The Summer of Our Lives (Totally!)

If you follow me on Twitter OR on Facebook (or both, I know, I have a problem.. probably need an intervention, but who has time for that?) you know that I'm on a modified work schedule and I've squeezed in a few (just a few, but my consecutive two weeks off are coming... SOON) vacation days to stay home and enjoy my kiddos.  I actually found myself refusing to let my dear daughter have a playdate this week on one of the days that I had with them because it was the first day all summer that I was going to have Colin and Julia *all* to myself.  To just kick back, be their mom and ENJOY (now, after a few more of these days, I am wondering just WHAT I was thinking, but anyway...).  Please don't be concerned.  Mr. Furedy is still around (he loves us a lot...) but he's still working his normal schedule, so during the day it's just me and the kiddos.

We are doing our best to cross items off of our Summer List and we are making EXCELLENT progress (we are also making good progress on the list that I did NOT share with the world,the list that isn't written in pretty colors on a posterboard but rather scrawled on a ratty piece of notebook paper, the- decrapify the Furedy household list- not nearly as much fun for the kids or for myself, but at the same time very satisfying).

Here's some photo evidence of our recent summer fun for your viewing pleasure...

Of course, the first picture I want to share is NOT of my kiddos, but of some summer fun that I had with my bestie Karen when she went to see (the most awesome hairstylist in the world.. I can provide his contact info folks!) my dear friend Drew to get her locks cut.  We had a GREAT time that night.... (and yes, for those of you wondering, she is practically kneeling in this photo so our heads can be close together- that's what happens when your friend is a foot taller than you are!)

Here's Mr. Furedy (see, I told you he's still around) and the kiddos on Father's Day at Olive Garden.  Father's Day was rock awesome with an amazing breakfast with our amazing Papa (thanks to the amazing Nana), followed by some great family time (can you say pasta AND game night- can't believe my kiddos are old enough to play Dominion with us!)

The kids and I spent one very memorable and very awesome afternoon with their GreatGrandma Miriam (aka GG), their Great Aunt Kate (aka GAK), and their Grandma Paulette (no aka here, just Gramma).  We hung out, ate Subway, and played games.  I don't know how many more uninterrupted and relaxed afternoons we are going to have with our dear GG, so this was a wonderful way to spend a summer day.

Uncle Andrew and Aunt Stacy have a new house.  And their new house has a basketball hoop.  As soon as Colin saw that, he decided that he really *needed* to play basketball with Uncle Andrew (this is really shocking coming from my non-team sport playing son, but hey, maybe he's branching out).  Their basketball 'smackdown' turned into a family barbeque.  Only thing that would have made it better?  Yeah, maybe that it wasn't like 115 degrees outside.  Here's the competition....

Julia and Daddy even got in on the act (I think this would be considered *cheating*, but maybe I don't understand the rules of basketball either.. oh, and yet more photo evidence of Mr. Furedy!)

We even took a walk down to look at the lake.... here's the 'better' side of our family.... (he, he... I'm taking the photo of course, I would never share that 'end' of myself, but where is Colin you ask?  Up the hill about 50 feet waiting for all us to hurry up and get done so more basketball could be played...)

This post is now SO picture heavy that I'm amazed Blogger is still allowing me to type... so I think I will close.  We are (totally) having the summer of our lives (I don't know what words to use to fully describe the joy in my heart right now).  There are so many things that we've done that aren't captured here... summer movies, outside dinners, many trips to the library, long bike rides (again, why do we decide that is fun when it is so dang hot?) and that doesn't even touch all the cool stuff that Julia and Colin have done with Nana and Papa while Joe and I are at work.

Hope your summer is going well... and that you are having a chance to sit back and enjoy your life as it is in this moment, because my friends *that* is what it is all about....

Have an awesome day. (and yes, you may be wondering WHY I am posting in the morning, when I never post in the morning and always at night?  It may, just may, have something to do with exercise avoidance.  But, I am going.  Right now.  Promise.)
C

Summer 2011

I got inspired (yes, I got inspired after my last *uninspired* post) by reading this blog, and decided that we needed a 'Summer 2011' list at the Furedy household.  The kiddos (with some strong suggestions from mommy) spent a few evenings brainstorming things that they would like to do this summer.  I added a few things, and created our Summer List (I'll just say that I know there are things they added to the list without checking with the person who would do those things with them... so if you are reading this and you see you've been recruited to our summer list... I am very sorry, but ... you love our kids... right?)

Here's the list in all it's glory....

And of course, once you have the list, you need to start crossing things off... right?  (you'll notice I didn't get the picture BEFORE Colin crossed something off.. I think he likes lists too!)  If you have really good eyesight, you can see that on Sunday night we crossed off our first item by heading to Dave and Busters.  We really enjoy this place, but it can be a fairly expensive night out (although we had a coupon for $10 of free game play and Joe and I's dinners each came with $10 of game play, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been), so it isn't some place that we go often.  But... we always have a lot of family fun (where we all play and laugh and goof around together) while we are there.  I noticed that this time the kids were providing the direction- 'there's a game over there I want to play' rather than Joe and I suggesting things.  They are growing up way too fast...  Here are a few photos of our first summer outing.  We'll start with a happy Mommy and Daddy...

 

Followed by some happy kids...

 

Colin won about 500 tickets on this one game.  He was SO proud of himself...

 

Overall, I think it was a good choice for the first summer thing... now we are just trying to figure out what comes next... and also trying to figure out how you check off something that you do more than once (for example the kids are more than half way done with the Summer Reading Program at the library... so do we check that off when they are actually done?).  I'm sure we'll figure it out!

So, my friends, what's on YOUR summer list?? (if you noticed, I've got a little space at the bottom if you have a great idea!)
:)  Night all.
C

Inspired Much?

Earlier today I was at the Kyrene Karnival (the Leadership Team theme for 2011) sitting under the big top (that would be training rooms 4 & 5 at the District Office) hearing the sounds of the circus (music from Gina's i-pod) and smelling the wonderful aroma of popcorn (Really.  Really.  We had a popcorn machine!)

And while I was there I had the most awesome idea for a  blog post....  I was inspired to come home and write and wax poetic about some topic....

But somewhere in today.... somewhere in the chaos of kicking off a summer program (huge hugs to Jo and Lexy for their handling of that situation), pulling off Leadership Team Karnival games (find the duck with a quarter on it's butt), PARS (how many PARS can you submit in 20 minutes?  I can do 16!), interviews and other fun (we did have a lot of fun today!)....  I lost track of that inspired blog post.

Check back soon.... I may find it again somewhere in the recesses of my mind (and then again, maybe not, but there is always hope!)....
:)  Have a great evening.
C

Seasons

Last night, Joe and I had the pleasure of having a dear friend and her (delightful) children over for dinner.  Joe has been friends with JanElaine (aka JES) since 2nd grade... she and I became friends in 5th grade.  There were lots of ups and downs in our friendship when we were younger, but as we've grown older, we've kept in touch.  She flew in (and then flew back home less than 24 hours later) for Joe and I's wedding.  We drove to California to see her marry her husband Andy on the beach.   The last time we saw JES was about 10 years ago.  Julia was a tiny baby, and her daughter Lara was a toddler.  Since then, JES has moved to Hawaii.  And she has added two more adorable munchkins to her family... Kai and Kiana (and when I say adorable, I mean adorable... these kids were cute, polite and tons of fun!)

Despite the fact that we haven't seen each other in 10 years and our only contact has been Facebook posts (me posting all the time, she posts rarely) and Christmas letters (mine always boring and predictable, hers are funny and light)- we picked up just like we had talked the day before.  We had some really great conversation....

One of the things that JES talked about a lot during our conversation (as the kids partied in the pool) were the seasons of her life.  She talked about her current season (raising kids, supporting her husband, and living in Hawaii) and the seasons to come (maybe a season in the snow).  We also talked about lots of our shared past seasons... from childhood memories of her hanging out at my house after piano lessons, to double dates, to hard times that we've each experienced. We talked about families, and the seasons that we've experienced as daughters, as mothers, as friends.

All that talking about seasons really got me thinking... about the season that has just passed for Joe and I and our kiddos, and the seasons that are still ahead of us.  Seems like we are really in transition right now- our last season was a hard one- but a new season is dawning and it seems to have the potential to be a wonderful season for us all....

That's all I've got for tonight folks (between weekend travels, family drama, work stress.. I am totally exhausted), but I have to say thanks to JES for reminding me that we are passing through seasons... and that each season will have good times and bad, joy and sorrow and that each season of our lives will be distinctly unique and different and should be enjoyed and experienced as it happens...

Here's some photos from two very different seasons of our lives... Joe and I with JES at her wedding (I know, what was with the glasses and the bangs?) and then Joe, JES and I last night (as captured by Miss Julia- she looked long and hard at the first picture to make sure to get the second one just right...)

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven....

Night all.
C