You know, I was doing so well, and then my free time just spiraled out of control; this blog post was a long time coming and will include several month of information, so get yourself a snack, you're going to be here for a while! We hit the end of school (which was over a week late due to all the snow days) and cruised on to Christine's wedding, and by then we were in full summer mode - camps, swimming, travel, work, work, and more work!
We started off the season with an Indiana tradition - Holiday World in Santa Clause, IN. That's right, we joined red-neck america for amusement park rides and water park fun. I think Brian put it best when he said he was unsure if we were at a water park or at the next casting call for Biggest Looser. Oh well, the kids had a blast and we were able to check that off the list for a few years at least! 
Christine and Sean's wedding was on June 12th and we were so honored to be involved with every step. Even with the torrential downpours during both the rehearsal dinner and the reception, everything came off without a hitch and Christine was the star (not Annie, thank goodness!).
Annie did look beautiful and did exactly as we told her, so that was a relief. Sean's niece, Avery, was the other flower girl and they were darling. I made matching dresses for them to wear to the rehearsal and then added blue sashes to both their flower girl dresses and the petal baskets so they would match the rest of the wedding party. Apparently, the party went on until the wee hours, but us old fogies turned in early and missed all the real fun!
Next up was camp for both kids - Jack to Camp Tecumseh for a whole week, and Annie to Girl Scout Day Camp. Jack being almost three hours away with no contact for seven days was a very different experience for all of us, and we're very thankful that Annie had her own camp for the week since she completely fell apart as we drove away from Camp Tecumseh on Sunday afternoon. They can fight like cats and dogs, but when push comes to shove, they are fiercely loyal to each other. Jack's two letters home during the week were both to Annie, although he sent us a quick hello through his best friend's letter to his parents . . . we took what we could get! 
Both Jack and Annie spent a week in Oklahoma with Gigi & Bill, Papa & Cathie, and Aunt Marci, Uncle Jason, William, Vivian, & Landon. This was also a new experience for us - Jack has stayed by himself before, but this was a first for Annie. We had a couple of moments of panic, but they were quickly dissolved (well, pretty quick), and they were already talking about "next year" before we got all the way home.
The Summer went on to include Golf Camp, Summer Institute, and just good old fashioned pool, park, and library time.
We wrapped up before school with a few days of fun as I took my first two days of vacation in my new job. Heading to the Children's Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art (annual age pictures), and swimming before finding out teacher assignments and dinner out before the last day of school.
This was a very different summer for us all as my new job dictated much of our time and the fact that we couldn't really take any extended time off as a family. But with all things there is sacrifice; I'm still sure about my decision to take this new position, and at the end of the day, the kids will never remember that this summer was not what we have considered "normal" before now.
So, thanks for checking (back) in!
xo, jenni
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