first official day of summer 2009

summer has officially arrived. i didn't count friday because it was way too cool. i lay in bed this morning until 8, just because i can and even though i can't sleep past 6 i just read my book, but i really have no impending reason to get out of bed before the sun comes up unless its to ride my bike or something. avery is sitting on the couch playing his gameboy (pokemon seems to be the flavor of the day for the past week) and i immediately have to rain on his parade because thats what parents do right? i inform him that he will not be spending the entire summer playing gameboy or watching tv constantly and usher him in to practice his violin. he has a little meltdown and decides that he wants to quit the violin but recovers quickly when i tell him that if he quits violin, i get his gameboy. i know, i know cruel huh? i toast some leftover waffles from a week ago and put strawberries on them and have to drag anna away from reading her book in her bed. if you ask her what she is going to do this summer, she'll say "read" very matter of fact. so, i am not real worried about her losing anything over the summer, but avery on the other hand can waste a whole day doing nothing productive (he gets that from his mother). so, i have decided we are doing homeschool everyday (just an hour or so, i'm not that mean). i just want to improve his math and reading skills this summer.

i heard the baler going this morning at 5 a.m. (maybe that's why i couldn't sleep) and it brought back many summer mornings when we sat on the tractor with my dad while he baled hay early in the morning (it was him baling this morning too, but i didn't get up to sit on the tractor, i know i've grown up). blake had to work last night and didn't get home until 6:30 this morning and my dad had already baled half the field, it is kind of nice having him retired, he is a pretty good hand. my brothers have resorted to calling him "blake's boy." i told blake its just because they are jealous.

i write this to the sound of "perpetual motion" on the violin and the muffled sounds of anna's guitar coming from the other room. blake made a deal with them this summer that every morning that they get up and don't make their beds, they have to pay him a quarter and at the end of the summer if they never missed a day he'll give them 5 quarters (i didn't say anything as to the unfairness of the deal). so first thing this morning before blake has even graced us with his presence inside (he's too busy counting bales outside with my dad) i notice avery's bed isn't made and point it out to him, he returns with a quarter for the jar, i secretly tell him to just go make it and i won't tell dad this time because it is the first day of the deal. so when anna gets up to eat and runs to her room halfway through breakfast to make her bed, avery smiles covertly at his mom because we share a little secret. he dodged a bullet today.