Go Buy This Outfit

Or at least go admire my daughter's modeling skills (the goose egg on her forehead really makes the pictures, I think)!



In other news: My father is in town for a visit. He surprised me as I thought he wasn't coming until the END of the week. Ah well--at least now he's in town for his birthday! The kids are home with him now. I wonder what hijinks they are all up to? He didn't answer when I called at lunchtime.... Hmmmm....

Craziness

The childcare situation has been SOLVED. And...well, I'm very excited to tell you that I'm going to start working PART-TIME, now! And although I wish it could have been an announcement that I was just outright quitting my job to join the ranks of bon-bon eaters everywhere again, it's just not fiscally possible this year.

My company was nice and granted me this part-time wish so that I could go home and get the kids off the bus. In addition to my own darlings, I'm also taking on two sisters whose mother was ALSO pretty frustrated with the lack of affordable day care options in this town.

Izzy has been moved BACK to AM kindergarten and will be spending her afternoons with the nice Mom whom I happened to talk to last week and who happened to want a few extra bucks--and was willing.

It's kind of a crazy set-up. It will probably only be for a year--I'll have to go back to full-time by the summer (or hopefully find a better position in the company)--but I'm pretty happy about it.

So...funds will be a smidge tighter than last year, but I think the saving of my sanity will be well worth it!

The kids start school next Tuesday. I can hardly wait for my shorter hours! And to maybe get dinner ready at a reasonable hour! And to have a bit of breathing room before after-school activities. And....YAY!

...NOW I just gotta go get all those darn school supplies! NEXT PAYCHECK!

Dazed and Confused

The daycare decisions just keep getting more and more confusing!

After submitting to the fact that we will have to send Izzy to a daycare center this year--and then having to switch her from AM to PM kindergarten due to busing, Izzy has NOW been offered a spot with an acquaintance--but I'd have to switch her BACK to AM. (Still brewing over this decision....)

And then on top of that, John and I are attempting some work schedule finagling to take care of the morning/afternoon bus for the other two--and it's a freakin' nightmare.

It's. Just. NOT. Easy.

Only 12 more days until school starts, and I STILL don't have an answer!

ugh

Do I HAVE to post?

I don't feel like blogging lately. No, I feel like reading everyone else's blogs, and I grow quite impatient when you all are off working or on vacation or playing in the sun or having a LIFE or whatever it is you're doing instead of posting. Post more! Tell me about that "life" thing so that my voyeuristic self can sponge off of it instead of working on my own.

So! Yes! On to the post....

My SIL Lynn and her friend Michelle (and Taser--the most, bestest dog EVER!) made a visit last weekend, and of course it was a great time. We took them around downtown ROC (Look! We have a waterfall in our deadly quiet downtown!), and to get the GOOD ice cream and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the hibachi. Then Michelle spoiled me by cooking a yummy dinner for everyone (the leftovers of which has been my lunch for the last two days--yum!). And LOTS of playing with the cutest, bestest dog in the world. It was a short visit, but the kids and John and I were thrilled to see them even for the short time they could make it. Sis--you need to come visit more often!

Sunday night Mary and I had an "unofficial" GS camp-out in my co-leader's back yard. We roasted hot dogs, went around the neighborhood on a scavenger hunt, and then sat around the fire roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs. All the girls tucked into their sleeping bags and quieted down quite easily. J and I were pleasantly surprised. In fact, when we went to peek on them and say goodnight some time later, Mary was already FAST asleep (too many late nights up with Aunt Lynnie and Michelle, I'm thinking). Despite the fact that it pretty much rained allll night, the girls and leaders slept pretty well. Huh. Can't wait to do some REAL tent-camping with them sometime next spring!

Of course, Monday morning, I had to get up at the crack of dawn to rush home and wash out the campfire smell and go to work--leaving J all alone to deal with breakfast and packing up. Dunno WHAT J was thinking scheduling this on a SUNDAY--I definitely had a few problems keeping my eyes open yesterday!

Today I had to drag all three kids and myself to the dentist for our check-ups. Of course, Keith already had a cavity on a tooth that we never got around to filling from last time--but now his cavity count is up to TWO. I'm gritting my (now clean) teeth about this--I still have a problem with filling baby teeth and am hoping to ignore this as long as possible. And they want to put sealants on his back teeth (now, I'm all about the sealants). Mary, Izzy, and I all passed with flying colors. Hygienist: Wow! Your gums are so clean! I'm so impressed! Me: Um.... Thanks...? They do want to give me crowns on two of my teeth which are like 99% fillings, but insurance has to approve first. (The dentist is afraid they'll crumble one of these days.) FINE. WHATEVER.

We THINK we may have finally figured out the day care dilemma. It's still not the GREATEST plan, and we may have to tweak it again before Friday, but I'm liking it for the most part. I'll keep you posted on what really comes to fruition, here. (ugh)

Weekends

Last weekend we went to the neighbors' house for a little cookout. Good food. Great company. And some very happy kiddie pool kids slurping down the watermelon! (Look at all those outties!)

THIS weekend we have visitors, and while I'm SOOOO excited that my SIL is FINALLY coming for a visit, I'm panicking about all the cleaning that I did NOT get done even though I've been parceling it all out for the last 2 weeks. Tonight I will be one FREAKED OUT Mommy. (And John has golf tonight--SO not fair!)

And THEN my father is supposed to come for HIS annual visit sometime the week after that. Can I keep what little cleaning I got done up to scratch before he gets here? Well, maybe *I* can, but I doubt my husband and kids can. URGH.

EDITED to add: Keith lost his second tooth not long after this photo was taken. The thing had been dangling there for ages.... We wondered why he got so quiet all of a sudden. The hot dog he bit into finally did the poor little tooth in! ...THEN--he wakes me up that night around midnight crying because he had woken up, and the tooth fairy hadn't visited yet. Well, um, she just hasn't gotten to our house yet, bud! Give her some time! 15 minutes later--"Mom! She STILL hasn't come!" Buddy, she's not coming until everyone's asleep! Now, go lay down! He finally settled down and made it through till about 6:30 AM, where he was ecstatic to find the 8 quarters--yes, ALL American--in an envelope under his pillow.

Another One

Dearest, darling Sleep,

Thank you for visiting for a short while last night. But the psycho-killer nightmare at four AM? Completely rude and unnecessary! And then giving Izzy an apparent nightmare just minutes before the alarm went off? WRONG. Let's try this again tonight, shall we? Get it RIGHT this time, mkay?

Your humble (somewhat rested, yet still bleary-eyed) servant,
Q

Letter

Dear Sleep,

Please come back to me! I know I sometimes took advantage of you because I have been known to prefer the company of a good book from time to time, but staying out of my life for three nights straight is a bit much! Yes, I know my panicky thoughts about what the blazes I'm going to do about childcare and/or my job and LIFE right now are taking precedence in my mind, but I'm trying my best to shut them out! And don't try to blame the horrendously hot weather, Sleep! I know you can manage to visit in ANY weather.

Thanks,
Sleepless (next to the Snoring Husband)

Daycare Dilemmas

Nothing is appealing. Everything is too expensive or off the bus line or too inconvenient or a scheduling nightmare or....

I hate this.

A few small, 90 second-increment runs for woman

I finally did as I've been promising for weeks. I joined my neighbor on her run last night. B is trying the Couch to 5K program. I figured I would join her to 1) support her and 2) get off my fat @$$ for once.

After doing the program for a few weeks, she went out of town for a while and...got distracted from it, so she sorta started over, and last night she was only on week 2. Hoping that skipping week 1 wouldn't be such a big deal, I joined in.

I don't think I've done any running since we had the treadmill, and I feebly attempted getting up at 5:00 in the morning to run on it before getting ready for work--right after my maternity leave from Keith. That would be, what? Aught 2??? (That only lasted a few weeks--and frankly, I'm impressed it lasted THAT long.) Yeah. It's been awhile.

I'm happy to announce that I made it. The first 90 second run immediately caused a stitch in my side, but the two minute walk calmed it down again. The next few 90 second runs were pretty easy.

When we finished, I could only think, "Is that all?" Of course, if we had RUN the whole time we were out, I would have been dead at the end of the block. I felt great (I imagine it was all the endorphins). (And we'll see how I feel by the end of today when the soreness peaks.) I'm happy that I did something good for my body for a change--and that I had a friend to do it with. As much as I like the ease of mall-walking (convenient!), it gets boring after a while when I don't have someone walking with me (and I haven't had a mall-walking buddy since....aught four?).

Don't know if I'll be able to keep it up. The time of day B runs is not always convenient for me. And I can already tell the days are starting to get shorter (NOOOOO!). I just CANNOT see myself pulling this off during the winter. No sidewalks? Snow? Ice? COLD?! Yeah--I don't see it. Ah well--maybe I'll actually get the Wii Fit out this winter. heh.

EDITED: To change horrible, horrible typos. Sorry. THAT was even more pathetic than normal!

Not Much Going On

...about which I can POST, anyway. Idiotic happenings at work. Acceptance of unfairness. Shoulders shrugged. Life moves on.

The good news is that Baseball and Softball are finally OVAH! We have our weekends BACK again! And now that we have them back--and are completely broke--we haven't a CLUE what to do with them. Oh yes! Housework! And Maintenance! How's that for some summer excitement, kids?!

Actually, Mary got to go to Girl Scout camp last week. She stayed the night on Thursday, and she was FINE (Me to John: TOLD YOU!). She really enjoyed herself. Then of course, she left my mess kit there. *sigh*

Keith got invited to a pool party from one of his classmates. He spent the ENTIRE time in the pool. He wasn't tempted one bit by the trampoline or the swings. Nope: pool, pool, pool. It's so nice to see him so comfortable in the water, and having so much fun!

The classroom assignments came out while we were out of town--along with a buzz of phone calls and email alerts. Everyone dying to know who's in whose class. I am feeling more "networked" now in this school system--not so much like the "new" family. Mary is happy her BFF is in her class (although we will miss her OTHER BFF). Keith is happy to get the same teacher Mary had for second grade--AND the fact that one of his buddies is in his class. Izzy is still trying to learn her teacher's name. Lot's of syllables there--we're hoping she gets it down before September!

I keep putting off the daycare decisions. At first it was because I wanted to know whether Izzy has morning or afternoon kindergarten (AM!). Now...as usual, the logistics and PRICES of it all overwhelms me. I will force myself to make firm decisions/arrangements this week. *sigh*

And...I leave you with a goofy Keith quote. Upon hearing some metal/thrash music on the radio, "Mom, is that Cookie Monster singing?" He THINKS he's funny. (He is!)

Random Thoughts While Mall-Walking

• I wish I had more money so that I could buy some of these cool clothes in the windows. And the little black dresses! So cute and chic! So pointless to buy as I have NO WHERE to wear one!
• That has got to be the most obnoxious, painful-looking, torpedo-shaped pregnancy belly I've ever seen! Oh! But she is so WORKING it!
• I should probably stop listening to Weird Al and the South Park soundtrack while walking. I'm sure my gaffaws and goofy-@$$ grins are causing a few stares.
• Oh GOD, I'm STARVING! Why didn't I eat before I got here?
  
• 50% off at TCP!
• *sigh* Never mind. Nothing tempting.
• I think there are FOUR T - Mobile stores/kiosks in this place! Seriously?
• Those poor kiosk workers. I think I've found a few people even more bored with their jobs than I am.
• Eyebrow threading? I'm too much of a wuss to do plucking/waxing--threading looks just as intimidating. ...Move along!
• Anyone know if TCP backpacks are any good? Or will they rip right in two just two weeks before the end of the school year like all the other cheap-o backpacks I buy?
• BACK TO SCHOOL! Oh! The list! Oh! The humanity!
• I wish I had more money so that I could actually AFFORD to buy all the school supplies. AND eat!
• If I get a Chai from DD, will that be counter-productive to my walk? And if so, by how much? I mean, does 30 minutes walking = ONE Chai? How much do I have to walk in order to have a Chai and still possibly slim down my butt?
• Clearance at Old Navy!
  
• JUST KEEP WALKING! JUST KEEP WALKING!
• (Crap--now that stupid Dory song is on my mind!)
• More Weird Al!
• Anyone know if that Sporting Goods Place does vanity sizing? I've been eying a cheap skort. And I DON'T want to take the time to try it on! (SUPPOSED to be WALKING here!) If the sizes there are comparable to New York, I'm GOLDEN! If not--crap!
• Bah! Shouldn't be spending money anyway. @#$% DEBT!
• (Must find new, non-retail-oriented place to walk.
• Wonder how the kid is doing at GS camp today?
• I looked horrible in those styles when they were out 20-25 years ago! I certainly can't buy them NOW!
• Stacey and Clinton would have a field day HERE!
• The parents who dress all skanky and then have the totally buttoned-up kids completely amuse me...!
• Is it an hour yet?
• I'm soooo tired. Stayed up too late FINALLY getting to watch HP6 (yes, I finally took off the banner, MR). Glad I finally got to see it, but UGH.
• I wonder if that part-time job I saw for a front desk position at a fitness club includes a membership?
• Passing DD again! MOVE ALONG!
• (I've noticed my will power gets more sluggish as I get older--and my metabolism gets slower. *sigh*)
• Wish they had showers here. Good thing I sit alone at work.
  

Grandma S

Grandma Isabelle was 97 and up to a few months ago still lived by herself in her little one bedroom apartment. Her body hurt, but she never saw doctors (didn't trust 'em!) and was always sharp as a tack.

Grandma's body finally tired out enough to convince her to go into a nursing home recently. We saw her on our trip three weeks ago. Her mind wasn't as sharp, but she remembered each of the kids' names.

Saturday night, her body finally gave out.

I'll be sure to tell the kids about how even at the end when she couldn't remember the time or day or hear anything without it being yelled directly into her ear, she still remembered her great-grandkids' names.

Three oldies

Really sad when you realize you don't exactly HAVE three really good posts for the Blogdrought challenge. Ah well. Here's three of my favorite posts....


For the Birds

About three weeks into my brief stay-at-home gig

A post that reminds me of why I needed that brief stint so badly!

Can't get enough of that Shaun!

Go enter Mommy Daisy's new Shaun the Sheep Give-a-way! But please don't win--I must complete my collection! :-)

Decisions, decisions

Continue employment at depressing location with hardly any work, job satisfaction, or decent pay, and um...flittering (vanishing, more like it!) benefits. (Quickly vanishing co-workers, too!)

OR

Go seek a new job in a BLEAK, GRIM, DEPRESSING job market with no real guarantee of finding a) anything that pays better or has better job satisfaction or b) ANYTHING AT ALL.

Hmmm.... What a GRAND choice!

When you're right, you're right.

Today Izzy promptly woke up (with a SMILE!). She took a few minutes, then she got out of bed and then she got dressed without crying or screaming or throwing a fit or yelling at me to "Get out!" She ran down to the kitchen with a true Izzy smile on her face and in time to actually EAT breakfast. She got a puppy sticker and lots of hugs and kisses and praises. (And not just ANY sticker--a BEAGLE PUPPY sticker!) So nice to have my "real" Izzy back!

Of course, the Guinea Pig--who up to now has been staying primarily in her little igloo house, and even shimmying the house in the cage to reach her food and water--was actually OUT of her house this morning and didn't scurry immediately back in the second I walked in the girls' room to wake them. But I'm going to pretend that Izzy's good mood and good behavior this morning had nothing at all to do with that. Oh no--it was the firm hand yesterday. Right?

Why can't I just go back to bed?

Mornings have become a terror again in the Q household. I blame vacation. A week of no bedtimes, late risings, and non-stop sleep arrangement-shifting has left Izzy a very grouchy, dissatisfied customer. Every day is a challenge to wake her up. Every day is an even BIGGER challenge to get her to actually GET UP and get dressed. Keith and Mary and I all run around getting our clothes on and breakfasts eaten and teeth brushed and lunches packed (er--that's for ME)--and Izzy will still be sitting there on her bed, completely ignoring the pile of clothes I've laid out for her. Sometimes she may have made enough progress to get her pajamas off so that then she's sitting on her bed NAKED while the rest of us are getting our shoes on.

Ugh.

Nights are no better as she fights to get pajamas on also. And then she wants to sleep in bed with me. And then she wants me to sleep with her. And then she turns the closet light off. And then she yells to have it turned back ON. And then we'll check on her at 11:00, and she's still playing with the Old School Little People I brought home from my toy collection out of my Dad's garage. Seriously, kid. GO. TO. SLEEP!

Double Ugh.

After trying to be nice and patient (last night I was so fed up that she went to bed in her clothes--seriously, does it really MATTER if she's in PJs?), this morning I dug my heels in. No more Mr. Nice Mommy. I sat down and started the ENDLESS NEEDLING. Seriously, there are just some moments that you realize that all the niceness and patience in the world is getting you nothing but a spoiled little kid who OMG, I KNOW SHE'S ONLY FOUR, BUT SHE IS GOING TO KINDERGARTEN IN THE FALL AND NEEDS TO GET WITH THE GET-YOUR-BUTT-OUT-OF-BED-AND-GET-MOVING PROGRAM, PRONTO! So...this morning I basically kept at her until she did what she was supposed to do.

Now, listen. I WAS nice. I'm all about waking my kids gently and asking them to get dressed kindly the first two or three attempts. But she didn't listen and didn't listen, and then the buck stopped THERE. And despite needing to pack my lunch and having to track down Mary's softball uniform for her scrimmage tonight (I'm still one sock short!), I stayed by the side of that bed and kept on her until she finally got her little butt OUT of bed and finally got those clothes on. At one point Mary says, "Why are you being so mean to her, Mom?" Oh, honey. You should know by now that this is NOT Mean Mommy (she's seen Mean Mommy way too many times to ask such a silly question!). That was DETERMINED MOMMY. Determined NOT to let the four-year old continue to rule our mornings (seriously, I was still being NICE here--nice, but FIRM).

And I remembered when I was pregnant with Keith. Mary was just turning two. I taught Mary how to dress herself, and I sat there and I watched her and I was FIRM with her that SHE needed to do this. Mommy is here to HELP--Mommy is not here to DO. (And
Mommy was overwhelmed with the thought of trying to dress TWO kids for daycare in the morning.) Poor Mary--first child who ha(d)s all the stern rules. Poor Izzy--the baby of the family who has apparently been babied too long.

The firm hand has succeeded with Izzy previously. As much as I hate doing it, I'm hoping it will work with this power struggle, also.

Sorry, little one. Vacation is OVER, and everyday life is BACK.

Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in!

We signed Keith up for the extended season of baseball. Something fun for him to do for the next few weeks of summer--great! But now the well-meaning coach is setting up practices twice a week. Games on Saturday. Well...I guess that's not too bad....

Right after that, Mary's softball coach asked her to play in the girls' all-star softball tournament! Well...that's awesome! OK! But now...she's having to go to practice like 4 times a week until the tourney--which will be a full weekend of games.

Crap!

I guess it's back to sandwiches for dinner every night for the next two weeks....

Pets

As promised, Mary got her Guinea Pig--the "orphaned" Hazel--last night. Hazel is a very chubby pig! And she's got a bit of eczema on her rump. And she's kinda up there in pig years. But she's sweet and adorable.... And Mary is beside herself to have her own pet in her OWN room. And is insisting that care of Brownie the bunny be completely made over to her brother--the actual "owner" of Brownie. (Doubt that will happen. Mary loves that bunny way too much. Maybe not enough to clean his cage, but I'm pretty sure she'll keep feeding him.)

Meanwhile, the daycare provider insisted her mother bring over her new puppy to show us. It's a miniature Schnauzer and...ADORABLE. And she was cheap (this pup was not certified due to her coloring and the fact that she was a runt). And I held her for a few minutes and DID NOT BREAK OUT. And maybe, just maybe, the breeder will have another pup available for us! (And even the certified puppies are only $300--a much better price than the outlandish $850 we were quoted from another local breeder).

Crap. I REALLY don't want the care of a puppy right now.... BUT SHE WAS SOOOOO CUTE!

The Trip

John was forced to take vacation last week by his employer. And since our daycare provider was also on vacation, it seemed a good week for ME to take time off, too.

(Wow. Did I NEED that week off!)

We decided to do yet another "cheap" vacation. Of course, ALL our vacations are just about as cheap as one can get, but economy dictates this one be even cheaper than normal. So, we decided on a trip to Cedar Point. And since we were kinda in the area--a trip to see family/friends in Indiana was tacked on. Two vacations smushed into one!

We drove off to Sandusky Monday night. We got to our hotel, discovered that it had an OUTDOOR pool (the nerve!), and since the weather was somewhat chilly and NOT conducive to outdoor swimming, we disappointed the kiddies by staying INSIDE the hotel and just ordering a pizza and watching TV. Cheap! And no one got hypothermia!

Tuesday morning was overcast and cool. Perfect! We got up and got breakfast then let loose our kids on Cedar Point. It only rained a couple of times--and at about five minutes in duration. No crowds. No hot, searing sun (We wore jeans and I wore a jacket ALL DAY). No dehydrated mama embarrassing her husband and kids by puking in line (although I did take the precaution of taking a Dramamine and steering clear of ALL spin-y rides). Seriously, it was great. We did, however end up with one trip to the First Aid station. While eating our Dotted ice cream, Izzy climbed up on the bench. I was just about to ask her to sit on her BUTT instead of the squatted, tipsy, on-the-balls-of-her-feet position she'd taken when the inevitable happened: she lost her balance and took a nose-dive off the bench onto the pavement below. She dumped her ice cream and scraped up her elbow big-time--and then started screaming like a banshee. (Was she more upset by all the blood or the loss of her ice cream...?) We calmly took her to First Aid as Mom refused to carry her purse around the park and did NOT have a band-aid on her. A cleaned-up, band-aided scrape and THREE lolly pops from the nurse later ("No FAIR! Why does SHE get a lolly pop and WE don't?" "Well, maybe you should have fallen and scraped YOUR elbow!"), we were on our way to our next ride.

All three kids did well at the park. Mary has become more and more adventurous and rode most of the rides she was tall enough to ride. She even got on the Corkscrew (the ride of TERROR! just a year ago). Keith enjoyed the Blue Streak and the Coal Mine ride but refused to ride anything he considered "bigger" than those two rides. Izzy was in her element in all the rides she was allowed on. And tried on numerous occasions to sneak into line with whichever parent was escorting the two bigger kids onto the bigger rides. Lots of mini temper tantrums when told, "Sorry, honey, you're not big enough!"

Instead of playing games, we just plunked down money for souvenirs for the kids. Keith got a flickering light saber. Mary got a water globe that had floating (and looked to me like DEAD) fish in it. Izzy got a cool glittery bouncy ball. Within ten minutes Mary's souvenir had bit the pavement--leaving behind an oily, blue gloop--and thus began another treasure hunt through the souvenir shop for another one like it. Yes, it was found. (Whew!)

All in all: a wonderful day!

Wednesday morning we promised the kids a sleep in. I let the kids and John sleep in and casually grabbed as many donuts and bagels I could carry out of the breakfast bar and then just as gradually showered and started packing up. The kids gradually woke up and grazed while watching PBS and getting ready. A brief glance at my cell phone (the hotel room's alarm clock was unplugged to make room for John's fan), caused a mini-heart attack. 10:50?! Augh! Ten minutes to check out!

...Well, we made it. Barely. Good thing most of our stuff was already packed. Oops. At least three of the five of us managed a shower (poor John!).

On the road again--to Michigan! We drove in to Kalamazoo and met John's sister Lynn and her friend Michelle for dinner. Then we went back to their place for a quick game of catch (sponsored by Mary's stuffed bunny "Snow Queen" and in which only ONE drink became a victim).

Thursday morning we had breakfast with our wonderful hostesses, saw Grandma in Three Rivers, and then headed off to Idaville to see my father. Dinner with Dad, Ruth and Kris and then some Rock Band. Then Dad gave us a mini-show of some of the fireworks he had purchased for the fourth. John and I oohed and aahed--the kids...well, they spent the evening chasing down the MILLIONS of fireflies in Dad's backyard and just weren't as interested in the show. Ah well! Then we had a really late game of catch--this time courtesy of Keith's stuffed fish Mr. Nibbles (a.k.a Blub-Blub).

We also acquired a family tent (yes!), a volunteer tomato plant from Dad's garden (to replace the seedlings I'd killed), and some of my childhood toys that Mary claims she WILL play with (We'll see) (The rest I'm thinking will be posted on E-bay--or put in the trash!). And I found my mess kit (YES!).

Friday we drove down to Fort Wayne and spent most of the day with John's sister Lori and then got a surprise visit from Lynn and Michelle. All of played the popular family game Soccey Ball...? (sitting in a circle volleying and pummeling each other with an over-sized--and thankfully soft--soccerball). Most fun. And exhausting!

Friday night the H's hosted a party, and most of the gang (and a few surprise visitors!) showed. We were snubbed by MR who decided his girlfriend's birthday should take precedence (the nerve!), but most everyone else we wanted to see were there. I think at one point I counted ten kids. It was a madhouse! And we finally got to meet Marcus's woman. She seemed normal to me...except for that dating Marcus thing! heh! We stayed up really, really late while the guys all reminisced about their old high school days together. So...tired.....

Saturday I dragged myself out of bed and dragged the kids up and started packing. I just got out of the shower when John woke up, realized the time, and EEK! We were going to be late meeting Lynn and Michelle for breakfast. AUGH! Yes, we were late (but hey, we did say 9:30-ISH), but the food was good (huge portions!) and the company better. And we met Michelle's son who could give goofy/chatty Izzy a run for her money!

We left breakfast to make the looooong drive home. Sooooo long. We got in around 7:30, ordered a pizza, and crashed in bed.

Sunday I let the kids sleep in as long as they wanted (Izzy didn't get up until 10:30!). We took it easy most of the morning. In the afternoon we went to see Ice Age 3 (meh), cleaned out the mini-van (ewww!), and John mowed the lawn. We ended the night with hot dogs and Avatar and managed to get the kids in bed by 9:00 (ugh).

It really was a great week. I wish we had had time to make a few more stops (completely bypassed visiting my hometown and completely cut out the trip to Indy--WHEN would we have fit it in?!). I wish we had had more time to visit a few more friends/family. Still: great vacation.

And now that we have a tent, maybe we'll make a few simple camping trips this summer. Starting out with a camp-out in our own back yard....