This weekend (6/9)

Sorry I haven't posted in forever.  Life has . . . gotten in the way.  I'm working an insane amount of hours, and things are just crazy.

At any rate, this weekend should be an exciting one!   I'll throw out a plug for the Canton Blues Festival ( http://www.downtowncantonevents.com/canton-blues-festival).  We go every year.  Usually it falls closer to our anniversary and we go make a fun date of it.  This year we're just going to have to try to cram it in on our usual Friday night date night.  I'm also crossing my fingers and hoping that our favorite restaurant, the Canton Club, is open.

So, Saturday, we have a time conflict with the boys' soccer games.  Nathan's last game of the season is going to be Saturday morning at 9:30, field 2.  Afterward, they're going to give out participation certificates and I think have a little celebration with a bounce house in the Middle School gym.

Unfortunately, Brendan has a game in Lodi at 9:00, too.  He has to be there by 8:30 for warmup, and the game will last until 10-ish, so there's really no hope of catching any portion of Nate's game.  Boo!  It may or may not be his last game of the spring season.  He has another one scheduled for 6/23, which I think is the day they're coming back from scout camp, so I don't know if he's going to make it.  Mike is hopeful.  I'm dubious.

In other news, we now have a Middle Schooler and a First Grader!  Can you believe it?  Neither can we!  The boys' last day of school was yesterday.  The cub scout pack planned a super fun celebration at Sluggers and Putters in Canal Fulton.  It was such a blast!  The boys rode the bumper boats and got soaked.  Nate rode the bumper cars three times in a row and didn't throw up!  He also cheated ridiculously at mini golf, and accidentally lost his ball in a decorative fire hydrant.  Ooops!  We capped the night off with a trip to Menchie's for Last Day of School ice cream, per our family tradition.  The kids were soaking wet, the night was chilly, and the ice cream didn't help.  Here's a very dark and blurry camera phone picture of Nathan enjoying his ridiculous concoction:

This summer they both have an action-packed schedule.  Nate is spending most of the summer at a YMCA camp that's not far from our house.  One week he's going to bible school at St. Stephen's, one week he's going to cub scout day camp, and one week they're both going to the beach with Papa.   Brendan's schedule is a little more complicated.  He's spending one week at boy scout camp, one week at the University of Akron's soccer camp, three weeks at Stark State's Kids College, one week at the beach, and the rest of the summer at Y-camp like Natey.  Am I forgetting anything?  Probably.  Remember that old PSA, "It's five o'clock, do you know where your child is?"  Well, around here, the answer is sometimes "No, not really."

This weekend (5/26)

Nathan has a game at 10:30, on Field 2.  Bren doesn't have one at all!  What will we ever do with ourselves?  He'll be busy with Papa and the boy scouts putting flags on Veterans' graves, though, so don't think he'll be sitting around with his feet up all weekend.

Today the boys are having Field Day at school.  They're going to be sweaty, grubby messes by the time they come home!

Don't forget!

Kindergarten spring play, tomorrow!!

Tuesday, May 22 at 9:45 AM and 2:15 PM.

Also, I added a search box over on the right hand side (---------------->), so you can find old posts more easily.  Brought to you because I couldn't exactly remember what time the play was, and the search box is easier than going through all of the archives!  You're welcome :)

No more boot!

I'm back on my own two feet again!

Time change!

No, not the thing that happens in the spring and fall and makes me grouchy and nasty for weeks.  Brendan's game this Wednesday, which was scheduled for 7:15 p.m., has been moved up to 6:15 p.m.  Since it's a weekday, I don't know if anyone was even planning to go, but if you are, now you know.

Also, it'll be in a different place than usual.  It'll be at the NC Hudson fields, located at 5661 Stow Rd, Hudson OH 44236.  The only other time I've been there was last year during spring soccer and it was a disgusting, filthy mess.  The parking lot is gravel/mud.  It's been pretty dry so far this spring, so maybe it won't be too bad, but be prepared.  I also seem to remember that it was a little hard to see from the road, so be careful.  Not sure exactly who is getting Brendan there and how, but if you are planning on coming and need help, call our cells.

This weekend (5/12)

No soccer for Brendan!  It feels like a Mother's Day miracle!  Natey has a game at 9:30, field two.  Orange shirts.  I probably won't be there because I have a physical therapy appointment.

Then, it's PARTY TIME!  Nate's carnival is saturday afternoon.   Hope to see everyone there!  Mike's trying to ruin everyone's fun and won't let me give out goldfish as prizes.  In the interests of authenticity, I'm hoping he can at least provide some carnies.

He must really think we're idiots

So, another chapter of our lives is getting ready to close.  At the beginning of next month, Brendan will be graduating from elementary school and moving on to middle school.  I know!  I can't believe it either. 

Last night, we were talking about a class field trip they're planning to make to the middle school to take a tour and have a sort of orientation session.  Brendan was doing his level best (with a completely straight face) to convince Mike and I that they only sell slushies in the cafeteria as a lunchtime beverage choice.  Mmmhmmm, sure. 

He's growing up, that's for sure.  He was in the 75th percentile for his height at a recent doctor's appointment.  Another year and he's going to be towering over me.  Next year he'll be getting up to get on a bus at a totally ridiculous hour, and will be totally responsible for remembering to do and turn in his homework, without constant reminders from his teachers.  He'll also probably discover that girls exist (lord help us all), and have to find his place to fit in with a couple hundred other kids his age.

Overall, he's such a great kid, though.  He holds open doors, carried my stuff for me while I was on crutches, still likes to curl up next to me on the couch to watch tv, and begs for 'one more minute!' at night to read when we tell him to put down the book and go to bed.  He loves spending time with his friends from Scouts, and is turning into a first rate soccer player.  Let's just say he could kick my butt!  And probably Mike's, too.  He's turning into a little gentleman* right before our eyes.

* We shall not discuss the incident this weekend where I held out my hand to catch a drip of grease from his bacon, and he wiped the bacon on my hand like a paper towel.  *sigh*