Note to self:
When you turn the water on a newly planted tree, write yourself a note to turn it off. Or rather, if your husband asks you if you remembered that you were watering the tree, do NOT reply "Today?"! This implies that you may have had the water on for multiple days and cause unnecessary panic in your husband or significant other. . .

Sewing Machine Shopping
Today I was going to go into town to look at machines and look for shorts for me. Chris had some errands to run so we went while the boys were at the movie UP with Grandma and so no sewing machine shopping was done. In fact, only Chris and Taite got shorts (we shopped at Savers, so I tried on 10 pairs, but ended up with none) and I only found a shirt. I am planning on going to look at machines on Saturday since I can go by myself and take my time. The problem with researching for a machine is that everyone (and I mean everyone) has their personal favorite and all the people I have spoke to like different ones! To complicate matters, there is an embroidery machine on Craigslist for a reasonable price. It's not something I need, but it sure would be nice! The only problem is how would I know I won't be wasting my money if I spent that money for a private party purchase ~ what if something goes wrong. Then I am out all that money and no machine, but the price is desirable for an embroidery option! Ahh, the turmoil I go through over a stupid sewing machine! I just need to keep my focus on finding a quiet, precise machine and then I should be happy :~)

The Boys
So far this week, despite the heat, the boys are getting outside for some exercise. Yesterday I thought I was so smart and brought over the lazer tag because at the office, there are a lot of buildings and such to hide behind (and a lot of running going on!). Well, what I forgot to mention is that the boys should not run through the tall grass. When they came in, Brayton was complaining that his legs itched. . . Good thing we have hydro cortisone at the office!! Actually, their favorite activity is the badminton rackets and birdie, but no net. I'm not even sure if we had a net or if we just got the rackets at a garage sale. Doesn't matter, they love their "tennis" game ~ LOL

Ummm. . . Just stuff. . .

Here are some videos I caught last week during swimming lessons on Thursday. With camping over the weekend and such, I didn't get these uploaded.

So, last night was sad for me as I learned that Jon & Kate are getting divorced. I don't watch the news because it is too depressing, so I was probably the last to know and Chris said he didn't blame Jon, but I still think it's sad. For those of you who don't know Jon & Kate (I personally don't either), they have a reality show on TLC called Jon & Kate Plus 8. They have twin girls who are 8 and sextuplets who are 5. Kate is not anyone's favorite because everyone talked about how mean she was to Jon and sometimes I would have to admit that what she was going off on was stupid, but he never once stuck up for himself. He finally is and it's to say "I'm walking away". Everyone has their own opinion about them and their situation, I just think it's sad. . .

Last weekend when we went garage saling, one of the things I found were these super cute dog (pet) dishes. They are ceramic and the small one actually has a cat on the bottom, so that's why we use it for food ~ it's usually covered up and it holds a smaller amount. Perfect for our chubby little pup who did great on her first camping trip, by the way! Our food bill goes way down whenever she is somewhere new. She doesn't relax very well and it wasn't until Saturday night and Sunday morning that she finally finished a bowl of food. She didn't bark too much (except when we left the camper, but we laid the bark collar outside her kennel and we're sure that helped ~ a little inside camping humor!) :~) She even did well when we would meet other dogs who were very "barky" when we were walking. It was great!

Here is another picture of one of my favorite things:My little rose tree was loaded with blossoms when we came home from camping!! I showed it to Bray and he said "Mom, our house is awesome!" Then he said "Oh and look at dad's grass!" Chris has seeded where there once was just dirt from our water line digging to the shed. The grass is coming in nicely which the dog appreciates because apparently, Kentucky Blue Grass is a favorite for Schnauzers. . .

I also had another great find last week ~ this fabric I found in the Variety Store in Kasson. Now this spring when I was trying to find really cute fabric, I couldn't find ANY, but I didn't think to go to Kasson either. . . This fabric is super nice too, soft and is really good quality. All for only $3.99 per yard. Now, if I only had a project to use it on. . .

This brings up my final issue of the day. . . My sewing machine! I hate it and am ready to throw it out the window. On Sunday, Brayton wanted to make a blanket for his Webkinz, Mac. I have a lot of scraps that are perfect for a little blanket for a stuffed dog, so we started our project. It went fine until we almost had the top all done and then my sewing machine started making these huge loops under the fabric. I hastily took apart what I normally have to to clean it out and blew it out with air. I put it back together only to have it continue with this issue. After seeing red, having a blue face and looking at Brayton's panicked expression, we decided to go to Grandma's (my mom's) house to finish. Her machine works like a dream. . . it sews so quietly, sews through folded over seams with ease and is just perfect ~ well, except for the price tag. I don't need the embroidery part, so that is where I can save some money, but I just have a difficult time justifying spending money of that magnitude on myself. I do need something so I can make the purses that Monica is sure we'll be able to sell, so that is kind of my motivation. I just hope I can bite the bullet and follow through. If you have any input on sewing machines, feel free to share. Oh, and I'm also taking donations Hehe :~) Here is what Brayton's blanket ended up looking like ~ he keeps telling me "mom, if you have anything you need to sew, I will help you!" He really thought that was neat to be able to sew! They do have classes at the Sewing Center in Rochester, so I might have to sign him and Taite up, just for something fun and different.

On Thursday Chris made it home from Chicago and I kept waiting for him to come over to the office when he arrived "home". I worked away until I couldn't stand it anymore and called (I was sure he would've been home and since he hadn't called, I was afraid of: a. if their would be an answer on his phone or b. who would be answering his phone). He was home and said he had to run into Rochester on his way home for a couple things. Well, when I got home, I found this bouquet on the island with a super nice card!

I can't remember the last time I received flowers! He couldn't find a vase (duh, I'd gotten rid of them because they were never used) and ended up using the one I had decorating the spare bedroom which was from when I sold Home Maker's Idea Co. I don't think you were supposed to put water in it, but it didn't leak and looked okay. Today when we got home from camping, I had thought of what I could use for the flowers, so I rearranged them, but they were still as pretty when Chris set them up.

Last Friday was the last day of our "busy week". The boys don't have any swimming lessons to make up because the rain/storms always ended before their time everyday! They will really miss Tony and his upbeat attitude :~) They were all ready to spend their college money on swimming lessons!

Right after lessons (well, I did sneak in one garage sale), we headed out to go camping with my mom & dad. We were headed to Hidden Valley in Welch where we had never been before. We made it all the way to Pine Island before we had to stop for ice cream (all of about 30 miles!). It was a good day to stop because their burgers were $1.39, 6 pc. corn dog nuggets were $.99 and their root beer floats were FREE! Chris got a root beer float without the root beer :~) Brayton wanted a hot fudge sundae and they gave that to him for free too! We ate burgers and corn dogs, drank floats, ate ice cream and were happy! :~)

I swore I had read on Hidden Valley's website that they had a pool, but when you look at a bunch of campgrounds, their amenities get mixed up. . . We paid the fee of $35 per night and made it down and around to the campground (the "office" was an old house and isn't right next to the campers, for a good reason, I believe. . .). This is the first one we've been to that tells you to just find a place that's open and park. We made our way through the wash-outs from the recent rains and found 2 spots together, but they were very uneven and one had a pile of dirt in the middle of it. . . After speaking to an adjacent camper, she said these were the only 2 together on that side of the campground and there may be one more site farther down the row. Well, we didn't want to go farther down the row, so we decided to go with our plan B and that was to camp at Treasure Island (casino in Red Wing). We got our money back and Mom called T.I. when we finally had reception and got us a couple sites there. This was actually more convenient for mom & dad because they were going to see Louie Anderson there on Saturday night. It was convenient for us because they allow the campers to use the exercise facilities and pool at the casino just like the hotel guests! AND, the rate? $20 per night and they gave us $10 to put on a players card at the casino (which Chris lost, but it was father's day so we couldn't be too upset he didn't come back with the $2 million he was planning on winning)! Saturday morning mom and I went garage saling and Chris and Bray went swimming at the hotel and had the whole pool to themselves! Taite said he didn't want to go because he didn't feel like it (Chris and I both thought he didn't feel good, so we didn't push it). Come to find out, later, he didn't want to go because he thought there were going to be a lot of people there. . . Well, he missed out on that, but in the afternoon, we went to the lock and dam that is just outside the reservation that the campground/casino are on. That was interesting because one of the employees answered our questions and hung out a little bit to chat. When we got back to the campers, it was really hot out, so we packed a little cooler and took the boys to the pool. They swam together with one other woman who was very understanding about their cannonballing into the pool (even after I told them not to do it when she was on the deep end of the pool, but you know kids!) and they pretty much had the pool to themselves until the beer was gone (dad packed the beverages in the cooler for him and mom and he packed 4 beers and 2 Cokes ~ guess who he thought was going to drink the Coke??? -- didn't happen LOL) which was about an hour and the boys were good and tired. During our supper making, the boys were entertaining themselves outside with playing catch and Brayton created a build and destroy (some show from Dish) type thing with the empty cans laying around. . .

He also made a little obstacle course for the remote control car to drive between, but I think that was a little too difficult :~)

Here is one of Brayton's injuries from the weekend. He was trying to get out of the shower in the camper and was standing on the bottom of the door when he fell in the shower! This is the bruise on the bottom of his foot. The other incident was on his fingernail and not as photogenic. A friend of mine had a posting on Facebook that they go camping with their little baby and that got me thinking how it's not bad camping with kids until they start to walk ~ I think that one weekend when Brayton was about 1 1/2, he fell out of the camper 2-3 times the same weekend and looked like he'd gotten beat up something terrible!!

Okay, here we sit, under the steps

So Chris and I have talked about cleaning out the storage area under the steps just as it's the safest place we can think of in case of severe weather. . . I am home alone and the weather was reported that the severe storm cell was going to be in Rock Dell at 9:25. I cleaned like crazy and have a makeshift safety shelter cleared for the boys and I. My biggest challenge was waking the boys enough to get them out of their beds. I could hear the storm outside as I was in their rooms. . . Chris will be proud, though because I am doing as he asked before he left in case there was bad weather.

So, anyway, back to our grocery shopping trip. The boys were my helpers by finding groceries, the list and coupons. They enjoyed it and it certainly helped me out! I forgot the list in the truck so Taite went to get it for me and I stressed that he could NOT lock the keys in the truck. Brayton was all stressed the whole time Taite was gone: What if he locks the keys in the truck? (we call grandma for help) What if he doesn't lock the truck when he comes back? (not a big deal) What if he locks the keys in the truck???? hehe

I sent the boys to find milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips which would be in the baking aisle as I got some tomatoes. I got a few tomatoes, went to the baking aisle and no boys. . . I circled back through the produce and still didn't see them, then I went around the other end of the aisles and the boys were back in the candy aisle (I had already gotten Dove chocolates with caramel so they were looking there). I redirected them (after a sigh of relief) and we found the rest of our groceries. I love it as they get older and even if they don't want to go to town, they don't whine and make the whole trip miserable! In fact, we had a lesson on saving money (Target's chips vs. Nestle saved us $1 per bag) and gets them introduced to some things that they normally don't have to think about :~) It was fun, but we hurried along because when Taite went outside to get the list, it was raining and thundering and he is his father's son!

We are listening to the damage that's been done in Austin was headed to Hayfield and east from there. The storm that was headed towards us I think might have come from there, or else it was the one that started in Claremont, went through Dodge Center, Kasson and then went south of Byron (lucky us!) Taite is okay with staying in our little shelter for an extra 1/2 hour just to be safe. I didn't hear any loud noises and have my laptop, so we'll humor him and maybe he can rest a little. After all he is snuggled up with his dog which he can't do in his loft. . .

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. . .

Since we are going camping this weekend and Chris has been embarrassed to drive our truck, the boys and I went to town tonight to wash the truck and get groceries. The boys were enjoying the car wash when we heard a thunk. . . Yes, we used to have a radio antenna. UGH!!! So, now KROC (based in Rochester) didn't even come in very well and we were right in Rochester!

The upside to our trip was the boys helping me find our groceries (and list) in Target. I'll finish shortly after I get the boys to safety just in case the tornadoes all around us actually happen to us. . . I'll be back!

More swimming lessons

The week of swimming lessons, the boys can only talk about swimming lessons. If they aren't having swimming lessons, they are planning what they are going to do at lessons! Brayton even said he likes to swim better with Tony telling him what to do instead of just swimming and being able to do whatever you want!

This video I filmed so Taite could watch it and maybe be able to improve (kind of like sports teams use). I laugh when I watch him swimming the Elementary Back Stroke ~ he looks like a raccoon (his goggles) doing a frog swimming impression :~)



I try to record when they are having a break from lessons and I don't always have the camera ready in time. We are planning on camping at a campground with a pool this weekend! It will give the boys a chance to practice their skills ~ I wish they could practice all summer and then have lessons at the end of summer, but once a summer is enough for the checkbook :~)




I told Chris that I was impressed with both boys' ability to do the front crawl using rhythmic breathing ~ I can't do that!! Chris didn't even know what it was and once I explained, he was impressed too :~)

Taite's classes
Taite said his classes were kind of boring (after the first day), okay with some of his friends in his classes (after yesterday ~ his pen pal from 2nd grade is in one of his classes, he made a friend with a boy from Stewartville and a classmate from Byron is in one of his classes) and today he said once he gets to his second class the day is really improving. I think he is most disappointed by the CSI class, though and I'm not sure what he was expecting. They do mostly science experiment type stuff. Today they used baking soda and vinegar (Brayton was intrigued). He really likes his All Aboard the Orient Express class because they do crafts ~ who knew??? I give him grief saying I'm sure he likes that class just because they get to eat food from the Orient :~)

The first day of their CSI class they were supposed to "solve a crime" using tennis shoe prints, but the teacher thought someone had stolen her digital camera out of her car. Brayton didn't understand why they didn't use their CSI skills and try to figure out who stole the camera. Taite thought that was a good point, but didn't have an answer.

Brayton keeps busy while Taite is in class playing online for his new Webkinz. He and Taite both insisted on buying a new one because their other ones expire in a month ~ Once they register them online, they are only good for 1 year. . .

FUNNY
If you listen to the radio, listen for the new Diet Pepsi commercial ~ I laugh every time I hear it! It talks about women as not thinking they are better than everyone else because they correct them, it should be looked at as being unselfish with their knowledge of what everyone else is doing wrong! It will definitely make you laugh ~ hehe

Swimming lessons started today (along with Taite's classes). The boys loved the lessons and Taite thought the classes were too long and were a little boring. . .

Still No Camping. . .

So this weekend we didn't go camping again this weekend. Chris felt badly about it, but I told him I was okay with it if we went garage saling on Saturday. Well, that's how the morning started out and then I suggested that if we were going to town, we could load up the bikes and go on some of the many trails within the city of Rochester. Chris went along with my idea, but I could tell he wasn't real enthused, but he wanted to keep me happy really badly. We hit a few garage sales and Chris even got out at a few (of course, he does find things when he gets out. . .) and then Chris got an accidental phone call (caller was trying to call a different Chris) who talked more about the bad economy. . . So, that almost ended our enjoyable day, but with a little yelling (well, not really) some near tears (mine, not Chris') we found a place to park and got started on our bike ride. The boys LOVED it and Chris thanked me for pushing him to do something fun instead of more project stuff at home. It's a lot easier to work on projects at home if we get a little play time too and that is what I was demanding yesterday with the bike ride. The boys loved it so much (and Chris too) that we got to go again today. The trails in Rochester are so extensive that we didn't even have to "re-do" any of the trail today. The highlight of our day was lunch today :~) We rode over to Brother's and sat down to have a burger only to find out (after ordering our drinks) that they closed at noon and only served breakfast! We cancelled our drink order and left. Then we decided to see if we could get into Newt's (voted best burger in Rochester like for 10 years or something like that) because Chris and I have tried to eat at Newt's before when we are hungry for a good burger, but it's not a very big place and we can never get in. Today was our lucky day and we were the 2nd table to sit down (Sunday at lunch is probably the only time we'll try to get in there again LOL) and we all agreed that the burgers were excellent. Their fries weren't bad either and they served popcorn too!! Talk about keeping us and Grandma & Grandma happy :~)

All in all it was a good two days, but next week we are definitely planning on doing some camping! Yeah!! We took the bikes and bike rack off the truck already and started to get the camper ready so it just might happen yet! Wish us luck and we'll talk to you later. . .

OMG

Yesterday I was looking for a website on my computer and was reminded that I have a blog!! Geez, it hasn't been that long, but it's weird how I totally spaced that one!

Last Friday we went to the benefit for Axel Johnson. I'll skip over most of the night as Greg thought it was his job to keep my glass full and the night did NOT end well for me. . .

We won some bids on the silent auction though! One thing I got was a nice hoodie from Byron for $10 ~ I'll be happy to wear that one because if I had to guess I'd say they'd get $45 for it! We also won a savings bond. It had a face value of $50 and people were trying to get a deal so when I bid $50 on it, we got it. I don't feel bad because I don't think you should expect a deal at a benefit and the family got the money so all is good because I'm sure the boys will be able to use the bond once it matures!

Vote for Chris & Taite!

Today I finally got a picture of Chris & Taite uploaded on the My Fox 47 website as they are having a father/son look-alike contest. The winners are just determined by the number of votes they receive, so just Google My Fox 47, click on the Father and son thing on the lower right side and then you can click on entries. The only thing that sucks is you have to register to be able to vote. The prizes are REALLY good, so be kind and vote :~)

We had to take a picture of Chris and Brayton too to be fair (but didn't think they'd win in the look-alike contest)

Here is a picture of the bench that we worked on on Memorial weekend. We added the foam and fabric to a board and this sits just inside the door at the office. I still think it needs throw pillows added. . .

So far the summer vacation is going well. On Monday we spent most of the day getting the boys all set up in their own office at the NI Midstar office ;-) Aaannnd yesterday ~ Chris had to order some memory for Brayton's computer because it's so old you can't buy the memory at the store anymore. It's sooooo slow!! He gets frustrated some, but is also pretty patient. The only thing it has to do, though, is be able to access Webkinz World on the internet ~ the boys are back into those! (big time!!) We've made them have designated exercise times in the morning and afternoons so they don't get shelf-butt. hehe

On Saturday night Chris and I went out for dinner to celebrate our 11th Anniversary. I still wasn't feeling too hot, so I didn't eat much and we grabbed a few groceries before heading home in time to watch the movie the boys were going to watch in our absence! LOL We are getting too old. . .

On Sunday we worked on getting the lockers just so (adding hooks, taking the top off to add a shelf, etc.) and that corner of the garage looks sooo nice now!

Let Summer Begin!

Today was the last day of school! Brayton was invited to a friend's house and to go swimming so I decided to get my work done and would pick Taite up so we could do something special because it's rarely just the two of us. Since Bray wasn't going to be home until 7 tonight, I had a few things planned.

When I picked Taite up, I asked if he was sad that he wasn't going to see all of the teachers wave goodbye (they all line up along the sidewalk and as the buses pull out, they all wave) which was the wrong thing to ask. . . There were more tears about the end of the school year. I was grasping for things to get him distracted and so I asked him what he'd like to do that would be special. I had planned on going out to eat somewhere, but beyond that just shopping I needed to get done. He couldn't come up with anything, so I said I had thought of bowling, but it was such a beautiful day that I hated to spend it inside. We decided on miniature golf.

I desperately needed a haircut and tried the new person that Monica recommended to me at Great Clips. I called to make sure Sharon was working today and she was until 5 ~ no problem, we'd be there about 3. Well, we got there at 3 (they don't take appts.) and she had just left for lunch (only working until 5??) and was running errands so I should stop back in an hour. Okay, so this is a good time to go miniature golfing I guess. It was not busy at all and we did have fun. I was surprised at how hot it was in the sun! I think Taite added up his score and he had like 120 ~ I had to explain to him that this was NOT like bowling, you want the least amount of hits in golf :~)

After golf, I got my hair cut, but didn't sign in quite right (I thought I was on the list because the lady took my name and number the first time I was there) so that ended up taking 1 hour and 15 minutes. She did an okay job, but I'm glad I didn't have much in the line of products in my hair because they just wet your hair with a spray bottle. I forgot they do that at some places. Next Taite and I went to HyVee for groceries. It was not a good time to grocery shop. There were a ton of people and mostly slow people and that wasn't exclusive of the customers. . . We high-tailed it out of there and swung into TJ for a quick search ~ Taite needed more socks. I have never seen someone go through socks like he does!! We swung through Arby's and were on our way home. That wasn't exactly the type of dining I had envisioned, but my haircut took way more time than I had planned on! I got home in time to start on the lawn a little before Bray was to get home and finished in record time, I do believe AND I had to stop once to clean out under the deck of the mower. It seemed to be shooting way too much dust out the front (my eyes feel like they have sandpaper on my lids). As I am ready for bed now, I have all the bathrooms done and the bed made up for Carmen to visit tomorrow. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Today I had 2 people comment on my purse (one that I made similar to the ones I made for the benefit tomorrow night) and the one lady asked if I've ever thought of making them for a living. . . I told her there would be 2 for sale at the benefit tomorrow at the Kahler. :~)

The Park
This morning I went with Bray's class to the park in Dodge Center. I had no idea they had this huge park and the pool there is really nice too ~ kind of a mini-water park type place. Of course they had the water full at the pool and the fountains working and some city guys were there, but the kids were dying to go swimming! I reminded them it was kind of cool and they would probably be much happier playing on the playground! Before we left, I got a picture of Brayton and his friend Josh. I don't believe they are always this good ~ sitting nicely, reading a story :~) Last night before bedtime for the boys, we watched Brayton's DVD from this year and we found Taite's from his 1st grade year. By the time they went to bed, they were both bawling because they wouldn't have their friends in their classes next year. . . Guess Chris and I should've just watched the video ourselves! Mrs. Bendzick said that there were so many pictures to include in the DVD because she's never had a class before that wanted their pictures taken so much! I see what she is talking about ~ this morning before I could get the picture of Bray and Josh, this is the picture I had to take: I was laughing to Stacy (Mrs. Bendzick) about how they followed the camera and as I turned to talk to her, they did follow the lens to stay in the picture ~ LOL!

The hot-spot at the park was the one tire swing ~ it looked a little overloaded to me, but it was the other things that the kids were getting hurt on, so I guess it worked!

I also learned that the boys both have great teachers next year (from other moms ~ always a good source!!) One thing that is interesting is that Brayton's classroom is shared with another class and there is just a divider between the two groups and the teachers kind of co-teach and do a lot of activities together! Kind of cool!!

The 3rd graders have kick-ball tournaments the last week of school (I guess this is kind of a tradition) and Taite is already getting a tan! I'm so jealous! Chris couldn't believe they didn't put sunscreen on them, but they don't.

Chris left this afternoon for a couple of days and wouldn't you know it, my computer is acting up again. I am waiting for all my email stuff to be backed up, so I'm posting this in the middle of the afternoon. :~) Well, I'm done waiting, so I gotta go!

Teachers!

This afternoon the students in the Elementary School got to spend a little time with their teacher for next year and the students that will be in that classroom. Apparently there are great cutbacks because Taite's class currently has 24 students and next year they will have 28 - 31 students. In the past, each year they need to increase the classrooms by one because Taite's class is bigger than the class before it and I believe the one behind it too. To save money they must not be getting another teacher in 4th grade. Taite's teacher is Mrs. Musolf and Bray's is Mrs. Andrews. I commented that Taite's teacher looked fun because she's young and just has the fun/easy-going look about her. Taite said "Really? I think she's kind of old because she's like in her 30's" WHAT?!! He's a brat! LOL

The boys are already excited for swimming lessons, so I hope it warms up a little in the next couple weeks. I saw on the Today show that this summer is supposed to be below normal temps for us this summer, but I don't know what they base that off of. . .

Well, Bray's teacher sent home a DVD with pictures set to music for each student, so we are going to watch it and try not to cry!

The Countdown Begins

Today we had a slow start ~ Taite said he woke up in the night so he had 15 minutes to eat, get dressed, do allergy meds and brush his teeth. I woke Brayton up and asked if he wanted to wear something special for his end of the year program. That perked him up because he had forgotten and he was even more excited that we were coming! For the special day, they each wrote a story and read it to everyone. All the kids were so very nervous and I'm sure their stories were quite good, but it was just difficult to understand! I have typed what Brayton's story said below the video.

The Magic Cube

by: Brayton

One day at my house there was a magic cube. The magic cube gave me every thing I wished for. But one day it broke. then I couldn't make anymore wishes so I went to a wood shop they fixed it. Then one day it bro (new line) ke again so I went to a big fox so he could fix it. But I'm not silly, so when I got to him he fixed it, I grabbed it and I ran away.

by Brayton (I didn't correct the grammatical errors) :~)

Taite has been lounging around tonight with a headache. When we picked him up from school (because Bray's program didn't go the whole day, we could take Taite home early with us) he was with his class playing kick-ball in a field of weeds and dandelions! We are thinking that's why he has a headache because his nose is stuffed up.

The boys are already asking when we can go to the pool after school is out. . . Um, I don't like going to the pool! I would much rather keep my clothes on! So, I am reminding them that they have swimming lessons starting on the 15th and that should tide them over (no pun intended LOL) for a little while. They only have 3 days left and on Thursday Taite's class is going to DQ and next year he'll get to go swimming (something the 4th graders get to do on the last day of school). Brayton's class is going to a park in Dodge Center on the morning of the 3rd. I'm not sure why they go to school on this last week of school . . . :~) Probably just one last hurrah before summer and they won't see their friends as often! Tomorrow they get to find out who their teacher is and what kids are in their class and I LOVE that they don't have to wait the whole summer to find out! Chris, in true 'dad' fashion, told them to figure out who would be the worst teacher and plan on getting them so if they got someone else, then they'd be happy about it. . . GEEZ!!!