Last weekend of school

The 4-H ran a concession stand at the spring show on Sunday, and Madison is making hundreds of cinnamon rolls for the Ladies Auxiliary club in Carbondale.   As such, we did something that I rarely do, and went to Sam’s club on a weekend.   And someone redecorated my car for me.   I have a love/hate with Sam’s.  Large quantities mean I don’t have to go in very often.  Having to go always sucks.  We did get the things we needed, and I was happy to leave!   

The weekend weather was a total mess.  It rained.  And rained.  And rained.  I felt bad for Spencer.  Her original graduation for last May was cancelled due to covid.  I believe they were going to have a graduation in December for the kids who missed graduation, and that was also canceled due to covid.  She was finally going to get to walk, but the ceremony was outdoors and it rained.  They kept delaying it all day.  I think they finally just gave up and went back home!  Whereas I know she was disappointed, I am super proud of her.  She worked hard to get her degree, she has a good job, and she is amazing.  We are lucky that Colin has a girl in his life that we love so much.  

It was nice to get to see Colin and Spencer this weekend!  What was not nice was the mud we had to ensure at the spring show.  So much mud!  The kids made a lot of money on their concession stand though, so that is good!  

After Sunday dinner, the younger crowd and I went for a drive to check my bus route roads.  They always enjoy watching the crazy amount of water that goes over the low water bridge.  There were even a few large trees that floated by!   I wish I could say it will be dried out soon, but the forecast says otherwise!  This was the last weekend of the school year, which means ball park nights coming up.  We need warmer, drier weather for that!  

Saige’s last field day

This is Saige’s last year at Overbrook school.  As such, yesterday was also her last field day.   I was trying to figure out how many fielddays we have gone to.  It is a lot!   I can’t honestly say that I was sad to go to this “last” one because I took Evie with me, which probably means I have a few more in my future!   Saige had a fun day!   I watched her class do the sponge races and the 3 legged race before I had to go drive my sped route.  Since her class walked across town to this event, then played all day, and then walked back, she was saying her feet hurt last night!   I noticed that although Colin and Spencer were at the house and we all stayed up chatting, she was fast asleep on the couch!   I love tired children!   

Last high school game

Quincy played her last game of her freshman season last night.  They played against Iola.  They won one and lost one.  Quincy was hit by pitch twice, thrown out at first once and had a couple of monster hits one of which I thought was going to clear the fence.  She played third, was 2/3 of a triple play, caught a wicked line drive and basically was a beast all night long.  It is fun watching her!    She has been on the fence over whether to play this summer, but last night was talked into it, so we will get to watch more ball soon on a different team!  

Mother’s Day

We had a good weekend.  So good in fact, that I really hate to see it ending.  I have a little case of the “Sunday night nooooo sadness!” 

Not all of it was good, Quincy and I attended a funeral for our friend’s step father and grandpa.  Dusty and Landrie lost a great man from their lives.  He was funny, smart, loved his family, and  welcomed us both into his home as a part of his extended family.  We were blessed to know him. Military honors at funerals always get me.  Such a touching tribute to his life and legacy.  Of course, Quincy doesn’t think you can go to the American legion and not climb on the tank no matter what the reason you are there!  

We also managed to get almost all of the laundry done, groceries picked up, ball equipment purchased, parrot food replenished, and the house cleaned up for the week.  The trip for parrot food worked out well for the dogs since Saige thinks they always need treats!  

I spent most of Mother’s Day hanging out with my friend Grace.  She recently moved to Shawnee.  That means after 29 years we now live less than an hour apart!   LESS THAN AN HOUR!!!  That is so exciting!  As happy as I was with the news, she’s been here a month now and I only made it to visit her today.  I know most moms spend Mother’s Day with their kids, but this visit was honestly good for my soul.  

I did spend some time with most of my kids!  Mallory hosted Sunday dinner so I didn’t have to cook.  Andrew made smoked meat.   Madison made me my favorite carrot cake.  It was amazing!   Evelyn wore her new swimsuit!  It was a good night. I heard from the big boys.  I will see them both soon.  It was a good day.  I am very blessed.  

Catch up

This week we did a lot of running, a lot of catching up, some stuff that we have been meaning to get to, and some “motivational” speaking about the end of the year school work that still needs to be done.  

Evie loves it when it is time to go outside for any reason.  Post office, bank, a trip up the street to see poppy, or even taking the trash out.  She is ready to go!  I was laughing to Jim that since the Pride planted their annual wave petunias in the pots down town, it now takes me 20 minutes to walk to the post office because we have to stop to smell every single pot!  I love that she is so enthusiastic about flowers! 

This was teacher and I guess staff appreciation week.  My boss brought me a chocolate covered caramel apple.  Evelyn wanted it.   I thought I would share it with her.  That was a highly insulting thought to have!   By the time Madison got there to pick her up, she was a chocolate covered caramel kid!   

My nephew, Gavin had a game at overbrook this week.  We miraculously had no other places to be, so we ran in and watched him.  He graduates soon, so it will probably be our last opportunity!  He played really well!   We are proud of this kid.

We have an absolutely amazing band director.  The kids love him, the parents love him, he is absolutely amazing.  He approached the band boosters a few weeks back about an idea he had. He wanted to host an all band, outdoor concert.  He wanted to have it outside so we could easily socially distance and he wanted to showcase the kids, but have a festival type atmosphere.  He wanted food.  He wanted families to be able to have a little night of normal.  So we set to work.  The fairboard  in Overbook   allowed us to us the fairgrounds. We cooked a literal 1000 hotdogs.  People came out  in mass numbers.  All the bands played, starting with Harper and her 5th grade band, all the way through the high school.  It was a fun night, but it took a while and got pretty cold by the end.  Overall, the feedback has been very positive though and I’m glad it went well. Also I am happy it is over!   I got a photo of Preston and Quincy but somehow missed Harper.  

A lot

Last year, when the pandemic shut down literally every aspect of our kid’s activities, we felt extremely lost.  How do we spend evenings at home?   What kind of projects do we invent to fill the time that we usually spend doing everything under the sun?  Particularly for our younger 4 kids, as they have never, ever been home.   We literally left the hospital the day Quincy was released after being born, and drove straight to a softball tournament. Saige went to a wrestling meet when she was 6 days old.  Now, mind you, I rather enjoyed the down time and having time to putter around our house and invent things to do, but our kids most certainly didn’t like it!   This year, as we are reclaiming our lives or our “old normal” as I like to call it, I find myself sort of happy at the stuff we are doing. And it is a lot of stuff!   The two little girls are playing summer ball.  We started practicing this week.  Quincy of course, is finishing her freshman season and is debating whether to play this summer.  Preston and Quincy have lined up summer jobs.  We finished Religion Ed, but threw in year end concerts, year end safety meetings, year end state assessments and a bunch of other stuff in it’s place.  

4-H is also ramping back up.  Last night, we planted flowers at the fairgrounds.  Saige was excited to be dirty, as all dirty handed people were rewarded with a root beer float!  

Quincy had a couple of games at Garnett tonight.  She had a tough night at bat, getting hit by pitch twice, striking out twice, and being thrown out at first once. She also slid into third and somehow tore her (new) pants!   The batting might have been tough, but her night at 3rd was amazing.  She truly had a great night of fielding.  She is a good player!  

With everything that is going on in our lives right now, I am thankful for my mother, who is handling the meat chickens.  Thanks mom!  

Rodeo weekend

The weekend that seemed like we had nothing going on became a whirlwind of activity.   It’s rodeo weekend.  We started out watching some softball action where Quincy’s team took in KC Piper and Baldwin.  They didn’t win either game, but Quincy played well and did some time at shortstop and 3rd base.   She also had a few really great hits!  

We knew that Colin was coming down to help Mallory install some new flooring.  He talked Cameron and Lauren into helping him.  I think it was possibly a bigger project than they anticipated. However, might I just say it makes me incredibly proud that my kids are willing to give up part of their weekend to help each other!   

Of course, they have not just done floors.  Jim and Andrew and the lake board held a crappie fishing tournament.  Lauren, Colin and Cameron all fished in it.  Sadly, Andrew’s grandmother passed away, so he and Evelyn didn’t get to be there. Jim said they had a lot of people enter and a lot of crappie were caught.  

Quincy and Preston had to work in the CWF booth at the Rodeo selling hats, ice cream floats, popcorn and a few other things.  It was busy, so I hope it was successful!   The other kids all had fun attending the rodeo.  I think after such a long time of cancelled events, everyone in town attended this fairboard special event, and it seemed really busy!  The fairboard does a good job for the kids and I hope that they made a lot of money on this event! 

We are spending Sunday trying to catch up, starting ball practices for the younger kids, and eating ribs that Andrew cooked on his new smoker!