Rounding out Summer...

PLEASE BRING ON THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR!!!! okay so it's obvious where my thoughts are these days...i have 13 more days till school starts again and quite frankly it cannot come SOON ENOUGH! Being on the downhill side of summer is never my favorite-i am one of those "lets get on with it already" types--

We have done quite a few beach days-we had beach house week last week of July with Sandra's side of the family-always fun to visit with cousins & see families growing! I've met lots of friends at CDM and Newport--i even ventured into the waves myself--i know pick your jaw up OFF the ground.."christina went IN the WATER?!" yes. i did. I caught some sweet waves-then was quickly humbled by a trasher--good times! Every time I drove home back from the beach it MUST be accompanied by Guns N Roses--its just the Hales way.

We had lots of fun with Kristi's family in town-a couple sleepovers--so crazy seeing the "older cousins" becoming "older" and the changes they all go thru. I am glad she brought the crew down and had so much fun! I LOVE that ALL of Jons family gets alone so well and we can always count on each other and have fun with each other with NO DRAMA--sometimes that's hard to do in families these days.

Jon continues to have pressure sore issue's which leaves him stuck in his bed upstairs-not the most fun but helps to keep it from getting worse. He's pretty much spent the WHOLE last 4-5 weeks IN BED--poor guy. It's still only at stage 1 of 4--so we just keep plugging along with life.

I am CRAZY BUSY with my new company and LOVING every minute of it. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity and the blessing it will be to our family in so many ways.

Well this will be an interesting school year-my schedule looks like up at the CRACK OF DAWN (well not really, but for a sleepy head like me-645 mine as well be!) get child #1 off to Jr High-meet Kristen at Turley fitness (new 24 hour gym WHOO HOO)work out for an hour (while my sweet child #2 & 3 get THEMSELVES dressed and breakfast made & out the door by 8am to walk to school-I know im SOOO LUCKY i have GOOD CHILDREN!!!)then I will return home and get myself ready for the day and get child #4
to Kindergarten by 1045am and then i am FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE till 3pm--can you feel my excitement!??!?!? I havent quite decided which breakfast joint I will be solo celebrating at!? iHOP, Coco's, Dennys?!?!?

I have been doing a tradition with my girls on the FIRST day of school i make sure i have a fresh batch of my killer chocolate chip cookies ready for them when they walk thru the door (i will pick up Rachel & the other 3 will walk home together)--they ALWAYS remind me and are so happy that i follow thru with that tradition--

Usually with Jon home I have him incharge of Anna's homework, while I help Sarah with hers. Rachel does her own by herself (besides I dont think im smart enough for her homework anymore!??! thank heavens for google.com when im stuck-so i SEEM smart! HA) So this year Rachel will be in the afterschool homework club thingy-so hers will be done before she even gets home, then i will take sarah and anna while jon continues to take Anna. Hopefully that system works. My girls are SO GOOD about just coming home, grabbing a snack and getting to their homework right away so we are done. We usually have it all wrapped up by 330pm--FABULOUS!!!!!!!

Im ready for us to be in bed by 9pm and up and at 'em in the mornings with a routine--I love that we have dinner every night by 6pm, girls do their dishwasher chore, scripture reading is done nightly after dishes--monday nights FHE's are rotated between Me, then Jon, then Rachel & then thru Sarah. I love that we have family prayer each night after scripture reading--these things make life simple and make mom happy.

Bring on the school year!