Today was the last day of school. My boys are now officially 8th graders. Boy, do I feel old!
I've been busy making lots of bags. Too many bags! My boys keep asking me why I need so many bags. Truth is, I don't. I just enjoy making them. They challenge me because I am not good at reading patterns. I enjoy the challenge but I also enjoy a quick project. I can make some of the patterns in a day and others take me just a couple days. Nathan even made one for Summer's stuff for traveling. BTW, traveling with a puppy is like traveling with an infant. My whole backend of the car is full of puppy paraphernalia.
I got a new (used) car. Mario hated me driving a Prius because he felt it was a deathtrap. He bought a 2006 Honda Pilot. So without our Prius, our newest car was a 2008 and that actually belonged to Eric. So I told him that I was fine selling my Prius and giving my brother, Charlie, my minivan and getting a newer SUV. We really fell in love with the new Highlanders and Pilots but both were out of our budget. So I got a 2012 Toyota Highlander and LOVE it. I thought I would just keep it for a couple years and upgrade to a newer one but honestly, I don't see any reason it. It's perfect for our family. Best part about it, it looks like my beloved minivan so I am not even sad about giving it away.
For Easter, we got to color eggs with our favorite friends, the Andersons and then again with Melissa and her kids. I've never seen adults get into Easter coloring like Greg and Lindsey. They take it to a whole new level! Melissa, Justin and Max were able to join us for Easter weekend which was a real treat. Eric and Nicole decorated our traditional Easter bunny cake. Summer obviously has never had sugar or else I'm sure she would have devoured that cake while we took the picture!
Right after Easter, one of my best friends, Becky Jones, got to fly into town from Idaho. It was a miracle that she was able to come because she had a rare allergic reaction to medication and almost died. She has a long recovery ahead of her and she was pretty miserable while here, but it was so great to see her and attend Time Out for Women with her and Lindsey and Jenny. One of the highlights of our trip was running into (stalking) Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company. Becky and I are HUGE fans and we had to get a picture.
Then on our way to visit Melissa's family, I just had to stop at her store since it is on the way if I take the back route, and guess who the boys wanted to meet as well. They were super excited to get their picture taken with her as you can see in their faces. She asked for a picture to be taken on her phone too so she could share it with Rob, who heads up the Man Sewing videos.
After our little field trip to Missouri Star, we finally made it to Melissa's house. We were lucky because Mom and Dad flew up a few days earlier so we got to visit them too. Going to the lake is seriously one of my kids' most favorite things to do. It was Summer's second trip and boy does she love the lake just as much as the kids. But oh man, do the boys worry about her the ENTIRE time. I kind of threw Summer on that paddleboat with Zach or else he would have never let her on. I can't even imagine what they are going to be like as fathers with their children.
That's about it. I am saving one HUGE family update for the next blog entry. It deserves one all to itself. But as far as Summer is concerned, I can't imagine loving her anymore than we all do. I didn't even realize how much I missed having a pet. She has been such a great companion to me as I am home all alone all day. I take her everywhere I can and she is just the best traveler. We couldn't have picked out a better puppy. Mario is clearly her favorite now. At first it was me, but no one can beat the belly rubs and playtime that he gives her. Who whole body just wiggles whenever he enters the room.
