11 years is a long time

This weekend my best friend from high school, Angie, and her family came for a visit.  The last time we saw each other was 11 years ago- the year we graduated high school.  The picture below is of us from our senior year.  

 This is of us today.  I felt like our friendship hadn't skipped a beat.  When you have a friendship like ours it's something that comes natural and is really special.  We can be ourselves around each other and not feel judged or have to worry that the other might misunderstand.  I don't think I would have made it through high school without someone like her and I still cherish our friendship today.

   

We both have two boys and our oldest are only 6 days apart.  It's fun and encouraging going through the same things at the same time.  Lately it's been potting training... not a fun job.

Even our husbands got along.  It was a lot of fun.  I'm really glad we were able to get together and I can't wait until we can do it again.  

Ouchie

This is what happens when your face slides along a cement sidewalk because you were chasing a soccer ball that your big brother wanted to get first and so decides to give you a slight push, which causes you to trip, which causes your big brother to trip and land on top of you.

Thomas, hives and fish... oh my

We met Thomas the train and, man, did we all have fun together.  Thomas took us on a train ride and we posed for pictures with him.  Garrison and Josiah received Thomas tattoos and heard a story.  They played with trains, made necklaces and received a prize.  Garrison even high fived Sir Topham Hatt- Josiah wasn't so sure about him.  We're glad Thomas was able to stop in Duluth for a little visit.  

 It was 92 degrees and their nap time.  Can you blame them?

 Waiting for our train ride

 In line to meet Sir Topham Hatt

 Can you see Sir Topham Hatt way down there?  Whoever was in that costume must have been roasting.  It was 92 degrees outside.

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Remember the other day when Garrison ended up going to the ER?  Well I tried my best to take pictures of his hives.  These pictures do not do justice as to how bad he really had them.  No matter what setting I put our camera on it wouldn't capture them very well.  So here are the best ones I took.  ( I think if you click on the picture it will make it bigger.)

 The hives below were how bad he had them from head to toe.

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Garrison caught his first fish.  We went to Aunt Shana's parents cabin the other day and Garrison fished from the dock.  He drop his line into the water and about 10 seconds later got his first fish.  That was a good thing and bad thing.  Good thing- he caught a fish.  Bad thing- he thinks that you always catch fish that fast.  Here's Garrison posing with his first fish and his cousin Andrew looks very proud of him too.  

update

We've been a little busy these last few weeks.  On Friday I had my last day with the daycare.  It was a bittersweet day.  I wasn't expecting to be so emotional about the whole thing, but as soon as the kids were picked up Friday afternoon I walked back into the house (we'd been outside playing) and started balling.  I didn't think that it was going to be hard, but as soon as they were gone I realized how much guilt I had for ending the job.  I know that's it was the right decision to stop the daycare, but it doesn't mean that it was an easy decision.  Each day that goes by I feel a little bit better.  My boys and I aren't on a new schedule yet, but with time we will be.  It hasn't sunk in yet that I am not working anymore either.  Thomas is floating on cloud nine over the whole thing.  He loves coming home now to a quiet house and a happy family.  His days off now are actual days off.  I've realized how much my kids took a backseat to the whole daycare thing and I'm looking forward to spending more quality time with them.  Being done with work is a good thing- I just have to give God my emotions and guilt over it and let him take control.

Thomas has recently taken on the position of being the head varsity soccer coach for the boys here at the high school.  The season officially starts on Monday.  He'll have practices everyday from 3:00 or 3:30 until 5:30 and, of course, games like crazy.  I like that he coaches because it's something that he loves to do and he's really good at it, but at the same time I hate that it takes so much time away from us.  I'm trying really hard not to get mad at him for the time he needs to put into this job and so far I'm not doing so good.  Luckily, we sat down this morning and talked over some things so we can hopefully be on the same page.  I'm also hoping to take the boys to a couple of home games this year.  I know they would love to watch the game and see their dad coaching.

Two weekends ago we made a trip to St. Cloud to help my mom pack up the house that her and my dad once shared together.  It will officially be sold this Friday.  We (Thomas, my sister, Joanna, her husband, Shane and myself) spent an entire Saturday going through the house top to bottom and picking things out, packing things up and throwing things out.  It was absolutely crazy!  Imagine 30+ years of acquired stuff.  Not to mention all the memories it brought back.  Again I didn't think I would be very emotional, but driving home I started crying when I realized I had just thrown most of my childhood things away.  Man, it's been an emotional month for me.  :)

While we were in St. Cloud we stopped by my brothers house and visited with him, his wife, Dawn and their two little girls, Adeline and Maggie.  I wished we lived closer to them.  My dad also drove up to see us at my brothers house and we then went out to eat.

The following Saturday Thomas, the boys and I loaded up our truck and headed back to St. Cloud to pick up the rest of the stuff we couldn't get from the previous weekend at my mom's house.  That was a long and crazy day!

The next couple of weeks we will be just as busy.  Thomas starts his other job, I'll be painting the nurseries at church, we have a wedding, Jackie and my dads birthday's, Thomas parents are coming, Josiah will be getting dedicated and my best friend from high school will be coming with her family.  Which I am so excited about since I've not seen her in 11 years!  All of this is happening just in August.  I'm exhausting just typing all this, but very excited too.

Needless to say, we've been just a little busy.  :)