Let the good times roll

 We are into full summer swing at our house and so far things are going really well.  I commented to Mike yesterday that I'm so relaxed this summer.  I am trying to be very intentional this summer and since it's my fourth summer of working from home.....by golly I think I finally got it right.  One of the "keys" is having Jay involved in camps.  The picture above is Jay with some of his friends.  These boys went to a basketball camp the first week when they got out of school.  We are entering week four of summer and I'm keeping Jay relatively busy but it's a good busy.  I keep him busy during the day and we find our evenings are low key which is so refreshing.  Nick is also in a basketball camp this week and seems to be enjoying it.

 

I love, love, love these two boys!  Jay and Aaron, friends since second grade. 

 And just so no one thinks that mud and four wheeling hasn't been involved in our summer - think again.  Jay and his friends decided to take a Sunday and get muddy while four wheeling, is there any other way?

Look at Lukie.  That boy cracks me up!  We spent a little time with my sister on Saturday night and Nick took the kids for a quick spin.  As I'm writing this today Luke sustained an injury last night and got 5 stitches in his forehead, poor baby

Sandboxes vs. Barbies

Jay is 12, Nick is 8 and yet they still play in the sandbox and love it but you'll never get Jay to admit (at least to people outside of his immediate family).  As I've always said with my boys, their personalities are totally different but they enjoy the same things so if they can get past their differences they actually enjoy each other.  Jay and Nick have been buying mini cars, trucks and tractors and playing with them in the sand box, for hours. As you can see from the picture Jay wasn't thrilled that I was taking his picture which was evidence he still plays in the sandbox.  He made me promise I would not post the picture on facebook or instragram but he never made me promise my blog (ha).  I remember when I was about Jay's age and playing with barbies was not cool but my friend, Melissa, and I would play with them.  We would tell my mom that if anyone called to not tell them we were playing with barbies - heaven forbid.  Jay is kind of the same way about the sandbox these days.  But it sure makes this momma smile seeing her two boys getting along and having some good ole fashion fun in the sandbox. 

Happy Father's Day, Mike.......from your two monkeys

This is the perfect photo of Mike and his boys.  There are a lot of laughs between them but for just as many laughs there is a lot of teaching going on too.  The beauty of Mike is he does what he says he's going to do.  He parents sternly but lovingly and he entertains any reasonable request but when he says "No," it means NO!  The best part of parenting with Mike is his sense of humor.  The boys may not always appreciate his sense of humor because it's usually at their expense but it's all in good fun.  Thanks Mike for loving us and fixing all our stuff!!! 

Free pass friends

My mom and I had a conversation recently that centered around our friends.  My mom and I have been blessed with friends we've had for YEARS.  I've been friends with Jenny and Mary for 20 plus years and my mom has many friends she's known for 35 plus years.  If you know anything about my mom and I it's that if we have remained friends with these folks for this long, there is a darn good reason for it, they are genuine friends whom we adore and with any long term friendships, people can sometimes annoy one another.  We are all human, it happens but we both agreed that there are some friends we have that no matter the minor frustration they get a free pass or pardon.  For example, I would give my friends Mary, Jenny, Laura and Erin all free passes.  These four girls have been so good to me through the years that truly no matter what small thing they may do that would cause me a slight irritant, they get a free pass.  I would overlook it and move on, like a fairy waving her wand, it would be forgotten.  Mary reminded me on my 40th birthday that in our 22 year friendship there has never been a harsh word between us.  Free passes for Mary.  Jenny is an addition to my own family.  We vacation with her family and she is a friend who "gets" my kids.  She's seen them at their worst and never judges and she's seen them at their best and enjoys them.  So free passes to Jenny.  Laura spends her entire summer catering to me and my kids and opening her pool for us.  We eat her food and I drink her cocktails, truly a good friend.  Laura gets lots of free passes too.  Erin has been my friend for 4 short years but she performed such an act of kindness about three years ago.  We had a horrendous blizzard and no we had lost power.  We had no way of getting out of our subdivision.  Erin had power in her home.  She sent her husband and dad over on snow mobiles to take my boys.  She welcomed them into her warm home and feed them.  When our power came back on 8 hours later the boys were delivered back to my house on the snow mobiles.  Erin gets lots of free passes.  I would hope all these girls would give me a free pass too.  I adore all four of them but I'm not perfect.  All I know is every woman should be blessed with free pass friends. 

Our first week of summer

While it is true I have a love/hate relationship with summer, I have a good feeling about this one.  Working from home and trying to manage two boys is challenging and every summer I like to think I've learned something.  This is my fourth summer working from home and the boys are 12 & 8 - old enough to not really need daycare but young enough that they still need to be kept busy and watched.  My tutor/babysitter for Nick starts next week so this week we slowly but surely settled into our summer routine.  The first week is almost over and I have to say it's gone great!!!  The boys have gotten along relatively well - better as the days have gone by.  They have done what I've asked (for the most part).  Jay mowed my friend Laura's lawn while she was on vacation.  He also mowed our grass.  Nick has been trimming trees.  The boys have spent time in the sprinkler, jumping on the trampoline.  Jay has had a morning basketball camp and last night we helped my sister move.  We all commented that my boys are finally at the age they are more of a help than a hindrance.  Ha!  Seriously, they were a huge help during the move.  I'm trying to take more of a "quiet" approach this summer.  I feel like my mouth is always in motion - telling the boys something and it's not necessarily nagging but I open my mouth too quickly sometimes without thinking things through.  I'm trying to be more aware of that. So all in all the first week has gone really smoothly.  Let's just hope it lasts. 

The official start of summer

School let out late this year (Hallejah).  Today is our first day of no school!  So what are we doing this summer?  Lots of things.  The boys made "bucket lists" which consisted of going boating, RVing, riding their 4 wheelers at Uncle Mike's and Jay picked going to a Bass Pro Shop or a Cabela's anywhere in the USA (LOL).  And Nick wanted some time with Jay nowhere around.  Nick will get his "wish" because Jay is taking a mission trip this summer.  Our schedule consists of tutoring on Monday and Wednesday.  I have a girl/teacher coming to my house those days and she's primarily tutoring Nick.  I've picked an independent study for Jay this year.  I have both boys signed up for camps galore, especially Jay.  Jay is going to three basketball camps!  My goal was to try and give Jay an activity week followed by a non activity week so he's busy one week but not the next.  The boys don't play sports in the summer which is good and bad.  Mostly good because it's 8 weeks out of the year where we can totally relax.  I just have to get more creative and make sure the boys are involved in fun activities that keep them busy.  Mike and I decided our number one goal this summer is to work on the relationship between the two boys.  I don't think there is anything out of the ordinary when you compare their brotherly relationship to other brothers but it's something that needs improvement on.  You wouldn't know it by the picture above though and that's just it, they have their moments and they enjoy doing the same things.  When I took the above picture they were playing in my friends pool, just the two of them, laughing and enjoying each other the entire time.  But two hours later Jay had lost his phone and was writing an apology letter to Nick for throwing sand at him at froggie island.  Ugh!  Slowly but surely we'll get there this summer.........In any case one thing that will remain constant this summer is a fully stocked cabinet of vodka!  Just kidding..........kind of. 

The last day of Second Grade

 This morning was the last day of second grade!!  Nick's teacher gave all the kids beach balls and all the kids signed them.  The boys loved them....the girls did too, they were just more tame with them.  ha.

 Mrs. Loyer passed out class awards to all her students.  Nick got the "Bob the Builder" award because he would always come to class and talk about the projects he was working on at home which is so Nick.  He is our work horse and Mike's mini me in the shop.  Nick's mind works a lot like Mike's and his mind is always interested in starting new projects and the challenges in getting the project finished. 

Goodbye second grade!  Happy Summer and I for one am ready for third grade and new beginnings.