Summer Break..RIGHT!

Emma has clearly not gotten the memo that school is out and she could sleep late if she wanted to. The problem being she isn't interested and clearly DOESN'T want to. She is up by 6 without fail every morning. The boys on the other hand might be going to sleep around that time. Ashton is loving that he can stay up all night and sleep all day. That is going to be short lived however because ball camps start next week and he will be busy until school starts back. I have learned that basketball is one of those sports that never stops.


I began attempting to get back in shape around January. I have been walking and running regularly and when school is in session that is so much easier. I decided last week that if I am going to continue running I am going to have to do it before Bo leaves every morning for work. That began today and I was out of the house and running by 5:20 A.M. and I have to admit that as much as I would have loved to lay in bed it was great to get out and get started. I am a morning person in general and being outside as the sun was coming up and the sky was brightening was wonderful. Oh, and thank God for an IPod and a really good play list.


I have to say for the first time in my 44 years I am enjoying exercising. I have been very hit or miss in the past but I am really enjoying it this time - except for crunches - I will NEVER enjoy them. My goal when I started was to lose some weight and I have lost approx 10-12 pounds. My other goal was to hopefully get my cholesterol down. That remains to be seen. I took myself off my medicine and am trying some other natural things. I hate the thought of being on medicine for the rest of my life but considering that my genetic makeup really stinks, I suspect I could run 10 miles everyday and still have to be on  medicine. I just know that I feel better and that is what matters.


Emma scored her first soccer goal yesterday during a scrimmage. I was so excited and everyone was clapping and yelling for her when someone pointed out that she scored it for the other team. I didn't care. The look on her face was filled with such pride that I could have cried! She was so happy and that was all that mattered to me. She has really started running and getting in to the game and her coach told me yesterday that she got mad at him Saturday when he took her out of the game for a break. Oh this girl has come so far.


I don't think that I have mentioned that Brady has his first real job. He has been working for about 6 weeks at a Catholic assisted living/retirement center as a waiter. He loves it. He is enjoying the people so much and despite the fact that his job is 25 miles from home and he is only making minimum wage and I am paying for his gas, he is learning a lot of life lessons and I am proud of him. I was especially proud of him yesterday when he spent the morning with his grandfather who has Alzheimer's while I had to take my mother to the hospital. She wasn't feeling well and it's gets more complicated when you have someone at home who can't be left alone. Brady stepped up and I was so proud of him.


Our house is always a revolving door where teenage boys come and go like mad. It gets worse when school is out. Ashton is my social butterfly and has had a steady stream of people here since getting out of school last week. For those of you who don't have teenage boys at your house all the time...think grocery bill. It never ends! Thank God for Ramen noodles.


Emma's favorite thing to do right now is tie a cookie sheet on to her tricycle or tractor and put her dog or baby stroller on it and drive it around the house. Yes, she ties the string on herself. It's hilarious to watch her come up with so many new things. Her favorite character right now is Popeye. She loves him and likes to pretend she is him. She squints one of her eyes and smokes a pipe and tries to dress like a sailor. I will draw the line on a tattoo but I think it might be coming. She has such an imagination.


So before I blink summer will be over and school will start up. Brady will be off to college and life will go on. It's hard to believe that I have a son who will be moving out in a few months and a girl that will be going to school full time. So when I look around this crazy house with all her toys and projects and complain about the mess and how much I need to get done I just need to remind myself how quickly time goes by and that the mess will be here when she isn't. At least that's what I am going to tell myself!