School's Out for the Summer!

Okay so I've been a stranger to my blog. This is how it gets this time of year, right? Your schedule fills up with end-of-the-school-year functions and summertime activities. So although I hate to make this yet another lengthy post, I have so much to share!

The last weekend in May was a busy one! We had two big get-togethers two days in a row. The first was Tony and Kelly's going away party. I'm sure I've written in past posts that Cary's brother, Tony, and his wife and two sons are moving to Decorah, Iowa. Tony graduates from his Broadlawns residency this coming weekend and so now he's going to be a family doctor at Gunderson-Lutheran Hospital in Decorah. We're all sad to see them go, but we're looking forward to have a reason to visit North-Eastern Iowa. The going-away party was at our house with a Bon Voyage theme. There were about 20 adults and 10 kids and so our backyard was full of fun!

Tony, Kelly, Davis & Bennett

Joe, Holly, Joey & Maddox
The Boys: Carter, Maddox, Joey, Bennett & DavisMe, Holly & Kelly Kelly and her friends Monica, Jen & Janet
Cary, Carter & I...we seriously took about 5 family pictures and Carter wouldn't smile at all!The following afternoon, we held our annual Coppola In-Laws Get-Together. This includes Cary's immediate family, Holly's siblings and parents, Kelly's parents (her brother's family from Indiana wasn't able to be there), and my brother's family and my parents. This year we met at Raccoon River Park and had a great time. There was a ton of great food and the kids had a ball playing on the park equipment.

The Coppola's
The Priestley's (My family)
The Davis' (Kelly's family, minus her brother and his family) The Remsburgs' (Holly's family, minus her brother Jeff)Yet another family picture where Carter is mad....the temper on this boy is growing every day!This past Wednesday was my last day of school for the year! Whoo-hoo! We had a staff party on Wednesday night and it was a great way to officially kick off the start of summer. My summer plans are very minimal. We have several trips planned to Ely and to Keokuk for the Priestley Family Reunion. And other than that, Carter and I are just hanging out at home.

Thursday was a really fun day for the Coppola clan. Cary's cousins, Kate and Kacey, performed at Blue Moon Piano Bar. Our friends Brett and Jenny Murphy, Lauren August, and Pat and Karri Rose joined us and about 30 other Coppola's as we packed the bar. The girls did a great job and it was so much fun to see them. Just to brag about them a little bit, they are currently on tour with Kenny Chesney, performing on the Corona Stage before the concerts. And the most recent excitement is that their video for "Dreamin' Love" debuted on CMT this week. I've already seen it on CMT several times! The video is awesome and it seems so natural to see them on TV. I can't wait to see where their career goes in the next few months!!

On Friday morning at 5:30 am, we hit the road and started heading toward Ely. It took us 8 hours and Carter was such a champ in the car. Thanks to his new portable DVD player, he basically turned into a zombie in the backseat watching Madagascar and Wonder Pets on repeat. We knew that the weather was going to be a little drab, but I was shocked to feel the 50 degree chill when we finally arrived at the lodge. The Murphy's decided to join us and so we called back to Des Moines to warn them about the chilly weather. Although the temperatures were low, we still had a fun time. Cary, Brett, Cary's dad and Uncle Larry spent Saturday afternoon fishing at a nearby lake. Meanwhile, Jenny and I took the kids into town and had lunch at the Chocolate Moose. Too bad Carter was a terror during our lunch and threw a car across the restaurant! Saturday night after the kids had gone to bed, the four of us spent three hours in the sauna. Of course it wasn't three hours straight, but we did keep coming out, occassionally jumping into the cold water, and then going right back in again. In my opinion, that was the best part of the entire weekend! On Sunday, the Murphy's decided to spend the night in Minneapolis with Brett's sister. So we basically just hung around the cabin all day. Sunday night, Cary's dad and his grandma taught us a new card game: 500. It was a tough one to learn and I'm definitely no expert, but it was lots of fun! I should also mention that my crazy husband waterskiied - twice - in the cold water. He might be insane!

Standing beside Uncle Larry's sea plane...Carter LOVED looking at this thing!The Murphy'sAfter the sauna

Throughout the trip and on the entire drive home, I fed my obessession and finished New Moon, the second book of the Twilight series. I have to admit that I wasn't totally in love with the first book. I found it entertaining and I liked it, but I didn't get what everyone was so excited about. Well I thought I'd read the second one, just to see if it sparked anything. And oh, boy, did it ever! I honestly couldn't put it down. I can't wait to see the movie and I especially can't wait to read the next two books. So today, Carter and I went to Target and I bought Eclipse. I've only read 20 pages today, but it just makes me so happy!

And finally, here are some pictures from Carter and I's trip to Gray's Lake today. I mostly just wanted to use this is a photo opp for some 18 month pictures. I couldn't get a great smile from him, but I think they turned out pretty cute!