Number 190

Oooh I have ten months to decide what to do for the 200th pic. I had fun with the 100th. I have a feeling they won’t be quite as cooperative for this one.

One year ago

15.75

No school today so you get bedhead and sock tan lines.

15 years, 8 months

Summer’s almost over. Sophomore year starts in four days. Gah!

What we did in July

I feel like July was another busy month. I definitely drove a lot. I mean, I went to three different Buc-ee’ses. (Not sure how to pluralize Buc-ee’s.)

The boys finished up the classroom portion of driver’s ed. Still waiting to schedule their road time with the instructor. In the meantime, we took them to drive around a few times. Only sort of harrowing. And at the end, they were only sort of mad at me for laughing so much.

There was the fourth of July (nothing exciting, the boys were at a sleepover, I watched fireworks through the bathroom window), then the boys went to the beach for a week with Grandee and Larry and I spent some time in Terry’s pool. I also made a bathing suit top real quick. (The Sandpiper from Helen’s Closet)

I drove to Orange Beach for a couple of days at the end and spent some time by the pool before bringing the boys home. We tried fishing but spent more time watching sharks and sting rays and a blue heron.

Then this past weekend, I took the boys on a short trip to Atlanta to see a pro soccer game. (Atlanta United vs Cruz Azul, a team from Mexico.) We had a great time.

We stayed the night in Birmingham on the way there to see Mary Catherine and her people, and it was wonderful. Don’t tell the boys, but it was my favorite part of the trip. So nice to see friends. Of course we got a picture of the boys with Millie, and I got to catch up with Ann Fran. It was all very lovely and for a minute, we all wanted to move to Birmingham.

Then we headed to Atlanta, and went to IKEA on the way into town, then relaxed in the hotel room (it was storming), then the next day, wandered around downtown. We went to the World of Coke, which was entertaining, and the boys gazed longingly at the College Football Hall of Fame, and then I felt terrible for not taking them there instead but it was $30 a person and also, for me, snoozarooni. But Miles got a hoodie, at least.

That evening was the game, which was at the big fancy stadium where hot dogs were $2 and giant refillable sodas were $4. Glorious to this cheapskate. I was rooting for the other team, and they won in a penalty shoot out, which was so nerve wracking it reminded me why I don’t really like sports.

(I guilted them into lots of group pictures, heh.)

And then yesterday we wandered around Georgia Tech, snuck into the stadium, then drove home and that is July!

Other random things: we discovered Miles has a silver spot in his hair; Ziggy is still cute; we did not escape the escape room; the broken door finally got replaced in the vanity, so it’s done!

August means the start of sophomore year of high school! Eep!

15 years, 7 months

They all passed their written driver’s test, so it won’t be too long before they’re, gulp, on the road.

Fifteen and a half

No, I did not forget to take the monthly picture (but SOMEONE did.) I left early on the 4th to go to California, so George was in charge. So it was taken a day late and since I didn’t bring my laptop with me, it’s being posted five days late. But it’s here and it’s adorable and good luck telling Oliver and Miles apart now if you run into one of them in the street.

(George took the boys with him to work on Monday because the power went out Sunday night, hence the “school gym” locale.)

May, in review

May was a busy month, I think? I dunno. It was a blur.

The first half was uneventful. Started with some quality family time.

I got my hair did.

George’s birthday and Mother’s Day fell on the same day. I made George a Star Trek shirt and I got the hummingbird feeder I asked for. Still haven’t seen a hummingbird yet, though. 😦

And then the next day, I went to Rotterdam for work. It was lovely! I saw one sad bouquet of tulips outside of a grocery store, but lots of windmills. And coworkers. (These pics are in absolutely no order.)

School ended a few days after I got back, but you already know that. I took the boys to get ice cream after.

The next day, I took them to get their Temporary Instruction Permits so they can take Driver’s Ed this summer. (It’s fine, I’m fine.)

And then the next day, Miles and Oliver wanted their heads shaved, so they don’t look like that anymore. And Oliver is definitely taller than me now.

To round out the month, we got a giant pizza for dinner. (I told you it was an exciting month, didn’t I? If not, I meant to.)

And, as usual, Ziggy was extremely cute all month long.

15 years, 5 months

I had a debate with myself on which picture to use. This one, where they’re all smiling a bit and Linus’s eyes are open, or the one I ended up using where Linus is squinting. Big smiles won out.

Oliver has definitely grown in the past month – we were the exact same height when we went for their well visit, and now he’s definitely a bit taller. Or I’ve shrunk some more. One of those.

By the time this month is up, they’ll be done with their freshman year of high school. And maybe Miles will have picked up a brush.

15 years, 4 months

They don’t look the same size here, but they are all within half an inch and a pound of each other (which you already know from my previous post, of course.)