...silly boys

I'm not sure I remember what these boys were up to on this particular day, but I love it when I get a series of shots where they are just playing around, having fun, and simply being kids... I do know that they were sitting in the rocking chair and ONE of them wanted to sit still...

...and the other one wanted to rock!
I don't remember who got their way...

I just remember a lot of laughing and goofing around for the camera.

OK, now what?

Oh yeah, we were laughing and being silly...

How 'bout a funny face?

Silly, crazy kids!!!

...a movie & marley

The boys love to have their breakfast in the mornings while watching a movie in the living room. We've finally been able to add a few new titles to the viewing mix--notice "Aristocats" on the big screen, via Old School VCR! We have such a collection of Disney movies on VCR, I'm happy to get a bit more enjoyment out of them, even if the quality isn't great. They both look so focused on the TV, but actually they are splitting their time 50/50 between the movie and keeping an eye on Marley. Like I mentioned a few days ago, they both finally warmed up enough to Marley that they were comfortable with her roaming around the house and not being in her crate during the boy's playtime, which is spent mostly on the floor.
Marley was so good, she wanted to be as close as possible to the boys, I think she just wanted to be noticed. But, I also think she knew there was a GOOD chance of being put in her crate if she became annoying or interfered with their playtime.

This picture cracks me up! Marley looks so dejected, but honestly I think she is hoping Morgan will accidentally drop a bit of breakfast on the floor for her.

Here's Morgan trying out his new dog training commands, telling Marley "down".

Oh wow! I think Marley really thought she might get a bite of cereal.

Oh boy! Licking the hand is a good treat, too! Maybe that's just as good as getting a bite of cereal.

And, this next picture is one of my faves. I'm glad we were so patient with waiting for the boys to be comfortable around Marley....now, I think they'll have a very long friendship. Grayson even told me to make sure I brought Marley with me on my next visit to his house!

...summer, here I come!

For me, summer seems to start on the last day of school. I get so excited knowing that I have several weeks at a time to relax without stressing over deadlines, preparing lesson plans, grading papers, standing in the wind and cold temperatures on morning bus duty, and eating a cold sandwich (usually peanut butter) while walking around the cafeteria asking students to "please sit down", or "lower your voice level"----I could go on and on, you get the idea. I just love not having to wake up to an alarm clock and rush around to get ready to go somewhere. Not that I do anything spectacular or special during my time off, really just the opposite. I revel in the slower pace, enjoy having the days to do exactly as I wish, even if it includes taking a 2 hour nap! This year has been a bit different, or maybe I should say a bit delayed. While attending a 2-week curriculum workshop 2 days after school was out, my "last day of school" excitement had been put on hold. But, finally the day has come---school is out! workshop is over! my summer can officially begin! I get so excited with so much free time in front of me---I struggle with knowing what to do first. For example, since I woke up this morning I find myself multi-tasking, something I tend to do during the school year because I'm always in a hurry and want to get a lot accomplished. There are so many things I like to spend extra time on in the summertime, and I don't want to leave anything out. Since getting up this morning I have eaten my breakfast on the porch with Marley relaxing at my feet, finished reading a book, checked my email, done 4 loads of laundry, made a cake, started another book, written out a new "to-do" list, checked my fb account, and started a new scrapbook page. I need to keep telling myself over and over, s-l-o-w---d-o-w-n!!!! I have another quilt top started, I've ordered and received 2 new quilting books and new yummy fabric, a crochet project is started, and several knitting projects are in the works. I'm still working on, s-l-o-w---d-o-w-n! It may take a few days...
Another project in the works will be painting a wall in my classroom to brighten things up a bit. I'll post pics after it's all finished.

I'm happy to have more time to enjoy the outdoors and time to prepare fresh fruit smoothies in the morning!

I'm sure my family will appreciate more home cooked meals. I love to cook, but so often don't have the time or energy for it during the school year.

And, Marley is crazy about me being home all day! She keeps her toys all over the place, ready to play at a moment's notice. So, here's to a laid back, s-l-o-w, relaxing summer!!! I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.....In closing, here are some pics of the beautiful flowers my kiddos sent me on Mother's Day.

I LOVE fresh flowers!!!

And, I LOVE my kids!!!!

Hello...

I'm so far behind in posting pics. Sorry, but its been busy around here lately. Hopefully, this summer I can post more often. School has been out for a week and a half, but I'm still attending a curriculum workshop--so, I don't feel finished yet! Just two more days, I think I can...I think I can...You can see Marley in her favorite resting spot in the above photo. I think she likes it there because she is elevated enough to see where everyone is and what they are doing. She has a great view of the front door, the living room, and the kitchen and dining area. That's her favorite look-out for spotting Melody, too! I am thrilled that Grayson and Morgan finally warmed up to her on their last visit---enough so that Marley doesn't have to be crated while the boys walk around and play. They were so cute telling her to "sit" and tell her "down"---and so totally pumped when she actually minded them! And, they love to tell her "crate" so they can give her treats:) We'll need to back up a couple of months for the next pics. They were taken at Easter out at Deda's house. Don't remember for sure why I didn't get many shots, but I did get a few cute ones! Here's Joel enjoying the boy's cute glasses from Deda...
The next photo of Grayson has horrible lighting, but he looks so cute in his glasses, I couldn't leave it out!

Grayson is enjoying some of his Easter goodies and putting a puzzle together, with a little help from mommy....

Morgan looks super busy too, coloring a masterpiece!

And, he looks adorable in his cute glasses, too--doesn't he?

I'll be back soon to catch up some more. Hope everyone has a great week!