star wars nerds, ur, i mean, fans.

ok so, obviously, i'm struggling a little bit with keeping this blog current. i can't believe we're into the last week of october already. the idea of trying to catch up makes me want to dive into a vat of ice cream, so today, i'm just jumping in with some randomness. jumping into my blog that is, not ice cream.

the other day, i looked out the window to this scene in the back yard. proving, once again, that big boys are really just little boys on the inside. they never really grow up no matter how much hair is on their legs.

the best part, besides the fact that they are still in their pajamas, is that they mean it. light saber battles are not for the faint of heart at our house. they have had the bruises to prove it, and it's not a coincidence they're fighting outside instead of in. there's less chance of any dry wall damage if the battle stays outdoors. light sabers, and the desire to use them like a jedi, are a big deal around here because my boys, all of them, are such big star wars fans.

this summer when we went to orlando there was some kind of nerd, i mean, star wars convention going on at the disney studios park. there were tons of extra star wars characters walking around the park, and my boys were in heaven. and i'm not kidding, when jango phett walked by, the look on taylor's face told me it was maybe his best day ever.
who the heck is jango phett you ask?
exactly.
they're nerds.
nerds who want to use the force so dang bad.
and i love it.

blink

this happens every year.

one day we are celebrating the last weeks of school with a million spring-time activities...

choir concerts

spencer sang a solo

 (no pic of allie singing?)

dance recital - beautiful dance, terrible pic

pre-school field trip

and graduation

jr.high graduation

 and lots of great lacrosse

 (this next one is of of him shooting an actual goal even though it's hard to tell)

not to mention, the musicals, which i already documented, final projects, AP and other end of year tests, and even, a new job. 

spring is busy, and by the last day of school, we are all jumping for joy.

literally.

because by then, we most definitely need the break.

and then,

(this is the part that happens every year...)

i blink too quickly.

and the next thing i know,

i'm making breakfast,

packing lunches

and taking first day of school photos.

and even though, it's going to be a BIG, awesome, exciting year for each one of the kids, 

i just can't believe that

 summer is over.

 wow.

five for friday, again

five for friday seems to be a good fit for me right now since everything during the summer feels so miscellaneous and random. and it helps me document the little things, which is really what i want to get down on "paper" any way.  here goes....

1. allie and james (her cousin) have always had a great friendship, they seem to be a perfect balance for each other. maybe because they seem to bring out the super silly in each other - i love watching them interact at family gatherings, they make me giggle and wonder what they will be like as adults. i was surprised by these funny photos that appeared on my camera this week.

2. we have a few extra littles at our house this weekend while their mom and dad are out of town. i love it when ethan has other people in the house that aren't adults or teenagers to hang out with. they always have so much fun. what is better than coloring books, sprinklers, trampoline time, legos, polly pockets and pancakes for dinner? 

3. this little family snapshot (thanks lisa), makes me smile because i love seeing my kids so grown up. 

this little family snapshot makes me feel surprised because i can't believe my kids are so grown up. 

this little family snapshot makes my heart hurt a little because my kids are so grown up! 

this little family snapshot makes me feel...SHORT. good grief. it doesn't help that i'm the only one who took her shoes off. i'm telling you, hold onto your little ones ladies, it happens way too fast.

4. real men wear aprons. i LOVE seeing these boys in aprons. especially TIES and aprons. 

i don't know why but it makes my heart swell with pride. :) maybe because there's something so handsome about a man who's not afraid to be a little domestic. 

5. i planted a small garden this year. i wasn't sure what i could grow so i only put in a few things, but i've learned a ton. like, don't buy cheap tomato cages because they fall down and/or fall apart, plant tomatoes far away from each other so they don't start looking like one giant plant, label everything (at least one plant is going to be a surprise when it finally produces something) and....one squash plant is pleeeenty. 

it's been super fun "harvesting" squash because every day there's a new basket of it, but really, we can only eat it so many ways. i am super super excited to have a handful of ripe tomatoes! squash anyone?

in orlando...

 spencer showed great bravery by riding on all four plane rides even though it made him a little nervous.
you know, come to think of it, i am not a very good flyer either, and i was brave too. :)

i only wore my hair down for about ten minutes on the first day - then in a messy bun for the other six and three/fourths. even a pony tail was unacceptable because hair was still touching my too-hot neck.

we saw penguins (my favorite) and dolphins and whales.

tasted all kinds of coke from around the world, it was pretty gross.

rich channeled john lasseter.

spencer had the gall to tell me that the rockin' roller coaster was "just ok, mostly it was just turns". what the? it's one of my favorite rides of all time.

then i saw the photo and laughed at him because it seemed to me like he was having a good time.

woody gave ethan his hat as a reward for being brave enough to give him a hug. (he must have known that ethan was nervous.) that moment made the whole trip worth it.

taylor's long thick hair reacted so awesomely to the amount of humidity in the air, that it provided daily entertainment for us all. this photo doesn't even do justice to the sweet fro that it was.

allie purchased the ultimate pin and lanyard collection she's always wanted - with her own hard-earned cash.

we ate really bland, over-priced food at the famous planet hollywood. (we're smiling because we didn't know how bland and over-prized it would be yet.)

ethan was psyched to be just tall enough for most of the rides we rode.

the kids, little guy included, salivated over this sweet ride at epcot...

 we fed the dolphins and pet the sting rays.

we saw all the important people and took photos with most of them.

even in orlando, the teenagers managed to make time for texting. usually while waiting in the long lines or riding shuttles in between parks.

taylor channeled his inner viking.

 his fellow SBOs would be so proud.

all the people in our family INCLUDING rich, rode this ride. the photo was terrible or i would've purchased it as proof for rich doubters.

spencer managed to sneak into several photos without me noticing until reviewing them later. these two are my favorites.

we walked at least 100 miles over the seven days - seriously, and i had about sixteen blisters on my poor feet to prove it, i'll spare you the photos. with the heat and humidity, we were all pretty wasted at the end of each day - ok half way through each day.

 hot and miserable, but i still managed to get them to smile for me. ya, i got skills.

  we all loved chilling at typhoon lagoon in the water for one whole day to beat the heat.

there was one more part of orlando that we all loved, but it deserves it's own short post. so you'll just have to wait. but here's a little clue...