He comes back in the kitchen a few minutes later. He is not carrying Lucy in his backpack. He is carrying her in a tote bag.
At least he listened to me.
I love this blog!
6 years ago
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Lucy Gets a Ride
Today while I was loading the dishwasher, Bart asked me to hold his backpack open for him while he put Lucy inside it. I almost complied, not thinking, until I realized what he was doing. I said no way and told him he absolutely was not allowed to carry his sister around in his backpack, so Bart said, "Fine then. Come on, Lucy, let's go in the playroom." So he picks Lucy up and carries her off to the playroom.
He comes back in the kitchen a few minutes later. He is not carrying Lucy in his backpack. He is carrying her in a tote bag.
At least he listened to me.
He comes back in the kitchen a few minutes later. He is not carrying Lucy in his backpack. He is carrying her in a tote bag.
At least he listened to me.
Will you check out these abs!
This one was too funny. I had to text it to Mindy.
I took these pictures of Drake about 2 weeks ago but forgot to post them. The boys had just gotten a bath and Drake was showing off his bod-
Drake is a cleaning machine
A few weeks ago I spent what is perhaps the wisest fifteen dollars I have ever spent.
Wal Mart was having a sale on little Eureka vacuum cleaners for the college dorm. They went on sale Sunday and I went to get one on Monday, thinking they'd have a ton still. Hah. There were only about six, and the boxes of three of those were water-damaged. So I grabbed the last yellow one. I thought it would come in handy for getting the stairs and quick pick-ups in the bathrooms upstairs.
Well. Well, well. Drake promptly claimed the vacuum as his own. Then he proceeded to vacuum the kitchen floor. And the dining room. Then he moved on to the entryway. And ended up in the playroom where Mack begged to have a turn vacuuming. Then Bart wanted a turn. Then Drake wanted it back. Then the boys wanted another turn. I was so shocked that boys wanted to vacuum my floor. What's more amazing is that after a good while, I had to MAKE them put it up. I was afraid they would break it or something in their enthusiasm.
Eureka mini vacuum: fifteen dollars. Macaroni and cheese for lunch: two-fifty. Three boys taking turns vacuuming my house: priceless.
Wal Mart was having a sale on little Eureka vacuum cleaners for the college dorm. They went on sale Sunday and I went to get one on Monday, thinking they'd have a ton still. Hah. There were only about six, and the boxes of three of those were water-damaged. So I grabbed the last yellow one. I thought it would come in handy for getting the stairs and quick pick-ups in the bathrooms upstairs.
Well. Well, well. Drake promptly claimed the vacuum as his own. Then he proceeded to vacuum the kitchen floor. And the dining room. Then he moved on to the entryway. And ended up in the playroom where Mack begged to have a turn vacuuming. Then Bart wanted a turn. Then Drake wanted it back. Then the boys wanted another turn. I was so shocked that boys wanted to vacuum my floor. What's more amazing is that after a good while, I had to MAKE them put it up. I was afraid they would break it or something in their enthusiasm.
Eureka mini vacuum: fifteen dollars. Macaroni and cheese for lunch: two-fifty. Three boys taking turns vacuuming my house: priceless.
Just the Girls
Bart and Drake spent a couple of days with Mindy the other week. So Skylar, Lucy, and I did what any girl would do with the boys away (no, actually we didn't go shopping - no moola). We did the next best thing: hit the pool and had lunch together. It was a very quiet, relaxing kind of day. No one hit anyone else, no one screamed, and the only one who threw food at Burger King was Lucy.
Skylar and Lucy made faces for the camera
I had another really funny picture of Skylar, but she deleted it off my phone after I warned her three times that if she deleted it she would be grounded. I was absolutely serious, but she didn't believe me. I got pretty mad that she didn't listen to me, which made her cry. She kept saying, "Mom, are you really going to ground me just for deleting a picture?" and I told her, "No, I'm going to ground you because you didn't listen to me when I told you not to do something." She said she had just thought I was kidding about grounding her. She was pretty upset, but she had really annoyed me. So I let her stew for awhile. Then I pulled into McDonalds and ordered two caramel sundaes from the drive thru. I said, "Skylar" really stern, and then told her that I was just kidding about grounding her, but I was still pretty mad about her not listening to me. Her mouth just fell open and she half-screeched, half-cried "Moooooommmmm!" with her hands balled up. She said she had really believed me. I told her that maybe if I served it up with ice cream, she would remember this little lesson.
Pioneer Day
This past Saturday was Pioneer Day at church. It turned out to be really nice, although it was SWELTERING. I am so thankful that we don't have to wear all the clothes required of polite society in the late nineteenth century. Yuck. George and the children and I dressed up in only a fraction of the clothing they would have worn at that time, and we were so sweaty and gross by the end of the evening, I couldn't stand to be in the same shirt with myself.
Despite the heat of a NC summer day, we really had a great time. It was well-planned, with lots of fun games and activities for kids and grown-ups alike. The children got to pan for gold (gold-painted rocks and sand in a kiddie pool) using plastic sand sifters.
Drake insisted on being the only Pioneer Pirate there.
There was button-sewing, which Bart and Drake loved doing, surprisingly. There was a watermelon seed-spitting contest and sack races, which were hilarious (and dangerous).
The children got to hammer nails into boards and play tug-of-war with probably the biggest rope ever.
One of the coolest things was looking up to see Skylar and two of her friends playing Ring Around the Roses on the lawn. Girls kept drifting over to join until there was a whole big ring of girls dancing and falling in their pioneer dresses and bonnets. There was something very heart-lifting about seeing them engaging in a game that our ancestors played and probably played for ages before that.
After the games, there was a "trail" to walk. The trail consisted of walking to different points around the church yard where costumed characters told stories of the hardships the pioneers faced as they trekked across the country to the Great Salt Lake. We have some really talented story-tellers in our church. Afterward, it was time for dinner and family pictures.
Here's the cake I made for Pioneer Day. It really didn't take that long to make because there wasn't much piping involved, but it was challenging enough in its own way.
It consisted of two massive sections. The bottom was two 9x13 layers of butter cake iced with chocolate buttercream. The top section, the covered part of the wagon, was made of three 8 inch round layers, each cut in half and put together with vanilla buttercream icing between the layers to make the rounded shape. George (Mr. Geometry Wizard) came up with the idea for the top structure. Basically, it was six halves stuck together with icing, and it was very easy and effective. I covered the top in vanilla buttercream, and finished it with a 13x13 inch sheet of fondant. I ruffled the edges of the fondant to make it look like a canvas cover. The wheels were four enormous sugar cookies which I over-baked to make them hold up, with chocolate buttercream piped on for wheel spokes. I stuck them on with a dollop of icing. The bottom layer of the cake was held up atop four glasses (thanks for the great idea, Kim!) which blended in and looked way better than what I originally was going to use to lift it. All in all, I was really happy with the finished product. I only hope it was tasty and cute (we didn't take any of it home with us).
We took some adorable pictures of the children and us as a family. I'll have to post the family pictures when I get them back.
So, basically it's fun to be a Pioneer for an afternoon, but I would not trade places for the world!
Rambling
Will it ever stop raining? I wanted to take the kids to the pool today but we had major lightning and thunder. Instead, after we finished up some morning chores, we ended up going to the library and to play in the indoor play area of Chick Fil A. I really like that New Bern is such a small town sometimes. While we were at Chick Fil A, we ran into our neighbors and also one of Bart's school friends. When I'm at work, I constantly see people I know and am able to say hi and chat for a minute or two, which is kind of nice.
Speaking of work, it was CRAZY last night. I didn't get home until 10pm. Lucy was mad. George was mad. I just wanted to eat dinner. And to top it all off, while I was at work, my cell phone went psycho and called four or five people at random, including the number "0" before freezing up and flashing back and forth between two internet browser screens. I had to take the battery out. It was bizarre. So, if you happened to be one of the lucky people who got a weird phone call from me yesterday, SORRY! And while I'm making apologies, let me go ahead and say "sorry" in advance for whatever bonehead thing I'm going to do tomorrow!
Speaking of psycho, apparently I have restless leg syndrome to add to the plain old kind of crazy I have. The doctor wants me to do a sleep study, and honestly, I am all for it. I haven't slept well in months. And it really isn't Lucy's fault. She rarely wakes up in the middle of the night these days. Occasionally I can blame the screaming, pool-partying backyard neighbors. But mostly, I don't sleep well because my legs twitch and itch all night, my mind races, and my entire body ends up aching, particularly my back. George thinks we need a new bed. We probably do need a new bed, but I know the bed isn't responsible for my restless legs. Most nights I have to get up and walk or pop a Benadryl to make myself so drowsy that my legs don't bother me.
Despite the fact that I sound like a big fat whiner, I really am thankful for the trials and difficulties I have in my life - they could so easily be much, much worse. I do remember every day to give thanks in my prayers for all that I have been blessed with.
Speaking of work, it was CRAZY last night. I didn't get home until 10pm. Lucy was mad. George was mad. I just wanted to eat dinner. And to top it all off, while I was at work, my cell phone went psycho and called four or five people at random, including the number "0" before freezing up and flashing back and forth between two internet browser screens. I had to take the battery out. It was bizarre. So, if you happened to be one of the lucky people who got a weird phone call from me yesterday, SORRY! And while I'm making apologies, let me go ahead and say "sorry" in advance for whatever bonehead thing I'm going to do tomorrow!
Speaking of psycho, apparently I have restless leg syndrome to add to the plain old kind of crazy I have. The doctor wants me to do a sleep study, and honestly, I am all for it. I haven't slept well in months. And it really isn't Lucy's fault. She rarely wakes up in the middle of the night these days. Occasionally I can blame the screaming, pool-partying backyard neighbors. But mostly, I don't sleep well because my legs twitch and itch all night, my mind races, and my entire body ends up aching, particularly my back. George thinks we need a new bed. We probably do need a new bed, but I know the bed isn't responsible for my restless legs. Most nights I have to get up and walk or pop a Benadryl to make myself so drowsy that my legs don't bother me.
Despite the fact that I sound like a big fat whiner, I really am thankful for the trials and difficulties I have in my life - they could so easily be much, much worse. I do remember every day to give thanks in my prayers for all that I have been blessed with.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Urine and other liquids
The other day as I was driving (with all the windows closed, by the way), I got hit in the back of the head and the arm by some flying, unidentifiable liquid. It startled me. Luckily, it turned out only to be water that Drake was flinging from his cup, but it really could have been anything. I had to explain to him that it is possible to cause a car accident with a few drops of water, and we haven't had any problems since - with water, that is. He still is prone to throwing things at me or Bart while riding in the car, whenever the mood strikes him. I've been hit by wadded up candy wrappers, small toys and juice cups, even half of a chicken nugget once while driving. I figure I've got pretty good concentration and reflexes on the road, on days like today when Drake screams at me for a snack nonstop from the intersection of MLK and Glenburnie until we pull up in our driveway, Lucy wails because she's tired and hot, Bart chatters at me about a level he just beat on Lego Star Wars, and Skylar asks me to turn the radio up about five times - all at once. Oh, and I have to watch out for the guy up ahead because he decides to pull out when there clearly isn't enough time for him to get across the intersection.
Anyway, speaking of liquids....
About two weeks ago, I went into the downstairs bathroom and discovered that Bart had missed the toilet again when he went to the bathroom. There was pee still on the seat and I found more on the floor. Then, I found that there was a SWAMP of urine to one side of the toilet. In fact, there was an inch or so of it actually in the trash can next to the toilet. Apparently, Bart had completely missed the toilet, but he got the majority of it into the trash can. Does that count?
Honestly, sometimes I am just so grossed out by the daily drudgery of keeping the house from descending into pigsty status.
Anyway, speaking of liquids....
About two weeks ago, I went into the downstairs bathroom and discovered that Bart had missed the toilet again when he went to the bathroom. There was pee still on the seat and I found more on the floor. Then, I found that there was a SWAMP of urine to one side of the toilet. In fact, there was an inch or so of it actually in the trash can next to the toilet. Apparently, Bart had completely missed the toilet, but he got the majority of it into the trash can. Does that count?
Honestly, sometimes I am just so grossed out by the daily drudgery of keeping the house from descending into pigsty status.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Where did the time go??
This is the coolest summer ever. We've had some hot days, but overall, it's been really wet, overcast, and much cooler than usual.
Hmmm....what was that about so-called global warming?
Monday we had a lot of fun playing with our friends at Creekside Park. It ended up raining, but the kids could have cared less. They kept playing pretty much until hunger drove them under the picnic shelter to have a quick bite. They fell down, hit their heads, slipped and skidded in puddles of water, became totally drenched and covered in grass, but they had a great time!
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of splashing in mud puddles, mud wrestling with my sister, and "falling" in the creek. We never had cable TV or video games when I was a kid. When I was a teen, we finally got a Nintendo, but we only ever had a few games. We mostly played outside and read books. We wrote stories and played dress-up. I think I had a pretty fun childhood. It wasn't too busy. We went to the library a lot in the summer, and went swimming sometimes, but mostly we just chilled out and played with friends. I believe that's what kids like and remember the most, not all the micro-planned activities.
This summer, I've been trying to just go with the flow and not stress. It's really hard to keep everything together since I'm working most weeknights. So we pretty much just get up in the morning and if we make it to the pool or the library, great. If we don't - no sweat. There's always tomorrow. The thing I want to make sure we do is spend plenty of time together and with our friends. Same with housework (which has really been bugging me). I'm like, if the floors get vacuumed, awesome. If not, well, they'll still be dirty tomorrow. And now Sky and Bart are old enough that I can offer them extra allowance if they vacuum or sweep. Kinda nice....
Speaking of chores and stuff, Skylar went to History Camp last week and had a really good time. On Tuesday, the children learned about the Tuscarora Indians who lived here in New Bern before we took their town - it was called Chattoka or Chattawka. Next year is New Bern's 300th anniversary, by the way.
Hey, this is totally random, but I just got a great idea for a story -
So, Wednesday was Early New Bern Settler day. The kids got to learn about spinning and even got to try their hand at carding wool. They brought some bits of wool home. Then on Thursday, the children met at the battlefield, across the river near Taberna. In 1862, the Battle of New Bern took place there. They seemed to have learned a lot and had a really fun time. On Thursday, Skylar was interviewed by the Sun Journal. Her comments ended up in the paper on Sunday. Here's a link to the article:
http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/ole-46574-days-adults.html
Tuesday I took the children to see "Space Chimps" at the movies. It's $3 for the movie, popcorn, and a drink, so it's a great deal. At the summer movies, it's cheap and everyone is kind of loud, so I don't feel so bad spending half the movie standing in the lobby with Lucy while the three older kids finish watching it. This time, Lucy made it through almost the entire thing. She got her first taste of popcorn (I bit the hard kernel off and just gave her the soft part) and she loved it. Her little hands were so salty and greasy by the end of the movie.
Wednesday, I took Bart and Drake to meet Mindy. They stayed with her until this morning - Friday. It was so weird without them. It was very quiet and very low-key. No one yelled or made exploding sounds or shot anyone else with the nerf gun. I really missed them.
Also on Wednesday, I ran over one of our neighbor kid's helmet and scooter. I felt kind of bad, but she left it behind my van and I was on my way to work. I checked to make sure all the kids were in sight, but I did not check to make sure there were no scooters behind the van. I told George to offer to replace it for her, but I really hoped the parents would give her the "don't leave anything behind a car" lecture. My kids have had this lecture so many times, but it never seems to sink in until you flatten a bike or two. Skylar and Bart know now that if their stuff gets run over due to their carelessness, they have to replace it themselves.
Thursday I had my Pharmacy Tech final exam. I didn't study as much as I could have, but it's been a busy week. Last Thursday, after I got out of class, I took Skylar to see Harry Potter - the late showing. We didn't get home until twelve-thirty. I was so tired, but it was worth it. We had a fun time together. Skylar was SO dramatic the whole time, squeezing my hand as hard as she could during the scary/tense parts.
Last Saturday, George and I got to go on a date after I got off work. Renee watched the children and we took off to Jacksonville. We ate a delicious meal at the Olive Garden and then we just messed around Barnes & Noble - one of our favorite things to do. Earlier that afternoon, George had taken the children to our friends' son's birthday party. George had wrapped the birthday present in Wal-Mart bags and wrote "$85.00" on the box in black marker. Then he said, "Oops, I left the price tag on." I wasn't there obviously, I was at work, but I heard about this occurrence from several other people. See what he comes up with, left to his own devices? I mean, how hard is it to throw the gift into a gift bag with some tissue paper?
Hmmm....what was that about so-called global warming?
Monday we had a lot of fun playing with our friends at Creekside Park. It ended up raining, but the kids could have cared less. They kept playing pretty much until hunger drove them under the picnic shelter to have a quick bite. They fell down, hit their heads, slipped and skidded in puddles of water, became totally drenched and covered in grass, but they had a great time!
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of splashing in mud puddles, mud wrestling with my sister, and "falling" in the creek. We never had cable TV or video games when I was a kid. When I was a teen, we finally got a Nintendo, but we only ever had a few games. We mostly played outside and read books. We wrote stories and played dress-up. I think I had a pretty fun childhood. It wasn't too busy. We went to the library a lot in the summer, and went swimming sometimes, but mostly we just chilled out and played with friends. I believe that's what kids like and remember the most, not all the micro-planned activities.
This summer, I've been trying to just go with the flow and not stress. It's really hard to keep everything together since I'm working most weeknights. So we pretty much just get up in the morning and if we make it to the pool or the library, great. If we don't - no sweat. There's always tomorrow. The thing I want to make sure we do is spend plenty of time together and with our friends. Same with housework (which has really been bugging me). I'm like, if the floors get vacuumed, awesome. If not, well, they'll still be dirty tomorrow. And now Sky and Bart are old enough that I can offer them extra allowance if they vacuum or sweep. Kinda nice....
Speaking of chores and stuff, Skylar went to History Camp last week and had a really good time. On Tuesday, the children learned about the Tuscarora Indians who lived here in New Bern before we took their town - it was called Chattoka or Chattawka. Next year is New Bern's 300th anniversary, by the way.
Hey, this is totally random, but I just got a great idea for a story -
So, Wednesday was Early New Bern Settler day. The kids got to learn about spinning and even got to try their hand at carding wool. They brought some bits of wool home. Then on Thursday, the children met at the battlefield, across the river near Taberna. In 1862, the Battle of New Bern took place there. They seemed to have learned a lot and had a really fun time. On Thursday, Skylar was interviewed by the Sun Journal. Her comments ended up in the paper on Sunday. Here's a link to the article:
http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/ole-46574-days-adults.html
Tuesday I took the children to see "Space Chimps" at the movies. It's $3 for the movie, popcorn, and a drink, so it's a great deal. At the summer movies, it's cheap and everyone is kind of loud, so I don't feel so bad spending half the movie standing in the lobby with Lucy while the three older kids finish watching it. This time, Lucy made it through almost the entire thing. She got her first taste of popcorn (I bit the hard kernel off and just gave her the soft part) and she loved it. Her little hands were so salty and greasy by the end of the movie.
Wednesday, I took Bart and Drake to meet Mindy. They stayed with her until this morning - Friday. It was so weird without them. It was very quiet and very low-key. No one yelled or made exploding sounds or shot anyone else with the nerf gun. I really missed them.
Also on Wednesday, I ran over one of our neighbor kid's helmet and scooter. I felt kind of bad, but she left it behind my van and I was on my way to work. I checked to make sure all the kids were in sight, but I did not check to make sure there were no scooters behind the van. I told George to offer to replace it for her, but I really hoped the parents would give her the "don't leave anything behind a car" lecture. My kids have had this lecture so many times, but it never seems to sink in until you flatten a bike or two. Skylar and Bart know now that if their stuff gets run over due to their carelessness, they have to replace it themselves.
Thursday I had my Pharmacy Tech final exam. I didn't study as much as I could have, but it's been a busy week. Last Thursday, after I got out of class, I took Skylar to see Harry Potter - the late showing. We didn't get home until twelve-thirty. I was so tired, but it was worth it. We had a fun time together. Skylar was SO dramatic the whole time, squeezing my hand as hard as she could during the scary/tense parts.
Last Saturday, George and I got to go on a date after I got off work. Renee watched the children and we took off to Jacksonville. We ate a delicious meal at the Olive Garden and then we just messed around Barnes & Noble - one of our favorite things to do. Earlier that afternoon, George had taken the children to our friends' son's birthday party. George had wrapped the birthday present in Wal-Mart bags and wrote "$85.00" on the box in black marker. Then he said, "Oops, I left the price tag on." I wasn't there obviously, I was at work, but I heard about this occurrence from several other people. See what he comes up with, left to his own devices? I mean, how hard is it to throw the gift into a gift bag with some tissue paper?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I'm Famous
It is a day of discoveries. I guess I can say I've actually been published now. I saw the October 2008 issue of Parents and realized they printed an email I sent.
http://www.parents-digital.com/parents/200810/?pg=20
It' s hard to believe Bart was ever so difficult, but it was pretty hard at home for awhile. We were really worried. Of course, he was angelic at school and church, so very few people believe us when we describe how it was! It's amazing what wonders can be wrought with a change in parenting tactics (and a very small dose of Prozac).
http://www.parents-digital.com/parents/200810/?pg=20
It' s hard to believe Bart was ever so difficult, but it was pretty hard at home for awhile. We were really worried. Of course, he was angelic at school and church, so very few people believe us when we describe how it was! It's amazing what wonders can be wrought with a change in parenting tactics (and a very small dose of Prozac).
Very funny
I thought it was pretty ironic that I found this in the New York Times from last December:
Ha ha. Very funny that there's a person with my name out there who is apparently a talented singer.
LONG ISLAND FLUTE CLUB Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m. Westbury House, Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Road. Free, with $5 to $8 Gardens admission. (516) 333-0048; oldwestburygardens.org. CHRISTMAS AT COE HALL Traditional and classical music by Andrew Schulman, guitarist, and Wendy Savitz, singer, Dec. 7 at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, 1395 Planting Fields Road,
Oyster Bay. $35. FOTApresents.org. (516) 922-0061.Ha ha. Very funny that there's a person with my name out there who is apparently a talented singer.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Mommy Brain
Today I accidentally showed up for work an hour early. I guess it's better than showing up an hour late, and my help was definitely welcome. I just wish I could operate on full brain power again and not seem like a goofus all the time. My Mommy Brain has gotten worse with each subsequent child. I guess it's just as well that we stopped at four.
On an interesting note, George has been running a lot of errands with all four kids lately, by himself. He has also been taking them to McDonalds a lot more. Any connection, I wonder? I just think it's interesting that when you have errands to run with four kids, coming home, cooking a meal for everyone, feeding them, and cleaning up after them suddenly loses its appeal.
I'm just sayin'.
On an interesting note, George has been running a lot of errands with all four kids lately, by himself. He has also been taking them to McDonalds a lot more. Any connection, I wonder? I just think it's interesting that when you have errands to run with four kids, coming home, cooking a meal for everyone, feeding them, and cleaning up after them suddenly loses its appeal.
I'm just sayin'.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Park
A few days ago, it was pretty overcast and slightly cool, so I took the kids to the Fort Totten Park to play for awhile rather than freezing our butts off at the pool. Since it wasn't actually raining yet, the kids played for quite some time.
Here's Skylar going so fast she's a blur.
Skylar rode on the merry-go-round so much that she made herself (and the boys, too) sick. The older kids were nauseous and grumpy for the next half hour. The boys regained their good spirits when I took them to eat at Wendy's, but Skylar didn't quite get her appetite back.
Skylar is such a good girl most of the time, but she really likes to make her brothers suffer if she can get away with it.
Lucy loves to swing!
Here's Skylar going so fast she's a blur.
Skylar rode on the merry-go-round so much that she made herself (and the boys, too) sick. The older kids were nauseous and grumpy for the next half hour. The boys regained their good spirits when I took them to eat at Wendy's, but Skylar didn't quite get her appetite back.
Skylar is such a good girl most of the time, but she really likes to make her brothers suffer if she can get away with it.
Our July 4th
Ahh...the 4th of July always brings out feelings of nostalgia for me. I first realized I LIKED George thirteen years ago on July 4th while watching fireworks after a Drum Corps show in Nashua, New Hampshire (I think). Officially, we became a couple three days later in New Jersey. I remember the entire drum corps being locked out of the site where we were supposed to be staying (it was a school of some sort), and as it was the middle of the night, it was decided we would just throw down our sleeping bags and catch our Z's outside under the stars. It was actually pretty romantic.
Our first official date, meaning outside of drum corps, was to the movies. What did we see? Independence Day, of course. The one with Will Smith where aliens start blowing up the world on July 4th.
Two years later, we got married on July 1 and took our honeymoon over the holiday weekend. So yes, July is a significant month for us.
4th of July this year was pretty relaxing. George's parents came over to watch the River Bend parade with us. Skylar rode with the Girl Scouts in the parade. I put Drake and Lucy in the stroller and Bart hopped on his bike for the hike up Plantation to Shoreline Drive where we would be able to see the parade. George and his mom and dad were already there, and we were running a bit late, so we had to walk FAST. Two streets past Gangplank, the pedal fell off Bart's bike. So he had to walk the bike the whole way. Luckily, we make it in time to find George and watch the parade, but I was sweaty and yucky by then.
We saw the Binghams, from up the street, at the parade and sat on the side of the road with them. The kids got a ton of candy and ate most of it in about three minutes. After the parade, we walked over to the area around Town Hall, where there were all sorts of fun things going on.
There were free Pepsis and water bottles, and a huge lunch for a couple of bucks.
There was a Slip N' Slide for the kids. Skylar, Bart, and Drake remembered to wear their bathing suits this year.
There was a dunking booth. Skylar volunteered to be a dunkee. When Renee took her turn, she threw the ball and dunked Skylar on the first try!
There was an area set up which was basically a kid free-for-all area. There were bubble-blowing supplies, foam swords for play-fighting, noise-makers, and sidewalk chalk on the basketball court.
There was a cakewalk (which we participated in), and kayak rides in the pond (which we did not participate in). There was face painting and even a moon bounce for the children.
Probably the most fun (and most exciting) thing was the horse rides. For three bucks, your kid got a couple of loops around the field behind Town Hall, lead by a horse trainer. All three older kids wanted to ride.
While the children were riding, something scary happened. A horse, which was carrying a little girl who goes to BDQ with Sky and Bart, started bucking. The trainer was hanging onto the lead and trying to calm it down and keep it from bolting away. The little girl hung on to the saddle, while everyone gasped and held their breath with shock. Finally, the horse dislodged her. She fell to the ground and I was praying the horse didn't step on her. Somehow, the trainer was able to get the horse away and calmed down and the little girl stood up, smiling shakily and unhurt. Then her parents and a horde of other people descended on her and totally freaked her out. She started sobbing loudly, but she didn't seem to have been injured. That's when we decided it was time for lunch. Thank goodness the other horses had been docile and easy-going.
After a nap for the babies, we loaded up and went to the Nicolaysens' for dinner. We hung out with a group of our friends and ate while the kids played in the backyard wading pool and on the trampoline. Vanessa made a delicious patriotic cake using raspberries and blueberries as stars and stripes. The icing was to die for (literally). It used a ton of butter, but the frosting was so good!
We ended the night by parking on the side of the highway with a bunch of other people, just across from the Outback Steakhouse. From there we were able to watch the fireworks from pretty close up and still avoid the morass that was Lawson's Creek that night. We had no trouble getting back on the road after the display and we didn't have to wait in hours-long traffic.
Lucy enjoyed her very first 4th of July.
And Drakey was too pooped to pop.
Our first official date, meaning outside of drum corps, was to the movies. What did we see? Independence Day, of course. The one with Will Smith where aliens start blowing up the world on July 4th.
Two years later, we got married on July 1 and took our honeymoon over the holiday weekend. So yes, July is a significant month for us.
4th of July this year was pretty relaxing. George's parents came over to watch the River Bend parade with us. Skylar rode with the Girl Scouts in the parade. I put Drake and Lucy in the stroller and Bart hopped on his bike for the hike up Plantation to Shoreline Drive where we would be able to see the parade. George and his mom and dad were already there, and we were running a bit late, so we had to walk FAST. Two streets past Gangplank, the pedal fell off Bart's bike. So he had to walk the bike the whole way. Luckily, we make it in time to find George and watch the parade, but I was sweaty and yucky by then.
We saw the Binghams, from up the street, at the parade and sat on the side of the road with them. The kids got a ton of candy and ate most of it in about three minutes. After the parade, we walked over to the area around Town Hall, where there were all sorts of fun things going on.
There were free Pepsis and water bottles, and a huge lunch for a couple of bucks.
There was a Slip N' Slide for the kids. Skylar, Bart, and Drake remembered to wear their bathing suits this year.
There was a dunking booth. Skylar volunteered to be a dunkee. When Renee took her turn, she threw the ball and dunked Skylar on the first try!
There was an area set up which was basically a kid free-for-all area. There were bubble-blowing supplies, foam swords for play-fighting, noise-makers, and sidewalk chalk on the basketball court.
There was a cakewalk (which we participated in), and kayak rides in the pond (which we did not participate in). There was face painting and even a moon bounce for the children.
Probably the most fun (and most exciting) thing was the horse rides. For three bucks, your kid got a couple of loops around the field behind Town Hall, lead by a horse trainer. All three older kids wanted to ride.
While the children were riding, something scary happened. A horse, which was carrying a little girl who goes to BDQ with Sky and Bart, started bucking. The trainer was hanging onto the lead and trying to calm it down and keep it from bolting away. The little girl hung on to the saddle, while everyone gasped and held their breath with shock. Finally, the horse dislodged her. She fell to the ground and I was praying the horse didn't step on her. Somehow, the trainer was able to get the horse away and calmed down and the little girl stood up, smiling shakily and unhurt. Then her parents and a horde of other people descended on her and totally freaked her out. She started sobbing loudly, but she didn't seem to have been injured. That's when we decided it was time for lunch. Thank goodness the other horses had been docile and easy-going.
After a nap for the babies, we loaded up and went to the Nicolaysens' for dinner. We hung out with a group of our friends and ate while the kids played in the backyard wading pool and on the trampoline. Vanessa made a delicious patriotic cake using raspberries and blueberries as stars and stripes. The icing was to die for (literally). It used a ton of butter, but the frosting was so good!
We ended the night by parking on the side of the highway with a bunch of other people, just across from the Outback Steakhouse. From there we were able to watch the fireworks from pretty close up and still avoid the morass that was Lawson's Creek that night. We had no trouble getting back on the road after the display and we didn't have to wait in hours-long traffic.
Lucy enjoyed her very first 4th of July.
And Drakey was too pooped to pop.
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