Chance of showers

Here's a video from a recent trip to the Great Escape, where Nolan and Thomas wait for the water to spill from Paul Bunyon's Bucket Brigade.

There was an earlier one where they took a much more direct hit. Thomas actually got knocked down by the force of the water!

This time they stayed out on the edge a little more. Watch for Nolan in the green swim trunks and Thomas next to him the blue and white Hawaiian-style suit.

Summer is here...with a crash!

Our first lemonade stand...made more than $8 in 2 hours!







A makeshift sprinkler







So our summer vacation didn't start out that great, but we're making the most of it and taking it on as a challenge. We literally are turning lemons into lemonade!

I took the kids to Troy to meet Chris for dinner, got lost, ran through an intersection and a car broadsided us. Everyone is okay...just got a ticket and the car is in the shop for a month. And of course, I am still humbled by my act of stupidity and the fear of what could have happened to my kids. But it's also making me realize again how dependent we get on our cars. I mean, 50 years ago, most families only had 1 car.

We have been trying to figure out what we're going to do with a trip to Silver Lake coming up and kids going to camps, baseball games, etc... But fortunately, we live in a place where a lot is walking/biking distance. We can get to several playgrounds, church, store, post office and library all within 15 minutes by bike. Not to mention the fun that can be had in our own backyard (see the pics to prove it!). So we're sucking it up and having a true "staycation" this week. Next week we get to attempt packing Chris' little 2 door Honda Civic for a week in Hawkeye. It's a challenge we plan to conquer! We Rooneys are hardy folk!

Kindergarten Greatest Hits

Here are a couple of the songs from Thomas' end of the year kindergarten concert...

Our Kindergarten Graduate

Thomas' End of the Year Show was yesterday...so cute! Chris has some video footage that he'll post soon. We were all there, including Nolan who got out of class, Gaba and Aunt Annie. They sang some songs, including a rendition of Days of the Week, sung to the Adams family tune. They were all trying to snap and not really getting it--too funny! Thomas was nervous up there and kept looking at his friend Will. But he stayed up there and managed to sing a little and do some of the movements. There was a slide show afterward and cake. He still has school today and Monday. Monday he finds out his first grade teacher and Nolan finds out his 4th grade teacher. Wow! I can't beleive how fast they grow.

Nolan didn't make the All-Star team, but apparently a lot of kids didn't. On Saturday, there is another tryout for a "B" team that he wants to go for again. This team includes 3rd and 4th graders, mainly 4th graders. So luck is not on our side, but Nolan has a great attitude. He figures he has nothing to lose. He doesn't care what kind of team he's on as long as he gets to play ball. He's getting so much taller too, coming up to my chin now! He's becoming a real athlete.

So everything is winding down thankfully. Today Nolan has his end of the year pizza party. Tomorrow they both play their last baseball games. And Father's Day is Sunday! We were going to go to Great Escape again but we aren't sure about the weather. The National Park Service is waiving their fees this weekend, so we may check out Saratoga Battlefield again. Thomas is done school on Monday and Nolan on Tuesday.

As soon as school is over, we get to explore the world of orthodontia! Woohoo (not)! Nolan has a wicked overbite and overcrowding of teeth. So we see an orthodontist on Tuesday. I'm not looking forward to that at all. But our first camping trip is to Moreau next week, and an awesome summer begins!

More pics

Here's some of Thomas' trip to his teacher's farm:






I'm very happy that the big church event I helped plan is over. Over 90 people came and seemed to like it. Here's a picture from that:


The boys both had good games this weekend. Thomas is really practicing his hitting and getting a lot stronger. Nolan's team still hasn't won, but they tied with a team on Saturday! He got a triple, a single and drove in a runner. We're told that he's going to be nominated to try out for the All Star team. We're anxious to find this out. Even the chance to try out is really good. But, it may change our summer plans if he makes the team. There are 5 practices and 2 games a week! But he just loves it, and it gets more competitive the older he gets.

Nolan's alarm is going off...my day begins!

The countdown begins

Over the past couple weeks, we've had a trip to NH to visit the Reeds, visits to the classroom, and a day at the Great Escape. We saw the Reeds over Memorial Day weekend and had a blast, as usual. This time, Chester came with us so he could play with their dog, Dexter. We played, ate outside and went to a parade. The picture at the parade is with Thomas and Ava, holding hands. They are becoming quite amorous with each other. They even went to her room at the end of the visit so they could have a private hug! Yikes! Nolan did a report for school on England that he presented in a booklet and on Powerpoint. We got to go in and have him share it with us. And last weekend, we took a break from baseball and headed up to Great Escape for the day, our first trip of the summer. Chris got to go on the new ride, the Sasquatch (and there's the pic with him and the actual Sasquatch). We saw the pirate show...AGAIN. I loved the Blizzard (a scrambler). It was chilly but Nolan wanted to do the Desperado Plunge. It was a nice break from all the craziness we've been having. We needed it.

Thomas has been hard to manage lately, and so we weren't sure it was a good idea to go to Great Escape. But we seemed to be yelling a lot lately, and I felt like we all could use a break from reality and a little fun! It seemed to do the trick, because he has been less naughty lately. Well, that and taking away his video games until he can be more kind. He is definately getting older. He's been asking a lot about his adoption lately, but seems satified with our answers. I think he gets comforted when we tell the same story over and over. We never hide anything. We always give him as much information as he asks for. Today we went on a trip to his teacher's farm. He got to feed the horse and ducks. I got to throw a chicken out of the barn! It was fun...I'll post the pics soon.

Also since I wrote last, my friend Mathew from high school came to visit, an avid fan of our family blog! I got to see his pics for a change and I tried to guilt him into getting on Facebook (no such luck). I just loved our chat and hope we get to have them more often.

So June is here and 13 more days of school. Nolan has 5 more games and Thomas has three. Nolan's team still hasn't won a game, but they had a really exciting game on Monday. Nolan drove in a runner and got a triple. That triple was almost a hit out of the park; it dropped right when it got to the fence...so exciting. I hope they win soon. They've really progressed since they started. We're anxious to find out when All Star tryouts are for this summer. For school, next week we have an informational night to see what instrument Nolan may play in school next year. He's interested in the violin and viola. The week after is Thomas' Kindergarten Graduation and the end of the year parties. I can't beleive I won't have a kindergartener anymore.

This weekend is the big church event I've been planning forever now. I'll be the happiest woman on the planet when it is over! I won't bore you with all the details, but there has been one problem after another. But to look at it positively, I think it has helped me see that I'm not interested in working with adults in a church anymore. Maybe kids, but not teaching. I'm just not that good at it. But I have learned some leadership skills and gotten to know the ins and outs of church business (and it's not always pretty!). And I'm really glad to have met some wonderful people that really give of themselves to help.

Sorry so long...I didn't know I had so much to say!