Hello June 2015

It’s June.  How did that happen?  It’s our last week of first grade.  Seriously, how did that happen?  Five days and we will be done.  We can make it.  We can make it!

It was a good week.  Things seem pretty relaxed with no homework and the end of school.  The kids are going to bed a little later than usual.  We have eaten really well this week.  For some reasons our meals were super yummy.

The dog got fixed on Tuesday.  That was bit new this week.  So far he is not calmer.  We are waiting……

Wednesday Drew and the kids went on an adventure to Greensboro.  A friend from church was selected to carry the torch for a United Relay Across America fundraiser for the Special Olympics.  A group from the church met and took the bus to Greensboro to eat dinner and watch her running by.  Will said he jumped and ran his cow bell (from Ms. Bec) when Ms. Betsy ran by.  She was running around 6:30pm so I was shocked they didn’t get home till 9pm.  Apparently they got separated from some other church people and had to find them. 

Friday I took the morning off of work to go hang at school and help in Lindy’s class for Serendipity Day.  They take 4-5 from each class and they form a new group.  Those group move through all 5 first grade classrooms together for the morning.  They have done this 4 times this year and each time they pick an author and they hear a book in each classroom and do some kind of craft that goes along with the book.  I helped in Will’s class in December and so I took my turn in Lindy’s class.  I find it super odd that both times I’ve been there, Lindy and Will have been in the same group.  WIth their teachers randomly picking they have ended up together twice – and the times I have been there.  So I saw them both in the same group for 30 mins that morning and then I just helped other kids for the other 2.5 hours.  It was an exhausting morning of glue and sand but we made it through.  Besides Serendipity Day, it was also the day we celebrated Lindy and Will’s fake birthday.  It actually worked out pretty nicely.  Drew showed up at lunch bearing 4 dozen doughnuts. We started eating lunch with Will and Ben and then about 10 minutes later Lindy and Ellie joined us.  We passed out doughtnuts to Will’s class and they ate them and left.  Then we passed out to Lindy’s class and they ate them and left.  And then I had to go to work, which kind of stunk!  It was a fun but tiring morning! 

The weekend ended up being fun too.  We ate dinner at a new place in town, PDQ.  They do have super yummy chicken tenders and sauces.  After that we took the kids to Toys and Co.  I’m not sure they have been in or not.  They each had a little money to spend and both ended up wit something.  Lindy had about $11 and wanted everything in the store, most of it way more than $11.  Will had $15 and almost didn’t get anything.  He finally saw Twisted Farkle that caught his eye and he bought it.  It was a good purchase.  We’ve played and it is really fun.  Lindy ended up with a cute litte stuffed puppy that she has named Sparky and has played with all weekend too. 

Saturday morning the kids and I got up and around and headed to my parents.  My dad and I headed down to a furniture store where we I bought a new coffee table and end tables.  I’ve been wanting some for 5 years now.   After we got home we went swimming for the first time this year.  It was slightly chilly at first but you got used to it quick.  Lindy picked right up where she left off last year, like a spastic fish in the water.  She was getting mad she couldn’t swim.  But she was under all the time and having a blast.  She loves the goggles.  We practiced kicking and scooping and I think she will get it eventually.  Will likes the pool but doesn’t like going under.  I convinced him to go under and then I convinced him to try the goggles.  He didn’t like how they felt but he did put his head down and tried to swim.  If he’d practice a little more he’d get it too.  He had a smoother motion going, he just needs practice.  But that was a huge step for Mr. Will. 

We headed back Saturday evening and went over to the Bryants for dinner.  We had a low country boil that was yummy.  The kids had fun playing with Micah and Claire.  We got home late and it was straight to bed. 

Didn’t take many pics this week.  Here’s what I got.

Sweet girl sleeping and thinking

Poor pup after I picked him up from his surgery
Working on her sand dog at Serendipity Day Friday
Will and his friend Luke doing their sand dogs
Will and Ben at lunch

Sweet Krispy Kreme doughnuts!
Lindy and Ellie

She’d eat the whole box (and then throw up) if we let her.
Swimming fun!
Silly girl!

Oh look, there I am.  In a bathing suit.  Nice.
There was some water gun fights between these too.
Lindy and Sadie had a tumultuous start but ended up best friends.  She knocked Lou over about 4 times but once she calmed down she was super sweet and “Lindy’s best puppy friend.” 

End of May

We got home from Oak Island on Monday evening.  We unpacked and had to clean the house.  The cat peed, the dog peed.  It wasn’t a fun evening.  We have been thrown off all week by the short week.  It’s amazing how short weeks mess you up so much.

Starting on Tuesday morning, Will had to be at school by 8am for Eagle Eye News.  It was finally his class’s turn to do the school wide news program.  They got to pick positions, I think, and Will chose Tech Crew.  The ones behind the cameras, making the magic happen.  We do not get to see him on screen until the very end of the broadcast when they all come out and dance.  Most of his classmates have just had one job the entire week but Tech Crew did it four days last week and they have one more day tomorrow.  He has enjoyed it.  I think he would have liked to try out being an anchor but he’s had fun learning the cameras.  I’m glad we only have one more day of getting to school early.  The first day (last Tuesday) we left in plenty of time but traffic was awful.  Instead of being there by 8am, we got there at 8:10am.  He handled it very well but he was freaking a bit.  I couldn’t believe it happened on the first day.  We’ve left earlier every other day but haven’t had any other traffic issues.

The rest of the week has been pretty low key.  The kids’ homework ended the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend.  They are free birds right now.  We’ve been playing outside a lot in the evenings.  Trying to enjoy it before it gets too incredibly hot.

Saturday our family joined our church for a very neat mission opportunity.  Our church has participated in Stop Hunger Now for years but the kids and I have never gone.  I decided I wanted to help this year and that the kids were old enough to help.   It was a great morning and we all enjoyed it.  When we were finished we had packed 10,152 meals.  We worked for over 2 hours straight.  The kids seriously worked.  They had to take a couple breaks but they really worked most of that time.  Will especially.  He was a runner and he was seriously running most of the morning.  When each station had packed 4-6 bags they would call for a runner who would come get their bin and take it to the weighing and sealing station.  Will worked his hiney off!  When he was tired I became runner and  you didn’t stand in one spot very long.  Lindy did a little bit of everything, including whining.  She wanted to be a runner but I was afraid she would trip and fall and dump the packed, but open, bags.  She helped get the finished bags and put them on the mat and then she helped Drew put vitamin packets in the bags for a long time.  We all went home pretty tired.  I was very proud of them. That is really about the most physical labor they’ve ever done.  And they were doing a great thing while they were working. 

I spent Saturday evening shopping and eating dinner with some of my best friends from high school.  Wendy and I rode together and met up with Carrie and Jamie at the outlet mall.  We shopped before heading to dinner and then to get ice cream.  Love those girls and we always have a great time.

Today we had church and then I did our monthly grocery shopping.   After dinner we went to a nearby park and walked the dog for a bit.  We visited the off the lease dog park for about 5 minutes. There were two dogs in the small dog section – although one was not small.  He did okay but then he was jumping on one of the girls and it was thundering and starting to sprinkle so we headed out.  It was a good first try.

Here are a few pics from the week:

47 empty boxes to start with.  Each box held 36 bags and each bag is 6 meals.  10,152 meals packed!
Hairnet selfie!  ha ha

Will tried most jobs that morning.  He was filling packs for me while I was running for him.
Lindy was probably complaining to Ms. Doris!  ha!
Helping clean up the big black tarp at the end.
Four Blue Comets.  Jamie, Wendy, Jamie, and Carrie.

Memorial Day

I was caught up for a week.  That was nice. 

Nothing much happened at the beginning of two weeks ago.  Thursday, May 21st we had an end of soccer season party at the YMCA.  It was a pot luck type thing I had to organize.  They all agreed to bring stuff and we got there at the suggested time but then had to wait.  And wait.  They had a bounce house for kids – like 50 at a time in it – and they eventually shut it down because they said it broke.  I tried keeping mine away from it but they kept drifting back over.  Will played some games with his team mates and then we waited.  And waited some more.  The cheerleaders finally did some show and then we were allowed to eat.  We ate and then each team just handed out their trophies to their players.  The other assistant coach and I handed out ours and then we scattered.  Hard to believe the season is over and that I was really their coach.  Not what I had in mind when I signed Will up but, hey, I had to do what I had to do so they could play. 

Friday I got off of work at 11:30am and headed home to pack for the beach.  We picked the kids up from school and headed out to Oak Island for the long holiday.  Lynn put the beach house on the market the week of Memorial Day so it was quite possibly our last trip down there.  Time will tell.  We got their Friday evening and Lynn got there Saturday afternoon.  We had two gorgeous days on the beach.  They couldn’t have been any nicer.  Well I guess it would have been nicer if so many people hadn’t been there.  It was packed!  We are not used to Oak Island being so crowded.  We headed home Monday after lunch.  We brought Aiden with us because I was too cheap to board him.  He did fine Friday night but then Lynn brought her dogs with her so from Saturday afternoon on – it was game on.  Aiden is a pup and Phoebe and Pooka are not.  Pooka apparently doesn’t like other dogs and would bark if Aiden was anywhere near him.  Aiden did try to get him to play but they wouldn’t.  Poor Phoebs got humped all weekend.  Aiden was a persistent young fellow.  I stopped him when I was around but it was obvious Phoebe was not in the mood.  She just wasn’t that into him.  ha ha!  By Monday they could all be in the same room together.  Of course we left on Monday.

Enjoy some pics from our beach trip.

Soccer party gang eating dinner.
Giving my boy his trophy!
Coach Mom and cutest soccer player ever!
Beach bums!!




The boy got some air on that swing!










Who is skinnier?  Will or Drew?  It’s a toss up.
They look like they are paddling in a boat!
This is Sun Island I created.

This big group next to us played ladder ball most of the afternoon and Will just sat down and watched the action.
Family photo op
The kids and Mimo.

A little pic of the dog action from the weekend.  It was a bit crazy.
Maybe the last picture on the porch swing????