Amber Is Married!

It's official - Amber and Jason tied the knot yesterday in a lovely ceremony and we were there to see it first hand. I'm so happy we made the trip. It meant a lot for me to be there to see my friend start a new life journey and I think it meant a lot to her, also. I asked her if I could post a few pictures and she said I could so when I am home I will show pictures of Amber and Jason at their finest.

We are heading back West as of today. South Bend, IN was as far East as our trip took us and we are now back in Wisconsin for the night. What a trip this has been! We've driven for hours at a time, sloshed our way down waterslides, hiked in dinosaur country, ventured into the big city of Chicago, visited my 16 month old 2nd cousin (?) and my 97 year old grandmother, witnessed a shooting in South Chicago (only into the air but frightening enough for me as we were lost and it wass 11 pm!), participated in pre-wedding functions, participated in wedding functions......whew! Need I go on? I am going to write more at home but I had access to a computer tonight so I thought I'd touch base.

Our visit with the Person/Schumacher clan was fun. The kids enjoyed re-meeting their cousins (who they didn't even know they had!). They would probably say that the highlight of the visit was the dead raccoon in the digging hole but I think they just liked being with people who were family! Our visit with Grandma was not what I would want it to be but I'm still thankful to be able to see her. She was on some pretty serious pain medication so wasn't herself. I was, once again, so proud of my son. He seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to his elderly great-granmothers. It brings tears to my eyes as I sit here and think back to him holding grandma's hand, putting his arm around her, hugging her and basically just sitting with her - all unprompted. Witnessing him with her was eye-opening for me. I know he is a sensitive little boy but we don't always see him being sensitive to the needs of others. I wish I could describe it in better detail but the words just aren't there for me.

Chicago was a blast! I'll tell more later but let's just say that I could have lived there and loved it at another time in my life.

This computer has a 20 minute time limit so I'd better skedaddle! More soon.

We Are On Vacation!

Finally! School is out, we've hit the pool and we've gone camping so summer has officially begun in the Streeter household!

Yes, we've already had our first camping trip of the year. Our last day of school was June 6th and we packed up the van (to the brim!) and set off for the great outdoors the folloing weekend. Our good friends, the Cheesemans, invited us to hang with their high school/college crowd for Father's Day weekend so we did! Five families from Spokane, Okanogan and Portland met in Hunters, WA for the weekend and had a ball! I'd love to show you pictures but I'm at a computer that won't accept my picture card! Maybe I'll be able to add some at a later time.

The weather was gorgeous and the water was low so the swimming area was perfect for all the kids. Our site was right on the lake so kids spent most of the days down at the beach. They loved the big frogs hiding under the floating dock! They also enjoyed the freedom of being able to maneuver the Cheeseman's new canoe in the shallow, logged-in swimming area.

We had a great surprise for Dylan yesterday! Again - I wish I had the pictures uploaded so I could show you the beautiful grin that wouldn't leave Dylan's face! For several years, Dylan has been wanting to take horseback riding lessons. Last year I heard of a woman who does some therapeutic riding with individuals with disabilities. She also teaches kids without disabilities at the same time as her therapeutic rides. She uses adult and student volunteers to act as side walkers and leads. Anyway, it sounded interesting last year and the topic came up again this year so I jumped on it.

Wednesday morning, I got Dylan up, told him to put on his cowboy boots and Wranglers (I wish you could see his skinny little body in his jeans!) but wouldn't tell him what we were doing. I think he figured it out but didn't want to jinx the possibility by saying anything out loud! The whole family set off for the fairgrounds and Dylan got to ride for an hour. He began and ended the session with some grooming where he learned the importance of taking care of your horse. He then had to put his own saddle on, with some help from Siobhan. The riding itself was pretty slow as he had someone walking at his side the whole time but they were teaching him about holding the reins, posture, clicking, kicking....... well, a little of everything! Eventually, Dylan will be riding solo and in a few years could be a volunteer if he chooses too!

I was so excited to be able to do this for Dylan. He is given many opportunities but riding horses has been the one thing that I have sort of pushed aside. I always figured it was a bit of a phase and since horses terrify me :) I never really pursued the lessons. However, seeing how easily Dylan interacted with his horse and how eagerly he listened, I know I've given him a great gift. As he got out of the car at the arena he said he was so excited that he was shaking!

Yes, we are on vacation! Amber is getting married in little over a week in South Bend, IN so we are en route! Our first destination is actually Menomonie, WI where we will spend a couple of days with Aunt Coy, Uncle Don, Sara, and the kids. We will see Grandma Schumacher while we are there and maybe even all the rest of the cousins! My grandmas is in her upper nineties (her exact age is escaping my sleep deprived brain!) so I feel very fortunate to be making this trip with her in mind!

Tonight we are at Linda's and we will be in Billings tomorrow night. We have a lot of long driving days but some very fun days in between. I may be able to post and upload a few pictures in WI. We'll see!

I've been thinking about this trip for a year now and Steve and I have been planning for several months so I am very excited, as are the kids and Steve. My only regret is that we will miss Shawn and Kendall's wedding. We wish them all the happiness they deserve and will get together with them when they return from their honeymoon.

School's Out For Summer!

I have this head banging song in my head and have for about 36 hours now! I really wish it would go away! But....yes, school is out. Yesterday at 10:40 I waved good bye to my 5th second grade class as they rode away on the school busses. Ahhh...my favorite day of the whole year! Hee hee! I love teaching because of the last day of school. Actually, I love everything about teaching except the fatigue that comes with the job so therefore, I love the last day of school!

We hosted the end of the year bar-b-que last night. Lots of fun except for the brief rainshower that forced us to move the food inside. The rest of the evening was a success and I think everyone went home happy.

We spent today recuperating from the year and from last night so I didn't get much accomplished but we did make it downtown for Okanogan Days. We all watched the parade and then Dylan and Steve walked around while Lyndsi and I went home. I pretty much slept the day away!

Once I check out from school I'll be able to think about next week's camping trip and then the up and coming "road trip". We are really looking forward to both. I'm also looking forward to getting my pictures all caught up and off my camera so I may be able to post a few fun ones soon.

Preschool Graduation

What a beauty! Lyndsi's graduation was tonight. Knowing that she would be back to this school next year for part of her kindergarten day somehow got me through the evening without feeling too much emotion. However, I do have a hard time believing that Lyndsi will be in public school next year!

Anyway, Lyndsi made each of her teachers a very special card with a picture of something each teacher likes. For the music teacher she drew a picture of "...me and Marla dancing and dancing in the grass!". We attached the cards to a flower for each as well as a gift certificate for a restaurant or Home Depot. She was so proud to deliver her gifts!

The kids played the bells again this evening. Lyndsi's group played the ABC song flawlessly - of course! Some day I'll take the time to download video so I can share the sounds as well as the sights of our little world.

No Comments??

Come on! Just because I write about little things like lice doesn't mean you all have to shun me! Last time I checked, lice don't like computers so you all are safe to check the blog again! I know. It's kind of hard to comment when someone brags about head lice, so I'll forgive you this time. Besides, I have a little thing called site meter that tells me someone has been checking the blog. Don't know who but I know you're out there!

I haven't been in the "blog mood" lately. Sorry about the lapse in updates. It seems all of my time at the computer has been spent looking up hotels and things to do for our future road trip. Anyway, the mood hit me tonight so here I am - watching "John and Kate Plus 8" and typing on the computer. Check this one off my list!

I mentioned the future trip. Yes, even with the price of gas so high, we are taking a road trip this summer. Amber, my best childhood (teenage, adult) friend and companion is getting married in South Bend, IN at the end of June. I want to go! No matter what! So we're going. What Jill wants, Jill gets. Hmm... sounds nice! Actually we have a lot to do on our trip. Amber has just given us an excuse to go.

Before the weekend of the wedding we will also be heading to Menomonie, WI to visit my grandma and my aunt and uncle and cousins and their children. Whew! It's been 5 years since we were all there together so this will be fun. We will also be spending a day or so in Chicago and Yellowstone NP, as well as several other stops along the way.

School is out on June 6 - yippee! Do you remember my griping at Christmas when our break was so short? I said I'd be happy in June. I was right! This long weekend has made me long for summer. Aaah.... We've been volunteered to host the end of year staff bar-b-que for our district. Yep - district! It's small, remember? So Steve is crazily getting the yard ready and I'm crazily thinking of all the projects we/I started 2 years ago when we moved in (that still aren't finished!). Oh well, no one will look anyway, right? Ha! I actually spent a lot of time outside this weekend planting and cleaning out beds. I got to use my new potting table. I love it! Steve made it out of recycled deck wood and I could spend all day at it.

Lyndsi graduates from preschool on Wednesday. I do get a bit teary eyed when I think of it but I'm comforted by the fact that she will be attending the same school for half of her kindergarten day next year. The teachers at the Montessori school are the best in the world! I am so thankful that they want kindergarteners as well as preschoolers. Anyway, there will be a short ceremony and a program for all the families on Wednesday evening. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures to share.

The other day I realized that I only have 9 days of school left, which, at first, excited me but then saddened me because that means I only have 9 days left being Dylan's teacher. This has been such a great experience. I love being with Dylan every day and getting to know him on a whole new level. More tears!

So, the last few weeks. Hmmm.... where to start? Soccer ended, lice are gone, mom and dad came for a visit, I went to a Mother's Day tea at Lyndsi's school (That's a whole blog post on its own!), yard work, Dylan's spring program, Mother's Day brunch with the OK gang, fishing, laundry and laundry and laundry! And more laundry waiting for me right now! Good night!

Remember How I Used to Put Sand in Erin's Hair So I Could Pick It Out?

That practice has come in handy this week. I know people don't usually brag about this kind of stuff. In fact, I'm pretty sure they try to be somewhat discreet. But I've never been very good at hiding things so I'll just come right out and say that I am getting to be a darn good little nit picker. Literally. Yes, I've finally had my first exposure to head lice! (Not on me - I would probably be more discreet about that!).

Lyndsi came home Saturday evening scratching, scratching, scratching. You might recall that she was spending Friday night at her preschool. Anyway, she went home with Reily and Reily's dad on Saturday and spent the day at the lake fishing. When I saw her scratching, I assumed she'd been in the tall weeds and probably got some little things in her hair. I looked and found what I thought was an innocent creature of nature. Not noticing anything peculiar (like dozens of tiny spots in her hair!) or any more friendly critters, I put her to bed.

We spent much of Sunday outside again and yes, I noticed more scratching but, knowing I'd plop Lyndsi in the tub that evening, I ignored it. Now, being a teacher, the thought of head lice is always in the back of my mind, especially when I see my children scratching their heads. This time, however, I didn't feel the need to search too thoroughly (don't ask me why).

Sooo, Monday morning rolls around and when I went in to wake Lyndsi, the first thing she did was roll over and tell me her head was "really itchy". For some reason that got my attention! I did a quick little check and found what I thought could have been an egg. As I was inspecting that, I noticed another one of those "innocent creatures of nature". I caught him and yelled for Steve, who calmly said, "I'll go make sub plans."

I know this sounds crazy but I was feeling like I might actually WANT to stay home and find all those nasty little critters! I did, however, come to my senses and, while I was jealous of Steve being able to be the nit picker of the day, I was relieved to not have to do the cleaning that comes with having a case of lice in the home.

Steve has truly been the hero in all this. He took Lyndsi to Wal-Mart where they purchased lice shampoo, bedding spray and combs, brought her home, spent several hours going through her hair (pulling out quite a collection of bugs!), and then took her to lunch at McDonalds! He also washed all the bedding and remade the beds. He's the greatest dad!

When Dylan and I got home that afternoon, we had our turns with Lyndsi's head. Steve gave us both lessons in the easiest way to capture those elusive insects. Dylan loved using the tweezers to catch them and then freezing the lice in a cup of water. Hmm..not sure that I like a cup full of bugs in my freezer. I was, however, very proud of his "picking" ability. I think I may have passed that gene on to him - hee, hee!

While it sounds a bit like I'm bragging about Lyndsi's critter encounters, I am also happy to report that the rest of us are bug free! Trust me, I've checked!

THE SLEEPOVER WAS A SUCCESS!

Lyndsi had a great time at her preschool sleepover on Friday night. (Yes, I did call the teachers to let them know about our bugs!) Apparently, Lyndsi fell asleep quite easily but was then woken up by another child's snoring. She immediately wanted to go home but was comforted by Teacher Julie who read books to her for over an hour! Lyndsi and Reily woke up before 6 the next morning so those poor teachers got ver little sleep! Lyndsi tells me they got dressed and then went outside to play. She came home with lots of smiles and a bug hotel (kind of fitting, don't you think?) they had made out of an oatmeal container.

I am still in awe that the 3 ladies would donate their Friday nights for the benefit of 18 preschoolers! Gotta love them!

BLOOMSDAY!

Lyndsi and I are off to Spokane tomorrow after the soccer games. Lyndsi is staying with Grandma Linda while my friend Julia and I hit the streets for Bloomsday. I'd add the link here, but remember, I don't know how! I've done this race for over 20 years, most of them with my friend Denise, who I'm hoping to meet up with again this year. Julia joined me about 4 years ago and now she's hooked, too! The weather is supposed to be good so the walk will be fun. I'll let you know on Sunday night!

Soccer Mania

has hit the Streeter household! We quickly replaced wrestling weekends with soccer weekends and I think everyone is much happier! With soccer 3-5 times a week, dance once a week and Cub Scouts once a week, we're keeping pretty busy. The long hours of daylight make our days on the soccer field very enjoyable.

Dylan in the goal! He volunteers for this position!

Dylan's team is doing well. I'm pretty sure they haven't won a game yet this spring but half of their team has never played soccer! Even though they are losing, they are playing well and not losing badly!

Now Lyndsi's team has never, ever won a game but we aren't officially keeping score for the U-6ers. Their total points for the season so far are a whopping 3! The points scored against them are around the 20-30 mark :) What a heart warming scene, to watch six 4 and 5 year olds playing their hearts out! They run up and down the field smiling the whole time. I know I've seen a foot kick the ball a few times, too! It's killing Steve as he is the coach of this peppy little team!

Lyndsi's foot is on the ball!

Last weekend was the district Pinewood Derby race. Dylan was the second place winner for our pack so he was able to race at districts. This time he came in 4th - not bad! There were approximately 16 racers, all who really wanted to win!

Pinewood Derby track

Lyndsi's big excitement this week came in the form of a sleepover. As I write, Lyndsi is snoozing away on the floor of her preschool (at least I hope she's sleeping!). The teachers of the preschool offer a sleepover every year as a fundraiser for the school. Eighteen kids' parents forked out $40 for their child to spend the night at the preschool. Pictures from past sleepovers show lots of fun and games complete with dinner and breakfast. I'm still a bit shocked that Lyndsi was so thrilled to be going! Not even a tear as we said goodbye (unless you could see the shine in my eyes!). Sigh - she's growing up....

The girls are ready for their sleepover!

We're off to Tonasket for a 9:30 soccer game in the morning. I hope the weather warms up a bit. Last weekend we froze! I'm also hoping to get out of the house early enought to get coffee at our new Starbucks in town. Yep, Omak has a Starbucks! I haven't rushed to get in the doors but I am excited to have late night coffee options!