Summer in September

This was taken on Friday, September 26.

It was 85 degrees and HOT.

On the beach across the lake, a Coen Brother’s movie was being filmed.

The tree on the right hand side of the photo is just slightly showing signs of turning orange and changing for the season.

The toddler in red, squatting down on the right hand side of the photo, a few minutes before was plucked out of the water. He was face down, trying real hard to get up, but was just too small and just out a little too deep.

On this beautiful crazy changing day in September, I couldn’t imagine the sorrow of that mother having to leave the beach without her son, her life forever changed.

Thank God she didn’t have to.

Today’s fortune cookie say…

At lunch with my Dad and KP today, I received this message.

First Day Of School!

This one is happy.

This one is mad.

And that little one in blue, he has no idea what to do.

Fleeting Summer

Like sand slipping through your fingers…it’s almost gone.

Tangled web

I have been staying up waaaay too late watching the Olympics.  I mean, who the hell doesn’t love the Olympics?

And this morning when I woke up, with the TV still on and the the remote control tangled in my hair, I realized it has become a bit of an addiction.

There is always pay back

This very very very fine, sunny morning, I packed all three of my kids up and sent them off to the first day of Vacation Bible School.  They all were so excited to go and do crafts and eat snacks and talk Jesus and do whatever else they do there.  As a mom, there is nothing better than kids who are excited to go, go willingly and have a wonderful time in a safe environment.

What does this mean for me?  This means I get 3 hours to myself today.  Ok, a little less becasue I have to teach swimming lessons but still, I get to go to those lessons all by myself.

On my way to pick them up, in my ohhhhh sooooo free and happy mood, I was thinking it would be nice to go out to a nice lunch and talk about camp and then go to the library together, then run a few errands and even treat them to an ice cream cone (since the last errand would be very far away).  That seemed like a really solid idea to me.

I gathered my brood, bundled them up into the car and shared with them that we are going to go out to lunch.

It was as if they each were suddenly struck down by the devil himself.  They each had there own ideas of where they wanted to eat and when they wanted to go and instead of taking turns to discuss it like calm little children they all started yelling, which turned to screaming, which turned to hitting and kicking the backs of the seats, which went on and on and on AND ON AND ON.

It is now 3:00 pm.  There has been no lunch out, no ice cream, errands have all been done in silence and a mandatory quiet time is now taking place.

Holy Mosses…what the hell happened?

My little plot

I have always wanted to plant a vegetable garden.  To be able to go out and pick something you need for a dish, that you happen to be making, sounds so romantic to me.

This summer I decided to unearth several hosta that are in waaaay too sunny of a spot (not from my doing mind you) and made myself a very teeny tiny, very manageable garden.  It contains the following plants:  sun flowers, peas, carrots, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, basil, dill, sage and parsley.

Every time the kids and I go out to look at it something new is happening.  What a small little joy.

Thank you Mother Earth.

Is that how they do it in their house?

We have some painter’s over doing work on the exterior of our house. I have an open door policy with them, that if they need water or need to use the bathroom they can just help themselves right in.

As I was vacuuming, one of the guys came in to use the john. He walked by me and into the bathroom. I quickly came to realize he had no idea either HOW to use the pocket door or that there even WAS a pocket door to use.

I kept vacuuming.

We just nodded toward each other, eyes averted as he walked out.

Wow, that was REAL awkward.

Happy Mother’s Day!

To my mother, my mother-in-law and all my lady friends. Life with children would not be as rewarding, enlightening and amazing without being able to share the past, present and future with each of you.

Enjoy this day.

What a weekend…

Friday:

Ears

Birthday dinner out with jewels from Erika.

Saturday:
First Communion #1

The Spring Sheering

First Communion #2

Sunday:

Half Marathon

PJ’s 6th Birthday Party

And then…and then I slept really well.  Only to be woken up by PJ’s new hamster in the middle of the night running and running and running on it’s little squeaky wheel FOR HOURS.

The story of the hamster to come later.