Picking Up and Dropping Off

When I drive 47 miles in one day and never leave town, I have no doubt that my life is spent "picking up and dropping off." Kaleb loved soccer camp this week. These sports camps are not cheap, but we agreed to let Braylen and Kaleb each pick one. And just like that--they're all done. I was impressed with both camps--basketball and soccer--and it gave each of them something to look forward to. Aaron gets all month to enjoy t-ball. I was thrilled to exchange his "adult small" t-shirt for a "youth small" this week. My tiny son was swimming in that big shirt, and tucking it in looked like he had a diaper hiding beneath those baseball pants! Kaleb tried to tell Aaron that, but I cut him off before he could say it. :)

Aaron in his big shirt :)

Swimming lessons are going so well this year. Thanks to some teachers who teach my kids strokes--instead of games like Mr. Shark and Marco Polo. Aaron told me his favorite stroke is the "breath" stroke. I think he called it an appropriate name, since you can take a breath with every stroke! :) Braylen can swim freestyle with continual breathing--finally! Both Braylen and Kaleb like the backstroke, and they continue to impress us with their swimming. Being a swimmer myself, I'm so proud of my boys' efforts in the pool.

Ginger decided to go for a swim today...in our backyard pool. She hopped in and tore the pool cover with her weight, frolicked around till her heart's content, and I found her dripping wet on the deck. Oooo, was she in T.R.O.U.B.L.E!!! Her only saving grace was the pool's condition--nothing looks damaged. Except the cover of course. There was plenty of hair in the water, but that's fixable. We cleaned it out as best we could and the boys went swimming twice today. I guess that's one way to give our dog a bath...

We sure enjoyed Derek's days off this week. The boys played like pirates in a new park, Aaron had his own special time with Daddy, and I made the most of my time with my big boys. How relaxing to take them to the evening swim and let them jump off the diving boards and slide down the waterslide...all by themselves while I visit with friends! A trip to Dairy Queen and a Stanley Cup win by the Chicago Blackhawks made for a great night all around.

a view from above at our pirate park

Of course there were some tough moments this week. There was some trouble in our neighborhood, and I'm still not sure it's settled the way it should be. Kaleb played at his friend's house, the friend who was hit by a car in April, and they had fun together. Even so, this family is still going through some tough times and Kaleb had to learn to deal with plans that fell through. A 3 day headache for me that varied in intensity, but didn't leave until late this afternoon. PTL it's finally gone. I get so weary of my boys' fighting. Even with our fun activities, there's still plenty of time for them to fight at home. Or in the car. Or out in public. To quote a country song, this paragraph "sounds like life to me, it's no fantasy, just a common case of every day reality."

So, that's our week. My next post? Derek and Aaron's special adventure together. :)