Fun On The Farm

While we were in MN we had a great weekend catching up with these folks!

Checking out the hayloft

Carlin taking the bunch for a ride in the Gator

Say Cheese!

Last year when we were in MN we got to spend some time with these folks.  It was so much fun to get to see them again this summer and catch up some more.  They got to come spend the weekend on the farm with us.  We went to a parade and a water show while they were there.

Same place, next year!

A Little Sweetheart....

I'm doing random catching up here. When I saw the pictures from when we stopped to see this special family, I had so many I didn't know where to start! So I thought I would try creating some collages.

Biking

My three guys!

Ready to ride! 

Loaded and ready to head to the starting point--26 miles away!

The cool breeze coming from the tunnels feels GREAT

Light at the end of the tunnel

Taking a break

Waiting for our cheese curds and sweet potato fries.
Sounds like a high energy snack, huh?!

On our way to MN, we stopped in WI and biked a 26 mile trail.  Three years ago we had biked the same trail.  It was really fun to see how much the boys had changed since then.  That summer when we last biked the trail Carlin was just a little shorter than me.  This year he is a couple inches shorter than Wayne.  He was among the last to finish last time.  This year he was the first one back.  This year Kyle is just a bit shorter than me.  Last time he had a single speed bike.  His bike this year was much easier!
The country side was beautiful.  The temperature was about 66 when we started.  It did warm up and got a bit humid.  When we would get close to the tunnels we could feel the cool air from the tunnel coming down the trail.  The last tunnel felt great.  The ceiling drips water and we were pretty hot and sweaty so it felt really good.  (There isn't much order to these pictures and I was getting annoyed trying to figure it out!)

Some More Updates

I missed getting these posted with the other bathroom pictures.

Updating

While we were in MN I had a fun week updating the upstairs bathroom. It started out with wallpaper and ended with yellow, light and dark teal walls. The house is over 100 years old with ceilings that have all kinds of angles. It was kind of fun to decide which color to put where.

Pre-Updated Look

This was the look in the upstairs bathroom at Wayne's folks.

More party pics

The lady in the blue (in front) was 5th grade teacher

to all 3 of our kids. The girl in brown is her daughter and

was also her student as was the other girl in front.

This dear lady was an aide to Deidre

for four years in elementary. These two would

have been better getting a video of. Deidre's tassel kept

getting her!
Deidre is a little bit bigger then she

was in elementary!

This guy (Kevin) loved his job of grilling

porkchops all day! We put them on

sticks (skewers) and called them chopsticks

This little guy kept busy all day

playing with the kittens in their food dish!

Graduation Party

We had a great day for Deidre's graduation and party. Rain was predicted for both events but it was so kind as to hold off until after. Wayne and I both had a good time getting ready for the event. While I cleaned the freezers in the garage, he worked on a chess table that he was building. (He's got his priorities straight!) Actually the chess set ended up being a hit. Several would stop by to play for a bit!

Wayne had the garage looking pretty good and we used one side of it to set up the food tables. Just outside the garage we had a tent set up. It was just a great day for seeing everyone and catching up a bit. I think it seemed a little unreal to Deidre that all this was for her. She was pretty pleased and is VERY happy to be finished with high school! She just sounds like a different kid this summer. I say "sounds" because she has been at Gma's and Gpa's since her party.

Wayne's Mom and Dad got to come on Tuesday before graduation. They were an incredible help--and tried to help me keep my sanity. Thank you for coming! His older brother, Kevin, came and brought Nick and Amanda. And Amanda brought sweet little Kylie! Thank you Elliott for sharing them with us! Warren and Lauren got to come for the graduation ceremony. Next year will be our turn to go to their place for graduation! And thank you, Elizabeth, for the outfit you got Deidre for her party! It was so cute on her--even without shoes!

I'll post a few pictures from that big day. Guess I'll post pictures of the guests attending graduation first! lol

Catching up!

Please bear with me while I try to update our blog with past events. Hopefully I will do that frequently here since our blog has grown quite stale over the past year. I finally feel like we are coming up for air again! It will be good to see you all again!

She Graduated!

I was trying out the telephoto lens

I had borrowed. We sat clear at the top of

the bleachers and across the football field from

this stand! Not bad!

400+ kids filing out of the gym!There she is! She was helping with the boy next to her.
Walking up on stage to get her
certificate

Friday was Deidre's graduation! It has been quite a trip down memory lane. I'm one that always, ALWAYS puts things off to the last minute--and then go crazy trying to get them finished. My delayed project this time was putting together a scrapbook for Deidre. It was just her school years--but she started preschool at the ISD (Intermediate School District) at age three! It was fun taking a trip down memory lane and seeing just how far she has come.

When Deidre was in first grade she had an aide start with her. That was a tremendous help. From second grade through fifth she had one aide with her the whole time. We still claim that special lady as a very special part of our lives. Middle school and high school were a struggle, but she made it through.

This next year Deidre will be moving on to an adventure that we are all very excited about. She will be starting a work training program through a transition center in the area. For the first time in many years we feel very positive about the assistance she will be receiving. She is excited too, that she will be training with others that understand her!

It just feels unreal to be at this stage of life with a graduate! It seems like just a couple years ago we were laughing about the fact that she would graduate in the year 2010! And here it is already!

Her party was loads of preparation, but the actual event was so much fun! Wayne and I both enjoyed it--and are already looking forward to doing this again! My only thing is--I just wish I could hang onto this time a little longer! I'm anxious to see where they go in life--but I enjoy this time, too!

How Times Have Changed

Remember the days when going on long (or short) car rides meant counting license plates, singing songs, finding things that start with ABC, annoying your brother (or sister) and threatening them with crossing your line on the seat? It's a whole new world out there now.

Just a fun example was this past weekend. We had planned to head up to Auburn for Sunday. I send a message on FaceBook to a dear friend in the area letting her know I would see her the next day. Within 10 minutes she calls me and wonders if we can come up Saturday evening instead and stay the night. We pack up and head out.

While we travel Carlin is finishing up homework on his laptop. Kyle is playing games on my laptop. The gameboys are on board. Wayne is on his cellphone, I'm on mine. And, of course, the GPS is directing us! Our car rides are definitely quieter then they were when we were kids!

Happy 18th Birthday, Deidre!

I can't believe how fast 18 years has gone! For as much as I always forget in the day to day life, that special day when our little girl came into our lives is still as clear as can be! I will try to get some pictures posted of her day soon.
(I'm needing to do a major overhaul on this blog too and get it updated!) New computer, new camera--now find time to practice with both! SOON!

Robotic Season

The first two pictures are taken in the pits area.

It is the first day of competition, making sure

everything connects.

The picture below is a set up of the field.

Carlin's teams robot is the blue one on the

far side of the field.

The picture below is what you see quite often

on the field. (Carlin's team have on the yellow shirts.)
Sometimes you don't have much time between matches

and you work on fixing your robot and hope it runs again

by the next match. In this picture they were next up. They

had to repair a chain. Other teams really pitch in to help wherever!

The first Saturday in January the Robotics Team learn what their game is. This year their game is soccer. Heads get together as they begin to plan the robot. All the guidelines have to be studied. An overweight, oversized robot can be disqualified from participating. No one wants to spend weeks building a robot that can't participate!

The kids get to work designing, building, programming, electrical, etc.... They are at school until 7p.m. every day and all day on Saturdays. This year Wayne got involved with the team and he would go in at 4 and spend the evening down there.


I'll post a few (of the many) pictures getting ready and participating in the competition this last weekend. This weekend will be their second competition.