whatever

*why does it rain every other day???? do you know how crazy my children are cooped up inside all day?

*the older three kids went to another one day bible school here in town. they had fun and i enjoyed time with just Reese. kind of a preview to the school year.

*we all slept in until 8:30 this morning. this is the first summer they have started to sleep in. i haven't slept in for almost 5 years.

*we are still working on potty training Ethan, he's getting better but still a long ways to go. today i made him dress himself with a little help. he is so uninterested in being independent unlike his triplet siblings and one year old sister.



*we spent the beginning of the week at Keely's house playing with Jackson and Jeffrey. it was a nice little get-away. we haven't been there forever. lots of playing, scrapbooking, just hanging out.

*Keely went to yard sales last weekend, now I'm dying to go. she found some awesome stuff. i haven't been to any. Aaron hates them. our town sales are tomorrow but Aaron has plans to work at a friend's house, i'm going to try to get him to leave later so I can prowl around a little to see if there are any bargains.

*i'm also dying to go to a farmer's market. i need fresh tomatoes. my friend, Penny, just blogged her experience of going there and we have to get there soon.

*we also haven't camped in our tent yet.

*i really want to plant a garden next summer -- why is my yard so shaded??????

*last weekend we spent some time driving around the quad cities looking at houses for sale. conclusion: we will not be to afford a house there even in the surrounding smaller towns. the very bottom prices for houses there is the top of the top around here. people would fall over dead if they knew what we paid for our home. i love our house except that it is not big enough. i love this town, the school district is good and the fact that i taught with many of the teachers is a bonus (i think). we need to get our rears in gear get this house in selling order so if the "perfect" house is up for sale we can make a move. there's lots to be done.

*our vacation plans are in full swing. i booked a couple hotel rooms with kitchens so little eating out. we are going to a hotel with a water park, lake geneva, and milwaukee zoo. i started the list, figuring out how to fit it all in our van will be the next problem.

*i think 90% of our toys need new batteries. what a pain.

*swimming lessons are over and Caden couldn't be happier. he didn't like the diving board but they didn't make any of my kids jump, they lowered them in and handed them off to the lifeguard in the water. he cried all the way to the ymca the last two times. next year we may try a public pool for lessons, i really don't think they learned too much in the two sessions they took.

*there's no diet mountain dew in this house today. do i load up the kids in the rain and drive to get more or suffer? tough question. might be nice to get them out of the house for a little while.