Mi casa es su casa. Apparently.

I walked past the kitchen window the other day and saw these three deer (a mom and her two babies) hanging out in our backyard. While it doesn't completely make sense why they pick our house since we are pretty much fenced in, we've seen deer before. But this time they decided to make themselves comfortable behind the lilac trees. And they were not about to be moved. I yelled out the window to them, and even stepped out onto the back patio and banged on the side of the house, thinking surely all the commotion would startle them into high-tailing it out of there. But nope. They were pretty content to stay right where they were.

It finally took some Andrew-sized noise to get their lazy bums to leave.

Thanks Andrew for taking care of business.

Run for it.

Emma and Leah had their first cross country meet today at Lorain Community College. They had to be to the school at 6:45 this morning. Don't you love it? Yeah, the girls did too.  The rest of us met them out there at a much more reasonable time to cheer them on.

Emma chasing down the competition.

Leah crossing the finish line.

Emma came in 87th out of 154, and Leah came in 91st.  Their times were 17:20 and 17:39.  Wish I could run that fast!

Great job with the first meet!

If you really want to know what I do with myself all day while the kids are at school, well here you go--

Out of the house at 8:30.
Stop at school board office to pick up some papers.
Arrive at visiting teaching appointment.
Wonder why my companion isn't there.
Call her to make sure she's ok.
Realize that due to lack of communication, she went to my house instead, and now is at her house.
Think about how faithful my companion is as she packs up her baby and associated gear yet another time.
Have a quite nice albeit slightly late-starting visiting teaching appointment.
Realize that I am late for my presidency meeting.
Rush out to the car and head off.
Realize I have to go the the bathroom.
Really bad.
Get into one-track-mind mode.  Need. Tacie's. Bathroom.
Apparently drive 54 in a 35 zone.
Get pulled over by a cop.
Get a speeding ticket.
Still. Need. Tacie's. Bathroom.
See this number right here:

Have a heart attack because I think it's the cost of the ticket.
Use Tacie's bathroom.
Feel very grateful (and a little sheepish) when Tacie's police officer husband points out that it's only the ordinance number, not the cost.
Proceed to have the usual 2-hour long presidency meeting.
Realize I am late for a commitment to help a friend who is moving clean her house.
Make the 20 minute drive (much more slowly this time) back home to pick up supplies and grab some lunch.
Clean a couple bathrooms at my friend's house.
Realize that Brooke is going to be home any minute.
Ask my friend's son to retrieve Andrew from the park behind her house where he has been playing.
Feel grateful that the bus drivers are still not familiar with their routes and are running late.
Listen to voice messages, return phone calls, discuss visiting teaching changes with the visiting teaching leader, get snacks for the kids, and start making pizza.  Pretty much all at the same time.

You know, the usual.

The First Day Of...

...only one Franklin child in elementary school.

...Brooke and Andrew riding buses by themselves.

...four kids in three different schools.

...JUNIOR HIGH!!!

...people making comments like "You're not going to know what to do with yourself with everyone gone all day!" and me thinking to myself "If only you knew..."

...me running errands without either (a) four kids walking really close to me, asking me to buy things, or getting really silly and giggly in the store or (b) me feeling guilty that I've left them at home alone and that I have got to hurry back.

...a kitchen that stays clean for more than five minutes.

...a very quiet house. 

That is, until 3:00.

Let the games begin!

Brace yourself.

BEFORE.

AFTER.

This is the retainer-type appliance that he will wear at night.  Can't wait to turn that key...

Hit list.

With the inheritance of two of my grandmother's blankets, including one the kids and I had made for her, my puny little basket was overflowing. Time for a new set up. I wanted a cedar chest. But I didn't want to pay for a cedar chest. Enter the master craigslister, Jill. She has found numerous bargains by using cragslist. I looked a couple times for a cedar chest, but hadn't really found anything. Then late one night she IM's me that a cedar chest (in Garfield Heights, east side, yikes!) was just posted...and it was FREE! I immediately email the person, and after a series of emotional ups and downs (suddenly the post said "pending pick-up" but I hadn't gotten a response to my email yet!) I connected with the owner and arranged a pick up time.

Turns out Garfield Heights isn't as far away as I thought. On the way there, I thought Oh shoot! I don't have any money! And then I remembered Oh yeah. I don't need any. Yep, there's a crack on the lid. But I am pretty sure it's antique. It has beautiful accents, and I found out online how to freshen up the inside--just a light sanding of the cedar. It smells great and looks great in the corner.

Can you even see the crack???

My grandmother's blankets, right on top, with plenty of room for more!

I love it, and I love that Jill knows how to work craigslist.  The price was definitely right on this beauty--it was a hit!

...and everything in between.

Don't worry, we didn't forget about the Central Valley in all this. Hanging out in Mo-Town provided plenty of fun!

Like swimming...

...reuniting with childhood friends after 18 years at a couple of our favorite joints back in the day...

...touring the Hilmar Cheese Factory...

(where our idea of what "create your own ice cream" was going to be was quite different from what it actually was)

Sydney, this picture is for you!

...a lil bit o' hot tubbing...

...a very special birthday...

Go ahead, count 'em!

...fun at the park...

...meeting the next generation...

My kids and my cousins' kids

...and, of course, this little guy.

Teddy, the wonder dog,

who loved taking walks in the park, chasing after balls, and chasing after strangers (oops, back to obedience school for you!),

and who really wanted to be a member of the snuggle club!

(Teddy ended up getting a Footprint of his own.)

Think we packed enough in to two weeks?  It was jam-packed with good times and memories for a lifetime.  Grandma and Grandpa earn a special award for putting up with our crazy crew.

But you know who misses us the most?

This little smoochy pooch

who didn't know what to do with himself in a big, empty house. 

Are Grandma and Grandpa wondering the same thing...?