So yes, my two oldest 'flunked' their eye tests during their last pediatrician appointments, and thus optometrist visits were scheduled. Sean has something like 70/20 and Cam has 60/20, just a bit near-sighted for both.
{FYI Dan is also near-sighted but got the Lasic surgery several years ago, I've always had 20/20, and Ethan 'aced' his test at 20/15 during his test}
Just cuz they're my kids and I think they're so cute, here are a bunch more pics in their new glasses.
*giggle* these last two were Cameron's idea. Such a nut.
Once again, my blog has gotten a little boring and scant and void of personality.
I've, uh, gotten completely addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I watch for Angel yumminess) so I admit that's sucked some of my creativity away. I have had stuff to say, just no pictures to go with (Google Images to the rescue!), and I firmly believe in pictures with posts! Who wants to just read words...and stuff...and more words?
However, words I have!
Here's the latest--Dan and I just finished our Pathophysiology class online. It was easy. Too easy. So easy, I got a 99% and didn't learn a thing! Ha. Just way too easy to find all the answers online and not have to put any work into it. Oh well, at least we got the credit...and an 8lb book to fill up our ever-growing bookcase.
Things have gone well with the boys now ending their second week at school for the year. We've already settled into a nice rhythm, reading afterschool and doing homework before we play (myself included!), and so far, I think they're happy with their teachers and thus so am I.
For 3-4 weeks now, I've been exercising again, but not eating well at all, so I feel like the Pillsburg Doughboy. I alternate between running one mile (and that I've had to work up to, ugh!), walking 2 miles (or whatever 30 minutes gets me) or biking 4-5 miles, again shooting for 30 minutes. I enjoy the walking. Not so much the sweating. The biking is actually more difficult than I thought it'd be. I'd never realized it before, but most of our streets around here have some kind of incline going on. In several of my routes I've found entire miles uphill--it's slight elevation, but on a bike using just developing muscles, well...OUCH. Plus, my hands go numb as I ride, so I'm constantly shaking them out and trying to adjust to relieve the pressure on my palms. And don't get me started on how much I do NOT like the run. Buuuut I'm doing it.
Anyway, I go at 5:30 each morning and wake up on my own usually, so I guess I'm used to it. Dan's such a good example to me. He's been running every other morning for just about a year. He goes far though--something like 3-4 miles each time plus stopping for 300 pushups along the way. No thanks.
I start school this coming Monday! Block 2 of Nursing School, here I come. I'm excited, but scared-nervous-anxious as always. The last couple of weeks I've been reviewing my Block 1 information, just to refresh my mind. I think it'll be good.
Along those lines, yesterday, Danny had some Continuing Education to do at a hospital lecture for work. He said it was about pregnancy and jokingly asked if I wanted to come along since they served breakfast. Well, yes! Considering that Labor & Delivery is what I'm most interested in working at this point, I'd love to attend the lecture. We got to the hospital and found out that the nurses on site were doing a drill in which they simulated a bunch of bomb explosion victims come in. Dan decided he wanted to help out with that instead, so I stayed upstairs and listened to the lecture. It was very interesting, I totally loved it. I was sitting there with all these paramedics and firefighters (and no one knew who I was) but I was eating good and learning. All good things.
I've been using Stephanie O'Dea's "Totally Together: Shortcuts To an Organized Life" to help plan my chores and jobs throughout the days and weeks. For example, it tells you when to clean your remote controls, change your bedsheets, dust your windowsills, etc. It's kept me focused and busy since the boys have been back to school. I do a chore, then I watch a Buffy episode *giggle* then I'll study for a bit, then do a chore, etc. (Thanks, Steph, for the book!)
Dan and I have been extremely blessed to be able to attend the temple twice in the past two weeks as well. We sure love our Day Dates! It takes us about an hour to get out there, so we look forward to when the Phoenix temple will be up and running in two years or so.
So there you have it, lots of this, that, and the other. I've also been reading as many books for fun that I could fit in, knowing that my reading rate will seriously decline once I'm back in school. Sigh. It's been a great summer for reading. It's been a great summer all around!
Sean had amazing Boy Scout leaders this past year (actually every year they're awesome, but we were particularly impressed this year!) and thus Sean was able to earn his 1st and 2nd Class rank by the time he turned 12.
I was actually a little sad to watch my big boys climb onto the bus Monday morning. We joke that back-to-school-time is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, but truth is, we had a good lazy summer. Plus, with my guys going back to school comes the inevitable start of my own semester, so I haven't really been too eager for it to come.
I don't get weepy or sad when my kids start school, in general. The day my oldest, Sean, went to kindergarten for the first time I did cry off and on all day. But since then, I've been completely OK with my children going off to get educated, leaving me at home do. . . whatever. However, today, I did have a bit of a lump in my throat watching the school bus drive off. I came back home to find the house was quiet, too quiet.
Not to say I didn't get a bunch done--I did, I kicked butt, really--but I missed them. Big kids, 2nd, 4th, and 7th graders now!
I told Cameron as long as he smiled and looked at the camera, he could do any pose he wanted. So I got half a dozen of these goofy ones. I do have one formal nice one (for posterity sake), but these are cuter. ;)
In two more weeks it'll be back-to-school for me too! Good luck on the new school year, everybody!
Sean and I had the awesome opportunity to go to our favorite theatre house, Gammage out in Tempe on ASU's campus, and do a back stage tour. For those of you unaware, this is where we've seen all the Broadway shows we've been to in the past years (Wicked, Les Miz, Phantom, Shrek, Beauty & the Beast, etc).
We took several pics of Sean on the stage--a place he'd like to spend some serious time in the future. :)
Looking at Stage Right from Stage Left.
On the rising/lowering orchestra pit.
Maybe some day, Buddy!
From the perspective of the catwalk where all the sets and backdrops are, well, dropped.
Done using hydraulics, but also by manpower if the electronics short out.
Each show leaves their Mark on a backstage wall.
A literal firewall that can be dropped in seconds in case of emergency.
Dressing rooms.
I think I see a celebrity!!
Our tour group loved Sean and his cute little personality. I'm so glad we got this chance. . . it was pretty cool!
The following is about a minute long video of us in the bottom of the orchestra pit being lifted up. I just thought it was a pretty neat contraption they had going on, either allowing for the height of the conductor or allowing for another 3 rows of seats if the orchestra was not needed. Gammage is an awesome place, designed way back when by Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is indeed impressive!
We absolutely love having a teeny tiny boat to call our own on hot summery days as these. A few days ago we were able to spend the whole day out at the lake without any rush or commitments to return home to. It's nice having something so close (40 minutes or so) and generally cheap ($10 to enter). We packed in a lunch, our sunblock, and the innertube and got down to some serious fun.
The boys all took turns driving the boat and did pretty good jobs of it. I, however, am lousy at it. It's one of those things where you turn the opposite direction that you want to go . . . well, my brain just can't master that. Ethan was a superstar though! He drove the boat from halfway out in the lake all the way to the boatlaunch with hardly any help from Dan. He looked so cool and casual steering the boat . . . wish I'd had more room on my camera's memory card to video it.
The water temp was completely comfortable and perfect and still refreshing. I recall thinking as I was floating along in the innertube, kicking my feet behind me, that this was the perfect ending to the summer.
