The neverending porch project.....

That comes before the neverending basement project. Bless his heart, David is just the best husband in the world. I have always wanted to have part of my wraparound porch screened in (it actually wraps around 3 sides of my house) and each year I decide more and more should be screened. This year, we finally got started and David is working so hard to get it done, so that we can start back on the boys' rooms in the basement. Screening in the porch doesn't sound like it should be so difficult, but I should probably mention that the porch is about 20 feet or so off the ground on one side, and various amounts of added wood needs to be added to the top, bottom and middle of each section, in order to allow the screen tight system to sit flush. He is also building 2 doorways, one for each end of the screened in area. He has worked every day and every evening on this job, and it is finally nearly time to start the screening process. He is having to build scaffolding and will stand on a six inch board 20 some feet in the air to put on the screen. I can't even think about it.

Oh did I mention when it gets screened, I want it carpeted? The boys may never get their rooms.

Happy Birthday Katherine

It is hard to believe it has been almost 2 weeks since Katherine's birthday. It was a small affair this year, just Grammy Pat and the neighbor girls, but Katherine loved her Tres Leches cake and fruit. Mommy and Daddy got her a wooden kitchen and some wooden food to play with, and she loves to "cut" her vegetables and feed you a meal. Grammy Pat got her a bear to dress, and some really cute magnetic bears that she loves to play with. Here is a picture of the birthday girl in the new orange outfit Mommy made her from another Ottobre pattern.

Mollie the Medalist

Mollie is an amazing paddler. She was recently named to the Richardson  Racing Team as one of the best paddlers in the area. At a recent regatta, she won a couple of gold medals, a couple of silver medals and a couple of bronze medals. She is looking at joining the Sprint Team, a training organization for the U.S. Olympic Team, which will afford her the opportunity to train regularly with Olympic Coaches and compete throughout the world. Amazingly, she is able to stay upright in a boat about the size of a waterski. I have no idea how she does it, I just know that I love to watch her do it. Next week she will be at day camp all week, and after that she will be making a decision about whether to make the commitment necessary to join the Sprint Team. I am really trying to sit back and let her make her own decision, as it is a huge time and monetary commitment.

The end of school and the beginning of summer.....

Well, we made it through those last days of school. Those days when you are so proud of your children, because they ALL received honors at their respective honors day programs, and those days when you are panicking because you have NO EARTHLY CLUE what the heck you are supposed to do all summer.

I was going to post pics of the kids honors day programs, but you all know what they look like. Kids standing up in a line, looking uncomfortable, holding on to some certificate that hopefully I will get in a scrapbook sometime before they get old and retire. (I'm still working on getting something in Josh's baby book if that helps.) Josh was honored in Math (what a shocker!!), Theatre, and the Academic Team, Mollie was honored in Art and the Academic Team, and Jeffrey for Reading and P.E. (running 19 miles.)

I cannot believe school ended so soon. We are halfway through the second week of summer vacation. Of course school starts again on August 6.