August 14, 2026 A.D.

I did survive a full week of 4 grandchildren. I admit there were a few moments when I thought I would run down the road screaming. HA HA

There was much noise and too much running in the house, but I do think the little ones found summer to be a good one this year. Back to School happened on Tuesday this week and all seem to be doing well. Miles had such a horrible time last year starting daycare that I think that the entire family was holding its breath --not just Paul Allen and Katie. He is in preschool this year and while there have been some tears, he does seem to be adjusting well. Thankful!!!

I will attempt to catch up with our 2 weeks summary style.

First up, Miles celebrated his 4th birthday with a pool party at Katie's uncle's house. Fun was had, so much so that this was Miles on the way home.

He enjoyed the cupcakes I made for the party and somehow managed an extra one without his mama knowing. 

I didn't take a lot of photographs with the grands the week I kept them. Katie sent a batch of photos every day the weeks she kept them all. I was hanging on too much I think.

However, I did grab a few of Tucker taking care of Valerie. He is so good to her. She got on the scooter and wanted desperately to be able to make it go. No worries, Tucker just pushed her all around the cul-de-sac. This was the only picture I got of it, but she was loving this attention.

She has also learned to cry or pout when things don't go her way. Tucker is seen here comforting her after I told her she couldn't go downstairs with Palmer and Miles. 

Last weekend we went for a quick weekend trip to our Auburn house to check on some work we had done. It was a very nice thing for me to get a break after a week of keeping the grandchildren.

We had some work done to something called a drip ledge. I have no idea why we really have this piece of wood on our home. No one in the neighborhood has it and all it seems to do is attract rot under all the oak trees. We had that repaired as well as pulling up some hedges that I hadn't like from the beginning and they had just started looking poorly. We had them pulled up and replace with some of the new hybrid azaleas. Looks so much better. I also really enjoyed the time up there. The landscape is just so different from here along the coast. Always a treat to see the big lush oaks up there.

I think these will be a much better look along the drive. Our neighbor set us up a drip on a timer to keep them watered during all this heat. 

I know no one is going to believe I am saying this....

May we just have a week without 3 digits in the heat index???

It is hot! 

School starting is a must, but it is why I say summer seems over at this point. The freedom of summer days with no schedules is over and the calendar fills up with all things. It takes a bit to settle in to that idea and has all of my years. 

Summer is just a gift to me. I know it isn't for everyone, but it is for me.

Here is the parade of boys on their first day of school.

Tucker - 2nd grade.

Palmer doing VPK again as he is so small and that late summer birthday. He is doing it at a different place which was Lindsay's plan all along. She will now only have one pickup after work and he is in Destin at the same place Tucker goes after school. A lovely little church. Palmer has gone in with no tears at all and I am pretty sure by the end of the year he will running the place.

Miles is next. He is a year younger than Palmer but they are the same size and Miles has no idea he is a year younger than Palmer. He is attending VPK at the same school Tucker and Palmer did for VPK (well Palmer's 1st go around). Such a sweet church school. If all goes well this year, he will go to Kindergarten next year even though he is really young because he seems to be extremely smart. Either way, he will go to the same school his mommy teaches at. All of this in Niceville.

I have little in the way to share for these 2 weeks because most of it was feeling old. I also had my colonoscopy this week. I was wiped out after it and I think it was because I was so tired going in. I had no polyps and that has now been the case for the last 2. I was deemed high risk and started these at age 40. My dad died very young from colon cancer. In those days, they just didn't know what he had and did an exploratory surgery and burst a polyp. It spread quickly so there is always a tinge of nervousness with me around these.

All is well though. I have spent a few days trying to restore order to my house. I think this big old house is like a big playland to the grandchildren. I think their great grandparents would love to know that so much fun is had by their great grandchildren in the home they built.

I took 2 pictures from the top deck down the bottom deck this morning. I shifted all the plants around last week one evening to adjust to the sun. Some that say full sun needed some shade from the 110 heat index. It has helped. I decided not to adjust or not show. Jeff has been trying to do some pressure washing. So pressure washer we see.

Anything in the ground is pretty lush because in our area we have a sprinkler system built in for watering.

That is where I have been the last 2 weeks. I haven't had much time to stitch so I plan to get back to that this weekend and next week is supposed to be even hotter so stitching here I come.

Goodbye from Sunny Florida,

Sunny Sandy