Phew...

We have been busy. It all started this past weekend with soccer ending for both kids.
Kendall's last game was exciting. The girls rotated positions and she loved playing goalie. She stopped the ball three times from going into the goal. Pete and I were so proud!

One of the other dads took these pictures of Clayton.

I really like this picture (above) when he's receiving his medal. The smile is so precious.

Sunday we attended a graduation party for the daughter of Pete's boss. The party was for three good friends and it was held at this neat barn just outside of State College. The weather couldn't have been better.

On Monday, I took the kids to Spring Creek Park. Just like the name implies, there is a stream that runs through it and the kids can play in the water and sand. I sat down on a blanket and read while the kids did their thing. We were there four hours. I had my softball game Monday night. I don't think we've won a game this summer, yet. Tuesday was play group at another park. Wednesday, I took the kids to see Madeline at the old theater that has been remodeled. The theater has free movies on Wednesdays at noon in the summer. What a deal! After that, Kendall went to one of the girl's house who had gone to the movie with us and Clayton and I met the play group at the indoor jungle gym. Then we all decided to go to TGIFriday's for dinner since most of the husbands were out of town or busy. Of course, it helped that kids eat free on Wednesdays at TGIFriday's. :) Thursday I watched a classmate of Kendall's and her brother in the morning and then in the afternoon, another friend came over with her two boys. I watched the boys for a little. They play really well with my kids. And tonight is supposed to be the mom's night out. I might not make it since Pete is running late from his trip to Maryland. Oh well. Won't be the first time I had to miss because of the man.

Oh, one more thing. Kendall wrote on our walk outside with some chalk.

It says "Girl's Rool." You tell 'em, Kendall. Well, that's week #1 of Summer. It's gonna be a busy one.

Feeling special

My daughter decided she wanted her hair short. She wanted to go as short as mine but I know what my hair looks like in the morning so I nixed that idea. Anyway, we decided on an inverted bob. She felt very special getting the proper treatment at the salon. We normally get our hair cut in our kitchen, but I knew that our friend needed the chair to do this style. Kendall got her hair washed and then cut and styled. At one point she said, "I'm in Heaven." Oh boy, we're in for a treat when she gets older.







She had so much hair! And it's thick. She did have this style about two summers ago when she was the flower girl in my niece's wedding. She had bangs back then, but this time, we left the front long. I like it.







So, that's what we did on our first day of summer vacation. I'm going to need some more ideas for us to keep busy. :)

School's out for summer!

Today, I slept in as much as possible. Kendall's last day of 1st grade was yesterday. I won't miss having to rouse her from sleep every morning and I won't miss packing a lunch for her everyday, either. I'm sure in a week, I'll be eating my words as the kids will be fighting all the time. But, for now, I'm going to enjoy it.

Sleepy head...

I'm tired today. My daughter woke me up last night to tell me she had thrown up. Ugh. Not something you want to wake up to, especially when you were in a deep, satisfying sleep. So, I got up and cleaned her up. Thirty minutes later, she was sound asleep. I kept her home today from school. Now, she wants to play with someone or go shopping. At times like this, I am my mother. If you are too sick to go to school, you are too sick to play with kids or do fun things. Besides, what parent would let their child come over to our house if they knew that one of my kids had thrown up last night? So, this morning is a glimpse of summer. We're in our PJs and I'm jumping through breakfast hoops. I think I need to down another cup of coffee before I start feeling human again. (and don't forget doing the yucky laundry).

Speaking of kids staying home from school. Tomorrow is Kendall's last day of 1st grade. I can still remember my first grade somewhat. I was called Kelly Ann because there were two Kellys and the teacher needed to make it easy on her. I hated being called that. And the teacher was really old (or so it seemed). My best friend's name was Amy and all the boys liked her.

My summers never seemed very scheduled. We would sleep in, watch TV, play with neighbors and do our chores about 10 minutes before my mom was due home from work. My dad had an office in our home. This summer is turning out to be scheduled. At least, I have things to look forward to like going to see my family in Arkansas, going to see my HS friend in DC, going to see friends in Ithaca, NY, and spending time with Pete's family in Maine. I'm sure it will fly by. Summer always seems to go too fast.

So, today I will try to keep the peace between the children, make a dessert for the end of year party tomorrow, and tidy the house. Oh, and I must clean the litter box, too. The excitement is sometimes more than I can stand. So, happy Wednesday everyone.

Photos on flickr---finally

I finally uploaded some pictures of New Zealand on flickr. You can click here to see some of the scenery photos.