What am I doing the last week of summer vacation?

Cleaning, organizing, and switching rooms around. Why? Isn't that what all people do during their summer vacation? Wait until there is only ONE WEEK before the meetings begin. I definitely need to get my head checked out because I am surely not sane!

Kraig is ready to begin phase one of moving the shop to the house. While that is a really great thing, this helpful little move is sending our lives into total upheaval! The computer room and the spare bedroom are being moved into the boys' room upstairs in the loft. Kaleb and Trevor will each have their own space which Kaleb loves! The loft will house a spare bed, a couch, a tv, 2 computers and desks, Kraig's print desk (which is huge) and a tanning bed (hopefully, it just won't fit). I will let you glimpse into my horror that is reality at this point. I will show you the finished product within the next week because it must be finished before September 1st!

Here is Trevor's first move...the LEGO's that he's built. Really??? This is what is most important. It doesn't matter if you move his clothes, bed or underwear...just his hobby.

...and the rest of Trevor's future bedroom which is a total and utter mess. You can only see half the room. Ugh...what was I thinking?

The beginnings of Kaleb's room. Of course, he is pretty organized and neatly took up 3 drawers, a small part of the closet, and the nightstand. All of his clothes (that still fit the little weed) are neatly put in place. I'm so glad that he is that organized but how did our stuff multiply? We've only been here a few years! The other stuff still needs to go to another part of the house. Any suggestions on how to store suitcases without a basement?

Aaaarrrrgh...the boys room with clothes everywhere. Trevor is in the process of trying on clothes and everything fits him from last year. Hooray...but where do I store the stuff that he will eventually grow into? Kaleb is SEVERAL sizes ahead of him! What a disaster!

Say goodbye to Trevor's bunkbed because it will soon be relocating to its new position. The drum set...not sure where that is going to fit. Probably stay in the loft so it won't be as loud...I think. My dad made the small armoire so that has to go somewhere. When did we collect all of this stuff?

Now, you see my dilemna. Who does this the last week before school starts? Oh, summer, where did you go? Maybe, I shouldn't have spent so much time reading at the pool.
Nah...

Stay tuned for an updated look or a crazy Chris.

pictures from the traveler

A lone picture from the Appalachian Trail...I will be posting on that later. I just had to update after I saw that the last time you heard from me was about a calculator!

After the AT Backpacking week, I was crazy and took the boys on the train to Chicago. Kraig had to work and will be working crazy hours until the end of October and then I am praying for a work reprieve! Anyone with boys and touring Chicago, would know that the Lego store is the place to visit. You can sit around and build legos (for free) and browse their clearance section. In the mall, they have huge lego's build like this woman and her dog. Of course, Trevor went a little crazy and had to make a scene. Where does he get this from?

This was taken at Moody Bible Institute. We took the tour and you got to wear a Visitor's pass!!! How exciting is that? Kaleb thought that the campus was pretty cool and Trevor was totally not interested. You can't go there to be a marine biologist, so whatever.

Trevor became a worker for the Hershey's factory and got an ID badge and everything. This was his picture for the ID badge also. You must be thinking...where are all of the pictures of Kaleb. Hmmm, you must know that my 11 1/2 year old thinks taking pictures are so last year! Hence, Trevor and I are in the majority of them. I didn't even have to take self-portraits like I usually do.

After you saw this picture, you now understand life with an 11.5 year old. Pictures? Uncool!

We had just gotten off the water taxi and were on the Navy Pier. Of course, mom waited too long to have lunch and we were all starved! Hmmm, did we have pizza yet again, you ask? Of course. It was the only thing that poor Trevor wanted to eat when we went out. Arrrrgh.

Trevor without his glasses. He thinks that he looks way cooler without them. Too bad he needs them to actually see!

I think that I was crazy having back-to-back vacations together, but the boys were pretty good. The Bickerman's usually came along once or twice a day and then their mom, she's pretty strange, would become upset because she was actually physically exhausted herself.

MORE LATER!