Weekend Review

I am exhausted every Friday night. I never have the energy to put kids to bed properly  after a week full of pouring into other people's children and running my home so this is a typical Friday night sighting. The kids crash in front of a bedtime movie. We call it a treat. It simply means mommy gets to go to bed without any drama. The end.

We let Lauren go to Indiana University for the weekend with friends for a bike race. Of course we were concerned about safety but we are allowing her to move to a college campus in a few months so a weekend away seemed reasonable. We needed not worry though, Lauren was sending me pictures of puppies Saturday afternoon. Count on my daughter to find the animal shelter in another town to play with puppies when there's a college campus to explore. In the end, she connected with our next door neighbor and they spent Saturday evening together. They've lived next door to one another for four years and never exchanged more than a hello in passing. They now plan to hang out this summer. I have no words for this. Just why? I have mentioned Jillian frequently to Lauren and always wondered why they were so awkward about getting to know each other. Teens are weird.

We had a really cool experience on Saturday. Kate, Ty and I went with Anna's mom to her preschool to check on the baby chicks they anticipated hatching over the weekend. Not only were three already hatched and dry when we arrived but we got to see two hatch while we observed. It was awesome. Kate was the only one interested in loving on a baby chick and the chick appeared to love the snuggles too.

Happy birthday little buddy.

Last night Greg and I had another couple over for dinner and it was so relaxing we wondered later why we don't do it more often. I think we need to make it a priority in our crazy schedules. It's good to set aside to do lists and just enjoy fellowship among friends. Life is too short to be too busy to relax together.

Dinner for seven again this Sunday was as entertaining as usual. I love the noisy, boisterous chatter of my family gathered around the table. Erin had some laundry to do so we were able to spend a few hours talking and hanging out. It was the perfect ending to a great weekend. 

These were a manager's special at Kroger this weekend and for $3, they made me very happy. I am pretty easy to please.

Fun Friday

I took the kids to the zoo today and was immediately overwhelmed. Apparently it was on today's agenda for several thousand other families along with multiple school groups too. Thank God the kids were awesome and listened beautifully or I may have lost my mind.

Ty loved the Lego turtle and asked for a picture to send to Lauren

The bald eagle was one of Ty's highlights

Each time the sea lion raised out of the water, Anna squealed with delight. It was awesome.

Devyn practiced swinging on every railing. She walked almost the entire zoo which was a big change from a year ago. She is growing up!

As soon as Anna spotted the elephant, she started making trunk noises! So fun.

The Lego sculptures were awesome.

One of my favorites

And as soon as we returned home to meet Kate's bus, we ran outside to play some more.....apparently the thirty minute nap in the car was enough to refuel the little people.

homework on the swing is pleasant enough

Greg would prefer I not allow this. Please, I encourage it! Look at those sweet cheeks!

Makenna's Room

Not everyone was torn up when Erin moved out. As in we spent the day moving Erin out and helping Lauren prepare for her senior prom but on the way home from prom photos that night, Makenna requested we run into Home Depot for her paint. There is no rest for the weary.

For the first time ever, Makenna has her own room. We started painting that Sunday and finally added the decorative touches last night. She and I finished the base boards and the walls together. She and I also painted one of the dressers while Greg did the other dresser and the cabinet she is using as a nightstand. Tech has taught Makenna her way around tools and it was evident throughout the makeover. She did all the sanding and a lot of painting.

I love this lamp! It was a Gordman's find this weekend. The poster frame above the desk has the glass left in place so Makenna can interchange photos, vintage post cards, notes or whatever else she desires without damaging walls with tape or tacks.

We still need to finish the stairwell but there is light at the end of this painting tunnel.

Makenna chose the posters, paint colors, curtains, bedding and dresser knobs. I love the light neutral tone of the space. All together we have $150 in the makeover and getting rid of the cold gray walls only Erin loved makes us all happy.

Now if I could just convince her to keep her room this clean......I kid myself.

Why Super Heroes Need Moms

"Superheroes don't have to listen to their mom."

"Policemen get to do whatever they want."

"Spider-man doesn't eat vegetables."

"Ninjas don't wash their ears."

My favorite five year old thinks he is immune to the authority of Mom. Obviously he finds out rather quickly he is in fact a boy with a mom rather than the superhero he happens to be imitating. But I recently started explaining why our rules would be good for Spider-man, ninjas and policemen too.

Dirty ears make it difficult for Ninjas to hear people yell for help. Spider-man has to eat his veggies if he wants to be able to climb buildings when he is an old man. And all the good guys follow the rules, especially their mom's.

It's not easy being five. Mom insists on safety and good choices when there's a big world out there just begging for adventure. Last night Ty informed us his new craft rocket looks like it's really flying when he jumps off the dresser with it. I immediately stressed the dangers of jumping off dressers. Ty assured me he was dressed as Spider-man so nothing bad could happen. Spider-man can't get hurt. Heaven help me.

Last Week

Kate and Ty had their first sleep over at Erin's house Friday night. Ty packed a pair of swim trunks because there is a pool by Erin's house. He packed nothing else. The pool opens in seven weeks. There was a small battle. Of course.

When we arrived, we took a tour to see the decorating Erin's done since we left a week prior. Ty walked into "his room" and declared the floor is a little hard so Erin needs to be getting him a bed.

Rock concert to last year's VBS songs. Serious rock stars.

Don't worry about Erin being too lonely or it being too quiet. There are some little girls in the neighborhood who have taken a liking to her. Her doorbell rings often, as in every 10 minutes at first, and she is gifted with "flowers". I mentioned she may need to set a vase outside her door so they have a place to put those flowers when she's not up for company. She says they'll be tired of it about the time she is but that for now, it feels like home. Frequent visits from little people are common in our world.

Ty: Do you know what ceremony is?
Me: Yes, do you?
Ty: Yep. Cake.

Two year old Anna begged Ty for his pennies and said, "please, it's for true love". Ty grabbed the pennies and walked away saying, "true love is only on Frozen and it's boring".

Makenna decided to attend a middle school play she helped build the set for. Her teammates helpfully suggested she "look like a girl" for this show since she wasn't back stage. Apparently dedicating precisely ten minutes to her morning routine has been noted by the people who spend the most time with her.

It was too dark to photograph the final product Saturday night so here's a shot of God watering it for us Sunday morning.

Gardening by sunset? Why not? When the weekend holds one day of sunshine, you squeeze in as many chores as possible. This year promises corn and watermelon for Ty, cucumbers for Kate, kale, peppers and tomatoes for me. Until the garden produces pizza rolls, Lauren and Makenna won't be interested. Teenagers are delightful.

Some of us worked really hard.

Gymnastics

Kate and the red ninja

Tonight wrapped up gymnastics for the school year. It was parent observation night so we were able to watch our little gymnasts in action. The entire family was in the stands for the event and at times were afraid we'd be asked to leave as we cheered for our favorite little people.

Kate was as balanced and graceful as ever. She loves everything about it and it shows in her concentration.

One of the stretches he attempted had us all stifling laughter so hard, we had tears running down our faces. He embarrasses easily so we had to keep it together. There are no photos of that particular pose because because keeping composure took all the strength I had. Greg was certain we were getting kicked out.

Watching big sis on the balance beam.

Taking turns is hard.

He asked later what this was all about. He cracks us up.

We learned Ty was promoted out of the beginner class in the beginning of this session because he was fearless. He is fast and not afraid of anything. Skills may arrive someday. In the meantime, he is very entertaining and having a ball.

The community center is being remodeled in the coming weeks so we have to wait a few months to start back up again. I suspect both kiddos will be ready to return. Tonight was truly awesome.