Summer's almost over

The girls start school in two days and where has the time gone. I just flicked through the pictures on Greg's website from this summer and we've had a lot of fun, but it all went very quickly.

From Allie and Greg running Race for the Cure, to Allie breaking her leg three days later, to the last week of school and Allie's field trip in a wheelchair, to the first month of summer (which was mostly spent at home due to Allie's limitations), to Independence Day, multiple trips to see family, boat rides, swimming, visitors to our house, State Fair, Eugster's Farm Market and Petting Zoo, birthday celebrations and kite flying (but no annual water fight again)--it's almost over now for another year.

The girls are very excited about school. Due to redistricting, the bus routes have changed and this year the bus stop is right in front of our house (yay!). Last week, we got Allie her viola for fourth grade strings class and now she's freaking out about taking her instrument case on the bus. Allie tried piano lessons for about four months back when she was five or so, so we'll see how this goes--if she likes it and if she's willing to put in the practice time.

Julia is just excited about being a first grader and that her new teacher likes butterflies (just like her, she says), which we know from checking out the teacher's school website. Later today, I want to organize all of their school supplies and get things labeled. Then we need to figure out what they're going to wear their first day. We're in the midst of a pretty significant cold snap, so that's probably going to be jeans instead of the shorts or skirt that the girls would prefer. And so another school year begins.

Sunday night

We're home again, after having been away for four days to Illinois. We visited my in-laws and Greg came with us this time. He was hoping to be able to spend an extended period of time floating on a lounger in their lovely in-ground pool, but alas, the weather did not cooperate. It rained several times and it was pretty darn cool temperature-wise, at least for August.

Still, a lovely time was had by all, and it was nice to make it back home and find that the cats were still alive (despite probably tipping over all of their regular and extra water dishes within the first hour after we left the driveway) and that they hadn't dug up ALL of my plants.

We spent time this trip with some lovely people (you know who you are) and very much enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts, who spoil us always. And now, back to the real world.

Naughty, naughty

So I'm reading on the couch last night and the air conditioning starts lowering the temperature in the house so that it's more comfortable for us to sleep upstairs. I feel the cool air on the back of my neck and I decide to take out the green scrunchie holding my hair in a ponytail.

I want to make sure this scrunchie (my emergency purse scrunchie--it's a girl thing) gets back in my purse, so I balance the scrunchie on my knee until I finish the chapter, when I'll get up and put it away. I finish the chapter and my scrunchie is gone. I look around under my knee, under my butt, in the cracks between the couch cushions--no scrunchie. That's weird. I guess it'll turn up.

This morning, I get out of bed and on the floor between the bed and the door is my green scrunchie. Well, if the cats had to steal it to play with, at least they returned it dry!

Adventures in mini-golf (or field hockey, or whatever)

On Friday, Greg came home from work early and we decided to all go to see a movie. The second-run theater in Madison was still playing "Night at the Museum 2," so for $10, all four of us were in. Then we spent $11.50 on the biggest popcorn bucket I've ever seen and a matching soda. As Greg said, "I like a soda you can land a jet ski in."

So off we went to the movie, which was fine, except that Julia drank too much lemonade and she absolutely had to go to the bathroom during the climatic fight scene with the bad guy. Greg took her; thank you, honey! The movie itself was fine, but I liked the first one better (no surprise, there).

Afterward, we got some burgers at Burger King and then headed off to play mini-golf. It was a weird weather evening--it rained for a good part of the day but it had stopped by this time. Instead it was very, very humid, cool, and felt like it was misting, even though it wasn't actually doing anything rain-wise. As a result, we were the only family on our golf course.

The first hole required you to putt your golf ball into a tube, which took your ball down a steep hill and then hopefully near the hole and not into the water feature. Oops, so much for that hope. It became clear very quickly that it didn't make sense for us to keep score. Both the girls decided that it was easier to guide their golf balls to the hole with their clubs than to actually hit the ball. And none of us could seem to avoid the water features. And a couple of our balls didn't float, so we all ended up sticking our hands into ponds of dubious origin (we kept telling ourselves it was just rainwater).

On the third hole, Julia had to go the bathroom again, and then she had to go again on the fourteenth. When we tried to make her wait, that didn't work out. All in all, it was a funny, aggravating, frustrating, and hilarious family evening. Until we got home, bathed Julia, got the kids to bed, and Allie proceeded to throw up twice.

Just another fun night in the Lee household!