AAAHHHH.....good things is life

We got to watch Chip play at his second scrimmage tonight. He had a great pass, 2 great catches, and one of those ended up with him running 25 or so yards for a touchdown! It was so much fun. I am definitely turning into one of the sports mom's that I always swore I would not be.....Oh well.

On another note, Drew lost his 1st tooth last night, one of the bottom ones. The other bottom one is loose and both top middle ones are wiggly....we might be singing "All I Want for Christmas is ALL of my Front Teeth." I love kid smiles with missing teeth...not much is sweeter than that!

Off to another busy weekend........

Survival

We all made it through the first day of school. Today was probably the best 1st day I have ever had. Other than being tired, the day went well. The temperatures were great and I think that helped the kids be willing and ready to be in a classroom all day. I really felt like I was ready to go. I suppose that after 11 years of getting ready for a 1st day, I should finally have the hang of it. I told Clif this weekend that the only reason I was stressing was because I was not stressed about school and that did not seem right.

Chip enjoyed his 1st day of 7th grade. He reported that his teachers were funny and he had a good day. Kate had to fill us in on lots of details, but she really liked Mrs. Conrad and had nothing but good things to say. Drew was good to go after a full day of school too.....although he was pretty tired by 8 tonight. After his 1st full day of school, 1st day eating in the cafeteria, and 1st day having to use the busses to get back and forth after school, he had soccer practice. No wonder he was tired.

Well, with one down, we have 179 more to go.....

Well Done Perrymans

We are heading out to the Bremenfest parade. It is 11:30 AM and is already 88 degrees. I am assuming that we will all be a well cooked family by the time we watch the 1 hour parade. We always sit at my sister, Terri's, house and there is NO SHADE in her front yard. Thank goodness the parade is not too long. I can already feel the sunburn even though we are all going to be coated in sunscreen. Ahhh, and there is nothing better than having sweat run from your head, all the way trickling down your back....blech!

Tonight we have the Boy Scout Court of Honor which is, thank goodness, in an air-conditioned building. The past few years it has been at the park....that would be miserable tonight.

We have a busy week ahead of us...making sure kids and mom are ready for school and then I think we are going camping this coming weekend. Clif is anxious to use the new camper. We can swing it, as long as we are just in Ft. Loramie or St. Marys. I am always majorly stressed about school starting so for me, that is not a good weekend, but I know the kids and Clif love to go, so I will have to just put my worrying aside for the weekend and have fun with all of them.

The 2 little ones have started soccer practice every week and are really liking it. Drew gets so excited every time he has just practice, I can hardly wait for him to have a game. Kate likes soccer a lot too, but I think a lot of it is because Clif is her coach. She really likes that he does that with her. Football has been taking a lot of Chip's time. He is whooped at the end of the night after 2 hour practices in this heat and humidity with full pads on. He loves it though. I have not heard one complaint, whine, or excuse from him at all. I am nervous about him getting school work accomplished, football practice, instrument practice, and still have time for a good night's sleep.....I know lots of boys do it, but we are going to have to be pretty disciplined around here to get it all done. Another change for this year is that Kate will be walking Drew home everyday since Chip has football everyday after school. I sure hope that Kate can get him home without having to stop at every single house on the way home to chat....she might not get here until bedtime!

Chip has his first scrimmage this Thursday...I am excited, but scared for him. I cannot wait to see my little guy in football pads...that seems almost unbelievable to me....but I am not sure that I am ready to see him tackling or worse, being tackled. Keep your fingers crossed for me that we (Chip and I) make it through this 1st football game with our sanity (I guess that is mostly a request for me! LOL!)

Here's hoping for a cooler week, especially next week when school starts and Drew and I will be cooking in our classrooms.

Only 2 More Weeks!!!!

Wow, I can hardly believe that it is just 2 more weeks until school starts. I have really enjoyed summer this year and it has seemed to last a long time. Of course, it is finally hot out today, and will probably continue into the school year...no big deal for some, but there is no AC in our building....bleck!

I think the kids, at least the 2 younger ones, are anxious to get back into school. Chip is busy concentrating on football so school seems far away for him. He has practice for 2 hours every day and he loves it. He comes home everyday telling about things that happen and what he is learning to do. This week is the first week of full contact practice. That kind of freaks me out, but he has no concerns at all. I guess that should make me feel better, but really, it does not. It is just the mom in me I know, but it is going to be really hard to just sit there and watch him get tackled....aaahhhhh!!

This weekend was the Alumni Softball tournament and I played with Clif's class of '90 again this year. We played on Saturday at noon and lost 3-2 and then at 3 and lost 14-2 or something like that. The tournament was done at that point. Although I really like playing, it is nice to have all day Sunday to do whatever we like. Today, that was a big shopping trip to WalMart for new shoes and clothes for school and groceries. $200 later, we had a car full and I think we had content kids.

This week is a no school week for me since they are waxing the main hall outside of my classroom. I think that my room is 90% ready, now I just have to get myself ready. That is a much bigger job. I do have to admit that it will be nice to have a routine in our house again. We are going to start working on school bedtimes and alarms in the mornings to make that first week a little easier for all of us.

Here's hoping that the week is warm (not blazing hot) and sunny so that I can get in a few more good pool days!

Another Busy, but Great, Weekend

We had another crazy busy weekend at our house this past weekend...
Friday started with a Dayton Dragons Game that we went to with our great friends Wes and Angie. We really enjoy their company and they are great friends to hang around with. The Dragons won their game which made the night even nicer. The drive home was crappy. I75 was down to driving on one lane...the berm, so traffic was SLOW! We had a new sitter for Kate and Drew since Chip was playing in a ball tournament in Celina. While we were at the Dragons Game, we got a call from the sitter saying that Drew was missing. Apparently, when Sam told Drew to get his jammies on, Drew did not want to so he took off on his bike. He was found pretty quickly, but in big trouble on Saturday morning.

Saturday we had lots to do. Chip went back to Celina for another ball game, Kate and Drew went with my mom and dad to Camp Lakota to hang out for family day, Clif did recycling and went to watch Chip, and I had a hair appointment. ( I have the BEST stylist...love her!!). Clif and I went to Dayton, again, to celebrate Abby Weiland and Wes Bradens wedding at the Schuster Center. It was a fabulous night. The music was great and Clif and I were able to dance nearly all night. It has been a long time since we have danced so it was really fun. They also had a martini bar....very dangerous, but also delicious. About midnight, we headed to a bar down the street with a lot of the family. We had a great time sitting and talking...actually for about 2 1/2 hours. We finally got a cab for the hotel about 3 AM.....we were toast! Exhausted! Tired! Wiped out!
The cab driver was funny. He told us that he had just taken Ty Pennington to his hotel...and we were sitting in the same seat that he had just sat in...how cool is that!

Sunday morning, Clif and I had a nice breakfast and then headed home to host our niece's 1st birthday party at our house. It worked out perfectly since Milwaukee, Indiana, Toledo, and Minster could all gather at one place. Josie enjoyed her first taste of cake! We all liked ours too!
Finally, tonight, we went on a family walk with Riley to the Tasty and then went up to the gazebo to listen to 2 acoustic guitar players. It was a really nice evening hanging out with the kids.

Only 23 more days til school starts....I am not ready for summer to end :(

Introducing.....

The house sure was quiet without Bailey here.....so we went to a shelter and rescued the cutest little (okay, not really little) dog that they had. Meet Riley. She is a Spanador (spaniel/labrador mix) that is all black. The vet is guessing that she is about 4 months old and we got a clean bill of health from him yesterday.

The kids are loving her. Riley is a lover! She is already sitting, laying down, rolling over and Chip has even gotten her to shake a couple of times. She wants to be good and you can see in her face that she does not like to be told NO. It makes her cower when you say it to her.

Please feel free to stop over and see her....no more dog jumping on you or yipping your ears off....she is quiet and docile and beautiful. And Clif is going to move the electric fence so that she cannot go on the driveway...that makes me feel better!

Heartbroken

Well, it is official. Bailey is gone. Today at noon, I went to get her from outside and she let me pick her up. That was the 1st time in 3 days that anyone was allowed to do that. When I brought her inside, she just flopped like a pile of rags on the floor. It was horrible.

I called Clif to let him know that I thought this was the end. Within a couple of minutes, Bailey died right in front of me and the kids. Kate was a mess. Chip was trying so hard to stay cool. I was bawling, and Drew just is too little to understand. My friend Jessica came over right away since I had to call her because we were meeting her for lunch. Then I relied on another friend, Wes and Angie, and asked them to take the kids for a little bit. Clif came home from work and had a few minutes with her. I cannot believe how hard it is for me to see him upset...it ripped my heart out.

We ate a quiet lunch and then went out to dig her a grave in the backyard. It was a lot of work to get that done, but we kept on going. Clif was trying so hard to be strong, but when he had to carry Bailey to the grave and actually put her in, he lost it. Chip was home at that time and he too had a really hard time....once the grave was filled in, it seemed to be a little better.

Drew is just not getting it at all. He told me that he thought Bailey was faking and I should just "wack her" and she will stop, when Angie suggested that they make crosses to put on her grave, he wanted to know if someone would mistake it for a buried treasure, and then he asked to see where she was buried so that he could dig her up later if he wanted....because of that, we have not shown him the exact spot. Hopefully this was just his normal jabber and he will never attempt that....YUCK!

Anyway, tonight, all seems well. Everyone seems to have accepted that she is gone and even started to talk about maybe getting new dog someday.........we will have to see.

Bailey :(...and the rest of the family

Well, I have to admit that I am the cause of the sad face above. On Sunday, I was running to the store for some last minute lunch items, and I ran over Bailey, our dog. I do not know where hit her, other than on her back half, but she is not looking too hot.We took her right to the vet who said that nothing was broken, but gave us the names of 3 animal hospitals to consider if there was internal injuries. Clif and I have no intention of spending that kind of money on the dog, but I sure feel bad about what happened. I was a total mess after it happened and while we were at the vet. She made it throught the night, and is still able to walk some. She seems VERY stiff and sore. We cannot get her to eat anything and water is hard for her to keep down. I have been giving her a few tablespoons at a time every 30 minutes, and she can usually keep that down. She has gone outside a couple of times today and goes to her favorite part of the yard, but has not peed or pooped since yesterday morning. I am hoping that she is still just really sore....it makes me think about when I had a baby and had to poop and how much that hurts when you are so sore.....hoping that tomorrow is better. She is definitely walking better today and her gums look pinker (which the vet said was a good sign). Now the kids....we need to get back to school schedule. No one seems to be getting enough sleep to make it through the day. Drew is whining non stop and refusing to eat anything that I cook. Chip is spending his day torturing Drew so that he whines and cries more, and Kate has made the good decision to stay out of it all. At least one of them is making good choices today. I am stressed about the dog, especially since it was my fault, and they are not helping! AAARRGGHH!

Nothing New

Well, Wednesday night and all is well.....
Clif got home from a 3 day trip to Indiana last night. It was nice to get a good night's sleep since he was here. The kids did pretty well while he was gone, but we were all anxious to be able to get out since it was so rainy. I went to Kroger all by myself for a couple of hours and that was a great break for me.

Tonight, we went to the driving range in anticipation of the annual Farno Open, the one and only time that I golf throughout the year. I actually feel OK about it this year since I have been able to get on the range 2 times for a little practice. I am still no good, but hopefully I can get the ball off the tee....that is all I ask for as I stand there and line up so carefully, but really am just praying to make some contact.

The weekend will be a busy one again. Clif and Jane and Emily and the kids will be here tomorrow night. We have sitters coming to the house about 8 AM Saturday so that we can tee off by 8:30. If the weather is nice, we will be going to the lake house for fishing, yard games, and boat and jet ski rides. If the weather is crappy (like they are forecasting), we will be having everyone here because there is simply more room to move around. Keep your fingers crossed for a nice afternoon becasue everyone really looks forward to the afternoon at the lake.

On the plus side, my house is in pretty good shape. I have been cleaning a little at a time for the last 2 days and things are in good order. Only a few last minute things for tomorrow and we will be ready for all of the company to arrive.

Here's hoping for a good weather weekend!

A New Week

We are back after our weekend in Cincinnati with Farnos and without kids! We had a great night at the Reds game where they won 4-0 and the game was followed by awesome fireworks that lasted for about 20 minutes. After the game, we went back to the hotel to the bar where we shared a few rounds of VERY expensive drinks with Angie and Wes. Some of us have very little tolerance and paid for the drinks pretty quickly! On Saturday, we walked to Newport, KY and found a little place called Mokka where we ate what might be the best breakfast we have ever had...it was excellent and very fairly priced.

During the day, we went and finished all of the paper work on the new camper we bought while Wes and Angie hung around at the Levee. We checked into and checked around the Bed and Breakfast that we were staying at. The B&B was pretty disappointing overall :(. The bedroom was very small and we ended up having to share a bathroom on the floor with someone else which made it feel more like we were guests in someone's house rather than staying at a motel/hotel.....oh well, I wanted to try something different and we can cross that off of our bucket list of things to do.

For dinner, we met Farno's at the Levee again and ate at Mitchell's Fish Market which was very good. It started to rain after dinner so we took advantage of a covered carriage. It was a really nice way to spend some of the night while it was raining....a romantic covered carrige, the patter of rain, and the clop of the horse's hoove were very relaxing...I would highly recommend it as a way to pass the evening.

Clif and I got some Graeter's Ice Cream and then spent the night at the B&B. Breakfast there was OK, but nothing fabulous.....

Then we headed home and met up with Clif and Jane and reclaimed our kids at an exit at Vandalia.....I think they were ready to get them out of the car.....I sure missed them, but not the constant bickering.....

Overall, we had a nice, long, and relaxing weekend. It is so nice to get away....the week is busy. Clif is in Indiana for 3 days, Chip has football camp M,T,W from 5-7 and Th, F from 3-5. It looks like it is going to be rainy too....good for the ground....not good for Jenny when she is stuck in the house!!!!

AHHHH! A Free Evening!

Tonight, our calendar is blank.....that is almost unreal at this house. We have one more T-ball game for Drew next Tuesday and then ALL BALL IS DONE FOR THE YEAR! I have to say that this season seemed to go faster than the past few, but it is still nice to have evenings free.

Drew had a game on Tuesday night...another tie...that is how all of the TBall games end. It is funny to me that it does not bother them at all....oh how they will change in the next couple of years. On the sports page, we got Chip his football cleats....I am sure it is only the very beginning of the purchases that will need to be made to have the kids participate. I am glad that he is going to give football a try...especially now that we heard that Breakaway, where he played indoor soccer, has closed so soccer might be done. :(

Clif and I are getting away this weekend. We are headed to Toledo on Thursday and will bring the kids to Grandma and Grandpa Perryman's which they are SO excited about. Chip has already requested a dinner and golf.....We will then head to Cincinnati for the rest of the weekend. We are going to a Reds game, and the rest of the weekend is a surprise for Clif so I will tell you about it next time I post.

Keep your fingers crossed that we have good weather in Cincy...it was looking great, but is going downhill as the weekend is getting closer......

Perfect Sunday!

We had another busy day here. Clif went for a 10 mile run! CRAZY!! But wow for him. I stayed here and made breakfast for the kids. Then Clif and Chip went with the Boy Scouts and helped to set up flags for a Field of Honor in Wapakoneta. There were probably 1500 flags that are "sponsored" by families to honor veterans or members of the service. They helped set up about 1/2 of them.

While they were gone, I decided to go for a walk/run and went 5 miles. I think I ran about 2 3/4 of them.....it was a great morning.

Chip had his ball tournament in Russia. It was not pretty. Minster got run-ruled 14-2 in the 4th inning.....ouch!

We decided to get some Mexican for supper and then we all went to the pool for 2 hours. It was great in the water, but COLD when we got out. We had some big accomplishments. Kate dove off the high dive and Drew was jumping in off the low dive. For Drew, this was quite an accomplishment since only 1 month ago we could hardly get him to jump in off the edge into water he can stand in. He is so funny though....he will not jump in unless he is wearing goggles....not so sure what they do for him, but I think they are like Dumbo's magic feather...they are simply for his confidence. His smile after the 1st jump was priceless!

Onto another week!!!!

Lazy Saturday

Here we are on Saturday afternoon just lounging around for the afternoon. Clif and I started our morning with a walk together to Earl's Pavillion at Lake Loramie. It was an ugly, overcast morning. Not long after we got home, it started to rain, and rain, and rain! Kate and I had to work at the recycling building from 11-1, but were able to leave at 12:15 because of the downpouring rain. Kate has spent the rest of today, and part of yesterday, on the couch feeling bad. I think she might have some allergies that are acting up. She is really congested and complaining of headaches. As long as I keep her drugged up, she seems to be fine.

Chip was able to get a little bit of playing time in during their tournament game last night, albeit because his friend Sam got pulled when he got hurt. Sam is fine, and Chip was really excited to get some time on the field. Russia reported over 2 inches of rain so all the games for today were cancelled. That could make for a LONG day at the ballpark tomorrow if they try to do all of the games then, which they probably will.

RIght now the sun is shining and it is looking better and better outside. We are planning on 5PM mass and then going to take any interested kids to the new LaPiazza in New Bremen....hope they all like it!

Friday July 10

We have had another nice afternoon at the pool. Chip hung out with Sam this afternoon and is now resting up for his tournament game tonight. We are having all of the local scoutmasters and their wives over for a campfire this evening. We are doing a chili dump where everyone makes a batch of their favorite chili and we dump it all into one big pot which we will heat up on the fire. Then for dessert, we will be sharing Leon's Famous Rhubarb/Raspberry cobbler. He won 1st place at scout camp with it last week and everyone loves it.

Chip is headed to Russia to watch/cheer his team to victory in an 8 PM game. He is the 3rd alternate on the team. The first 2 alternates will be playing tonight and tomorrow and if they make it to Sunday, Chip will be playing then. Keep your fingers crossed that he gets to play!

Other than that, we are starting off another standard busy weekend. The weather seems hit or miss for the next couple of days.....