road trip

Highlights from two days in Solvang and Santa Barbara. Update to follow because right now I need to get ready for school.

go team USA!

Did anyone happen to catch this amazing race last night, or more appropriately, the amazing finish? Is anyone watching the Olympics this year? Whenever they role around I always tell myself that I am not going to get caught up in them, and then I watch just a little and that's it. I'm hooked. The Olympics have a way of making me feel nostalgic and proud all at once. I think about my sister and I playing "Olympics" in the pool after watching gymnastics. The bottom step would be our balance beam. The shallow end would be our floor for our routine. Flips and twirls are pretty easy in the water when you are weightless. I think about the time when the Olympic Torch passed though our home town and we went out to see it go by. I won't ever forget the feeling in the crowd, it was almost electric. Everyone of us was so proud, we cheered so loudly. I need to get those pictures out that I took on my little Kodak Disc camera and put them in a proper album.
Go USA!

catch the reading bug and some other stuff

I apologize for my less then frequent updates. We have been busy, doing what I really don't know. All I know is the summer is flying by at record speed and I've got to think about back-to-school here sooner rather than later. School registration and picture day is the 19th. I've got to turn in my course of curriculum for the boys and I really would like to be started by then. I've got everything I need except a plan. That's kinda a biggie too. I want to have some sort of schedule now that I will have two at home. Don't get me wrong, Harrison and I had a routine. It may not have been set in stone, but we knew what needed to be done and we got it done in a reasonable amount of time. I feel like if I don't have something scheduled for both of them our days could very quickly spiral out of control. So that is the first thing that needs to be done.

Yesterday Harrison and I attended his Catch the Reading Bug party at our local library. It was a big shin-dig for the kids who all read at least 6 books over the summer. We both had a lot of fun. Harrison played a lot of games, (note the look of deep concentration on his face while shooting water at a duck, propelling it to the finish line) he bounced in bounce houses, but I swear the best part was picking out the prizes. See him digging through the barrel? I finally had to say, "just pick something, now." We both were hot and tired by the time we left, sure signs of a good time.

Charlie got in trouble the other day. He just would rather do anything then pick up his room. I've even caught Harrison picking up Charlie's mess. Well I got tired of it and told Charlie that he could not play any video games when daddy came home. I suggested that he get out his drawing board, he always carries it around. This is what he came up with. Don't you love that frowny face? And in case I didn't know, he wrote his name on the top to let me know it was him. As if.

Here's Audrey in a jammy that doesn't fit anymore. I had to take a picture of her in it, I loved these jammies. You can't see her thighs bulging out of them, but they are. I have a pile of clothes to sort that don't fit her anymore.

Tomorrow we have someone coming over to measure for new bookshelves and a new mantle. I am so excited! I love a house that has books in it, and I miss mine while they sit out in the garage. I have boxes and boxes of beautiful art books from when I was an art history major. I can't wait for them to come back in the house. So, hopefully he comes up with a plan and a good price. :)