Her birthday week...and the end of baseball

As has been the case for most of Trevor's almost 10 years of life, we make a big deal of birthdays in this family.  So no, Gwen didn't have a good birth-day. She had a great birth-week.  It started off prior to her actual birthday with her "friend" party.  Due to other extended family members having a nearby birthday, we decided to go a weekend earlier than her birthday.  It seemed to work wonderfully.  It had been a few years since I have been at a place that puts on birthdays for you, and I will say it was spectacular.  We did a gymnastics party, and everyone there had a great time.  I ordered an extra 30 minutes in the gym, and didn't even spend the whole 30 minutes in the party room, so they got even a few more minutes at the end.  I couldn't believe the girls had that much energy and didn't collapse!

We were at baseball the next day and she couldn't wait to tell everyone about her friend party...because she also knew she had two more parties to come.  She wanted to be able to tell everyone that she was 6 after that Saturday, and I think she did, but she also knew that she really didn't turn 6 until the 3rd....in the afternoon as Trevor had to point out again and again.

So on the 3rd, she went to school to celebrate it there as well.  She brought Hostess cupcakes for her treat.  She was very excited.  She was able to stay at the after school program and get some extra treatment as well.  We had both kids school conferences that afternoon so before we picked them up, we got an earful about how well both kids are doing in their classes.  Gwen actually gets to split time between all three first grade teachers because of her reading and math ability.  I have heard nothing but great things about all three first grade teachers so I'm happy about it all!

We picked up the kids to go to Benihana for her "real" birthday dinner that evening.  We brought our gifts and she unwrapped them and got her big picks for the next Lego Friends stuff.  And yes, that was what had to be put together right away, as soon as possible.  Add another 1000 pieces put together by my hands.  She can do it entirely by herself, but she gets sidetracked by the new characters.  I wonder how many of those things she has now.  My guess would be approaching 30 now.  However, I feel like my kids each have their things.  For Trevor, it has been Pixar's Cars characters, with a few Ninjago characters.....although that show is done.  For Gwen it has been a little bit of princesses with a lot more Lego Friends stuff.  And now that the Lego Friends stuff are both boys and girls, they have taken over inhabiting the Princess castles and such.  So at least that princess stuff is sticking around.

And last but not least, she had her family birthday party on Saturday.  We were missing a few key players in said family, but we hope to see them soon.  With only consideration of our family, it was tough enough to find a day when something wasn't going on that would have conflicted with this day.  But the day too was filled with fun times and good food and wonderful presents for the birthday girl.  At the close of that day, was the close of her birthday week.

So today was the last day of Fall baseball for Trevor.  Today Gwen was again talking about her birthday party the day before, but this time it was her family party.  And through it all Trevor did his best to grin and bear it.  I feel like I have to have the same talk with him every year about how it will be his "turn" soon enough and actually this year, he made an effort to help her on her actual birthday.  On this last day of fall baseball, Trevor had good games.  He did well both batting and pitching.  Hopefully he got a chance to get a little bit better, but for now, it will be good to put it away for a few more months.  I explained to him tonight that it was up to him if he wanted to find time to go to a batting cage or something similar.  And the fact that today was the first day of hockey tryouts was the signal that we are gearing up for hockey as well.

It was a great year 5, but now on to year 6!  Happy Birthday Week Gwen!

What used to be the start of the summer season

Has become the kick-off to the really busy season.  Over the past few weeks, we have been able to get out and do a few things as a family.  Primarily because baseball has been having to be pushed off because of the snow and cold weather in the area.  They have been practicing in the gym, but there really isn't a whole lot you can do in a gym to simulate outdoor baseball games.  Their first game is on Wednesday, and Gwen's first practice is on Tuesday.  So it starts.....

But before this week, we have had a few fun activities for the family:

We decided to hit the theaters.  Somewhat of a last minute decision.  I might have decided to have the kids watch the original Wizard of Oz movie before going to see Oz, the Great and Powerful, but as it was, they knew a little about it and knew that it was a Disney movie, so it was going to be a good show regardless.  Now I have not seen Wicked.  So I'm not familiar with that story line, but I had thought that the movie said that it was based on the book series.  It must have followed some track to be aligned with the Wizard of Oz movie.  I don't know if Wicked then was not a part of the original story or not.  It was a very good show, and Gwen did well enough with the "intense spots" of the movie.  She asked me to cover her eyes.  The next week, we rented the Wizard of Oz movie from Amazon and now the kids have the whole story.  I would bet we'll be buying the latest Disney movie when it comes out.  Maybe Gwen will enjoy it enough to not have to cover her eyes for so much of it next time.

The next adventure was going to a local hotel in order for Russ to get a points bonus for the hotel chain he usually stays at during work trips.  For staying one more night in April, he was able to get the equivalent points for staying 3 weeks for business.  The place had a pool, hot tub, and sauna as well as a concierge lounge and nice restaurant.  We did stay during a school night, so it was a little tricky to try to have a good morning routine and know how long it was going to take us to get to school in the morning instead of our usual 2.5 minutes.

Our most recent adventure involved going to the lake for our summer kick-off opening weekend: the Kentucky Derby.  We were missing a few key players due to other activities, but they were all with us in spirit.  Usually, we find some lucky hats to wear for the running of the derby, but we decided to swap that idea out for bandannas in a show of solidarity for my aunt Barb.  She is on her second treatment plan for cancer and halfway through.  It was wonderful to see her cheering on her horses as usual and to get the annual picture of the winners.  The youngest kids played very well together and it was nice enough to have them playing outside, just not nice enough for a boat ride yet.  Sadly, we won't be able to enjoy a boat ride until baseball season is done, sometime in July.  Having not played a baseball game yet, we aren't really sure how well the team is going to do, so it will depend on where they finish as to how long the season ends up being.

I refuse to bring myself or the family down in the depressing state of the weather this year.  I have tried my best to simply ignore any temperature below 50 degrees.  When it was even colder than that, I was constantly looking ahead in the weather forecast for the time when the temperature was warmer in order to count down until those days.  Even Trevor was fed up with it.  He is the most optimistic kid I have known and when he wasn't finding the positive in it, you knew that it wasn't a good day.

So there we are.  We kicked off the season and it is now in full swing.  I hope the weather cooperates!  Whatever that means.  Really though, I just hope all the kids have a good time and enjoy whatever activity they are doing.  Bring.it.on!

Getting geared up....

Not as though I had any time to gear up for anything....it was a weekend where I had two nights of something going on.  It was then followed by a Sunday of family time at the last home Twins game of the season.  Unfortunately, that left little time for anything else.  And we have a birthday in 3 days.  I have not yet even planned her friend party.  Thank goodness she hasn't even asked about it, because as I said previously, I think she would just prefer to have a bunch of her friends over for a playdate at her house.  We will see how it all works out after this week. 

Friday night, I hosted our 3rd annual wine party hosted by Vicky and Richwood Winery.  Wow....do I have a wonderful group of mom friends.  And a wonderful excuse to get us all together for a very fun time!  It was great to see everyone again!

Saturday night, I invited myself to the Upper Midwest Regional Emmy awards.  Brian was nominated so I asked if I could come along as his "plus one".  Guys were in suits and ties, girls were in dresses.  They had it all ironed out so that the actual handing out of awards were done in groups of 5-6 at a time.  Not everyone was allowed their 15 second acceptance speech, so really it didn't take very long at all.  Unfortunately, their group didn't win as they were a city cable High School football broadcast up against FSN Twins, FSN Wild, and FSN Timberwolves.  Maybe one of these years they can pull out a win!  It was a fun time to be downtown all fancied up.  Funny thing, I ran into one of our golf pros at the course we play at up on the rooftop of Crave that night. 

Then Sunday, it was Kid appreciation day at the Twins game and we called and found out that their autograph session was not worth being there early for and headed out to the game.  Russ won the tickets for a contest he entered at his work and he picked that day's game.  Unfortunately he had to fly out to San Francisco that evening so he couldn't stay until the end of the game.  Because it was a Sunday, they invite the kids to run the bases after the game, which the kids both wanted in on.  Sadly, the Twins lost but being able to be on the field was pretty cool, I thought.  Trevor jumped up on the wall in center field so I got a picture of that in mid-jump.  Running the bases was more of an experience than getting a picture was.  There weren't very many good places to take a picture but I got what I could. 

This week its back-to-school with the little one's birthday on Wednesday.  She can bring treats for her class, we will have a special birthday dinner, dessert, and opening of presents before her family party next Sunday.  She is very excited, and actually after the kids conferences on Thursday, we plan on telling them about our spontaneous (at least from my perspective) trip to Disneyland in the middle of October for MEA break.  Then I'll have to get those last minute details finalized. 

So on the list of things to do, I can check off:  first day of school, first PTA meeting, and fall fundraiser.  Unfortunately (only kind-of) I have to add many more things to the list including:  Disney plans which include lots of reservations and tickets needed to make the trip a success and finalizing costumes for both kids.  Because we are going during the time we are, we are also going to attend Mickey's Halloween Party.  It will be a trip to remember because we don't plan on doing it again!  It just worked out so nicely with Russ traveling to San Diego and the kids being out of school for 3 days before a weekend.  I love planning for Disney, I just hope I don't mess it up too bad!

Oh what a memorable weekend!

Such as Memorial weekends go.  We've been usually heading to the lake for the weekend, rain or shine, or snow....such as you never really know.  It started off a little different than normal.  Gwen's last day of preschool was Wednesday.  We asked her if she wanted to spend the next day and night at the lake with Bubba and Papa before we arrived since Trevor had school on Friday and Russ wasn't coming back from Chicago until 5:30 that night.  So she went off and hitched a ride to the lake on Thursday afternoon.  That left Trevor and I alone for over 24 hours.  How would we spend the time?  Well, I decided to train him in a little on taking his mom out for a date.  He got to pick the place - he decided Red Lobster.  So we went and had a nice relaxing dinner.  It is such a different feel having one less kid to worry about.  He wasn't given a kids menu to begin with, so he started to check out the drink menu and wanted to order a lemonade frozen drink.  I gave him the ok to do so.  We had some very nice conversations about what to expect in the future...he is a very good conversationalist!  I'm very proud of that in him.  It isn't very often that we get a chance to see that, either because his alone time with us involves an activity or homework. 
So Friday came and I spent most of the day packing and making sure we had everything set to pick up Russ from the airport and drive straight to the lake.  His flight was early, and we actually had decent traffic.  It wasn't a straight shot, but being that there were 3 different spots for construction, we made good time.  As soon as we walked in the door, Gwen was quick to show off the purchases she had gotten while going shopping with Bubba.  Those two ladies love to shop, and I hate it, so they have to take advantage of it while they can.  She got an outfit, jewelry, and a toy.  And she glowed. 
As usual, we decided to have a night of dominoes followed by a quick trip to the casino....I can't help myself.  Pretty good night there...no jackpots, but relatively successful.

The guys got up in the morning to go play golf.  Unfortunately, towards the end of their round they started getting rained on.  The other kids got to run to the park for about 45 minutes to get some time outside before the rain started.  We hung out inside until it was time to go to the newly remodeled roller skating rink.  It had been all over facebook, last year they had a fire in the food area and had to repair the roof and remodel.  I had taken Trevor and Gwen two years ago, and Trevor was the only one able to skate at the time so this year it would be everyone willing and able could go.  Russ came as well as my mom, some of some extended relatives....for some of them, it had been close to 15 years or so between visits, but it sure brought back memories!  Gwen had a hard time with a fear of falling down, but even when she was upset, she never wanted to leave.  Although Trevor had to make do with roller skates as opposed to roller blades, he was good on his feet.  We all had fun and hope to do it again at least a few more times this summer.  And then we were anxiously waiting for Sunday.  We heard it was going to be 90 degrees! 

And it was!  We were invited over to the other side of the lake, so we could sit on the beach and watch the kids.  For the first year, I actually could sit and watch and not feel like I had to be in the water with the kids.  Trevor has been good for a while, but Gwen was always a little timid at first and not really sure of the water.  This year, she had playmates, dogs, and sand and didn't even flinch.  I was a bad mom and did not reapply her sunscreen after the first 2 hours so her arms and cheeks got a little red.  My legs and shoulders were scorched.  But OH was I in heaven.  I didn't even go to the tiki bar, it was just so perfect sitting in the sun on the beach.  The kids had snacks and were hungry when we were done, but also had such a full day in the water they were tired out. 

The water temp was around 65 degrees or so, but with the air temp being so hot, the kids never got too cold.  I never even went in the water....it was just so nice in the sun!  (Did I say that already??)  It was peaceful, even though the water traffic was crazy.  I again, was so happy to just sit and not have the kids even ask about a boat ride. 

We headed back early on Monday, and didn't hit much traffic on the way back either.  Because we were back shortly after noon that day, we could still spend the day getting ready for school on Tuesday and Russ going back to Chicago.  Lots of laundry and organizing.  Not really the most fun part of the weekend, but very necessary. 

So it has been a week since that hot day, and the temperature dropped to some chilly temps.  I was bundled up in a blanket and trying to stay warm on Trevor's Wednesday baseball game.  So far this weekend, it has been very nice for baseball.  But that is for another post.

Twins game...check!

Well, last summer, the time got away from us.  Two years ago, we went to a Twins game and it was a little tricky with Gwen, only being 2 years old.  Last year, we didn't get a chance.  I had it on my list of things we had to do this summer.  And it wasn't even in the schedule yet.  I guess this was one of those things that just happened to work out perfectly for us. 

We had tentative plans for Saturday to at least meet up with Derek and Kyrsten for a number of reasons:  Her birthday, baby gifts to look over, and simply because it had been a few weeks since we had said hi.  So we started the conversations, and found out that they had come into a set of 4 tickets due to an illness in the family of the original ticket owners.  Should we use them?  Should some of us use them?  Should we decide to do something else?  The game was at 6:10.  It was a beautiful night, no rain forecast.  The Twins had not been doing very well so that if we wanted to look for more tickets, chances are they wouldn't be tough to find, or overpriced. 

After talking it over, we decided to go for it.  I looked up tickets in the same section for two of us, and found a few choices.  They were both under face value.  So I snatched them and we started getting ready.  We arrived and had a few minutes to play around before Derek and Russ had to run some errands.  The time began to tick away, and it was getting close to when we had to get going to make it for the first pitch.  So Kyrsten and I loaded the kids and headed out to the park.  The boys came later. 

We got into the park as they were heading out to the field, and walked to our seats, on the 3rd base side.  The kids were ready to eat so we got them their requested hot dogs and water.  We brought gloves and jackets for Gwen and I.  Even as we were riding into the game, Trevor was asking when we were going to leave.  REALLY TREVOR?  As much as I could, I tried to ignore his want to leave by the 5th inning.  And asking him politely to enjoy being there...it was going to be a beautiful night to be watching baseball.  As we sat down in our seats, he started to ask again...and I said if he promised me to drop it, I would let him give me his opinion.  He accepted that, and said at the 6th inning. 

The kids started eating and soon the Twins were up for their first at-bats.  Because of our seats I explained that we were going to have to watch out for left handed batters.  He didn't believe me at first, but both Span and Mauer fouled some off by us.  Trevor then wasn't sure if he should put down his hot dog to try to catch the balls.  I could tell he enjoyed being able to track the ball and watch the game, and all the side games much more than in the previous games he went to. 

Gwen was enjoying cheering for her Twins and especially the ones she knew by name.  She has been getting over a nasty virus but had finally started eating again, which I thought was a good sign.  While she didn't always want to stay in her seat, it was better than 2 years ago.  She played with a phone only for probably 15 minutes during the entire game. 

Derek and Russ made it to the game around the 4th or 5th inning.  They took some seats in the row behind us and shortly after, the people sitting next to us on the end of our row left for the evening.  I think they only stayed for 3 innings or so.  So we were all in the same row.  Very nice.  Gwen and Trevor both got their ice cream in a helmet before we left.  By that time, it was the end of the game anyway. 

Strangely enough though, there was this group of 3 that sat in the row in front of us.  They looked to be in their mid 20s or so...maybe older.  Anyway, it was two guys and a girl and one of the guys came back to his seat with a foam finger for Gwen.  He just took it out of his stuff and said she looked like she could use it.  The guy then saw that she had a brother, and found another vendor and got a pink foam finger for her and asked her to give the blue one to Trevor.  This group was so nice and chatty from that point on.  They thought it was funny when the kids were poking them with the fingers and were respectful enough to know not to swear or be disruptive. 

Through all these things, by the end of the game, when we decided to get up and get ready to go, guess who was saying he didn't want to go?  Yep, Trevor.  And of course, since then it has been everything about baseball: wanting to play for the Twins, playing Mario Super Sluggers, practicing baseball outside, and thank goodness for the lovely weather that is due us. 

So yes, the to-do of going to a Twins game this year is checked.  Thank goodness we took advantage of this opportunity.  Everything worked out so perfectly...except that the Twins couldn't pull out a win.  And I love that Trevor didn't want to leave.  I knew that he had a wonderful time as well.

Carnival times!

Well being the treasurer sure does have its busy times.  One of the busiest is the school carnival.  It was last Friday.  I also help with tickets, that means ordering them and making sure all three ticket booths have enough tickets to last the night.  And then there is the money.  Both the tickets and the silent auction bring in cash. 

Unfortunately it is a very long night for me and one where I don't get a chance to hang out with the kids while they are enjoying the carnival.  This was the first year that I let Trevor go off with a friend and he didn't have to stay with an adult.  I know he was looking forward to hanging around with his friend for a long time.  Gwen was able to also hang around with another girl so she didn't feel left out. 

Russ has been traveling again, and Trevor has started his first communion prep.  I have to say, I am really impressed with all they get done in an hour and a half.  We have already done two weeks, and only have 3 more to go.  I also hear they may be bringing back Wednesday night religion classes to the church next year.  I don't know if that is going to change Kindergarten Sunday School or not.  But that will be interesting to see how it all works out. 

Gwen is getting down to her last few weeks of dance practices.  Trevor is supposed to start baseball tonight but it conflicts directly with church, so we have to do that instead.  This weekend we go to the cabin for Kentucky Derby and that really kicks off the summer season for us.  The weather this week is actually supposed to be warm.  Hopefully it will continue into the weekend so we can enjoy warm weather at the lake.  Not that we plan on swimming, but perhaps putting our toes in the lake?  Granted, if I let the kids do that, there is virtually no chance that they will get their entire body wet.  Especially if it is warmer outside. 

I counted, and there are only 6 weeks left of school for Trevor.  Less for Gwen.  The spring sure is coming to a close quickly, especially since we haven't actually seen snow for a few months now.  Bring on the heat!

What a great weekend

As seems to have been the case with the weather people, we were forecasted to have a questionable weekend, and it turned out perfect for what we had to do.  I knew this week was going to be crazy with First Communion prep, chess, dance lessons, dance pictures, PTA meeting, and preschool recital, but then we also had Trevor's piano recital and Sunday school to start the week off. 

I was actually surprised Russ was up for going up to Derek and Kyrsten's for the day on Saturday.  He was going to have to leave for the week on Sunday evening but we were very lucky to have a beautiful day so we decided to run up and take advantage of it.  We headed out to a park by their house on Medicine Lake where the boys could go fishing and the girl could play at the park while the other girls watched.  We had been to this park before, but with another year of practice on jungle gyms, Gwen has gotten very good at balance and having fun on all the different equipment without me having to be right under foot.  I think she called at least 4 girls at the park "friend", as in "Hey friend, come here!  Come and play with me friend!"  But hey, I guess if they don't complain, who am I to say anything.  I think that is what she really enjoys about preschool, is the social part of their playtime.  And if they are outside on their equipment, they do look like they have a fun time. 

Trevor tried to fish, but the other two boys were not catching anything so Trevor quickly lost interest.  He also found a friend to play for a bit on the equipment, but I think having recess and extra outdoor recess on the school's playground didn't really hold his interest for long.  So he saw a kid around his age (shorter, but I couldn't tell if he was older or younger) playing basketball and started playing with him.  There were two different height-sized hoops, and both of them were shooting at the taller one.  The shorter one was the same height that he played his YMCA games at, but he could still make some shots at the taller one, so I guess it was fine with him.  It seemed like everyone was having a good time.  Only problem was, the kids had an early lunch so we could head out to get some things at Target and hadn't eaten since then.  I knew that they wouldn't say they were hungry, especially since they were having a good time. 

Around 5:00, a group of 5-6 what looked like college kids came to play basketball, and the boys wouldn't give them the taller hoop.  So they started to play the shorter one, but quickly got bored.  They asked the kids nicely to let them play on the taller one, and the other kid said, "only if you let us play".  So they did.  At first Trevor was just watching, because he had gone over to see how the other boys were doing fishing.  But then he came back, and saw that his friend was playing with the guys, so he wanted to join in.  They actually would pass it to the other boy and let him take a shot or two.  He might have even stolen a ball, but I wasn't paying that much attention.  And then Trevor joined in.  I think he was a little nervous to even really try to play with them.  He would put his hands up to try to block a pass or shot, but never really asked for the ball, just ran around trying to watch or block.  It was very heartwarming to see him so happy, and that these guys were letting him play.

At about 5:30, we told him we had to get going.  So someone let him take the ball, let him take a shot, and he made it.  At that point, he was over the moon.  I'm pretty sure that will be etched in his memory for quite a while.  So it was a good day.

Then on Sunday, he had his piano recital.  We had to go out to Roseville for it, and this time, it was a quick recital.  There were 16 kids, and 24 total songs.  Trevor was in the first 3rd of the kids, and he and his teacher did a great job.  There really isn't much to say about a piano recital because it is obviously something you have to hear, but he did a really great job.  I'm interested to hear what he is going to pick out for the talent show. 

So our weekends are now starting to get filled up.  I don't think we have an entirely empty weekend from now until the middle of June.  I can only hope for nice weather to get me through....it's going to fly by.  Only 8 weeks left of school!

So Far, So Good

So we are halfway done with the kids' spring break, and I have to say I'm not as crazy as I thought it was going to make me.  I love routines and knew that this week wasn't going to be a regular one.  I wondered if we would get decent weather to be able to do things outside.  I have a few errands to run, ones that I would rather the kids didn't have to tag along to, and it has worked out wonderfully so far. 

I was very scared at first when the forecast was predicted to be wonderful:  High 70s and sunny both days.  And then Saturday was overcast and barely made it into the 50s.  We had planned to be outdoors on Saturday, but that quickly changed and we changed gears to head to the Works museum, which we had never been to before.  The kids loved it!  I will have to bring them back on my own because Russ quickly tired of the few activities that he was interested in.  I never mind letting them run off and play on their own as long as they are being safe, I can see them, and they have a fun time.  Gwen could have spent all day in the block building area as she is my builder, and Trevor could have spent all his time at the pinewood derby race-like structure where you could build your own car and race it down a timed track.  He is my racer.  He made me chuckle because he was determined to prove that his one wheel would be the fastest thing out there, but Russ proved him wrong.  He made a very well-designed car that speeded past his one wheel. 

Sunday, we had a low key day with a piano lesson.  It was a nicer day to be outside but it still didn't really start to get warm until well after lunchtime.  Then the days of the break really started.  Monday, we actually spend most of the day running to the airport to help some families out.  And then went out to my parents place for dinner.  Tuesday, I spent most of the day at the car dealership getting the car brought up on its maintenance.  Today, I promised to bring the kids to a local park and they lasted a good hour and a half.  It was as busy as I have ever seen it, especially since I was pretty sure there weren't any day care or school like field trips going on.  I will say though that I was glad that my kids don't have to be helped through the maze of slides and climbing things around anymore.  Trevor met up with a few people at school and Gwen found some friends to play with as well.  Tomorrow the kids are going to my parents for the night so I can get some more cleaning and organizing done.  Then we are on to the weekend. 

Trevor's only real hope was that his break wasn't filled with lots of homework, and it hasn't been so I'm pretty sure it will be a success in his eyes.  Gwen has been tired out as she got hit with a cold over the past few days so she has actually been napping.  Her hearing has also gone again as a result of the cold.  But I'm thankful there isn't snow on the ground, it hasn't been raining during the day, and the kids are getting the outdoor time that they need.  So while not a usual spring break for us, it has been a nice break from the crazy routine and gearing up for the end of school.  Can't blink now or you will miss it!

So far so good

We are in the home stretch of the dreaded month of January.  My parents are coming back within a week, Gwen has her winter dance program, we are starting to hear about summer programs....and it wasn't that horrible of a winter.  Still doesn't mean I wanted to be outdoors at any point within the past 3 months or so.  If I have to put on a jacket, it is too cold.  Hopefully our trip to Florida will be relatively jacket free...and then I would consider it a successful vacation. 

So Trevor has received his first communion meeting schedule and date of his actual first communion.  He also, for the first time, was picked to bring the gifts up to the priest this last Sunday.  Ever since he started going to the Children's Liturgy over a year ago, he wanted to bring the gifts up.  I asked him to wait until I could show him how to do it by watching the other kids do it.  Then I asked him to repeat to me what he would do, making sure he understood to wait for the other kids and bow before coming back to his seat.  Then it took a few weeks before he was picked.  So that brings us to last Sunday.  He was so proud coming back to his seat and when I didn't see him with the other kids I knew he had gotten picked.  It was one of those moments where I'm pretty sure he will remember.  And I know there will be many more times he will bring them up.  It just seems like he has a big year in church. 

This past weekend, we also got to visit with a few out-of-town relatives.  It was Russ's grandma's 80th birthday celebration.  Three of grandma's son's were flown in from out of town and two of them were a surprise to her.  I know she was very surprised and she got to eat her favorite lobster for her birthday.  I do have to chuckle because Russ's cousin is named Quinn and Gwen loved to hang around him.  Whenever I called out to Gwen, and she was usually around Quinn, he couldn't help but do a double-take.  Their names sound very similar when saying them.

Also, Uncle Mike got to stay with us a few nights, and Gwen also became very attached to him.  He was nice enough to leave us with some of his signature crepes which Trevor has been eating as his school snacks and I have been enjoying as a nice snack as well ;-)  Anyway, when he left on Saturday, she pulled the waterworks and I think he was a little shocked that she had already become so attached.  I also think she thought if he would feel bad enough, he would take her with him. 

Trevor started his second session of chess and he has almost graduated to their second quad.  I have no idea what that means, but his friend is a grade ahead of him and he is in the 4th quad.  He is really enjoying it, and I'm glad we tried it out.  I wonder if Gwen will have an interest in it at all.  I guess we shall see.....

A few more summer activities

As the summer comes to a close, I have been getting ever more steadily busy. School's starting to request forms, supplies, volunteers for activities, then always my own lists of things to do before the kids start back at school. Luckily some of those things involve not doing what kids would consider boring. Over the past two weeks, we were able to go fishing while boating in Lake Minnetonka, and I took the kids to our nearby outdoor mini golf course.

While the kids do boat in Wisconsin, Russ hasn't been able to make it out this summer due to our busy schedule. He is the fisherperson in our family so when his dad invited us on his boat, we knew we were going to be able to get fishing. Now, let me backtrack for a little bit. Trevor has been enjoying a PBS kids show called "Wild Kratts" which is mostly about a two brothers that turn cartoon and are able to experience what it is like to be animals living in the wild. One such show was about small and large mouth bass. Before and after the cartoon part of the show, they will talk about an animal and explain how even kids can make a difference. So when they talked about the bass, they talked about how when fishing, they never use live bait. And whenever they catch a fish, it is on a catch and release mentality.

So while we were driving out to the lake, Russ stopped at a bait shop. Trevor went in with Russ and came out talking about how even though Russ bought a bag full of live minnows, as well as small canister of worms, he was going to use the fake bait. I think that while we were continuing to drive to the lake, Trevor was talking about how the minnows needed to be free. Which is why Russ made it clear to him that although he didn't have to use the live minnows, he was not to let them go free. Well, it seems Trevor had other ideas. As soon as we were at the boat dock, Trevor, Russ, and Gwen were on the boat and Russ had to come back to lock the van. As I was walking up to the boat, Trevor had a slight smirk on his face, and Russ was very unhappy. Can you guess what happened? Yep, Trevor had opened the minnow bag, and dumped them over the side of the boat while Russ had been walking the keys back to the car. And nope, he didn't have any remorse. He was so happy to say they were free. I couldn't help but chuckle, while my back was to Trevor of course. While there were still worms to use, Trevor refused and just used the fake bait. He caught 5 or so fish off of the docks, then another 3 or 4 off of the boat, all using fake bait. Russ tried to use the worms, but then switched to the fake bait. I'm not sure what was on Gwen's line, but I also know that she put the line in the water caught and reeled in her own fish off of a dock that same day. We were all very successful. And by all, I mean those fishing. I am not exactly up for that type of excitement.

The other day, I found a morning where the kids and I could run out to the nearby mini golf course. It was a beautiful morning, and no one was there right when it opened. So we could take our time and not feel rushed. It is amazing how not feeling stressed, pressured, rushed or anything can make for a wonderful time. Trevor enjoyed keeping score and he and I actually tied exactly. So while he didn't win, I think he was ok that we tied as well. Of course at the end, both kids were amazed at how the last hole collected the balls. So after our round of golf I took the kids to our neighborhood ice cream shop called Scoops. Trevor had been to the ice cream place when he was at the parks program. This year, he missed the one trip they made. Strange thing though - he actually had a choice between blue moon and superman and he chose superman. I had a yummy pineapple coconut flavor and Gwen had her chocolate shake.

So we have one week left to the start of school. We have a few more things to do before school starts and then we'll see what our schedule changes to be. I have hopes of having more free time but something tells me I might be wrong in that thought.

A big wedding

So our entire family was in a wedding this past weekend. The summer has been focused on events leading up to the big day and we took part in as many as possible. I'm pretty sure my mom friends thought I was being my neurotic self trying to make sure the weekend went as smooth as possible. I guess I sort of forgot to include my husband in some of the planning that went on. Sorry honey!

I believe I will have some pictures to add to some of the notes in this blog, but for now I will simply run through what I remember and how we took part.

First off, the kids had vacation bible school at their church for the week. I had told everyone that was involved that we would not be able to attend on the last day, or the singing in church the following Sunday due to the wedding. We were all very excited and although Gwen didn't really understand, she enjoyed counting down the days and me having her and Trevor practice their "walking down the aisle" together.

So on Thursday, I was making my lists...things to bring out to the rehearsal, things to bring the day of the wedding, things to bring for the overnight at my parents house....it was a lot to remember! I'm glad I like lists! Russ got in on Thursday night without a hitch, thank goodness. The boys were off right away on Friday morning to go golfing. The girls got to sleep in a little bit to go meet for lunch, followed by getting their nails done. Gwen has been sleeping past 8am and I knew that she also doesn't like to eat breakfast right away in the morning. So for both days, I packed some fruit in a cooler with her water, some cheese-its, and cheese sticks for in case she was hungry at various times. Yep....we tried to feed her "lunch" of her usual chicken and fries but she wasn't hungry. Or only hungry enough to be hungry again in the car ride on the way to get our nails done. When we went into the nail salon she quickly found the kid pedicure seat and played around in it. She is ok if you want to paint her nails, but cutting them or picking at them freaks her out. She came over and sat with Kyrsten and I while our pedicures were being done, and she made sure to tell me that she didn't want them picking at her toes like they were doing to mine.

So when it was her turn, I asked them to do a modified manicure and pedicure. Gwen did have to stop the woman from using the clippers (I think there was a small language barrier) but she got the pink and even got a little design on both her two fingers and two toes. All us ladies got a pedicure and manicure for the wedding. I was happy that Gwen was pacified until we were done. Either watching us or getting her nails done.

We then had to run back to the mall to pick up a few missing pieces of Trevor's tux. While I know Russ could have picked them up Saturday morning, I didn't want to add to his to-do list because we were getting up early on Saturday and they got to sleep in. Gwen was still pumped up to get onto the next thing, so she stayed awake through both car rides to Kyrsten's house. We headed over to the church for the rehearsal shortly. We had a pretty clean practice where Gwen and Trevor did their practicing with their practice pieces....fabric petals and no rings on the pillow.

Then we headed off to the rehearsal dinner. So, this happened to be at the same place the guys played golf at, and Trevor was at the point where if he thinks he knows where he is, he should have complete run of the place. That, or he simply is going through a phase. He didn't have any interest in eating, or hanging around the inside. He wanted to be outside with some boys, putting or whatever else they could do not around parents. Yikes. Gwen found a few girls her age and loved to show her dolls around and play with them. I could not believe how well Gwen handled herself. Even in comparison to Trevor.....NOT that a parent should compare kids, because every kid is different and unique :-) But COME ON!!! Anyway...I digress. The food was wonderful, the conversation was great, the toasts were awesome! I knew I had to bring the kids home early because the next day was going to be full. I was proud that I kept both kids awake all the way home because I knew Gwen needed a shower before she went to bed. As I gave Gwen a shower, Trevor fell asleep on his bed.

That leads me to the day of the wedding. I didn't even get to talk to Russ much because he stayed behind to chat with the relatives, and there were things I needed to explain and write out for him to do. Namely, because the kids were going home with my parents the night of the wedding, he needed to grab Trevor's pillow (sleeping, not ring bearing). So I explained how the morning was going to go, and wrote down a to-do list for when they woke up. I was up before 7 and I had to wake Gwen up around 7. She wasn't too happy with me, but warmed up to the idea that this was the big day for her! I again packed a cooler full of snacks and water for her, and headed out. We met Kyrsten and Libby at the hotel so that I could leave a car there for Sunday morning. We then were driven to the hair and makeup salon to get our hair done. Again, Gwen was pacified by watching all that was going on and sat still for 95% of her hair getting done as well. I helped a little because I waited to get my make-up done for most of the time her hair was getting done. She also had a bit of play dough from her gift bag from the night before. After hair and make-up was done, we had a little breakfast and headed over to the church to get ready.

We hung around the church, took some pictures, eventually met up with the guys because they had some more food, and waited for the ceremony to start. Pictures were a little tough on Gwen as I think by 12:30 she was already starting to fade. I know they got a handful of pictures but after the first set, she really needed prodding to even step into the pictures.

The ceremony was at 2:00 and the kids did great. Gwen had a little difficulty with the aisle runner, but she didn't show it on her face. Trevor tried his best to look all serious with his "job" of having the real rings and presenting them to the priest.

We all got to blow bubbles to present the couple into their horse and carriage ride. Then there were more pictures. The wedding party got to ride in the limo to more pictures. Gwen and Trevor too. After these pictures, I sent the kids with grandma to hopefully have Gwen take a nap in the car. From what I understand, she did take a nap. Unfortunately, she woke up disoriented and having to go to the bathroom. After some quick thinking by Lee, she got all situated and was ready for the rest of the evening. As soon as dinner was served Trevor was off like a bolt of lightning with some of the family he knew but were helping him get out of his rules that we had set for him. Trevor being Trevor.... We told him that unless he asked either his dad or I to go out, he could not. So he said he asked Grandpa. He was telling everyone that he was going to breakdance, and that he was a really good dancer. Didn't last more than 5 minutes on the dance floor before wanting to go outside again.

It was a lot of fun for everyone involved. The happy couple is now off on their honeymoon and we are the lucky family that gets to watch their kitten while they are gone. If anyone has gotten this far in their reading, I also wanted to thank Derek and Kyrsten for making us a part of their special day and their special events. I know Trevor will remember it for many years, and Gwen has found some new favorites....favorite hairstyle, favorite nail activities....favorite flowers....it was a wonderful time for us all. Thank you!