Happy Birthday Buddy, Libby and Kaj

 We celebrated some birthdays around here on Friday.  It was a good motivator for me to get out in the yard.  So in addition to my "clean out everywhere inside" week, I also did lots of yard work.  Raking, trimming bushes, weeding, putting down bark, planting a few new flowers, etc.  My garden this year I kinda weak sauce.  I finally put up cages around some of my bean plants to keep the bunnies from eating them on the daily.  But they are slow to rebound.  I trimmed the front bush because it was getting big enough that I could no longer tell if Derek's car was parked outside.  

Libby asked for spaghetti for dinner.  It was fun to spend the evening laughing and eating with the Norton clan.  Felt like old times (as Ben said.)

Libby finally got her hair done (a Christmas gift from me).  The beauty school did a great job.  But it did take many hours. 

Hard to believe that this guy is 18...but if we've been married 18 years, then he has to be, since he was in utero at our wedding. 

We picked out some gifts and a special birthday bone cookie thing for Buddy. He wasn't all that into it, so I think Spaghetti ate it.   

Love the hair process!  

Libby's actual birthday is the day we leave for wrestling camp.  I guess I'll have to come up with something to celebrate her that day too! 

Braces off!

 At almost 18 months I got my braces off this week!  I was so excited.  It was better than/felt like Christmas.  Eating is better!  Kissing is better! And most importantly, my bite is better.  Saving me from future gum surgery I hope.  Cheers!  I'm going to eat some candy.  

Track and Trumpet Time

Ben is taking trumpet lessons this summer.  He doesn't love it...but the hard thing about learning an instrument is that it isn't really fun until you get good--and you can't get to that point without slogging through the early practices.  He's getting better much more quickly than he did with 2x a week band during the school year (and never practicing at home.). He attempted "Happy Birthday" for Kaj and Libby.  He said he didn't quite have it, but we made him play it anyway.  And, he was right.  But it was sweet.  Next time there's a birthday he'll blow our socks off!  

Several years ago we went to an All Comers track meet.  I loved it!  I wanted our kids to do it again.  But we haven't been able to for lots of reasons (vacations, but also that they fall on Wednesday nights--our church youth nights.) So this summer I was happy to find the local track club for Ben to train with.  And he's been to a couple of track meets so far.  He really enjoys them.  Favorite event is the long jump I think.  I got to be there for a bit this week before our activity.

His division for the 100 meters is ages 11-14...so he is pretty tiny in that group.  He gives his all! 

The first week he took 2nd in the mile--getting under 8 minutes, his summer goal.  The next week he did the 200 m and then had to immediately run the mile.  He was pretty out of gas by the end. He's going to miss the next few meets.  But we'll get in a couple more in August. 

Summer Fun--Trish Style

Warning: Super random and rambling post about summer so far. 

I am not good at "fun."  I'm more into productivity. This summer I'm embracing it.  We all made our Summer Six goals, and we are doing a pretty good job of going after them.  

One of Derek's goals is to work 200 hours of OT.  He's going to work his regular shift on his days off a lot (they are so short staffed) so we will still get to see him fairly often.

My goals include the "Great Bedroom Swap of 2022" (thanks Whit for the name for this adventure)--Sarah and Ben trading rooms.  Sarah's new room (Ben's old room) getting a fresh coat of paint and some new furnishings.  The most adorable thing was that Sarah left a whole bunch of sticky notes for Ben in her room on the way out.  "I love you Ben," "Hi," and "A coupon to come and hang out."  So sweet. I'm also trying to go to the temple six times, practice my piano six days a week (Buddy is making this hard!), try six new recipes (I haven't been cooking--so I better get started!) We are also reading for this year's Wild and Wonderful Norton Reading Challenge (where most of the books have a Wolf/Dog theme.) 

I've been fitting in TONS of appointments.  All the doctors, and everyone who wears glasses got news ones (4 out of 5 of us...) This week I have my sleep study I'm so excited--since I've decided bad sleep is truly the root of all my health issues (let's hope the data from my sleep study agrees?)  I helped interview for the Dean position at school--2 interviews.  I think we got a good one!  I also got a new phone and did a great phone shuffle with the girls.  Libby got Maren's old phone and Sarah got my old phone that Libby had been using.  Now all our phones are in the double digits.  (Sarah was using an iPhone 5--yikes.  It was dying.)

So yeah, it hasn't been restful.  But the garage looks cleaner (you know, when you start reogranizing, it ends up spilling over and you have to reorg somewhere else!).  Ben is settled in his new room (but sleeping on our floor since we have AC) and Sarah's room is almost painted. It'll be a fair bit of work to get her settled in her new space.  But I may try to do it during Youth Conference so she'll get the surprise she never got since she didn't go away for her first Girls Camp. (I mean, I did send her to Maren's and do a great bedroom for her--but she hated the built in and didn't really love her bedroom and Ben really wanted it....)

Sarah shamed Derek for holding onto the wall mats that were crowding our garage so he moved them to the crawlspace so we could move the lockers from Ben's room to the garage.  It's so nice. 

Ben having a blast in his new space. 

Sarah's room

Libby and her friends "rented" Ben's room last night to play truth or dare.  What you have to do when your room is such a mess no one wants to be in it.  Ugh. 

Ben and buddies! 

I made Libby cinnamon rolls. 

The Ikea Trip!

Last Sunday we celebrated Paul's birthday.  Ben loved this little pool and the quality time with Margo.  He stayed in the pool basically the whole party.  It was hot! 

Last Saturday we celebrated Maren.  She's SO old! 

Libby and Sarah went to the Summer Dual camp last weekend. Sarah went just on Saturday, Libby went both days.  Got a quick pic of Derek and Clark coaching when I went to grab the girls.  

What I consider the fun stuff so far: 

We took a trip to IKEA (listening to one of our Norton Reading Challenge books!) and had fun shopping for new furniture for Sarah.  Libby managed to convince me she needed a new desk and duvet cover.  In her defense her desk is one I rigged up at the start of COVID school when there were no desks to be found.) 

We did make s'mores one night this week too...and the kids all had some friend time this week (which takes a lot of energy and driving from mom too.)

We watched a family movie: The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (so good!) 

Ben had 2 playdates with a crowd of friends.

Libby has had some friend time too. Thankfully drill is starting this week. She's been struggling a bit more with nothing to do...

Up this week--finish Sarah's bedroom, try to rid my garden of bunnies! They are destroying my beans!