Separation

"Did you go to different schools when you were a kid?" - Carter
"Yes, I went to a couple different schools." - Sam
"By the color of your skin?" - Carter
"No, that was my grandparents who were separated by skin color." - Sam
"That was sad for them." - Carter
So we glad we live in a time where my child sees being separated from other races as a sad thing. America is getting better.

Renovations

We had a flood in our house when the laundry room sink was left on overnight.  Most of the floors on our first floor were destroyed.  We had huge fans in our home for a week that were so loud I felt like I was in an airplane hanger.  It was not the best timing (not that there ever is a good time to have your floors destroyed) because I had my gallbladder removed two days after the flood and my mom was here visiting.  Now that some time has passed and we have money from our insurance company, it is turning out to be a good thing.  We had plans to replace the floors when we saved some money because they were outdated or worn out.  We are also stretching the insurance money by doing most of the work ourselves, so along with replacing floors, we are removing popcorn off the ceilings, painting walls, and we had the fireplace resurfaced.  I hated my fireplace.  The stone was man made and I didn't like the hearth.  Since the floors were coming out, we went ahead and pulled off the ugly stone.  The kids have been helping a lot in the process.  They have carried out the stone and floorboards and did some of the demolition too.  I removed the popcorn and smoothed the ceiling.  It is extremely messy and is really hard on your neck, shoulders, and arms.  I often sanded in my bathing suit so I could hose off and jump in the pool when I needed a break.  I also sanded the walls with the help of my friend Jenni and primed the walls with oil base primer with the help of Alycia.  The walls still need calk and paint, but I already love the difference in just primer.  Sam wired the fireplace so we could mount our TV on it and has put in wiring for surround sound that we someday hope to install.  The floor removal is really difficult.  We have to use a demo hammer and then hand scrape the adhesive off the floor.  It is exhausting and the cement is still sticky.  We have a long way to go, but it is a start.

Keller Art Camp

I taught four days of art camp in Keller from 9am to noon.  We did four acrylic paintings,  3 watercolors, air dry clay, and shrink dink charms.  Kris Cockburn was kind enough to host art camp so I could do camp in Keller for the third year.  The kids were great and I think they all had a wonderful time.  Gavin and Renee participated and I am always impressed with their creativity.

Samurai Event

 The Kimbell Art Museum had a huge event to celebrate the Samurai exhibit that is on exhibition.  I helped with one of the art making activities.  Sam and the boys were busy ripping out the floor so Jenni Pfeifer came with Renee and I so the Renee wouldn't be alone at the event.  The event was packed!  Renee participated in a printmaking class, made a samurai helmet, did some origami, got her face painted, and got to dress up in traditional Japanese clothes.  I love that my children are benefiting from my work as a docent.

Meeting Luke

Kendra and Luke spent the night on their way to Utah for a wedding. It was great to spend a little time with her and meet the love of her life. 

Grandma and Grandpa

Today was our last day with Sam's parents.  I spent the day in a class, but the kids enjoyed swimming with their grandparents.  Before we took them to the bus to go to Austin to see their other kids, we took some photos.  We noticed the ponies while we were out there.

Mmmm Babe's

Sam's parents are visiting from Oregon. They took us out for fried Chicken at Babe's. They play the Hookie Pokey and all the waitresses dance and the kids join them. My kids love it. 

Trying to Come Back

I love reading though my old posts and looking at the pictures.  It makes me sad that I let the last two years slip away without posting.  Going back to work was a harder transition than I imagined.  It left me little free time and keeping up with a blog seemed overwhelming.  Now that it is summer break and we aren't on a six week road trip, I hope to do a better job recording our lives.  I know that I will be thankful later.

Summer School

Carter is still a little behind in reading so he gets to go to the extended year program.  It is three extra weeks to help him catch up to his peers.  I finished school yesterday, so I was able to take him to Miller Elementary and get him settled at his new school.  He was very excited that he gets to have breakfast and lunch at school.  (I was excited that it is free.)  He also gets to ride the bus without Gavin and Renee.

Chicago

It was an eight hour drive to Chicago from Lake Owen. We stayed at the Hilton Double Tree right downtown. The kids kept saying how fancy it was. On our first day there we walked to the Willis Tower (previously called the Sears Tower). The view was incredible, especially on the glass deck.  We also visited the Buckingham Fountain and the Cloud Gate while walking through the parks. We ate deep dish pizza at Giordano's that tasted even better than I imagined.

Last Day At Lake Owen

On our last day at Lake Owen we visited the little town of Hayward. The town is lovely with cute little shops. Our favorite shop was Trembley's Sweet Shop. We bought homemade chocolates that were so wonderful.

We spent the rest of the day on the lake. Renee was waterskiing and stayed up for six minutes. The rest of the kids went tubing. We are so glad we got to spend time with the Nelsons in such a beautiful place. 

So excited that she was water skiing

Blake, Renee, Gavin, and Carter

Blake and Renee switched tubes while riding.  They are the daring ones.

Blake and Renee wild tubing.

All six ready to tube.

Museum School

The little science museum in Cable, WI has a two hour class that the kids can go to. We sent all six kids and they had a great time. While the kids were there, Alycia and I toured the little shops in town, grocery shopped, and had dessert at a cafe for the free Internet.

We spent the rest of the day playing in the water or boating. I went kayaking with Gavin and Renee separately. It is fun to do when the water is too cold for swimming. 

This evening I took the Nelson's family photos. They would have gone better if a fire truck didn't come by to suck up lake water for their truck. Trey was really distracted. 

I am enjoying the slow pace lake life where no one cares if I am wearing make up. I also love the accents up here. 

Trying to skip rocks.

Sydney caught tons of fish with just a net.

Taking some videos of the tubing,

Blake and Renee going wild.

My favorite way to relax.

Kayaking with Gavin.