didn't hit and he was home by 7:00.  I am ready to put the towels away for now!

We made it through another championship morning

I never love swim championship day.  To begin with, it's hard to be excited about a summer day that finds me awake when the first number on the clock is still a "5".  We were out the door by 6:30 and at the pool at 7.  Five hours later things were complete...for the morning.  Thomas swam fairly well in his early events, but was disappointed in his later results.  Catherine and Robert were both pleased with their results overall as well.  Catherine and Thomas are both officially finished for the season, and essentially Robert is as well.  He is an alternate in two events tomorrow, but realistically he won't be needed.  He has to get up to go to practice tomorrow, but that is still sleeping in almost three hours compared to this morning.

Catherine and I were home less than an hour before we were out the door for day three of band camp.  I was so hot and tired...I can't even imagine how she is functioning.  On the upside, she will get to sleep in even more tomorrow.

This weekend we are heading to my in-laws, and then mandatory fall sports practices begin next week.  School begins three weeks from today.  Not looking forward to getting up everyday with a "5" on the clock, but grateful for our everyday lives!

In the middle of band camp week

This week is band camp week.  Traditionally, the stress for my band responsibilities has been the week leading up to camp.  This year however, our directors decided not to go away and just to do band camp each day at our school.  I was one who particularly had pushed for this, and since I don't really have any work commitments in the summer, I felt I had better be the one to take care of things that needed to be handled during the actual week.  In addition to handling the paperwork prior to camp, I arranged for the dinner to be served each evening and was in charge of organizing the volunteers for dinner serving.  I've also been arriving at camp each afternoon when it begins and get the coolers set up and ready for the afternoon and evening, and then remain on hand through dinner in order to be an extra set of hands in case there are any issues.  Fortunately, it has been really nice weather yesterday and today so we haven't had heat issues to worry about.  After I get dinner cleaned up and make sure nothing else needs to be done, I head home.  I've also had Andrew with me at dinner to help.  I've spent nearly 14 hours so far with these things, with two more long days to go.  Friday will be much shorter, although I have to be up early because I decided to treat the students to donuts.

Tomorrow is going to be made even longer by the fact that we have to be at a pool (half-hour away) no later than 7:30 in the morning for swim championships.  I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but there are far, far worse days in life.  This weekend we are heading to Andrew's parents, and then next week is August.  Where has the summer gone??

Our friends are moving

About this time four years ago, our family was in full-swing moving mode.  I remember being incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, but also excited.  I was especially looking forward to living in our new (to us) house that was so much more functional for our family, and I was also looking forward to the new opportunities that our family would share.

Four months ago today, my friend Jodi shard with us that her husband had decided to leave his job.  I immediately began to panic, because if he wanted another university job, it obviously was going to have to be somewhere else.  She assured me though, that they were not particularly interested in relocating.  Jodi and James are really the only couple Andrew and I connected with over the years, and are the only couple we really hang out with.  Unfortunately, even with being willing to change careers, James couldn't find a job here.  I knew that Jodie was making trips to Columbus for job interviews and was pretty sure our friends were leaving.

Six weeks ago today, I got online and saw our friends' house was for sale.  I knew what it meant, and I wasn't happy about it.  I spent time with her the next evening and she told me how it had all come to be.  The nice thing is that she is so excited about it.  She will actually be living closer to her family, and things are working out with relocating.  I'm happy for her and I remember the excitement of our move, and I can appreciate their new opportunities.  At the same time, I also have a new appreciation for those that we left behind!

He sat on my pizza

Yesterday was a pretty full day.  Thomas had an art lesson in the morning and then Andrew took him to buy his football necessities.  Catherine had band practice in the afternoon, and Robert helped me get supplies for band camp.  When we picked Catherine up from band camp, we had some additional shopping we wanted to do, and some additional band camp prep.  Because of our expenses lately, we are making a genuine effort not to eat out "just because".  We decided to stop for ice cream cones on the way home as a bit of a treat, and to tide us over until we got home.  We threw some frozen pizzas in the oven and it was nearly 9:00 before we ate.  We always make three pizzas, and of course our oven only fits two.  We always make the kids' pizzas first and then the one Andrew and I will eat.  The kids were nearly finished before we ate, and we all just kind of sat in front of the TV since we couldn't eat at the same time.  I only wanted 1/2 of my second slice and I was in the middle of something so I just set the plate on the couch beside me.  I felt it was pretty obvious sitting there, but apparently I was wrong.  Thomas walked over to sit down and as I was yelling he sat down...right onto my pizza!  I wasn't concerned about the food since I was finished eating, but he had pizza sauce all over his rear end!  We had him change clothes right away, and I'm happy to report the pizza sauce came out in the laundry...and there was none on the couch!

A son, a father, and a football

My husband is a football coach.  He would be the first to tell you he was better at baseball when he played, but he's always enjoyed football more.  This man makes a fabulous coach, because he is such a fabulous teacher.  He can relate to and connect with kids in ways most people can not.  Coaching is something he has always enjoyed.

He coached high school when the kids were younger.  Robert was allowed to attend practices with him when he was really young.  When Robert decided to play football in sixth grade, Andrew was thrilled to be an assistant coach for his team.  Football was definitely not Robert's thing.  We remember the day he came home nearly in tears telling us, "I hurt.  I hurt all over."  He wailed and moaned.  To be honest, Andrew and I kind of laughed and said, "What did you think was going to happen?"  After all, our family watches football nearly whenever possible, and he was the one who had gone to practices as a child.  Robert was very upfront at the beginning of that season that football was a one and done endeavor for him.

We never thought there would be any more football in our house...at least as a player.  Andrew enjoyed coaching middle school last year, and is looking forward to coaching again this year.  Thomas had mentioned several times last year that he thought it would be fun to play football.  At no point were Andrew or I in favor of this, but we also aren't going to tell him no.  After all, with Andrew coaching kids Thomas's age it seemed pretty hypocritical.  We didn't necessarily encourage him, but we weren't overly enthusiastic either.  However, in March he sent an email to his dad with "an announcement".  He had decided to play football.  When I asked what made him make that decision he replied, "I want to be like Dad.  I want to be with my Dad.  Dad is pretty much my idol."  There was no way we were going to say no to that!

He's attended a few off season things, but I honestly thought it would end right there.  It has not.  Andrew finally took him shopping today for football cleats, so he is officially committed.  Andrew also bought him some football gloves, and Thomas couldn't wait to get home and try them out.  They went out in the back yard and threw the football and ran plays for nearly an hour.  I'm not going to lie...I have my concerns about Thomas playing.  At the same time, I sure loved seeing that father/son moment in our back yard.  I know that this season is also going to allow for many more of those moments!

Another Friday in the summer

Another week has flown by this summer!  It was definitely busy, but not the busiest we'll have.  I was re-reading my blog and began to yearn for some of our past summers.  When the kids were younger, it all just seemed so much easier and care-free, especially in the month of July.  These days, we have trouble even finding a time when we can all go to the store to buy some clothes!  The rain has cancelled our evening plans, so we are hoping that this evening will be the time for that.

Next week is band camp, and I'm responsible for feeding 130 people dinner for four nights.  Things are falling into place, and I hate to think about wishing next week will be over, but I do dread the amount of time I'm going to have to spend in the miserably hot and humid outdoors.  Right now our heat indices are into the 100's.  Not how I roll!

Only 3-1/2 weeks until school starts.  Trying to soak up some fun while we can!

Six weeks ago we were at my favorite restaurant

I can't believe it has been six weeks since we were on vacation.  Six weeks ago today we were eating at our favorite restaurant on the Outer Banks.  We went back and watched one of our family's favorite movies, and we just enjoyed hanging out together.  That week was so relaxing, and I'm so grateful for it.

This week is a "little" less relaxing.  Last evening, Andrew had four different places to be at the same time, and I had three.  He ended up going to football camp, which meant not being at church council, the kids' swim meet, or the parent-of-teens group we are joining.  I went to the kids' swim meet, which meant I was not helping at band practice or attending the parenting group.  Thomas had to skip football camp and Catherine had to skip band practice.  I know this is just the way our lives are right now, and I know there is going to come a time when I'm going to miss this.

Tomorrow morning I get to take Robert to a work out, and that means I need to get up at 4AM.  That is definitely something I am NOT ever going to miss!

We had a fabulous Sunday with family

We had such a wonderful day yesterday!  Our day began with church, and I always like to begin our Sunday that way.  Robert had to work afterwards, but was off in time to go to our family reunion later in the afternoon.  Unlike past years, everyone was there except for my sister (and one cousin, who has simply decided he no longer wishes to be a part of our family).  All together there were 19 there, including two young men who are "significant others" in the lives of two of my younger cousins.  They are both nice young men.  Unfortunately, my mom needed to come to my house before she headed north and wanted to get back home so I wasn't able to stay as long as I would've like.  It was really great to be able to get together though, and I loved the photos that were taken with my grandmother.  She is such an incredibly spry 86-year-old woman!

Our evening consisted of the five of us sitting in the family room and watching a movie.  I so enjoy the evenings that we can make that happen.  I appreciate that my kids actually want to be home, and I appreciate that they want to be with us and watch a movie together.  I love watching them enjoy things I've enjoyed and I love sharing these moments together!

Less than a month to go

Our summer is now down to less than a month.  I'll be honest, I'm a little sad about this.  Even though we have swim, band, football, doctor appointments, work, and goodness knows what else this week, it still isn't quite as crazy as the school schedule.  Andrew and I are very much feeling like this summer has been more scheduled than any other, and we regret that we aren't getting to do some of the fun things we thought we might do.  At the same time, I know I will enjoy having some quiet days home alone, and I'll enjoy the opportunity to make some extra money when school begins again.

There are still four full weeks of summer left.  Hopefully we can still have some fun!

An emotional couple of weeks

I'm not going to lie, it has been an emotional couple of weeks around here.  Two weeks ago, Robert officially enlisted in the delayed entry program for the Navy and was sworn in.  For safety and privacy, I will be very careful of what I post on here.  I will say though that while he currently has a contract to work on airplanes, his ultimate goal is to be a SEAL.  As a mom, that is terrifying, but it's what he wants.  I'm not sure that when it comes down to it that he has the drive and toughness, but I'm proud of him for wanting to try...all while being terrified myself.

Next we had to deal with the dog situation.  I was terrified that we adopted a dog that we were going to lose right away.  I couldn't imagine how awful that would be for all of us, but especially Thomas.  He has wanted to be a dog owner his entire life, and we wanted it to last more than just a weekend!  And Catherine had put so much love and care into her...it was just awful.  Fortunately, she is getting better each and every day, and is absolutely delightful.

Friday evening I worked the Vacation Bible School registration as a favor to a friend.  I hadn't planned to be involved this year, but I agreed to work just for a couple of hours that first evening.  Right after we had finished getting everyone checked in and I was beginning to work on the last thing I needed to finish before heading home, phones started going off everywhere as we were under a tornado warning.  We were able to get all of the kids to the basement, and I called home to make sure my family knew as well.  I learned Andrew was out on the road which was terrifying, and that meant the kids were home alone, which was equally terrifying, especially since Abby the new dog was already suffering so.  Andrew was able to get to a safe spot, and we were all able to be texting each other.  I especially kept reassuring Thomas that things would be okay, and encouraged them to listen to Robert who would make sure they were safe.  It was a draining experience, and I couldn't wait to get home and hug everyone.  We had a pretty significant tree branch come down, and Andrew cleaned that up Saturday and enjoyed using his chainsaw!

All of this just really cranked up my emotions.  So much so, that when Andrew realized he and Thomas had forgotten about football Sunday evening which meant he wouldn't be able to make dinner and have all of us eat together after I got home from a 12 hour road trip on Sunday where I took Robert to cross country camp, I shed a ridiculous amount of tears.  I know I was really crying about the stress of the week, and I was also pretty exhausted from the really long day I'd spent driving to Michigan and back.  I wasn't angry at him, just disappointed.

I'm grateful things are settling down.  Abby is doing great and we enjoy her more and more each day as we see her personality.  I'm trying to just enjoy each minute of summer!

Never my favorite day

As of two hours ago, the marching band season officially began.  I can't say that I'm particularly thrilled about it.  I never love the beginning.  The first month is the most labor intensive part for me personally, and it's just a really long season overall.

I am pleased however, that Catherine will be getting off the couch and being active.  She had friends she was sitting with during the meeting and I'm pleased to see that.  It's a good activity for her, generally speaking.

Here's to another season!

We have a dog

A week ago today, Andrew and I went to find a medicine cabinet for our new bathroom.  We were also planning to visit the shelter and think about a dog.  When our cat Wally passed away in February, we knew we wanted to get a dog.  I know Thomas really wanted to help pick out a dog, but we were afraid if we included him in the process he would want to bring home every single dog he saw!  While we were at the shelter, we found a purebred beagle who was an absolute sweetheart.  We were all set to bring her home, but they wouldn't let us.  She was scheduled to be spayed and we couldn't bring her home for three days.  We were disappointed, but it gave us time to get ready.

We got home and showed the kids pictures, and Thomas was so excited his eyes filled with tears.  It was such a long three days until we could get her home, but we were able to get lots of fun things for her.  Thursday afternoon finally arrived, and we were there at the earliest possible moment they told us we could be.  She was still in surgical recovery, because she had just been spayed that morning.  We hadn't counted on that when we left her Monday afternoon!  It also turned out that her surgery was tougher than expected.  We brought her home Thursday evening and things seemed to be going well.  We named her Abby, and we were all immediately in love!

Friday things went downhill.  She didn't eat or drink at all, and by early afternoon I felt we were at a critical point.  Fortunately, Andrew managed to get her into our vet, and they discovered she was a pretty sick little girl.  So this poor, sweet dog had not only had surgery and been sent to a new family the same day, but she was fighting a double ear infection and possibly an upper respiratory infection.  Ugh!  The vet gave her a shot of pain meds, a shot of anti-nausea meds, and some IV fluids.  At that point, we just needed to wait.

Saturday morning brought great news!  Abby clearly felt better!  We still kept things mostly quiet for her on Saturday, and yesterday was even better.  She is just the best little sweetheart.  Because she is so low-key, the cats don't really care that she is here, and she doesn't really seem to care about the cats either.  It was an incredibly stressful few days getting her to this point, but it was entirely worth it.  She is a fabulous addition to our family!

Halfway through our summer

Six weeks ago today was the last day of school.  Six weeks from today will be the first day of school.  I really can't believe the summer is half over.  It has flown by, and frankly, that was the easy, laid-back, relaxing portion of our summer.

The last two weeks, which were supposed to be especially relaxing, have not exactly been so.  We really had been hoping to do something fun while swim was a little less intense, but other things have gotten in the way.  Tonight and tomorrow evening we have some plans with friends, and there are a few other things that have been going on that are warrant their own posts.  Hope to be back on here soon!

It makes me happy every time I walk by

Our bathroom is finished!  Well, for the most part anyway.  I still need to get some kind of curtain to hang over the window, and we need to hang the towel hooks, but essentially it is finished.  We were so excited yesterday that we ALL took our showers there even though Andrew and I have our own bathroom.  It truly makes me happy to every time I walk down the hallway.

I am so, so grateful that we decided to go ahead and do this.  The vehicle issues this year have been a HUGE blow to our budget and I was questioning whether we should have committed.  We need to start replenishing our savings, but I am so glad those savings were there so we could do this.  Right now that bathroom is my favorite room in the house! 😊