Last Monday I decided it was time to get serious about
packing for kamp since we had a busy week ahead of us. So I got my walking in
and then got all the laundry done in the morning and worked on packing after I
laid the twins down for a nap. The beginning of naptime didn’t go so well
because Andrew decided to take their pacifiers away while I was gone over the
weekend. I know they are too old for them but I was waiting until after my
parents keep them while we take the kids to kamp and the next weekend when we
stay in Branson a couple of nights. I was tempted to give them back, but Andrew
said no J. I tried the “You’re a big boy” thing but they
weren’t falling for it. They would just cry and say, “I’m not a big boy. I want
my paci.” They eventually both went to sleep and I started gathering everything
for packing-all the clothes, trunks, bags and everything else that goes in
them. I had a couple of outfits bagged up for Jackson before I realized I
forgot to label everything so I started over. I made a few notes to stick in with
some of their outfits too. I got Jackson all packed up and started on Ellie
when it was time to quit and get everyone ready to go to the movies. I thought
the Minion movie would be a good first movie for the twins plus Andrew got to
go with us. We went around 4, so the twins were able to get a little nap in and
Andrew didn’t have to get off work too early. The twins did pretty well. They
whined just a little bit but it wasn’t bad at all. They enjoyed their kids’
pack with popcorn, fruit snacks and a water. A big plus is that we made it
through the whole movie without any spills J.
All the kids enjoyed the movie and thought it was funny.
I had put a baked
spaghetti in the oven and set it to start cooking while we were gone but I
realized that not many of them would be hungry after all the popcorn. Plus it
wasn’t ready when we got home so Andrew just took them all outside to play and
I continued packing up Ellie. Andrew and I ate when it was finally ready and
then I rushed off to the store. I had a huge list of just our general needs,
drinks and a few other things for Lincoln’s birthday party later that week and
school supplies. It was a longer trip for me but I got everything we needed (or
so I thought-I had it down wrong on some folders for Jackson and Ellie so I
need to switch those out). I stopped by my parents and dropped off the stuff I
picked up for the party and then headed home. Andrew and Jackson helped me get
everything in and put away then they were all ready for bed.
Tuesday morning was all about cleaning around our house.
I did all the bathrooms, kitchen, windows, vacuuming and dusting. The older
three had to really clean up their rooms (i.e. put stuff away instead of
throwing it in a random spot), dust and vacuum. Then I did my workout video and
we were done with al of it before lunch. It was a nice day out, so the kids
spent a lot of time playing with their friends. I took the twins out for a bit
before their nap and I worked on cleaning out the garage and car. Then it was
time to prep for Jackson’s double header that night in La Plata. I just had to
stock up on snacks and drinks for the kids to hopefully keep them occupied for
4 hours. Andrew had a trial that day and wasn’t sure if he would be able to
make it to the games. But he finished up around 3 since they ended up pushing
the rest of it off to another day. So he got a quick bike ride in and then he
and Jackson headed to La Plata for the games. I followed a little later with
the twins and we didn’t get home until 9:45. The kids did pretty well at
entertaining themselves most of the time. They did go through a lot of snacks
though. Jackson’s team struggled a bit at first but came back and lost by just
one. The second game had the dreadful thirst inning. For some reason they
really struggle then. The other team stole home quite a bit with wild pitches.
We battled back and got within 2 before the game ended. When we got home the
kids went to bed but Ellie really wanted to sleep with me before she heads off
to kamp. I still had a couple Threads episodes on DVR so she watched one of
those and then we went to sleep.
Jackson had practice at 7:30 Wednesday morning so Andrew
took him to the ballpark. He wasn’t too excited about it but I told him he is
going to have to start getting used to getting up earlier as school is less
than a month away. The twins were up early too so I got them situated and went
downstairs to walk on the treadmill. Afterwards I tried doing a leg lift
exercise that I found online that is part of the physical therapy for pelvic
fracture recovery and I could barely lift my leg. Thankfully it was better
after I rested for a bit. At this point I was beginning to wonder where Jackson
was. It was a nice morning out so I thought they may be practicing longer.
Since Andrew took Zach to practice, Leah said she would bring them home. I ended up texting Leah after my shower to see
if they were done yet and she said that Joe had picked Zach up a while ago and
brought him home. Joe said Jackson said he didn’t need a ride. So I called my
mom to see if Jackson was there and she was actually out at the Health and
Fitness Center and she said the house was all locked up. I tried calling Andrew
a couple of times but he didn’t answer. I started telling the kids to get ready
to go because I thought we were going to have to go find him. But I called
Andrew’s office and his secretary said she could interrupt his office
conference so I could talk to him. He said he would go right then and try to
find him. He looked around at the ballpark and didn’t see him so then he drove
through the neighborhood where he would be walking to my parents if he went
there. Andrew ended up finding him on my parents’ front porch. It shook him up
a bit and he had been crying. Thankfully it all ended fine though.
I got us mostly packed up for the weekend and then we
headed to my parents so the kids could swim. It wasn’t as hot as it had been
(actually it was a very nice day) so they thought the water was cold. They swam
for less than an hour and then were done. So we headed back home after a while
and started working on dinner. Jackson had batting practice later that night so
he and Andrew headed that way after dinner. I got things cleaned up and also
started working on Ellie’s latest idea of the “Dream Job” party at kamp. She
had gone through wanting to be a gymnast, a softball player and a teacher. Her
latest one was a Kanakuk counselor. We were hoping Molly left behind a staff
shirt but we couldn’t find one. So I got online to see what their staff shirts
looked like for this year and started working on a similar design. I also made
some brownies for the kids to enjoy before they headed off to kamp. They didn’t
even last 24 hours. Then we headed outside to play. The twins decided they
wanted to ride their bikes but were frustrated they couldn’t go as fast as the
other kids. Lincoln wanted to do jumps on the homemade ramp so I made him put
on a helmet. Then the twins wanted helmets too.
Andrew and Jackson got home later that night and joined
us outside. Us and our neighbors all just sat around in our driveway visiting until
after dark and eventually headed in when the bugs were just too much. Andrew
gave the twins a bath and I ended up going to Wal-Mart to try to find a shirt
to use for Ellie’s counselor shirt. I picked up a few other things and then ran
by my parents to find a couple of Ellie’s old swimsuits for Kate to use at
kamp. When I got home I finished up the design for the shirt and cut it out
first thing the next morning. I found an old piece of wood we had to put in
between the shirt when I pressed the vinyl onto the shirt and I think it
actually worked. Ellie was very excited about it J
Lincoln had slept down in the family room and when I came
out in the morning, his blanket was there but he wasn’t. I figured he had gone upstairs
at some point and started cleaning up the room a bit. There was another blanket
on the floor that I was getting ready to fold up when I noticed Lincoln was all
bundled up inside of it J.
He and the twins all got up soon after so I helped them get ready for the day
and then I eventually made my way onto the bike for the first time. Andrew got
it on the trainer for me before he left for work. It was my first time on a
bike in about 10 weeks. I put on my shorts that I had on when I wrecked and
they are in pretty good shape. My shoes still had dirt on them from the fall. I
kept the resistance and speed low and just went for 20 minutes but it was good.
Things were a little tight and sore but not too bad. I am going to hold off on
going outside though because I’m not sure how things would go if I had to crank
down harder to get up a hill. I watched the Tour while I was biking to motivate
me J.
Ellie was the last to get up that morning. She came down
with a cold and I had given her Benadryl the night before. She decided to take
a bath in hopes of feeling better. Then later that afternoon she came down with
a bloody nose. She managed it all pretty well though and I got all the blood
stained items soaking in some cold water. Lincoln was super excited about the day
because we were having his birthday party that night at my parents’ pool. So I
had to pack up the decorations and presents and I headed over to my parents a
couple of hours before the party to set everything up. Jackson and I picked up the cupcakes and some ice on our way
there. I kept it all pretty simple including just ordering pizza for dinner.
Jackson helped me take everything out to the pool house and then he kind of
disappeared. So I started working on setting everything up and my parents
helped me when they were able. We got everything done just as everyone started
showing up. Annie and her kids had just gotten into town the day before so we
were excited for them to be there. It was our first time meeting Joseph and he
was a cutie. All the kids had fun swimming and we would interrupt them every
now and then to keep the party going-eat some pizza, open the presents, sing
Happy Birthday and eat cupcakes. It was a pretty low-key, relaxed party which
was nice. Lincoln seemed to enjoy it so that was good. He also loved all of his
presents.
Later that night, everyone started to head home. Andrew
loaded up all of our stuff and took the twins home. I helped finish up the
cleaning and then headed home myself. We had a busy few days coming up that I
needed to get ready for. Lincoln was already trying to put together some of his
new Lego sets. He was at it again the
next morning with Jackson helping him. They also went outside to try out his
new flying car. They had a lot of fun with it until a little before we had to
leave and they got it stuck on the neighbor’s roof. I finished packing us up,
got a bike ride in and loaded up the trunks into the car. Andrew came home from
the office early and took Jackson out to practice batting a bit. Then we got
everyone loaded up, dropped off the twins at my parents and headed down to
Columbia. Our first stop was the bike shop to drop off Andrew’s bike to get
some things fixed. Then we went to Sam’s to pick up some stuff. We actually
finished all of that quicker than I thought so we had some time. We decided to
drive by our old apartments (showed them the deck where Andrew sang the song he wrote and climbed the ladder to propose to me :-)) and duplex to show the kids where we lived in
Columbia and reminisce on old times J.We
also drove them by the basketball court down the street where we would
sometimes go play and the neighborhood we would run/walk through.
Then we went to Sonic to get some drinks followed by the
gas station to get some Gatorade before we headed to the ballpark. It was a hot
day and there wasn’t any shade. Thankfully the clouds would cover the sun for a
bit and provide some relief. The game did not go very well. We got our first
couple of outs quickly but then it went downhill from there. Jackson struggled
and missed a few balls which you could tell frustrated him. He wasn’t the only
one though as many of his teammates had problems too. And Jackson only got up
to bat once because we their pitching was pretty good. He walked and stole to
second but didn’t get any further because they got three outs. It was pretty
disheartening for the boys.
Jackson’s team still had two games to play the next day
that he was going to miss since he started Kanakuk that day. So after the game
we drove to our hotel, the Lodge at Old Kinderhook, which was in Camdenton.
They had good rates (cheaper than what we had in Columbia) and the lodge part
was brand new. The Vincents stayed there too and we ended up in rooms right by
each other that had patios that led right out to the pool. So the kids were
anxious to get out there and swim. A storm had rolled through before we got
there so they cabana by the pool was closed so I ordered some pizza from the
on-site restaurant and we ate it by the pool. It was actually pretty good.
Andrew said it was probably the best pizza he has ever had. It was after 10
before we left the pool to settle down for the night.
Saturday was a big day. First it was Lincoln’s actual 6th
birthday and secondly, it was kamp drop-off day. Lincoln came and snuggled with
me a bit as we all told him Happy Birthday. He is such a special boy-he has
such a big heart and a big personality to go with it. He loves his snuggles and
his “buddies”. He makes me smile and laugh but also likes to annoy me J. He still likes to
help me out and loves to show us new things he can do. Our third child, our
middle child is such a blessing to us! I gave him a small gift to celebrate- a
car Lego set and some beef jerkey. He was a happy boy. We had a lazy morning
with Lincoln putting together his Legos (Alex came over to help) and the rest
of us watching the Tour de France. It was a stage that had an infamous mountain
climb that Andrew was very excited to watch.
Later that morning we went to the restaurant to get some breakfast
except none of the kids wanted anything. So Andrew and I opted for the buffet,
Jackson and Ellie ended up heading back to the room and Lincoln stayed with us
and ate my blueberry muffin J.
I figured if Andrew and I had a good breakfast then we wouldn’t have to worry
too much about lunch and just quickly get something the kids would like. After
breakfast I worked on organizing the car so it would be easier to get
everything out for the kids at kamp. Then we were on our way. About an hour
later we stopped at a Sonic and got some drinks and then just went right across
the street to Subway and got Jackson and Ellie lunch. They were very happy.
Then just another hour later and we were in Branson. We got there early so we
stopped at a gas station to use the restrooms and get some drinks. Then it was
on to K-Kountry. We were one of the first ones there and soon after the rest of
our crew showed up-Andy & Autumn, the LaBeths and the Vincents. We waited
in the car for a bit since it was so hot until we finally decided to head on
down to the gate. We had our Frog Toggs and a couple of fans to try to cool us
down. It was over 100 degrees with no shade and no breeze. The sweat was just rolling.
However, the time went by pretty quick. And even better, Ellie didn’t get sick
this time. She was nervous that she might but she was able to keep it from
happening. Everyone was so excited .
Finally they opened the gates and let everyone file in.
The kids got in line to be announced while we went out front to watch it all.
Jackson was in Barn 11 and actually had one of his counselors from last year.
He took off to his barn while we waited for Ellie to be announced. Ellie and
Briley got to come out together and they found out they were in the same barn,
Barn 3, the same one Ellie had last year. They were two excited girls. So we
took off to Ellie’s barn first and got her all situated there. I sent Andrew
off to Jackson’s barn to help him out so he helped him make the bed while
Jackson put the rest of his stuff away.
We met up with both of them again and I also hit up the store to get a
couple things. Then it was time for the final goodbyes. I found Ellie in her
barn and gave her one last hug. She seemed like she was ready for a great week.
Jackson was walking around with a couple of boys from his barn which Andrew and
I were excited to see since stepping out and making friends is sometimes hard
for him. So I gave him a quick hug and let him go on his way. I find myself
praying often for them and that they have life-changing, inspiring, fun week.
After we got back to the car we drove down the road so
Lincoln and I could stop in and see Molly quickly at K-1. I had a card from my
mom to give to her and she had a birthday card for Lincoln. Lincoln was acting
up though and wouldn’t take the card. Our visit was really quick since Molly
had a camper coming up that she had to pick up.
Then it was time to head back to Kirksville. Lincoln
played with his Legos for a little bit before falling asleep. He slept for
quite a while. We stopped in Columbia and ate a quick dinner at Panera. I let
him pick out a treat for his birthday and he went for a blueberry muffin. He
wasn’t the biggest fan since it had large blueberries in it instead of smaller
ones. After dinner we stopped by the bike shop and picked up Andrew’s bike.
Then we headed to Kirksville to pick up the twins from my parents. They had
just gotten in from swimming and were helping my dad make cookies. They were
excited to see us but not too excited about going home. Andrew got them to bed
when we got home and I worked on unloading the car. Lincoln was excited to get
back to his new toys.
Early the next morning a storm rolled through, so Andrew’s
planned bike ride was put on hold and he headed to the office for the morning
to get some work done. I had a long to-do list that I just couldn’t get
through. I was able to divide up all the school supplies, label what I needed
to and put everything in the kids’ backpacks though. Lincoln worked again on
his Legos and it was like reliving the past when he was getting so frustrated
with the twins for not leaving them alone. So then he took them all downstairs
and was so excited to show me the beginning of his Lego people collection. That
night we went to my parents to eat dinner and do some swimming. Lincoln decided
he wanted to stay for a sleepover, so Andrew took the twins home and I did some
quick grocery shopping. Andrew was watching the final stage of the Tour when I
got home but it was getting close to bedtime so he quickly gave the twins a
bath while I put away the groceries and then laundry. The older three always
put away their own laundry but I decided I would be a nice mom and put Jackson
and Ellie’s away so it wasn’t still waiting for them when they got home J. Before the twins went
to bed I had them help me clean the basement since they like to get a lot of
the toys in the playroom out and spread them all around. I tried to stay positive
about it and make it seem like fun and they did such a great job. I am hoping
this continues on through school J.
I had planned to get up early Monday morning and get a
workout in before the twins got up (like I used to do before my accident) but
after going to bed after midnight, I actually slept pretty well and didn’t wake
up until 7. So my workout was delayed a little. I went ahead and helped the
twins get dressed and ready for the day before I headed down to the treadmill.
My mom dropped Lincoln off a little later on her way to walk. He was excited to
tell me he already brushed his teeth at Grandma’s. I decided that we would go swimming
in the morning since it was going to be so hot later that day. So we headed
over to my parents and the kids swam for a little bit and burned off some energy.
Then I let them get some McDonalds and we headed home. On our way home Lincoln
and I had an interesting conversation. I
can’t even remember exactly what he was talking about but I think it was about
jumping into the pool and hitting your head. He said, “You have to be careful
or else you will hit your head and then it will crack open and fall off and you
will die. But if you die, then you get to go to heaven. So if you are killed then you will get to go
to heaven before you are supposed to. Like Abraham Lincoln got to go to heaven
and so did some soldiers. And did you
know you can do the impossible in heaven? That is what Alex and I are going to
do. We are going to do the impossible and build a portal like in Minecraft. I
can’t wait to go to heaven with Alex. Do you think you eat in heaven?” He loves
talking about heaven J.
Later that afternoon Lincoln got to play with Alex and Josh.
I just let them stay inside and play (including watching some Minecraft videos)
since we were under a heat advisory. Then out of nowhere, a thunderstorm came
and it rained for about 20 minutes. And I thought we were going to have a few
dry days so the yard could dry up so it could be mowed. It is going to get out
of control. In other news, kamp posted some pictures from the last couple of
days and I loved seeing Jackson and Ellie’s smiling faces. It looks like they
are having a good time.
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