Labor Day Party at the Stullers'

Yesterday we went to G.J. and Annette's annual Labor Day party. This year we camped out for the first time, and were joined by at least 9 other families that set up camp all around the pond. G.J. even has camp sites set up complete with electrical boxes. A couple families had pop-up campers, but most of us had tents.

The kids had a blast playing in the pond and trampoline. They spent most of the day going back and forth between the two. Sam had to wear a life jacket since the pond is bigger and deeper than a pool - but with it he was able to swim anywhere. The pond has a raft in the center on which guests can play 4-square, a paddle boat, and a dock with a diving board. The Stullers also have a basement that is like an arcade, complete with a pool table, Foosball table, air hockey table, and even Skeeball.

Ben and I had plenty of time to sit and visit with friends, and even do some swimming and playing ourselves. O.K., that was mostly Ben. I really spent most of my time sitting and talking, or playing with the baby (Elizabeth) or toddler (Elliott).

We left around noon today (Sunday), after Ben played Ultimate Frisbee and the kids had three more hours of swimming and jumping. We are exhausted. The kids slept pretty well in the tent, but thanks to a slow leak in our air mattress Ben and I didn't get much sleep ourselves.

The pictures are of Sam on the teeter totter with Mark Nester, and Maria playing 4-square on the raft with other kids.

Superman?

When Sam got up and came out of his room this morning, his blanket was tied around his neck like a cape. None of us really said anything - we were preoccupied with packing up for our camping trip. Then I overheard this conversation.

Sam: Maria, do I look like Superman?
Maria: Um, kind of. A really short Superman.

Kids at Football Game

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Interesting

Ran into Ms. Janet at the football game (she's one of Sam's Kinder Paws teachers). When I asked her how he was doing so far, she said all the girls want to sit by Sam. Apparently they fight over who gets to sit by him.

I guess 5 year old girls like poop jokes a lot.

Time Flies

This afternoon I taught Maria how to make a book cover out of a paper bag. Her Science book is very wide and the kids are not allowed to use the elastic kind because they break the binding on such a large book. So she brought it home and we had to do it "old school."

We sat down on the living room floor, which is where I always covered my books as a kid. And it really brought all of those memories back. I can't believe that I am doing this with my child already - it was so long ago that I was that age but certain things stick in your memory for no reason at all. And covering my books on the living room floor on the first day of school is one of those memories for me. I'm glad I get to share this experience with my daughter (and as a bonus, we reused her "Me" bag from an assignment earlier this week - better than recycling even)!

Ants!

Tonight while Sam was at soccer practice, Maria was going to make muffins (from a boxed mix) for her and Sam to eat for breakfast. Sam hasn't eaten breakfast since he started school (he just hates to eat right after he gets up) and we thought he would eat fresh muffins if we made them - he usually really likes those. I was going to let Maria make them entirely on her own - she only called me if she needed help reaching something - otherwise she was going to do it completely by herself. I was going to work on Sam's birthday picture book while she was baking.

She got started, and a few minutes later she said, "Uh, Mommy, there's ants all over the two bags in here." So I went out into the kitchen and she was right - both bags looked like white with black polka dots because there were so many ants. So I called Ben to see where the ant traps are kept (he was with Sam at soccer practice and somehow taking care of ants has always been his job). Then Maria and I ran to Kroger to get more mix (she really wanted to bake by herself and I really want Sam to eat breakfast tomorrow).

When we got back, Maria made the muffins while I checked out the pantry. The shelf with all of the boxed mixes was covered in ants, so I had to take a few boxes down at a time, go directly outside so the ants didn't get all over the kitchen floor, open the box and see if the food was safe or not. I threw out several boxes, but not everything. If it wasn't sweet the ants didn't touch it - like all the noodles. So some boxes that hadn't been opened were safe. The good news is that the ants didn't migrate to any of the other shelves. So now that part of the pantry is emptied out and there are ant traps there so they can all die. And hopefully this will be the end of it (after we spend days cleaning up dead ants).

But Maria's muffins look and smell delicious - I can't wait to try one!

Sam's First Day of Kindergarten

Finally, today was Sam's first day of school (the three of us have been back for a week already). He had a little trouble sleeping last night, but that could be his earlier bedtime and not just nervousness about his first day. This morning both kids got on the bus at the high school as usual, and it took both to carry all of Sam's supplies (plus their lunches). Maria took him into his classroom before she went to hers, and the bus driver recruited her to take the other five kindergartners to the same room every day this week.

I was waiting for the kids when they got off the bus this afternoon (I love not having a class last period!). When asked, Sam said he liked school, had a good day, and the only piece of information he volunteered was that they had Gym and they played Freeze Dance. I've waited to blog until tonight because I thought he might have some other information at dinner. But the answer to all of our questions now are either "I don't know" or "I just can't remember."

He did complain about being tired a few times right after school. After I got the mail, I found him sitting on the toy box in the garage by the back door. I asked him what he was doing, he said he was so tired. Almost like he could get out of the car, but did not have enough energy to go into the house. But after a little game of Legos Star Wars he was right back to normal.

I am a little sad that he is starting kindergarten - he's definitely ready, it's just another indicator that he's growing up. But the joy of not having to worry about Day Care or babysitters makes it much easier to take. In a way, I've been waiting for this moment for 9 years!

Death of a Whoopee Cushion

Today Sam brought a Whoopee Cushion home with him from Grandma and Grandpa's house. Darrell bought it for him at an arcade while Sam was with them, and we knew Sam loved it since he insisted on showing it to us on ichat each night we talked to him.

This afternoon Maria and Sam were taking turns blowing it up and squeezing it (which apparently never gets old) while I was in the other room. All of a sudden I heard a tremendous POP and then both kids immediately burst into tears. I ran into the room, and Maria was crying saying, "I'm so sorry, Sam, I'm so sorry," and Sam was just crying. Both were inconsolable. And the Whoopee Cushion has a huge hole in it - it really looks like a perfectly drawn blow-out hole. And of course it happened about 2 minutes after Ben left for the football game.

I guess Maria stepped on it and it couldn't handle the pressure. So I told the kids we would look for a new one to replace it - the only thing I could think of to get the crying to stop. Maria didn't mean it, she didn't know you had to apply pressure slowly. And I never thought I needed to give Whoopee Cushion instructions. And Sam was traumatized after watching his prized possession die such a quick and violent death.

So we went to McDonald's for dinner (where we had the worst service ever - seriously, the only meal they got right was Sam's meal, but we got the Yoda bobble heads, so it turned out O.K.) and then went to Wal-Mart, where we needed to get some things anyway. We found a set of four small Whoopee Cushions, which self-inflate themselves. At first I thought Sam wouldn't be satisfied, but he sets them all on the floor and then plays them like drums and then giggles hysterically. So I guess all is fine now.

But it sure was stressful there for a while.

Did I Say We Missed Him?

Out of nowhere, while I'm hanging a poster in Sam's room and he's watching me, he makes this very loud, very high pitched sound and then holds it for a few seconds.  I almost fell off the chair I was standing on.  

Me:  WHAT was that?

Sam:  I'm trying to break a glass.  Like they did on iCarly.

Me:  I don't think that's going to work.

Sam:  Why?  Do I have to do it louder?

Me:  Because to break a glass the frequency of your voice has to match the natural frequency of the glass, and its really rare - I've only ever seen it on cartoons.  And its usually opera singers who sing their whole life.  And they're usually girls.

(I know, the girl comment was cheap but I would do anything to make that noise stop.)

Sam:  Maybe I just need more practice.

So that's what I have to look forward to this weekend.  

We Miss Sam

Sam has been staying with Grandma and Grandpa Keller since Tuesday this week.  We have no sitters anymore, since Ms. Jenny went back to teaching this year, and with Sam being able to do Kinder Paws again, we won't need anyone after this week (kindergarten starts school the week after the rest of us).  So Ben's parents were able to help us out and took Sam with them back to Dayton after Sam's reading assessment at school Tuesday morning.

And we miss him so much!  I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that there were things I didn't miss, like being asked over and over again to find a missing Lego the size of an ant that he is certain exists somewhere in his pile of thousands.  Or fixing something different for him for dinner (mac and cheese) since he usually won't eat what the rest of us eat.  Or hearing him sing about poop all the time.

But it's too quiet around here.  And we don't laugh nearly as much.  We have so much extra time in the mornings, since Maria pretty much takes care of herself, that it almost seems like we could get up later and still leave at the same time. (O.K., that wouldn't be so bad!)  And I miss hugs and kisses, and I know my time may be running out on those anyway.  Maria really misses him - they went from spending every waking moment together to not seeing each other for four days straight.  And knowing that he is being spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa and she is going back to school each day has not been easy either.  

Darrell is bring Sam back tomorrow afternoon.  And we are very grateful to them for keeping him  the last four days.  But we are all ready for him to get home and for things to return to normal around here!

Fast Shoes

Sam is convinced that his new school shoes are going to make him run faster.  He has mentioned it ever since we bought them - even in the store he said "I bet these shoes will make me run fast!"  When he finally got to wear them yesterday, he ran up and down the driveway (at 7:15 in the morning) to show us all how fast these shoes allowed him to run.  I'm not sure I noticed a difference, but of course we all humored him and said "Wow, those shoes did make you go fast."

These are the little things that I will miss as he grows up.

Maria's First Day of School

Maria started 4th grade today (yes, I'm amazed at how fast time flies and I can't believe she's this old). She was excited because this year they get to change classes for math, science, and social studies. It's also her first year with a male teacher, so I think she's going to notice differences (like the fact that when he awards kids with pieces of taffy for correct math answers, "he throws them to the person.") She's never seen that before.

From what she tells me she had a great day. She likes her class, her teacher, and the air conditioned modular where she spends all but an hour of her day (not including lunch and recess). Apparently Mr. Hammond motivates with food, not only with the taffy but promised to bring them home-made cookies if everyone turns in their homework this first week. That made her happy.

For their first big assignment, they have to make a "Me" bag, filled with things or pictures that represent themselves, and then present these to the class. They also have to decorate the outside of the bag. She thought she would "make a block O in a circle with a line through it and then below it write Go Miami." We told her it would be better to just write the Miami part - these Buckeye fans take things very seriously around here and she might offend someone. But we are pleased that she is turning into a Miami fan - she'll be all set for the Miami/Ohio State hockey game we are going to in October - hopefully Miami will beat them.

So a great first day for Maria, especially when we compare it to poor Mason, who apparently got thrown up on by a classmate. That's a tough way to start the 2nd grade.

The Last Weekend

The last weekend before summer vacation officially ends. We usually try to stay pretty busy since experience has taught us that if we sit home to relax these last two days, we just end up thinking about work the entire time and dread going back.

So yesterday we went to Dayton to spend the day with Ben's parents. We needed to shock-treat our well to get rid of iron bacteria, and once you get the chlorine in the well and throughout the system, you have to leave it for many hours. So since we had no water all day it seemed like a good time for Ben to golf with his Dad and the kids to swim (with Grandma and me).

Both kids had what they would define as a traumatic moment during the day. Maria's drama came after a beautiful dive. She was swimming back to the ladder and inhaled water and started to cough. She has always had Ben's very strong gag reflex, and so this gagging led to her throwing up. In the pool. And she had eaten cherries before we went to the pool. So the entire pool had to be evacuated while the life gaurds cleaned it up (although there were only a handful of people there). And Maria was quite embarrassed, but at least we were in Dayton and she didn't know anyone there. And she didn't want to leave - we waited (almost 30 minutes before people were allowed back in) and she swam some more.

Then at dinner, Maria and Sam went to the bathrooms together. When they came back, Sam was in tears. Apparently in some kid of freak accident, Sam managed to flush down his prized ring that he had gotten out of a machine at Skyline earlier that day. The timing had to be perfect - I guess it fell off as he was reaching to flush, and down it went. Ben went with him back to the bathroom to see if it was still there and could be retrieved (and to make sure Sam washed his hands again because I'm pretty sure he tried to save the ring) but it was gone for good. Maria gave him hers, but it was different (his was green), and didn't satisfy him. We were able to snap him out of it fairly quickly (thank goodness since it was at the beginning of the meal), and then we stopped and got him a replacement on the way home.

Today we cleaned the house kept busy so we wouldn't think about tomorrow. It won't be that bad - the anticipation of going back is always worse than actually going back. But I still wish it were still June!

How Lisa and Sam Pass The Time After Dinner

The Clone Wars

Tonight we went to see the new Star Wars movie "The Clone Wars."  It's an animated movie aimed at kids with a story line that fills the gaps between Episodes II and III.  (Yes, this information was supplied to me by Ben before the movie so I might have some clue as to what was going on).  Ben and the kids are all Star Wars fans - between Star Wars legos, the video game Legos Star Wars, and various books, transformers, and other toys (3 light sabers!), Sam spends quite a bit of his play time involved in the Star Wars world.  Maria enjoys the Legos Star Wars video game.  Ben has been a fan since childhood, and is thrilled that he can enjoy it all again with his kids.  I am a bit of an outsider - when Sam asks me who someone is I almost always don't know.  I don't mind Star Wars, I just am not as into it as they all are.

So when we saw the movie was going to come out, we had just assumed that Ben would take the kids alone, since I was not really that interested.  But we ended up going tonight, since it opened today, and I hadn't seen the kids all day since I have been at a technology workshop yesterday and today (possibly the longest 2 days of my life - seriously, who has never worked an ipod before?).  And I wanted to spend time with the family since I hadn't seen them all day.

And I actually enjoyed it.  It was fun to go to an evening movie with the kids - usually we go to afternoon movies since Sam was always young enough that bedtime interfered with evening movies.  And the movie was good too. I know its getting terrible reviews, and I think if you compare it to usual Star Wars movies I can see why.  This was completely different.  It was animated and meant for kids.  The story was easy to follow, and even tried to be funny every now and then.  And there was even a baby, although it was the infant son of Jabba the Hut, very lumpy and green, and nick-named Stinky.  Still, he was cute in his own way and I found myself really hoping he was saved in the end (Spoiler - he was.)

So a fun family night for us.  And we got home in time to see Michael Phelps win his 7th gold medal.  I have to say we do have a little Olympic fever here.  Love watching the swimming live in the evenings, although I can never stay awake for the end of the gymnastics, I DVR it and watch it later.  I just feel bad the kids are missing the good stuff.  But I am not letting them stay up this late, and they aren't that interested in watching it the next day.

Summer Wrap-Up

Since I essentially return to work tomorrow, I thought maybe it would help my depression to remind myself of all of the fun things we did this summer. Since the kids are getting older, we are able to do much more as a family, and it been a really great summer. Here are some highlights:

• Sam had a successful and fun T-ball season
• Maria completed her 2nd year of Golf camp at Beavercreek golf club
• Both kids golfed 9 holes with Ben a few times
• Trips to the city pool
• Family bike rides after Sam got going on 2 wheels at the beginning of July
• Visiting friends Dan and Pam in Staunton, Virginia, where Pam is President of Mary Baldwin College
• Maria's first 4-H/Fair experience, including making the skirt with Grandma K., taking first place in Skillathon and Honorable Mention for the skirt
• Being a part of Miami friend Norm's wedding, seeing old friends and enjoying a great weekend on Oxford
• Traveling to Marathon Key to celebrate David, Suzy, Jon, and G.J.'s 40th birthdays (and a short no-kids vacation was certainly nice too)
  
• Ben's annual birthday party, with special appearances by some friends we haven't seen in over 10 years (great to see you, Jim and Chris!)
• Enjoyed great seats at a Dayton Dragons game
• Camped out in the backyard - I even slept in the tent, for most of the night
• Campfires (with margaritas) with neighbors Andy, Lisa, Mason and Lindsey
• Attending Union County Fair with Andy, Lisa, Mason, and Lindsey (I should NOT have gone on the music-less Music Express
• Spending time with both sets of grandparents, with and without Mom and Dad
• Play Date-a-Palooza complete with jumping castle
• Visit to Zoombezi Bay
• Indianapolis vacation including Connor Prairie, Indy speedway, Children's Museum, and DCI Finals

And I'm sure there are many other things I've forgotten to list. It's been great, but it is time to back and face reality. And the kids need some focus and structure to their day (and I probably do to), although not being able to sleep until 7:30-8:00 every day is really going to suck.

Hives Update

Ben's hives are almost gone and his itching is much better as well. His main problem now is that he can't sleep - a result of the three medications he's on, we assume. He can't nod off until at least 4:00 a.m., then has to get up and go to band in the morning. yesterday he wasn't even able to nap, but today he slept most of the afternoon. Which is good, 6 hours of sleep over two days was really starting to get to him.

Indy Pictures Posted

I have added an album to the Keller Family Fotocast of our trip to Indianapolis, including Conner Prairie, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Children's Museum, and DCI finals. If you're family/friends and need the password, just email us and we'll send it to you.

Olympic Fever

The kids - especially Maria - have been excited about the Olympics. Unfortunately they missed most of the Opening Ceremonies since we were in Indianapolis and returned to the hotel late, and we forgot to DVR it from home. But Maria has been watching some of the contests on TV, and Sam like his Mario and Sonic at the Olympics Wii game.

Right now they are out in the yard playing Olympics. Maria is Australia, Sam is China. And they set up "hurdles" in the driveway (bike helmets, bats, and other stuff they found in the garage), and are now throwing the javelin (jump rope with ball thing) in the front yard. I did have to break up an argument about rules, although they both agreed on the rules, and the fight was about Sam wanting to tell Maria the rules even though she already knew them.

I am just so glad they are doing something together today - they have been fighting all day, and they usually get along really well. Could be they are both tired - not only did we get home from vacation yesterday afternoon where they went to bed late every night, but last night we had to take Ben to the Emergency room and they didn't get to bed until almost 11:00 again. I think its time to go back to school - they are spending too much time together.

(Ben's fine now - just had an allergic reaction to something - the hives moved into his throat making it difficult to breathe. He had been having hives for days, and we don't know what he is reacting to, but they got much worse last night. In the hospital he received a breathing treatment and IV drugs and was able to come home a couple of hours later feeling much better. He continues on steroids and antihistamines for several days - and hopefully that will take care of it. Finding out what the reaction is to could be a long adventure.)

I'm hoping the kids get to watch some of the more exciting Olympic events soon. Problem is, they show those after their bedtime, usually. The badminton and water polo we watched this afternoon is just not the same.

Number Issues

In the car on the way back to hotel tonight.

Sam: Daddy, what is the fastest?
Ben: Fastest kind of car?
Sam: No fastest ride, like a motorcycle?
Ben: Probably an Indy car, they can go 240 miles per hour.
Sam: Wow, that is fast. That's almost a hundred.

Vacation Day 2

Wow, what a busy day. We started at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 9:00, so we could get a space on the 9:30 "Grounds Tour." They take a bus on the track, and stop at several places where you can get out and look and take pictures. I was surprised - it was actually very interesting. We stopped and walked around on the brick start/finish line, the media room, the press conference room, hospitality suites, and winner's podium. Ben and I enjoyed it, but the kids got bored off and on. Probably would have helped if they had ever watched any of the Indy 500, then they would have something to relate it to. They did mention Helio a few times - Maria likes him from his Dancing with the Stars victory.

After the tour we went to the Children's Museum, where we had lunch and then spent four hours at the many exhibits. It's the best children's museum I've been to, and the kids had a blast. We went to the Planetarium movie - a comparison of the fictional Star Wars planets to actual planets. The kids loved it - of course combining Star Wars and astronomy is heaven to Sam - two of his favorite things.

Then back to the hotel in the late afternoon for a swim. We decided on dinner at Cheesecake factory, a poor decision on my part since it was almost a half hour drive (we got caught in traffic due to the Indiana State Fair on our way) and the food wasn't event that great. Finally we're back at the hotel room trying to catch up with the Opening ceremonies, and the kids should be in bed in a few minutes. Having them take baths tonight prolonged bedtime even longer, but it had to be done. At least they can sleep in tomorrow.

Brickyard

Maria and Sam sitting where race car winners have press conference. Pretty cool tour.
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Poop?! in the Pool

So we were at the hotel pool and the kids were swimming. Everyone was content. Until I noticed a small group of teenagers leaving the pool area for what they thought was poop at the bottom of the pool. I looked at the area (the pool is made entirely of stainless steel), and saw a rust spot in the area they were talking about, so I thought it was no big deal. Maria and Sam had fled to the hot tub with the other kids, and I knew Ben was on his way down to swim, so I thought I would ask him to check it out when he got there, since I did not have my suit on the investigate further.

After I told Ben about the debate and he got in the pool, he agreed the spot was rust. So he and Maria and Sam swam for a little bit, then Ben noticed some stuff in the drain ledge, looked at me, and said "THIS could very well be poop."

So I went to the front desk to report it. Nothing brings the manager as quickly as the phrase "What looks like human feces in the pool." When he got there, he told Ben he thought it looked like mud. "See, there's rocks in it." Ben mentioned to me later that the manager was young enough that he probably didn't have kids, and that we've seen a lot more poop than he has. Then again, maybe they learn that in hotel manager school - "Always insist its mud, no matter what." Regardless, they closed the pool for a time and we left to go have dinner.

Now, 3 hours later, the pool is back open and Ben took the kids back down there. I just have this bad feeling that whenever I look in there, I'm going to see poop whether its there or not. It reminds me of Caddy Day at the Pool in the movie Caddyshack.

First Day

So far we are having a good first day. We arrived at Connor Prairie around 1:00 and spent over 2 hours experiencing the cultures from 1816, 1836, and 1886. Maria enjoyed herself and learned a lot - she especially liked the schoolhouses. Sam survived and continually asked "How many more buildings until we can go to the gift shop?". But we expected that. We are at hotel now. Kids are swimming.

Sam's Nintendo broke on the walk into hotel. He didn't drop it - it just finally gave out after almost 2 years of his being rough with it. The lid won't close anymore. Kind of made his reward Guitar Hero game that he got a few hour ago worthless, and he was VERY upset, so Ben went to get him a new one. Considered an early birthday present.
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Kids and Politics

This afternoon while watching TV, a McCain ad came on - the one with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and they say something like, "Sure Obama's popular, but can he lead?" Then it goes on to point out some points of Obama's platform that Republicans aren't supposed to agree with. I wasn't really paying attention - Jon Stewart is my source of most election news, balanced by the Today show when I get up early enough. But apparently Maria was, because she asked why it was "endorsed by John McCain" when the ad was all about Obama. Good questions, and her first experience with negative campaigning. And it made me realize two things. One, how much more negative is this campaign going to seem as I witness it through the eyes of a curious 9-year-old, and two, how do I answer her questions while still trying to encourage her to make up her own mind.

And then I ask myself, if 9 year olds were capable of making their own decisions about the world and its leaders, wouldn't they be allowed to vote?

I guess I struggle with political discussions in general. It seems that most people only enjoy getting into political discussions if they are trying to change your mind. And so I would rather not discuss politics with most people. I have my beliefs, but don't feel the need to defend them to anyone else, or to convince others that they should believe what I believe. And I think this attitude has developed after living in an area where my beliefs are not popular. We have been here for 15 years, and it is a strong Republican county. And when you don't believe what most people around you believe, many of them try to convert you. And its much easier if I just leave that topic alone.

However, this is going to become more difficult as Maria enters 4th grade in the fall and this historic presidential election is studied. We've told Maria before that we are not Bush supporters, and given her some basic reasons when she asks (mainly that we don't like the direction the country is heading and we are ready for a change). But we don't go into it in extreme detail - it would bore her to tears at this age. And I also tell her that our opinion is different than most people around us, so that she should be aware of that when discussing these topics at school. I don't want to alarm her, but want her to be prepared for a possible attack when she supports Obama and everyone else in the class supports McCain. We've also impressed upon her that voting is a private matter, and no one has to know what she feels if she doesn't want them to.

I guess we are trying to walk the thin line of encouraging her to have her own opinion (even if it differs from ours), but also trying to teach her the values that we think are important.

So I guess I'll figure all of this out as it happens. During the last presidential election, Maria was 5 and Sam 2, so I didn't have to think about how a parent handles political discussions. It will be quite a learning experience, I'm sure.

On the Road Again

I'm happy to report that we are back to our family bike rides after a brief break due to band camp and then Maria's fall on Thursday. Last night we took a short ride to see how Maria's knee felt, and today we did another 4+ miles over to the bike trails at Walker Meadows and back. It was a slow ride coming back as we were all tired, but we made it.

In other news, I stopped at school today to pick up some PO's and stopped in my room. I was surprised to find out its in very good shape - the media people even returned all of my equipment that has to be turned in at the end of the year. Usually you spend at least an hour on the workday finding it, signing it out, getting it back to your room, making sure it works, etc. Everything was back, including the all important Smartboard and projector, which they will never guarantee you'll get back since there isn't enough for everyone. And it didn't feel too cold - usually my air conditioning is at about 60 degrees. I'm hoping all this means it will be a smooth start this year, but you can never tell.

Lazy Sunday

Our lives have been pretty hectic the last week. Ben has been at band camp, so the three of us tried to stay busy while he was gone. Since the three hour trip home from my parents' house on Wednesday, the kids and I have been very active. Its good, since busy kids are usually not causing trouble or complaining because they are "So bored!" But when we are constantly running the house shows it, and it was getting pretty bad around here, especially since we hadn't even had time to wash the huge amount of laundry that Ben brings back from camp.

Today we had nothing planned. After Ben returned Friday night, we were off to Tiffin for a family reunion Saturday morning and returned late the same afternoon. Last night was a fire at the Smith's, and we didn't get the kids to bed until 10:30. The kids were having so much fun playing Hide and Seek in the dark and playing with Sparklers we didn't see any need to get them home early. Its been nice not havig any activities planned for today, even though we do have some house work to do.

Unfortunately, Sam seems to have a pretty bad cold and is fairly miserable. We're hoping that it gets better before our trip to Indianaplolis on Thursday. And Maria's knee is doing much better - all scabbed over and healing well. She only limps sometimes now - its taken her some time to get used to that pulling feeling on her knee with the scab there. Hopefully Ben can get her bike aligned again and we will be going on our family rides again soon.