Back in the saddle

Home again, home again, lickety-split. Yep... back in the saddle, you'll find us :)

And for some strange reason, climbing back into the saddle is never as easy as I assume (or hope) it will be. There's just so much to unpack. And there's mail to sort. And there are things around the house-- gardens, for instance-- that require much attention after a week's absence. And then there's just the grim reality of another week of school before we call it quits. Blah. We're so ready to be done! But the kids and I will muster through, and then we'll glance back and smile... for we'll be on summer vacation!

As for what kept us busy last week-- the kiddos and I jumped ship and went to my parents' house, and there we enjoyed a much-needed break. Bub and Noh-man didn't get much rest time, though, as they attended swim camp every day (from 8:00-5:30... I don't know how they did it!) at the university

while Big Man, Lollipop, and I spent our days with Grandmom. We played outside and ran a few errands and generally kept ourselves busy in all sorts of fun ways. Big Man painted on his easel (though this session was cut short once the rain started dumping... again),

I read a couple books, we counted the deer as they passed through mom's gardens

and avoided the bees as they frolicked amongst the flowers,

We played in the puddles (well, Lollipop did :)

and Big Man and I played a bit of baseball (he's actually an excellent batter);

and each and every day, we simply had a delightful time.

By nightfall, after dinner and a little tv with Pops, we all crashed. Hard.

Oh, and did I mentioned no computer time for me?? It was actually a nice break :)

One quick note about swim camp-- the boys swam a. lot. A whole lot. And they learned a ton. Coached by a host of excellent folks, they refined (and they refined. and they refined some more) their strokes and turns, and yesterday morning they put some of their skills into practice at their first summer meet of the season. Noh-man placed 1st in the 8 & under butterfly and breaststroke, 4th in the 10 & under IM, and both of his relay teams finished first. As for Bub, he placed 1st in the backstroke, 2nd in the butterfly, both of his relay teams came in first, and the big news... he smashed a team record-- set 5 years ago-- in the 100m Individual Medley. It was a fun, fun morning!