First Day of Summer...

More things that I love about summer...

• Sonic Ice Tea at Happy Hour. Only a $1.25 for 44 oz!
• Long days...
• Sleeping with the ceiling fan on. While most home improvement shows love to bash on the contraptions... you CANNOT live in Fresno without one in every room.
• Sweet corn.
• Ice cream.
• Big Brother (the show)- YAY!
• Sitting in the sun at swim practice every afternoon for 2 hours- much needed tanning time.
• Cold beer and warm fruit. Our fruit trees are stocked full this summer, only a few more days of heat and the fruit will be perfect!
• Nightly swims with the family and going to bed slightly wet- the best!

Happy First Day of Summer 2011! The longest day!

All- American Weekend...

There is no better way to start Summer but with an All-American Weekend. Jack and Steve spend Thursday and Friday night at Boy Scout Camp at Shaver Lake. Jack's first real sleep over camp experience! He even had good things to say about the food (Steve did not)!

On Saturday morning they rushed home to collect the RV, Jack's "redesigned" soapbox derby car, Abby, and myself to head to Tuolumne for the Northern California Soapbox Derby Championship. We traveled to Tuoloumne last year for the same race. Tuolumne is a great little town with an awesome grocery store (which allows us to park there for the weekend), a Logger's Jamboree (the perfect small town festival complete with carnies, sno-cones, loggers, and almost as many exposed tattoos as a NASCAR race) and of course, the soapbox race. Jack did really well and finished 6th place AND received "Best in Show" for his new red car with yellow flames- named "Jack in Black".

What a FUN weekend!

Let SUMMER begin!

Kindergarten Was Great!!!

This week has been a whirlwind of emotions, the last two days I have not been able to even talk about Jack or his teacher without tearing up EVERY. STINKING. TIME. Clearly the Kindergarten "Celebration" (in Clovis you don't get to graduate until you are in high school, it is the rule) was going to cause me to well up and choke on my emotions AGAIN. I spent the year going to Kindergarten every Monday morning, tagging along on field trips and class activities. While the ceremonies were fun and demonstrated the progress that 110 five and six year olds had made in the last 9 months... no tears. Progress in Kindergarten is to be expected, if there is no improvement there is something wrong. Progress in the 3rd grade is monumental, especially when the "experts" say that it can't be done. My baby is growing up... not that one...

The one who went from "Below" and "Far Below Basic" at the beginning of the year to "Proficient" and "Advanced".

The one who is no longer a "lower grader" and who is now an upper grader at Webelo sleep away camp.

The one who will learn about California missions, chemistry, and geometry next year.

The one who said good-bye and good luck to the only kid that he has gone to school with every year since he was 3 years old yesterday.

The one who is growing up faster than a blink of an eye, Wasn't it just yesterday that he turned one or would sit and watch "The Lion King" over and over again?

I will never forget the last days of school as a kid- report cards, yearbooks, parties, and the endless potential that only summer can bring to a kid- an ending and a beginning all at the same time. While kids see summer for its potential, as a parent you see it as the transition to the next stage of life changes that we can't protect children from. I can't believe I have a 4th grader... Needless to say, Kindergarten was GREAT!!!

Progress...

Last week, Jack almost made me drive off the road, not because he was fighting with his sister but because of what he said. He told me "Mom, when I was in the second grade I felt like a failure." As I safely steered the car back on the road and regain my composer, I asked why. "Mom, I was in trouble everyday and I was not very smart." Good thing I have been in training for the last 20 years for this kind of distracted driving, in fact, my friend warned me about the "backseat confessional almost" accidents that her children subjected her to. "Jack, no one thinks that you are a bad kid or not smart, believe me they don't, I don't." As the words came out of my mouth, I began to wonder if he believed me or if this a case of "your Mom thinks that you are beautiful." Jack is the kid who has never won anything (not really- but I am just saying), he has never been recognized for his achievements at school, he is not the kid who has ever read to the Principal, been a Character that Counts, or until this year, high enough on the roll to get honored or even a letter in the mail. We think he is the best, but does anyone else?

***FLASH FORWARD TO YESTERDAY***

Jack was to receive the reading medallion, and award for kids who read and earn a certain amount of points according to their grade level. Steve and I joke that it is really our award, because half way through the year Jack lost interest in taking the required tests, but we continued to "encourage" him to work at it. Halfway through the assembly, the Principal described the Student of the Quarter award. Each class has two, a student who has character, who works hard, and who is a friend to all (totally my kid everyone thinks). As kids' names were called all of the kids coming forward were kids who had already gotten High Honor Roll or Principal's Honor Roll (predictable), until Mrs. Nixon's class... Jack K. Lump in my throat, tear in my eye my kid was being recognized! Someone besides me thinks that he is great! We are so proud.

I guess I need to take the "My underachiever can swim faster than your overachiever" bumper sticker off the back of my car- I kid! It is hard to imagine what this year would have been like if it hadn't been for Jack's amazing teacher. She is patient, kind, intelligent, funny, and just the person to make Jack feel smart and important. Thank you, Mrs. Nixon for everything! This morning a different kid woke up at our house. A kid excited to go to school and do things (it may have something to do with today being "Video Game "Day, but a different kid none the less).

Mama's sick...

A Type A Mom's worst nightmare. But while Mama's sick the kiddos and hubby shall play... Sunday was spent completely indoors (a sin considering that it was Memorial Day weekend, but understandable due to the fact that it was about 30 degrees outside, which should be another sin). More cartoons, than I care to know about were viewed. The only person who go out of their pajamas was Daddy-O, because he couldn't handle the thought of living in his pjs all day. No one ate a single fruit or vegetable, in fact Mama has NO CLUE what was consumed during that day. I am not so proud to admit that I let my 5 year old watch New Moon with me (PG-13- YIKES) and that we both kind of liked it. Daddy (the germ phobe) disappeared for a couple hours as have 'time to himself"- aka- not catch whatever I had. Dishes didn't get put away. Garbage was barely picked up. At bedtime, Abby told me that it had been "the best day" because she got to do whatever she wanted and stay in her pjs all day. I think it was my worst.