1. That kindergarten is OVER! (at least for 3 more years...)
2. that there is always something to laugh about at my house
3. warm summer rains

1. air conditioning
2. that we are actually having a relatively slow night at work!
3. the smell of freshly mowed grass

1. when Liam coughs or clears his throat, he politely puts a fist in front of his mouth
2. the way Liam answers "UM..." when you ask him a question now
3. that I only have one day left to carpool--YAY!

1. that usually things work out for the best
2. taking Liam miniature golfing for the first time
3. that I was not 16 when I had my first baby

Like I said, it is good he's so cute.

Okay, it is not all HIS fault. It is not fair that all the days run together when you are six years old and when your teacher says that Monday is your last day of school, you don't think it is a week away on Monday. It is also not fair that your mom's patience runs out by about noon the following day after a night shift and she is trying to convince you that really, you do have school TODAY, on TUESDAY (thinking to herself she needs to have a chat with the teacher about speaking in future tense...).
He was dawdling all morning, watching T.V. in his p.j.'s. I finally got him in the shower and when it came time for lunch is when it all came apart. Since he was convinced he didn't have school, he would not tell me what kind of sandwich he wanted. It was coming close to the magic time of departure and I began getting frustrated. I kept asking and asking and he kept mumbling some sort of choice but I could not understand him. Finally, he tried making his sandwich himself. The peanut butter is quite low and he could not get any on his knife so he finally asked me for help. I made a sandwich for him and he sat on the couch and ate it. I thought that all was well. I let him watch T.V. for a few more minutes and then announced it was time to go. He started throwing a fit and yelled: "But I didn't get any chips!!!" Oh, geez. I was at the end of my rope and felt my blood boiling beneath my skin. I stated quite sternly: "Luke, you drive me CRAZY!" Luke just looked at me with the sweetest smile and said: "I know."

Whoa.

This is the LONGEST I have gone without posting for a while and it feels wierd. I have had a lot going on and blogging just seemed overwhelming. But I have missed my "journaling" and I have a lot that I am grateful for in the last week! (I cannot believe it has only been a week since Father's Day--it seems like a month to me!) Sooooo, here goes a humungous list of things I am grateful for to make up for the last 7 days...

1. My husband. Happy late Father's Day! He is a wonderful dad and husband. He really is doing so much right now and still makes time to be with me and the boys. He is just as crazy as the kids and always seems to have a great time anywhere with them. Thank you for all you do!

2. My dad. He is amazing and I love how patient he is. I think that is one of my favorite qualities about my dad along with the way he can make anyone feel comfortable. He is Liam's favorite person and my dad never seems to get sick of having a very high maintenance 2 year old always attached to his hip.

3. My father in law. He is a very gracious person and I love how excited he gets when our boys are playing sports. He comes to many of their games to cheer them on and we love it!

4. My sister is going to have another BABY! She just announced it tonight and we are so excited to have another niece or nephew!

5. My brother in law Adam! His birthday was on the 22nd :). He is always willing to help us out and such a great example to my boys. We just love him!

6. My niece, Caroline. She just turned ONE on the 15th and she is such a sweetheart. She is very smart-she loves baby signing time and already knows a few. She is just cruising all around holding onto furniture and it won't be long before she is walking everywhere! She will be the best big sis ever!

7. The way Liam says: "Hello, mommy" when he wakes up in the morning.

8. That it is finally SUMMER!

9. There is a pool within walking distance of my house. It will be awesome to not have to spend money A) to go to a public pool and B) that I will hopefully save money on gas by not driving to a pool. The boys love the water and I know we will be there A LOT. If anyone wants to join us, let me know!

10. That my husband is not my first cousin.

11. finding a cute, modest swimsuit for under $100--it's true!

12. wildflowers

13. popsicles-there really is nothing better on a hot day and they are so cheap!

14. warm summer nights with friends and family just hanging out in the backyard

15. tweezers

16. that I am not lactose intolerant--there are just too many good things made with milk!

17. key lime things--my top three are the key lime pie from the Dodo, key lime shakes from Arctic Circle, and key lime gelatto from Dooners

18. Down East Home--it is an outlet type store and I LOVE it. Usually I just go to look, but in the last week I have found two pair of darling shorts for super cheap and a duvet cover for Nick that is the one he has been eyeing for months in the Pottery Barn Teen catalog. I am soo glad I waited to buy it!

19. the way Liam's toes scrunch up when he is trying to keep his flip flops on

20. Online bill pay

and lastly...
21. The photographer we have been going to forever. She is adorable and does great work. Her link is on my blog if you want to check her out and under "online proofing" click on "Corinne's picture party" (btw my name is spelled wrong but oh well) and you will see such cute pictures of my boys! They are the first chunk of pics and I LOVE them! Thanks McKenzie for always doing such a great job!

S-W-E-T!

This might contain a spoiler for some of you, so read at your own risk.

We went to see the new Indiana Jones movie last night. I really liked it and the boys LOVED it. They were talking about parts of the movie the entire way home and one of my favorite comments from Andrew was "The part when the alien comes out was
S-W-E-T!"

My confession: I am obsessed.

This is my confession. Yes, I am a loser. I am 33 years old and I am obsessed with High School Musical. I don't know if it is because I went to East or I am a sucker for musicals, but I LOVE it. I know all the songs and have even seen the version that teaches you the dance moves to one of the songs in the movie. Andrew loves it too, so when I am in the mood to see it, I will ask him to choose a movie to watch and then I don't feel so silly that I am watching it. The other day Luke told me that High School Musical is going to be a trilogy. I say, bring it on. I was driving by East the other day and they are filming the third movie now. I saw Lukas Graebel (Ryan in the movie) and I told people at work and they just looked at me funny. When I told my kids, they were so excited and wanted to know all the details. Do you sense that there is something wrong here? I know it is cheesy and I have been out of high school for years, but oh well. GO WILDCATS!
I tag Mistie, Andrea, Laura, Mel, Dana

1. that the weather cooperated for my picture party
2. that even though I wrote it down on the wrong day, I didn't miss Andrew's class talent show--by the way, he did AWESOME!
3. that my boys love it when I am home

1. s'mores
2. picnics
3. that my patient didn't prolapse her cord and have a crash c/s!

1. Hold the phone people--I GOT A NEW CAMERA!!
2. smelly lotion from Bath and Body Works, especially in the middle of the night
3. one-on-one time with my boys

1. that hair grows back
2. that Justin's boss is freaking amazing and unexpectedly helps us out in so many ways
3. appointments :)

More from our favorite 6 year old

-Luke went on a field trip to Wheeler Farm with his kindergarten class. I got him off the bus after they returned and as we were walking to our car, I asked him how it was. He looked at me with a huge grin and said: "It was AWESOME! We saw a big pig peeing!" Awesome.

-That same day, we went to the zoo and my sister Andrea said to Luke that he was looking so "big". Luke looked at her and said (imagine sassy talk):"Well, yeah, I'm six" (like that was the DUMBEST comment she could have made).

1. that my kids are still little enough to not be embarrassed to have me hug them in front of their friends
2. dental floss
3. chocolate syrup--and yes, sometimes I still squirt it right into my mouth!

1. stupid quizzes for my blog (by the way, my pirate name is Dirty Buxom Betty...)
2. labrador puppies-I think they are so cute!
3. my Grandma Winegar's recipe for pork chops and rice (although, according to Luke, it tastes like throw up.)