The Dumbest Post Ever

This is for the birds!
My head and stomach hurt!
I've come undone!
It isn't fun!

And I can't even think of a rhyme that is also appropriate. BUMMER!

Goals: I'll Try Again

I am tired. This is day two of no soda, and that might have something to do with my exhaustion and headache. This will be short and sweet tonight.

I have some pre-school goals (not as in just before kindergarten) for the month of August.
-read the Bible every day; use a study guide when I can
-begin exercising (Fitness Friday making a comeback?)
-prepare for the girls' school year
-adjust my schedule so I am going to bed earlier than usual and getting up at a more reasonable time

That is a good start, I think. Right now I'm attempting point four...good night!

What I Would Have Written

Yesterday Wendy got up a little before I did and then we woke the kids and got some of them breakfast (I think...it's all a blur, really). We were all in the van with suitcases in the back by 7:20am. 

Yeah. When I made our flight arrangements, I must have been thinking that 10:40 in the morning sounded perfectly reasonable; what I forgot is that we would be coming from the beach and that is an hour and twenty minutes away. Add the driving time to the be-there-an-hour-and-a-half-early time, and what do you have? A giant forehead slap. That's what. 

Mostly I felt bad that Wendy would have to get up so early. At any rate, we managed it. We had plenty of time to get to our gate, and the flight went smoothly. The kids were very excited to see Mike! We picked up Chick-Fil-A on the way home, and then after eating something, I conked out. I couldn't have stayed awake for much of anything, I'm afraid. 

Mike had a meeting just after we got home, but came home after a quick store stop. He grilled burgers, and we watched a little of the ballgame, and then I went back to bed! I felt so tired. The kids were still going! They're crazy!

I'll admit, I have a hard time when I come home from a trip. I was prepared for a lot of laundry (even the clean clothes smell like the beach once we're not there anymore), but there was also a dead (giant) roach in the bathroom that I use, and I was NOT anticipating that! I hope by tomorrow I will be in a better state of mind, and hopefully have a few loads of laundry under my belt!

I miss Wendy and the fun that we have, but it's good to be home. We'll spend August getting ready for school (and believe me, there is plenty to do!).  

The Last Day

They can bicker, they can tease, they can laugh, they can torment, they can play. 

Because they love each other, you know. 

Our last day here was for boogie-boarding. The waves were perfect for some seriously good rides. 

This is where Mike's genes in Michaela come shining through. Michaela's love for being in the ocean did not come from me!

I do love to watch her, and the other kids, though.

The big girls...by the end of our time here, they are acting more like sisters than cousins. Sometimes that is a good thing, and sometimes it's enough to make me want to run away. They love each other very much though.

Cousin J. is constantly on the move. He loved these big waves just as much as the kids who are twice his size and age. 

This one? Not so much into the waves. She is a pool girl. 

At the end of the day, they had one more outside play session, and we squeezed in a picture (or seventy). 

It's been a good summer. And now it's time to head home.

Ice Cream for Dinner Do-Over

Florida heat calls for Frozen Gold.

First things first...we all needed to make decisions: which flavor served how. Milkshake? Cone? Cup? 

Rainbow sherbet in a waffle cone for Cousin C. Good choice. Clearly. 

Chocolate banana milkshakes for Wendy and Cousin J. As usual. Why change a good thing? 

Mint chocolate chip in a cake cone for Eliana. No surprises here. Except she even ate the cone this time! 

Trying a cake cone may lead to trying corn. Or black beans. Or hamburger. And it will have all started at Frozen Gold! 

I ordered Moose Tracks in a waffle cone. Cousin C. told me that's what I always get. I have no recollection of what I always get, so I guess I'll just take her word. 

I wasn't disappointed, but it did make me think of Mike (he loves a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup), and I miss him; I will be glad to see him Wednesday.

For Michaela they mixed up a hard-scoop cookies-n-cream milkshake. She has no use for soft-serve. 

The girls were diverse in their ice cream choices, but unified in their ice cream enjoyment.

Let me tell you something: a medium sized milkshake will keep a little boy occupied for a while. 

These two waited patiently for their soft-serve cookies-n-cream milkshakes. They were served last, but they didn't mind a bit. 

This was a fun outing. Duh. (But seriously, not nearly as crazy as it has been in the past...no one ran around misbehaving, no one fussed about anything. It was like they were all big kids! Hey, wait...I guess they are all big kids! Whoa!)

And when it comes to ice cream, Wendy and I are just two more big kids too.

The tradition continues!

Commonly thought to rev kids up in an instant, ice cream instead enabled me to capture this incredible moment. I said,"One, two, three...," and they all looked at me and smiled! 

Just one more piece of proof that this is something we really ought to do every year.