One more week

Somehow, the summer has flown by yet again.  This time next week everyone will be at their first day of school.  I have such incredibly mixed feelings about it all.  I am looking forward to the routine, but not to the intense schedule.  Call me crazy, but generally speaking I really love having my family home all around me.

Andrew is lamenting the end of this summer more than he usually does.  He said he just really felt we didn't do fun things with the kids.  Robert's work schedule made that incredibly challenging this year, but I don't regret or begrudge him his job.  We are all very grateful that his boss is willing to work with him around both cross country and marching band and keep it going through the fall.

I am working very, very hard in not allowing my concerns and worries about the things, mostly minor, to take over and control my actions and thoughts.  That is one of the problem with all of the quiet time I'll have soon...too much time to think!

Kayaking

This morning the boys' scout troop went kayaking.  Because of a wedding reception we were attending last evening our crew wasn't able to do the camping last night, but they were up before the sun this morning heading to our former town to join them for the kayaking this morning.  I'll be honest, I was a little apprehensive about Catherine and Thomas, but I was assured they were going through a company and not just throwing kayaks in the river.  It sounds as though everyone had a really good time, and they certainly came home wet and dirty enough to indicate that they did!   Thomas thinks it is something that we should all do together as a family sometime and while that might be fun, the cost is something that will make it a while before it happens.  I'm glad they had so much fun this morning though!

Fun family Tuesdays

The last two Tuesdays have been fun for our family.  It's not that we have particularly picked Tuesday to be the "fun" day of the week, but with schedules it turns out it has been the day of the week that has worked out for us!  Last week we drove to the discount bargain theater, and Tuesdays are also half off days!  We watched Tomorrowland and I think it is a movie every teen and tween should watch.  It has a message about hope and making a difference.  I'm not a huge movie fan, but I was entertained by the movie.  Afterward, we ventured to do some clothes shopping, and just overall enjoyed our day together.

Yesterday was the one evening of the week where Robert was off work at 2:00 and had no evening commitments.  We had a family dinner out that Thomas and I especially enjoyed.  The pub fries are slathered in cheese and bacon and cooked in a white wine sauce.  Absolutely yummy!!!  Afterward we again did some back to school shopping, and while I really wasn't feeling well by the time we got home, I laughed so hard in the car and just soaked it up and enjoyed it.  A week from today Andrew is back in the classroom, and the kids are growing fast.  I love having these days when we can get them!

This week's focus

Lately our weeks have had a focus to them.  Two weeks ago it was focusing on the chaos of the paperwork and payments of getting the high school band off to band camp as well as getting uniforms situated for the year.  Last week's focus was getting the house ready for our family gathering yesterday.  I was not just cleaning, but in many cases, deep cleaning various parts of the house.  This week's focus?  School!  In just 14 days, everyone will be out the door for the first day.  While I dread the crazy (and exhausting) schedule (and the behaviors that sometimes accompany it), I am looking forward to being in a routine again, and I am excited about the kids' (and Andrew's) year.  Not going to lie, I am also looking forward to some quiet time every day.  In the meantime, we are starting this week to go through our clothes to see what needs to be purchased as well as making sure the supplies are ready.  Here we go!

Officially underway

Mandatory fall sports practices began today.  Robert is our only runner this year, but he had to be up and at 'em this morning.  Andrew took him because he wanted to check out some things in guidance so I got to sleep in...those days are numbered!  Anyway, this is exactly the reason I am completely okay with school starting as early as it wants to in August, and getting out earlier in May.  It's not like August isn't full of mandatory commitments anyway!

I can also tell that the end of the summer is upon us by the behavior of Catherine and Thomas.  While these two normally get along just fine, the last week not so much.  Part of it is Catherine's hormones and age, part of it is Thomas's age, and part of it is nine weeks of complete togetherness.  Last evening they spent the last hour of the day separated into their rooms and today after being up for 25 minutes, they are right back there.  Just lovely!

A fabulous day with family

Today would've been my aunt's mother's 91st birthday.  She loved to bake and felt dessert was the best part of every meal.  Today is also "Family Day" in Arizona.  Months ago Andrew and I decided to spend the day hosting my mother's side of the family.  We used to get together nearly monthly, but as my cousins and I grew and married and added our own kids (and moved further away) we are lucky to see each other more than once or twice a year.  I spent all week scrubbing the house and this morning we set up canopy tents and tables in our back yard.  I couldn't wait to see everyone!  Just as everyone arrived, sweat bees decided to swarm our backyard and all the tables and chairs were moved inside for "plan b".  Fortunately, our home now can accommodate everything and it was still a very nice afternoon.  A few cousins (and even Robert) had to work, but we really enjoyed the opportunity to get together.  We even took a few group photos that turned out great.  I am so grateful for today!

Rough awakenings

This morning at 4AM, Andrew and I were awakened to the sound of our oldest cat vomiting...all over our bed.  I'll be honest, with my youngest child being 11, I thought we were beyond the stage of cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night, but not so it seems.  I cleaned things up, put bedding in the washer, and then proceeded to lay in bed because I couldn't fall back to sleep.  I finally managed to so sometime around 6, and then, astonishingly, the telephone rang at 7AM.  It was my mother.  She was planning to bring down some supplies for our reunion tomorrow, but had decided she didn't really have time and could Andrew meet her as we had discussed earlier.  Sure, but I didn't have to be awake yet!  Thomas had a scout meeting this morning, so needless to say, we didn't bother to go back to sleep.  As it turns out, all three kids were awake and moving prior to 8AM.  I'll be honest, that doesn't bode well for the harmony of the day.

I am hoping that the first eight hours of August are not an indication of the month as a whole.  To be completely honest, August is often my least favorite month of the year, and has been for decades.  Over the course of various years, August brought the deaths of my grandfather and two great-uncles, a friend's leukemia diagnosis, some health issues for myself, my father's BOOP diagnosis, a car accident for Andrew, my dad having shingles, and various other less-than-fun events.  The good news is that there is plenty of time still this month to make it a great one!