John Deere

My mom and I took the boys to John Deere today in Moline. It was a LONG drive but we enjoyed it, once we got there. The boys could climb up in the tractors which they especially liked!

Stay-Cation

I'm off this week, well sort of. I'm working tomorrow and Friday. I'm enjoying some down time with the boys. Today, I had a glimpse of what it would be like if I didn't work, at least in the summers. The boys slept in and I took them out for donuts. I was able to take Jay to his tutoring session (Kim usually does this so this was a treat for me). While Jay was being tutored, Nick and I spent some time in the discovery room at the library. I took Nick to his new school so he could meet his class-mates and his teachers (he starts his new day-care/preschool on Aug. 10). It all went well. We then went to Kim's to swim and now were at home relaxing, while Nick takes a nap.
I never like to put much thought into what it would be like if I didn't work. The reason being is because it's pointless. I will ALWAYS have to work. I am really fine with that but I'm disappointed that I didn't get the teaching "gene" like my sister. I would make a deal with the devil to be able to stay home during the summers. I simply don't have it in me to teach. I'm not sure I have it in me to be the business world either but that's what I've been doing and what I've known since I got out of college. The business world has been good to me, I just wish it came with the perk to have my summers off!

The Wart

I took this picture this morning. I LOVE it! Jay was being exceptionally nice to his brother and Nick wasn't breaking out his mad eyes so somehow I got the perfect picture. However, my blog entry has nothing to do with this picture. Jay got a plantar wart removed from his foot today. Mike went but said Jay was so brave. They had to stick him with a giant needle twice in order to numb his foot so they could dig out his wart. Mike said Jay would occassionally flinch and he never cried. He certainly could have and no one would have blamed him! In our house Jay is recovering from strep throat (the 4th time since March) and his minor surgery from his plantar wart and Nick's poison ivy is finally drying up.
I'm getting ready to go into a week of vacation. I can't wait. I'm taking the boys to the John Deere store/museum in Moline and my good friend, Debbie, and her boys are coming for a visit.

Just one of the boys

My niece, Lauren, is such a good sport. Her two cousins are both boys and she puts up with a lot from them. She is a girly-girly but at the same time she enjoys doing some boy things with her two favorite boys.......although I think she favors Jay a little more than Nick right now. Nick is a work in progress in terms of how he treats Lauren.

Here is Nick, trying to be nice and pose for a picture with Lauren. Lauren looks like a deer caught in headlights. I'm sure it has nothing to do with her anticipation of what Nick will do next.

Nick and Lauren actually had a really good time in this picture. Nick happily rode around the yard with her in his trailer.

Jay and Lauren, hanging out in the sandbox! Good times had by all!!

Nick's Injuries

Yes, I'm devoting another blog to Nick's injuries. I'm sure I will forget some of the "injuries" Nick sustained this summer. I'll look back at this blog and have a good laugh someday. During Jay's baseball season Nick got a lot of stares from other parents. It was quite embarassing. He injuries included:

• In June, he ran through our dining room window and cut his wrist (which is healing nicely).
• His cheeks dry out and will turn red from sunscreen and chlorine so there were several practices where other parents asked me if Nick had a sun-burn. Ugh!
• He fell off the bleachers twice during games, in front of other parents. The last time he fell off it was because I let go of his hand to walk around other parents and Nick cried........."Mom, why did you let go of my hand." Quite embarassing
• Then just this week he got the MOTHER of all poison ivy all over his legs! If the look of having red spots all of his legs wasn't noticeable enough, his constant itching only adds to it.

Both my boys have no fear. The only difference is, Jay was a little more coordinated and could sometimes stop himself (granted sometimes it was stopping himself in mid-air) from getting hurt. Nick will just dive into something head first and see where he lands. What can I say, I live with two dare-devils!

My Sister

My sister is the best. As the older sister I know when we were little Kim looked up to me but trust me the roles have reversed. Kim rocks! She is the most hospitable person I know. What admire most about her is how many friends she has and her friends LOVE her. I can't count how many times she has introduced me to new friends she has made. And all her friends are one in a million! Her friends have become my friends.
She is s also the best aunt ever and I don't hold a candle to her. I don't say that as a "poor me" statement. Kim didn't have any kids when I had kids so she devoted a lot of time and attention to my boys. I am not able to spend as much time with my niece, Lauren, but it certainly doesn't make me love her any less. Every Thursday this summer Kim keeps Jay for me. She coordinated his tutoring and transports him. In addition, she spent hours organized his school work so I can do it with him at home. She asks for nothing in return. Thankfully, Jay has proven to be a huge help with Lauren this summer and Lauren and Jay ADORE each other. There have also been many times I have felt so beaten down with Jay's learning abilities and Kim is there to pick me up. She ALWAYS points out what Jay is doing that is positive. Kim, I love you and being your sister is truly one of my life's greatest rewards!

Celebration

I do not have anything of significance to report tonight so I thought I would write about two things I'm celebrating these days. The first is that tomorrow night is Jay's last baseball game of the season. His team put forth a good effort but overall the team was just not good. There were games that were just painful to watch and last nights game was no exception.
The second thing I'm celebrating is that I booked a Disney vacation for my family for December. My mom is joining us and we couldn't beat the price. We got the free dining plan (thanks to my good friend, Jenny's sister, Leta). I never thought we would be able to go until after Nick turned five! I am thrilled! The only way we could afford to go was to go during non-peak times so we are taking Jay out of school for 3 days which I'm not thrilled about. So, stayed tuned for more Disney updates as I go along.