It's already August 8th?????

Where has the summer gone to? I got Rei registered for school today for his senior year and realized his classes start in 9 days!  It is going to be a wonderful year for him, I hope, after a summer he will never forget.

So let me recap the end of July:




Liisa and Zack Bakke's wedding, 28 July 2012

Our trip to MN was fabulous, with the initial days spent preparing for the wedding, which was held on the front lawn of Liisa and Zack's house, followed by a reception in the back yard and main floor of the house.  Then we had a few days to relax and just "be" and I was so grateful for the time I got to spend with the extended family too--my sibs and their spouses, the nieces and nephews, and of course, the grandkids!

The family as depicted above includes (from left to right) my brother Erik, my Mom Sylvia, Aurora, my husband Eric, Me holding Skye, Reimond standing behind me, Liisa, Zack, Anthony, and Andrea, with the kids in front of the adults, including Bailey (almost 9), Kajsa (just turned 7), Justin (also 7), Alexis (5), and Kodie (almost 3) on the trike. When Eric and I married 4 years ago I doubled the number of children I had; when Liisa and Zack married I doubled the number of grandkids I have, from 3 to 6!  Wow!  So much love and joy though.  The wedding was beautiful, performed by Rev. Heidi Wallace, our former pastor from down here in Mascoutah, and she did a lovely job.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect for us, and even the little rain that fell in the late evening didn't put a damper on things.  The food was delicious and catered by Zack's work, and we had all the traditional things: cake, a first dance, dancing, and fun.  Liisa has most of the photos already up on facebook so send her a friend request to see them.  I too will post some of them on fb soon.  Just haven't had much time to myself!

We took Skye with us up to MN as Brie couldn't get more time off from work, and she was a lot of fun.  She really enjoyed the beach and collecting rocks along the waters edge, along with the dogs to pet and the ducks that swam by.  She isn't so good at building sandcastles yet, although she has dumping water into the moat down to a T.  We brought Justin and Alexis back to IL with us, and the drive was Loooooonnnnggg!  The kids were all excellant travelers, and we had no issues with them, but the pickup truck Rei got for his summer of babysitting wasn't too fond of a ten hour drive and we had a few pit stops to let it cool down and rest.  We did get it home in one piece, and it's now parked out front.  It isn't lovely to look at, and in fact, looks like a country boy's first truck.

Eric returned to working overnights at the completion of our vacation, and is slowly readjusting to his new hours.  He and Aurora have been running most mornings to prepare her for cross country this fall, and they both miss the lakes of Minneapolis, as they enjoyed their morning runs and scenery there immensely.  Aurora starts classes on the 24th. I am not sure when exactly Brie starts. 

We talked to Patrick today and all wished him a happy 21st birthday, mostly by text message.  He had to work this morning and he promised not to be stupid around celebrating being legal age to drink (and he has to work in the morning again too).  He says things are going ok and he's maintaining status quo right now.

My son Anthony had surgery on his knee this morning to repair the damage from his PT injury in July; he had chunks of calcium deposits floating in his knee of various sizes that were sticking out and causing problems.  He has a recheck the same day as my eye surgery, so my guess is he won't be coming down with Andrea to get the kids, unless they wait til that weekend.  Not sure when he can return to work either, as he was pretty medicated when he called me.

If I am honest with myself, taking on three grandkids at one time has been a bit of a challenge for me, and I am weary.  They are all fairly high energy kids, and while the older two are good at entertaining themselves, limits are being tested by all, and Skye and they vie for attention from the rest of us.  I have been trying to do at least one outing a day to get them moving/out of the house, including trips to the library, attending all three days of Mascoutah's homecoming (along with rides, the parade on Saturday, and seeing the 4H animals on Friday), along with going to the playground after dinner for an hour or so, followed by baths, teeth, and bed.  A loose routine, but one that seems to be working.  I tend to put my nightgown on after tucking them in and settling on my bed with my book for some peace and quiet.Skye hasn't gone on the after dinner playground trips because her mom has been home with her, which works out well because I sit, knit, and monitor the older two, who have found same-aged peers to engage with: Justin has been playing tag and other games of chase with a group of boys, while Alexis has found some girls to play with, and tonight she was thrilled to be asked to "play princesses" with the playground equipment as their castles and kingdoms.

Tomorrow I need to run and get my labs drawn prior to my appointment for my pre-op on Monday. Blech. My mother got a good report from the cardiologist with the new med regime she is on, so now all we are concerned about is the stent and being sure all the "gravel" is gone from her kidney.  I am still anxious about my surgery, but am also looking forward to it's results, so I am trying to remain confident and all of that.  I know it's not a big deal and from what I have heard most are thrilled with the results.  I just don't like the idea of someone messing around inside my eyes.

Anyhow, that brings everyone up to date about our lives.  We are healthy, busy, and as chaotic as always!