The Little Things

Last week we had a couple of hours of hard rain and at times high wind with thunder and lighting. You would think that we would have been inside, keeping dry and hoping the power wouldn't go out. No, that is to normal. We opened the garage doors and pulled out chairs and watched the storm. When there was a rain and wind, but no thunder and lighting, the boys stood up by the doors and said "Ready Mom" I got up and stood with them. On three we ran across our driveway to the shed and back laughing. Husband stayed in the garage and gave us a crazy look when we returned. I was almost crying. I asked the boys why they did that. Big Son looked at me and said, we always watched storms and ran in the rain when it was summer. Don't you remember Mom. I did remember. It had been awhile since we did that, but I felt my heart clench that my two boys remembered and enjoyed doing that.

There are little things that parents do with their children that make more of a lasting impression than what we think. Who would have thought that running through the rain brought happiness? Tomorrow afternoon we are digging a fire hole in our pull off driveway (this is where we park the trailer and motor home). On Thursday, when the boys come home from school we will put their school papers from the year, notebooks (not journals that they keep in school) and workbooks in the fire hole and burn it. This is something we have done since Big Son was in 3rd grade. It is a way to end the school year and look towards the future. We talk about what they did during the past school year and what they are looking forward to for the next. After we do that, we go out to lunch and then a movie.

Draw Back to FL

My mother-in-law called tonight to wish Husband a happy birthday (his birthday was 6/1). Shows what she's thinking and how she is. Husband let it slip that we were going to be in FL for a week. Now she is all crazy about "us driving to see her" (she lives 3 hours away). Husband told her we couldn't do it since we weren't going to have a car, and that we really just wanted to stay at the park. Does this stop her? No, she wants us to give her a day to meet for dinner. Husband is trying to explain that it is a "family" vacation and we will be pretty busy. She comes back with she is family and after 5 YEARS, isn't about time Husband met her husband and let her husband meet the boys. Husband tells her that if it was that important for her to see him and the boys, that when she was in NY she could have called to come over. She wants to know where we are staying, Husband says he doesn't know, but we are in the park. She says thats fine, her husband knows the area. GREAT!!!

She has not seen my kids for about 8 years, and Husband isn't crazy about seeing his mom again. Why? Because she is CRAZY!!! She calls him exactly 4 times a year. Hopefully he will hold off his mom for when we are down.

FRIDAY

The boys have been home for 20 minutes and the frantic activity at our house is almost funny. Both boys made plans to go to a friend's house to swim. Both boys want to go to Sports Authority first. Both boys have to finish packing the trailer before they go. It is amazing when they want something how willing they are to work together and not fight. Tomorrow we have a race. below is what our little family looks like at the track and our home on wheels. For most of the summer it seems like we live in our motorhome more than our house. This weekend the boys will be racing against eachother again. Thankfully that will be the last time until August. In July all their races are seperate. It really does a number on your nerves when they race against eachother and hoping both do well.





I better go down to the trailer and make sure they are not just throwing the tools and karts in the trailer. They are suppose to be putting everying in the right spot and tying down the karts. With the rush that they are in, it will probably look worse than it did before they started.

BUSY!!!

This is both the worst and best time of the school year. The best for the following reasons:

1. Soon (only 8 more days) I will not HAVE to wake up at 5:45 am.
2. The boys will be home for 2 months.
3. It is finally nice weather.
4. Vacation will soon be here!!
5. We are outside all the time.

The Worst reasons:

1. The boys will be home for 2 months.
2. TO MANY parties for each boy.
3. Studing for finals.
4. Lots of plans to keep organized and remembered.

Girls, Girls, Bad News

Today was a jammed packed day at the household. Little Son was going to his first "girl" party. Big Son was having 2 friends over after school. I drove Little Son to is party... side note, it was surprising to see so many "little" girls in bikinis at the pool party and so many boys in bathing suits and t-shirts looking amazed. Upon pulling up to my driveway I notice 2 girls hanging out at the bottom. Our dog goes nuts when I pull up and as I'm getting out of the car I can hear the girls calling the dog... Come here puppy , etc. I go in the house and Big Son and his friends want to know what the noice is outside. Oh, I say, two girls are at the bottom of the driveway calling the dog. I walk into my room and boys go outside. Next thing I know, I walk out of my room and the girls are in my house. I tryVERY hard to act like it is no big deal that there are girls in my house. IT IS A BIG DEAL!!! Here I am dropping my little baby off at his first "girl" party and come home and there are girls in my house. It hit me that my boys are growing up. Another step into becomming men.

The girls ended up staying for about an hour. They all went out into the trampoline and hung out. The funny thing to me is that after 15 minutes of the girls being at my house, phone calls were made somehow and 4 more boys showed up. The girls left and the boys went into Big Son's room for a huddle. All of a sudden, the girls came back. By this time husband was home and was very amused about the girls. He asked me if the girls parent's knew that they were over. Who knows? All I know that if I had 14 year old girls, I would be knowing what boys they were with. Husband and I ended up driving the boys to MK so they could eat, and then back to the Carnival. Husband and I also went to the carnival to see old friends. I ended up seeing my Big Son walking with his arm around one of girls who was at our house. Makes Sense now. Husband is telling me now that girls were over once, get ready for the onslaught of them being over all the time.

All the time we spent with the boys tonight was fun. It still hit me a little hard in the heart to see my "big" baby with a girl. I know, I know, he is suppose to be with girls. Have his crush. Have girls have a crush on him. But...he is my baby. In my eyes I see him as a 5 year old getting on the bus for kindergarten. How do I deal with him having a girlfriend? I called my sister tonight to tell her what was happening. Like she said, in FL, I can have my boys back. It is hard to see your kids grow up. To know what they are going to go through. Husband thinks that I'm over sensitive about the girl issue. When I asked him how he will feel about his niece's walking to a boy's house to hang out, he said it wouldn't happen. They wouldn't be aloud to a boys house unless their father, him our their cousins go with them. The girls, he says, are to good for any boy that they would want to be with. On the flip side, Husband says that any girl can hang out with his boys... Our boys are to good for them.

I realized tonight... it is easier to be a teenager than to have teenagers.

Town Gone Wild

Last night was the annual Fireman's Parade in our town. Also, the annual Carnival comes. Needless to say, it is a free for all regarding the kids. We had plans to meet our friends at their house for dinner and then walk down to the parade. The friend's house we were going to is Husband's best friend for years. So of course our kids feel that their house is our house. Big Son and Little Son both told their friends to meet them at Husband's friends house. Husband's friend is someome who races with us and also has kids who are 7 and 4. Basically it is like having extended nieces and nephews. My kid's friend's showed up at Husband's friend's house and his kids LOVED IT. It was like any kids dream. They love Big and Little Son and BOUNS, friends show up. Pizza was eaten and then the walk down into town. Big Son and Little Son, along with their friends, hung out with Husband's friends kids. Cute because the older kids held hands with the little kids. Promises were made to go on rides at the carnival during the weekend. Husband's friend's kids felt important....until we got to town. My boys gave their goodbyes to the group we meet up with and then.... gone with friends.

I just left them off at the Carnival for the night. Big Son told me that he promised his twin cousins to go on two rides with them and play one game with them. Little Son said that the twins could come with him and his friends to walk around. Cool. Isn't that what family is about? Here are 14 and 12 year old telling their little cousins that they will be with them and take care of them. Makes me proud as a mother.

Disney

The time for the big family trip is comming up. For us, the time will go fast. Party invitation for the boys are comming in the mail at an average of 2 a day, racing, and graduation for Big Son will leave me rushed at the last minute to get everything done. I really need to start making lists. One for what I need to buy, one for what I don't want to forget, etc. Packing isn't really an issue since it feels like I need to do that every week.

I'm really looking forward to getting away with everyone. I think it will be a great time and it will be cute to see how excited my nieces are about their days. It will be such a contrast from what I do during the day from what my sister does. The boys are not going to be interested in the characters walking around, but more in the rides and sights. Big Son and Husband don't really like to many rides and Little Son and I like just about every ride. I haven't made any plans for the week, figuring that it will be better to take each day as it comes, and whatever the boys feel like doing, we will. I've been spending my nights wrapping change and I am pretty sure that all our spending money will come out of spare change (I've been saving it for about 8 years). Each year I usually change in quarters, so as of right now there is about $600 just in quarters. It will be nice to not have to spend "real" money.

38

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. It was also my sister's anniversary. I didn't call and wish her a happy anniversary. Sorry. I was busy getting ready for husband's party. This shouldn't have been hard since I was only having 14 people over. However, Friday afternoon we left to go to a race. It was 6 hours away from our house; about 2 hours north of Elmira, NY. Saturday was race day and fortunately since the weather forcast wasn't great they pushed the race through and we were done by 2:00 pm. We got home at 8:00, went for a quick dinner and at dinner the boys and I told husband we were having a party for him the next day. The look of confusion that crossed his face was priceless. The boys just started laughing. Needless to say, Sunday morning was spent doing a mad dash to pick up the house and get all the food ready. We also had to make sure the yard was cleaned up. Husband was not happy about his friends coming over. He almost through a temper tantrum even though the boys and I did all the work while we made him stay inside and relax. Of course once the first car pulled up he was happy and totally relaxed and it ended up being a lot of fun.

Tonight Husband is with big son racing again. It is at a track about 1 1/2 hours from our house, but the minimum age to race is 14 and there is no age limit. Big Son has never race there before and I got a call 20 minutes ago from him telling me that he won his heat race (after starting 25th in 10 laps) and is starting on the pole. He is racing against a lot of guys older than him and if he finishes 10th in the feature he can come home with $500.00. If he wins, since there are 50 cars racing, he can come home with $4,000.00. Not to bad for a night. Good luck baby!!