8 Days Left!

The kids are counting down the days - 8 days left before we leave for Colorado! Tomorrow, Matthew will remind us by asking "Mom, how many more days?" This will then be followed by "thank you Mom. I love you!". That alone will make me chuckle.

All three kids had a blast at Brolly Camp in Cedar Park this week. Rachel graduated to being a "helper" for the event. Matthew and Alyson enjoyed doing the crafts and games. From what I hear, Alyson and Rebecca were in heaven - much to the irritation and frustration of anyone else around. Those two are like firecrackers when they get together. I hope Cheri got her rest when my family came home on Friday. (To help in the recuperation, Dave Taylor brought Rebecca to our house while he and Brooke went to Witchita Falls for a softball tournament Friday and Saturday.)

Dave and I really enjoyed the peace and quiet during the week. I still had to work, but we spent our evening together. We had to get all our date nights in for the summer before the kids got back. We went out to eat one night, went to see the new "Indiana Jones" movie (highly recommended, too), and enjoyed evening walks around the park with Pokey. Dave even spent the day Tuesday at the Dallas temple. I enjoyed the time all too much - I am having a hard time practicing patience with my very active children now that they are back. But, oh how I missed them!

Summer musings...

Summer is off to a good start for us. Everyday Matthews asks "How many days until I can pack my bags?" followed by "Can I get my suitcase down yet?" all in anticipation of Brolly camp in Cedar Park next week. Matthew knows that after Brolly camp is our Anderson family reunion - it is hard to know which one excites him more. I personally am looking forward to time with everyone in Colorado.

Dave has done well to keep the "I'm bored!"'s down to a minimum. Of course, it's only been one full week. The kids are enjoying HOT weather and friends. They look forward to anytime they can run through the sprinklers or play in the neighbor's swimming pool.

Rachel loves having more time with her dog Pokey; often I am finding Pokey trying to escape Alyson and Matthew's torture. Rachel tries to protect him as much as possible, but sometimes he just needs to hide from everyone.

I created a meal plan for the kids so they know what is available to eat every day. I added some new items, so it's been fun seeing their excitement to try new things... like chocolate dipped frozen bananas, homemade granola and yogurt (the yogurt is the store-bought kind), frozen juice tubes (aka "popsicles"), and cookie dough. Tonight is Tator Tot Casserole; unfortunately the excitement went out the window - this recipe does not involve chocolate or sugar.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

I cannot believe summer is almost here. One and a half days left of school. Alyson said she feels sad because she won't be in Mrs. Sanchez class anymore. But, she is more than happy to have some time to play this summer.


For anyone interested...this is what Rachel "invented" for the 3rd Grade Invention Convention. She and Dave spent time Memorial Day weekend assembling this. Then on Tuesday, it was displayed with all the other inventions - a fun little way to dispense water (not exactly the most efficient way, though). Rachel was pleased to get a 98% on her grade.



Shown below are the results of five children, a lot of chalk, and a little water. Before the night was over, the kids had painted the neighbor's driveway and landscaping rocks. It was quite a colorful sight. As you can see, the chalk did not only stick to cement and stones... they all ended up wearing it. The best part of all was washing it off in the sprinklers! (Click on pictures for larger view.)

Rachel felt like this was too much "child's play" for her. She and some other friends were back in the house listening to the new "Taylor Swift" CD she purchased at Wal-Mart. Sound fun?

Nothing much to report more. Happy summer!