A little of this and little of that....

     When I was in fourth grade I got a diary.  I was so excited to write in it everyday and lock it up with the tiny key.  It was almost like a new friend.  Well I promised to write in it everyday.  I would write in it my promises of dedication.  But then weeks would go by and I would forget about it.  When I picked it up again to write I would feel so guilty looking at those blank pages (this was the type of diary that had the dates already printed on them).  So I would pour out my heart and apologize to my diary and promise to do better next time.  But it never failed, I would do the same thing again.  That is how I feel about this blog.  I want to keep a record of everything we do and I had such high hopes of doing just that.  Taking pictures, writing down little notes during the week etc.  But sadly I have neglected it as I did my poor diary.  Onward I go with new promises to do a better job! 
     I've been feeling a bit down lately so it has been hard for me to get the motivation to write.  So many people I love are going through such hard times and it's breaking my heart and bringing my spirits down.  I pray for my brother and his kids daily as they struggle with the loss of their dear wife and mother.  I don't know how he does it, but he just keeps going and he is such a shining example to his kids.  My sister has gone through a rough divorce and has started a new job that she doesn't really like.  My Dad has had medical issues that have slowed him down a bit.  Jason's Mom was just diagnosed with colon cancer.  She had surgery in the beginning of May but recently found out that she will need chemotherapy as well.   They just moved here from York, PA (after living there their entire lives) and are adjusting to this new life and now they have to face this challenge as well.  I just feel so helpless for all of these hard times and it's been hard lately to stay positive for my own family.  I've been snapping more at the kids and feeling just generally overwhelmed.  But I am going to try to put things into a new perspective and give my family my very best.  So here are a few things that we have been doing...
     Mother's Day 2011 goes down in my book as one of the best Mother's Days ever!  I got to sleep in until 10 am!  And then was presented with an incredible breakfast in bed...eggs, English muffin, bacon and a large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts!  Who could ask for more?  Well more I got!  I got to go to the track all by myself (I have to admit I was actually a little lonely) and then I headed to Home Depot.  All. By. Myself!!!  I picked out plants and just walked around in awe getting so many ideas.  I headed home and Jason grilled while me and the kids worked on our garden.  The weather was incredible.  For about 7 days in a row we had sunny blue skies in the mid 70's without humidity.  Jason and I felt like we were back in Albuquerque.  That evening Jason took a few kids and headed over to his Mom's to bring a few gifts for her as well.



That evening I opened up my cards and just realized how blessed I am to have the family that I have.  They are the best!

     This past weekend was Jason and Kaitlyn's annual Indian Princess Father/Daughter camping trip.  The camp is on the Chesapeake Bay and this was their 6th year!  I got Kaitlyn out of school early on Friday and then they were off.

Wendy was sad to see them go



     This weekend is always pretty fun for me and the boys as well.  Poor Zac had me all to himself the first year and then we seemed to add a new boy every couple years!  Friday night we headed to bed early (Zac and Brayden slept in my bed with me) and watched TV in bed for awhile.  Saturday morning we headed to Dunkin Donuts for some breakfast.  After Grayson's nap we first went to GameStop where Zac purchased the new NBA 2011 Wii game with some gift cards from his birthday.  Brayden had a little money from Poppy so he got a pre-owned Batman Lego game for his DS.  After GameStop we went to a plant sale for a children's charity.  It started to pour so we didn't stay very long.  I did get a tomato plant, oregano and some red leaf lettuce to add to my garden.  We were then off to Texas Roadhouse for lunch.  Zac missed out on this restaurant when we went for Valentine's Day so he was excited to see what it was like.  It didn't disappoint.  Well the atmosphere didn't disappoint but the ribs did a bit.  I think that we are just spoiled because Jason grills the best ribs ever and it's hard to live up to his ribs.  But we had other good food and a very good time.  When we were seated with the 3 boys, the server told me it looked like I had my hands full.  But they were so good!  After we were finished eating I began to lose them to their crazy boy shenanigans and let the server know that I was losing them and needed the check fast! 

     After lunch we headed to Toys R Us where Zac bought yet another Wii game- Pirates of the Caribbean Lego- with his other gift cards from his birthday.  That evening Zac played at Brendan's most of the night.  Brendan's Mom said her house was too noisy (she was watching her nephew and 2 nieces for the weekend) and headed up to our house to hang out and have some beers!  Good times!  Once Zac got home we watched a movie and then went to bed.  Surprisingly, Jason and Kaitlyn decided to come home late Sat. night.  They did all that there is to do on Friday and all day Sat. so they wanted to sleep in their own beds and came home.  Speaking of all that they do, here is what I was told that they did ...
They went fishing (Cammy Deery caught a huge bass) in the bay, they actually went swimming in the bay, they had campfires, consumed lots of snacks and candy while the Dads consumed beer!  On Sat. they went kayaking, speedboat racing, rock climbing, archery, biking, more fishing, scavenger hunt, volleyball, horseshoe toss and a talent show which Kaitlyn DJ'd.  Jam packed!

scavenger hunt

watching the talent show

So onward to this week...The big kids have off on Tuesday so they will be going to preschool with Brayden.  Brayden and Grayson both have well checks on Monday, probably some shots and tears.  Wendy has her annual check up on Thur.  Kaitlyn has piano, dance, volleyball and her last CCD class ever!!!  And then a volleyball game on Sat.  Zac just has his last CCD class for this year.  I promise to blog again soon!