Hello August!

Wow!  I cannot believe that it is August 1st.  Seriously, where did the summer go?  I guess we were moving, man it can make time fly. 
Most of today was spent working in the house, there is so much that we have gotten done, but there is still so much that we have to do.  I am determined not to live out of boxes forever.  Today I just about finished the game room.  The biggest thing is finding a place for everything.  It will happen though,  I am pretty darn determined.

We went swimming again tonight.  I managed a few laps, but man did I forget how hard they are especially when trying to have some kind of form.  Mine has never been great, but with all of the extra weight and the fact that it has been years, sloppy is a serious understatement.  It will improve though.  I wish that this stupid toe would get better then I could put on some tennis shoes and really kick some booty, or at least try to.

The Days of Summer

So today was the first day of summer for me and the boys!  Brandon is also off today so we had a lot on the todo list, but it was all fun.
Brandon started by going to the new house to find something out about the window in the bedroom that does not work, the brick and why it is not done right, and the island.  The island they are moving about 5 inches, even though I wanted at least a foot preferrably 2.  The window they are waiting on the window guys and the brick they said that they would correct.  We shall see how it all goes.

The boys and I headed to Alabaster for a photoshoot.  It was a gorgeous family and a very fun life filled little boy!  I love my job!  The boys had a blast paying on the playground and watching the baby geese.  I was glad to start summer out with a fun activity. 

We headed home and we all lounged before we started to run. I was able to get some more pictures edited for clients, and I also got some more things on eBay.

We headed to the house to check on progress.  The sheetrock is done and ready for mud and they were finishing up the front brick.  Still no brick on the back though.  Seriously guys let's get our shit together.  The pictures you see are the boys in their rooms!  Now we are just waiting on the guys to mud it, I would love for them  to be there tomorrow.  We shall see.  I am hoping that they can continue this push, this is so important to me. 

Then we headed to Morris for the second All-Star game.  I was super excited to see Terri, Steven, and Alex.  Thank you guys so much for coming to cheer us on.  We did not win, but the calls were REALLY bad. Obviously these guys are from Morris, that is who we played tonight.  The single elimination tournament starts for us at 10:00 in the morning.  Praying that we do well.  I would love to see these boys win this invitational and I know that they can do it.  GO CLAY!!!

To Get Done

This morning we were late, not by a lot and had they not been working on Montclair road we would have made it, but it is what it is.  At least we made it safely.
I had a photo shoot this morning after I dropped the boys off so I headed down town to fight to find a space to park at Rail Road park.  That is not an easy task for anyone who has not tried it lately.
After the shoot I headed to the school to help stuff math packets for the Kindergarten and First Graders to have for the summer.  I was able to see both the boys, which was a nice plus to the middle of the day.  I miss them so much while they are at school, even though the quite time is nice so it is nice to have a few minutes with them during the day. 
I managed to get some things on eBay and a paper almost written too.  I also had a ton of laundry to do.  In fact I am going to finish it and then go to bed. 
Both boys had games tonight.  John Michael's team won and Danny's lost.  Both boys played amazing! 

Well, I am off to bed.  I am SO tired!  Peace out people!  Love and Prayers headed your way.  By the way tummy still not right, which makes me slightly sad.  I do not have time to not feel 100%. 

Memorial Day

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day. While so many people were getting up to enjoy the day I hope that you all stopped and said a little word of thanks for all of the men and women who have died for this country. I have said it before and I will say it again, always thank a soldier for what they do for us. The little things that we do everyday and take for granted are things that others have died to give to us. Thank you to all of the US military and to their families! My family and I appreciate all that you do.

Today we enjoyed a day on the lake. It was about as close to perfect. The weather was great, the kids had a blast, the company was great. Not only were we with family we were with friends. Terri, Steven and Alex came to visit us at the lake for the first time and minus the fish thinking Terri was a snack, and the bizarre bubbles I think that they all had a great time, I hope that they did anyway. Jessica, Nick, Kiersten, and Elliot also came to visit. This was not their first visit, but the first of the season. They all seemed to have a great time minus the tree appearing a little to close. I look forward to them all coming back and maybe Amy, Terry, Sasha, and Connor coming too. Brandon grilled some really good hamburgers and hotdogs. Thanks for those again baby! The kids seriously played till they were ready to pass out. We had a great time and we hope that they all did too! In fact Danny fell asleep before we left so getting him to the truck was fun and they were both asleep before the dirt met the pavement.

Well, I am off to bed to say that I am tired is an understatement. I have a lot to get done tomorrow and it starts early. I think we are headed back this weekend. I am super excited. I am also hoping to have a car again tomorrow, and that it is minus its many unique sounds. Before I go to bed I will be saying a prayer for all of you!

The unofficial summer kickoff day was a great one and I know that the rest of the summer will be too!

Goodbye Second Grade

Well, Danny is officially a third grader. We finished out our second grade year with straight A's. Now for anyone in pubic school you should know that this is harder to achieve in private school. I am so proud of Danny, and I know that he is proud of himself.

We treated him to Chinese for lunch and then to Yogurt Mountain. I have to say I wish that I had never tried Yogurt Mountain. It is too good. John Michael seemed to like it more than Danny though. I think he was thinking more ice cream. It was seriously delicious.

We also went to the lake just to get things ready for this weekend. When we got there we went to turn on the water and there was none. Brandon went to the main shut off and found it locked. We high tailed it to the Water Company which is pretty small ad very close there. The lady told me that it was not locked. I assured her that it was. Anyway, the guy came and removed the lock. He continued to apologize. I was just glad that we found it today, since they will be closed until Tuesday and we are not planning on going until Sunday after Mass.

Mrs. Hayes gave Danny a few sweet mementos from the year that he opened when we got home tonight. He was so surprised and loved them all. He has second grade memorabilia all over his room. What a little guy. He even did a little Math this afternoon. He wants the overall school award next year so he plans to work at it all summer. I could not be prouder. He is a smart little guy.

John Michael is super excited about starting Kindergarten at St. Francis next year. It will be an amazing year, but for now I am looking forward to summer. I am ready to have some quality time with my boys and make some great memories! I am hoping that we have a wonderful summer. I am staying positive that we will. We are starting it off right, together, and that is what counts.

Well, I am off to bed. I will remember you all in my prayers. I hope that you all have a great summer. While it is not always easy to be home for the summer it is a blessing. The small things matter the most when you are young. With or without big vacations summer can be amazing!

SFX Spirit Day

Today was an exciting day for Danny and I am sure all of the students at Saint Francis. Today was their Spirit Day. That meant spirit shirts and whatever shorts they wanted to wear, or pants. Danny being Danny chose his orange basketball shorts. He loves those things. Not my favorite, because they are so long, but he loves them and I know that they are comfortable.

He said that he had a great time. He came home with 2 face paintings. Thank you Mrs. Dunn. He had a baseball with the Auburn sign on one cheek and the New York Yankees sign on the other. Now I have told him that he has to wash it off while he is in the shower. He is there now and I hope that he does it. I really do not want to fight him to scrub his cheeks down but I will.

I started working some more in the house. I hope that this weekend we can get a lot knocked out. We have so much to do. It looks like we have not been home in months. Silly me, we have not been home in months.

I do not want to start the summer out with the house destroyed so I have asked for family assistance. We have a Birthday party, Chess Tournament, and Mass this weekend, but I think that is all so hopefully we can find some time to accomplish some other things too. Not to mention that the yard needs to be cut. Hinting to the hubbie now! It will all work out and I know that I am just ready for it to happen.

Working on ways to save money. Think I might finally have that part figured out a little. Heck even if I can never do as well as some anything is better than nothing. We will see how that all works out.

Well, I am headed off the computer. The goal for tonight is to get in bed early! Fingers crossed and will be praying! I will say a prayer for all of you before I go to sleep. I hope that you all have an amazing Friday.

BTW Countdown to the beach...30 days.

P is for Pajama

John Michael's class is working on the letter P and guess what it is for Pajamas...so today was pajama day! He loves to get up and get ready in pajamas. He looked so cute in his batman PJ's. The only problem I had was they are shorts, and it was cool today, but I knew that they would be inside since it was such a nasty day so I did not fight with him about it! He was being too sweet and we were running too late for me to argue!

Danny had Mass today so he was all decked out in his tie! I love the fact that they dress up for Mass. I have to find him something super nice...like a suit for his first Communion.

Not to mention I still have to get them both something for Easter. They do not mind dressing up, but the shoes they do not care for at all. Oh well, time to go shopping! If only I had the money to do a lot of it. One day it will happen though.

Well, we had our cub scout pack planning meeting tonight. Easter Egg Hunt, Blue and Gold (yes, I know that we are behind schedule), Summer Camp, Summer Camp Out, Barons Game, etc.... It is going to be busy but it is most definitely all going to be fun!

We got Danny's baseball schedule today so hopefully John Michael's will arrive in our inbox by tomorrow. Needless to say please send all correspondence to me care of Clay Ball Park. I really do love the sport, I just wish that it would not rain every other day and that it would warm up. I always enjoy more activities when it is warm!

Well, I am off to bed. It is not before 9, but not too bad considering it is not 10 yet! Getting closer! Before I go to bed I will say a prayer for all of our family and friends. There are so many blessings that we ignore through the rush of life, but being able to just enjoy each day through this blog has made me more aware of each part of the day and while I am no where near where I want to be in many areas in so many areas I have made amazing progress. 365 Days of blessings has definitely been a blessing for me!

The Lake and Location Scouting

Today we went to the lake for the first time in about year, unless you count the couch we took up there last year, but since we took it and turned around it does not seem right to count it. Man I have missed it and no matter what we are going to take the time to get up there more this year. We did not stay long today, only about 2 hours, but the boys got to fish and they had a great time. We will have to get up there in the next few weekend to get the leaves taken care of, but other than that we are good to go, well and the wall that Brandon has to fix in our room. So ready!

We also went to scout a few locations for the photography. Remember I am always open to suggestions. We drove around Pell City for a little while, but spent most of our time in Springville looking for the perfect curve for a motorcycle shoot and I think I found it. We will just have to see how the owner feels about taking a hairpin curve. It will make for a great picture though. Well, I think.

We came home and played some backyard ball and then just hung out. The boys are in bed and I will be there soon myself!

Before I go to bed I will remember all of my friends and family in my prayers. You are all amazing people and I hope that you all realize that. I know how hard life can be, but our attitudes about it determine everything and we have truly been living it to the fullest and my prayer for you all is that you do as well. When the negativity is nonexistent then the positive starts to flow through more hardily.