Hunk a hunk a burnin' love!

This is the hunk a hunk a burning' love that I woke up to this morning.

Summer of George

Do you remember the Seinfeld episode, Summer of George? If I remember correctly, George had lost his job and was going to have a summer to do what he wanted to do before going back to work. I still have my job, but am enjoying a much needed break today after a very busy semester and before beginning to prep for summer school. I am calling it, The Week of Stephanie.

Today I slept in until 9:30 (Jeff dropped the kids off at school for me), took a bubble bath, went to lunch with Jeff, went shopping at the craft store, went to happy hour to get a ginormous diet coke, picked up the kids from school and came home. Unfortunately I got bombarded with more school work as soon as I turned the computer on, but think everything is done now.

Other activities I have planned for the week of Stephanie: scrapbook class, lunch dates with friends, volunteering at Mylie's school, maybe visit the old pennitentiary to photograph it, scrapbook, read (just started Water for Elephants - going to see the movie next week), and play with the kids - hopefully outside and in the sunshine!

Yay for the Week of Stephanie!

Beautiful!

It was a beautiful weekend. The sun was shining and I am done grading papers (whoo hoo!) I only have about two hours of work standing between me and a couple weeks of summer break. Mylie had her last soccer game of the season yesterday. It was so nice to be out in the sunshine. We were only there for an hour and a half, but my arms got totally sunburned.

I tried to take some pictures of Blake waiting for the game to begin. This was the reaction I got.


And then this glare.

Mylie, of course, has no qualms about the camera and loves to pose.

She played awesome yesterday, in fact, probably the best she has played all season (figures it is the last game). I was so proud of her and she had a lot of fun. This is her on one of her many break aways.

Yay for sunshine!!

Opposites attract ...

So if I had a day off and all to myself (hopefully next week, fingers crossed), my plans would include sleeping in, scrapbooking, maybe some shopping, then lunch out with my girlfriends, reading and an afternoon nap.

Jeff took today off. He got up and lifted weights and then asked me to take him to the top of Horseshoe Bend hill because he found this great dirt road from there to Pearl. I mean its only 15 miles.

Its a good thing opposites attracts!

Hello lover ...

I must officially be a grown up, because this has become my dream car. I recall a conversation with my mom sometime during my know-it-all early 20s. It went something like this:

Me: I will NEVER drive a mini van.
Mom: Never say never Stephanie.

As usual, she was right. It is amazing how what you consider to be an awesome car when you are 25 (Jeep) to what you consider to be an amazing car when you are 35 (van).

I yuv you too Mommy.

When Blake was struggling with his speech I often wondered what it would be like to hear him tell me that he loved me. I vividly remember thinking that and imagining him saying those words. Blake has been a talking fool for the last eight months or so. His vocabulary is growing so fast and in the last month it has exploded even more. He tells me he loves me, he tells me he's mad at me, he tells me he wants a snack, he tells me he wants to ride his bike, in fact, he tells me everything!

But yesterday, he and I were holding hands and walking and I squoze his hand two times (Mylie's and I's secret code for "I love you") and said I love you Blakey. He squoze my hand back and clear as day said "I yuv you too Mommy." Its like at that moment I remembered the yearning I had to hear those words from him. And once again I recognized how far he has come. He is a different little boy now. One who is a sheer pleasure and a total turd, all wrapped into one. And it is delightful to be his mom.