August is here!! This is a LONG one!

This month is PACKED for Duane and I!

In fact, the last month has been fairly hectic as well. Having the boys with us for the last 3 weeks has been awesome. We really enjoy having them with us, hopefully the amount of time that they are will increase. They both have had such a great time, and I am going to miss having them around all the time. We are supposed to have them the third weekend of the month each month - I think this is completely ridiculous. They live 8+ hours away. We are supposed to meet them at the half way mark at 4pm on the third Friday of the month. That is 4 hours in the car driving. Pick them up and bring them back to Sacramento - another 4 hours. Arrive home at 8:30 pm and soon after go to bed. Have them all day Saturday. Leave Sunday at 1 pm after another 4 hours of driving... for us to all have to drive another 4 hours home. That's 16 hours in the car in one weekend for these kids! I'm an adult, and I can hardly tolerate it. Duane will most likely have to go by himself to pick them up and take them back because of Aidynn from now until the custody issue is taken back to court.

But anyways... I am rambling...

August is SO busy. We drop the boys off on Friday the 3. Saturday the 4, we have a FUN zoo day planned with some friends and their kids from out of town! (I wish the boys were still going to be here. ) They would have so much fun. Especially Valen. They also are having a first Saturday Zoo event about household pets. I really think Valen needs a dog at his mother's house, he just adores Chase, but he says she doesn't want to clean up the mess.

NEXT weekend Lesa is having a birthday Toga party that I am going to try to get a sitter for on the 11th. I don't think it will happen though because my sitters are Lesa herself and one of my co-workers who will be out of town that weekend.

The next weekend is the weekend of visitation with the boys. I really hope things go over smoothly for that.

The next weekend is our niece Katelyn's birthday! She turns 1 year old! I'm excited because it's another family event. I never realized how much I took advantage of the fact that I saw all of my huge family so often until I moved to Sacramento. Now it's a rare occasion to see them all together outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

THEN - that Wednesday my sister and my 3 (almost 4!) year old neice are flying down from Seattle to visit me for my birthday on the 29th! I am SO excited! (Are YOU excited? Cause I'M excited! lol) My sister is my best friend and I only get to see her 2 or 3 times a year for a day at a time usually. She won't be leaving until Sunday! *counts on fingers* That's 5 days I get to spend with her! My brother in law is flying in on Saturday. I should take some time off work...  

Somewhere in the middle of all of this is my company party. We were going to go River Rafting, but not enough people liked the idea. So Tony cancelled it. Last year was Deep Sea fishing. I haven't been able to come up with any suggestions for it yet, but I am trying to think of something that everyone would enjoy and our entire families can be included.

Duane and I are trying to find a new bed that we like. We'll be buying one at the end of the month hopefully. The one we have now is too low to the ground for my liking, and I hate the mattress - it's too firm. We just bought it last October too! It's a MALM double from IKEA in black. We have 2 matching dressers as well that may need to be replaced. Or we can just use them both in Aidynns room. I never found dressers that I liked for her.... Not that she sleeps in her room, so we might turn it into a room for the boys untill we move into a 3 bedroom. We have been talking about getting them bunkbeds. Hopefully the move will happen in February when our lease is up again. There I go rambling again...

SO! YES! Busy month indeed! But I am so excited about it. So many things to look forward to.

I have had an exhausting day. Aidynn had appointments until noon and we all left the house at 8:15AM. We stopped at CJ's for lunch, and then they dropped me off at work at 12:30.

After work they will pick me up and then we are going to go to the mall, because I promised Valen we would on Wednesday so he could ride the escalators - he is facinated by them! Duane and I told him that he also gets to pick out a toy, because he has been an awesome helper in taking care of Chase - and he did it voluntarily! We never even asked him to, but it has been such a big relief and responsibility off of our shoulders to not have to take him outside to potty, clean up his accidents, and picking up his toys when he drags them everywhere.

Yesterday, Elijah, Valen, and I had a conversation about earning the things that we want. I explained to them that is the reason I go to work each day, and it's how I am able to buy not only the things that I need, but also what I want. Today I explained to him that by helping me out so much, and making it so effortless for me (not even having to ask!) he earned a new toy.

I am so happy with both of them. In just 2 weeks I have seen a major improvement in some of their negative behaviors. Bickering between themselves - whining - cleaning up after themselves - manner words - the use of the word "hate" - table manners - inside voices - interrupting other peoples conversations - all of this has improved! Not yet perfect manners, but we'll get there.  

Just about time to go home though. What a long day!