So much for the lazy days of Summer

So far, Summer vacation has been a good one. We are keeping Mary very busy which has helped a lot - but there certainly haven't been very many "lazy days of Summer" for us yet. Next week should quiet down a little bit as Mary only has "obligations" on Tuesday and Thursday. I can hardly believe that the 4th of July is next week already. Katie only has two more weeks off and then she will be starting at her new school. Crazy!

This picture is of Mary at basketball camp last week - I never posted a picture of her. She enjoyed that camp so much!

The girls (especially Katie) are also enjoying the pool --this week it has been 90 or hotter each day, so it has gotten a lot use. I had to invest in some really good sunscreen for Katie because she is spending so much time outside. I'm sure she will miss the pool when she goes back to school. The weather here is supposed to be much cooler - and wet- next week, so I'm not sure how much swimming she will get in.

Well, here's to a great summer weekend....and maybe even a lazy day or two.

Swimmer's Ear

Well, I am learning a lot about what swimmer's ear truly is. Katie has it, in both ears. Yikes. I almost thought she had a "regular" ear infection because she was acting like she was in so much pain. We went to the pediatrician today - and she has true swimmer's ear -- which is not water trapped in your ear - what people often call swimmer's ear. It is an infection in the skin that lines the ear canal. Basically when the ear canal gets exposed to water it reacts as the rest of our skin does by "opening" and becoming puffy or shriveled. When in this "state" it is more able to pick up bacteria -- and some bacteria that we normally carry on our skin can actually cause swimmer's ear. I felt very educated by the time I left the office. We now have some drops for her ears that act similar to how neosporin would act on a cut if it were on our skin. She isn't too fond of the drops, but I am hoping that it will do the trick -- and quickly. I am actually amazed with all the swimming she does that we haven't had to deal with swimmer's ear before....but to the best of my knowledge - this is the first time for either of the girls.

On a brighter note, Mary is having a splendid time at her first VBS of the summer. She is a big fan of vaction Bible school, just as I was as a kid. She has at least one more in July --possibly two. It's a great way to keep her busy. As I've said before, she gets bored far too easily in the summer.

Well, that's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their summers. The heat here the past few days has been almost unbearable for Michigan...but it could snow tomorrow (just kidding), so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Muggy Thursday

Yep, it's muggy. We're expecting a doozy of a storm tonight, so I guess that explains the humidity. Yick...but Katie loves it. She has spent the afternoon outside teetering back and forth between the pool and the sandbox. I am so thankful for a fenced in backyard, a huge bonus that is for sure. Mary is loving basketball camp. I wish it was for more than one week. I was able to get a sitter for Katie so that I can go watch her last day of camp. She is pretty excited about that. She wanted Bill to come see her, but he is so busy at work right now (which we are thankful for) so instead she gets me -- but that's okay.

Not too much else going on. Just trying to keep up with laundry and work on some projects around the house. I need to shampoo the carpets, but in this humidity I'm not sure that is a great choice.

Have a great weekend.

Pool Time....

Well, after the fabulous "mud-day" (see previous post) we broke down and put the pool up. It hasn't exactly been a warm May/June here in Michigan, so we were hesitant to put it up -- especially knowing that Katie is unable to stay out of the pool - even when the water is freezing. The pool has been up 4 days and Katie has a better tan than I will get all summer. The next stage is that her hair will turn this fabulous blonde color -- and the best part is, she doesn't even realize that she is so adorable with her "tanzilla" look as we like to call it.
Hopefully the pool will hold out for the whole summer. It's our third summer with it. The girls are both ready for a bigger pool - especially now that Katie can swim - but for now it does the trick.
I'm glad to be on summer vacation (well - truly, I am not on vacation as I continue to work on a limited schedule) - but I'm happy that the girls are on break. Mary starts basketball camp this afternoon -- and we have several VBS's scheduled for her to attend. We are trying to keep her busy this summer - as boredom is usually quick to set in with her. I always tell her - if you were an adult you wouldn't even know what it is to be bored!!!!

Happy Summer!

It must be time to put up the pool....

When it rains....

...it pours. How true, how true. It seems as this past week has been a whirlwind. I know the last week of school is always crazy, and sometimes a bit overwhelming, but this week....well, it's been a doozy...and I still have a few days left.

Bill is in Chicago today (well, Joliet actually) at the NHRA race - and I am home with Katie. Mary went to church with my parents and I am home - trying to recover, re-coup, figure out how to proceed through the next couple of days. I must say that I am so thankful for my parents and how they help Bill & I out in so many ways. They have Mary this morning (they actually kept her overnight last night). They watched both the girls last evening as Bill & I needed to attend visitation for his grandfather who passed in the night on Thursday. His funeral is tomorrow - so that will be most of our day tomorrow. The girls have school (Katie's last day) so that complicates things a bit, but this week hasn't been anything if not complicated.

This picture is of Bill & Mary right before they headed out on her 13 mile 3rd grade bike trip. They biked home after the trip so it turned out to be about a 15 mile ride - and they had a great time. I'm not sure about Mary's "angry" face - but it makes for a funny photo :)

Katie's school transitioning seems to be going well. She had a visit last week and we have another on Tuesday - as well as her new IEP - so more things to make a full week. I'll be ready for summer vacation by Wednesday. I guess we need to get our pool open. I'll just make that number 99 on the list. :)
Have a great week.

Just keep swimming.....

Yes, to quote Dorie in "Finding Nemo", "Just keep Swimming, swimming, swimming." That is truly how I feel these days. Big "to-do" lists and I just have to keep "swimming" away at them. Life is good, just busy. Katie visited her soon to be "new school" this morning, and even though there was a considerable amount of crying, it was a good visit. It's going to be a HUGE transition for her, and for us as a family too. This will be the first time Katie has changed buildings in over 4 years - so this is a big one considering she's only 6 :). She has another visit next week, so that will be good. I'm just taking things one day at a time as we figure out what Katie's future will hold.

All else is good. Bill is crazy busy at work. I am juggling work, the kids, the house and trying to wrap up all of the end of year activities including parents club, Katie's school change, girl scouts, soccer, etc. Yep, we're busy.

4 1/2 days of school left for Mary. Only 3 days left for Katie. Can't believe that the school year is over already!!!!