Some fun stuff from the end of the school year. We've been busy. I just took my statistics final yesterday. It was VERY hard to study the last week when the kids were out of school and starting their summertime activities. I feel like I'm spending more time in the car now than I did during the school year!

We finished the kitchen! I love, love, love my new countertops. :) And I'm a very lucky girl. When John and I were picking out what granite we wanted we were told that the slabs average about 117 inches across. But when we measured our island, it was 119. Uh oh. Neither of us wanted an ugly seam running right down the middle. So at the slab yard we had out a tape and we were measuring pretty much every single slab there. And we found one that was 120 inches. So we told the fabricator that was the one we wanted for the island, and he said he would see what he could do, but  no promises. If there's too much glass or epoxy in a slab, then it can chip when they cut it and they have to grind those sections away. I didn't know how it was going to turn out until they showed up at the house to install. He did an amazing job! All in one piece, with a double edge just like I wanted. :) He said it took him a solid week just to do the one piece. Apparently everyone else in the company heard about our island, so whenever someone was here to work on something else they all had to take a look.

New backsplash.

One of my favorite parts. A single sink! I had always had split sinks. And I've always hated it because you can't leave big things to soak. So when I had the chance, I went with just the one. John wasn't sure at first, but now he loves it too. If you look really closely, you can see a chrome button on the counter. That's an air switch for the disposal. The other switch was on the wall, but on the far side of the dishwasher and practically impossible for me to get to from the sink. This is far more comfortable. Also, I got those new motion-sense faucets because they happened to be on sale. :) It's pretty cool because you just wave your hand in front of it and it turns on. No touching if your hands are covered in dirt or raw chicken.

New appliance. What could it be?

Fresh ice!

  We have enough cabinet space that I didn't want to waste freezer space for ice or ice machine.

Snapping a quick shot of Jackie's jazz class. I don't think I was actually supposed to take one, so I had to hide my phone and shoot quickly. Somehow she still managed to know where the camera was.

End of the year celebration.

We got Justin some water wings to help him be more comfortable in the pool. He's really struggled, and I have just let him not be in the water if he didn't want to. But here, everyone goes swimming all the time and he's going to miss out if he doesn't learn. I tell you what though. In the week since I've gotten them, Justin has decided he doesn't need them anymore. He's front and back floating, jumping in, getting his face wet, and just loving being in the water. Who would've thought? Jackie has always wanted to swim, but not had a big enough pool. Now she's like a little fish. Yay for new skills!

Thanks to Mom and Matt's Christmas present, we went to a Diamondbacks game for my birthday! They may have lost, but it was still fun. Thank's guys! (Also, kind of funny, one of the people selling concessions in the stands, we also saw at a basketball game in April! How did we end up in his section for 2 different sports at 2 different locations?)

It's already been hot! And we survived! Actually, it's soooo dry that it felt like 100 in Grants Pass. Obviously you don't want to be out running, or working construction, (and that's why you go to college!) but grocery shopping and running errands was fine. We also spent some good time in the pool. :)

I am not putting up anything that I already shared on facebook, so nothing from John's Expedition. He had a good time though. It was tough. He hiked over 10 miles per day. :) Plus kayaking and swimming. He was pretty tired when he got back!

Also, I'm not supposed to talk about it anymore, so I've been told, but it's too funny. Jackie cut hr hair. Apparently she got tired of some of the hair in front always getting in her eyes. Which is what happens when you refuse to let Mom do anything with it. So she decided to cut off the offending section right at the head. A big chunk, about an inch square, 1/4inch long. It's awful! I don't think she will ever do it again though. I reminded her that it's taken over 4 years from the time I gave her that pixi cut to get her hair as long as it is now. But Jackie's like me, where the hair in front grows much more slowly than the hair in back and gets a little mullety. So the section she cut was just past her shoulders, not down to her waist like the rest. It's going to take forever to grow out. I'm hoping that by the time she gets to high school it will look normal again. That's 5 years from now. (really?) But she's starting with the hair shorter than it's ever been, so we'll have to see. That kid!