Update from My World

My gosh, I went and posted about 1000 posts and committed to the next thousand, then dropped off the face of the earth! Well, sort of.

I've been on vacation and finishing out the last days of summer. Really, though, that's only an excuse, cause summer or vacation have never kept me from blogging before. Sooo....here's my little catch up:

DSs 3 and 4 and I left with my Dad, Stepmom, Brother and his family on Thursday, July 23rd to drive to Ohio to see our family. We had an amazing weekend of family picnics, reunions, and such. Here's a picture of the whole gang:While this only represents a small portion of this side of the family, it was a great event with lots of fun for all. DSs 3, 4, and I took a side trip over to Indiana to visit my friend Suzi and her family. We had a great time enjoying their sweet small town! While there, we enjoyed the county fair and the weather. Wow, the weather! It was so nice to be able to actually BREATHE the cool evening air...minus humidity.

We returned a week ago and had a somewhat busy week.

DS 3 turned 15 on Wednesday. Now, he's part of the reason I needed to blog. He reminds me when I'm "falling behind". But yesterday he said, "You have never missed one of our birthdays." OUCH!

While we were in Ohio, we took a trip to one of his favorite places: Wright-Patterson Airforce Base to see the National Air Museum. He studied his driver's manual all the way to Ohio and all the way home. In fact, I didn't realize how many things I didn't know about the road signs and rules. Wednesday morning, we added one more student driver to the roadways here in FL. He's doing GREAT.

As he grows older, it's so evident that he's a rock. He is stable and consistent. He is someone that everyone in our family goes to for his reliability. If I want to know something about what someone else is doing in our little family, I can often ask DS 3 and he knows. He is keenly observant and often keeps us all in motion, or at least keeps track of our motion. I'm so thankful for the young man he is becoming. He is a blessing to be sure. I'm excited to see him continue his journey through the teen years and into his young adult life.

In other news, DS 1 will leave for school this week. He really doesn't want us to go help him move. Instead, it will be his brother (DS 2) and his friends. I guess when you've been to boot camp already, and it's not your "freshman year"....it's not "cool" to have your family help out for this event. He and I made a trip to Ikea to get him set up, however. I know he's excited to get going on this new chapter of his life.

Hard to believe but school starts for me next week. I am glad. I have always said that I am a better working Mother. It's true. I like everyone to have places to be and things to do. Including me! I'm looking forward to another school year.

So, that pretty much sums up our last few weeks. I do have a book review to post...stay tuned for that.