Hi Honey, We Miss You

Don is on the road in beautiful Santa Barbara. He says it is beautiful, and I'll take his word for it. Hope you are enjoy sleeping in that big king size bed all by yourself.


I dropped Walker off at school this morning, as usual. I offered Reese a ride in but he refused and took thebus, as usual.


On my way to the gym, I stopped at a garage sale on "Richingham Lane". Did not find much to buy ("a Coach bag for $30 when they sell on Ebay for $60!"), but did manage to leave with a handful of Lego mini-figs ($1), Chanel tinted moisturizer ($5) and Bobbie Brown blush ($3).


Next stop was the gym. Bernie and I walked for about 45-50 minutes and did a post-mortum on our Echidnas meeting last night. We were then joined by a friend of Bernie's and then walked another 20 minutes. By then I was done and headed home!


I came home, checked email, started laundry and gave our dog some much needed attention (ha!) and then headed out to school. After registering as a volunteer (and proving I am not a registered sex offender), I joined Walker for lunch. Um, if you can call what he does eat lunch. He sipped a Sprite and ate two Pringles.


The last Thursday of the month I am the First Grade Work Room Mom. Except I forgot that I traded with another mom and was supposed to be there last Tuesday - oops. We worked together and got everything done. The teachers are SO appreciative for the help. Let's see, I made copies, laminated, cut, sorted, counted and distributed. I also took some work home to cut. Still got to get that done.

From the workroom, I picked up Walker. Our first stop was Big Lots to pick up paint. Did you know that Big Lots does not carry paint? On to Elliott's Hardware. I KNOW they have paint. The store has been updated since my last time there. They now have an Ebay center and a huge grill section. Elliott's also had the exact paint we needed!

We came home where I checked email and updated some HOA records. I received three donations in today's mail. I painted Walker's sword, I mean we painted it together. It looks great! Now he just needs to not touch it until it dries.

Walk wanted to play outside so we did that for awhile. Wonder how many mesquito bites I will have? Finally ready for food, I made Walker turkey bacon and eggs. At least he made a healthy choice.

Reese is now home and playing Spore. I have suggested it is homework time. Walker has compleeted his homework package and is now eating the last ice cream bar. He needs a shower.

Hope the rest of your trip is good. We love you and miss you! Hurry home

JROTC

Monday night was the Plano West JROTC Commissioning ceremony where Reese was promoted. He was very excited to participate in the ceremony with his first promotion.

Being promoted meant going on stage and having two special people also come on stage with you to place your new decorations on your uniform. Sadly, Don is out of town on business so he missed the event. In his absence, Reese selected Grandpa Alan and his cousin Mason who is also his best friend. Mason left band practice early so that he could attend the event. How sweet is that?

The formal ceremony was interesting to watch, with the young men and women coming onto the stage with their parents and relatives. The students lead the entire program and did a wonderful job.

Reese was called in the last group on stage. Grandpa and Mason proudly added his rank decoration to the epillete on his shirt.

Except that Grandpa, a former military man, put them on UPSIDE DOWN. Reese did notice when he was back at his seat! After the ceremony Grandpa and Mason made it right by putting them back on the correct way. Funny Grandpa!

Cake was served following the ceremony. Mason raced out to get cake as he was starved. Reese came out at the end and hand none as it was all gone

Dentist Today

Walker and I are having a lovely day today. He had a 11 am dental appointment so he did not go to school today. Today is early release with the kids out at noon, so he did not miss much. By time they eat lunch and go to recess I am not sure how much time is left for instruction.

The morning was nice as we were able to sleep in and not have to rush out of the house at our usual 7:15 am. We moseyed out to to pick up W’s pre-medication prescription, stopped at the grocery story to pick up a gift card (was not ready, have to go back on Monday), and then to Sam’s Club to gas up the van.

At the dentist he refused gas (don’t blame him) and thoroughly did not enjoy the cavity being refilled. It only took a second. I am not sure if she even gave him Novocain. We stayed a bit at the dental office so Walker could play her video game machine. Best part: she did not charge us anything!

We left the dental office and headed to Michaels. I spent $40 (!) on I do not know what. We spent the morning researching Link costumes and bought supplies to paint Walker’s sword and bought foam board to make a shield.

Walker is being very good – he is very calm and playing happily now.

We have group this afternoon. He does seem to be getting better – could it be the benefit of Group?

A Great Day

I've had a great day today!

Meet my Gym Buddy early. We typically go at 1 so I can work out and then head directly to school to pick up Walker. We once went early and it was full of pretty and fit women working out with their personal trainers. Packed with people. Today, it was not busy and I really liked getting my day started early.

Next stop to Sams for a few groceries and fruit for the weekend. Walker has been begging for Matzah Ball Soup, so I have some on the stove.

A good start to the day

Big Difference

Reese at age 7

"Dad, you know ANYTHING!"

Walker at age 7

"How do YOU know?"

A Long Week

It’s been a long week!

Thursday, I met two new PTA members for lunch to help get them started with their new job. As I entered the restaurant my toe got caught in the heavy front door and was damaged. I made it through lunch and then Don took me to “doc-in-a-box”. Fortunately, while it looks REALLY bad, it really did not hurt. Initially, there was a bit of discomfort and lots of blood. Treatment is antibiotic ointment ($60 RX copay!) and wait for the nail to fall off.

Friday night we had about 40 people for dinner. My brand new housekeepers had my house clean and our favorite Mexican restaurant (Blue Goose) catered. The food was wonderful and everyone had a good time.

Reese worked the football game for ROTC and many of our family members headed to the football game to watch Mason perform in the marching band. I am proud of Reese. We told him in order to go he would need to find his own rides as we had our hands full with our dinner company. I was really sure he would end up calling us stranded at school for a ride home – but he did not!

Bryce’s Bar Mitzvah was Saturday morning and his performance was FANTASTIC. He did a great job. My opinion is that Temple has dumbed down the Bar Mitzvah program. Not sure why. I think they do not give the program the attention it deserves. It IS a big deal for the kids and the families.

The BIG party was Saturday night at a Party Barn. The “barn” was decorated cute with balloons galore. The kids had a great time playing casino games, riding a mechanical bull and shooting hoops. Who knew that teens were such poker players?

Sunday was Walker’s first Sunday School session. We did not enroll him last year as I did not think he was ready. He did not want to go, had bad attitude and did not even try to listen or participate in the class. I sat in with him as I did not trust his behavior. The teacher was really bad. Well, she is probably a fine teacher, just not for first grade. She talked at the kids and was not engaging AT ALL. The kids were laying their heads on their desk. The teacher was not aware that she had completely lost the kids. I spoke to administration and we will try a different class next week. I do not want to force him, but I want him to have an opportunity to participate in a religious education.

To complete the weekend, I had Sunday Brunch and Sunday dinner for leftovers with the family. I definitely did not spend enough time with my out-of-town relatives and visitors. We should see them more often!!

Oh and during this I have been suffering with a head cold! I am still not 100%. This is my worst cold in years and years and years. Yuck!

Caught one!

Walker had his hair cut today - he is such an handsome guy. This is the closest I am going to get for a back to school photo.

I actually snuck some photos of him! Here, he is drinking soda so that he can create some burps. Nice.

School week one? Complete!

I think my favorite part of this past week was my return to the gym. Yes, I should have figured out how to work out with over summer break but I just did not make it happen. Yes, I will work and try much harder during the summer of 2009 to make routine trips to the gym. I regret not making it happen this summer.

The best part of going back to the gym is re-connecting with my walking buddy. She is talking about returning to the full-time work force and I selfishly hope that she changes her mind. I do wish her the best of luck.

Walker did great at school. So far, his teacher is fabulous and I expect her to be fabulous all year long! Best of all Walker loves her. She is young and cute and enthusiastic – all signs of a fantastic teacher. Walker says she is his “type”. Walker told me this and he has told her. She questioned him about what does that mean, but she could not get an answer. *I* think it means she is young and pretty (which she is)! We began our weekly homework package. Such hard work for a little guy.

I spent a huge amount of hours at school this past week. I love volunteering and I love helping the school. I love that the school appreciates my efforts. I did way more physical work than I am accustomed to and boy was I tired. Shattered tired. Lifting and moving very heavy boxes on multiple days, working as a cashier and serving lunch. I loved meeting teachers and interacting with the students.

Walker had a horrible night on Friday night – he thrashed and kicked all night long. As a result, Don and I were up most all night long. In addition to thrashing about, he was ranting and raving with “crazy talk”. We finally decided he was sleeping with a bad dream so we woke him up. He complained of a sore throat so we painfully persuaded him to take some Advil (did not want the bubble gum as it was a girl color and did not want the red –yuck). I put on cartoons for him and I fell asleep and he did as well.

Saturday morning he woke up with a full on cold. School began on Monday and by Friday night he was sick. I really expected him to be sick by Tuesday or Wednesday so my prediction was off. Today – Sunday, my throat is feeling scratchy and my nose is tingling. How many days before I have a full on cold? Again, yuck.

Bryce’s bar mitzvah is Saturday and we are hosting a dinner party Friday night and expecting house guests on Thursday. We informed our house guests of Walker’s cold and they declined to stay with us. Cannot say that I blame them. We will miss their company.

In preparation for the bar mitzvah, I shopped for clothes today. I really dislike clothes shopping. Funny that I loved shopping to sell on Ebay, but that is really completely different. My purchases included a three piece casual set from Soma, a silk dress, two bras (marked down 75% from $72 and $78!) from Nordstom’s Rack and two skirt sets from Talbots (25% off clearance price). I did well and am now ready for my weekend and I still dislike shopping for myself!

No Photos

Back to school day is today!! Yipee. I love spending the summer break with my family and love when they are back in school - it is just different.

Walker headed to first grade. He has wanted to be in first grade since last year, so he is pleased with his placement. We met his teacher last week and tried to get to know her a little bit before the first day and ease the transition back to school.

After escorting Walker to his class, I joined the PTA for a cup of coffee -but ended up selling school supplies. Then, with three helpers, we spent 3.5 hours delivering bulk school supplies to each grade level. I twisted my leg/knee a bit, but it seems okay, just a little uncomfortable.

After a brief stop home, it was on to the gym. My first gym date since school was in session in June. I was thrilled to spend time with my friend and get some exercise. Yes, my knee was a bit sore afterward, but it's all good.

Reese called just after 5 to tell me his bus did not show. I told him give the bus 30 minutes to arrive and then call me. No need to wait in 98 degree heat for almost an hour! He reports that his day was "good". And, he came home with no homework - which surprised me.

All in all - a good day for everyone. Maybe I can get some delayed photos

One Week To Go

Our second to last week before school is complete and we are now counting down the last days of vacation.

Reese had a great summer with lots of activities and friends AND he has completed his driver's ed course. All he needs to do is wait for his 16th birthday and a drivers license will be bestowed upon him.

Walker has spent entirely too much time a home this summer and as predicted the more time at home the less he wants to leave the house. His favorite activity has been spending time with his cousin. He hated the camp - no surprise there.

A cold front blew through our part of Texas and the high yesterday and today is 83! Feels glorious. Yesterday, I went outside with my Ipod and started pulling weeds in the garden. Don followed me out and we ended up cleaning up the entire back yard. The yard looks fabulous but we (ME!) were shattered. I woke up in the middle of the night with bug bites itching horribly - yuck.

Now off to plan the rest of the week....

Chuging Alon

Summer is chugging right along. Two full weeks of school vacation remaining for the boys. I can say that I am looking forward to returning to the gym once they are safely back at school!

Walker tried Chess Club for the first time yesterday. Since Chess Club is Reese's domain, we asked him if it was okay with him for Walker to attend. Reese generously said it was fine with him! Reese is the one who taught Walker to play. Sadly, Walker remains a mess. He closes himself off to other people and did not try to make friends. The Chess kids are kind and accepting, but he was just mean. He seems to be trying to maintain a persona. So frustrating!!!

Restaurant Week has begun! Many restaurants offer a special menu for $35 with a portion of the proceeds going to the local food bank. We selected our favorite steak house III Forks and went with our dear neighbor freinds. Reese and their son joined us as well for this highly enjoyed treat. Next week we go again with another group to try another restaurant.

#1 Tenth Grader

Reese attend the US Open Chess Tournament's Scholastic Division. He would have prefered to have played in the "real" tournament.

Reese came home with a 10th grade first place trophy. He was very happy. Overall he was #9

In the third round he was the 5th place 10th grader and #20 overall.

Trophies were given to the top 5 overall and first place in each grade. The #1 10th grader placed top 5, but could only win one trophy – which gave the first place 10th grade to Reese!

Aren't They Cute?

The Greatest Show on Earth

The Circus is in town and we decided to go! Reese and I attended when he was three or four years old and Don attended during his college years. Definitely time to go again.

We have also never been to my city's new arena. The arena is nice and new. Concessions were pricey but that would be the case anywhere. They did have a large selection of food, which was nice.

What I do remember from years ago was all the souvenirs for sale. That has not changed a bit! We arrived for the pre-show - an hour before show time. On the arena floor, small acts were going on and performers were giving autographs and mingling with the crowd. Reese and I enjoyed walking around and watching the shows.

A great challenge Walker. He hated the large venue and despised being there. he begged to go home - often. The circus was too loud, too big, too bright and too dark for him. He was scared to watch the performances and afraid for the performers (the high wires really were high). Don and I need to be much more aware of his issues in the future. We are working on a diagnosis but just do not have one now. In the mean time, he needs to try to be flexible as do we.

Now on to the show. The Circus is quite a production. Not the three ring circus of from when I was a youth. The new sets were constantly being put up and broken down for the next act. Don's favorite were the tiger and elephants performing. Mine was the Bello the clown and performing dogs. Reese liked it all and Walker liked nothing.

The Circus is fun and we will go again.

Sleep Apnea

Don is always tired. Not just tired, but really, really tired. A few years ago his doctor recommended a sleep study. Once we found out what our out of pocket would be, he never went.

Fast forward years (and years) later. We inquired with our current insurance, so an appointment was made. Don went to the clinic and had the study done. And a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea was made.

Saturday night, he goes back to the sleep clinic to try a CPAP machine, which is his only treatment option.

I am excited about the possibility that he will not be so darn tired all the time

Downtown Dallas

We spent the morning today at the Downtown Dallas Farmer's Market. I sure wish it was anything like the Market in Los Angeles - that place is awesome!

The Dallas Farmer's Market consists of many "sheds" where vendors can pull up their trucks and sell produce. I think very few items or vendors are local. I was disappointed with the freshness the last time we were there, so I tried to be more careful - if that is at all possible.

Our main reason for going is to buy Don more honey. We bought it for the first time on our last trip to the farmer's market and he has been loving it ever since. Says it is the best honey he has had EVER.

Reese and I decided we would buy the ingredients to make salsa. I looked up receipes to can, but am still not convinced we can pull it off. I did make a batch of fresh and it came out well (it cannot be canned as it needs vinegar to preserve). Reese drove me to the corner store to buy chips and geeze was that an experience!

Walker complained the entire time that he just wanted to go home - quite typical for him.

On our way out we drove through downtown. We passed this cool hotel pool which belongs to the boutique Joule Hotel. Pretty amazing that the pool hovers over a downtown city street.

Here is a photo of the pool from their website:

At $320 per night (summer special), I doubt we will be swimming in this awesome pool.

Our last drive by was past the Stoneleigh Hotel, where we were married. That hotel we do plan to return to, perhaps on our next anniverary. The interior has been completely renovated since we were there and we definitely want to see what was done.

Enjoying Summer

Summer vacation continues .....

Reese attended his first week of day camp. He has enjoyed teen camp for years and had fun. *I* felt bad after dropping him off the first day. The scheduled seemed really scaled back from years past. The kids seemed unenthusiastic and not really happy to be there. Reese enjoyed himself and had fun. He is signed up for one more week, so I asked if he wanted to go back - he looked at me quizically and said "yes!". Reese is such a happy guy. His glass is half full and he sees the best in everything.

Walker and I spent the week together. Er, I should say we spent the week at home. He has played an aweful lot of Wii and Gameboy. He does not want to leave the house or go anywhere. That is what makes him happy. We did swim one day, run errands and do a few things - but his wish was to play his games

Guitar Hero on Tour remains Walker's favorite birthday gift. He LOVES it. It is so funny to hear him singing rock songs. Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Smash Mouth's "All Star" are current favorites. I have to say that I like it waaayyyy better than the Wii version. The song selection is much closer to my taste in music. Most music is by the original artist instead of just bad covers.

This week, I was selected as a member of my PTA's Audit Committee. Before you are impressed with such an honor, no one else would do the job. Two members from last year agreed to the job because no one else would and they then drafted me because they knew I could easily join their team and get the job done. My PTA is starved for volunteers, but I suppose that is a diffrent post

Thank you Notes

Walker dictated thank you notes to me for the birthday gifts he received. These totally reflect him and his personality. I think some re-writing is in order

Dear Aunt and Uncle,
Thank you for the Razor scooter. I think it would be very hard to be able to practice. Thank you for mailing me something for my birthday.

Like,
Walker


Dear Aunt
Thank you for the three $5 bills. I spent the money on Super Paper Mario for my Wii Game. I am going to play it right now. Thanks a lot

Like,
Walker



Dear Aunt and Uncle
Thank you very very very much for the check money for my birthday. I spent the money on a Super Paper Mario Game. I am going to figure out if I like it or if I do not like it. Thank you for sending me something.

Like,
Walker

Walker's 7th Birthday

Walker had a great seventh birthday. For a kid who tries really hard to be stoic and not admit to any fun, he really had a great day.

Look at the anxiety on on his face. He spends way too much time being anxious. I sure hope we are able to help him with this.

Summer is not a great time to celebrate a kid's birthday. School friends are scattered about so it is difficult to get friends together for a party - even if I could track classmates down. Last year, I made a party just before the school year ended and the poor guy was confused about why his birthday came early.

Walker's asked to have his party at Chic-fil-A. We would have catered it in, but the family was not available on Monday, so we moved the party to Sunday, but Chick-Fil-A is does not open on Sundays! Don grilled dogs and burgers so it all worked out fine. Walker requested his favorite Cinnamon cake, and that was an easy request to fill.

Walker received all the gifts he requested so he was quite happy. He also got to spend the evening with many of his favorite people.

Guitar Hero for DS, Pokemon, Legos and Wii Fit: Life does not get much better

Making a wish

He played with his new Lego set for HOURS! He played alone, he played with me, he played with Don

Don't go to this hospital

Into the trip, Don began complaining about his knee being stiff and uncomfortable. He did not remember injuring it. Once he got moving, he felt okay.

Until Sunday night, when he woke about midnight in extreme pain. On a scale of 1-10 he was an 11. We left for the hospital about 12:30 am. We got to see a doctor around 3, which was after me complaing and after most everyone (about four people) were all taken in before us. Their rate of taking patients was about one every half hour. No kidding, a woman with a mesquito bite was taken before us. I think they need to reevaluate their triage system!

We were taken to X-ray by a surley attendant, who immediatly took back her wheelchair as soon as the test was complete.

We saw two doctors, a younger woman and an older man. Both had no idea what could be causing the extreme pain. X-rays showed nothing, so they sent us on our way with mild painkillers.

We got back to the hotel about 6 am, slept until 8, had breakfast, filled prescriptions and hit the road back to Dallas.

We will have to see the rest of Galveston another day

The Gout

After our six hour drive home, I got on the computer. With a suggestion from my message board buddies I asked Don if he thought he might have gout. He has had it before in his toe, but it can affect any joint. He actually said he had thought about asking the doctor about it. Don took a previous Gout prescription and stronger pain meds and almost immediately began feeling better.

Had that yutz of a doctor done a simple Google search, perhaps he could have made the diagnosos!

We saw Don's regular doctor the next day and she immediately diagnosed gout. What a disservice we were done at the hospital, where they said they had no diagnoisis and nothing they could do for us. Had they made the diagnosis and started medication he would probably be completely better now.

Galveston

Our trip to Galveston, Texas was my first. We decided to go since it is located only one hour from Houston and we thought it would be a fun activity. We were looking forward to seeing the history of the city as well as visiting the beach town. I think Don had been there as a youth.

The beach was not as I expected. I had heard that the beaches are brown, the water less than beautiful and in general not great beaches. Still, not what I expected - I knew I would not see the sugar white beach of the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast, but still.

A seawall was built along the water, so all hotels are located across the main drag of the city. To get to the beach, you have to cross a busy street and then down a flight of stairs. To deal with erosion, huge granite bolders were placed along the shoreline.

Directly across from our hotel were the huge bolders - about a mile down the road were regular beaches. The water smelled, which Walker could not deal with. The smell might have been better on the regular beach.

We visited The Strand, a historic outdoor shopping center. Reese enjoyed a game of chess on an oversized chess board. We went in a few shops and just walked around. We saw at Carnival Cruise ship - and geeze, was it HUGE!

Dinner was at Gaido's an old school, recommended fish restauant.

Nasa

We left Houston and headed to our mini-vacation in Galveston. In route we stopped at NASA. Don and Reese were there years ago and enjoyed it. We all also loved visiting NASA on the Space Coast many years ago.

Sadly, I was disappointed in the trip and would most definitely not recommend it. The main exhibit was a huge indoor playground which had absolutely nothing to do with space exploration. Perhaps we would have learned and enjoyed more if we had taken some of the tram tours.

The kids had a great time. Reese went through the entire playground area and Walker tried - and did very well - on a trapeze!

Texas Battleship and San Jacinto Monument

Our Houston activity was a trip to the Texas Battleship and San Jacinto Monument.

The monument is a huge statue with reflecting pond. The boys took an elevator to a top observation deck. Lots of history all around.

View from the observation deck

Across the park is the Texas Battleship. It is huge and claustrophobic - I cannot imagine being stationed on this ship. We could not decide if, when in service, the ship had air conditioning. We saw the living and working quarters and Reese even checked out the equipment.

Reese "holding up" the monument

Houston Texas

We checked into our Houston hotel and then were off to visit Grandma and Grandpa. They were quite happy to see us - most especially the boys.

They both appeared older and more frail since we had seen them six months ago. Grandpa Gene is on oxygen and has help almost 24/7. He now does not seem to recover from each step down he takes. Walker was slow to warm up, but did come around - by the time we were leaving! We are still sad/disappointed that they chose to live in Houston rather than Dallas.

Gene was thrilled to have Reese recant his trip to ROTC Camp. His body is failing him, but his mind is sharp.

Highlights of the trip included:

** Grandma cooking for her baby boy - his favorite chicken and dumplings. Don loved it.

** Hot Dogs at James's Coney Island

** A giant Border's book store at the Houston Galleria for Beth and Reese

Time for a trip - vacation?

Time to visit the inlaws. We are off to Houston to visit Grandma and Grandpa with a small vacation along the way.

We will drop off Ozzy with my mom and dad (thank you!), pick up Reese from his last driving class and then be on the road!

Driving Lessons

With his permit in hand, Reese is now ready to learn to drive. He has now completed two weeks of driver's ed - all theory, no actual behind the wheel experience.

Three times this week I took him out in "his" car to drive. "His" car is a pick up truck with manual transmission, so our lessons have been limited to getting the car to go without stalling. Some days he has done better than others. So we start and stop and start and stop and start and stop. No need yet to even leave first gear.

Tonight, I needed my car moved from the garage to the front of the house, so I asked Reese to drive it around for me. I rode in the passenger seat. He had no idea what to do: where is the turn signal, how do I put it in gear? Where does it say drive? Which side of the road do I drive on?

Oh, when I say STOP, he seems to just keep going and going and going.

Lots more work needed.

Taxi Service

Today, I feel like I am on a road trip. Way too much time in the car and I am not even half way through my day. Isn't this what my last post was about?

Reese is the proud receipant of his driver's learner's permit. Err, well, that was until HE LOST IT. He arrived home with his permit around noon Saturday and by noon on Sunday it was lost, nowhere to be found. How could this happen? We all searched, and searched and searched without finding that darn piece of paper.

Today, Reese and I woke early and went to the DMV. We were in line about ten minutes before opening and were maybe 30th in line. Many, many more joined the line behind us. One person to process all.those.people. 15 minutes in the first line. 40 minutes waiting and listening for number 12 to be called. One we were called, we waited about 10 minutes in the next line and then just minutes to wait for a new permit to be printed. If this copy is lost, Reese will be taking the bus to the DMV.

Fortunately, I do not go to the DMV very often. What a melting pot of people. From two cackling teengirls, moms/dads with their kids there for a fresh drivers license or learner's permit and many, many more from all walks of the world. The most startling to me were the two women in berkas.

From the DMV, home to pick up and take Walker to camp and then Reese to drivers ed. Home for a little work and then to gather the boys back again. Walker and I have an appointment this afternoon followed by swimming and cooking school tonight. Shew!

Driving, Driving, Driving

I spent most of this week driving children! Driving is most defintely a major task of a SAHM.

Walker completed his first week at NexGym camp. So far, so good. He has not complained of hating it and camp did not tell him to not come back, so all is well for now.

We started Walk on a new medication which has taken some adjustment. He started the Daytrana patch, which is the same medication he has been taking, just in a different form. I think it is much more effective for him. It took him a few days to get used to the change and a few more days for us to figure out how long to keep the patch on and a realization that I think the dosage is too high. Now that we are at the end of the week, I think we are getting the hang of it.

Reese returned Sunday from vacationing with my parents. He had a fantastic time in Cashiers, North Carolina. Glad it worked out for everyone.

This week and for the next three weeks, Reese is taking Drivers Ed. In my state, the schools do not offer training, so it must be taken privately. Parents may teach with permission of the state: 20 hours theory and 14 hours behind the wheel. I think the Sears Driving School will do a fine job and prevent us from many arguments. We will still have to teach him how to drive the actual car, but not just yet. While he has passed his permit test, he does not have the actual document, so I am off the hook for at least anothe weekend.

Camp

Reese returned Sunday from three days at JROTC Leadership Training Camp. He was completely exhausted, but had a great time. Lots of exercises requiring lots of physical activity. Monday he reported at 0615 back to school to participate in a ropes course about an hour away. I woke him up about 5:30 am. He was at the ropes cours all day and returned home about 7 pm. He did not seem as tired as I expected him to be.

Walker and I had our first yoga/strength training/martials arts class. He HATED it. We spent about 30 minutes doing stretching and yoga poses. Then the kids played a game with a ball, where if you got tagged out you had to do 5 push ups. She finished up with some nutritional information. Following class we all went to Cici's pizza for lunch. Hopefully, the game and the lunch made up for the exercising he did not care for. I paid for a 6 week class for each of us so I hope he will be willing to go again.

Walker was signed up for a summer membership and will enroll in Nexgym camp. Nexgym is a combination of virtual reality and exercise. Ride a bike and have a tv come on, DDR, Wii, dodgeball and more activities. He has been before and love it. I hope he will continue to love it as I paid for a 3 month membership.

Saturday Outings

We headed to the zoo today to see the rhinos bowl! How fun does that sound? Once we arrived to the zoo, no one had any idea what we were talking about. By time we decided that it was probably in the regular rhino area, we did not think we had enough time to hike there, so we decided to enjoy the zoo.

Our zoo used to be quite old and outdated, but thanks to several city bond elections the zoo is now fabulous. It's really too bad that many people in Dallas still think of our zoo as old and out of date with terrible caged animals - but that is so not true. I just wish it was closer so that we could go more often. Even since out last visit, many improvements have been made including beautiful grounds, statutes and more. AND we even got a super parking place!

Our first stop was the aviary where birds can be fed. So cool. Walker was scared for them to land on him, but still enjoyed the area. Our next stop was a special exhibit, Stingray Bay and a 4D Sponge Bob ride. We decided to pass on the ride, and went right to the stingrays. Not surprisingly, Walker did not want to touch them. Don touched, and pet and fed them. So cool. they were quite friendly (maybe hungry?) and were not afraid of us at all. The stingrays were graceful as they swam and lurched above the water.

Our last stop was to the zoo's monorail that drives through "the wilds of Africa". It is actually a nice, cool ride and a chance to see animals in their natural habitate.

We headed home thorough Downtown Dallas and decided to stop at the Dallas Farmer's Market, as I had never been there. I have only lived here 24 years!! The market was clean and full of people and yummy things to eat. We only toured one "shed" - maybe Don and I will return without Walker. We sampled cantaloupe, yellow watermelon, mango, tomatoes and cherries and came home with cherries, apricots, local honey and tomatoes. Delish!

Summer Break - Day 2

We had a fine day yesterday. We are all enjoying not having to rush out of the house as soon as we wake up in the morning. Also nice to not have the stress of homework, projects and grades.

Spent the day at the pool yesterday with friends. Brand new pool and everyone had fun. Walker is not a strong swimmer - he could be, but choses not to be, as he does not like putting his head under water. He no longer wants to hang out with me, but is not good at finding others to play with. I am sure he will work it out.

Reese got his hair cut in preparation for JROTC camp. He is excited to go.

Today, Reese left for a two night, three day JROTC camp. He returns Sunday and leaves early the next day for a ropes course.

Bryce, Walker and I enjoyed the morning at Chuck E. Cheese and now they are playing Wii.

Summer Rocks

Apples

We have two apple trees. One Reese and I amazingly grew from a seed and the other, a golden delicious, we bought as a twig to cross pollenate the first. They are both growing fantastically.

The golden delicious grows nice apples, and the other lots of tiny apples that never achieve any size.

While we have never sampled, apparently our neighborhood friends have.

A Light Case of Autism

Reese and I were watching Good Morning America together this morning. A segment came on with Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey about autism.

Reese said to me. "I have Aspergers - that is Autism, right? I have a really light case, right?"

Yes, you have a light case of autism

A Historic Moment

We are witnessing history right now as Barak Obama securs the Dem nomination. Don announces to us all "we are watching history right now. Walker is eating and Reese is pooping"

Walker clarified "Is Reese having private poop or tired poop"?

Counting Down the Days

One and one half day of school remaining this school year. How does the time fly by?

Reese is half way through exams. Walker has checked out already. How does a kindergartener check out? Tomorrow is Walker's class party and then a half day on Wednesday.

Yard Work

makes me hot!! 97 degrees and with a "cool" breeze.

• Grass mowed
• Weeds pulled
• New playground mulch (only 1/4 covered - need more)
• New mulch for back alley
• Edges edged

Shew weeee

Summer is here

Three more days of school and this year is done. Actually 2.5 days because the kids are done at noon on Wednesday.

We spent the afternoon at the pool with Reese's Chess Club. The kids had fun, but after three hours I was done. Walker is not a confident swimmer, but had no desire to be anywhere near me. He was happy to bounce his head above water and walk through the pool. Fortunately, most of it is about 3.5 feet deep. I would have been so much more confortable and happy had he stayed in the more shallow part of the pool.

Don cooked burgers on our new grill. Delish

Furniture

My family has the worst luck with furniture. We just bought a new sofa - our third one in nine years. Yes, our sofas last only an average of three years each. How much does that suck?

Our first selection was a leather sofa. We shopped and shopped and selected one from a leather store - not too cheap but nowhere near the top of the line expensive. Big dog, cat, kids - it looked like hell in no time. Accompanying the sofa was an expensive overstuffed, down chair from Storehouse. The big beautiful chair - also uncomfortable.

Our next selection was a huge sectional sofa. Comfortable with room for everyone and more. Don immediately selected the attached chase on the end. Only problem is the only way to sit on the chase is to scooch in. Eventually the fabric wore away from all the scooching in. Back pillows were attached and the seat cushions fit into one spot only. Cannot rotate pillows from the frequently sat upon to the rarely sat upon. Apparently, it also eats our most valuable possessions. No wonder Walker can never find his stylus.

We shopped for our third selection. The salesperson informed us that furniture these days is disposeable. She did not have to tell me that!