End of Summer - Squeezing in the Fun!

Thursday, we had a great morning/afternoon with friends Jonah and Gabriel bowling at Eastgate Lanes. Zachary and Jeremy did great. I can really see the progress in both kids - they are bowling on their own and getting the ball down the lane (almost) every time! We made homemade pizza for dinner, and played lots of Wii Mario Kart and Family Game Night (borrowed from friends).

Bliss

Five boys. Pure Joy. That was my day today.

Nothing like friends and sun and water and a few cookies thrown in for good measure!

So, maybe this is a total cliche, but seriously, it doesn't get any better than this.

Busy Day

Jeremy woke me up at 7:45 this morning with the news that the tooth fairy had left a dollar bill under his pillow. He had been anticipating the tooth fairy's visit for some time. As soon as we got home from the dentist, he took his tooth out of the little box and stuck it under his pillow. He carried his prized dollar around the house all morning!

We started our busy day with a trip to see our friends Aaron, Dylan, and Brandon. We were supposed to play in the park, but it was raining. :( We had a good time at their house, anyway.

After lunch, we took Aunt Louise with us to Kohl's where we made good use of her 30% off coupon buying school clothes. If Kohl's were smart, they would send me the 30% off every single time - I definitely visit and spend more than I need to every time I have one!

Aunt Louise kept Jeremy while I took Zachary home and then to karate. Needless to say, Jeremy was sad to see me when I came to pick him up.

I worked at the CSA with Louise and Michelle tonight. It's so much more fun with friends. We picked beans and squash, and we weeded the corn with scuffle hoes (my favorite!).

Tim took Jeremy to karate, and both boys stayed there watching Tim's class until I arrived to bring them home. They are both so sweet and such good boys.

Going... Going...

Not too much going on at the Case House the last few weeks. We're ramping up for school and trying to get to the pool and enjoy the end of summer. There was some excitement today, though. Here was Jeremy two days ago:

("Going")

And one day ago:

("Going")

And this afternoon: ("Gone")

It took two years and three months, but the tooth that was knocked loose during a brotherly skirmish in the back of the van finally came out, thanks to Dr. Leary, a bit of wiggling with his tools, and a shot of Novocaine. I'll miss that baby tooth! Before it came out, Dr. Leary asked Jeremy if he wanted his tooth to come out. Jeremy told him that he was especially worried that he might swallow it, so he thought it would be good if he pulled it out. So sweet to know that was his big concern. He was incredibly brave when he got the Novocaine. He cried just a tiny bit and asked if it was over yet. Then it was. He called it the pinch that hurt pretty much but kept it from hurting more when they took his tooth out. (The most entertaining part of the day was the big wad of gauze he was supposed to keep on the area for 15 minutes. He couldn't really talk with it in, and it was driving him CRAZY. He kept asking me in his barely understandable mumble, "HOW long do I have to leave this?" The boy just cannot keep quiet under any circumstances!)

We celebrated with a milkshake from the Dairy Whip. What a big, brave boy.

Old and New

What a day Saturday was! After much angst over the idea of becoming a lime belt, Tim just woke up, took Zachary to testing, and he passed WITH an extra tip for a good score. More than that, our good friend Emily passed with an extra tip, too. Then, Tim, Al, and Allison all passed. It was a big day for the Case and Loughner families with one new yellow belt, one new orange belt, and three new lime belts. All with extra tips! So, a celebration was called for. Good fun!

Look at the admiration in his eyes! (Both moms say this is one for the slide show at the wedding.)

I'm proud of this scarey guy, too!

Back to the Farmyard

I joyfully spent Tuesday night (7/28) back at the CSA garden. Two and three quarter hours weeding and planting and just being away again. I missed being in the fields! They'll turn me into a farmer yet!