Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Paige did another day of tennis camp yesterday - she absolutely loves tennis! We will try to get her there another day or two this week and next....and she is even thinking about doing the tennis team (league??) next year. She is so happy that she has found another sport besides dance that she enjoys doing. Yesterday afternoon, after tennis, she went to the dentist to have her last two baby teeth pulled so that we can get started with braces. Clay had lost all his baby teeth by the time he was 11....but these last two of Paige's were just hanging in there.....so anyway, we have an appointment with the orthodontist in two weeks to see what can be done and how much THAT will cost! Ugh.

It is a rainy, dreary morning here.....we don't have too much planned for today. Paige and I are going to start sanding her new (old) twin beds which will be painted white and go in her room - hopefully before July 10th, when the French children arrive! Other than that little project, there is not too much on the agenda....

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Weekend update:



Tim got home from work late Friday night, feeling oh so sick. Poor thing....he lay around the house all day yesterday, went to bed early last night, and is feeling much better today. Hooray! Yesterday the kids and I went looking for party invitations for Clay's 15th birthday. I can't believe I have a child who will be turning 15 in two weeks! He decided on a pool party, with a bonfire and s'mores later....coed....5-10 pm. His birthday is the day after Simon and Louise arrive so it will be fun for Simon as well!

After searching for the perfect (not too girly) invitations, we went to the new produce stand which recently opened near our house. I LOVE this place. I guess it is the closest thing Orange Park has to a farmer's market. The tomatoes are ugly and mis-shapen on the outside, but when you cut them open they are beautiful and delicious. Anyway, I got so inspired by all the yummy, fresh produce that we had a healthy, vegetarian dinner last night - tomato, cucumber and onion salad (I usually make this with feta cheese, but alas, we didn't have any. It was good anyway!), white acre peas and rice, corn on the cob, homemade potato salad, and green beans. I think all that yummy food is what made Tim start feeling better! :))

So....today.....Paige is helping me clean up the house, Clay is mowing the lawn, Tim is pressure washing the pool deck, and then in a couple of hours my old college roommate is stopping by for some pool time with her family. I can't wait to see her.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Random photos from thepast week.....

Just took this one of a funnel cloud as seen from our dock....very stormy afternoon (although, wouldn't you know it - we have yet to get a single drop of rain!)...three funnel clouds spotted so far...
A millipede which Clay found after a rainstorm and insisted I take a picture of....
Clay and Tim cleaning the boat....
Tim and the kids off for a jaunt in the boat.....
tennis camp, day 4.....
More tennis camp......

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Yeah, yeah, beautiful sunrise..blah, blah, blah....I would MUCH rather have been sleeping this morning. But since Clay didn't cover his bird, Buddy was outside whistling and carrying on very loudly at the crack of dawn....which woke Gracie up and she started whining and yipping....which, naturally, no one heard but me. Bah.

Clay has been very good the past week or so - trying to keep his room clean, be helpful, etc. Apparently, he can only keep up the good behavior for a limited amount of time because - here we go again! When I walked outside to snap the sunrise picture, I found a bag of grapes laying out by the pool, two towels on the ground out by the bulkhead, and assorted "Clay messes" everywhere...the past day or two he has been sneaking outside and jumping down into the muck and yuck and looking for critters - shrimp, crayfish, minnows etc. Then he comes inside my nice, semi-clean house. Which is no longer clean at this point. By the way, he is not allowed down in the muck and yuck because...this is Florida, we live on the water, and that is where the snakes are!!! But of course, he just thinks we are mean and trying to ruin his life. Ugh. I need a vacation.

Paige adores tennis camp - I think she has found her sport! (Other than ballet, that is) Other than her random hormonal teenage outbursts, she is still my sweet, helpful, daughter. I just try to ignore her snits and she is usually in here apologizing to me within about 5 minutes. Tim calls her "the little hormone". Naturally, I am "the big hormone". He has a way with words, doesn't he?

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Today's post, Part II

I was able to spy on Paige at tennis camp - paparazzi style, through the fence around the courts, without her seeing me and giving me the evil eye.....
Don't these photos have that paparazzi quality???
Yay Paigie!
And, finally....a happy, tired, sweaty Paige walks out to the car....

Part I

Tim left for Munich this morning, Clay is in school, Paige is reading a book and we will head out for tennis camp in about an hour, and I am just puttering around the house....checking email, randomly picking up, starting laundry, etc. Yesterday afternoon we discovered that our freezer in the guest cottage was not freezing....Tim called a repairman who informed us that the compressor was shot and that it was really not worth trying to fix - it would be cheaper to buy a new freezer. Great. That is definitely NOT in the budget!! I am really annoyed because it is only about three years old! Anyway, we had to clean out our freezer here in the house and try to make room for stuff - some things had to be thrown out....and we grilled a bunch of burgers and salmon burgers for dinner last night! Today we are going to have pot roast (it's cooking in the crock pot right now)....Pot roast, when it is supposed to be 93 degrees today with a heat index of around 100. Oh joy!

Clay seems to being doing well in his summer school classes - which is a relief! He has a high B in French so far, and an A- in Math. One wonders why he couldn't have done this during the regular school year and avoided this expense and hassle, doesn't one???

Paige LOVES tennis camp. She looks so cute in her little outfits....I will try to get a photo of her today, but every time I try I get the evil eye from her so I will have to be sneaky.....hopefully I will be able to post one tomorrow!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Oh, the drama!!!....................

...that comes with having TWO teenagers in the house...one of whom is a teenage girl(OK, OK, she is not officially a teenager until September - but she has the attitude down). Paige started tennis camp today....she seemed excited about it, until we arrived and I was signing her in. She stood there in a full blown teenage sulk - arms crossed across her chest, lips pouting, glaring at me...finally I asked her what was wrong, and she answered in a decidedly non-respectful tone of voice, "I don't know anyone"....Good grief. I left (who wants to stay and be around that?!) and by the time I returned she was all smiles. Guess what? She met a friend. Go figure. Hmmmm......anyway, she was tired, but she had a blast and is really looking forward to tomorrow....
When we got home we went out in the boat - first stop was our local fish camp to put gas in the boat. Fun, fun, fun....
At this point in the day our sweet little daughter was all smiles and happiness...but give her time....
I mentioned in an earlier post that Clay has been DETERMINED to slalom ski with a deep water start...he has been struggling, but today he got up.....
and STAYED UP!! Woo Hooo!! Click on the photo above for a close up look at his exuberant grin as he realized that he was doing it!

It has been seriously, seriously hot here - the pool is like bathwater....after our boat ride, we came home and swam for a bit....and then the arguing started....oh joy....so, I went into Mommie Dearest mode (and Tim went into Daddie Dearest mode...)....and they seem to be getting along for now....

Calgon, take me away!!!

Friday, June 19, 2009

More from Paige...

Hey everyone!

Do you like the new blog colors? Give us some feedback! What colors would YOU like to see? It's the weekend! I wrote an essay for Daddy for Father's Day about what a wonderful father he is. I hope he likes it, I do. Mommy says he will probably cry when he reads it. Yay!! As long as they are tears of joy and not because he thinks it is bad!! I also made him a coupon book for stuff like helping with yard work, cleaning the house, a relaxing day, etc. Clay also did some coupons for him. I can't think of anything else to get him. Do you guys have any suggestions? (I don't have any money though, so it has to be creative)

I am so excited!! Only 3 more weeks until my BFF Louise comes from France. Yikes, I need to start earning money for spending money when I go to France. :-( Maybe I can walk dogs or babysit or something. I hope Simon is not mean to Louise and I. (He is Louise's brother).

Summer heat......

It has been incredibly hot here....mid 90s every day....my tomato plants are looking a bit overwhelmed by the heat, but....
everything else is loving it! My rosemary is a happy, happy plant......
as is the orange tree......
the lemon tree......
and the crepe myrtles........

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Paige takes over the blog for a while......

This is Clay's messy room before he "cleaned" it!
Gracie wants to be let out of jail....I mean, her crate.....
She's free!! Happy puppy :))

I took all these pictures myself. It has been raining all day today. I found my old gameboy and some of the games (very old ones, like Barbie's Ocean Adventure). I also found an old Crocodile Hunter game, but it didn't work. Too bad. I bet I could have sold it on ebay!! I have taekwondo later this afternoon. My friend's father just died so we made dinner for them. Isn't that sad?

My mom has had a bad migraine and hasn't been feeling well so I am doing the blog for her! This summer is going by fast. Daddy gets home tomorrow night. He has been gone for 6 days! Maybe we can go on the boat if it isn't raining. I am hoping that maybe I can start trying to do one ski by the end of the summer - like Clay does. Only better. Ha ha ha!! Just kidding. Sort of.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Manic Monday......

I took this photo the other day right after that ferocious thunderstorm we had...isn't it pretty??

Today looks like it is going to be a busy day....we woke up early to get Clay off to summer school, and then Paige and I took Gracie on a nice long walk. Gracie seems to be doing a bit better, so we have decided to wait and see.....I may still end up taking her in to the vet this week, but I hope not! I think Paige will be doing a ballet class every day this week, and I have about a million errands to run, a doctor's appointment to cancel, another one to make (i.e. lots of time on hold on the telephone - aargh), etc. etc......Tim left yesterday for a three-day Munich trip, and then has another three day right after that....so he won't be home until Friday night. :-( I have been enjoying the lazy pace of the past couple of weeks with no school, and so now I have a LOT to catch up on....starting with groceries.....so off I go!!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

TIM SPEAKS!!!!

My wife is like the Rupert Murdoch of HouseNews! This blog in completely one-sided, NOT impartial, and a very biased view of reality. Sometimes she is like Sean Hannity - with breasts.

I am NOT a control freak. I am only trying to help my son. And THAT is fair and balanced! So there!

CLAY


I need a new cast net but my mom says she won't get me one until I get an A in my summer school classes. :( I have read a couple of good books this summer. One is Medusa by Clive Cussler and the other one is H.I.V.E. which is about the Higher Institute of Villainous Education. It's good. I have been doing a lot of swimming and fishing. Paige and I are cleaning up the house so that we can go swimming. I am almost up on one ski. I can get up, but then I lose my balance. It's fun, unless you hit your head on the ski. That hurts.

I LOVE my parents. I'd love them even more if they would get me a cast net. If any people out there want to help my case and bug my parents to get me a new cast net, I would be eternally grateful!!!!

PAIGE


Good morning everybody! I just finished cleaning my room and making my bed. I am hoping to go swimming later, and maybe go on the boat. Gracie is still sick. I think we will take her to the vet on Monday while Clay is in summer school. I hope she gets better soon!! Clay is almost up on one ski and I can go in and out of the wake on two skis - it's fun! Especially when it's not choppy! Yesterday we both went skiing at the same time - that is a lot of fun! I thought it would be scary, but it was fun. We didn't go on the tube yesterday because it needs more air in it or else it goes underwater! I found a really good series of books called The Mysterious Benedict Society and now I am reading another good series of books called H.I.V.E. or the Higher Institute of Villainous Education. The first one is about these special kids (super smart or clever) go on an adventure to save the world. The other one is kind of like a cross between James Bond and Harry Potter! They are really good.

Lots of pictures of the past few days......

A typical morning in our house starts like this...the morning paper and coffee....today, being Saturday, is the day that the kids are supposed to change their sheets. My son (aka "the negotiator") was trying to work out a deal with his sister (aka "the pleaser") whereby she would make his bed for him (he seems to be a bit challenged in this area) and he would walk the dog for her "sometime". Tim overheard this negotiation and interceded, at which point our dear son went into a teenage snit, stomping off and mumbling under his breath "we had a deal until you interfered..." Tim explained to Paige that "sometime" is not specific - Clay could (and would) claim that yesterday was "sometime". Hmm....appparently they managed to finish their negotiations, and they are both pleased with the result - Paige made Clay's bed, and he will walk the dog three times when she asks him to.....
Yesterday the kids went skiing.....
We are trying to get Clay up on one ski - he is ready, but he insists on trying to do a deep water start rather than starting out on two skis and dropping one. Tim has tried to explain to him that this is MUCH more difficult, but Clay is determined to do it this way....thus it is taking a while!! he gets up on one ski, but then can't seem to find his center of gravity....he is SO close though.....
It is so obvious to me that Clay wants to do it this way to impress his dad...of course, my dear husband (aka "the control freak") keeps insisting that Clay tries to drop a ski, which naturally makes my dear stubborn son insist on doing it his way. Ugh. It is painful to watch the father/son dynamics sometimes!!!!
Paige putting sunblock on.....
Tim with his "baby".......
Clay celebrates after succesfully "assisting" his sister into the lake!!
Tubing.......

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Lazy summer days.....

Yesterday was a lazy day. The kids and I cleaned the house a bit, I ran to the grocery store and did some laundry, and then we headed to the pool (and the dock for Clay) and just did nothing for a couple of hours. It was delightful - and much needed!!!
My little herb garden looks great - my tomatoes are coming along nicely, and all the herbs look happy and healthy....

We have been trying to get Clay to taekwondo every night this week. There is a competition this weekend which we have still not decided if he is going to do or not....but I am leaning towards him doing it...especially since he will not be able to go to Nationals at the end of this month because of summer school. Paige has also started back doing taekwondo, which we are very happy about...

In other news....the whole family is feeling very down in the dumps about Gracie. Housebreaking is not going well. In fact, it seems to be a non-event (at least in her mind!). She is now 6 months old, and still having accidents in the house. Last night she had diarrhea again all over her crate. The stench is what woke me up. Gross. I know that she cannot help that, but she didn't bark or anything to let us know. So...anyway, we are all very tired, and tired of cleaning up the constant messes, etc. As great as she is in every other way - this is kind of a deal breaker for me. So, unless things get much better very quickly......Gracie may not be sticking with the Van Kuiken's!

Monday, June 8, 2009

I am NOT impressed with Lakeside Junior High thus far. You may remember that it has been like pulling teeth to get any information from them....I was finally able to get an answer regarding teacher recommendations for the advanced classes and was directed to come back to register Paige the week of June 8th...so....I woke up this morning and gathered my little file folders with the many, many papers I needed (medical forms, class requests, teacher recommendations, copies of birth certificates and SS cards, electric bills for proof of residence, final report card, test scores, etc. etc.) and headed on over to the school. For some reason, I was actually hopeful that the procedure might go smoothly - which apparently just goes to show you what a novice I am at dealing with the public school system!! I arrived to find a skeleton staff (budget cuts) and was handed a packet of MORE papers to fill out and told to come back after July 8th. I'm sure steam started coming out of my ears at that point. I mean, come on!! I was furious - and I'm afraid I told the poor lady who had to deal with me exactly what I thought of their misinformation campaign. Good grief! Ridiculous.

After that, I decided to go ahead and see what happened at the high school. Wow. What a completely different experience - which is truly amazing as both schools are in the same school district! At Fleming Island High School they are professional, friendly and helpful. While I was not able to get Clay registered today because the counselors were busy working on report cards this week - I was able to make an appointment to come back and speak to one regarding Clay's classes and get him registered.

The kids and I then drove to the bookstore to get books for the summer reading list, where I discovered I had left both lists at home. Oops. It was just that kind of a day!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Van Kuikens have been......

Yesterday we rearranged the furniture....the above picture is the new and improved living room/great room and th one below is the "before" picture....
I am still putting books away on shelves, hanging pictures, etc...but it is looking nice!
Then, last night we had company over for dinner - grilled balsamic chicken, risotto, salad, and corn on the cob...it was so nice to visit with the Folgers - we haven't seen them in so long...Clay and John went fishing and caught a lot of interesting things....catfish, stingrays, and this alligator gar...
I love when my kids get along!! Today they raced.....
battled for supremacy....
looked cute....and had water gun fights.....In the past few days we have also seen Angels and Demons, watched Yesman with Jim Carrey, seen lots of manatees in the lake, had a lot of rainy days, done yard work in between the rain showers, and just relaxed!! Tonight we are having grilled Copper River salmon, leftover risotto, asparagus, and then watching The Bucket List en famille. Tomorrow Tim has to go to work and I have to mosey on over to the schools and get the kids registered, change some doctor appointments, register Clay for summer school (don't ask!!), and get to the bookstore to get the summer reading books for the kids......

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Yesterday was kind of a boring day - busy, but boring. I had a doctor's appointment at Mayo Clinic...just getting in with an internist, nothing exciting. Tim and I are trying to switch all of our doctors out there - because it is just such a nice environment. If your appointment is at 11:00, you are in at 11:00. Imagine that!! So anyway, I like this doctor but he is ordering a bunch of tests, which is probably a good thing - although a bit of a hassle. I will have a CT scan done just to make sure my migraines are nothing more serious, another colonoscopy since I haven't had one in about 9 years, when I was diagnosed with the Crohn's Disease. Ugh. Necessary, I know....but UGH! After my appointment at Mayo, we had to rush downtown for Paige's appointment at Nemours. They took another x-ray and found that there has been no worsening of the scoliosis, which is good news. I had been hoping that they would say there had been an improvement, but the Dr. explained that nothing can correct the curvature she already has except surgery. So....OK, then. The really good news as far as Paige is concerned is that Dr. Neal told her she doesn't need to take her brace with her to France - she can take two weeks off....she is thrilled!!!

Tim got home late last night from Munich - he is home for 4 days! Hooray! Paige has started back with Taekwondo....Clay is going arond the house making beds, cleaning the kitchen, generally being abnormally helpful...because he wants to go fishing....hee hee...I think I'll milk this for a little while longer before I tell him he can head out to the dock......

Monday, June 1, 2009

Today we.......



Today we did.....pretty much exactly what we did yesterday!! Except that Clay also fished, and Paige had a friend over. Tomorrow Clay is going to my mom's to work (both kids are trying to earn spending money to take to France, so if anyone has any odd jobs or needs babysitting, please let them know!!). I have a doctor's appointment at Mayo and Paige has her appointment at Nemours to see if the brace is working. Tim is in Munich and found EVERYTHING closed due to Pentecost. He gets home tomorrow night.....
 
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