DOG DAYS..

So we've entered the dog days of summer. HOT, HUMID, STICKY and DRY..Thursday nite was our first measureable rainfall in several weeks. Around here we are about 3" behind in our rainfall. The poor crops and flowers are really suffering.
So what is going on with us? Not much-my eyes are getting better day by day. The rewetting drops don't burn quite as badly, but still far from soothing IMHO.
The boys passed swimming lessons and are on to the next level starting August 6th. Talk about little fish! Kieran has taken to doing belly flops off the side of the pool. He's so funny. Cayden loves to practice his breast stroke under water-he can move pretty well.
Jerod has been working on a couple side jobs so we haven't seen too much of him the last couple of weekends. SIGH-I hate the whole side job bag-it sucks...although the $$ is nice.
Not much more to type right now, I have to go help the turkeys get ready for service.
Will post soon!

20/20 Here I come

I went through LASIK yesterday. Things are still a little fuzzy right now and when I put in my eye drops it burns like crazy, but I can SEE! It'll take a couple weeks for my eyes to heal to the point where I can touch them. I can't even lightly touch them anywhere around or on my eye. Very difficult, especially when the eye is driving you crazy because it's fuzzy, burning and itchy at times. But it'll be worth it!!!

I need to brag up my husband

Look at what he made! Isn't it beautiful??? It is in possession of the Riley household. This was his project after his back surgery. Kept him busy for a while....

I'm so pround of him.

Entertainment at it's highest level...

So, we finally were able to have Eric and Melyssa over for dinner on Sunday night. We had a great time with them. They are so happy together. So anyways, I had to show you the intense competition that occurred with Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. My boys were in seventh heaven with Eric and Melyssa willing to play with them. I had more fun watching the reaction of Eric trying to get the feel of the games. He didn't fare too well with Mario Kart. But he handled it very well...

Heart pounding good time

Sunday afternoon the boys and I headed to Spring Green. At the River Valley high school, the Madison Drum and Bugle Corp performed for the community at a free concert. I have always wanted to see them and it was awesome. The choreography was so amazing! These kids never missed a beat as they marched, shuffled and waddled around the field without looking where they were going. Hours and hours of practice obviously went into this.

I loved it.

Swimming lessons.

So I don't remember ever having formal swimming lessons when I was young. But I do know I could swim by the time I was 3. Having grandparents who owned a hotel with an indoor pool PLUS having a large inground pool of their own AND living next door the first 8 years of my life helped alot.

Not sure why I haven't had the boys take lessons before this year-guess I wasn't with it. Now that I think of it, up until the beginning of last summer, Cayden was NOT a fan of water. Our trips to the beach consisted of him playing in the sand and Kieran trying his best to get as wet as possible for as long as possible. Cayden hated even taking off his shirt at the beach. Boy, oh, boy has he come a long ways. So I think that lessons before now would've been a waste of money on him. And God forbid Kieran learning anything before and better than him. (that whole sibling rivalry thing is seriously getting old already...)

So here are pix of their first day of lessons. OK-Kieran's preschool level is more playing in the kiddie pool than anything-but he loves it-so who am I to complain? He has taught himself to swim underwater and hold his breath for up to 16 seconds already, so if he wants to play-let him play! Cayden's level 1 class will hopefully teach him the breaststroke and how to jump into deeper water and swim back to the wall/ladder. Today was only the 2nd day-so the end results are a little hard to see. yet.

Oh, and the last one is the boys posing in their "I love my brother" look. They do so crack me up at times...

Can you say SLIP N SLIDE SUMMERTIME?

Thanks to our friend David for bringing over his slip-n-slide the other day. It has been hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement, so this was a nice alternative to the pool/lake. As you can tell-the boys had great time on it. Brings back memories of your youth, doesn't it?

The Infinity Room

For those of you who are familar with the area, this is a picture of the Infinity Room at House on the Rock from the scenic lookout off of Hwy 23 south. Kinda neat, huh? That huge rock

formation to the right is something else, I thought.

Me and my weather obsession..

What a beautiful stretch of weather we've been having! Last weekend was picture perfect: 80's for highs, 50's for lows and sunny allllll day long. You really couldn't have ordered a better summer weekend. No humidity, no bugs, it was a snapshot of paradise-like weather. Now this weekend will be much the same-sunny and warm, but with increased humidity and Saturday and Sunday promise a heat index of over 100*-way too warm to be outside even at the lake. The sand will be burning hot on the tooties-better to visit the local pool.

Enough rambling of our weather, but you know me-I'm a weather freak. But I've learned recently that my niece Valerie and I share that same fetish. LONG LIVE THE WEATHER CHANNEL! I must admit to something-I've always had a small crush on Jim Cantore -the sexiest meterologist I've ever seen. Bald head and everything. Charlie Shortino has nothing on him, though Charlie is good for a laugh http://www.nbc15.com/station/bios/weather/1319666.html ...and David George http://www.nbc15.com/station/bios/weather/1319666.html is better looking in person, but too old. And Gary Cannalte is just not even in the running. Good at his job, but very soft around well, everywhere. http://www.channel3000.com/weather/1017931/detail.html
Bob Lindmeier http://wkow.madison.com/Weather/index.php is the best at up to the minute weather details when storms are in the area and he looks sooo much better since having LASIK to get rid of his coke bottles glasses!

Yeah, I know I have a problem. Sue me.
SHE NEEDS TO GET A LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS WHAT I'M THINKING! AMEN BROTHER.

OK, so I go away from the computer to get juice for Kieran and I get back and see that my lovely hubby has interjected his own commentary on the subject at hand. WELL, Sticks and stones and all that other jazz.

Not sure if the links will work, but I had to try.

Enjoy the weekend!!!-Shannon