AHHHHHH.....school is OUT! Surprisingly, I was more relieved that my kids were out of school than by the fact that my own school was out. Probably because the last week of school for my kids is so hands-on where parents are concerned. An awards night here, sports banquet there, field day, closing chapel, 8th grade commencement......on and on it goes. I had volunteered to bring hot dogs, buns, and chips to something (because I couldn't physically be there and help....oh, the guilt!) and dutifully bought the stuff and sent it off to school on the day of the sports banquet. Only to find out that I was supposed to bring it for field day, a week later. So I sent it in again. :huh: Anyway, my kids and I were both done for the year as of last Friday, and I slept WELL over the weekend!

All three boys are on a little swim team for the month of June (well, really for only three weeks, since the older two leave for camp on the 22nd) and we have had a whole new schedule to get used to so far this week. Luke practices from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Joel practices from 4:00 to 5:00, and Nathan practices from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. This team is in the community where I teach, but not where I live, so our house is a good 20 minute drive from the pool. Although the driving is annoying, not having to be anywhere myself is a relief. Last night was their "practice" meet, and Joel (who just turned 10 last Thursday) won all of his heats by quite a bit.....almost half a lap sometimes. He was so thrilled, and Travis and I were, too. Joel tends to struggle with school, unlike his brothers, and in athletics, he is always in Luke's (much larger) shadow. To have him excel in something where Luke and Nathan were just so-so was huge for him.

DH and I were able to sneak away for dinner with friends last weekend, and it was really nice. We have been friends with this couple since we were newlyweds and they were about to get married. We have been there for each other through everything life brings over the past 15 years, and we just feel so at home with them. Finding time to go out with them (we have six kids between us) is very hard between DH's schedule and the other guy (he owns a True Value store and works every Saturday), so when we do get together, we really cherish the time.

My Dad called last week and announced that he would be up from FL starting either today or tomorrow and would stay about 10 days. Okaaaay. This is always how it is with him, and he really isn't a difficult guest to have, but it is a LOOONG visit. (Although not as long as some here have to put up with , I know!) It just reminds me WHY we are building a house with a dedicated guest room. This trip will be the first time my Dad has seen little Owen, and I know he is looking forward to meeting his new grandson. Isn't it weird that a father of 5 girls and 1 boy now has 4 grandsons, without a girl in sight?

On the house front.....we had several interior rooms (the entire upstairs, stairway, and the two kids' bedrooms downstairs) painted last week in the midst of the end-of-the-year madness. As Joel and his friends enjoyed the beginning of their sleepover (to celebrate Joel's birthday) Friday night, DH and I were killing ourselves moving furniture back into place so there would be room for them to spread out their sleeping bags when it was time to go to bed. Thank God I bought enough new DVDs to keep the boys happy while we got everything back into place! I think our current house will be on the market by the end of the month, which quite honestly freaks me out, but I am really trying to be very detached from it all and just go with the flow. DH is able to do this in almost everything (not his job) which is probably why he is able to deal with the stresses of his job. I tend to want to "handle" everything (also probably why DH can deal with his job ) and get totally stressed out. So this time, I am taking a page from his book. We'll see how it goes![/QUOTE]