Sun Brings The CRAZY Out...

Kyle is quite a breed.  I don't know most days where on earth he came from.  Typically I say he's just like his dad simply because I never acted the way he does and neither did his brothers.  {unless we're talking about the sarcasm gene...then maybe I know where he got it}  As always, when he's funny...he's dang hilarious!!  After a shower last month {i know, I know} he was in rare form and wondered what he had been watching on tv...{Thank God he didn't get THIS from his dad!}

 Andrew finished tennis with a bang!  I missed most of his matches this year, either because of other schedules or rain.  I did, however make it to his tournament.  Gorgeous weather!!  He rocked it against the coaches son and only lost the match based on a bad call. A call that, by the head of the tournament's own definition, should have been made by Andrew but wasn't.  Oh well.  He did an amazing job and played great all day.

I cannot remember whether or not I previously mentioned that Andrew tried out for, and was offered, a part in the summer play The Nerd.  I also do not know if I mentioned this but the playhouse manager sent him an invite to audition because she enjoys working with him and thought this would be a great part  for him.  Isn't that awesome?  I believe quite a few tried out for the only child part in the play.  I was overjoyed to receive the call that he got the part and immediately accepted on his behalf. {so formal}  He had to submit a head shot and one hundred word bio for the program.  It was a last minute thought so we didn't have anything to work with so we just snapped a pic early one morning before school.  Imagine my total and utter shock when I received an email with a contract and W-9 attached for me to fill out, also on Andrew's behalf, to be filled out.  I inquired about the W-9 form and was told Andrew will be paid for his role in the summer presentation like any other adult actor.  UnFREAKINGbelieveable!!

 Camping season came out of nowhere but really, not really.  I've known for months that as soon as May hit I would need to get in gear and get the camper ready.  All of a sudden it was May twentieth and we had to bust a move!  Keith got the outside done and moved to the inside {cleaning} and it was my job to pack and fill...except that I didn't empty out the camper last year so all of the bedding also had to be washed. sigh.  It's a lot of work for a very short time but, man, is it ever worth it. {if the weather is good to me}  Kyle and I headed up Thursday and were alone til later Friday afternoon.  Other than the gale-force winds screaming through the park, offering little more than ultra panic that we were going to tip over, we had a very enjoyable weekend.  When the sun was out, it was hot and we had the best visitors ever.  Superb time.  Why did it have to end?

And that's all she wrote.  A whopping two pictures of our weekend.  Whatevs.

Fast forward to June.  Yesterday was Kyle's kindergarten class picnic.  We put together a fun pedicure gift for Mrs. Johnson and included a new book from her favorite author for a little guilty pleasure this summer.  I cannot believe my last one is out of kindergarten.  I hope he'll be ready for all day school next fall.  I'm sure he will be.  He's had lots of half day practice. 

Before leaving the picnic, I asked Kyle to tell me who he'd like pictures with from his class so we can save them for his memory book.  Before he even answered, a friend from another class was close by so I grabbed him and took a picture.  Afterward, the only names offered were that of girls.  Go figure.

Girlfriend number one is Jenna.  She's his best friend.  And girlfriend.  Yesterday a parent informed me that her daughter informed her that Kyle and Jenna are getting married...when they are older.  {thank goodness}

 Girlfriend number two is Olivia.  She was the girlfriend months ago but when kyle told me they broke up, I asked him what happened and he told me there was confusion.  Alrighty then.  Yesterday Olivia informed me, "Kyle really loves me."   I mentioned this to her mom.  She said she's heard all about Kyle.  Great.  But she didn't try to tackle me or punch me in the face so I think she's okay with it all.  Besides, Olivia is a confident girl.  She definitely wears the pants in this relationship.  I have proof of it if needed...she slung her arm right around Kyle's shoulder...no questions.  Later I merely mentioned Olivia's name and Kyle said to me, "I know...I have two."  What else is there to say?

 So we are officially done with week one of driver's training.  By officially I mean Caleb has had, as of Monday, ten hours of class instruction and two hours of driving experience with his instructor.  Obviously the next step is a permit.  A Permit?  WHAT??  Yes, he informed me Monday that Tuesday night he would receive his pink slip and, oh yeah, could he drive home from class?

 Oh. My. Goodness.  Did this all just fly out of nowhere?  Like when did this all happen?  I really cannot believe the time is here but, really, it hasn't bothered me that he's old enough to take DT or that I'm old enough to have a son his age or that' he's heading to high school in the fall.  What totally breaks my heart is that, in four short years, he will leave my home for most likely another state and maybe meet someone at school and make a life for himself very far away...from me.  I take for granted that my babies are with me and having spent the last ten years only having them half of the time has been the "norm" for us.  My family is close by.  My parents are a seven minute drive from me and my sister lives not door for crying out loud.  In a few short years I believe both of my oldest children will move far away and that, my friends, is an unbearable truth.  I do not know how to handle that truth.  Yeah, yeah...don't think of the future.  Live in the present.  Make the most of the time I have with them.  Blah, blah, blah...does that really fix my heartache?  Knowing they will undoubtedly succeed and have amazing futures I have peace.

But in the meantime...my kid is driving!!  I was actually a wreck!  he wanted to drive home but in the meantime Keith went to a conference dinner and I learned I had to pick up Kyle.  In Montague. {hello}  I let him drive me all the way there and back home.  I needed a drink.  Heck, I think HE could have used a drink!  He was so tense and it didn't help that the back seat driver was telling him what to do {he's SIX} and so was I.  He did pretty well.  My real concern is the stop sign situation.  He stops...like a quarter mile back...at the actual sign like he's supposed to.  Then he creeps forward like he's supposed to.  Then he heads through the intersection.  Every time.  Without stopping again...Not like he's supposed to!!!!  He said he stopped.  He didn't.  He said he looked...without turning his head. {his words}  He didn't.  Whew.  I will try to be calm.  He will stop two times, three if needed, at stop signs.  All will be good.  This is all out of my hands.  That is the hardest part to swallow.  I may be slightly control-freakish but these are my kids...I'll just have to pray harder.  And longer.  And louder.

May Day...

{And, as always, I am posting a saved post weeks late.}

Life is moving along. Spring sports are in full swing.  Caleb has his first ever job of reffing when needed for youth soccer.  I cannot believe my baby is not quite a baby anymore.  I say it all the time yet I still cannot get over it.

With our crazy sports schedules, neither Keith nor I can seem to cover all games every week.  K is coaching Kyle so it is even more tricky.  Fortunately for us {not Andrew} quite a few of the tennis matches have been cancelled due to weather.  We are making it work.  It's strange to say it's a good thing there are four of us {parents} to cover most events.

Kyle is totally loving baseball and he is understanding this year that he isn't the team and he's been good at staying close to his own spot, playing his own position.  He is so crazy mad right now that he has to miss a game in June because we are heading to Boyne for the weekend.

One of the assistant coaches is very organized and is doing a great job of making a schedule every week of the positions each boy will play each inning.  It's great to make sure these boys are playing all positions and getting a taste of it all. 

I was surprised the other day when Kyle asked if he could bring the chalk outside.  He typically wouldn't waste his time drawing when he could be playing ball but I guess this time he needed to be sure people would find us...although by the time they find our road off the main road, and find our driveway, and drive down what the garbage man thought was another private road, I imagine they already know it's our house.

Last Friday Kyle and I had yet another discussion about him learning to tie his shoes.  He said he was so embarrassed because he thinks he won't be able to tie his shoes when he's a dad.  I told him if he'd just work on it over and over again, he could have it down by the end of the weekend.  He tried.  And tried.  And tried and tried and tried.  And, by golly, he was able to tie his own shoes by Sunday afternoon.
I'm so proud of him for being so persistent.

In an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle I pulled this armoir out of the basement to give the boys some extra storage space for, of all things, their clothes.  Thinking of painting it a fun turquoise color...

Like maybe this color?  Oh how I would love to spray it with paint but I'm not feeling it unfortunately.  Thankfully my mom has two used quarts of paint that are different variations of this color so I think I'll mix them together and see what I get.

If only I could get my kids to work for me without me asking.  Ugh.  It's so cute to see Kyle take out the trash at daycare without being asked but really?  He cannot even empty the bathroom can into the kitchen can without a semi-fit.  Whatever.

Do you find it strange that as young as three, Kyle was fascinated with driving?  K let him drive home from our mailbox. {with help of course}  At three!  And it's a mile and a half from our mailbox to our house!  After that, he wanted to be dropped off at the end of our driveway to run home.  Every day. Most recently he decided he wanted to get out at the mailboxes and run home.  I told him, "No way!!"  I was not about to let him run home alone.  He talked me into letting him run alongside my van while he ran home.  Unbelievable.  It may seem strange that I am taking a picture while my son is running right next to my moving vehicle.  Believe me, I had one hand on the wheel and no foot on the gas pedal.  I was able to hold my camera with one hand and click it with the same hand all while driving one mile per hour.  Talented, I know.  I told him I wasn't doing it again any time soon.  The driveway is plenty...especially when I have to drive behind him.  He may be fast for his age but he isn't so fast compared to a motorized vehicle.

The basics...

First of all, blogging basics...

1. type

Ok, that's that.  Pretty self explanatory.

Second, Caleb is unofficially registered for his first segment of driver's training.  Officially, my payment needs to be received.  That should happen in a day or two.

Third,  Kyle is a trying kid.  But he's also a riot and when I'm not totally at my wit's end with him,  he makes me laugh my butt off.

Fourth, I want to quit my job and peruse Pinterest.  For the rest of my life.

Fifth, about every quarter of every year I get in a little over my head.  With everything I do.  Right now is quarter time.

Sixth, Kyle really truly thinks I am older than dirt.  No kidding.  Like literal dirt.  His comments and questions kill me.

Seventh, life moves rather quickly, whether I want it to or not.  Caleb will be in high school next fall.  Andrew will be in eighth grade.  Kyle will be in first grade.  All day.  People say once your kids are in high school the four years fly faster than the first years.  In two years, when both of the bigs are in high school, their little brother will be in his last year of Shoreline.  The littles elementary school.  That slows things right down.  And makes me laugh.

Eighth, I need a mental health day.  I'd like everyone to be gone from the house and I want it to be dark, rainy and thundering.  What a great day to be buried in a book.  Or I want a bright sunny day, with no wind and temps in the upper 70s or low 80s with little humidity.  That way I can read on the deck.

Ninth, I need a make-up day.  Rain would be good for that, too, so I am not tempted to go outside and read on the deck.

Tenth, I need a family day. A day that I have no commitments, and neither do my family members, so I can spend QT with the ones I love. {before they all graduate}  I'll settle for camping in two weeks.

Eleventh, I need the first two days to happen rather quickly because we are camping in two weeks and we haven't even summerized the camper, let alone cleaned and stocked it!

Twelfth, I know amazing people.  People I can count on for just about anything.  The staff luncheon was a super success yesterday and I couldn't have pulled it off without the help of truly wonderful women.  I am blessed.

Thirteenth, I am blessed.  Blessed with family and friends and a place to call home and a job and a reason to always be busy.

It's truly fitting that I end here at thirteen, saving the best {and my favorite number} for last.

FYI...

I made it super easy for me to blog at any given moment by pre-loading some pics to write about when I had time.  Epic fail.  It's the end of April and it has been weeks since I've bothered with this.  What happened to the good ol' days?  Yeah, yeah, I know...I had three boys. {who happen to make my life super-de-duper...and busy}

It was my Easter this year, meaning no matter who's weekend it is, I get the boys for Easter dinner.  It worked out snappy because we just headed over to my parent's house after church.  I pre-filled eggs to have grandpa hide in the front yard and I had extra to also hide in the back.  Those six kids are slick...and too grown up to have to really search for any hidden eggs.  I even tried to slow it down by making it kind of like a treasure hunt.  It didn't matter.  This year, however, it did work in our favor because dinner was ready right away. {do NOT be alarmed...Ash wanted blue streaks but the procedure went haywire...and she didn't have them in for church!}

Andrew was cast as a narrator in the middle school adaptation of The Absolutely Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair.  At first, I admit, I figured he didn't have a very good audition to be cast as a narrator, and, as always, I paid no real attention to him memorizing his lines or rehearsing at school because I always love the element of surprise with his acting.  I have to tell you I was blown away.  He did such an amazing job and was told that, after his audition, it was said he'd be perfect for narrator number three!!  Narrator number three already had a personality even before Andrew played him and he fit the part perfectly.  And the best part was that although people seemed to have thought he did a great job with the part, I knew why he did so well.  He didn't fit the part...the part fit him!  The character had plenty of speaking parts and the character's name might have well been Andrew.  Superb job.  Superb play.  Superb directing.  Superb cast of kids. {with a pizza party today to boot}

Andrew turned the big one-three on the fifteenth.  As a plan for the future that started months ago, he was keen on the idea of contacts.  We decided to get him new glasses and contacts.  The glasses are good.  Andrew adores them. {his dad, not so much☺} The contacts, on the other hand, are a bit more than he bargained for.  He was able to put them in while at the doctor's office but hasn't since.  His dad taught him one way but since it wasn't working, Keith tried to teach him another way.  It was so perfect in theory.  K even touched Andrew's eyeball with no flinching.  He tried to put them in for Andrew with no luck.  Andrew's eyelids were NOT going to open.  More trying.  No succeeding.

Spring sports are in full swing.  Baseball takes the majority of our time with both Caleb and Kyle playing.  Andrew is still excited about tennis.  Tennis is a short season and, if it rains, cannot be played on game day.  Fingers crossed he plays the rest of his matches.  Kyle's first game is tomorrow and he can hardly sleep.  Instead of t-ball, he's playing coach pitch, which is more suitable for him.  Last year I was so embarrassed by his "coaching" and his I in team attitude.  He didn't think he was being rude.  It wasn't intentional.  He just preferred to play all positions...at the same time...if someone else wasn't doing their job.  Can you imagine the hilariousness of watching him catch the ball at first and then running to second, or third, to tag another kid out?  And, of course, he always ran home at the end of an inning to tag each kid as they ran home. Something kids get to do in tball.}  He's a beast.  He also has older siblings and has played sports since he could walk.  These poor kids were mostly the oldest sibling in their homes and didn't have experience yet.  I hope Kyle didn't ruin it for them. ☺

For Andrew's birthday, the big one-three, we had a sleepover at our house.  It was lovely.  I met all parents at the church at five fifty five, a bus took them to Second Saturday, I picked them up at ten thirty, they all slept like babies and I got up early the next morning to make them breakfast at the church while K was incharge of getting them all ready.  They really did sleep like babies...you know how babies never sleep through the night?!  Kids sure do grow up.  Those boys playing basement basketball sounded like a WWF wrestling championship instead.  I'm pretty sure they were body slamming the door instead of shooting the ball at the hoop.

Let's see...the play was Friday.  The sleepover was Saturday.  We celebrated with my family on Sunday...the actual birth date.  I made waffles at church for the kids and we had everyone over for a cookout afterward.  There was a cupcake fiasco but I think everyone is over it now. {glad he still had another shot at his dad's house for a birthday cake}  After everyone left, we all commented on how tired we were, including Andrew,who did not sleep the night before.  Caleb and Keith took a nap on the couches and since I figured Andrew was already sleeping somewhere, I fell asleep on my bed.  K woke me up a few hours later to tell me that Andrew was really sad.  It came out that he really anticipated a big blowout of a day being that it was a milestone birthday.  He felt dumped by all of us.  Fast forward twenty minutes and we were on our way to Red Lobster.  Mind you, we were not planning for this outing.  The money had been spent on a gift, treats for Saturday, breakfast for Sunday, the cookout also on Sunday and dessert.  There was really no budget for anything else, let alone Red Lobster, but I felt like a loser mom so off we went.  It got even better when Andrew announced, "Now that I'm thirteen I am never ordering off the kid's menu again."  Whew.  Glad to know that!  At Red Lobster!  To complain real quick, did you know they don't do anything special for birthdays?  Even when it's the actual date?  Our waitress was awesome, though, and she made a little sundae for Andrew...wonder where she got the candle?  Anyway, the poor kid could hardly finish the mini treat.  He had already boxed up his meal to take home.  His meal came with two chicken breasts! {maybe he'll rethink the kid's menu}  We finished up the night renting Jack and Jill.  I think I redeemed myself with my kid.

Caleb took the eighth grade ACT Explore test a couple of weeks ago and aced it.  I was so proud of him.  He received one hundred percent!  Unfortunately, even at this age, kids can be jerks.  He was harassed {which you kind of expect to a degree} but by friends?  Repeatedly?  I don't stick up for my kids near enough because I don't put them on pedestals because I want them to be humble.  I am so incredibly proud of him and the man he is becoming.  At fourteen I sure expect more out of kids, especially friends, than how Caleb was treated.  He shouldn't feel bad because of them...he should maybe feel bad for them!  I know that wasn't nice but I'm angry.  I'll be nice now.  As a parent, can you blame me?  It's hard enough being picked on for something bad, but for something great?  I just don't get it.  Make fun of him now.  Scholarship time will be loads of fun!! ☺

{My Kind Of} Spring Break....

What could be better than enjoying a sunny spring day, {through my work window} getting projects around my home done {even if it IS only on paper}and listening to Jessie's Girl on the radio?  Nothing beats this kind of day.

Tonight marks the unofficial start to our baseball season.  With seven kids on vacation we ought to do swell.   I was trying to figure out a way to make dinnertime work for us the next two months.  I have a basic plan, but it's basic.  getting out of work at five o'clock is only ideal for going in at nine but it isn't the best plan for school sports and other extracurriculars.

Speaking of extracurriculars, next week Caleb has two games and Kyle starts ball twice a week.  Andrew has dress rehearsal all week for the play plus tennis practice two nights and his first match!  Yowza!

I have kind of promised, on more than one occasion, to show pics of the progress in my home.  Fat chance of ever getting that done!  I am constantly at a loss.  I have tons of ideas i want to incorporate but I've got to tell you that the deal breaker every single time is my darn plaster walls.  Yes, plaster.  Over drywall.  According to someone, it is for resale value.  Yeah, whatever.  I've never, I mean ever, had an issue with nailing away into my walls and then moving stuff around and patching the holes.  It isn't an easy feat with plaster.  My seester came over the other day while I was gone.  I apologized for what my house may have looked like.  She said she didn't notice anything...anything, that is, except for my walls.  She says she's so sad for them because I have very little hanging on them.  I know! It is so sad.  I agree!  I've got to work that out.  I have so many ideas of what I want to do in each room but cannot commit to anything I am absolutely not in love with.  Get over it, I say.  Forge on. {just hide the holes with other stuff}

Spring weather is getting me excited to finish these projects.  You know, before I head outside to do some damage.  I loaded up with six new cans of spray paint a couple of weeks ago and I am heading into the future.  Sigh.  Here's my dilemma.  I love color.  My color choices, like for many, have evolved over time.  I've always leaned toward fall colors.  Greens.  Reds.  Oranges.  Browns.  I love fall and love the cozy feeling.  I'm aging a bit.  I am leaning toward  lighter colors and a lighter feeling.  It is really no big deal. {enter: spray paint}  I'm totally loving it.  Most of it.  My deal is with the color white.  The trend is white, white everywhere, with {lots of} fun pops of color.  Everywhere.  I'm totally digging it.

It may feel chaotic to many but I feel at home looking at all the inspiration on the internet and in magazines.  I LOVE Meg's decor style on a favorite blog of mine...Whatever. {some of these photos are hers} I also LOVE the stage set for Good Luck Charlie.  It's such a fun "home".  The problem is this...I decided to step out of the box and paint my kitchen white.  The funny thing is my mom, my seester and Keith all said it wasn't me.  I know this but really wanted something fun in my kitchen.  Well, family knows best, right?  The paint looked like primer and I couldn't stand it.  Yuck. It was no problem really.  We  Keith just painted it another color.  Here's my most recent problem...everything I put in there seems a little kitschy. I cannot get over it.  I don't know if I'm being over-sensitive or if I'm spot on.  I just feel like it doesn't have the same vibe as these pics do.  So I'm going to do what any other levelheaded person would do...change the color again! {not the wall color, though...hubs would NOT like that}

I recently noticed the boys' rooms look similar.  Maybe a little too similar. {in color}  It's probably becasue I took a bunch of furniture and split it all up between rooms.  I do not like it.  What's a girl to do?  I got rid of the bigs' head boards but it left their beds looking like bean bag chairs in their ridiculously large room so I definitely need to anchor them.  After searching for ideas I came up with making head boards out of pallets.  I heart me some pinterest. 

 I need two more slats on my first one and I will be done with it and I am almost halfway done with the second. It's a little rustic for my style but I think I'm totally going to dig them nonetheless and am so excited. {and sore...I ended up with two blisters, a cut knee, sore finger joints and a broken hammer.} Thanks to pinterest I also have some other projects in the works for their room. WOOT.

 I finally used a recipe from guess where?  Pinterest.  Pizza casserole.  Seems easy enough.  I am a total collector of things and never seem to use what I have. {hoarder}  I decided to make good use of my pinboard.  As Caleb said, I can make anything and throw the word "casserole" at the end and Kyle will eat it.  Unless it has "chicken" in its name.  Then I have to call it poultry.  Good thinking.  I healthied it up by using ground turkey instead of burger and natural tomato sauce rather than pizza sauce.  I'm not really a casserole person but it works for my family.  {minus the middle child, of course.  nothing is that easy.}

 I saw something on PINTEREST the other day that totally made me say "duh!".  I bought chalk markers last fall for my chalkboard wall but don't like to use them for it.  I also have a fun basket from Target with a little chalkboard tag on it that used to have a word on it but the chalk wouldn't stay in place.  I'm so glad I saw a pic posted of my basket with a word written on the tag in ...chalk markers!!  Love.♥

 Do you remember Mork and Mindy?  I loved that show.  I'd watch it every week and, later, I watched it in syndication.  It was popular around nineteen eighty.  I know this because I have a vivid memory involving Mork from my year in kindergarten.  I shared it with the bigs last night and it hit me fast that the memory isn't as "cool" as I once remembered.  We were flipping through stations last night when I found Mork and Mindy on Hub.  Neither boy seemed too excited to watch it but they stayed anyway.  Laughs ensued immediately.  They got such a kick out of Mork sitting on his head, giving his special handshake, wearing an ankle watch, and saying his famous, "Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu."  Everything was fine and dandy until I shared with them that grandma had bought me the Mork outfit, including the khakis, color block shirt, suspenders and hand pin.  They got a good laugh out of it but all of a sudden I realized my mom bought her daughter a Mork from Ork costume to wear to kindergarten.  Now it all makes perfect sense...

I saw an idea to manage bracelets on a paper towel holder.  I had an extra.  Check.  But it was sometimes tedious to get the bottom bracelets off.

 So then I found another pic using old vases.  I thought it would be perfect because then I could get those pesky lower bracelets.  The old bud vases are a dime a dozen {or so I thought} and are at every Goodwill around.  I figured they would be c.h.e.a.p. and I adore them because they remind me of my grandma.

 A coat of primer and two more coats of glossy white paint later I had three matching do-dads for my jewels.

 I also found a scrolly mirror.  I have been looking for one forever and although I was looking for an oval one, I thought this square one might be fun because it's different.  Tossing a few color options around in my head.

 I like the industrial look for teen boys and thought this would be a nice compliment to the rustic head boards in the bigs' room.  I am almost done!

 This fun plate plus a dollar store glass candlestick will make the cutest pie plate, eh? 

I'm just here making the most of what I have and repurposing it all to fit my life. Right now.