We're really here!

holy cow! did a whole summer go by with no posts? considering that i wasn't that great with the posts during my spring semester, why am i surprised?! so, i can give a rundown of the summer activities... and the next post just might have some pictures (but, please don't hold me to that)

school let out, pool opened up: jeff decided that it would be nice to have a pool pass this year instead of forkin over money every visit. $100 for a family of 4 (sofi being only three is still free) yes! thank you! we have taken full advantage. we started the summer with aidan being terrified to him saying "i don't need my floaties if i'm in the short part mom". he got over his fear and taugh himself how to swim. not perfect, but enough of a start. we did want to start the tow older kids on swim lessons, just never happened. sofi loved the pool, took to it like a duck to water. erica loved it too. at just about every visit included me going off the diving board at the kids request. i can only do one dive, but they loved it.

uncle scott and aunt katy!: my brother and his family moved back from utah (hooraaaaay!) and moved just 11 houses up from me. LOVE IT! what i love most is having my nephew, aylor, randomly opening my front door and saying 'surprise, your aylor is here!' he makes me smile. katy and i are constantly texting back and forth asking if our kids are at the other's house. katy and her kids have been our pool buddies too, makes the time go by so much faster.

erica in missouri: mom went to visit her sister in missouri and asked if she could take erica. ummmm, YES! i love my child, but i was really looking forward to her being gone and having less fights among the children. she was gone two whole weeks! by the second week i was actually missing her. and because i knew she would behave for mom and aunt janet, i put her room back together as a surprise. (remember, she lost EVERYTHING in her room for being snotty and disrespectful to me, had to earn it all back, hadn't yet). she came home the second week in august and still has everything in her room.... progress!

my first car accident: i had been driving for 16 years by now... first accident was just last month. by now i can say (without bitterness) that me and the other driver were equal in the blame. i had a stop sign at an intersection, was in the middle of it when other driver came through. love my insurance, took care of everything really quick. lola's (my car) only damage was some paint scratches on the front passenger side of the bumper. takes a lickin and keeps on tickin.

spring summer cleaning: my family knows that my grandma hasn't been the best with keeping up with expiration dates on her pantry items. since i've been the 'house keeper' for a while now, i have mentioned a few times her need to clean them out. one day, after removing green hamburger buns from the counter, grandpa gave me the authority to 'clean house'. the job was too big for just myself. so i enlisted the help of my SIL katy and my mother. we must be nuts for all the fun we were having. we laughed, dry heaved, gaged, laughed some more.... way too much fun for what we were doing. not completely done, but so much better.

a new school year: and now it's time for another school year to start. the kids go back on wednesday, i don't go back until monday. i'm very excited, the kids.... not as much. but we have two birthdays this week, so that will help cheer things up.

here's to another year and to better blog updates! (did i mention that my son taught himself how to ride a bike)