Jackson was excited to bring home his first place ribbon for his relay during field day. I forgot to mention that he got some awards Monday morning at his school's awards assembly. He was recognized for perfect attendance and being a spelling bee participant. Then he also got an award for completing the most typing lessons in his class. Then we headed to my parents. Ellie is on a softball kick lately and wants everyone to play with her. Well then Lincoln had to get in on the action too. He was really serious about batting :-).
On Tuesday, Jackson and Ellie both had field trips. Jackson got to go out to 1000 Hills. They went on a nature hike, explored the petroglyphs and went out on a pontoon. He loved it. Ellie's class went to Rotary Park and got to learn about water safety and watch as they started filling up the pool, play in the sand volleyball court and learn about the library's summer reading program. We were supposed to meet them for lunch, but ended up not getting there until just a little before they were finishing up. I had a plumber at the house and he was just finishing up and telling me what the plan of action was but it was taking longer than I expected. And I still needed to change a stinky diaper and pack a quick lunch before we left. So Miles and Bennett each ate half of a sandwich and then it was time to join the kids at the playground. I was a little nervous with them on the playground because there were several high "open" areas that could have easily fallen out of plus there were about 45 first graders playing too. The kids were pretty good about looking out for the twins though and some of them even liked helping them along or go down the slides. So it was chaotic, but it could have been worse.
After school I had Jackson help me with a few things around the house. Our little hydrangea tree out front was crooked, so I had him help me stake it. Then we went out back to put up our new swings, but after we got them all put together we realized the chain was too thick for the hangers that are already on our swing set. I tried to force it with some pliers but did not have any success. So we are hoping Andrew can figure it out. And next up was hanging our outdoor curtains. I think the chain idea is going to work, which will be great. While I was working on the curtains, Ellie and Addi found a baby bird underneath our slide. Andrew said the kids were playing with it again later the evening and it didn't make it.
While the older kids played outside, I finished up dinner. Then Andrew and Jackson went out back to work on baseball some more while I cleaned up and got ready for a bike ride. I decided to try a little longer one and mapped out my route. I ended up going almost 14 miles and it went pretty well (except for the abundance of bugs) until I turned the corner into our neighborhood and ended up with toe cramps. Cycling shoes are very stiff and didn't allow much room for me to stretch my toes plus they also have cleats on the bottom that allow up to "clip" into the pedal-this means I was attached to the pedal. So I decided I needed to get off. About that time, I noticed a couple from our neighborhood across the street, out on a walk with their new baby. They were trying to talk to me and telling me Lissy was going to be taking the baby's pictures this weekend. So I unclipped one of my pedals but was having trouble getting the other one unclipped and there was a car coming. I am sure I looked ridiculous as I tried to get going again but was about to fall over as I was trying to unclip my second shoe. So I finally got unclipped, still trying to talk to the couple about their new baby, but had to sit down and get my shoes off so I could stretch my toes. They probably thought I was crazy. Well I finally made my way home and then they eventually make their way down our street. So I limped over in just my socks to see the baby. After some stretching, my toes were finally feeling better. So I guess I need to figure out why that happened. :-)
After my bike ride, I had to pry Ellie away from her friends to go to gymnastics. She was so excited that she got everything right in her routine. Only one more week until the big night.
Andrew has been busy at office looking for a new secretary. We are both so sad that Aubri is moving. Andrew would love it if they were able to stay, but her husband has to go to St. Louis for his last two years of medical school. So Andrew has been interviewing plus we had to find a new renter for our rental house. Luckily that ended up being pretty easy and they will be moving in next month. On Wednesday, Andrew headed to St. Louis for a CLE program a little after 5am. So that meant I was in charge of getting the kids to school. I got up early and got the bathrooms cleaned and then got the kids up. We were actually on time to school, which was great :-). After we got them all dropped off, we came home and I let the twins play outside while I worked on some stuff around the garage and watered the flowers. Then we went grocery shopping. When we went back out to the garage after putting away the groceries to pick up Lincoln, there was a hummingbird in our garage. So I left the doors open hoping it would fly out, but it stayed in there all day. It was a nice, warm day outside so the kids ate lunch out back. But then I had to change Miles diaper, so I brought him in real quick, changed it and then he went back out back while I threw the diaper away. It was just a few seconds and Lincoln came in saying Miles fell. As I walked into the family room, Miles walked in the door with blood all over his face and arm. So I took him into the kitchen and started cleaning him up and saw he had a little gash on his forehead. I took a picture of it and sent it to my dad and he decided we should come to the office to have it look at it. Miles handled it very well. He was more concerned about the blood on his hand. Once I got him all cleaned up and a bandaid put on, he wanted to go outside and play with the baseballs. So I got them all in the car, had to pull Bennett out to change a diaper and then headed to my dad's office. My dad decided Miles just needed a couple steri-strips and some super glue. Again, Miles was really good with it and we were on our way with suckers. And he did it all without a pacifier which is a big deal these days. It had gotten to the point where I let them have a pacifier all the time-for the sanity of all of us. But I finally have started taking them away when they wake up in the morning and after nap time since we are able to get outside more and be distracted. They are doing okay with it and even get a little excited when it is time for bed because that means they get them.
We got home just in time for me to lay them down for a nap and our sitter, Sarah, to show up. I was going to Ellie's Portfolio Presentation, so Sarah came over to watch the twins. I let Lincoln decide if he wanted to go with me or stay with Sarah and he chose to stay with Sarah. He immediately started in on all types of conversations with her as I was leaving. I came back in to get my camera and he had already taken off his shirt to show her his tick bite on his back.
Ellie's presentation included a couple very short "plays", a wonderful video Lori Ann put together of pictures from throughout the year and then my mom and I got to sit with Ellie and go over some of her art and writings she had done throughout the year. That girl loves writing and it was fun to go over her stuff with her. Then we got to go to their room for some cookies. Ellie has had a wonderful year and loved having Lori Ann as her teacher. She made a really sweet note for her in Paint in rainbow colors. Each letter was a different color, so it took quite a bit of time to finish (especially dealing with the time-limit software I put on the kids' laptop) but she was so excited to give it to her. Ellie really liked reading more of her writings when we got home and then we ended up going to my parents that evening and she brought more over there to read.
Andrew got home around 7:30 that night, so we headed home so he could practice pitching with Jackson since he was supposed to pitch at his game the next day. So while they practiced the other kids and I hung out in the front with the neighbor kids. You can tell summer is close as they play longer into the evening. And now they almost all have Ripstiks so it is kind of funny to see them all riding around on them. We really need to get a picture sometime of all of the kids with them.
Thursday brought some rain. Lincoln's class was supposed to have a picnic at Brashear Park but it got moved indoors at the school. They ordered Happy Meals ahead of time for the kids, so I picked one up before we headed to school for Miles and Bennett to share. The problem was that it took a little longer for the Happy Meals to show up at the school and Miles and Bennett weren't going to wait any longer. So I let them start eating while the teachers tried to entertain the other kids by singer songs and reading some books. Finally all the other kids got their food and the all ate and then played with the toys downstairs. Lincoln had a great year with Grandma Jane and Mrs. Eagen.
Then I realized I was going to be late meeting a guy I was selling our leaf blower to, so I quickly gathered up the kids and headed out. Miles and Bennett were not happy about going so it is not an easy task now to get them both out the door. The leaf blower thing was kind of entertaining. This guy was so excited about buying it because he was going to use it to clean his apartment-I guess whatever floats your boat. We were meeting at a gas station and I told him I would be in a Yukon and he said he didn't know what a Yukon was but he would be in gray shorts and a blue shirt :-). Well he ended up forgetting about meeting up, so we tried to reschedule. But that never worked out, so I ended up selling it to someone else. Maybe he decided there were better ways to clean his apartment.
Jackson was supposed to have a ballgame in Novinger that night, but it ended up being cancelled because of the rain. I didn't have plans for dinner since the game was at 5:15, so I quickly thawed out some hamburger and made some spaghetti. The weather had cleared up so the kids played outside after dinner. During the colder months, they do a good job of helping me clean up afterwards but I feel bad having them do it while it is so nice outside and they can go play. We'll have to figure something out though so they don't get out of the habit of doing it. And then spaghetti night is always a little more of a chore to clean up :-).
Friday was the last day of school for Jackson and Ellie. They were super excited. I had donuts for them which they always enjoy. Ellie had beach day at school, so she was all ready for that. They both also had excellent years at school. Jackson liked Ray Miller more than I thought he was and Mrs. Hanley was a great teacher for him-always pushing him a little more but still having that caring and very encouraging side. And as I already mentioned, Ellie had a wonderful year with Lori Ann. She was a tad disappointed in beach day though :-). I guess they just watched a movie while laying on their towels. I think they have gone outside before to do different activities but didn't do that this year.
While they were gone I did finish up some stuff outside around the house including fixing a landscape light I was having trouble with-you never knew if it was going to come on or not. Lincoln and I had stuff ready for Jackson and Ellie when they got home to have sundaes out back. They all enjoyed piling all the toppings on, but then decided maybe that wasn't the best idea.
Andrew had a breakfast meeting Saturday morning at our pastor's house for small group leaders. Then he picked up the kids and brought them home so they could get ready to go fishing out at the ranch. They had a lot of fun and even caught a few.
While they were gone, I had a huge list of things I wanted to get done. But then I ended up wasting time trying to figure out why my Garmin watch wasn't downloading any new workouts. I finally found a round about way to do it and decided I would just have to wait for a weekday to call Garmin about a better fix. But then I got to my list that included more cleaning, washing all the sheets, cleaning up stuff outside, putting out summer decorations, etc. When Andrew got back he got to work seeding some bare spots in the yard. He dug up some black dirt out at the ranch and brought it back in some old mineral bags he had and used that. That evening Andrew grilled steaks and we ate dinner outside. His GrillGrates worked great with the steaks and they were delicious. The rest of the evening was spent playing outside, visiting with neighbors and a trip to Dairy Queen. Well just Jackson, Ellie and I made a quick trip to Dairy Queen and just brought it home for the rest of the family. Miles and Bennett were so pleased!
Andrew
worked Sunday morning and then we headed to the early church service followed
by some grocery shopping for me. Andrew
hadn’t slept that great the night before, so he was more than happy to keep the
twins while they napped and I took the others over to my parents to swim. Andrew and the twins came over after they
were finished with naps and the twins and Lola got soaked playing with the
water table.
Monday
morning was Memorial Day and Andrew’s office was closed, so he took advantage
of it and went on an early morning bike ride.
I am happy he is getting back into it since it was something he really
enjoyed, but his hip is still bothering him.
He did finally get an appointment but it is not until July. But he went about 20 miles and I am always thankful
when he comes back unharmed. He went out
on Hwy 11, which would be kind of scary for me.
I ran on the treadmill while he was gone. Then I got the kids ready for the day and
went out for a ride after he got back. I
only went a little over 14 miles, but that is good for me. I do have to say I
was faster than him (he appreciates our little competition J).
When
I got back, Andrew headed to the office and I got ready for the day, we ate
lunch and then headed to my parents house for some more swimming. I brought the twins blankets and pacifiers
all prepared to try to lay them down for a nap in a regular bed at my parents
house. Well then my mom asked if I
wanted to go see Mom’s Night Out with
her, Kaitlin and Kathy. So I got
everything ready to lay the twins down and was prepared to sit outside their
door and make sure they stayed in bed.
Then Andrew called to tell me he was heading home, because he thought we
had talked about him taking the twins during nap time again while I had the
other kids at the pool. So I ran them
back home and made it to the theater just after the others did. The older three got to stay with my dad at the pool. I really enjoyed the movie and was thankful I was able to go. It was actually pretty funny and had a lot of truth to it. Of course some parts were a little cheesy, but I would much rather have that than someone dropping the f bomb all the time. I got done just in time to swing by my parents and pick up Ellie for last dance class before the recital. And then I did something I haven't done before-I forgot to pick her up! I knew it would happen sometime and it most likely won't be the last time. I called Andrew on my way and he was actually closer to her and was able to get to her a few minutes before me. She handled it very well and thankfully there were more classes after hers so that people were still around. Andrew did have her fake cry and say that Dairy Queen would make her feel better. I told her she could have some of Papa's ice cream instead :-). The kids went swimming again after dinner that night. Miles and Bennett even got in for a bit and played on the stairs. Then there was a little dance party and some homemade ice cream.
It was a great day, but then I started not feeling well. I'm not sure what it was, but it was gone by the morning. But Ellie did a good job taking care of me. She had given me her coupon for a family movie night earlier that day but after a little pleading she decided to put it off until the next night since I wasn't feeling well. Then she offered to help out with what I needed to get done, so she put the twins sippy cups in the dishwasher for me and pulled my covers down for me. Then when I was feeling a little nauseous, she even laid a towel out for me like I do for them when they aren't feeling well. Andrew let the kids sleep downstairs, so she came in to check on me a few times. She even mentioned that she felt like a mom :-).
Thankfully I was feeling better Tuesday morning. We stayed around home for the day so that I could get some stuff done. Plus the kids had the wonderful opportunity to really clean their rooms. I had Jackson and Ellie teach Lincoln how to vacuum and dust-he was kind of proud. My mom came over for a bit to help me talk through some plans for the nursery that will eventually become a mud room/office. I think Lincoln spent almost all day outside while Ellie and Jackson came in and out throughout the day. I showed Jackson how to use the leaf blower so he could clean the grass clippings that get on everything when Andrew mows. I had planned to have Kaitlin and her family over for hot dogs and s'mores, but then she decided that they would head to St. Louis with Zane and hang out with Sara and Lissy while he went to the ball game. My parents still came over though. But just as I started getting stuff ready, I noticed that things were getting dark outside and of course a storm was heading our way. So I went out and covered the fire wood with a trash bag and told Andrew he may have to just grill the hot dogs and we would do s'mores in the microwave. Surprisingly, we just got a few sprinkles but we did just grill the hot dogs and ate inside. Afterwards, Andrew got the fire going and we did s'mores outside. My dad did get called in to deliver a baby, so he ended up missing most of it. With the little bit of rain we got, we did end up with a double rainbow. The twins were really impressed.
After we finished up s'mores, it was time to take Ellie to her last gymnastics lesson. My dad still wasn't done, so I dropped off Ellie and then took my mom home. And when we got home, it was time to do her movie night. The guys opted out since she chose Makenna-an American Girl movie. So she got popcorn and a movie and was happy!
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