I'll second that.

Ok I'll bite too. Kris your life sounds about like mine! :) You know though, they're lives go by so fast enjoy every time he stops and looks at an ant.

I can't believe Caleb will be starting first grade Next Monday! My baby is growing up so fast. I just want to push pause and sit and stare at him forever.

Our mornings consist of him coming in my room at exactly 7am walking up to my bed and putting his head on my pillow next to me. It used to bother me, but now that I see time going by so fast I just enjoy it. Then we run to the gym for me to work out. I'm thankful they have a kids area for the kids to be in. Although the only thing they do is watch movies. All of the toys are for little kids. Then we come home play a little eat lunch and have "quiet time". Emily either takes a nap or rests in her room. Then caleb rests in his room and I either take a nap myself or get some house work done. I had a very productive early summer. I got rid of a lot of junk that was just taking up space and I feel like I"m getting my house back. After my hour of rest I go and do school work with caleb. We read some books that were assigned to him over the summer and work on our counting by two's, five's, and ten's. Something just clicked with him at the end of the school year and his reading skills sky rocketed. This summer he has read to me "Frog and Toad, Harry the Dirty dog, Bring the rain to Kapiti Plain", and some other weird title I can't remember. :) So after school hour I let caleb and Emily watch a little Noggin (kids cartoon channel) then we're off to either his Speech tutoring or Karate. Depending on what day it is. I can't wait for Speech to be done so we can just stay at home during the afternoon. Then when we get back we eat dinner around 6pm play with matt for the evening and head to bed by 8pm.

Every once-in-a-while I was working a night class, but I was miserable doing it. The kids didn't like it when I left, all I did was think about what I was missing during the assignment. So I decided that right now in my life I am meant to be a stay at home mom. That is the phase of life I'm in. I'm going to stop trying to be where I"m not meant to be and be happy where I am in life. I don't know if that makes much sense or not. But I finally feel at peace with being a mom.

I was drafted onto the PTF (PTA) at caleb's school. So that should be a lot of fun this year. Right now we're planning the Fall Carnival. It has a County Fair theme this year. So that will be fun. I'm hoping to be able to help some of the teachers during the morning to keep me busy until I have to pick Emily up from her Mother's day out Program (preschool). Emily is so excited about going back this year. She really misses seeing her friends and the teachers. It is so funny most of her friends are the older kids, not the ones in her class. Don't get me wrong she plays with the kids in her class when they're in her room, but once she's outside she gravitates towards the older kids. It was funny one day last school year when I picked her up she said goodbye to her teachers then as we were leaving the playground all of the older kids started yelling, "bye Emily! Bye Emily!" I guess that comes with having an older sibling. She just gravitates towards those kids. Or maybe just her out going spirit. She's never been afraid to try something new even if it was a little hard or something only an older kid should be doing. She has just always been outgoing and daring.

caleb is excited about first grade. although, he is a little sad too. One of his good friends won't be coming back this year and another of his classmates, who was a foster child, is now back with his "real" family. But I did hear through the grapevine he will have three new classmates. So he is quite excited about that. Caleb also loves taking Karate. It is so nice to see that he found a sport he likes. He never seemed to be a team sport kid, but who knows maybe that will change in the future, he is after all only six! :) He also likes riding his bike. He and Emily both grew so much this past Winter that when we got their bikes out in the Spring they were both way too big for them. Caleb towered over his handle bars and Emily was just too big for the little tricycle. So I picked up a 20inch bike for caleb and a pretty pink barbie bike for Emily. :) Is there any other kind of bike for Emily. NO! :) She is a princess through and through. Of course you all know I"m a pretty plain person. I don't wear makeup, earings, or nail polish. So whenever Emily see's a woman with any of those things she just walks up to them touches whatever it is she likes on them (doesn't matter if it's your toenails or not) and say's, "I like your...." I think I'm going to try and find a cheap place that will paint her toe nails and finger nails for her fourth Birthday. It's going to be a "girls day". Her birthday is on a friday this year, so caleb will be in school and she won't So we're going to have a day where she is a princess.

Well Kris that's pretty much our life too. Not much exciting either. Although, with the hot temperatures we spend A LOT of time in the neighborhood swimming pool. There's not much else to do when its a hundred and two.

You all have a good night and a great week. I'll post some pictures next week after caleb's first day of school!

jenn

OK, I'll bite

Hi, all. I'm assuming that we're all having a busy summer. That is good. However, I thought I'd "stop by" to say hi and update you guys on the nothing that's happening around here. After all, it's my nothing. Perhaps it will be interesting to someone else.

First, our days. Noah and I are up and out by 9 am. If I do not get us out by 9 am, Noah gets bored. He's up at 6, and three hours of keeping himself busy is the limit. By 9, he's banging on the door and yelling, "Mom! Hat! Shoes! GO!!!" He only has one speed.

So, we go out. We play in the yard, and usually walk around the block. This can take awhile, as we have to stop to see every ant, flower, and cheer on every car and truck. We go to see the train around the corner. It's always there, as a museum piece, of sorts. He's talking a lot now in one and two word sentences, and I get a running commentary as we go. ("Car! Broooom! Yellow! Ant!") We were going to the playground, but that isn't interesting him as much at the moment. Then, we often go to my parents and goof around there, or go out with them to the grocery store.

Sometimes, that whole morning routine is scratched and we go out with my parents and my 83 year-old great-uncle, and we all go mall walking. (Yeee HAH!)

We eat by 11 or 11:30. Any time after that, and Noah falls asleep in his lunch. Noah is taking 2-3 hours naps. I love this. It's pretty new, and I'm hoping it stays for awhile. I sleep, too, while I can.

Noah wakes up, and we hit the block again. Sometimes we go to my parents. Sometimes we chill in the yard. Whatever works. Then we're back in for dinner. John comes home between 6 and 7, and Noah is asleep by 8. The days just slide by.

We have had some crazy weather here. It's sunny one minute, and pouring (and I mean pouring) the next. Full blown electric storms. We've been lucky not to get caught out yet in the worst of them, although Noah really likes walking in the rain.

We did go the Erie County Fair yesterday, and Noah loved it. I was a bit taken aback when he kept oogling one ride with kids in harnesses that were bouncing on giant inflatible mats and saying, "Mom. Noah. Go." This kid has a crazy streak.

Not much else is new. I hope you're all having a good summer and enjoying the weather (however crazy) while you can.