Catch-Up Post

Let's see, since my last post the following things have occurred:

All 3 kids had their end-of-the-year orchestra concerts. Very enjoyable for parents ("look - they're really learning something!") but not so much for non-parents.

M went to Six Flags with her orchestra class and had a great time, even though it rained the first 3 hours they were there.

We went to open house at the school Ty will go to next year. Sad, sad, sad for me, as this means there is no one left at the elementary school that we spent the last 11 years attending. I don't do change well, (especially when it isn't my idea!), so the whole idea of this is freaking me out.

Al & I celebrated our 19th anniversary on the 19th! A once-in-a-lifetime event! We marked the occasion by attending Andrew's concert at the high school, and then taking the kids out for ice cream. For my anniversary. Kids. Ice cream. Not what I would have picked. But it did taste good.

Now for the best part. Well, the best part if you have known me for 20 years and you know what this will mean to me. 'Nuf said.

(To those of you who "get" this - I love you)

We have a new friend!

Cute, huh? Yeah, I guess the turtle is too! We saw him walking up the street and decided to invite him in to play for the day. M and Ty will be very excited to see him too! He'll have to go home later, but he's keeping us busy for now.

Orchestra concert!

Every year our school district has a big concert that involves ALL of the orchestra students in the district from every school, elementary through high school. It's really neat; they each do a couple of their own pieces from the level they are at, and at the end they do a couple of pieces that include everyone. This was the first year that all my big kids were in it together! I admit it, I cried a little. It was such a milestone and I'm so proud of all of them. The crying happened when Jack kept pointing at Andrew and finally Andrew looked up and saw him and got the biggest grin. I realized as I'm sitting there being proud of them, Andrew was sitting there being proud of Jack!

So here are my musicians, after the concert:

He's home!!

Andrew's home! He had a terrific time! I do have a gripe however. They saw the White House, and the Washington Monument; they toured the Capitol and Ford Theater. They performed at a competition and went to museums. And the boy came home with about 20 photos of guns, 20 more of airplanes (air and space museum) and could not stop talking about the rides he went on at 6 Flags of America. Anyone else see the irony here? I love him and all but c'mon; where are the stories about seeing the Senate, or being inspired by monuments, or being awed by the architecture? Sheesh. I have one pic that might be great, but we'll see if I can get it off his phone!

My son is gone :(

It's a good thing, really. He got to go to Washington DC with his school's orchestra (he plays violin) and choral depts. They're in a competition and while there, the director planned plenty of great sights for them to see. Presidential memorials, War memorials, museums, even a trip to 6 Flags. He's under strict orders to take at least 2 photos at each place he goes. I should have at least 22 when he gets back. I miss him!! He's SOOOOOO far away. He left last night and I restrained myself from calling him but once today. Maybe he'll bless me with a call tomorrow too. It's so hard to believe that he's grown-up enough to go on a trip like this by himself (without us anyway).

We Went Camping!

YAY! And the weather was beautiful! (Well, actually we thought it was hot but that's only because the temps here went from the 60's to the 80's last weekend. Today, back to the upper 60's.) Allan took off work a little early so we got a nice early start on Fri, and had a lovely campfire on Fri and Sat. Jack did really well. I was worried about containing him but he was mostly happy staying near us and going where we went. There was a concrete pad that the picnic table sat on and it was raised a bit, not as high as a step, but probably 2-4 inches. Jack walked around and around and up onto the pad, and off, again and again and again. He fell several times but just kept getting up and going. What a trooper!

When we got there, we noticed our skylight covers (or whatever you call those things) were completely busted, like large chunks of the plastic were missing. So Allan got up on the roof to cover the holes with duct tape and of course, he had company :)


Jack had a great time when we went for a walk. Twice he fell asleep in the stroller! So we left him, 'cause he seemed comfy enough!


And when we were getting dinner so we could have a campfire later, Al sat Jack in one of the chairs hoping he'd sit still for a minute and he sat here (I swear) for 45 mins! He'd wave when we talked to him!

I want a new house.

Not because I don't like the one we live in now. On the contrary, I LOVE this house. It's our home, in every sense of the word. Allan and I bought it and lived here as a newly married couple. All our kids came here after they were born. Since we moved in, we've taken most it down to the studs and re-did everything; drywall, electrical wiring, plumbing, new bathrooms and kitchen, and certainly lots of paint. We've celebrated every occasion and holiday here. We all love this house. It's just that, the kids are getting bigger and more space would be great. I started thinking about this a couple of years ago, thinking if we moved then, it would still feel like home to the bigger kids, even though they wouldn't be in the new house as long before they go off to have their own lives, and they would be comfortable coming home on vacations and holidays. But after this school year, Andrew has only 2 years of high school left. That's not enough time. My parents moved a couple of years after I got married. They've moved a couple of times. They've been in the house they live in for almost 9 years now. And I still feel like a guest when we go there. It's not home. I don't want to do that to my kids. I know there's no guarantee for what the future holds. But I've wanted for the last few years to have a house big enough for the kids to come home for Christmas in 20 years with spouses and babies and it won't be here. I found the perfect house, but someone else bought it first. I'm keeping my eyes on it though.

Tonight Jack came to me in the living room and got my attention, and signed "milk". So I got up and took his little hand and we went into the kitchen and got his cup of milk. Yep, that's what he wanted! So he told me that he wanted a drink! How cool is that?!