Calm, Monday morning

Sleeping in while the kids play games, build lego-creations and fix their own breakfast. Yep, they get their own cereal, toasted & cream-cheesed bagels AND juice these days. Soon they'll be going off to college and by-gum, they'll know how to feed themselves. Well, not going to college quite yet, but they have plans. Little girl wants to buy a Mattel Disney Enchanted Tales Deluxe Princess Castle and the boys are content right now to watch the library videos about transformers and hot wheels animated drama. I'm almost content to look back on the completed certification exams and first home-school conference experience and just enjoy a week of summer break. Next week I get to lead a 3rd grade group of kids at our church VBS or as they call it these days, "day camp." I plan to paint the front room and adjacent halls in order to get that ellusive can of paint off my shelf.

Kids are reading books for the library summer reading program, so I'll have to get back to you later. It's so exciting to listen to them read, I mean READ!

Imposing week ahead

Yep, school is over, but I get to do soccer practice and games 3 nights this week by myself as Daddy is not able to co-captain the delivery team. I'm set to attend a home-school conference and hear one of the creators of a curriculum we use AND meet those ellusive vendors of curriculum I can't find on their websites. I'm a newbie remember? I don't navigate vendor websites very well yet.

It is the first week our park pool is open and I look forward to a visit there. Maybe on bikes for the 5 mile round trip or maybe by van. We'll see. I know that the week will include some study time for my ICTS testing on Saturday to renew my teaching certificate in Illinois. Yep again, I'm a certified secondary teacher in the geography and earth/solar science subjects. I need to pass these tests though and I'm not good at that kind of pressure. Can't imagine the stress going back to work would hold for me someday, but testing is no picnic either.

No travel this week, but maybe some trips to the forest preserves or library to gently ween the triple G threat away for the two months of break. Can't have them getting soft, but need them to be ready for an amazing 1st and 2nd grade year. No major wisdom to impart and no major gifts to give, just really glad that the lessons and pursuance of their completion is on hold for a few months.

What will I do with the two months you ask? Well, I've already started. The garden is set as much as it's going to within my power. I can do no more to make it work. Sun, water and soil is how that "bird's gonna fly." Daddy and I washed the concrete basement walls down and I put a coat of paint (a whole paint can off the mis-tint table at home store) on those walls. The storage is now stored and play in the cooler basement will commence during the summer.

What more? Well, there is this living room, entry hallway and stairway that need a wash and coat of paint. IT maybe be one more can of paint off my shelf and that's ok with me! Then, maybe a wood floor compliments of the government's economic incentive check. We'll see if the Daddy can part with it for a wood floor in the living and dining rooms.

Bedtime for these people here and I hope/pray a good week ahead. My best to y'all too.

LAST DAY...

Can you believe it? I'm kinda shell shocked. I've finished the shrinky dink medals for completion of kindergarten and 1st grade. These are placed in frames to be handed out when Daddy gets home after lunch. Little girl is finishing her math chapter test and the boys are playing crazy 8s card game peacefully. The boys have vacuumed and cleaned off their desks. I'm putting away my stuff for August 4th.

Daddy is taking them to see Prince Caspian movie and maybe a baseball game (in the rain) for fireworks after. I'm going to do something else. I need a break.

Hawk Hollow Nature Hike

Our favorite parts of this nature hike lead by Ranger Kev of the Dupage Forest Preserve was the log bridge crossing over this creek, the beautiful purple shade-loving native flowers and the smokey the bear hollowed tree. Just another beautiful day in Chicagoland (if you take away sounds of the planes approaching O'Hare over head).

G3 & the Great Salt Lake at Antelope Park

We were instructed to stay out of site once we arrived in SLC last Thursday, and that's what we did. I drove the kids to Antelope Island to explore a habitat that I'm still struggling to know. Lizards sunning themselves, desert flowers, plants and animals surround us and we still can see mountains! It was truly awesome! God makes all things - I have no doubts in that. I'll post pictures later, but for the real reason we headed to SLC last weekend... We surprised our most favorite people out that way for their 70th birthdays and a spectacular accomplishment of 45 years of marriage. I shake my head in utter disbelief that they can work through that many years and challenges along the way and still stay married. That's something my 3 Gs need to see and remember. We definitely made some memories. I taught them some lessons too. The questions kept coming like, "why didn't Grampa meet us at the gate?" "why can't we go to their home?" "why why Why WHY MOM!!!" Well, at 6 & 7 years old, they are beginning to understand about surprises. It was a joy to see the true surprise on our favorite couple's faces and to know that we do love them enough to interupt their lives (although gardening tasks are important) and ours to recognize God working through them and in them for so many years!

So, it is beginning to sink in how incredible raising these 3 Gs is in this life and how spectacular it is to be married to my partner in this effort. I can't do it alone and don't have to, because God and a hard working husband carry me when I'm not able to do it.

First time fishing, Soccer & Travel

I certainly did surprise my kids when the Friday night family outing began with a stop at Subway for sandwiches on the go. They couldn't handle the suspense. Daddy drove to Churchill Forest Preserve for a beginners fishing clinic with bait, hooks and live fish for the catching. When I opened the back of the van in the parking lot for them to collect what was there for them - their fishing poles that they've had for 2 years from the helmet store that starts with a W after we saw Uncle Jack ice fishing on the pond - the idea of fishing slowly dawned on their faces. We saw deers eating in the forest on the short walk to the lake and some native forest plants that I've just learned about. But the kicker was Ranger Marty who took the plastic fun weights off their kid poles and placed hooks, bobbers and weights AND then bait. Well, needless to say, we all had a good time, I even touched a fish and took one off the hook. Each G caught at least 5 itty bitty sunfish each. Reeled them in by themselves even! There were no mosquitoes and the May evening was perfect in Chicagoland.

Saturday, we rushed from big brother's soccer to little brother's soccer and still had time to stop by the house for lunch before heading out to ORD for the half-empty flight to OMA. My folks picked the four of us up in the rain. We got the kids mud sloshing galoshes for the summer and nature hikes (might keep some nasty itch weed from messing with them some) and then introduced my kids to Chinese food cooked in front of them by white guys yelling like Mongolian warriors. It was fun to watch the kids' reactions to making their own combinations. Perfect! We got to go to church where I grew up and had beef roast, mashed potatoes, perfect gravy, cream peas, frozen garden corn and Gramma's homemade crescent roles for Sunday dinner. Yeah, she had to work pretty hard for her Mother's day feast, but I tried to help and stay out from under her bum knee traffic as not to make it worse. I think that Dad cleaned up, maybe. The boys got summer haircuts high and tight from their Afghanistan war veteran uncle. IT was a wonderful visit, but couldn't get out of Omaha on Monday for nothing. And got a very good visit with some friends who rescued us for the night only to deliver us to a early morning departure on Tuesday. We finally got back and I fed my brave airport warriors MacD's inside the airport waiting for the work shuttle to our van.

Now, it's Wednesday. We're moving very slow today. Boynton's songs and stories are enjoyed, breakfast is lasting until after weather time. We need to send our drawings of the robin's nest and egg we found yesterday afternoon to Grampa in SLC yet, but it's a good day to stay in pjs and not get rained on in Chicagoland. There are some happenings on the weekend front, but can't get into right now. Now is time for some pictures...

Three Different Learning Styles!?!?!?!?!?

I'm beginning to discover my three Gs have different learning styles. Girl must hear it out loud = auditory. Her twin brother must feel it with his body parts = tactile. Their older brother can see it = visual. WOW!

We're planning a huge weekend! More about it once we get back. For now, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!