Not everything is as it seems. I tried the rather highly pinned baking soda/hydrogen peroxide trick to clean your cookie sheets and make them like new thingie and you can see my results above. I should have taken a picture of my before, but did not.
Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via D on Pinterest" target=_blank>So, not everything is as it seems. It was really hard scrubbing, and I left it for more than the two hours suggested. It does look better, though!
I suppose blogging would be easier and smoother if I just did it every day. Maybe someday I will get to that point.
Second grade started four weeks ago, which kind of wigs me out. Four weeks? Really? So far so okay. I think he was anxious for a while because things seemed to be moving a bit faster than they did in 1st grade but so far his grades seem fine. I think he is more relaxed since he is not the new kid this year, and a bit more confident in his friendships. It is a small school, and there are only about 47 first graders so there is not a lot of room to hide if you are shy or feel isolated. My prayer for him is that he is a good friend to all, and learns how to successfully navigate his relationships.
Claire and Finn have started their new preschool and seem to love it. Claire had one little nervous bump but she is SO very much like Duncan in other ways I suppose I could have anticipated it. Otherwise, they both seem thrilled to go each day and are happy and chatty each time I pick them up, telling me wonderful stories about what they have done.
They are really growing up before our eyes. Finn will occasionally drop the H bomb and say, “what the Hell is that?” and I shudder, then laugh silently. Claire wants to be right by my side all day. She especially loves to do anything with huge mess potential like cooking, or getting all up in my make up. This morning I almost had to Google “getting nail polish out of eyes” but my panic was premature and it was only on her eyelids. Found this pic from a year ago.
Hard to balance being so happy and relieved that they are growing and changing and being sad and bereft that they are growing and changing.
Mid-August in Texas is pretty brutal. There isn’t much motivation to be outside, and the kids are pretty restless. It’s a bad combination. So, we try to find things to do indoors as well as resign to the concept of more TV wont kill them. Swimming is still an option but even that is kind of a beating unless it’s very early or very late in the day.
So, today I took all three of them to the Sealife Aquarium in Grapevine. Not cheap, but perhaps worth it. It’s very kid friendly, if not kid-focused, and you can go through as many times as you like. We spent about two hours there before Finn was ready to go. I’m so grateful that they are old enough that I don’t have to mess with a stroller (BEATING) and that I can, for the most part, trust them not to run away from me and jump in some huge tank of expensive fish. Thank you God.
Later today we will go visit friends. Tomorrow is still a vast unknown but our very kind and generous neighbors have offered us use of their pool while they are out of town. It is also 75 cent movie day. I don’t even really care too much what is showing, as long as it’s not PG13.
Wednesday, however, is still a big question mark.
We left Dallas on Monday, July 16th. Our first pit stop was in Oklahoma City. We stumbled upon their downtown botanical gardens, with a water fountain for the kids to splash in. Free parking. Free admission. Are you listening, Dallas? Found a shady table and chairs, had lunch and let the kids splash around.
Got back on the road and soon afterwards heard a strange sound. Something under the front bumper was making noise so we just hacked it off with some manicure scissors and were back on our way.
Spent our first night in Wichita, KS in a Spring Hill Suites (Marriot.) Best set up of all hotels we stayed in. Had a small desk which partitioned the beds from a sitting area, so at least felt like we weren’t all in the same room. Also had nifty reading lights on the headboard so I could read easily. Score!
The best coffee of our entire trip was in Wichita. Actually, was the best coffee I’ve had possibly ever. Found this place on Yelp and were over the top pleased with it.
Kansas is not very exciting.
But sometimes you make new friends at gas stations.
And Mommy gets to read a bit.
And when you finally get to Denver, you just go to sleep!
On Wednesday, we took the day off from driving and just went sight seeing around the Denver area. First stop, Hammonds Candies. Free tour, free candy! Tons of fun. From there, we went to an old mine.
Tried to strike it rich, but I’m afraid only left with enough gold for maybe a Sonic Happy Hour drink.
Thursday morning we left Denver, armed with new movies like The Wizard of Oz and Hello Kitty, and headed for Salt Lake City. Very long day.
Had to institute the “side of the road timeout” rule.
But finally made it to the really lovely little town of Ogden, UT. Stayed a nice full-fledged Marriot so had the Executive/Concierge Level privileges but no reading lamps on the headboard!
Part 2 Coming Soon.
Decided to shave off the (very cool) Mohawk in favor of buzz cuts for our big vay cay on Monday. All joined in the fun.
Or not so much fun.
Okay, so it’s just my iphone camera, but it’s funny when I come across his random pictures.
I love this one. Just a shadow of a boy.
Big brother playing “dentist” with Claire. I guess it’s funny because I never knew any of it went on and then there are all these pictures. Their secret lives.
Last Monday, the kids all came yelling from the backyard that they had seen three baby rabbits in the backyard…oh yes, sure you did. Lo and behold, momma rabbit had dug her nest right under their slide and the babies had all hopped right out. By the time I got out there, we could only find two, but they stuck around all day…despite their sheer terror from two toddlers and a 7 year old monitoring their every move. They were very tiny, and very still…so still that the kids could even pick them up. Needless to say, they did not stick around long enough for us to start calling ourselves rabbit farmers, but it was a nice treat for a day.
Sadly, we said goodbye to baseball this week. I think I have had nothing more enjoyable as a parent to date, as this season’s baseball games. The boys on his team are all super, the coaches were great and the games were lots of family fun.
We are on week 3 of swim lessons at the Y. They are inexpensive, and the kids all seem to enjoy them. Duncan is doing particularly well, and this week is one-on-one with his coach. I am kind of hoping he will want to do swim team at some point.
We got to have breakfast at a really great place where kids can play with some of our oldest and best friends in the world. These two have been friends since their lives began, and continue to be close and enjoy each other. It’s really a rich blessing for me to watch them grow.
We are pet sitting this week for this creature. He is a green anole, and is more endearing than I imagined him to be. The kids are really having a good time, but guess who feeds him his meal worms? Yes, that’s right. I’m figuring it is a good lesson learned. Not ready for a dog or cat quite yet.
Oh, and all that sadness about baseball? Totally being (temporarily) remedied by Finn starting tee ball. There are only three games, though, so our relief of kid sport fever will be very short lived. I think next is Claire doing gymnastics, which might be the most entertaining of all.
Have a good week!
We spend a lot of time at the pool, which is great. Wears them out and they love it. I fantasize about how great it will be when they are all independent swimmers and I can read.
Duncan and his friend C. got the game balls last week for their team. This was one of about 786 silly poses. They are super cute friends, though.
Finn has started tee ball. Every day he thinks he has a game, and that Josh Hamilton is his coach. He’s a slugger, though. I see lots of baseball in our future…and a Yukon.
We had VBS last week! Love VBS! Wish I could have enjoyed the whole week. I helped with preschool snacks again this year and we did some really fun stuff.
My reason for missing most of VBS. Claire was hospitalized for her asthma and walking pneumonia. Really hit her hard and she was on oxygen for three days…probably could have justified a fourth but we begged to go home under close supervision.
Did you know you get all the ice cream, popsicles, jello and chocolate milk you want when you are 3 and in the hospital??? Claire does.
After we were able to bring her home, our wonderful sister/in law who is a pediatric nurse practitioner, came to stay with her so Iain and I could go out…to a movie theater that serves cocktails. Then to dinner and a hotel. Whew.
The next morning, Father’s Day, we had brunch with no kids! Fun! Isn’t he good looking?
This week, we are doing swim lessons, which has been great. We really do have three little swimmers. They all love it. Duncan is doing exceptionally well, and I see swim team in our future.
More fun at the pool club.
Took the boys for summer cuts. Wanted real mohawks but instead we ended up with some silly faux hock. Mommy will fix that. Finn is super excited to look like big brother, though.
One tee ball game, one baseball practice and two baseball games later. It’s been a good week!
First Day of 1st Grade (above)
Last Day of 1st Grade (below)
I am not good at endings. I don’t like things to end, or to change so the last day of school is always (ha! like I’ve been doing it forever…perhaps always is a stretch) difficult for me. To see how they have grown and changed, and know that there is nothing we can do to stop it, puts a lump in my throat. I see him changing rapidly, turning 7. The “age of reason” supposedly. We see glimpses of that and it’s really exciting. We also see glimpses of more independence, more connectedness with friends, and pulling away. So, as you turn 7, Duncan, and prepare for another year, know that Mom and Dad are super proud of you and what you have done this year! You are shaping up nicely.
Love,
Mom
Whew! Big weekend for the family. On Friday night we had Grandpa’s birthday. Small scale, but I did manage to whip up a home made chicken pot pie that was pretty great. Mailed it in on the cake though, and let Costco do the work. Bedtime? 9:00.
On Saturday morning, Duncan had a baseball game. Of course, no one slept late so while we weren’t totally foul, I could smell it coming. We managed to get to the game but close to the end I decided to take the twins home…but we stayed to watch Duncan’s last at bat. And good thing we did because he scored a grand-freakin-slam. HUGE deal.
Back home for “rest”…well Claire slept anyway. Was not a total loss. Duncan had a big birthday party for a cub scout/baseball team friend so I geared up to drive him and three buddies to the party at 5:30. Dropped them off for two hours to jump on trampolines and play dodgeball. He got home at 8:00. Bedtime, 9:00.
On Sunday morning, it was Sunday School. We are making a real effort to be more consistent for the kids, realizing how much better an experience church is for them when we are so. Got them all there and lo and behold it was petting zoo day! Hooray!
After some loving on all God’s creatures, we packed up and drove to my sister’s and mom’s to celebrate my oldest brother’s 63rd birthday. He and his wife and his daughter are here from Spokane so it was a special treat. It was a pool party and I knew our kids would swim all day, only to emerge to shove a hot dog in their pie holes and then get right back in the pool. Cramps! Egad! Swim time, 11:30 – 6:30. Bedtime? 8:00. Oh yeah, and we got to sit in my Uncle Joe’s restored ‘65 Vette.
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