Summer Plans

Summertime is always so busy around here. This year is no exception. With Kale leaving soon we are trying to plan some fun outings as a family before he goes. This is kind of hard considering he leaves the 7th of June from Jacksonville, FL and the girls have school until the 30th of May. Plus the 1-3rd of June they have a Girl Scout day camp to go to, which I may cancel depending on our plans for how Kale will get to Jacksonville. Of course the Army will pay for his plane ticket there, but his dad has asked to drive him there. So they can have some father/son time alone. That's fine with me, I really don't care how he gets there.

Here's the problem we are facing. His mom was originally flying here the 4th of June then Lilly, Aidan, and Sophia were flying back to TN with her on the 7th, and Kale, Delilah, and I would drive out a week later, stay for two weeks, and then drive home. Well obviously that can't happen anymore. I was going to have her stick with the original plan, then Delilah and I drive out a week later, then stay two weeks, and have her ride back with all of us and we'd pay to fly her back. I don't have a problem driving out alone with Delilah, but she doesn't think it's a good idea and I chose not to argue with her.

Before his dad asked to drive him to FL we had decided that his mom would fly out here as planned and then we'd all drive to TN after Kale flew out to FL. So now that's out the window. Now we are looking at her cancelling all flights, us driving out as a family and him leaving from TN with his dad to FL. Then the kids and I will stay for the rest of June and she will ride back with us then fly home from here. We have to decide on a day after 3rd and before the 6th for us to head to TN, not many options. Which is why I may not have them do the day camp after all, then we have anytime after the 30th to head there. He will stop working around the 3rd of May, which gives us a few weekends to get some family time in.

One thing we have to do is Worlds of Fun. We had bought season tickets for all four of us but had to cancel them when we found out he was leaving. So we have to take them at least once before he goes, it was a promise and I am big on keeping my word. Kale is taking Lilly on a father/daughter camp out for the girl scouts the first weekend in May, so that is good alone time for them. We will do our annual Mother's Day trip to the KC Zoo, we love it, the kids love it, and everyone in my family goes together. We will have to do our Father's Day trip to the zoo in TN with my in laws. We haven't decided which zoo to go to yet, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, or Memphis, we've been to the Knoxville Zoo so we probably won't go there. My Aunt Patience wants to go back to the Omaha Zoo sometime soon, I told her it will probably have to be in July.


Lilly is signed up for (but not accepted into yet) two summer camps, one is a girls scout overnight camp, the other is part of the Operation Purple (children of deployed soldiers). We will see if she gets into either or both camps, this will help me out a lot. Keeping her busy is #1 on the summer to-do list. Her birthday is also in July, so there is that. My mom is talking about a trip to St Louis for the 4th of July, so there is that. K and her family are talking about stopping in sometime this July, that will be nice. We haven't seen them since Jan '06. I really don't think I will have time to think (breathe) this summer.

What about everyone else? What do you have planned?