June...In Nutshell

It's October?  Seriously?  How'd that happen?  I put on a fleece this morning.  In my mind, I'm still wearing shorts and tank tops.  Yet I just filled out a form with my preferences for Parent/Teacher Conferences for the end of the 1st quarter of school.  I guess I should snap out of this dream world and face reality...it's Fall.  I'm a slacker.  There aren't enough hours in the day to do all that I want to.  I'm behind.  And not just on my blog.  Ugh.  I don't like reality.  Can't we live happily-ever-after in my little land of make-believe?
Okay...so what happened in June? 

Well...like I said before...I spent a lot...no, really...A LOT of time cleaning up not-so-fun stuff!

Ava took a little while catching on.  She earned the nickname "The Camel" after day 2.  She'd not go to the bathroom until I put a pullup on for bed.  Any accidents she had, it was because her bladder literally gave out.  And she'd be horrified that it had!

Eli was a quick study.  He figured out that he got a treat every time he went potty.  So...he'd let just enough out on the potty to earn a treat...eat it...then head back to his potty to earn another Swedish fish! (Hey, if I'm going to have candy in the house, it's going to be something I LOVE...so I can treat myself, too!)

Cole...well...like everything with Cole...potty training became a battle of wills.  He was defiant.  He'd "perform" if he wanted to...but ONLY if he wanted to.  Otherwise, he was perfectly happy watching me clean up after him while he got a fresh pair of underwear.

But June wasn't ONLY about potty-training.

(This is Zoe's buddy Kaylyn...she won't be back to ECES next year, but they'll stay friends, I'm sure of it!)

Zoe wrapped up 2nd grade...complete with a "Violin Chapel" to show us all how much she'd learned and improved.  I have a confession here.  The entire violin class (2nd, 3rd & 4th grade students) played a piece together at the end that brought me to tears.  No, I didn't get it on video, but if I find a parent that taped it, I'm posting it.  It was AMAZING.  Instead, you'll have to listen to his...just the 2nd grade beginner class...

Ty completed Kindergarten.  He LOVED his year with Mrs. Johnston...and she loved having him!

But the most shocking part of our June was Shane's departure from SONY.  Yes, after 16 years, he's no longer polishing up on his Japanese.  He wasn't looking for a new job, but Samsung came looking for him.  So there were a few days that we had Dad at home while we kicked off our summer.  It was a fun few days...for a few days.  But ummm...how do I say this nicely?  Well...I learned that Shane will NEVER have a job that he works solely at home.  At least not while I'm a SAHM.  Too much chaos for me.

Just like last year, we wrapped up June with a trip up to CT for Summer Bible Club and Camp Granddad.  Highlights will have to wait for my next post.

In the meantime, here are a few other random fun shots and clips from the month...