Summer Party Time

It's been a pretty fun summer.  We've played outside. We've had playdate after playdate. We've had BBQ after BBQ. The kids aren't lacking for entertainment or fun. There's so much to do before summer is over.

Cate's life is a party. Everyday.   

H and Cate. Best of friends.

 A firetruck at our friends block party!

 Playing in the water.

Playdate fun with our "family".  These kids have grown up together. Pretty soon half of them will go off to kindergarten.  There won't be as many impromptu playdates but I suspect we'll still see them for the holidays.  Just like family!

Trials of childhood.

Big Will is having a bit of a rough year.  We had a BBQ one Sunday evening with some of our friends.  It wasn't two minutes after they said good-bye that Big Will bit it running to get on his scooter to ride around with Miss M.  

I think I saw it all happen but then at the same time I'm not sure what I saw.  I think he tried to run and get on his scooter quick but his foot missed the scooter but his hands connected to the handlebars.  The handlebars went down and Big Will went down with them.  There was lots of crying and blood but the crying wasn't related to the blood. The crying was related to him being upset that he didn't use his break and he couldn't ride around with Miss M.  He wasn't really phased by the blood at all.  It phased me.  Thankfully, Andrew was outside and on his way inside so he was able to get a cold cloth to put on his chin.  I looked at it and realized it was bad.  It was going to require a trip to the ER.  Andrew drew the short straw and had to take him. I just couldn't handle the blood and another trip to any doctor.  

We all loaded up in the minivan and trekked to the ER.  I was holding him and didn't want to put him in his car seat b/c I didn't want him touching it or letting blood get everywhere.  The girls and I ended up walking home b/c five people hanging out in the ER is unnecessary.  

Andrew said the doctor told him that Big Will was the best patient they'd had all month. He was a champ. He didn't cry (once he gained his composure from the initial fall). He let them stitch him up without any hesitation.  They papoosed him and told Andrew it was like when Kayleen wraps him in a burrito.  

The stitches came out five days later.  I took him to the pediatricians on Friday and they cut them out. There were three stitches total.  Again he was a champ.  I sat in the chair and tried not to throw up and he laid on the table completely unphased that the doctor was going to cut the stitch and pull them out with tweezers.

Then there's Cate.  Oh Cate.  Lately she's been twirling her hair and knotting it.  We've cut at least six of these knotted balls out of her hair. I want to leave them in so she stops creating new ones but Andrew thinks they looks stupid. They do look stupid but the kid with chunks cut out of their hair looks stupid too.  

8k Race

Andrew ran an 8k a few weekends ago (it could have been last weekend the days all run together).  Our friend didn't end up using her race bib so Andrew put it to use and placed 3rd in the 45-49 year old womens category.  Everyone was impressed :)

The kids and I parked close to the end of the race and the two big kids ran the last few blocks of the race with him.  

 Miss M is wearing her bull horns in honor of the race.

 There was a kids race after the adult race. They had boxes for the kids to decorate with a cardboard bull head attached (sort of - it caused Cate a lot of grief).  They had markers, crayons, stickers, pipe cleaners, glue sticks and google eyes to attach and decorate their boxes.

 Then they ran around the park holding up their bull (box).

 Finishing the morning with a trip to the park before heading home to relax for ten minutes.

Summer fun

Cater and Big Will are buddies.  Majority of the time they get along the best.  One hot evening we went out for dinner followed by ice cream.  Big Will was kind enough to share his ice cream with Cate by feeding it to her.  She doesn't mind being spoon fed...she just wants to be fed.  She's by far our best eater in quantity and variety.  The girl can go to town on some guacamole.  

While we ate ice cream Miss M showed us her dance moves. She's been into dancing and showing off her skills.

 Oh. This girl. She's too much. In so many ways.

Cate has recently gotten into watching shows/movies.  She'll actually sit through a movie and watch without getting too squirmy.  Big Will still gets bored about half way through but Cate's determination and focus gets her through to the end.  We've hit that glory spot now where if she gets loud while we're out we can set the phone in front of her and she gets into the zone.  It's also the not-so-glory spot of needing a third device b/c she wants what the other kids have in their possession.

Poppy and Grammy bought Miss M a shirt which is oh-so fitting for our everyday life.  Miss M has been to the pediatric GI specialist and she prescribed some medicine similar to Miralax.  It seems to be working.

A day at the zoo is like...the day the kids all want to be on their worst behavior.  This zoo day was not a fun zoo day.

Although the carousel provided for a little bit of a rebound.  Will was especially happy to get the tiger. The tiger is his favorite.  There are only two tigers on the ride and we run to try and get it each time.  I am sure Cate will start having an opinion on which animal she rides soon enough. Then I won't be able to go to the zoo ever again b/c my head will explode.

Willie sitting on a figurine Wallaby.

The kids have been in swimming lessons this summer. I found a place locally that runs five days a week for two weeks with a break off in between each two week session.  We just finished the second session and I am debating on enrolling them in the third session.  Will and Cate really enjoy swimming and their teachers. Miss M looks for anything she can to complain about.  It might not be that severe but that's what I hear when she opens her mouth. Her ears hurt. She's bored. She can't get up that early. It's cold outside. You get the picture.

During the first session of camp Big Will jumped off the diving board and everyone praised him endlessly.  I think Miss M was curious about the diving board and intrigued by the endless praises so she agreed to jump off the board the next day.  She was essentially tossed into the water b/c she wouldn't jump then complained about her ear hurting. I do think there's something to her ear hurting but I don't foresee her jumping off a diving board again until next summer. I am using all my best bribes and I'm not getting anywhere.

Will jumps off the diving board now after each class. 

He's so happy in the water. 

Off to Florida...in July...pt 3

A little more swimming.  Big Will was probably the best swimmer b/c he was rather fearless. He wore his life jacket every time he was in the water without complaint and bobbed all over the pool.  Miss M thought she was too big for her life jacket so she used a kick board and had to be watched much more closely.  

 We all went to the movie and saw Finding Dory one day.  Grammy, Poppy, the kids and I.  The kids did great. It was Will and Cate's first movie in the theater and they loved it. They didn't talk (too much) and made it through all the previews in the beginning.  They all got kids snack packs with slushies and popcorn which didn't hurt anything with keeping them quiet.

Grammy braided Miss M's hair for the first time. She thought she was something else!

 Just playing around while we wait for our food to come.

 Cape Coral has an amazing splash pad. It's a park/splash pad area which was a gift from one of the local churches. It's on church grounds and it's amazing. It might be the best park I've ever been to.  They had cool things for the kids to do in between running in and out of the splash pad. The kids were crazy in the splash pad running without a care in the world.  I wish we would have discovered it sooner so we could have gone back.

 Miss M, the one who doesn't like to get her head wet, is the one running right through the middle of the big fountain with the peach suit on. Willie is in yellow and Cater is wearing pink at the bottom of the picture.

Then Cate found a small water fountain which wasn't producing much of a stream so she would squat down and fill up her cheeks with water and then run around and spit it out. I tried to stop her but it wasn't worth the effort.

Poppy and Grammy spoiled the kids and gave them root beer floats for breakfast. They thought it was the coolest thing to eat ice cream and pop for breakfast.  The green outfit Will is wearing in the picture was a gift from Grammy and Poppy and I can't get the kid out of it. We're heading to Costco today to try and find another one.  He wears the green outfit about four times a week usually two days in a row.

 Grammy grew her own pineapple. I think this is so cool.

 The ice cream shop!!! We didn't lack for desserts while we were in Florida!

 We made it home. All in one piece. We recovered all of our luggage.