Last weekend of summer...

We had another busy but really nice weekend. It was our last before school starts tomorrow. We went to another Scioto Miles concert, which we love!!

They are free and the kids get to run around in the fountains when they don't want to listen to the music. It's really nice for families. 

Tomorrow, or soon, there will be back to school pictures, but for now I'm going to pretend that we still have a lot of summer left!

I don't know why it's so hard to get these two to smile at the same time...

I think the morning will be rather traumatic again, as I see another one off to middle school...
It's 10:55pm and I can hear Silas upstairs singing or talking to himself.  Ugh...

The Office

I have to say, I'm very lucky with my job. I get to work from anywhere that I have Internet access typically. The Friday that we left for the beach, I got to work from the van while on the drive to North Carolina. (hectic, but a nice option).

This week (the last week of summer break before school starts back), I took the kids to lunch and then we went to the park with their friends. I was able to tap into my Wi-Fi hotspot and work in the park while they played and had fun. It was quite ideal. 

I feel grateful that I do get to spend time with my kids, work a full-time job, be home for them when they get home from school or need something during the day...

I'm sad that Ella is leaving our elementary school, which is right in our neighborhood. She's moving on to the sixth-grade building. I think Silas will definitely find it weird the first week or two of school.

Today we went to Ella's new school, got her schedule, made sure that we could open her locker... And got her first school ID!

It'll be six more years before she and Silas will be in the same building again. That won't be when Silas is a freshman and Ella is a senior! 

OBX 2014

Another year, another summer vacation in the Outer Banks!  We ended up back in Nags Head again this year after the traffic getting north of the bridge (and into the Duck/Corella area) was such a nightmare!
Glad we did - it's so  much less crowded and easier to get to the store, etc.

The OHYoungers split up our drive this year by leaving on Friday afternoon and staying the night with Don and Maria in Greensboro, NC.  It is always fabulous to spent some time with them and catch up (and drink some wine) with them!

We were able to make the less than 5 hour drive on Saturday and got to enjoy some great beach time that afternoon!  We had some fantastic skies while there.  A few storms, beautiful blue skies, some overcast days - the variety was nice and made for some great picture taking.

Ella and Silas are both at the age now that they can get out and around in the waves very well on their own.  They spent a tremendous amount of time in the water!

Tyler, Mason, Ella, Silas and Justin wave jumping. 

We managed to make it over the our favorite ice cream shop (Scrammels) most days.  Better Batter Brownie was amazing!!

No pool at the house this year :(  but we were right on the beach, which was quite wonderful.
My view was this most days...

And this...

And with Mom working out at the Y all the time now, she is feeling like a champ and could get up and down the steps and out walking on the beach!

One of of the days after too much sun, we ended up at the aquarium - an annual visit.

 Ella even learned how to give a turtle enema - what a fun vacation!

 

I managed to catch a sunset over the sound.

And a couple sunrises when it wasn't too overcast.

(PS...I LOVE the iPhone panoramic setting!)

And with much of the usual grousing, I was able to get a very nice family photo (and it only took TWO takes!).

Sad that I most likely won't see a beach for another year... :(

Only 2 Months Behind...

I'm once again slacking greatly on the blog.  I had a nice little bout of motivation back in March and April and then things just took over life again...

May was really busy as the kids finished up their last weeks of school and soccer was winding down with several tournaments that took over our weekends!

Ella and I took a mini midweek road trip up to Cleveland with Jennifer and Abby to see John Green and a couple of the stars from the book turned movie The Fault in Our Stars.  The place was PACKED with screaming girls.  It was crazy!!

The girls totally loved it and Jennifer and I...lived through it.  I enjoyed the book actually - I started reading it while we were sitting at the mall waiting for the author and actors to come out.  The movie was...meh...
Ella and I went to see it opening weekend.

She made her own TFIOS tee shirt too. 

____________________________
This year the kids' school got a new gym teacher after our original gym teacher retired.  We LOVED our old teacher so we were pretty skeptical about a new person.  But, he's been FABULOUS!  He has organized so many fun fun FUN things for the kids, including the Fall Warrior Dash that we participated in.
This year field day was a Full day of fun for the kids (years before they split it up and it was just 1/2 a day).
There were so many activities and the kids and parents all had a blast.

(so all the above was added on Monday...here we are on Thursday and still trying to finish this!)

Back to Field Day!
Mr D had a fire hose thing that the kids LOVED!!

 Silas and Ben below...

 Silas on the water slide

Ella and Abby being goobers! :)

So, with that, I got 1/2 way through May...still the last of school to go.

BUT we leave for the beach soon, so that will probably interrupt any more posts about May for now!

Better Week

This week has been going much better, except for the dumb Ohio weather. Sunday was 81 and beautiful.  Monday it rained a ton and was just dreary and bluck.  I worked from bed and it was actually quite cozy and productive.

And then yesterday it snowed - real snow, not just the little flurries that don't do much.
I have captioned this "The Agony of Defeat" - poor things. They are still all slumped over like they've given up for good.

Silas and I have been butting heads quite a bit for the last couple weeks.  He's been very whiny and quick to lose his temper and I've been lacking patience myself.  He's such a funny kid though.  For example, last week:
Silas: Can I have my vitamin? I've got white bumps on my arm.
Me: White bumps?
Silas: I'm not sure but it could be scurvy...
Me: ???


It's so easy to get lost in and overwhelmed by the millions things that always need to be done. Household stuff, work stuff, friends/family obligations...on and on.  I feel lucky that most often, I have the ability to step back and put things into perspective.  Clean the toilets or spend time outside with Justin and the kids on a (currently rare) sunny day.  I'll go with the latter.  And by the state of my house...I probably make that choice a bit too much!  But oh well...

At least I've got my sanity...right?!?  ??

Fraught

fraught - frôt/ - adjective
1. (of a situation or course of action) filled with or destined to result in (something undesirable).

2. causing or affected by great anxiety or stress.
"there was a fraught silence"
synonyms: anxious, worried, stressed, upset, distraught, overwrought, worked up, antsy, agitated, distressed, distracted, desperate, frantic, panic-stricken, panic-struck, panicky;

I don't know why, but the last week has been very stressful and full of anxiety for me. Making productivity very difficult, and the ability to focus a pure joke.

I don't know which comes first, the chicken (anxiety) or the egg (stress). And they become so intertwined that it doesn't much matter when they get rolling and picking up speed. It reminds me of skiing this winter and watching Silas start down the ski run and get going so fast that all he knew to do was fall, arms and legs flailing in all directions, to stop himself. I've been through this enough times now to know when I'm heading for the crash and burn. When I feel it happening I do try to remember how to slow it down without the need to throw myself to the ground causing a massive pile-up all around me.

More exercise, more yoga, more nature...
Juicing, oils, prayer, meditation...maybe it all helps, maybe not.
Maybe it just keeps me occupied until the moods pass. They always do eventually.

our maple finally started blooming last weekend.

it wasn't a sucky week all around - the CF Wine Opener was Friday

and celebrating Jen's birthday too!

April Fools?

Oh, I hope today's weather wasn't a big tease! I can't remember ever longing for warm, sunny weather like I have this long, long winter!

No soccer practice this evening (Justin is coaching both teams again this season) so the kids got to come home and play outside until dinner and then we walked up to the school for some extra outside time.
Ella, mason and Silas were all playing soccer against the garage again...it looks like someone scored!



Ella roller bladed up to the school. I think i need to get mine out soon and give my knees a break from running.


Found this when looking for my other pictures from today. She is getting way too big...hard to believe that 6th grade in a new school is right around the corner.


I'm ready for yard work and gardening and bike rides and sitting on patios and...no.more.snow!