back to school

Summer is officially over, but you couldn't tell by the temperature in Florida.

BACK. TO. SCHOOL.

And I'm soooo happy about it. It was a long summer, it really wasn't, just felt like it to me. Now the long nights of playing outside have led to homework and making lunches and having lengthy discussions with Rachael on what she should wear to school. These conversations with her are probably THE MOST frustrating ones I have ever had with my daughter. Not kidding !!

Erin started 3rd grade out on a good note. He seems to have a nice teacher, at least 4 days into it and I am still impressed, and I do reserve the right to re-visit the teacher situation as the year goes on.

Rachael started her middle school 6th grade year too. First year that I didn't walk her into school, first year she hasn't worn uniforms, first year she can wear flip flops to school, first year of switching classes, first year of needing to be accountable for her actions. And the most important first of all ... THE FIRST YEAR OF EDLINE ... I love Edline, it is an on-line-stalk-your-students grading system. Everything Rachael does in class, every grade is posted on line. LOVE EDLINE !! She is doing pretty good so far, she is enjoying middle school and looking forward to middle school sports!!

Like normal, we were in a huge hurry .... So I didn't even take a second to check to see if the kids had their eyes open ! ooopppsss ....

Don't they look good? Even Trevor wanted to get in on the action. That kid doesn't like to miss any of the spotlight!

Wordless Wednesday

Trevor found the Birthday Hat! What a silly boy !

ETA: Check out the book he was reading ..... Mia Hamm's, Winners Never Quit ..... I'm glad to see he on the right path !

Oh Thank Goodness ....

My boys are boys again .... FINALLY !!

Daddy staged an intervention and took them for haircuts !

I tried and tried, but it just wasn't in my schedule !!

ETA: Either is grocery shopping, car washing & cleaning Erin's closet....I really need to dedicate time to clean the car, and the closet. And just so you know, 10 minutes in the grocery store after work isn't cutting it either :)

rolling right along ...

The summer seems to be flying by ..... School starts in 4 weeks!

I'm kinda sorta excited about this rite of passage. It brings back the all mighty "schedule", the bed times, the soccer practices, the homework arguments and lunch packing. It is what I consider the norm.

I'm kinda sorta dreading this too. And for all the reasons I stated for liking it. And the big one, Rachael is now a middle school student. I vaguely remember Kasey heading to middle school, and I don't remember anything too remarkable about the new school transition. But something tells me that my little drama queen with put a new twist on it. She is already complaining about the portables that the 6th graders are housed in due to "construction".... I told you, where there is Rachael, there is drama.

Rachael has been in Massachusetts for the past 10 days. She is visiting my family for a little summer get-a-way. Here is a picture of Rachael on the beach at Misquamicut. Nanny took her on a little outing since she missed her beach trip with her Papa. Anyhow ... she comes home this weekend. I can't wait to see her, we have really missed her!

Oh .. and yup, that's a jacket folks. This Florida girl told me that the nights in New England feel like winter. And I guess she is right, in the winter it's in the 50's and 60's !!


OH !! And I completely cleaned her room from the inside out. Plowed through her closet, dug out under her bed. I sent her a text message telling her there was not a trash barrel behind her dresser and under her bed. One bedroom = 4 black yard bags of trash !! AMAZING ....

So summer rolling along ... I have a few more things I'd like to get accomplished:

1. Get to Adventure Island at least one more time
2. Get the kids to the Public Library ... they love it, but there is never enough time at night.
3. 2 more trips to the beach
4. Clean little Erin's room just like the room gutting that Rachael's received.
5. Get the Garage in order, or in some kind of order.
6. Hopefully fix the drainage issue in the backyard.
7. Paint Rachael's Room and Little Erin's room.

We'll see how much I actually accomplish by August 23rd!! I'd be pretty happy with myself if I got 3 out of the 7 done !!!

birthday boy fun .....

Look how excited Trevor was to blow out his candle! He was so cute!! In lieu of a big party, we opted for something that Trevor would want. After all isn't that what a birthday is really about, doing what the birthday boy would love to do? Trevor's favorite place this summer by far is Adventure Island Water Park. He is now old enough to ride some water slides and definitely old enough for Splash Attack. We went with our dearest friends, Michele and her three girls!

Trevor loves to play in the water. Although he is only 3, he has the courage of a 10 year old. He never is scared of anything ..... but that scares me:)

And here is a picture of the all the kids. They all get along so well, probably because they have known each other as infants....and have grown up together. It wouldn't be a birthday without having these girls around to help celebrate!

Erin and Courtney have a very special bond. It reminds of a bond that twins have. When they are together they are inseparable. They talk the same, they finish each others sentences and they act like this ...

And here is Rachael .....GOOFBALL !

And Splash Attack ... Rachael, Alexandra and Courtney ....


We closed the park down. Left at 9pm, it was so much fun! Trevor was exhausted, but he had a great birthday.

And for the 4th we had a family BBQ at Erin's sister Sherry's home! Had another great day of fun. The kids swam until after dark and watched the fireworks from Sherry's pool. And after all the talking that Trevor did about how he wanted to watch the fireworks, he was a little scared of them and hid inside...but we watched through the window and he was very happy with that!

Happy Birthday To Our Baby ...

July 3, 2006

Born 7:26 pm

8lbs, 11oz.

Where did the time go? I honestly feel like this picture was taken yesterday. It is a strange feeling when you realize your last child is 3 years old! There will be no more two-year olds in our home again. It is hard to wrap my mind around that.

Trevor was born on July 3rd by my choice via a very smooth induction . He was the most beautiful baby, his skin was so perfect and his face was so full. My 1st son, Erin, was born on his due date and weighed in at a lofty 10lbs, 3oz and neither myself or the doctors felt like that is a record that needed to be beat. See Erin, was born naturally and my body didn't need a repeat performance of that. Trevor's due date was July 10th, he would have easily passed the 9 lb mark by then. With that being said, it was time for Trevor to receive his marching orders. The only date that was open was July 3rd and that would mean he would share his birthday with his Papa, and I thought that was a very cool thing!!

Trevor by far is the busiest baby we have had! There is a reason that the last baby is the last baby. Either that or I'm just so much older that I am exhausted.
So here we are, Trevor is three today. We have NOT mastered the art of using the big boy toilet. We are trying but as of today, we have not had any luck. But I must stress, we are trying. He loves to drink from a cup without a lid. I, however, do not like that. His vocabulary can rival any 4 year old out there. The things that child says sometimes catch me off guard. He rides a bike with training wheels, not a tricycle, a bike. And tackle football is a favorite, not because he enjoys football, but because he enjoys a good tackle.

So Happy Birthday to my baby boy. Can someone please invent the magic potion to keep him just the way he is??

Wanna be cowgirl ....

I can't believe I didn't post this video of Rachael ....

I was the Mom in charge of the inflatables for the 5th Grade Bash. They told me to find something different, something fun! I accomplished that ......

Here is our little cowgirl ..... She did pretty good !!

I loved how the kids in her class were chanting her name. And, secretly, she did too !!

my week in preview ...

I am so excited for a long Holiday Weekend!! I am looking forward to 3 days away from my office and I am looking forward to spending 3 days at home with my family and I am looking forward to not thinking or stressing about anything and I plan on doing this for 3 entire days !!

I would like to completely remove the stress-lobe of my brain and replace it with a completely fun-lobe! Anyone wanna help me with this ??

This week is also know as Birthday Week in my family... I have a special post or two coming later in the week, but let me give a quick shout out to some extra specials in my life !!

July 1st .... Happy Birthday Duane .... My brother Duane, aka Uncle Dewey. I hope you have a big celebration planned with Aunt Tara in Chicago ! We miss you !!

July 2nd ....Happy Birthday Albert .... My brother Albert, aka Uncle Alby. Have a wonderful birthday and give Little Albie a huge for us !!

July 3rd ... Happy Birthday to MY DADDY !! My father, aka Papa. I wish we could be with you and celebrate your big 60th birthday!! But we are there in spirit ! We love you and miss you!

AND FINALLY ..... DRUM ROLL PLEASE ........

July 3rd .... Our baby is turning 3 years old ! Yes, Trevor will be three on Friday. I can't believe it and it is very hard for me to imagine that my last child is turning 3. He shares a birthday with his Papa/my Dad by my choice. (Ok Moms don't fault me for choosing his birthday, there are reasons for this that I will explain later). Three years went by so fast .....

That's a ton of birthday's, right?

In other happenings ....
Short week at work (listen .... do you hear me celebrating)?? I am at my children's mercy this weekend. I think Thursday the kiddies want to hit Busch Gardens Summer Nights. Little Erin said he heard Gwazi calling his name. Rachael wants to conquer Sheikra again. I think Bff Michele and the girls will go with us, it is always more fun with 3 more kids!

Friday, it the birthday boys choice. Either Seaworld Summer Nights or Island Nights at Adventure Island! He loves both .... Fish, whales, sharks and water slides !! I asked Trevor what he wanted for his birthday he said Fireworks and "burtday cake" ! That is soooo easy ... DONE !

Saturday is BBQ at the sis-in-laws to celebrate the 4th of July! Family, Food, Fun in the pool ! And at night we will watch the fireworks somewhere .... but my kids NEVER miss the fireworks!!

That is my rest of my week and I'm looking forward to every minute of it !!

Cabin Fever ....

It is totally possible to get cabin fever in the middle of summer ... TOTALLY ....

The past five days have seen temperatures in the upper 90's with a heat index around 105-110. Insanely hot even for our part of Florida. And folks, hot isn't just hot .... there is summer in Florida hot, and then there is this past week hot ! Not the same ... trust me on that one.

This summer the olders, Rachael and Erin, have been home with Kasey until she leaves at the end of July. They were allowed to stay home with specific instructions that watching TV all day was forbidden and they need activities. Being it is Florida, I ask that they go for a bike ride, or scooters or a walk to the lake in the morning when the sun isn't as hot. But it has been far too hot to venture outside, even in a pool, the heat is just too much. We usually take the kids outside in the evenings around 6pm or so to ride bikes and use up some energy, but we can't do that either.

On a good day, we have lots of sibling fighting. During a week where they haven't been outside very much, we have a sibling war! OH MY GOSH ... We are fighting about Hot Wheel cars, of which we have about 150 of them. We are fighting about playing Animal Crossing on the WII. They chase each other and scream on the top of their lungs, they fight over who gets to put their legs on each couch cushion and don't you dare touch the others legs ... It is getting ugly ...

I am requesting a change in the upper level winds, a cold front, a low pressure system ... I am requesting anything that will make the heat go away and allow my kids to play - OUTSIDE ! PLEASE ! Am I asking too much ??

In the meantime the fact that they are so absolutely cute are the only things saving them ....

Look what he is sportin'

That's our little Erin sporting some new goggles .... The latest member of our family to wear glasses, he joins his Dad and two sisters. It wasn't completely necessary that we get these handsome little frames, but he has complained about not being able to see the white board sometimes. The doctor said it could swing either way, so we decided to err on the side of caution and hoping it helps this little dude get caught up with his reading.

Besides, he now could be a GQ model!! Right ??

BTW ..... I wrote Blackboard above. I quickly hit the delete button. Every time I say blackboard my kids correct me, MOM IT IS A WHITE BOARD. And they look at me like I am so freakin' old! I know, I totally dated myself with the blackboard comment, but yes, back in the ol' school we used chalk, it was cheap and the school provided it. Now they use the white boards and we, the parents, supply very expensive dry erase markers. What was wrong with chalk ??? And I loved being the eraser clapper girl, the side of our school was dotted with my special clapper art!

welcome to the zoo ......

Remember this post?? Yup, that was a pretty sad time for our family....

But this little gal came along ....

The kids named her Sadie. At some point someone else in our family added Grace to the end. Sadie Grace, sounds good. Trevor calls her Sadie Baby .... not sure why, but he is so cute he could call her anything and I would think he was a genius.

She is absolutely adorable. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't want another dog, remember we still have Pogo. But she was a rescue mutt dog. We think there is some boxer in there with a side of terrier. Not really sure, one thing is certain, she won't be trotting around in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. But who really cares .... the kids are just smitten' with her.

While I love the little puppy, we are currently at battle over the fact that she only eats my flip flops and my things. I even offer Rachael's flip flops in exchange, but it seems like Sadie is a flip flop eating snob and plastic ones just don't cut it. She is trying my patience, or what little patience I have. The only thing that is saving her right now are those darn floppy ears.

Wordless Wednesday ???

Wordless Wednesday with a twist ..... What is this ???

this is gonna be a long one :)

On Wednesday night Kasey graduated from High School. It was a beautiful ceremony, a bit long for Trevor, after all there were 505 students, but we all enjoyed the night and now we now have a college freshman in our family.

And this is a picture of Trevor holding the rose he was going to give to his sister. This was how it looked before the 1st of 505 names were called. Around name 200, he started picking off the petals one by one. It wasn't quite so pretty when he gave them to her afterwards. Good thing we teach our kids that it isn't the gift, but the thought that counts.

And yesterday was Rachael's last day of 5th grade, last day of elementary school, and last day at the only school she has ever gone to. After 6 years at this school, she made lifetime friends, had some very caring and wonderful teachers and said goodbye to a school that has made her feel safe and confident. She had a rough day yesterday. She cried .... ok, no she bawled !! And I cried too !!

And here is the 5th grade clap out .... Rachael's class is 1st coming down the hall. Her friend, Kara grabbed me for a hug because her Mom couldn't make it and she was a little more than emotional. The next little girl is Rachael and she walks right into my camera. You can't miss her!

And these are were her teachers this year !! They both wrote nearly the same thing in her yearbook, "Rachael, you are a wonderful student with a great personality. I will miss your smile everyday, but remember .... that smile can't get you out of everything! Work Hard!"

Yup, she uses that smile all the time to her benefit ... smart kid.

It was Erin's last day of 2nd grade. He was happy and for him it was summertime ..... nothing more to say on that subject.

During dinner before Kasey's graduation we were doing to graduation math. Kasey will graduate from college in the year 2013. Rachael will graduation from high school in the year 2016, Erin will graduate in the year 2019 and here is what scares me the most, Trevor will graduate in the year 2025 !!

SO LET THE SUMMER BEGIN !!

Wordless Wednesday

the big graduation ....

Today is the day! A little after 7 pm, Kasey will be a high school graduate!

No more high schooler. She is a soon to be college girl. An exciting time for her, although I don't think she is anywhere close to realizing how hard it is going to be. But she is 17 and yup, she knows it all. Not completely shocking, I think most teenager parents will agree with me on that.

I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. We have dinner tomorrow and then off to the SunDome for the ceremony.

Can I just tell you that I can't believe the high school is big enough to need the Sundome. I mean, I know the school is huge, but I graduated on my high school football field.

I'm not gonna cry ..... PROMISE .....

This is my little girls last week of Elementary School. After Thursday, I will have a middle schooler. I am struggling with this. After all, she is my little girl .....

I remember walking her into that school 6 years ago and crying as I walked out, my little girl was a Kindergartner and I was leaving her in a big school all by herself. Well, I walked into that big school with her last week and she bent over to talk to a Kindergartner. I thought to myself that used to be my little girl, so small and carrying that huge backpack. She has grown into the big school. And now, my daughter is in her last days of 5th grade. I think I will walk her in on Thursday and I'm going to try not to cry on my way out.

What a year she has had. And she has enjoyed every minute of being the big kid on campus. She has made the most she can out of 5th grade. She has made some incredible friends and had has wonderful teachers who have forever shaped her future. She was a safety patrol, she made Sergeant. And she wanted that since she was in 1st grade. Last week I chaperoned her 5th grade class trip to Epcot. I loved it, we had a wonderful time and have some great memories. Last Friday, I also attended her 5th grade bash ! OMG ..... what fun we had!! The kids loved the waterslide and mechanical bull. The cafeteria was decorated in the Jungle theme, it was incredible. Most of her 5th grade activities are over now and the school year is winding down.

And with 1.5 days left of school, Rachael is ready to move on. BUT ... I am not ready for that ....

She tells me she isn't going to cry when she walks out ..... But I know that Rachael is a little emotional .....And I think she will cry too when the entire school (K - 4th grade) line the hallway and they clap the 5th graders out of the school for the last time.