It's Been a While...

 I have been informed that I haven't blogged in a while.  No, I haven't.  It's not that there hasn't been anything happening .  It's just the opposite.  There has been SO much happening that there hasn't been a whole lot of time to sit at the computer and blog.  I have had hundreds of thoughts about different blog posts, but now, they are all going to be downsized and put into one post.  Enjoy a few weeks in the life of the Grief family. (:

 

Apparently Abby needs a reminder that she has to go to school during the week and stay home on the weekends.

Lukey loves to soak his feet with me.

Packing lunches is what I do.
Why do I loathe this job each morning?

A friend saw a cute idea on Pinterest and asked if I might be able to make it for her.  I was thrilled to be able to do it!  I think they turned out pretty cute!  I have plans to make more!

I got a surprise (well, I knew a day earlier that she was coming.) visit from my BFF, Karen!!  We didn't have a whole lot of time together, but I was beyond happy that I got to see her and her family!

I think Luke was trying to write his name.  Can you see it?  I could definitely see the 'L'.  Luke told that the thing that looks like an 'O' is actually a 'U'.  I could see it once he explained to me, "See the little stick on the side."  I get it.  Then I got teary when I think about my baby growing up so quickly!

I chaperone my very first band trip.  It was the first football game of the season, which happened to be an away game in Tulsa.  When I got to the school and got the list of students that were on my bus...let's just say that I thought I was being punished.  I got put on the bus with 35 ninth and tenth grade BOYS!  Seriously?!?!  I was pleasantly surprised.  On the round-trip, those boys were all so well behaved!  There were four moms on the bus and I don't think any of us ever had to correct any of the boys.  Impressive!

The night that I chaperoned was also that band's very first performance.  How could I possibly miss that?!  It was amazing to see how  far these kids have come in just a few short weeks! 

The first Bruin home game.  Jon and I worked the concession stand.  It was kind of fun because we worked on the visitor side which meant we got to have the band students on our side.  Fun stuff!

Jon was experimenting with the camera.  I was his subject.  I don't love it.

I am one proud band mom!
So proud to finally have my shirt to make it official!

I took Luke to the ENT last week for a routine check-up on his tubes and a hearing test.  He loved wearing the earphones!  He sees his daddy wear them, which makes them extra cool when you are 4.  Update on the ears:  The tubes have been in for nearly 2 1/2 years.  I never thought they would last that long, but I am happy that they have.  Luke didn't do terrible on his hearing test, but he didn't do fantastic, either.  The lady that did that test said that he might have some fluid in his hear or something causing him to not hear the sounds.  Sure enough, the doctor looked in there and there was fluid.  He said that the tube is still in there, but isn't functional.  In the other ear, the tube is still in, but it is crooked and working it's way out.  We knew that at some point, if the tubes didn't come out on their own, that we would have to decided whether or not to surgically remove them or just let them eventually work their way out.  At this point, that decision seems to be becoming clearer and clearer.  Luke's ear (with the fluid) is ripe for an infection.  If an infection occurs, the decision is made for us.  We would have to have it taken care of pretty quickly.  Normally we schedule a follow-up appointment for three months out.  This time the doctor wants to see him back in six weeks.  This isn't sounding great.  Please pray that everything will work out.  (With surgery looming for me, I can't imagine surgery for Luke too!)  Anyway...look at all those stickers on Luke's shirt!  That means he did a super job at the doctor!  (He was most thrilled that they had Avenger and Iron Man stickers!  Can you tell he has a teenage brother???)

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the little guy before he left for school.  He has been waiting since March to wear this particular shirt.  He couldn't have been happier to finally get to wear it!  I couldn't get over how cute he looked in the grey skinny jeans and Converse.

Luke and I LOVE the Dollar Tree!  We got there fairly frequently.  Luke has had his eye on a collection of whales, sharks and dolphins for quite some time.  I told him earlier in the week that we could go on Friday after school to check them out.  You would think that he might forget.  Nope!  First thing Friday morning he asked if we could still go to the dollar store after school.  How could I resist?  I also couldn't resist letting him get not just one, but two creatures.  He really wanted to go home, fill up his pool in the back yard and play with his shark and "sperm whale".  Well...our extremely hot summer has finally chilled out and we were actually having rain come through on Friday. The next best thing...the kitchen sink, of course!  Luke was happy as a clam to play with his new sea creatures for a nice, long time in the kitchen sink rather that in the pool.

I love flightaware.com.  I love that anytime Jon is on a trip, I can track where he is at.  No, not stalk him, but there is something comforting about knowing where he is at.  How did we ever live without all of this modern technology?

So...that's where we're at.

Life busy around here.

But really...God is good!

Marching Band Sneak Peek

Ben has been in marching band since the end of July.  I usually go to the school early to pick him up just so I can catch a little glimpse of the work that is going on.  I don't get to see much, but at this point, I still get goosebumps when I see them working on a set or practicing their music.  I'm glad to know that I'm not the only excited one as Jon, Abby and Luke often ask if we are going early to see the band.  They want to go too.  Well, this past week, we finally got to see just a little bit of what the band has been working on.  We were all a little excited!

Luke was happy to get to wear his band shirt.  He was pretty proud of the fact that it had a trombone on it!

This boy of mine is beyond proud to be a band member.

He makes me proud!

The band didn't march, but it was nice to listen to all that they have been working on.
(Abby, Luke and I went to Ben's night practice about an hour early later in the week and got to see as much of the show as they have completed.)

 "Oklahoma"

We've been here four years now, I guess it's time to learn the words.  It's a fun song!

Some cadence fun!

"Let's Go Blue!"

BHS Fight Song

I am leaving out the actual marching show music until I can see it performed on the field!  How exciting is that going to be?!

I know I have talked a lot about Ben and band a lot, but that is pretty much our life around here.  This coming week, Ben gets to go play at his first (away) football game.   It is busy, but so far we are all loving it!

Thoughtful Girl

The other day, Abby was reading this book and came out with these instructions for me.

I think I should do what she says!

Could she be any sweeter?!

Luke's First Day of Preschool

This day has come with a lot of mixed emotions.  

I am super excited for my little Lukey to go to school!  I know he is going to love it.  I know I am going to enjoy a few hours to myself.  He is going to learn so much.  I am happy that he will only go three days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day instead of the all day, every day plan that the public school does.

I am sad because he is my baby.  We have spent every single day together for the last four years.  Going to school means that he is growing up.  Going to school is going to make it seem like he is growing up so much faster!

However...I am so excited for Luke and all of the fun and learning that he is going to do this year!

 

 Luke was so excited that I surprised him with a new box of his favorite cereal this morning!

All ready to go!  

 Me and my preschooler (:

 Headed to school.

 After I took the picture of Luke in the car, he asked me to take a picture of Daddy.

(I'm so glad that today just happened to be Jon's day off!)

 Luke did a great job going to school, putting his backpack away and getting ready to learn.  Such a big boy...

Did I cry?  Ummm...yes. )':

Luke and his teacher, Miss Anne.
I was so excited to find out that Miss Anne was Luke's teacher.  I met her last year and thought she was so sweet!  I know my little guy is in good hands!

Jon and I were both excited to pick Luke up from school!

After school, what could be better than a fun little lunch at McDonald's?  Luke thought it was pretty great!

I am so glad Luke had such a great first day of school!  It was so fun to learn about all the things he did.  He talked about circle time, the weather, playing with bugs, playing at the play dough center, drawing, playing on the playground...  He also informed us that "girls are weird" and "some boys have long hair".  You just never know what you might learn at school.  (:

I asked Luke when we got home if he was excited to go back to school on Wednesday.

He got all excited and said, "I get to back?!"

I said, "Yes."

And he very happily said, "YES!"

I'm so glad!

Lukey's Special Secret Surprise Day

 Luke was a very sad little guy when we dropped Ben and Abby off at school yesterday.  I knew that with them being gone and me having been so busy the last week before school started, that Luke needed his own special day.  I asked him what he would like to do and his only request was to go to the dinosaur park.  (A park with a dinosaur theme.)  Absolutely!  Since the temperatures have cooled down quite a bit, I was happy to take him to the park!  But I wanted to do more.  And I didn't want Luke to know what the plan was.

Before we headed to the park, we made a special stop for a very special treat.  More on that in a little bit.  After the special treat stop, I asked Luke if he was hungry.  He asked if I had brought some snacks and I asked him if he would like to go to McDonald's.  He threw his arms around me, squeezed me as hard as he could and told me, "You're the best buddy!"  Sigh...My heart turned to mush!  We drove through McDonald's to pick up our lunch to take to the park.  Luke never gets a Happy Meal, but I happened to have a coupon for a free one, so he was thrilled to get a toy with his food!

We found the perfect shady spot for our little picnic.

And then played!  We were the only ones at the park!  Luke had the whole playground to himself!

This is my favorite picture from the whole day!  I love this little guy!

After playing for a little while, we took a break for our special sweet treat.  We have a great little cupcake shop/bakery here that I am ashamed to say I have never been to.  I was afraid that if I went once, I would want to go more.  (:  However, with it being the first day of school and a special day for Luke and me, I thought it would be perfect.  And it was!  Luke chose a chocolate chocolate cupcake (no shock!) and I chose the mandarin orange cupcake.  WOW!!  They were amazing!!  I will now be craving mandarin cupcakes...  I couldn't leave the rest of my family out, so we chose a chocolate chocolate cup cake for Abby and a chocolate chip sandwich cookie for Jon and Ben.  They were all pleasantly pleased!

After our little treat, Luke was off and running and ready to play some more!

It was so nice outside and it was nice to have the playground all to ourselves!  It was even better to get to spend the day with just Luke!  We didn't have anywhere we had to be.  No responsibilities.  It's been a long time!  I am thankful to get to spend my days with this little guy!

I just can't imagine what my days are going to be like next week when he goes to school...

First Day of School 2012-13

And they're off!  Yes, Ben and Abby are off on their first day of school.  I have been dreading this day for several weeks now, but that hasn't slowed things down at all.  For some reason, I'm just not ready for school to start.  We really didn't do a whole lot this summer, but I have enjoyed having them at home. ( I have also really enjoyed their help around the house!)  This year has been much more emotional for me than any year yet!  I'm not sure if it's because Ben is in high school this year or because Luke is starting school this year...I've just been an emotional wreck!

I can hardly believe that Abby is in 7th grade this year.  Her middle year in middle school.

Even harder to believe is that Ben is in HIGH SCHOOL!

Ugh...It makes my heart pound just thinking about it...

I  did really well when I dropped Ben and Abby off at school.  I didn't even cry!  Luke on the other hand...He was very sad!  He cried on the way home and then moped around the house for a while. (You know, until I let him watch PBS Kids!)  I was so proud of myself for holding it together.  Well...I managed to hold it together until I got on Facebook and starting reading everyone's posts about school and people's comments on my post/pictures.  Then I lost it.

 

Happy first day of school, Ben and Abby!

I am praying that you will both have a great year, learn a lot, make new friends and make memories that you will last a lifetime.  I also pray that you will remember who you are, who lives inside of you and let others know that there is something special about you! 

Random...

I ran across some very random pictures on my camera...

 Ben's friend saved his Coke caps when he was on vacation because he knows that I collect points on mycokerewards.com and gave them to me when he returned!  111 points!!  What a guy!

 We had an abundance of tomatoes from our garden so I roasted them and made salsa.

The salsa wasn't great, but it made an amazing meal in the crock pot!!  We will be adding this to our regular menu repertoire!

 Sweet, sleepy boy  (:

 Ben thought it was necessary to save every Coke can he ever drank out of.  Thankfully he finally decided it would be ok to throw them away!  Not before taking a picture, of course!

 Jon in his beloved garden.  Here is doing some "fall planting".  Pumpkins, I think.

Unfortunately, since this picture was taken, it got insanely hot, he couldn't keep up with the watering and everything died.  There's always next year!

Ben loves to take pictures of the clouds!

 Jon could sense I was having one of "those" days and came home from work with these in tow.  

I love that man!

 Ben was wiped out from band camp!

 Pure beauty!

 I was feeling like a good mom and actually remembered that we had some workbooks that Luke could work in.  This is the first time we have ever gotten them out.  He loved it and amazed me at how well he did!

 I love when the sun shines through the clouds!
(Another photo by Ben)

 This is the first part of Abby's locker decorating.  Unfortunately, I didn't take the camera when we went to finish.

 These are the fun decorations we made for Abby's locker.
Well, aside from the softball...

 Abby mastered the art of making cookies this summer!  Luke wanted to help "stir".

I have been working on some super cute curtains for a dear friend's new kindergarten classroom.  I love the fabrics she chose!

I love the random things in life!

Chef Ben

While making our weekly dinner menu, Ben complained that we eat too much chicken.  He also proceeded to complain about just about every other suggestion I had for the menu.  I said, "Fine, then you do it!"  He was beyond happy to offer to take one night.  The boy LOVES to cook!

It didn't take Ben long to get his menu made.  He wanted a "man" meal!  He wanted "MEAT"!  He knew immediately that he wanted to make ribs, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, as well as dessert.  WOW!!  I have never made ribs before, let alone eat them!  (I know, I know...I had just never had them...)  I couldn't let Ben down, so I went along with it.  How could I pass up a night of no cooking???

Ben and I went to the local meat market to buy the ribs.  Thankfully this place is amazing and they guys there were happy to tell us the best way to cook the ribs.

Ben's dinner kept having to be postponed due to his marching band schedule (and the other hundreds of things that seemed to be going on).  The day finally came and Ben couldn't wait to tackle it all by himself!

The proud chef  (:

Boys like meat...

This is all that was left...

Ben did a great job!  He ended up having to have a lot more help than he anticipated.  I think it is so good for him to see all that is involved in making a meal.  It takes a long time.  It makes the kitchen a mess.  Everyone doesn't always appreciate or like everything that you make. It takes much more time to prepare the meal than it does to consume the meal.  

The best part...Ben wants to do it again and Abby asked when she can have a turn!

Luke the Builder

Luke has been loving building with his blocks.

We even got out Ben's old blocks so Luke could make his "towers" even taller.

Look at the look of concentration.

I love playtime!