I'm not sure if this will be my final post or not. I would not like to go out on such a somber note, but I know I haven't had and will not have a lot of free time in the near future. There is absolutely no way I could let the day pass without marking it in this sort of "journal" in my life. I am not gifted with words. I simply write what I'm thinking. To my knowledge, I do have a gift with numbers. In doing tribute to a wonderful woman that has had a significant impact in my life, I feel as though I can only express myself clearly using the numbers that mean so much to me.
My second mother - she was someone that took care of us kids when my parents were out of town.
8 weeks - the time that separated the birth of her daughter and my birth - I'd like to think that it is what helped bring my mom and her closer together.
18 years today marks the death of my grandmother, and her mother.
36 years, 4 months, 18 days was the amount of time we got to share this earth together.
2 1/2 hours is the amount of time it takes to travel from our house to hers. It is the ever exciting, happy memory producing place, we call Hatfield.
2 daughters - my cousins and as close as I can get to saying I had sisters.
Many titles she held - Mom, Yaya, Auntie, Boss of the Beach, Luso, the list goes on and on.
1092 + 50 for double blank = the total number of points available in the beloved game of Dominoes
Two by Two by Two - Guts - she always had it and could bluff you out of your mind to take your $5.
2 years - her battle with cancer
12 hours - the time we have had to process that she is no longer on this earth with us.
Countless times I have heard her laugh in my mind
Countless times I will think of her when we visit our Happy Place
And the list could go on and on. But this is the place where I will stop and remember her. The good memories. The laughing memories. To my cousins and my uncle, you will forever be in my prayers and thoughts as you go through this difficult transition. We love you all so very much.
Showing posts with label Cabin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cabin. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The First Day of School
I have to say, I enjoy Facebook on days like these. It was filled with friends and family posting their pictures of the kids on their first day of school. I, of course, added to our yearly ritual as well. Thankfully, I'm not getting groans from the kids yet, but I'm sure they are coming.
Last week was our last hurrah. We went to the state fair, ate lots of food, went to back-to-school night to drop off school supplies, Trevor forgot his, baseball practice then headed out to the lake for the only time all summer our family of four was there. Thankfully, thankfully, THANKFULLY we got gorgeous weather both Friday and Saturday we were there. We were able to be lazy and gradually enjoy waking up and walking around, and then the four of us went on a boat ride for the afternoon. The kids stopped and jumped into the lake at three spots, and since the lake has not gotten rain for a while, the algae had started to bloom. It is a river/creek fed man-made lake, so at least it doesn't have completely still water, but it was still bad on shorelines. Saturday, we got to say happy birthday to a very fun girl, and visit with my cousins kids. Again, THANKFULLY the weather was spectacular, so the kids played for hours in the water, went on a pontoon ride, and then got showered and changed for dinner. After dinner, the kids got a little more time to play, girls on the ping pong table with Russ, and Trevor and JJ played their video games. Then, they played a baseball game before ending on charades. Gwen requests that every time.
We came back on Sunday, and it wasn't very good weather anyway. We had a fun birthday celebration to get to! First birthdays are always fun, mostly because the kid has no idea what they are getting into, but seem to understand that for some reason it has to do with them. It was a great evening.
Monday, I spent the entire day getting ready for today. Grocery shopping, whoops, I forgot one thing, so I had to go back a second time. Major laundry to make sure all the right clothes were washed (more for the girl than anything). All the darn paperwork that needs to be turned back in to the school. Making the kids fill out their lunch wishes for the first month of school. It took all day, but it all got done.
Then today: Gwen was excited for the day, and found out the night before that Trevor said he was nervous. At first, that shocked me, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He's hitting that age where he really cares about what other people think of him. Its not so much anymore about doing the work. He has no issues with that. His words about being nervous were something about how he was afraid the new kids would be mean to him. I made him make sense of that thought by asking him what he would feel in the reverse situation. I told him I had been a new kid and I was more worried than anything because I thought that everyone would have already made their friends. He was also sad to see the summer go, but I think that is normal. Thankfully neither kid was up late with nerves or excitement. I remember 4th grade was the year I was up past 2am on the first day of school because of my nerves. In the morning, Trevor didn't want to get up, but that's him not wanting to get moving. He was up. Gwen was not up, but was good getting moving, again because she was so excited.
We decided to walk to school, and while protesting at first, Gwen made it, and she told me that she did not want to walk home. I figured I could accommodate because she would be exhausted and probably not willing to walk back. Trevor was out the door and running to school. Guess those nerves wore off! We got to school in plenty of time. I asked Gwen if she wanted me to walk her to class, and at first she said no. I told her that I would say good bye to her at the office, and then she said she wanted me to walk her to class. I was fine with that. She found her hook and took out her stuff, and seemed very confident to walk right into class. She said good-bye with a giant smile on her face. I'm pretty sure she didn't see me choking up. But I took a deep breath and moved over to Trevor's room. I saw him going 100 miles and hour with a fellow classmate from last year. No worries from him.
So I had a whole day to myself. I treated myself to dinner with a friend at Crave. I had a salad and dessert and didn't have to keep checking the clock! It was amazing! I filled the rest of my day with little things. And quickly it was time to get the kids. I met them in the front area, and Trevor was good, but Gwen was on the fritz. She was SO crabby and I could tell hungry, thirsty and exhausted. Now, she would never admit it, but immediately she was yelling at me that she didn't want to walk home. I explained that I brought the car, but that wasn't good enough. She couldn't even walk to the car. *scream scream* *whine whine* I asked her to talk about her day and she didn't want to. So I asked Trevor. Then she wanted to. We got home and she wanted to eat something sweet. I had her finish her lunch. It wasn't as uneaten as I thought it would be, but after she had eaten, it helped a bit. She had homework to do, but didn't seem like she wanted to do it. Anyway, bottom line, Gwen was tired, Trevor said he had a great day and was all smiles. He really enjoys how often he rotates classes for different subjects. They have about a third of their class as not being in their last year's class. That is nice.
So for now, we will plod ahead to get into some sort of routine. I have some big events to plan for in the coming weeks already, and I don't know how I'm going to pull them off. We shall see.
Last week was our last hurrah. We went to the state fair, ate lots of food, went to back-to-school night to drop off school supplies, Trevor forgot his, baseball practice then headed out to the lake for the only time all summer our family of four was there. Thankfully, thankfully, THANKFULLY we got gorgeous weather both Friday and Saturday we were there. We were able to be lazy and gradually enjoy waking up and walking around, and then the four of us went on a boat ride for the afternoon. The kids stopped and jumped into the lake at three spots, and since the lake has not gotten rain for a while, the algae had started to bloom. It is a river/creek fed man-made lake, so at least it doesn't have completely still water, but it was still bad on shorelines. Saturday, we got to say happy birthday to a very fun girl, and visit with my cousins kids. Again, THANKFULLY the weather was spectacular, so the kids played for hours in the water, went on a pontoon ride, and then got showered and changed for dinner. After dinner, the kids got a little more time to play, girls on the ping pong table with Russ, and Trevor and JJ played their video games. Then, they played a baseball game before ending on charades. Gwen requests that every time.
We came back on Sunday, and it wasn't very good weather anyway. We had a fun birthday celebration to get to! First birthdays are always fun, mostly because the kid has no idea what they are getting into, but seem to understand that for some reason it has to do with them. It was a great evening.
Monday, I spent the entire day getting ready for today. Grocery shopping, whoops, I forgot one thing, so I had to go back a second time. Major laundry to make sure all the right clothes were washed (more for the girl than anything). All the darn paperwork that needs to be turned back in to the school. Making the kids fill out their lunch wishes for the first month of school. It took all day, but it all got done.
Then today: Gwen was excited for the day, and found out the night before that Trevor said he was nervous. At first, that shocked me, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He's hitting that age where he really cares about what other people think of him. Its not so much anymore about doing the work. He has no issues with that. His words about being nervous were something about how he was afraid the new kids would be mean to him. I made him make sense of that thought by asking him what he would feel in the reverse situation. I told him I had been a new kid and I was more worried than anything because I thought that everyone would have already made their friends. He was also sad to see the summer go, but I think that is normal. Thankfully neither kid was up late with nerves or excitement. I remember 4th grade was the year I was up past 2am on the first day of school because of my nerves. In the morning, Trevor didn't want to get up, but that's him not wanting to get moving. He was up. Gwen was not up, but was good getting moving, again because she was so excited.
We decided to walk to school, and while protesting at first, Gwen made it, and she told me that she did not want to walk home. I figured I could accommodate because she would be exhausted and probably not willing to walk back. Trevor was out the door and running to school. Guess those nerves wore off! We got to school in plenty of time. I asked Gwen if she wanted me to walk her to class, and at first she said no. I told her that I would say good bye to her at the office, and then she said she wanted me to walk her to class. I was fine with that. She found her hook and took out her stuff, and seemed very confident to walk right into class. She said good-bye with a giant smile on her face. I'm pretty sure she didn't see me choking up. But I took a deep breath and moved over to Trevor's room. I saw him going 100 miles and hour with a fellow classmate from last year. No worries from him.
So I had a whole day to myself. I treated myself to dinner with a friend at Crave. I had a salad and dessert and didn't have to keep checking the clock! It was amazing! I filled the rest of my day with little things. And quickly it was time to get the kids. I met them in the front area, and Trevor was good, but Gwen was on the fritz. She was SO crabby and I could tell hungry, thirsty and exhausted. Now, she would never admit it, but immediately she was yelling at me that she didn't want to walk home. I explained that I brought the car, but that wasn't good enough. She couldn't even walk to the car. *scream scream* *whine whine* I asked her to talk about her day and she didn't want to. So I asked Trevor. Then she wanted to. We got home and she wanted to eat something sweet. I had her finish her lunch. It wasn't as uneaten as I thought it would be, but after she had eaten, it helped a bit. She had homework to do, but didn't seem like she wanted to do it. Anyway, bottom line, Gwen was tired, Trevor said he had a great day and was all smiles. He really enjoys how often he rotates classes for different subjects. They have about a third of their class as not being in their last year's class. That is nice.
So for now, we will plod ahead to get into some sort of routine. I have some big events to plan for in the coming weeks already, and I don't know how I'm going to pull them off. We shall see.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
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!
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!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Another two weeks by
There goes another two weeks of summer vacation. This week Trevor has his swim camp which he has been looking forward to for a while. But I forgot to mention and add to it the take on two weeks ago where both of the kids were at an art camp. Gwen was at Princess, Ballet, Tea party camp and Trevor was doing fun with clay. Although I dropped them both off at the local middle school, they had to take a bus over to the Art center. I'm pretty sure both kids were really excited by the bus ride, but Gwen might have been a little bit nervous about it too.
Trevor came off the bus every day very clay-filled. It was pretty cute. I'm glad he had a good time with it. Because they fired the clay in the kiln, I have not been able to see any of the projects yet. But Trevor said that he made a plate, a mug, a cat head, Mario, and got to paint them all. He also mentioned that he took orders from his classmates so he did some Garfield and Odie figures.
Gwen came off the bus every day with projects that she and her class did as well. The first day she had a crown, the next she had a wand, the next a tu-tu, and the last was a yarn wig for Rapunzel's hair. They had a tea party on Friday and I had Gwen skip Golf that day so she could go to the tea party. They had cookies that they frosted...I forgot to ask her if she actually had tea! She had a great time and I'm glad she got to do that. I bet she'd do it again next year.
Last week, we didn't have any activities scheduled because Russ had his annual golf tournament at our club. I was going to take the kids down to the lake earlier in the week, but Trevor had a playoff baseball game on Thursday night. We had some friends over on Wednesday, and Trevor went to the park Monday and Thursday, and both kids were at the Childrens' Museum on Tuesday. We headed down to the lake Friday morning. Gwen got to swim and Trevor got his baseball game in with Bubba before we went to the Stone's Throw for dinner. We had big plans for Saturday, but when rain happened for most of the morning, we scrapped them. Both kids did got to swim again once the clouds broke up in the afternoon. So then we went to the roller rink for dinner. We were planning on a hopping time afterwards...or maybe a skating time....haha. But Gwen fell asleep at the table. Literally. So we had to go back and drop her off. All that swimming really does her in. But Trevor was geared up to go so we headed back close to 7:30. Megan, Ellie and Addie all met us there to also go skating. Trevor tried on his new rollerblades. They will take some getting used to, but he did pretty well on them. He didn't win the limbo, but I still gave him a sundae. I'm glad he likes to do it.
Sunday, we got up and decided to take our first real boat ride of the season. It was sunny and warm so we quick took advantage. The kids got to jump into the creek from the boat many times and I got some sun and warmth. We headed back in the early afternoon and Gwen slept the whole way home. It was good to be back and good to have Russ at home for another week so we are all set to get stuff done.....or are we?
Trevor came off the bus every day very clay-filled. It was pretty cute. I'm glad he had a good time with it. Because they fired the clay in the kiln, I have not been able to see any of the projects yet. But Trevor said that he made a plate, a mug, a cat head, Mario, and got to paint them all. He also mentioned that he took orders from his classmates so he did some Garfield and Odie figures.
Gwen came off the bus every day with projects that she and her class did as well. The first day she had a crown, the next she had a wand, the next a tu-tu, and the last was a yarn wig for Rapunzel's hair. They had a tea party on Friday and I had Gwen skip Golf that day so she could go to the tea party. They had cookies that they frosted...I forgot to ask her if she actually had tea! She had a great time and I'm glad she got to do that. I bet she'd do it again next year.
Last week, we didn't have any activities scheduled because Russ had his annual golf tournament at our club. I was going to take the kids down to the lake earlier in the week, but Trevor had a playoff baseball game on Thursday night. We had some friends over on Wednesday, and Trevor went to the park Monday and Thursday, and both kids were at the Childrens' Museum on Tuesday. We headed down to the lake Friday morning. Gwen got to swim and Trevor got his baseball game in with Bubba before we went to the Stone's Throw for dinner. We had big plans for Saturday, but when rain happened for most of the morning, we scrapped them. Both kids did got to swim again once the clouds broke up in the afternoon. So then we went to the roller rink for dinner. We were planning on a hopping time afterwards...or maybe a skating time....haha. But Gwen fell asleep at the table. Literally. So we had to go back and drop her off. All that swimming really does her in. But Trevor was geared up to go so we headed back close to 7:30. Megan, Ellie and Addie all met us there to also go skating. Trevor tried on his new rollerblades. They will take some getting used to, but he did pretty well on them. He didn't win the limbo, but I still gave him a sundae. I'm glad he likes to do it.
Sunday, we got up and decided to take our first real boat ride of the season. It was sunny and warm so we quick took advantage. The kids got to jump into the creek from the boat many times and I got some sun and warmth. We headed back in the early afternoon and Gwen slept the whole way home. It was good to be back and good to have Russ at home for another week so we are all set to get stuff done.....or are we?
Saturday, June 2, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
A string of good luck would be nice
Although I guess when I think about it, at least we haven't had a string of bad luck! It seems to be up and down with the family lately. Trevor's been having a good time having a little break for the weekends, starting up baseball, getting ready for his First Communion in less than two weeks, and really getting excited for his summer vacation. Gwen has been slowly coming to a realization that she will be going to Kindergarten at Trevor's school next year, and that means saying goodbye to most of her friends at Preschool. They are changing the way they are running their preschool again next year, so I am glad that we are not going to have to adjust to that next year. I have signed the kids up for most of their summer camps, at least the ones that I can, and it doesn't seem to be too busy. I think they have either 12 or 13 weeks off, and only have camps for 4 weeks for Gwen and 6 weeks for Trevor.
We started our unofficial kick-off to the summer at the lake this weekend with the Kentucky Derby party. I brought Gwen up on Friday afternoon because she was done with school and we wanted to make it up in time for dinner. Trevor and Russ stayed back so they could do their baseball practice. Of course it got rained out but they didn't know until they showed up at their field. Trevor at least got to go on an early morning walk and play outside for a little while on Saturday before the storms came in and rained us out for the rest of the weekend. All the little kids enjoyed their horse cheering sections. We each got to draw two horses, so we had two to cheer for (except the winner...nice drawing Kelsey!). We had our regular dominoes games at night, thankfully the kids slept ok...although Gwen was up early on Saturday, but I'm so bummed that the weather hasn't been as good as it could be. No boat rides, no toes in the water, no Vitamin D overdose....so I've been very blah lately.
I have been running around doing some year-end things for the school and haven't had much time to settle down yet. I hear tomorrow is supposed to be nice? Now I just have to find some things to do outside and hopefully keep Gwen interested. At least I can hope...no rain tomorrow please!
We started our unofficial kick-off to the summer at the lake this weekend with the Kentucky Derby party. I brought Gwen up on Friday afternoon because she was done with school and we wanted to make it up in time for dinner. Trevor and Russ stayed back so they could do their baseball practice. Of course it got rained out but they didn't know until they showed up at their field. Trevor at least got to go on an early morning walk and play outside for a little while on Saturday before the storms came in and rained us out for the rest of the weekend. All the little kids enjoyed their horse cheering sections. We each got to draw two horses, so we had two to cheer for (except the winner...nice drawing Kelsey!). We had our regular dominoes games at night, thankfully the kids slept ok...although Gwen was up early on Saturday, but I'm so bummed that the weather hasn't been as good as it could be. No boat rides, no toes in the water, no Vitamin D overdose....so I've been very blah lately.
I have been running around doing some year-end things for the school and haven't had much time to settle down yet. I hear tomorrow is supposed to be nice? Now I just have to find some things to do outside and hopefully keep Gwen interested. At least I can hope...no rain tomorrow please!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Finishing up summer vacation
As per usual, I am a little behind on the posting. Over the past few weeks we have been trying to get those last few things done before knowing that school is coming, as well as cooler weather, to not be as hot doing things as used to be. I have had the chance to go to a Twins game, take Trevor on a lunch date to one of our favorite restaurants, and go out to the Science Museum. We did also get a chance to meet Trevor's new teacher last week and make sure that we are all ready to go for the start of school.
My dad, brothers and I all got to go to a Twins game, and it was always fun to spend a very nice night at an outdoor ball park. AND not have to worry about keeping an eye on someone. We were two rows in front of a person who caught a foul ball, and the game score wasn't very good for the home team, but it was a wonderful event with the family.
Last Wednesday, I was able to get Gwen excited to try out her childcare again before her preschool started up again. I used that time to get a few of my work things done, but also to take Trevor to Benihana for lunch. I have to say it is SO much less expensive for lunch than it is for dinner. We have to remember that for the next time we want to eat there as a family. Trevor was at first not wanting to go because he wanted the family to be there with us. Then he was worried about how much money I was going to have to spend. So he offered to pay for us. I explained that it was my treat, and that I wanted to spend some time with him, just him and me. When we arrived and were seated at a full table, he said he was much more excited. He was worried that it was going to be just him and me at the table. He said he was going to be embarrassed. I let him get an adult order of shrimp and along with most of the table, we ordered double the shrimp sauce. We mostly talked about whatever was on Trevor's mind which, at the time, was how he was sure that this meal was going to cure his cold. He seemed to feel it working and wanted to remember all the steps that he did during the day to drive the cold away. It was a very pleasant conversation and again, one where I didn't have to keep an eye out for the kid running around.
Last Monday, Gwen, Trevor and I went with my dad to the science museum to spend the day. It was meant to be just T
revor, as Gwen is a little young for the science museum, but we made do. We started off in the body section, and Gwen accidentally found the sneezing girl. It FREAKED her out. For those of you that don't know where it is, it is a mist-blowing mechanism that is meant to explain that if someone does not cover their mouth when they sneeze, the germs can travel up to 15 feet through the air. Last time we were there, Trevor loved it. 
I was surprised that he didn't race right over there and that Gwen found it first. But once he found it, if we were ever in the area, he tried to become the scientist of the area, explaining and demonstrating the activity to anyone around. But then he saw the lab area. It stated it was for ages 8-13 so when Trevor really wanted to get in, the people working the area said that if an adult went with him, he could still enter. So I went with and we did the cheek cell demonstration. It worked and he saw his cells. He also got a small magnifying glass to take with him which he really likes. Gwen tried to play along but was more interested in the things outside the lab.
We headed to the 1st floor which was called the big backyard. I had no idea they had a mini golf course there. My dad decided to be scorekeeper, so the kids and I had fun just playing around. It was a nice enough day so that we even got a splash or two in the water. We came back in to eat lunch and play in the dinosaur and weather area. Finished up with the news anchor jobs and headed back home.
That afternoon we headed up to the school to visit with Trevor's new teacher. Trevor was won over the minute he found out he had a "job". If you don't know, Trevor loves to be asked or find out he can be a helper in some way. I think he sees it as a teaching-type thing, so ever since he found out that he is going to be a lunchroom helper for the first week of class, he has been saying that is why he is looking forward to going back to school.
That brings us to Labor Day weekend. We were at the lake from Thursday night through Sunday night. It is always wonderful to see and play with family. It wasn't warm enough for us to go on a boat ride, although Gwen did get her swimming in on Friday morning before a cool front came in. Trevor also decided he was going to start writing in a diary/journal. He has been reading and rereading his "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books. He has 3 reading books and one activity book and the activity book was where he started his journal. In two days he wrote and illustrated 32 pages in his book. When he finds something he likes, he really goes all out. I don't know that we are going to be able to make it to his birthday without first getting him a new journal. Although with school starting up, I'm not sure how much time he will have.
I am happy to say that I had a glass of wine to celebrate making it through the summer. I hope all you moms did too!
Even without all the family activities, I have been also trying to get my stuff together for all the other non-kid tasks I have going on. But really, I want to make sure the kids use their last few days of summer vacation as having fun.
My dad, brothers and I all got to go to a Twins game, and it was always fun to spend a very nice night at an outdoor ball park. AND not have to worry about keeping an eye on someone. We were two rows in front of a person who caught a foul ball, and the game score wasn't very good for the home team, but it was a wonderful event with the family.
Last Wednesday, I was able to get Gwen excited to try out her childcare again before her preschool started up again. I used that time to get a few of my work things done, but also to take Trevor to Benihana for lunch. I have to say it is SO much less expensive for lunch than it is for dinner. We have to remember that for the next time we want to eat there as a family. Trevor was at first not wanting to go because he wanted the family to be there with us. Then he was worried about how much money I was going to have to spend. So he offered to pay for us. I explained that it was my treat, and that I wanted to spend some time with him, just him and me. When we arrived and were seated at a full table, he said he was much more excited. He was worried that it was going to be just him and me at the table. He said he was going to be embarrassed. I let him get an adult order of shrimp and along with most of the table, we ordered double the shrimp sauce. We mostly talked about whatever was on Trevor's mind which, at the time, was how he was sure that this meal was going to cure his cold. He seemed to feel it working and wanted to remember all the steps that he did during the day to drive the cold away. It was a very pleasant conversation and again, one where I didn't have to keep an eye out for the kid running around.
Last Monday, Gwen, Trevor and I went with my dad to the science museum to spend the day. It was meant to be just T
revor, as Gwen is a little young for the science museum, but we made do. We started off in the body section, and Gwen accidentally found the sneezing girl. It FREAKED her out. For those of you that don't know where it is, it is a mist-blowing mechanism that is meant to explain that if someone does not cover their mouth when they sneeze, the germs can travel up to 15 feet through the air. Last time we were there, Trevor loved it. 
I was surprised that he didn't race right over there and that Gwen found it first. But once he found it, if we were ever in the area, he tried to become the scientist of the area, explaining and demonstrating the activity to anyone around. But then he saw the lab area. It stated it was for ages 8-13 so when Trevor really wanted to get in, the people working the area said that if an adult went with him, he could still enter. So I went with and we did the cheek cell demonstration. It worked and he saw his cells. He also got a small magnifying glass to take with him which he really likes. Gwen tried to play along but was more interested in the things outside the lab.We headed to the 1st floor which was called the big backyard. I had no idea they had a mini golf course there. My dad decided to be scorekeeper, so the kids and I had fun just playing around. It was a nice enough day so that we even got a splash or two in the water. We came back in to eat lunch and play in the dinosaur and weather area. Finished up with the news anchor jobs and headed back home.
That afternoon we headed up to the school to visit with Trevor's new teacher. Trevor was won over the minute he found out he had a "job". If you don't know, Trevor loves to be asked or find out he can be a helper in some way. I think he sees it as a teaching-type thing, so ever since he found out that he is going to be a lunchroom helper for the first week of class, he has been saying that is why he is looking forward to going back to school.
That brings us to Labor Day weekend. We were at the lake from Thursday night through Sunday night. It is always wonderful to see and play with family. It wasn't warm enough for us to go on a boat ride, although Gwen did get her swimming in on Friday morning before a cool front came in. Trevor also decided he was going to start writing in a diary/journal. He has been reading and rereading his "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books. He has 3 reading books and one activity book and the activity book was where he started his journal. In two days he wrote and illustrated 32 pages in his book. When he finds something he likes, he really goes all out. I don't know that we are going to be able to make it to his birthday without first getting him a new journal. Although with school starting up, I'm not sure how much time he will have.
I am happy to say that I had a glass of wine to celebrate making it through the summer. I hope all you moms did too!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Beautiful weekend
Thinking back, I cannot remember the last time where we went to the lake and had a perfect weather weekend. Well, Russ was going to be out of town last weekend, so after the kids' golf banquet, we drove to the lake. Right away we put on our suits, rode up the creek and jumped off the boat. That is quick becoming a tradition with the kids and I. The creek is usually much warmer than the lake because the water is more stationary and absorbs the heat of the sun faster because it is shallow compared to the lake. After a little over an hour of this, we went back to the cabin to have our dinner at the Stone's Throw. Yum. We got to eat on their porch. Heaven. We grabbed some ice cream at the camp grounds. They actually had a brownie treat that I could buy for Gwen because unless it is DQ chocolate soft serve, she doesn't care for ice cream. So when I just asked for the brownie, they gave it to me in a wrapper. Gwen ate most of it after having a pretty filling dinner. Trevor got his favorite - Blue Moon.
We got back and hung out before heading to bed. Gwen had taken a nap in the car because Friday morning was pretty early for the kids. We had to be out of the house by 7:45 for golf. But when Gwen naps, she doesn't go to bed much before 11pm. So after that night, I was rushing to get back into the water. Gwen was game as soon as I was, and Trevor wanted to play baseball. After a while, with the bugs and the heat, he too came down to the lake. Gwen rotated between swimming and playing in the sand. Although there isn't much sand on the beach, she still was able to shovel wet sand into the bucket and dump it out.
We came back from lunch and Gwen and I hit the water again. This time I was on a raft. I was determined to get a strapless tan for the wedding this weekend. There were plenty of waves so I took an anchor and tied myself to it. Gwen jumped off, or rolled off more accurately, to both sides of the raft. Somewhere around 3pm my dad, Brian, Kelly, and I all rode up to the Tiki Bar to have our yummy VooDoo drinks. We were back around 5, or maybe 5:30? And then my dad took both kids back up the creek. It didn't take them more than two seconds to decide. My mom threw some burgers and hot dogs on the grill and had a yummy dinner ready when the kids got back. I heard they got to touch the bridge, were good listeners, and got to go really fast for a bit. Gwen was screaming in glee, Trevor was screaming in terror. I guess that's why he won't go tubing, he doesn't like the extreme speed unless he has some sort of seat belt or similar safety device on. He loves rollercoasters and going fast, but I guess the thought of flying out is too much for him to enjoy a fast boat ride.
The kids enjoyed a movie and crashed pretty early that night. Mom and I went to the casino and both of us came back even money. Sunday, we woke up and went swimming one more time, ate some lunch and headed home. I think the temperature all three days was somewhere in the mid 80's. On Saturday I didn't get hot enough to jump into the lake. It was pretty windy which cut down on the humidity. But for me, it was perfect. Lots of sun. Lots of swimming for the kids. It is how the lake weekends should be. We definitely missed Russ, but hope to have many more of these trips with him in the future.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
First boatride of the season, birthday, wedding #2
Sorry for the lack of effort on trying to get some of these in, but hopefully I'll get through them while giving them their due, or is that do? I don't really know. We were up at the lake on my dad (Papa's) birthday as our first boat ride of the season. The weather had been very warm previously so the lake water was a nice 81 degrees. Everyone except my mom took a jump in the lake, but Trevor was nice enough to splash Bubba so she at least got a taste of the water.
I'm pretty sure the fact that you cannot see your feet or the bottom of the lake confused Gwen a little bit just like it does Trevor. We put her "life jacket" on that she will jump into a pool with, but she wasn't happy to jump into the lake with. I had to catch her the first few times, but after almost losing my contact I had her do it on her own. Really though it was just sitting on the ledge of the boat and sliding in. Trevor was good after the first jump and never did his traditional cannon ball, but maybe that was reserved for the next trip.
So the kids got to take part in their favorite activity with Papa, which is blowing out the candles and opening the cards/birthday presents. I really hope the birthday honorees are ok with how they throw themselves on them and "help" them for these activities. I still have to remind both kids that when they are at their friends' birthday parties, it isn't like our family that lets them blow out their candles and open their presents. It is their time. But thanks to our family for letting them take part!
Anyway, Kevin, Kelsey and Ethan arrived on Friday night and while it rained Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, the kids did get in a little bit of swimming Friday morning and Saturday afternoon before we had to head off.
It was on to wedding number 2 of the year for us which was actually Russ's family friend which I can now affectionately call one of my pseudo-psisters.
We all were invited to the reception but unfortunately Russ was not able to attend because the golf tournament was all out of whack because of the rain the day before. I think it was perfect for the kids because Gwen's favorite part was the dancing and Trevor got to hang out with Derek and Michael, Kyrsten's brother. I didn't have to keep bothering them to sit still, and act polite because they had both had a good nap in the car ride back and made it all the way until 10:30 before coming back home for the night. Tracy was asked to sing before the dance part of the reception and did a wonderful job. Then she danced the night away with the kids there even if she had never met them before. I think everyone had a great night.
So then we get up the next day to run up for a fun shower on Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty packed week! But it was great to be with everyone and say hi and have the kids have as fun of a time as they did.
Next up: baseball weekend!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Kicking off our summer cabin season
I know most cabins in the area are open around Memorial Day, but ours always kicks off for Kentucky Derby. It is the first weekend in May and my mom's family has been doing some kind of gathering for over 15 years, although it would be longer if it wasn't considered as organized as it is today. I think the story goes that my mom remembers her dad really interested in the race for a long time. Strangely enough we aren't a race-track gambling sort of family. We love our card games, trivia games, and dominoes as well as casino games, but horse racing with the exception of the Kentucky Derby isn't something we are interested in. However, every year, it is a party date for us. We have a book that my mom has kept of all the pictures she has kept throughout the years. Most years, we noted the winner, as we draw horses in a oldest-to-youngest fashion. It is completely random as to which horse you get, but strangely enough, a lot of the people in attendance are multiple winners.
We haven't kept detailed enough records to know how we did the drawings from year-to-year. Usually there are around 20 horses to be drawn. It had been a good part of the years before the grandkids could get in on the game. So I think there were some years where we had an adult winner and a grandkid winner. Sometimes we had a "win-place-show" year so more people could win, but eventually the grandkids and the adults got to partake in the game. A few years we had to draw two fields of horses to accommodate all the people, and because of that there had been one winner that drew the winning horse twice.
Such was the case this year. Also, this was the first year that a great-grandchild has made it to the winner circle. Unfortunately, there was some heartache involved, but plenty of sympathetic ears. Trevor had a horse that was in the front pack at the beginning of the race. So he was VERY excited. Unfortunately, as is the case many years, the front horses got tired and fell to the back. Trevor was very upset. I don't think it helped that his sister won either. However, we have a list of people that have not yet won a Kentucky Derby, my mom....myself...my brother....my uncle....So while Trevor wasn't really happy to have lost, at least he had some consolation for those of us that haven't won yet, in many more years than he has been alive. Maybe next year bud!
We haven't kept detailed enough records to know how we did the drawings from year-to-year. Usually there are around 20 horses to be drawn. It had been a good part of the years before the grandkids could get in on the game. So I think there were some years where we had an adult winner and a grandkid winner. Sometimes we had a "win-place-show" year so more people could win, but eventually the grandkids and the adults got to partake in the game. A few years we had to draw two fields of horses to accommodate all the people, and because of that there had been one winner that drew the winning horse twice.
Such was the case this year. Also, this was the first year that a great-grandchild has made it to the winner circle. Unfortunately, there was some heartache involved, but plenty of sympathetic ears. Trevor had a horse that was in the front pack at the beginning of the race. So he was VERY excited. Unfortunately, as is the case many years, the front horses got tired and fell to the back. Trevor was very upset. I don't think it helped that his sister won either. However, we have a list of people that have not yet won a Kentucky Derby, my mom....myself...my brother....my uncle....So while Trevor wasn't really happy to have lost, at least he had some consolation for those of us that haven't won yet, in many more years than he has been alive. Maybe next year bud!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The crazy month of May
I guess with the addition of Gwen into preschool this year, that means that the whole family could possibly have something going on at any point during the year. For whatever reason, all four of us have come together in some sort of almost "crossing of the streams" way during the month of May. Our yearly summer kick-off season has always started with the Kentucky Derby. This year, we were able to attend a bridal shower for a cousin being married in June. Gwen was all amped up to go, and while I know Trevor doesn't like to miss out on a party, he has come to understand that boys are not invited to these things called showers. It made it much easier to take when he knew that all the boys were going to be around and possibly playing some sort of sporting activity.
Meanwhile my minivan, or mommy-mobile, was overflowing with girlie girls during the four hours we were in the car to get to and from the shower. It was an awesome time by all, capped off by the last hour in the car, all three little girls fell asleep in their respective seats. That meant they were all good to go for the race time and directly afterwards to play games outdoors. Contrary to every weather report I could find the day and evening were perfect and almost warm with no rain whatsoever during the time we were at the lake. Unfortunately, I have come to rely on the weather forecast and even guess at a chillier than forecasted temperature. So I didn't pack any cooler clothes for myself or the kids. I packed hooded sweatshirts and long pants. Luckily I packed Trevor's Twins t-shirt because I knew he would wear that over a long sleeved shirt. He is the one that often gets very overheated.
So we got back in time for the horse drawing and watching the running of the race. There were 19 horses this year and 20 people at our party. That meant that we would be drawing horses twice and the two youngest kids didn't get two horses. It changes from year-to-year depending on how many people come to the party. As luck would have it, Gwen drew the same horse on both of her drawings and was the sole winner. She was as excited as she could be, trying to understand it all. Unfortunately, this prolonged my mom's, my own, and my brother's (and has Dave won yet too?) winning drought. I guess a point could be made for all kids, like Trevor and all younger than him except Gwen, but unless you have endured the heartbreaking loss well into your adult life, I sort of don't feel your pain. Trevor had a little hiccup with his dealing with and understanding this little game that we play. He was very excited to know which horse was his, and the horse that he had was up front at the beginning of the race. Unfortunately, it did not win, so come end of the race, he was very upset. It was short lived, but apparent he didn't like that he hasn't won yet, and here comes his sister to win and grab all the attention. Had it been someone else, I'm sure he would have been slightly upset because his horse was in front at the start of the race, but I wonder if he thought she was going to throw it back in his face and tease him about it, since that is a current phase between the both of them right now.
Anyway, so as is per usual at the cabin, we had another late night of dominoes. We were able to get out to the local restaurant for their Mother's Day lunch/dinner. They don't do brunch-type foods so it was a special lunchtime dinner meal. I got a really nice school project from Trevor and hand made cards from the kids. I would have liked to have been given the gift of sleep by the both of them Sunday morning, but I'll take happy, healthy, creative kids any day. Gwen slept the entire highway ride home until I opened her door in the garage. I didn't even have to turn on the DVD player. I have been finding that when I ride in my car alone, I enjoy silence. I don't turn on the radio anymore. Peace and quiet seem to be my friends right now.
I will be quickly signing off here in order to catch up on some of my sleep. I hope soon we can stay in the 70's for a long stretch of time and I can get and stay organized with all the events coming up. It is bound to be a busy May for our family!
Meanwhile my minivan, or mommy-mobile, was overflowing with girlie girls during the four hours we were in the car to get to and from the shower. It was an awesome time by all, capped off by the last hour in the car, all three little girls fell asleep in their respective seats. That meant they were all good to go for the race time and directly afterwards to play games outdoors. Contrary to every weather report I could find the day and evening were perfect and almost warm with no rain whatsoever during the time we were at the lake. Unfortunately, I have come to rely on the weather forecast and even guess at a chillier than forecasted temperature. So I didn't pack any cooler clothes for myself or the kids. I packed hooded sweatshirts and long pants. Luckily I packed Trevor's Twins t-shirt because I knew he would wear that over a long sleeved shirt. He is the one that often gets very overheated.
So we got back in time for the horse drawing and watching the running of the race. There were 19 horses this year and 20 people at our party. That meant that we would be drawing horses twice and the two youngest kids didn't get two horses. It changes from year-to-year depending on how many people come to the party. As luck would have it, Gwen drew the same horse on both of her drawings and was the sole winner. She was as excited as she could be, trying to understand it all. Unfortunately, this prolonged my mom's, my own, and my brother's (and has Dave won yet too?) winning drought. I guess a point could be made for all kids, like Trevor and all younger than him except Gwen, but unless you have endured the heartbreaking loss well into your adult life, I sort of don't feel your pain. Trevor had a little hiccup with his dealing with and understanding this little game that we play. He was very excited to know which horse was his, and the horse that he had was up front at the beginning of the race. Unfortunately, it did not win, so come end of the race, he was very upset. It was short lived, but apparent he didn't like that he hasn't won yet, and here comes his sister to win and grab all the attention. Had it been someone else, I'm sure he would have been slightly upset because his horse was in front at the start of the race, but I wonder if he thought she was going to throw it back in his face and tease him about it, since that is a current phase between the both of them right now.
Anyway, so as is per usual at the cabin, we had another late night of dominoes. We were able to get out to the local restaurant for their Mother's Day lunch/dinner. They don't do brunch-type foods so it was a special lunchtime dinner meal. I got a really nice school project from Trevor and hand made cards from the kids. I would have liked to have been given the gift of sleep by the both of them Sunday morning, but I'll take happy, healthy, creative kids any day. Gwen slept the entire highway ride home until I opened her door in the garage. I didn't even have to turn on the DVD player. I have been finding that when I ride in my car alone, I enjoy silence. I don't turn on the radio anymore. Peace and quiet seem to be my friends right now.
I will be quickly signing off here in order to catch up on some of my sleep. I hope soon we can stay in the 70's for a long stretch of time and I can get and stay organized with all the events coming up. It is bound to be a busy May for our family!
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Last Hurrah
Well, it is the last day of Summer Vacation, and we all made it relatively unscathed. Surprisingly Gwen is a little more anxious/bonkers than Trevor has been. The past week has been kept busy by going to the State Fair, Back to School night, and taking one more trip to the cabin for the summer. I went with the kids to the State Fair on Wednesday. We got into the grounds at 9:00 and left after 1:00. It was my first time going solo, so rather than even attempt the rides this year we just walked around leisurely. We did go on the sky ride, the big slide, and sat down to eat, but otherwise the kids were on their own power walking around. They both did really good. I think we are starting to get a good routine down where we do the animals and a few snacks first, then end with the kids rides. By the time we were going to do the kids rides, I could tell the kids were running out of steam. But it will be a good goal to have for future years.
Then on Thursday evening, we were able to go to the back to school night at the Elementary school. I had already introduced myself to Trevor's teacher earlier in the week, so it was nice to know that I didn't need to try to talk to her for longer to get to know her more. As is normal Trevor, I'm pretty sure he would have chatted with his teacher forever, but he was easily distracted as soon as he saw a few of his former classmates. I think it is really going to be a different situation with him really knowing a few of his classmates, knowing his school, and being really excited to be at lunch and recess. That and I'm sure he has matured since last year too. Gwen was surprisingly timid and a little scared by the whole thing. I think she wanted Trevor to go back to his old room with his old teacher. We put Trevor's supplies in his desk (first year for that!) and picked up his paperwork and then headed out to the cabin for the weekend.
We had been really lucky this summer to get such warm weather at the lake. Both so we could swim and that the water temperature was so warm. We were hoping to be able to swim one last time this summer, but no such luck. Looking back over our family Labor Day vacations up to Brainerd, we never had warm enough weather to swim, or at least it was rarely. I will take the summer weather we had over being able to swim on Labor Day anytime. Although I am sad to be chilled and have to get out the long pants and shirts for fall.
So this closes another summer vacation. I know we will have many more adventures in the next year. Here we go!!!!
Then on Thursday evening, we were able to go to the back to school night at the Elementary school. I had already introduced myself to Trevor's teacher earlier in the week, so it was nice to know that I didn't need to try to talk to her for longer to get to know her more. As is normal Trevor, I'm pretty sure he would have chatted with his teacher forever, but he was easily distracted as soon as he saw a few of his former classmates. I think it is really going to be a different situation with him really knowing a few of his classmates, knowing his school, and being really excited to be at lunch and recess. That and I'm sure he has matured since last year too. Gwen was surprisingly timid and a little scared by the whole thing. I think she wanted Trevor to go back to his old room with his old teacher. We put Trevor's supplies in his desk (first year for that!) and picked up his paperwork and then headed out to the cabin for the weekend.
We had been really lucky this summer to get such warm weather at the lake. Both so we could swim and that the water temperature was so warm. We were hoping to be able to swim one last time this summer, but no such luck. Looking back over our family Labor Day vacations up to Brainerd, we never had warm enough weather to swim, or at least it was rarely. I will take the summer weather we had over being able to swim on Labor Day anytime. Although I am sad to be chilled and have to get out the long pants and shirts for fall.
So this closes another summer vacation. I know we will have many more adventures in the next year. Here we go!!!!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Just a little bit of stress
Well, I can finally breathe. At least for a second. Trevor had his last baseball game a week ago today. We left for the cabin directly to the cabin for the weekend. We had to stop in Eau Claire because I'm a nervous nighttime driver anyway. I couldn't see when you add heavy rain on top of darkness. We stayed for a half hour maybe? Then made it the rest of the way. Gwen had fallen asleep, but Trevor was trying hard to stay awake. When Gwen woke up in the morning, she had hives on her legs. Trevor, my dad and I all went golfing the next morning, while my mom stayed with Gwen. I called our doctor's office and talked to a nurse who thought that it was unlikely something that she ate, more likely something she came in contact with on her legs. As long as she didn't get a fever, and the bumps didn't turn dark red/purple, she was ok. On top of no fever, they didn't even itch her.
Trevor was pretty exhausted after golf, but he was still able to ride on the waterski trainer that afternoon. Poor guy is so scared that he is going to be thrown off into the water that he is very nervous to do anything new. Gwen slept most of the rest of the afternoon. We went to our local restaurant and had the usual wonderful dinner. Gwen had her usual french fries. I decided to try to get to sleep early in preparation for late weekend nights. Unfortunately, I was awoken to Gwen getting sick multiple times. Poor girl. I remember the hungry/thirsty feeling associated with it. I also know enough to try to keep her away from food and water at this point. I let her sleep in my bed so she would feel better. Trevor stayed asleep through it all. But when he woke up, I warned him that if Gwen was still sick, we were going to have to head home.
She was starving in the morning, but never got sick again. We stayed with dry food or bananas and water until dinner time where I allowed her a handful of french fries. She would have eaten more, but I thought not to tempt it. Also on this day her hives had spread up to her stomach and back, and arms. Still no itching. Brian had joined us overnight and was able to take Trevor swimming during Friday afternoon. Friday evening was another dinner at the local restaurant followed by dominoes. Saturday was the birthday celebration evening and again swimming for both kids. I have to say, I love Gwen's love of swimming. The life jacket swim thing I got really is helping her not get as high in the water as a typical life jacket, yet keeps her floating a bit. When she got the hang of it, she was ready to swim to the middle of the lake.
We headed back home on Sunday to say congratulations to Russ and his dad for winning our local golf course's member/guest tournament. The rest of the week has been a blur. I had my final for my auditing class which I am sure I will have destroyed my gpa. I really wish we had the summers off from classes. I guess there is only 6 weeks before school starts now anyway, but it would be nice to get things a bit more organized.
As it is, I have a week off from classes, and will try to get as organized as I can.
As a p.s. Gwen is completely potty trained with the exception of #2. However, she will get a diaper for herself and ask to change into it. I have even had success at going to bathrooms outside of homes and going. Goodness, if I had known it would be this easy, I'd have done it years ago!
Trevor was pretty exhausted after golf, but he was still able to ride on the waterski trainer that afternoon. Poor guy is so scared that he is going to be thrown off into the water that he is very nervous to do anything new. Gwen slept most of the rest of the afternoon. We went to our local restaurant and had the usual wonderful dinner. Gwen had her usual french fries. I decided to try to get to sleep early in preparation for late weekend nights. Unfortunately, I was awoken to Gwen getting sick multiple times. Poor girl. I remember the hungry/thirsty feeling associated with it. I also know enough to try to keep her away from food and water at this point. I let her sleep in my bed so she would feel better. Trevor stayed asleep through it all. But when he woke up, I warned him that if Gwen was still sick, we were going to have to head home.
She was starving in the morning, but never got sick again. We stayed with dry food or bananas and water until dinner time where I allowed her a handful of french fries. She would have eaten more, but I thought not to tempt it. Also on this day her hives had spread up to her stomach and back, and arms. Still no itching. Brian had joined us overnight and was able to take Trevor swimming during Friday afternoon. Friday evening was another dinner at the local restaurant followed by dominoes. Saturday was the birthday celebration evening and again swimming for both kids. I have to say, I love Gwen's love of swimming. The life jacket swim thing I got really is helping her not get as high in the water as a typical life jacket, yet keeps her floating a bit. When she got the hang of it, she was ready to swim to the middle of the lake.
We headed back home on Sunday to say congratulations to Russ and his dad for winning our local golf course's member/guest tournament. The rest of the week has been a blur. I had my final for my auditing class which I am sure I will have destroyed my gpa. I really wish we had the summers off from classes. I guess there is only 6 weeks before school starts now anyway, but it would be nice to get things a bit more organized.
As it is, I have a week off from classes, and will try to get as organized as I can.
As a p.s. Gwen is completely potty trained with the exception of #2. However, she will get a diaper for herself and ask to change into it. I have even had success at going to bathrooms outside of homes and going. Goodness, if I had known it would be this easy, I'd have done it years ago!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Give me a D!
Holy Cow. The weather was unbelievable. The boat was in the water, and we were able to get down to the cabin by 3:00. Since Trevor was in AM Kindergarten, this will probably be the last time we can get there early on Friday. Unless we take him out of school. Regardless, we hit some traffic, while we were still in Minnesota, but otherwise smooth sailing out to the lake. The weather was mid-80's so the kids and I were in the water by 3:30. Gwen was a little confused at swimming with a life jacket on, since when we were in Florida, she was swimming with floaties. But it was interesting to watch her quickly learn when we took a quick boat ride to the creek and jumped in to the warm water there. Then, she enjoyed swimming around in the open water. Perhaps it was because if she thought she could touch the bottom, she wanted to.
So we got done with our swim and got ready to go to our dinner at the Stone's Throw. Eating out on their porch, having their good food was heaven again. I had to cut out of the evening festivities in order to finish my school work for the weekend. Then thinking I'd do well to go to sleep early that night too, I tried to head out for the night. Trevor had other ideas. I think he was revved up to be at the lake and swimming, so he woke up at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep until 4:30. I moved him into the other guest room so he could cool down but he was still up shortly after 7:00. So much for my trying to get ahead on sleep.
We woke up o Saturday to another unbelievable day. The guys went golfing, without Trevor, and the rest of us set up at the beach by around 11:00. It was warm enough in the sun to be in the water for most of the day. Gwen was ready to be done at 1:30 or so. Trevor was tired as well. I mistook Gwen being tired for actually wanting a nap. At about 2:30, I headed out expecting Gwen to sleep with Russ and Trevor to sleep with my mom (which he did) so we could head out for a boat ride. It was a great day to be in the sun. Lots and lots of my wonderful Vitamin D that I crave. We got back I think by 5? At this point I wasn't keeping track. We had a bbq style dinner and server Trevor helped take everyone's order. It is one of his current favorite things to do. That evening we played a game of dominoes, which I won somehow. It was a very fast game, and I was thankful to get to sleep "early"...at least for the lake.
Sunday again was a really warm day, but windy this time. Gwen and Trevor were in the water early, but it was obvious that Gwen wasn't going to make it much longer. So I decided to stay back with her to finish up my homework so she wouldn't bother anyone needing to come back to the house. We got out her little wading pool and I let her play with the little princess dolls that I figured wouldn't get too damaged. The tubes were out with the little kids and adults. Because it was so windy, I guess it wasn't too much fun for Trevor. But his turn came after about 4 hours of playing in the lake. I think he was a bit exhausted. We were able to go out to dinner again on Sunday evening, outside again, and very enjoyable. More dominoes and cards in the evening.
So we missed our yearly parade here in Bloomington, but with the weather what it was, I couldn't resist staying that extra day. I know the kids got their dose of fresh air, and if we can find the time to do it again with the same weather, we will be really lucky. Hopefully July will be wonderful too. We got so lucky this year, and I hope our luck doesn't run out!
So we got done with our swim and got ready to go to our dinner at the Stone's Throw. Eating out on their porch, having their good food was heaven again. I had to cut out of the evening festivities in order to finish my school work for the weekend. Then thinking I'd do well to go to sleep early that night too, I tried to head out for the night. Trevor had other ideas. I think he was revved up to be at the lake and swimming, so he woke up at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep until 4:30. I moved him into the other guest room so he could cool down but he was still up shortly after 7:00. So much for my trying to get ahead on sleep.
We woke up o Saturday to another unbelievable day. The guys went golfing, without Trevor, and the rest of us set up at the beach by around 11:00. It was warm enough in the sun to be in the water for most of the day. Gwen was ready to be done at 1:30 or so. Trevor was tired as well. I mistook Gwen being tired for actually wanting a nap. At about 2:30, I headed out expecting Gwen to sleep with Russ and Trevor to sleep with my mom (which he did) so we could head out for a boat ride. It was a great day to be in the sun. Lots and lots of my wonderful Vitamin D that I crave. We got back I think by 5? At this point I wasn't keeping track. We had a bbq style dinner and server Trevor helped take everyone's order. It is one of his current favorite things to do. That evening we played a game of dominoes, which I won somehow. It was a very fast game, and I was thankful to get to sleep "early"...at least for the lake.
Sunday again was a really warm day, but windy this time. Gwen and Trevor were in the water early, but it was obvious that Gwen wasn't going to make it much longer. So I decided to stay back with her to finish up my homework so she wouldn't bother anyone needing to come back to the house. We got out her little wading pool and I let her play with the little princess dolls that I figured wouldn't get too damaged. The tubes were out with the little kids and adults. Because it was so windy, I guess it wasn't too much fun for Trevor. But his turn came after about 4 hours of playing in the lake. I think he was a bit exhausted. We were able to go out to dinner again on Sunday evening, outside again, and very enjoyable. More dominoes and cards in the evening.
So we missed our yearly parade here in Bloomington, but with the weather what it was, I couldn't resist staying that extra day. I know the kids got their dose of fresh air, and if we can find the time to do it again with the same weather, we will be really lucky. Hopefully July will be wonderful too. We got so lucky this year, and I hope our luck doesn't run out!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
What a weekend!
Really, it was a weekend in terms of the number of hours, but it felt so much shorter since we tried to jam so much into it. Last Thursday and Friday I participated in an annual garage sale that my mom friends had. We got rid of a bunch of stuff, which always feels really good. It went on during the day on Thursday and Friday. So we were able to hang out over at their house during the morning and into the afternoon on both days. We had decent weather, although it could have been nicer. The weather has been strange lately. As I'm writing it is almost 80 degrees, but forecasted to be a high in the 50's for the next 4 days or so.
Although it was Kentucky Derby weekend, it was also Trevor's school carnival on Friday evening. They had been advertising it since March, so it would have been hard for him to not go to it. I also wanted to see what it is all about since chances are I'm going to have to help out at it at some point through PTA. They used the entire school. The library was set up for silent auction stuff. The cafeteria was set up for a rock band/karaoke prize game thing with raffle things going on and food as well. The gym had a bounce house, inflatable slide, and race car computer games. I think there were close to 30 games that the kids could play, and almost any age could do it. Trevor saw two of his classmates have a fake broken arm, and that made him want to check out the hospital room. He got a "cut" on his forehead which he loved to show off. Trevor's pediatrician has two kids that also go to the same school, so when we ran into him, his doctor was the first to notice and say, "You look like you need a doctor!" Of course Trevor doesn't really get the irony and explains that it isn't real. He also got to show it off to Bubba when he saw her that evening. I guess he played the part and got her pretty good.
So we headed off to Hatfield as soon as we could tear the kids away from the school party. It was about an hour that we were there. We missed our usual Stone's Throw dinner, but we were happy to be there, nonetheless. The kids played well with their (what are they again?) second cousins. The exciting Derby was run. I again did not win, although my horse placed second, which I think might be my closest finish yet. I cannot claim to have broken my maiden yet. We played our card games and dominoes, and came home early afternoon on Sunday.
Ever since graduating from High School, I have always looked forward to our annual Kentucky Derby races as the start of our season of trips to the lake. Unfortunately, this was my last week of classes before my week off, and I had a paper to submit by Sunday evening and a 50 question final exam for Accounting due the end of day Tuesday. Ever since around the trip to Florida in March, my cleaning has gone down the tubes. I need to get through this day before I can start my crazy cleaning again. Now, if the weather would just be nicer, I could deal with it better!
Although it was Kentucky Derby weekend, it was also Trevor's school carnival on Friday evening. They had been advertising it since March, so it would have been hard for him to not go to it. I also wanted to see what it is all about since chances are I'm going to have to help out at it at some point through PTA. They used the entire school. The library was set up for silent auction stuff. The cafeteria was set up for a rock band/karaoke prize game thing with raffle things going on and food as well. The gym had a bounce house, inflatable slide, and race car computer games. I think there were close to 30 games that the kids could play, and almost any age could do it. Trevor saw two of his classmates have a fake broken arm, and that made him want to check out the hospital room. He got a "cut" on his forehead which he loved to show off. Trevor's pediatrician has two kids that also go to the same school, so when we ran into him, his doctor was the first to notice and say, "You look like you need a doctor!" Of course Trevor doesn't really get the irony and explains that it isn't real. He also got to show it off to Bubba when he saw her that evening. I guess he played the part and got her pretty good.
So we headed off to Hatfield as soon as we could tear the kids away from the school party. It was about an hour that we were there. We missed our usual Stone's Throw dinner, but we were happy to be there, nonetheless. The kids played well with their (what are they again?) second cousins. The exciting Derby was run. I again did not win, although my horse placed second, which I think might be my closest finish yet. I cannot claim to have broken my maiden yet. We played our card games and dominoes, and came home early afternoon on Sunday.
Ever since graduating from High School, I have always looked forward to our annual Kentucky Derby races as the start of our season of trips to the lake. Unfortunately, this was my last week of classes before my week off, and I had a paper to submit by Sunday evening and a 50 question final exam for Accounting due the end of day Tuesday. Ever since around the trip to Florida in March, my cleaning has gone down the tubes. I need to get through this day before I can start my crazy cleaning again. Now, if the weather would just be nicer, I could deal with it better!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Where does the time go?
You blink and there went Trevor's 12 days off of school. That was the first thing he talked about when he was done with school on the 22nd of December. Not one single day did we count down to going back to school. It was so busy. I somehow managed to get back into somewhat of an organized mess so that I can start all over on Monday.
So the New Year has started. We decided to head on over to Hatfield to celebrate the new year. Prior to this New Year's Eve, I think we had done something for New Year's once in the last decade. However, we knew that we probably wouldn't be getting to the lake again until May.
I foresee a lot of changes coming this year for us. I think Trevor really enjoyed breaking out the new calendar for the year and marking all the big events going on for us. He already wanted to put when his first day of 1st Grade will be, however, I decided to hold off on going that far ahead. I'm anxiously looking forward to traveling to Florida in 10 or so weeks. I'm hoping that January will fly by with the help of a trip out to Boston. This weekend the weather was frigid and not fun for me. Basically, if I can get through this cold season, I will be feeling better. But now, without the end in sight, I know I have to search for reasons to look forward to getting through this mess.
Happy New Decade all!
So the New Year has started. We decided to head on over to Hatfield to celebrate the new year. Prior to this New Year's Eve, I think we had done something for New Year's once in the last decade. However, we knew that we probably wouldn't be getting to the lake again until May.
I foresee a lot of changes coming this year for us. I think Trevor really enjoyed breaking out the new calendar for the year and marking all the big events going on for us. He already wanted to put when his first day of 1st Grade will be, however, I decided to hold off on going that far ahead. I'm anxiously looking forward to traveling to Florida in 10 or so weeks. I'm hoping that January will fly by with the help of a trip out to Boston. This weekend the weather was frigid and not fun for me. Basically, if I can get through this cold season, I will be feeling better. But now, without the end in sight, I know I have to search for reasons to look forward to getting through this mess.
Happy New Decade all!
Monday, July 20, 2009
A week at the lake
What crazy weather. I know that it isn't completely strange to have such cool weather, but oh my goodness. It sure isn't fun when you go somewhere that you hoped to spend time in water, or at least in the sun.
The kids had plenty of activities. Trevor played lots of baseball with bubba....and he really is getting better. Both his hitting and throwing. Guess there isn't going to be stopping him from being left-handed. He also played quite a bit of golf which was more of a spectator sport for us. We went golfing on Thursday morning, and at least that was a sunny day, although windy and chilly still. He was able to go swimming on Wednesday....or was it Tuesday...one of the days and found a friend to play in the water with.
Gwen had one shot in her pool on Monday, but she still had fun. She rode her bike on the road which was a little plastic foot powered riding toy. She got pretty quick and can go up and down the street with it. She also liked to throw rocks in the lake. I think she would have gone swimming if it was warmer, and in order to combat her sand dislike, she will wear her sandals, even into the water. When she had socks on she still was going into the water to get rocks. Never mind that there are plenty on shore.
She also liked to "play buttons" and read books and play with the decorative birds that Trevor plays with. I never knew that the buttons that she plays with could be such a great teaching instrument. She loved to learn about the colors and by the week she could name most of them. Red, yellow, grey, pink, green, black, white, brown, gold, orange....and then we would count the ones of a certain color.
The kids are infatuated with the local restaurant owner. Whenever we are in town, and we see a shop or log-cabin type design, Gwen asks if we are going to "see Lana?" When we are at the restaurant, Trevor has to color a beautiful picture for her, and tell her what has been going on with him lately, as well as talk with Tim when he comes out to say hi. It is such a different situation for the kids to be somewhere where they know the restaurant owners, so it's been fun for us too. Although I have warned Lana that both of my kids are infatuated with her.
I took the new boat out for a little drive and learned how to dock it and all the little buttons...in case I ever want to take it out. Ha. We'll see...but it's still nice to know. Both kids also discovered watching ants. You'll have to ask Trevor what he saw when he was watching an ant. He found it VERY interesting. Don't worry, it isn't too gory ;-)
And of course, the highlight of the trip was going to Club Twilight....aka the Rollerskating Rink. It is still under construction, and wonder if it is ever going to be finished, however, it was still a fun time for Trevor and Gwen. She didn't skate but watched us do so and while the music was playing, they had the music videos on a wall. Gwen clapped after every song. Trevor got more confident and did fall once. But more embarrassed than hurt, he understood that it wasn't too big of a deal to fall. Granted he wanted to be done after he fell....but one more time around and he added a few tricks that he saw a girl doing.
So we'll maybe be back another time this summer. To the rink....we'll see. I'm hoping next year we'll finally get some nice weather. I'm sure Gwen will want to be in the water with all of us.
The kids had plenty of activities. Trevor played lots of baseball with bubba....and he really is getting better. Both his hitting and throwing. Guess there isn't going to be stopping him from being left-handed. He also played quite a bit of golf which was more of a spectator sport for us. We went golfing on Thursday morning, and at least that was a sunny day, although windy and chilly still. He was able to go swimming on Wednesday....or was it Tuesday...one of the days and found a friend to play in the water with.
Gwen had one shot in her pool on Monday, but she still had fun. She rode her bike on the road which was a little plastic foot powered riding toy. She got pretty quick and can go up and down the street with it. She also liked to throw rocks in the lake. I think she would have gone swimming if it was warmer, and in order to combat her sand dislike, she will wear her sandals, even into the water. When she had socks on she still was going into the water to get rocks. Never mind that there are plenty on shore.
She also liked to "play buttons" and read books and play with the decorative birds that Trevor plays with. I never knew that the buttons that she plays with could be such a great teaching instrument. She loved to learn about the colors and by the week she could name most of them. Red, yellow, grey, pink, green, black, white, brown, gold, orange....and then we would count the ones of a certain color.
The kids are infatuated with the local restaurant owner. Whenever we are in town, and we see a shop or log-cabin type design, Gwen asks if we are going to "see Lana?" When we are at the restaurant, Trevor has to color a beautiful picture for her, and tell her what has been going on with him lately, as well as talk with Tim when he comes out to say hi. It is such a different situation for the kids to be somewhere where they know the restaurant owners, so it's been fun for us too. Although I have warned Lana that both of my kids are infatuated with her.
I took the new boat out for a little drive and learned how to dock it and all the little buttons...in case I ever want to take it out. Ha. We'll see...but it's still nice to know. Both kids also discovered watching ants. You'll have to ask Trevor what he saw when he was watching an ant. He found it VERY interesting. Don't worry, it isn't too gory ;-)
And of course, the highlight of the trip was going to Club Twilight....aka the Rollerskating Rink. It is still under construction, and wonder if it is ever going to be finished, however, it was still a fun time for Trevor and Gwen. She didn't skate but watched us do so and while the music was playing, they had the music videos on a wall. Gwen clapped after every song. Trevor got more confident and did fall once. But more embarrassed than hurt, he understood that it wasn't too big of a deal to fall. Granted he wanted to be done after he fell....but one more time around and he added a few tricks that he saw a girl doing.
So we'll maybe be back another time this summer. To the rink....we'll see. I'm hoping next year we'll finally get some nice weather. I'm sure Gwen will want to be in the water with all of us.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Another week is finished
It was another quick week, with Trevor's program being "A Little Bit of Broadway". At the end of the week was a program that they put on for the parents. They performed from 3 movies, "Mary Poppins", "Lion King", and "Beauty and the Beast". On Friday they sang songs and danced two songs from the three movies. There were a lot of kids, so the teachers did a good job of wrangling them into performing that day. It sounded like Trevor did a really good job in the class. I had thought that all the classes had some recess time so the kids could get some energy out, but doesn't sound like this one did. Also, one of Trevor's friends rode the bus to the activity and I knew Trevor was going to want to do that. And by the time the end of the week rolled around, I was pretty sure that he could do it. So now I have to figure out how to get him on the bus for future programs.
I was able to video tape the performance, and it was nice that I did that. It really turned out well, and I think because I hyped up how excited I was to go and watch the show, he really sang and performed well.
So after the performance, we drove out to the lake for the weekend. It had been hot all week, and was also that Friday. So Trevor and I were looking forward to the water that day. We got a ride out to a quiet part of the lake then Kevin, Brian, Trevor, and I all played around in the water. The water temp was 86 degrees, and after a few jumps off of the boat, Trevor was confident enough to jump himself off of the boat. Since the water temp was so nice, he didn't want to stop, but we did drive back to the beach and Brian was kind enough to stay in the water and play around with him for a while longer.
We ate at the Stone's Throw for dinner, and then played our usual dominoes and went to bed. The next day wasn't the nicest, and the guys had a project to build some small decks. It took the whole day, but ended up in nice new places for the kids to not get slivers in their feet anymore. On Sunday, we were able to get some boating, swimming, and sun before heading back. Trevor slept most of the ride home, but did get a lot of sun on his face. We did put sunscreen on, but didn't reapply after his hours in the lake. After the lake time, he was still outside doing his golf.
So last night, he was sick. Thankfully, only once, but was up 4 times throughout the night. I think it was more related to the sun than anything, but I guess we'll see. He already is back to normal in eating and energy. But we'll be taking it low key today.
It was a great week and weekend. Hope to have many more of them this summer.
I was able to video tape the performance, and it was nice that I did that. It really turned out well, and I think because I hyped up how excited I was to go and watch the show, he really sang and performed well.
So after the performance, we drove out to the lake for the weekend. It had been hot all week, and was also that Friday. So Trevor and I were looking forward to the water that day. We got a ride out to a quiet part of the lake then Kevin, Brian, Trevor, and I all played around in the water. The water temp was 86 degrees, and after a few jumps off of the boat, Trevor was confident enough to jump himself off of the boat. Since the water temp was so nice, he didn't want to stop, but we did drive back to the beach and Brian was kind enough to stay in the water and play around with him for a while longer.
We ate at the Stone's Throw for dinner, and then played our usual dominoes and went to bed. The next day wasn't the nicest, and the guys had a project to build some small decks. It took the whole day, but ended up in nice new places for the kids to not get slivers in their feet anymore. On Sunday, we were able to get some boating, swimming, and sun before heading back. Trevor slept most of the ride home, but did get a lot of sun on his face. We did put sunscreen on, but didn't reapply after his hours in the lake. After the lake time, he was still outside doing his golf.
So last night, he was sick. Thankfully, only once, but was up 4 times throughout the night. I think it was more related to the sun than anything, but I guess we'll see. He already is back to normal in eating and energy. But we'll be taking it low key today.
It was a great week and weekend. Hope to have many more of them this summer.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The unofficial official start to summer
My crazy younger brothers are in a duel on the water of our parent's cabin where I spent this past weekend. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh (as in a huge sigh, not screaming). I know it has been a while since I last had an entry, and again, there are things that happened, but I forget to write down. I forgot my computer this weekend, and don't use it a lot anyway, but I think I was going to write an entry about this past week.
I was a little nervous starting the week off because there wasn't a lot planned for the week. Then, things popped up. The fact that we had gotten through two weeks previously also made me think we could make it one last week.
Then I decided, based on the weather forecast that we would head to the cabin for the weekend. And with that, the summer truly kicked off. I could list off the insanely small things that could have made it just a little bit better, but I won't. It was a wonderful weekend, and not knowing how the kids would react to the fact that the water level in the lake is different than it has been the past 3 years, it was a good weekend to start our new routine and places to go.
We did discover that Gwen is not a fan of sand on her feet at all. I had thought it was just in her shoes, but even with bare feet, she was not a fan. I'm taking little steps to get her used to it, and when we were at the public beach, she eventually was walking in the wet sand, but still had to be carried across the dry sand. Then when we were at the other beach, she got some on her legs by sitting down, and she was not happy.
She did LOVE the little inflatable pool that we had out on the side deck. We made it like bathwater, and she wanted to stay in there for hours. It was like bathtime except she could splash all over the place and get in and out and no one cared.
I will say, I can't wait until the lake water is warmer, and the weather is warmer so that we don't have to wait to go swimming in the morning. Ah, but I did mention to my mom this weekend, that it was scary to me watching Trevor this weekend, because the times that we came up to Hatfield when I was younger, are the most memorable to me when Brian was Trevor's age now. So there are some big deja vu moments whenever Trevor is running around on the beach and in the park.
We'll be back in two weeks, and the water will be warmer, and hopefully the weather too. Now is the time that I wish the days would slow down. Especially the warm days. I'm really not even wanting to turn on the air. I like wearing shorts...I even get cold with those on in our house. We'll see what we can do this week.....
I was a little nervous starting the week off because there wasn't a lot planned for the week. Then, things popped up. The fact that we had gotten through two weeks previously also made me think we could make it one last week.
Then I decided, based on the weather forecast that we would head to the cabin for the weekend. And with that, the summer truly kicked off. I could list off the insanely small things that could have made it just a little bit better, but I won't. It was a wonderful weekend, and not knowing how the kids would react to the fact that the water level in the lake is different than it has been the past 3 years, it was a good weekend to start our new routine and places to go.
We did discover that Gwen is not a fan of sand on her feet at all. I had thought it was just in her shoes, but even with bare feet, she was not a fan. I'm taking little steps to get her used to it, and when we were at the public beach, she eventually was walking in the wet sand, but still had to be carried across the dry sand. Then when we were at the other beach, she got some on her legs by sitting down, and she was not happy.
She did LOVE the little inflatable pool that we had out on the side deck. We made it like bathwater, and she wanted to stay in there for hours. It was like bathtime except she could splash all over the place and get in and out and no one cared.
I will say, I can't wait until the lake water is warmer, and the weather is warmer so that we don't have to wait to go swimming in the morning. Ah, but I did mention to my mom this weekend, that it was scary to me watching Trevor this weekend, because the times that we came up to Hatfield when I was younger, are the most memorable to me when Brian was Trevor's age now. So there are some big deja vu moments whenever Trevor is running around on the beach and in the park.
We'll be back in two weeks, and the water will be warmer, and hopefully the weather too. Now is the time that I wish the days would slow down. Especially the warm days. I'm really not even wanting to turn on the air. I like wearing shorts...I even get cold with those on in our house. We'll see what we can do this week.....
Sunday, May 3, 2009
May Day! May Day!
And so the month starts. It's going to be fast, fun, and furious...that's my prediction anyway. So it started this weekend at the lake house for the annual Kentucky Derby. It was the start of a new summer season for me. Dad got a new boat, the lake is finally back up to it's "normal" level, the dock is in the water, and we had a good turn-out for the running of the horses.
Gwen had a wonderful time. She had a little bit of an issue adapting to the sleep patterns at the lake, but I'm guessing it's the thing where she is so excited to be there, she doesn't care much for sleep while we are there. The cutest thing she said has to be the names that she has for everyone. She names everyone, and loved to be introduced to the local restaurant owner Lana, that she pointed out every time she saw as "Banana". And of course, she was always asking to see "Ellie and Medicine" aka Ellie and Addison. Daddy has been quizzing her with pictures, so she knows Kevin, Kelsey, Kona, and Brian very quickly. She loves to say hi and bye-bye to everyone by name....often our departures are delayed because of the lengthy good-byes.
Then Mr. Trevor was biking and baseballing it all day as if that was an option. A fun game was played by a good portion of the group, from Ellie to Megan. I have to say, that overall it was a great kick-off to the summer season. It's going to be another month before we can go back, and hopefully it'll be hot hot hot! It's going to be hard to keep Gwen out of the water, but I'm guessing that a little pool of her own is all she will need to be occupied. At least I can hope that. Pictures to come soon via Facebook.
Gwen had a wonderful time. She had a little bit of an issue adapting to the sleep patterns at the lake, but I'm guessing it's the thing where she is so excited to be there, she doesn't care much for sleep while we are there. The cutest thing she said has to be the names that she has for everyone. She names everyone, and loved to be introduced to the local restaurant owner Lana, that she pointed out every time she saw as "Banana". And of course, she was always asking to see "Ellie and Medicine" aka Ellie and Addison. Daddy has been quizzing her with pictures, so she knows Kevin, Kelsey, Kona, and Brian very quickly. She loves to say hi and bye-bye to everyone by name....often our departures are delayed because of the lengthy good-byes.
Then Mr. Trevor was biking and baseballing it all day as if that was an option. A fun game was played by a good portion of the group, from Ellie to Megan. I have to say, that overall it was a great kick-off to the summer season. It's going to be another month before we can go back, and hopefully it'll be hot hot hot! It's going to be hard to keep Gwen out of the water, but I'm guessing that a little pool of her own is all she will need to be occupied. At least I can hope that. Pictures to come soon via Facebook.
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