LAST DAY OF SCHOOL...eek!

today was the last day of school.
No I am not excited.
I need to clarify that statement.
I know I have joked and complained in the past that I hate summer vacation because the boys are home ALL DAY LONG!
It used to be bad.
Now it just means another year is gone and another grade is coming up this fall.
It means my kids are growing up.
Like today: Matthew brings in his report card. We told him no "f's" or no cell phone. He is 13 1/2 and it is time.
Well he did have an "f".
I was so sad. I knew how much he wanted a cell phone.
I looked at the whole report card and he had IMPROVED in every other class!!!!
Like 2 "A's"!!!!!
To me it is worth the cell phone.
He may not have all the skills for that class he earned a bad grade in, but he did improve in the others. I immediately set up the cell phone. Jeff old phone, but Matthew did not care.
It is our trial run. I told him if he loses it, he doesn't get a new one.
If he improves next year and has kept very good care of the other phone, he will get a new one for his birthday, with a full keyboard text pad. He was thrilled. He will play with that all summer.
Sammy was the only other kid who improved in school.
Why won't my kids turn in the homework we spend so much time doing?
We were going to invest in a trampoline this summer. We don't plan on moving from this house until August...right before school starts. We will spend a lot of time at the lake, in our little pool, playing basketball, and hanging out with friends...this summer so we decided we were not going buy one. Plus, if we do transfer and even move, who wants to move the trampoline a few months after putting it up.
Summer will be fun.
All the boys have grown up more and the only child of mine I see giving me grief is Emma. So whinny and clinging to my side.
She will get new toys for her birthday, so that might help. She is talking more, so communication should be better too. Which makes a world of difference.
I have made a new rule before anyone can play.... they have to read 20 minutes and report what they read. They can read to Emma, read along to a book on disc, but they WILL read.
I am gonna find homework pages for them to do online. (any idea where to look?)
If there is any fighting or name calling: they will do each other chores and hug and kiss...IN THE FRONT YARD!!!!! (my friend Jana told me about that one, I love it)
Hopefully, we will hit the library program this summer, and hit the lake more.
I can't believe my boys are growing up.

Tonight is a big night for them.
Tonight is the father/son camp out in our ward. Jeff was more excited than the boys. He made lists of everything they would need. I KNOW he over packed too. I suggested he might invite a boy who's dad had to work, and he really just wanted to hang out with his boys.
yes, I teared up.
So Emma and I are here alone tonight.
I invited some girls over for chick flicks.
It is so weird to be so quiet this late in the day!!!
I forgot to mop my floor.
Oh well...hey, if you don't like me because I didn't mop my floor, then you are weird and have serious issues. It is a floor.
Don't worry I am going to do it now. Gosh!