Labor Day

Last Monday night, Jackson had football practice so I made sure to have dinner ready by 5 and then they were off. Later that evening, Ellie and her friends were jumping on the LaBeth’s trampoline and they offered to take the twins over. Miles and Bennett were so excited. They loved it and want to go all the time. There were a few crying moments though when they got bumped. And then Ellie left early because her ribs were hurting her. Andrew and Jackson got home just in time for me to take Ellie to her first tumbling lesson of the year. She was nervous about her ribs hurting but was able to jump right back in.

Tuesday was Andrew and I’s 14^th wedding anniversary. We didn’t have any big plans for the day, especially since we had been to Columbia the weekend before. I started the day by cleaning the bathrooms, taking the kids to school and then actually getting back into the pool and swimming some laps. When I got home, I made a pumpkin pie and got it in the oven so it could bake before I needed to pick up the twins.  When I picked up the twins, the teachers both told me that Miles was insistent on having them put on his jacket and zip it up before they went out for recess even though it was 80 degrees outside. Andrew got home for a lunch a little after we did and was excited to see his pie. It was supposed to set for 2 hours afterwards but Andrew couldn’t resist and had a slice. And he surprised me by getting me a card. I told him I didn’t get him one because I assumed he wouldn’t get one for me and I didn’t want him to feel bad J. After the twins went down for a nap, I finished my cleaning chores and the laundry and then started doing more research on a possible bible study for our small group to do. I came up with a couple options before I needed to pick up the other kids from school.

The kids had minimal homework and were able to get it done quickly when they got home from school. They also had laundry to put away and while Lincoln was upstairs I heard a crash.  A little later he came downstairs and said the glass from his fan fell down and broke but he had no idea how it happened. When we got back upstairs I saw his laundry basket laying near the glass on the floor and asked him again how it happened. He started crying and admitted to throwing his basket. Jackson helped me pick up the pieces of glass and then Lincoln had to vacuum it after he finished putting away his laundry. He was devastated and I think even more afraid that his dad would find out J. 

Jackson had practice again Tuesday night so it was another early dinner. I made one of Andrew’s favorite pasta dishes that is also pretty simple and then I took the easy way out and we just ate on paper plates. Before we ate, Ellie gave Andrew and I a card she had made for us for our anniversary.

While we were eating, I ended up using the LaBeth’s trampoline as a bribe to get the twins to eat-they couldn’t jump if they didn’t eat their dinner. And it worked, eventually. I did try to distract them as long as possible before we went out so that we didn’t interfere too much with the big kids jumping. I took the time to get all of our trash and recycling to the curb and about that time I could hear Lincoln crying and Ty helped him come back to the house. I guess one of the other kids jumped on his leg and he said it really hurt. I think he was being a tad bit dramatic but we headed inside and he lay down on the couch for a bit. It wasn’t too long though before his friends were at the door and he decided he was feeling better and went outside to play. The twins eventually made it down to the trampoline and then we heard the ice cream truck. All the kids went running up to the street while Mike offered to buy for everyone. I had Ellie run inside though and get some more cash so I could get something to put in the freezer for Jackson to have when he got home from practice. After the ice cream it was back to the trampoline. Jackson got home just in time to get some jumping in and he discovered he could do a back flip. He was so excited. But then it was time to head home and get ready for bed.

Later that night, after everyone was in bed and I decided to go to sleep myself, my phone started ringing. It was 10:50 and it was my dad. It actually worried me a bit, but for no reason because he was just calling to see if I had seen the end of the Cardinal’s game. Moss hit a 3-run homerun to win the game. I turned it off in the 8^th when they were tied. And I guess Lissy was there and ended up behind the Cardinals dugout and they saw her during replays. He was so excited. So we talked for a bit and then I went back to bed J. I got to sleep in the next morning though since I was swimming for my workout, therefore I didn’t need to get a workout in or a shower before taking the kids to school. Even though my arms were sore from my swim the day before, I still wasn’t quite ready to bike or run again, so swimming it was. After my laps, I went by my parents’ house to drop off stuff for our small group barbecue that was moved to their house because it was going to be hot and we thought swimming would be fun for the kids. I also cleaned up the pool house a bit and set some stuff up. Then I ran home and quickly made some cookie bars for dessert that night before I got ready for the day. Andrew actually picked up the twins from school so I didn’t have to rush as much.

I sat down for a bit when the twins got home and we talked about their day. Any question I asked Bennett would respond with, “I don’t know,” and then go ahead and answer me. Miles said that he listened to his teachers so I hope that is true. Then they spent some time watching all the birds in our backyard. At one point, Andrew counted them and there were 85. So the twins would knock on the door and yell at them. Then they went back to playing with their trains. While they napped I finished up laundry, worked on stuff for small group and made the hamburger patties for that night. The kids did their homework when we got home from school and then we headed over to my parents to finish setting up. We had great weather for a pool party and a good turnout.  With adults and kids, we had close to 40 including my parents who got to join us. And thankfully we didn’t have to have any adults jump in after kids this year. It was great to see everyone, especially after a busy summer. The kids all had fun swimming all night but then it was time to head home since everyone still had school the next day. Andrew took our kids home and I stuck around to help clean up.

The next morning when we were getting ready to head out the door to go to school, Lincoln said, “School is just super awesome.” I had him repeat himself and I was correct in what I heard. I think he really likes it right now which makes me happy. And the twins’ teachers said they are getting better at the routine and participating in all the activities. They have PE on Thursdays and she said that they participated this time when last week they weren’t too crazy about doing the different activities. Miles is starting to remind me a little of Jackson in that he doesn’t want to get too crazy just in case someone was going to make fun of him. But I was glad to hear things are going well for them too. After I dropped them off I ran by Aldi and Wal-Mart and then to Home Depot to try to find a replacement glass bowl for the ceiling fan. But then it ended up being too big and I had to order a different one online.  And before I took the twins to their school, we ran by the YMCA to figure out Lincoln’s soccer schedule. We tried to get him and Ashlyn on the same team but they didn’t do that and then said they couldn’t switch teams unless someone from Ashlyn’s team requested to be moved to a different team. I am guessing that won’t happen.  When I picked up the twins from school, there were two trash trucks picking up trash in the neighborhood right beside their playground. It was so cute to see all the kids lined up at the fence watching all of it.

Our afternoon was busy and will be that way for a while. Thankfully we had some leftover hamburgers and hot dogs from the night before so we had those for a quick dinner. Then Jackson and Andrew went to football and I dropped Ellie off at her first dance classes of the season. She is taking tap, jazz and ballet again in addition to her tumbling private lesson. So her classes went from 5:30-7 while Jackson had practice from 5:15 to 7:30. While they were all gone Lincoln had his friends over and they played with the flight simulator on Josh’s iPad. I worked on downloading our summer photos to my external hard drives and making a photo book. And the twins played with their tractors and tried their hardest to annoy Lincoln and his friends. When we got back from picking up Ellie the twins wanted to jump on the trampoline so we headed to the LaBeth’s. They have learned to wait their turn and they love getting to jump. They are getting braver and jumping higher. Then when Jackson got home from football, he came running over so that he could try out his back flip again. He has gotten pretty good at and also does a side flip. Ellie wants to try a back flip so badly but her ribs were still bothering her and she is a little nervous. But soon it was time to head home and get ready for bed.

Andrew took the older kids to school on Friday since the twins didn’t have to go. I got a bike ride in before they left. It was my first one in a week and it went pretty well without things hurting too much. The twins spent all morning playing with their trains and tractors. I just sat and watched them interact for a while. My favorite word for them right now is when they say, “awesome” because they way they say it is so cute. And every now and then one will tell the other that they are their best bed. Very sweet. So while they were playing I got ready and made some cookies to take over to my parents for the weekend since some of my siblings were coming into town. After I was done with those, then we headed to Brashear Park to play for a bit. They were very excited. We go by the park every day on the way to school and they talk about going there with Lola and Owen. Andrew called while we were there and he even ended up joining us for a bit. Then we all headed home for lunch.

Andrew headed out to the ranch after school and was going to do some dozing but ended up helping with haying. After school I took the kids to over to my parents to swim. They were actually gone heading to St. Louis for a Cardinals’ game. We just stayed for an hour but it was good for them to get some energy out on a hot day.  Lincoln was the first to jump in and when he did we heard this rustle up in the tree by the pool and then saw an owl fly out. It flew into a tree in Teresa’s yard and stayed there for a bit so we all got to see it.

Then we headed to Walgreens to meet up with someone that I had sold an item to on swap shop. But she didn’t show up and didn’t reply to my messages. We did have some excitement though as the kids got to see two fire trucks and an ambulance go by and then we met up with them down the road while they were working a wreck.  We eventually gave up on the lady showing up and headed home where she later let me know that she wasn’t able to make it. We had a lazy evening at home and just ordered pizza and the kids played. I worked on some stuff for small group and we played outside until it was dark. Then it was time to head in for baths and to watch some of the Cardinals game. Andrew got home after nine and got to see the kids a bit before they went to bed.  But then they were up early the next morning to head out to the ranch. I had decided it would be a good day to do my first bike ride outdoors so Andrew was nice enough to air up my tires for me J.

I will admit I was a little nervous getting outside again. I have a very little chance of getting hurt biking on the trainer indoors J. But things went pretty well and it all came back quickly. I did hold back a few times though. Especially on Franklin Street on the bike path. It really needed to be cleaned off as there was a good amount of gravel scattered on it, so I slowed down there more than I usually do. I did one of my old routes and went 14 miles with my average at 17.9 mph which my best average on that route was either 18.1 or 18.2 so I was pleased, especially with being more cautious. After my ride I worked on some laundry and then headed to the store after I got ready. Andrew and the kids got home around noon. Andrew had a video of Jackson running the dozer which Jackson was very excited about. The kids also went over to visit Buzz and helped a bit picking up around the house since he actually got hit by a cow earlier in the week and broke his ankle.

After lunch, we headed over to my parents’ house. They brought Brady home with them since Sara and Ryan weren’t coming until the next day because Bella had a birthday party she wanted to go to. But then the party ended up being canceled so they went ahead and headed to Kirksville a few hours after my parents. Kaitlin and her crew were in town also and we spent a lot of time by the pool because it was a very hot weekend. It was pretty much the same the next day too. Andrew went out to the office early in the morning and then headed out to the ranch to help with haying.  Sunday was actually my mom’s birthday and Lissy’s was coming up in a few days, so Ellie went to work making them some neat cards with a pop-up birthday cake. The kids and I met the rest of our group up at Maxwell’s and tried out their brunch. It was kind of a weird collection of food but it was pretty good. Then we went back to my parents’ house so that we could give my mom her birthday present before Kaitlin left. And Owen didn’t want to miss out on the cake, so my mom went ahead and cut a piece for him and he took it with him in a Tupperware container. Then it was back out to the pool. My parents had plans to make dinner for my mom’s birthday and we had all offered to help but then the day got away from us and we ended up ordering Pizza Hut. So not the most glamorous birthday dinner for her J. But she did finally get to enjoy her cake later that evening. Lissy was doing Tiffany’s big family photo shoot and Ellie and Bella went out to help her, so we waited until they got back to do the cake…with a piece missing. And then we just scooted the cake down to Lissy and sang Happy Birthday again for her J.

Ellie and Lincoln spent the night at my parents that night while Jackson and the twins came home. The kids didn’t have school on Monday because of Labor Day. Andrew’s office was also officially closed but he went in anyways. We woke up to thunderstorms and after all the rain we had earlier in the summer we were pretty dry, so it was welcomed. I did a bike ride inside on the trainer and then we got ready to head over to my parents. I needed to bring Ellie and Lincoln some clothes, so I tried to get over there earlier. Sara and her crew left soon after we got there and we went back home not long after. Lissy had car trouble over the weekend and was needing to get to Kansas City, so my parents were going to meet Andy half way so he could take her the rest of the way. Back at our house, Andrew came home for lunch and then went out back to practice some football with Jackson. Ellie and I worked on the canvas art she was getting to make for her room. She wanted to make the melted crayon canvas that was on Pinterest, so she picked out the colors and combination she wanted to use on it and then hot glued them down. While she was doing that, I worked on making some arrow stencils for her other canvas to paint over. Then while we waited for our prep work to dry, we went out shoe shopping. We were looking for brown boots and we didn’t have any luck with our first outing. Andrew went back to the office when we got home. Jackson was out riding his bike and Lincoln went to play with Ty, so Ellie and I went back to her art projects. She worked on painting the arrow canvas while I worked on melting the crayons with a hair dryer. She was excited with how they all turned out…and she got to put her own touch on her room.

That evening Andrew grilled steaks for dinner and we ate outside. Then Ellie and I went to JC Penney in search of some shoes and to meet up with the second person I was selling Ellie’s jewelry box to since the first one never worked out. Well the store closed early because of the holiday, so we ran to Dairy Queen and picked up ice cream for everyone and then ran back by the store to meet up with the buyer in the parking lot. We have decided that whatever money we make off of selling stuff on swap shop, that it will go to our Kids Across America fund.  After everyone ate their ice cream it was time to start getting ready for bed and another week of school.