What? Seriously? It's been nearly 5 months since I posted on here? Well, I am the most unreliable blogger I know... So, I figured I would make posts describing our Summer break from school, and post some pictures of the kids, too.
MAY- Well, after Sadie's death I thought I'd be miserable for a while, but surprisingly our family rebounded pretty well. Buckley acted as if nothing ever happened, or like she never existed. Most of my Dad's family came to my parents' house for the annual "Frick Festival," and it was so good to see all of my Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and their children. T-ball ended for Chase, things started winding down at school, which made Chase and I sad because we really loved his teacher for 1st grade. Before we knew it, we were getting ready for our big vacation. 3 days after school let out we drove to Todd's parents' house in Mesa, AZ. We took Buckley with us, which he just loved, and everybody did pretty well on the trip out there. We hung out, played outside in the most beautiful weather, took a day trip on the motorcycles, swam, saw a few movies, and the babies had their first buzz cut in the backyard. We stayed for a week, and when we came home it was June!
JUNE- Pretty boring month, really. I made a list of all the things we wanted to accomplish this Summer, and I even made a personal list for me. My list involved getting rid of eight 20 gallon tubs worth of baby clothing and all other baby items, along with getting more organized around the house. I took the big boys to see "Cars 2," and we had a few play dates with friends at the bowling alley and splash pads. I made the boys play outside before it got terribly hot out. We mostly stayed inside and I tried to keep the big boys quiet while the babies slept. Oh, we did get on a pretty easy Summer schedule as far as our sleep routine is concerned- we all managed to wake up around 8:30 or later! And before we knew it July was here!
JULY- So we had a pretty low-key 4th of July, had dinner at my parents' house and then ended up watching a great show off of the Jenks Bridge in a QuikTrip parking lot. A few days later it was Chase's 7th birthday! We had a family party at my parents' house, and even though Chase got everything he put down on his birthday list, he still wanted more. Go figure, right? He obviously gets this trait from my side of the family (Dad, I blame you for this genetic abnormality!)
At this point in the summer we started to experience temperatures over 100 degrees. We had a record set in Oklahoma for the number of consecutive days to have temperatures of 100 or more. I think our hottest day was a scorching 113, and Arizona actually had cooler weather than we did! I was positive that Satan himself lived in Arizona in the Summer, but apparently he moved to Oklahoma this year. ;o) Chase was given a slip-n-slide for his birthday, and with the heat so bad, I figured this would be a great way for the big boys to stay cool. Turns out it was so much fun that they broke it after using it for 2 days straight. Gunnar and Chase were pretty bummed out, so my mom bought them a new one. We had it set up for all of 10 minutes before Chase busted it and water was flooding into my yard. It was around this time we started having dance parties in the family room. We'd turn on music and let the boys go nuts. Chase would stand on his hands, and Gunnar learned to sit on his head. Even the babies got into the act and would bust a move and kick up their legs like their big brothers. It was totally cute to watch! I wish I would have made videos of them dancing. I'll just have to keep the video camera charged so we can make that dream a reality! I made the boys stay inside for another couple of weeks to beat the heat, then it was August, and we were ready for school to start!
AUGUST- Did I say we were ready for school to start? I meant I was ready for school to start. My nerves were pretty much shot by the end of the Summer. The big boys were constantly fighting and I was tired of yelling all the time. I couldn't get them to go outside because it was so hot, so they stayed inside and watched TV or played the Wii, and invented new and unusual ways to torture each other...and me. The babies just seem to be totally un-phased by them, except they've learned how to hit and fight. We put our old house on the market, trying to sell the old thing again. Our renters decided to move at the end of the month, so we figured we'd try to sell it and see what happens- wish us luck on that one!
The big boys started school a week later this year, but it gave me the opportunity to do some volunteer work at the school. I helped put together the packets each child receives when they go to "Meet the Teacher." It was fun, and I met some really great ladies and caught up with some of the mothers I had met over the years at the school. So we made it to "Meet the Teacher," and the boys really liked their teachers. I was really nervous for Gunnar, because he stayed home with me for the past 18 months, but he was ready to go back to school. Chase started a few days before Gunnar did, and he even let me walk him into class this year (I was afraid he'd tell me he was too old for that this year), and when Gunnar started I walked him in, but he just asked "uh, Mom, are you going to leave or what?" Love him. Oh, and I signed the big boys up for soccer, and Todd decided to coach Gunnar's team. They seem to like it so far, but our first game isn't until September, so we'll see how they like it then.
By this point, going back to my Summer list of things to do, I had several friends come by the house and pick up baby clothing for their little boys. Whatever wasn't claimed I donated, and it feels good to be moving on. I'll admit I'm a little sad that I never had a daughter, but hopefully I'll have amazing daughters-in-law and granddaughters to spoil in the future. I think in total we gave clothing and baby items to 7 families. I originally wanted to sell it and get a little cash, but in the end I knew that I needed to give it to my friends for their children. We have been so blessed to have parents and family give things to us that it was only fitting I try to "pay it forward" and bless others with generosity. I know I did what the Lord wanted me to, and that makes me feel amazing.
SEPTEMBER- So here we are, in the best month of the year, as far as I'm concerned. I love September! Half of my family's birthdays are in this month (Todd, Gunnar, myself), and I have always loved how this month makes me feel. The weather has cooled off considerably, the sky is bluer, and this is the time of year when the Monarch butterflies start to migrate South and they can be seen all over the Tulsa sky. I feel kind of bad for Todd, because I was not feeling good on his birthday, so I didn't really do anything for him. We usually skip getting each other presents because we can't afford it, but we did have a nice dinner out and then saw a movie for free (long story short, we went on a date in August and the theater had a fire and we had to be evacuated and got free tickets for another movie). We'll have a big family birthday party at my parents' house (do you see a common theme for parties? Always at Mom and Dad's house!) at the end of the month to celebrate the September birthdays. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a "Star Wars" cake, thanks to Gunnar.
Well, I think that's it for now. I'll post some pictures later, because I need to get the twins out and run an errand before lunch and nap time! Hope everyone enjoyed my "abridged" version of our Summer! Stay tuned for more info. about our rental house and soccer games! Much love to you all!
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