Ack! Summer is breathing down my neck!

          The lazy hazy days of summer are right around the corner.  I am usually so excited for this time of year but I don't have a plan of action for the summer yet.  School activities are bursting around me, the pool and sprinkler are up and running, I have 50 million loads of laundry because of said pool and sprinkler and it just never gets dark!  Summer is breathing down my neck!  It is very hard explaining to a 4 year old that it really is almost bed time even though it's still light out.  I tell the kids my hard knock story of having to be in bed when I was little when it was still light out.  I could hear all the neighborhood kids outside and there I was in bed!  They look at me with their eyes wide and jaws open and can't believe that Grandma and Poppy could have been that cruel!  You should see them when I tell them that Grandma used to lock the screen door so we would have to stay outside and play! 
     Kaitlyn and Zac had their last CCD classes last week.  This was the end of Kaitlyn's CCD days.  How in the name of CCD does that happen???  I swear it was just last year that she was in first grade and I signed her up at our "NEW" church, St. Cornelius, because we were moving here in the fall.  It was just yesterday that I raced to pick her up on time all the way from Aston and the lady in front of me got so mad that she stopped her car, got out and read me the riot act.  I explained that I had to be on time to pick up my 6 year old, she didn't care....she must not have been a mother.  I went into a panic the other night when I realized that since that just felt like yesterday, the next 6 years will go by just as quickly (or even faster) and Kaitlyn will be getting ready to graduate from High School.  Impossible!!!  Well here she is, still 11, leaving for her last ever CCD class...



     The weather has been warming up quickly after our very cool April and most of May.  Jason put the pool up, we brought the sprinkler out and we have been grilling a lot on the weekends.

Gray watching the action from his perch inside





     This week brought Brayden's first year of preschool to a close.  This was bittersweet.  He never really got used to going to school.  Up until the very last day the teacher (God bless her!) had to literally peel him off of me!  I would then run to my car and ask Kristin or another Mom that was just bringing their child to school to tell me how Brayden was.  They always came out to tell me that he was perfectly fine and you wouldn't have known that 2 minutes ago he was crying with protest.  Bugger!  He would have a great time once the intitial ripping away from me was complete (I guess he didn't realize that he was ripping my heart out with him!)!  But is was draining so I am happy that it is over because it broke my heart every Tue. and Thur. morning to take him.  He would always ask on the ride if it was a little day.  A little day meant he was only there until 11:30.  On the long days he stayed for lunch and played until 2.  I truly believe he enjoyed school overall but geez he liked to torture me beforehand.  Today was his end of the year picnic.  It was an incredible day.  Sunny and in the low 80's.  We brought Lemonade and Key Lime cupcakes.  They had hot dogs, fruit salad, cupcakes and more.  There were pony rides (although he would only pet the pony, not ride him) and sand art.  The kids played on the playground and had a blast.  Jason was able to come for the last part as well.  At the very end, they released their butterflies that they watched go from caterpillars to beautiful butterflies.  And then it was time to say goodbye to Teacher Jen and Teacher Kim.  I couldn't hold back the tears when I hugged Teacher Jen goodbye and thanked her for all that she did for Brayden.  Brayden is going to a new preschool in the fall so it was sad to say goodbye today.

Sept 2010, Brayden 1st day of school

Brayden and Luke back in Sept

Luke and Brayden at the end of year picnic (man, have they grown!)

Brayden, Merrin and Luke

Brayden at the sand art table

Releasing the butterflies

Brayden and Teacher Jen

Saying goodbye to Teacher Kim, sniff sniff

Gray hanging with the big preschoolers

How cute is he???

     This week we look forward to Zac's field day, a pool party at the O'Donoghues and then off to Leesburg, VA for Natalie's college graduation (how the hell did that happen?  Wasn't she just 7 years old singing to the Spice Girls at our wedding???)