The new driveway!

We have been talking forever about how nice it would be to have a bigger driveway. Now that we have a garage it really became clear how nice it would be. So on Monday we had a concrete contractor come and measure to give us an estimate. Well on Tuesday morning when he called with the quote he told Rick that the concrete cutting company was in town TODAY and they could start that afternoon by cutting the curb. So the curb was cut, the old driveway came out and this morning they came and poured the new driveway. It is fabulous!!! We will be able to park the entire fleet on it and the trailer will now easily back right up to the garage.

Out with the old!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE..........................................

The finished product!!!!

Where oh where....

does the time go!!! It has been like a week since my last post. I am on here every day but it seems like finding time to actually sit down and write becomes more difficult all the time.

We have had like 5 straight days over 80 degrees... can you even believe it!! So of course the store is busy which means I am working like crazy during "work" hours. My high school employee graduated a few weekends ago and happily my college employee is home now for the summer. Nicole, the new graduate, headed to Mexico for a graduation trip with her family so Jillian, Scott and I are left in the store. We are pretty darn fortunate to have such hard working, dedicated employees, especially when they are both so young and could have some many better things to be doing (hey I remember those days!). But they both have a great work ethic and I will be so sad when the day comes that they will leave us for their careers.

Our neice Meredith had her 1st ballet recital on Saturday night... she was so adorable!! The kids, Kathie and I went down to the park and watched her dance. It was so hot but we really enjoyed watching all the kids and especially Meredith.

On Monday we celebrated Rick's grandmother's 79th birthday. We had a surprise birthday party for her at her new apartment complex. Rick's mom worked hard to make this a very special birthday for her. Next week Kathie will be taking her over to Seattle to have surgery as she was diagnosed with uterian cancer last week. Rick will be meeting them over there Thursday morning. Please keep her in your prayers that the surgery will be successful and further treatment will not be necessary AND that she has a quick recovery. She is not in the greatest of health so bumps in the road would not be a good thing. I think she enjoyed her birthday party...of course she was a bit overwhelmed by my crazy son but I know she loves seeing and spending time with her great-grandchildren!

Both kids have started summer YMCA soccer. Their first game is next Wednesday. Trace was busting at the seams with excitment for his first real sports season. Kaity is a lot more excited than I thought. She will be going to Richland High's soccer camp next week so hopefully she loves it a lot more then.

The kids are also doing Vacation Bible school this week at the church accross the street from Kaity's school. Their babysitter's 2 kids are the exact same ages as my 2 so the 4 of them go together every day. Jackie puts the boys in the bike trailer take them while the girls get to ride their own bikes. Trace was sick on Monday with the weirdest version of the flu I have ever seen (more about that in a minute), so he missed it but he has loved the last few days.

So Trace's sickness... Sunday night he came down with a fever of 102 and nothing we did bring it down. He had no other symptoms and was still bouncing off the walls in typical Trace fashion. He didn't act the slightest bit sick but was complaining of a tummy ache. Monday morning we dropped Kaity off and I took him into the doctors. Nothing wrong other than his fever and when you touched his tummy he doubled over. We could do nothing to help it other than keep pain reliever in him and give him baths. I brought him home and by 2 in the afternoon the fever had broke and he was good to go. Last night when Rick got him home he just started whining and crying. We had a contractor here moving dirt so Rick was out helping him and Trace didn't get any daddy time. By the time I got home he was just done and had a total melt down. I just sat on the couch and he got his blankie and he plopped down on me. He fell asleep at 7:30 and slept right through me putting him in his bed. He woke up today back to normal, again... but tonight he was still good. So I think we are on the mend.

I'm going to leave you with this... when you have a day when you think you are at the end of your rope with your kids, they won't listen to a word you say, they are doing silly things that they shouldn't be doing in public, WHAT EVER it is, there can be a moment that just stops everything and reminds you when we choose this path and why being a parent is truely the most important and rewarding job I will ever have. GG (Great Grandma Peggy) has been using a wheel chair. She couldn't get her chair back to where we wanted her to sit for the party so she parked the chair and got up to walk over there. Trace stopped what he was doing so that he could help her get to her chair.... it even made Rick stop in his tracks, it was truely one of the sweetest moments I have seen. This is when I know that it is worth every hair pulling moment and I am so blessed!

Adjusting...

Well we made it through the last week of school.... WAHOO!! Kaitlyn had a great last few days of school. I think it was harder on me saying good-bye to her teacher and watching the year officially end. I love that her school tells the students who their teacher is going to be NEXT YEAR the last week of school. The kids get to find out who their teachers are and then go to their new classroom to meet the teacher and see who else is in their class. Kaitlyn's teacher will be new to 2nd grade next year but not new to the school. She taught 6th grade this year.

The kids raced this weekend at the kart track. Trace got to practice both days and got cleared to be able to race. But Rick decided to wait one more race to let him race. He is so little that he gets tired after a few laps and while he'll make the turn, he sometimes will forget to straightened the wheel back out after the turn. Its all about being 4! Kaitlyn had a good race weekend and got her first win of the season... she actually finished 2nd but was awarded the win after the race. Her lap times are really improving and she and Seth are going about 5 seconds a lap faster than the old track record. Since she has to move up next year we went ahead and purchased her new kart. She is going to practice it for the first time this weekend.

I was absolutely dreading Monday as it was going to be Kaitlyn's 1st day at daycare. For the last 2 years summer daycare and Kaitlyn has been a drag. I spend all morning and my drive to Tri-Cities with her crying about not wanting to go to daycare and just wanting to be with me all day. Much to my surprise and happiness, she woke up Monday morning with a "I'M SO EXCITED FOR DAYCARE TODAY!" She has a packed summer and has more fun activities and camps planned than she will know what to do with. I should have held off on my excitment though as it turned out to be Trace that then had to be the one to state his un-happiness. Daycare has been his turf for the last few months so it was a new thing to have sissy there. Jackie said he spent some time in time-out and had to be talked to but by yesterday all was back to normal. I'm just crossing my fingers that we stay on track all summer now!

With the business, the horrible weather and who knows what else, I managed to pick up a killer cold. I left work yesterday at 3, picked up the kids and pretty much just parked myself on the couch for the night. I did get laundry folded, I'll admit not put away but folding was 1/2 the battle right! I got lots of much needed sleep last night and feel like I'm back on track today. The weather is finally supposed to start warming up and hopefully the wind will die down.

I know most of the school districts around here get out this week so for those of you finishing up the school year, I hope its a great last week!

Last week of school!

Sorry it has been a few days since posting. Life is as always, BUSY.

Trace finished up school last week and had his end of the year picnic on Friday. He joyfully talked all weekend how it was SUMMER!!! When I asked him what that meant he said, "it means no school for five days." I knew I was in trouble! Yesterday morning was a little confusing and sad. He didn't like not going to school first. By the time we got to Liberty (which by the way was 20 minutes early since I didn't take into account not having to go to his school first) he was bawling. Daycare said he did fine, it will be a bit of an adjustment but he is going to have a busy and fun summer. This morning things went much better.

When I dropped Kaitlyn off yesterday she came running back to the car to tell me it was awards day. Another notch in the MOM OF THE YEAR belt for me. One of the other mom's called me later in the morning to make sure I knew because Kaity was very upset that I wouldn't make it. Rick was able to leave work, Grandma Sue was able to take lunch and I ran over there just in time to see her get her class award. Her teacher talked about each child and then gave them a trait that best described them and a scripture that went with that. Her teacher said Kaitlyn was the student that was always in the know... that she was always concerned about what was going on with others and if someone was gone she wanted to know why and if they were ok. He he he he... I have NO IDEA where she gets that from. She also said that she was the first student to offer to help or get something for one of her classmates (oddly enough, the exact same thing Trace's teacher said about him) and she was given the trait of encouragement because she was always there for her friends. Her class won the school walking contest. Since the beginning of the year she completed 40.8 miles. Every child in her classroom did at least 25 miles and one little boy finished 1st individually in the entire school with 52 miles! It has been such a wonderful year for her, I am so sad to have it ending but excited for next year. Her school is going to have a lot of changes, a new Superintendent, a new principal, several new teachers... but I'm sure everything is going in the best direction for the continued success and excellent education and values that this school is giving their students.

Kaitlyn races this weekend. We don't know yet if Trace will get to also. Both kids will practice on Saturday and then I think Rick will talk to the board to see if Trace can. He is doing pretty good, not real fast but isn't all crazy and out of control. He wants to be on the track every minute and gets so mad when its time to come off and take a break. Thats about it for our weekend plans, of course that will take up Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully the weather cooperates because it is pouring buckets today.

Well back to my work day. Have a great week!