More Summer Happenings

Here are some more updates from our summer.  It hasn't been an exciting summer, but it hasn't been horrible.  Summer is not my favorite season.  I don't like the heat, I don't like the lack of structure, and I spend my time wishing for fall.  However, I've tried to make the best of the months.

*As I started downloading photos, I realized that even though it hasn't been a super exciting summer, we actually have done quite a few things!  I've got lots of pictures that show that we haven't exactly sat at home all June and July!

 One of my main projects this summer has been purging, cleaning, and organizing.  The closet is still a mess, but all those hangars used to be full.  I have seriously downsized in there!

 Hudson texted me wanting ice cream.  I told him to solve his problem.  He did.

 Evan has done a lot of altar serving for funerals this summer since he was on campus at summer school.  One family appreciated the service of the servers and gave them money!  We had a long talk about how this was not something to expect, but that it was a nice gesture.  #momlecture

 As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I took a bunch of selfies.  There is a reason for that.  Bear with me.  It's been a long time since I've felt good about myself.  Weight gain, getting older, sometimes wrestling with blue feelings.  I've started exercising (again), and joined Weight Watchers (again), and bought new makeup.  All of this has helped me feel better about myself.  It's kind of a weird feeling to look in the mirror and like what I see.  So I took pictures!

 Harry has quite the ego and begged me to photograph him every day!  Ha!

 Oh that Harry!  He can't get enough of the camera.

 Don't mind the fact that he looks terrified!  He was doing a model face/pose!

 Who's a good puppy?

 Harry is!

 Feeling good about myself.  #sorrynotsorry

 Evan got sick.  This is highly unusual.  I knew he meant it when he said he was sick when I suggested he take a nap...and he did!  He was down for a few days.

 Harry begging for photos again.

 I am running a half of a half marathon on Nov. 1 (about six miles), so I started training.

This saved my sanity this summer.  Clovis school buses took us to and from our field trips.  Lord have mercy it was the best thing ever!  No more stressing about qualified drivers and Safe Environment on field trips.  Plus, the kids LOVED the bus.  They loved the bus ride better than the field trips!

 Best team ever!  Coach Washington is great to work with, he loves my kids, and he helps whenever needed.

My favorite field trip was ice skating.  Nice and cold.

 It's a blessing to work with great people.

 Then Hudson got sick.  Too much sun for him.  His little body goes into shut down mode when he's been in the sun too long.

 Evan's new game room.

 Horrible, awful picture of some sort of allergic reaction that Hudson woke up to.  It was gone in a day, but he looked pitiful.

 We moved our bed and nightstands into the formal living room just before July 4th so we could work on a flooring project in our room.  We ended up being out there for a month!

 We went to a Fuego soccer game.

 One of several loads of donations take to the drop off site

 Eric stripping and cleaning the floors in our bedroom and office (now couple's cave).

 Concrete floors.

 Painted concrete floors.  So pretty!

 It has a marbled effect, and I love it!

 Harry is always cold.  He looks like a little Russian grandma.

 When you reach your breaking point of a chaotic house with stuff all over the place!

 Nothing seems to phase the boys.  They just park it and play their games.

 So glad my bed is there so you have a place to rest your foot, Hudson.

 Mrs. Davis let the kids make s'mores at summer school.

 My mom and I enjoyed a movie/lunch date.  We saw San Andreas.  I loved it!  I got my love of disaster movies from her!

 More selfies, but looking a little sad.  Not sure why.

 That's better.  A half smile.

 Most days around 4 p.m, I enjoy a hot cup of coffee.  Weird, I know.  I never thought I'd be a coffee person, but I guess it's better than many other vices I could have.

 Everybody loves it when Dad comes home, including the dogs.

Endless Summer School blues.

 I bought this shirt for the best teaching partner a girl could have.  Amanda keeps me happy and she is always peppy and excited!

 Soccer tournament.  We didn't do very well.

 The kitchen counter that never stays clean.

 Bound and determined to keep it this way.

 Amanda plans to teach this book this year.  I enjoyed it.

The couch is in the Couple's Cave (with a great deal of effort and the removal of a sliding glass door), and Eric and I are thoroughly enjoying our evenings in there with peace and quiet.

I am almost caught up to current pictures and events.  Hang in there with me, and I'm sure to finish updating the summer happenings soon!

Made It Through Summer School Just In Time To Get Sick

Hello!  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  It's been a while.  I know.  I know. No excuses to give.

Summer is zipping by pretty quickly.  Although, when I was in the middle of a six week summer school program, the time seemed awfully slow!

Here is how our summer has been going.

I taught two three-week sessions of summer school.  My favorite part is helping kids with algebra.  #nerd  My least favorite part was figuring out how to get 80 kids safely to and from the various field trips that we took.  #stress

 Evan was very sweet letting one of the little guys play on his iPod.

 I took lots of selfies (I'll be sure to share more later).  This was me getting in my 10,000 fitbit steps for the day.

 Soccer practice never seems to stop.  It just keeps going and going.  The kids were training for tournaments.

 I took the kids to 2 Extreme one afternoon.

 I bragged about my new necklace.  #trendy

 I love it when I see my boys purposely near each other.  I think they like each other, but they don't like to admit it.

 We got rid of our dining room table to make room for the office/game room.  The boys each have their own room back, so the gaming stuff had to go somewhere.  Since we NEVER use the formal dining room, we decided to use the space in a way that made more sense for our family.

 We have gotten rid of SOOOOOOO much stuff this summer.  I would estimate at least 30 bags of clothes, furniture, books, dishes, etc. have been take to the Salvation Army drop off site.  Feels so good to purge.  I always shake my head in disbelief at how much stuff we have that we don't need or use.  Let it go!

 A family date at Mickey's Yogurt.  We like it there because it is a treat that Eric can eat.  No fat, no sugar frozen yogurt.

 Love, love, love this little girl.  Chloe is the sassiest, smartest and cutest little thing.  She is the niece of our P.E. teacher, and I am so excited she'll be going to our school this year.

 Best of all?  She likes me and gives me big hugs everyday!

We had a Junior High iPad team meeting.  We are working hard to get our iPad program up and running this year.  Thank goodness I've got this amazing team to work with!  Go Team!

There are more pictures and adventures that we have had this summer, but I'll save those for another post.

*Like the title says, I'm sick.  I managed to get through six weeks of summer school, go to a wedding in Mammoth, just to come home to a nasty head cold.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and he put me on antibiotics along with two inhalers.  I'm taking ibuprofen for pain and allergy meds for my usual sniffiness.  It's been great.  #itsbeenawful

Anyhow, feeling a bit better now that I've had three days of meds running through my system.  I slept pretty much ALL day yesterday.  That helped.

Daily 4C - Week of June 7-June 13

First week of summer is in the books, and we ended it with a really fun day at the beach with Evan's soccer team.

June 7

I've never had mango salsa until Amanda's wedding, and I LOVED it!  I looked up a recipe on Pinterest, and have now made three batches of the delicious stuff.  So good!

Monday, June 8

Hudson had a follow up appointment at the allergist to make sure all was well.  It was.

Tuesday, June 9

 I made a Fourth of July craft.

Wednesday, June 10

Each day at about 3 p.m, I've been drinking a "pick me up" cup of coffee.  And it tastes to good and soothing.

Thursday, June 11

I was on call for Jury Duty all week.  Each night I was instructed to call back the next day.  Finally, I had to call on Thursday at 11:30, and I was released from service.  Yay for not having to actually appear!

Friday, June 12

I took the boys to see Jurassic World in 3D.  I was the mom chaperoning eight boys!  It was a really good movie!

Saturday, June 13

End of season soccer party at the beach.  We had so much fun!  It was nice to be in the cool air and enjoy the cold water!  The kids had so much fun riding boogie boards, burying each other, and exploring.  I loved being at Avila Beach for the day!

Friday Favorites: First Week of Summer Vacation

The kids and I enjoyed our one week of summer vacation before summer school starts next week.  The week was completely unscheduled mainly because I was on call for jury duty.  There were so many more things I wanted to get done, but hey, it was my week to totally relax!

Here are my favorites from this week.

ONE

I made three large batches of mango salsa to eat with salmon, steak, and chicken.  Each time it was absolutely delicious!  Peel and chop one mango, chop half a red onion, seed and chop one jalepeno, chop a good handful of cilantro, and squeeze the juice of one lime on top.  Pure goodness!

TWO

Having enough time to get to doctor appointments without the stress of leaving work or being late.  We also went to the dentist later that day as well.  No worry. No stress. No rush.

THREE

Watching the USA Women's Soccer Team win their first game in the World Cup was a definite favorite!

FOUR

I made a craft.  Now I just need to clean the house so I can finish decorating.  Hudson had the nerve to ask me why I only decorated with one thing.  Well, dear son, that is because the rest of the house is in shambles and I don't want to decorate a mess.

FIVE

Once I was excused for jury duty for one afternoon, I took the kids to MB2 to race.  They were the only two in the race!  Had the place to ourselves because we finished school a week before the local schools around here.

SIX

 Candy socks.  This doesn't even need an explanation because they are so awesome!

SEVEN

 An afternoon cup of coffee seems to HIT THE SPOT lately.

EIGHT

Hudson and I took a walk/ride in the evening on Wednesday.  It was wonderful!  Breezy. Cool. Perfect.

NINE

Once we got back, I was still a few hundred steps short of my 10,000, so we played soccer in the street until dark!  That was a lot of fun!

And my number TEN favorite thing this week (although it was my #1 favorite thing) was this:

After calling in each night since Sunday night, and then having to call today at 11:30, I am officially free of my civic duty!  I am so relieved that I didn't have to actually report.  I believe in our judicial system, but all the same, I was happy to stay home this week!