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Time flies...  Baseball season is finally over.  Tyler's team won 2nd place.  Nick finally got a base hit -- in the last game!  He was so excited; he came into the stands as soon as he could to verify that he would indeed get an extra hour of video game time for the base hit - lol!

We've been completely busy with sports camps this summer.  Nick has done 2 weeks of tennis camp, and a week each of baseball and soccer camp.  Tyler has done 2 weeks of baseball camp,and a week each of basketball  and soccer camp.  Next weekend we have a family reunion in Tennessee, and we leave for Mexico a few days after we return.  A few days after returning from Mexico will be Tyler's birthday.  Nick goes back to school in early August.

Tyler's done with the humongous birthday party thing.  This year I told him he could invite a few friends to do something fun.  He wants to go to the lake and go tubing, so that's our main plan.  If the weather is bad, we'll go to a movie, or something.  Nick wants to do the Chuck E Cheese thing for his first birthday party (October).  We'll see.

A couple of weeks ago, Tyler had a complete meltdown and announced that he had had all he could take of Nick's being in his room.  Nick keeps getting into his "stuff" and "breaking it" or "losing it."  That was that.  I had to move him to his own room.  When I went to change the sheets on Tyler's extra bunk that Nick had been using, I discovered that Tyler was right.  Nick had taken some things of Tyler's and hidden them behind the mattress.  At the end of last week, Tyler came into the office during the day and told me, "I don't mean to be mean, or anything, but really wanted some time alone and Nick's in my room, again.  Can you tell him he's not supposed to come in my room without asking?"  argh...

The summer hosting program is under way, and Nick is terribly excited that some of his friends from the orphanage are now in the U.S.  In fact, one boy is right here in our town, and he can't wait to see him!  He was to fly in to Atlanta on Friday.  I've waited out the weekend; now, tomorrow I plan to call my friend who is hosting him to see if we can get together one day this week.  Nick won't let me forget!

I hardly ever get to be the fun parent, because one of us has to make and enforce rules, and goodness knows it won't ever be David.  I tried to go up a few pegs tonight by taking the kids to the grocery store and letting each one choose an ice cream flavor.  Then we brought them home and had banana splits for supper!  Nick could hardly believe it and was very appreciative, declaring that it would be a good idea to do this every night! ha!  Then we all  went out on the deck this evening to watch a lightning show that God had set up for our enjoyment.  After that, it was bedtime.  Tyler, true to form, was wired from all the sugar and had trouble falling asleep.  Nick was on Benadryl for a bee sting, so fell asleep much quicker. 

Nick's English is really coming along well.  Now, if he could just learn to read, write, and do arithmetic, I might could get him into the same school as Tyler (and they could have the same schedule!).  Unfortunately, I don't know if that's ever going to happen.  He is incredibly far behind academically.  He doesn't know his multiplication facts, and can't add 2-digit numbers.  I have him working on the math facts this summer, and I occasionally make him sit down with Rosetta Stone English.  I've been a bit of a slacker with the English because I did want him to have some fun this summer, and I know he is going to learn English despite my best efforts at trying to make sure he keeps his first languages.

Well, I guess that's all for now.  It's late, and I'm a worn out Mama.