We're home and we're home to stay!

Dallin used to yell that phrase every time he came home on Fridays.  I kind of miss it.  

I love it when the kids are home.

Okay truthfully sometimes I don't love it.

Sometimes I want to lock myself in my room and pretend like I have nothing to do all day.

But mostly I really, really love having the kids home.

This week has been our first week of summer.  The kids got out last Thursday.  It seems like a year ago... Summer was a looong time coming this year.  Maybe because we had such an early warm spring?

This year especially reinforced my belief that May should be banished from schools.  Testing is finished in April so none of the teachers or kids really care what they do (because of course test results are the entire purpose of school right?).  It seems like the kids just get a bucket of projects.  

I am the worst May mom around.  

I don't sign papers or check for homework.  I just feel good if the kids get out the door wearing socks that are no more than two days old! Not having to worry about socks is one of the very best perks of summer.  

Not having to find socks almost makes up for having to make lunch every day!

Dallin and Landon were the winners of the 'worst month of May students' ever this year.

Sheesh.

Landon had surgery on his shoulder.  Again.  The right one this time.  He is right handed so finishing up a million days of missed projects was a pain in every way.  My sympathy for his un-fun task forced me to break my "I don't do homework in May" mantra and pitch in to help out.  I started having flashbacks to fifth grade when Landon broke his right hand and I almost went crazy with fifth grade math homework!  

I must confess I helped the boys with their mounds of homework in part to avoid the frightening possibility of having my offspring live in my basement for time and all eternity.  A little bit selfish.  And I don't entirely see the point of making a 17 year old color worksheets.  Landon has been hiring Jenna to do his worksheet coloring since she was four and could color better than him...

Dallin had his fair share of catching up as well.  His struggles are still going back to almost a month of school missed with his terrible concussion in January.  We don't feel like we have really seen the old Dallin come back all the way.  He is easily frustrated but he stuck it out.  Rustin had to remind him a few times that all those cute girls he likes are going to go to college so if he wants to have the best pickin's he better get working!  He did a good job. 

 Landon's surgery recovery has been going well.  He had three surgeries this school year.  Poor kid! These kids of ours are keep my nursing skills up to date.  Shoulder surgery is definitely one of the most painful.  And I speak from experience! We have had abdominal surgeries, back injuries, head injuries, broken arms and legs and collar bones and ribs, torn shoulders and more stitches than we can count.  I'm sure I'm missing something. The most painful were definitely the ruptured appendix (Rustin), Benson's first multiple break collar bone incident and Landon's shoulder surgeries.   Shoulders hurt.  He is still sleeping sitting up in a chair but he is recovering quickly.  He will be out of a sling soon and will get serious  about physical therapy.

We offered to pay the boys (i.e. bribe) to practice piano and voice this summer.   The reasons are obvious.  All three boys are in Brigadoon.  Austin is a bar tender, Landon is the town elder Mr. Lundy and Dallin is Harry--the heart broken boy who meets with a tragic end when he can't get over the fact that his love marries someone else.  Dallin says it's typecasting.  He relates to Harry. Ha. 

Jackson is in heaven with the kids home.  

He is running Jenna and Benson all over the house to play this or that.  Right now the favorite is 'pillow land' which is Benson's big bed piled with every pillow in the house so they can jump off the dresser into the soft pile.  They have quite a repertoire of dives...  I should probably be nervous but they have so much fun I can't bear to stop them.

We finished our books (The Princess Academy books--actually really awesome!) and I couldn't find anything to read so we started on some old Nancy Drew books.  Ha.  They are totally entertaining.  And they put everyone to sleep which is a huge plus!

We have lots of fun things coming up.  

Rustin has an extra week of vacation for the first time in five years since he isn't taking an entire week off to go to youth camps.  

What will we do with the time...!!

Here's to an injury-free, music-filled sock-free summer!