Home For The Summer (This is a long one!)

Like last year, we decided to come home for the summer. Matt is able to work with his Dad landscaping and I'm able to, well just be here. Matt finished up his finals on Thursday...Yay, so my mom and Milo drove down on Friday and helped us bring home the things we needed for the summer. We are living with Matt's parents again. They have a big, beautiful home and yard so it makes it easy to have more space. I'm really excited to be home this summer. Last summer was fun but I was really confined to stay at the house. Quinn was still taking 2 naps, and Malcolm was taking 1. So I couldn't go anywhere from 10am until 5 pm, or else some one's nap was interrupted. Well this year Quinn is down to 1 nap (from about 1pm-4pm), and I stopped giving Mack a nap. I feel like a free woman. I have great plans to take the boys and actually visit friends and family. (We didn't do that last summer.) I also want to continue to take the boys to the library story time (we do that at home too), and I really want to get a playgroup going on. The boys really need the interaction...and so do I. Once the Aquatic Center opens I want to get a season pass and go several times a week. I'm also hoping that I can put the boys in some swimming lessons. What is also going to make it great...Brianne and Leisha are both moving back. That means that all my "Mom's kids" are home for the summer. (Yeah...it's confusing!) I hope to have plenty of family get togethers, because in July Leisha and Richard are moving to New York so Richard can get his Masters...I am so sad! But here's to a summer full of fun, or so I'm dreaming!

This is the house we are fortunate enough to call home for the summer.

The nice, wonderful and big back yard the kids get to explore and play in all summer. Matt's parents have the most beautiful yard. These pictures don't do them justice. Notice the kids are already making themselves at home with all the toys.

Melanie called me Friday night, the day we came into town, and asked me if I would wake up when the roosters came out to go to some yard sales in Tri-Cities. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to yard sale with her since she is so great at it. I have never been very good at it, but really want to have her talent. Ha! She told a friend about these yard sales and there ended up being 3 other girls that came, but in different cars.

The find I am most excited about are my new dishes. I found this Pfaltzgraff place setting for 8 and only paid $15, that included the to bottles below. The set come with a dinner plate, salad plate, bowls and mugs. They look like they have never been used. They are a classic white (obviously), and have a interesting border. I love them though. I am so excited to take them home and use them.

I loved these bottles. I think they are beautiful!

I got this jacket for Mack for a $1 and the shoes for $3. He needed both so I was excited!

After we hit the yard sales we of course did some other browsing and shopping around Tri-Cities. One of the girls that came down was Korbi. We went to lunch at Olive Garden with her and then did some more shopping. We went our separate ways, but all ended up at Craft Warehouse. Mel and I were picking out some things for Mom so she could make some hand outs for Relief Society. Little did we know it was National Scrapbooking Day. They had a little game give away where they had taped numbers to the floor and would tell you to jump on a number. They would then pick number and call them out. After a couple times, I actually won. Which is really funny because I don't do scrapbooking. At the very end they were smart enough to have us clean up the mess. They told everyone to pick up as many number as we could. Korbi and I only managed to get 2 each, while Mel end up with 4. As they called out the numbers, Mel's got called, then Korbi, then Me (the 2nd time), and then Mel again. It was so hilarious that we managed to clean them out...along with some other people getting some prizes. Korbi was the cheerleader jumping up and down each time we won, while Mel and I laughed hysterically in disbelief, and at Korbi's reaction. We had a great time. I really want to do this again, but hope it can live up to this day. What a great start to my summer vacation...if you can call it that.