:)

Well, Elizabeth went to creative arts camp at Northbrook last week. She had a great time. Here’s a video of her interpretive movement and boomwhackers classes. I made it with my digital camera, and the quality is not the best, but you get the picture.





We got some AMAZING news today. Jason got his old job back at Terminex!!!!!!! I am SO excited, and so is he. Today will be his last day delivering bread. He’s going to take a few days before starting back killing bugs on Monday. This will be the first weekend we have been able to spend together as a family since October. We have been praying, praying, praying, and those prayers have been answered. God even gave him his good route back, so the finances won’t be as difficult. We had decided that we didn’t care if we had to eat Ramen noodles; we were going to do whatever it took to get him off that bread route. Whenever I think about it, I can’ decide if I want to dance or cry. I think I may just do both when Jason gets home tonight. We’ll be the crazy family hooting and hollering in the back yard on 22nd Avenue. Come and join us.

It’s HOT!!!!

~written 6/20/09~
Man, is it hot outside! The heat indexes have reached 100 plus for the past 3 or 4 days. I think someone forgot to tell the weatherman that it’s JUNE, not August! How hot is it going to be then? June is supposed to still be cool enough to wear jeans and be comfortable. Not this year!!! The kids are playing in the pool, and I brought the camera out to make some pics. I had to wait before I could take the pics b/c the camera fogged up so bad I couldn’t see through the lens. I was actually a little concerned about turning on the laptop in this heat, but I figured Toshiba had already thought of that. HAHAHAH!
Elizabeth went to another VBS this week, this time with Jason’s grandmother. She really did enjoy herself. I had some reservations for a lot of reasons, but thankfully they were unfounded. This coming week, she will go to Creative Arts camp at our church. She is excited about that. I won’t have to buy Elizabeth any more shirts this summer…she’s getting them from every VBS she goes to!
We were finally able to coordinate with Aunt Nancy and get her extra twin bed brought to our house for Amy. It’s odd to look in that room and see a real bed! It was sad taking the crib down completely, but she was SO ready for this. She was a little apprehensive the first night, but it was the first time she had ever slept alone in a bed without rails on three sides. She looks so TINY in it.
Oh, funny story… the other day we were out and E was playing on the redneck water slide. (See previous blog for video footage). Anyhow, she was going down on her belly. She starts yelling about being stuck. We honestly just blew her off…Elizabeth can be a bit dramatic, in case you didn’t know. Anyhow, she finally went down the slide and her one piece swimsuit had suddenly become a two piece. I wasn’t mad at her, of course, she couldn’t help it, but I was a bit perturbed to have to throw that brand new swimsuit in the trashcan! This morning, we decided to try one on from last year. I can’t find her one at WalMart that fits. The little girls are too little and the jr’s are too big…and too hoochy! So we decided to see what we could do…maybe use a top we had from an old tankini and get some new shorts or something. Well, low and behold, Elizabeth has shape-shifted again. The suit that was too tight last year fits great now. Guess those six inches she grew in the last six months made a difference!
So, today is Jason’s birthday. He’s 31. Of course, he’s at work. He was pretty bummed about that. Hopefully, he won’t have to work ALL DAY. I still maintain that my husband is the only part time/temp employee in the free world that works 75 hours a week. We are going to grill out some steaks tonight for birthday/father’s day. He also requested a chocolate cake, so I’m going to make one for him later. Occasionally, I do nice things for people, but I try not to make it a habit, you know.
Elizabeth and I worked an open house last weekend. She had a large time. It was a nice house, and she was fascinated. She kept saying, “Take my picture, Mama, so they’ll think we live here.” She wanted to know why we couldn’t have the house. I told her next time I had an extra 300K I’d buy it. And yes, the tub was clean...it was an empty house. ;)

Quick Quip from Amy Hope

Last night, we went to a church function featuring a water slide. Amy would not go down the slide (which Elizabeth LOVED, btw), but she did get to get in the pool a little bit.
As we were driving home, I asked the girls if they had a good time. Elizabeth said she did, and Amy responded, “Well, the ‘wimming’ pool was nice.” SO FUNNY!!!!! I think it was even funnier b/c that was such an Elizabeth comment, not an Amy one. :)

SCHOOOOOL’S OUT.FOR.SUMMA’!!!!

Well, we officially have a second grader! I took Elizabeth to school yesterday and the principal said she didn’t have to stay if she didn’t want to. So, she went in with her teacher for a minute to get her report card, and then she was DONE!! I cried a little bit. It’s just so hard to believe that she’s in second grade! I still look at them sometimes and think, “Who ARE you little people???”
I am so thankful that Elizabeth had a great year. What a difference from last year!!! Awards day was Wednesday, and Elizabeth got 5 of the 7 awards for her class. She missed one day, so no perfect attendance award, and she wasn’t qualified for the honor roll award (A’s and B’s) b/c she got the Principal’s Award (all A’s). You know, I always said I just wanted my kids to be NORMAL, AVERAGE kids. I was the smart kid, and it’s NOT as easy as everyone thinks it is. But, then…she got those awards…and I saw a pic of HHS Gradation…and the Valedictorian… and..well, you see where this is going. :) I get excited thinking about it. When she graduates from law school in 15 years (I didn’t get to go, so one of my kids has to), we’ll laugh about how I just wanted average. When have I EVER settled for that where intelligence was concerned. HAHAHAH! I got so tickled. Jason brought her to work after the awards program so I could show her off. My boss asked her how she got so many awards, and she innocently said, “I just tried my best.” That’s right baby, you just do your best, and you’ll go far.

We had some good old redneck fun the other night. Check out these videos. Believe it or not, Amy wouldn’t do it. Terrified her! She’s funny about slides, though. Sometimes she loves them and sometimes she won’t have anything to do with them. On another thought, why does my voice sound so different when I hear it on tape?

This week is VBS at our old church. We are all enjoying being with our old friends and Elizabeth has almost learned the Lord’s Prayer. I asked her about it and she said, “Mama, it’s in the song. How could I NOT learn it?” Goober head. Heheh! Amy is having a good time, too. She even went to story time last night and seemed to enjoy herself. She said , “I sit wif Mista Jas-n”. Last night they played a game where they had to throw a ball into a pool. Elizabeth made almost every shot she took, and even made the tie breaker shot to win the game for her team! I joked that that may be the closets anyone in our family ever gets to winning an athletic event…