2015 :: week 30

July 19

We decided making a batch of blueberry muffins was a good way to put our freshly picked blueberries to use. Both kids were excited to help, with Lauren being especially enthusiastic.

July 20

 An important (and favorite!) part of our pool experience is scanning our pool ID cards.



July 21

As of Tuesday I reached 37 weeks, officially early term. My belly keeps growing and I have less energy each day. The discomfort I was feeling in my back is starting to migrate down to my hips. At my checkup the doctor told me the baby is head down and looks to be in good position. Up until the past few weeks I haven't had a lot of discomfort in my ribcage (which was a constant problem the entire second half of my pregnancy with Will), but now things are starting to get crowded up there too. I get winded walking up our stairs. Because of this I go upstairs as rarely as possible. Lauren's room is a little scary. I've been going to a water aerobics class 4-5 times per week because besides being the only exercise I really get, it also helps to stretch out my back, hips and backside. I think it helps, because I feel really uncomfortable on the days I don't go. It's both scary and exciting to think we're a month or less away from meeting this little guy.

July 22

Wednesday night it was cooler and less humid than it had been the rest of the week. After dinner we played outside for about an hour. The kids played baseball, ran around, used sidewalk chalk and had fun with their bikes. In this picture they are "fixing" them.

July 23

The cool weather we had Thursday threw me off, because when we left the house Thursday I couldn't believe how hot and muggy it was. It's been so hot and humid the past few days that the only outdoor activity I can handle is the pool. When Lauren jumps in the water, no matter what she does, she yells "Cannonbaaaaalllllllll!"

July 24

Friday was the last day of the Summer Lunch Bunch--free lunch program for kids ages 1-18 sponsored by our school district. Not all of the schools offer it, so when we go we drive to a school located within our old ward's boundaries. We went several days a week this year and I am going to miss it. It was nice not having to worry about making and cleaning up the kids' lunch, it helped break up our day, and I enjoyed visiting with other moms. My friend Holly and her kids regularly attended too and it was nice to have midday chats with her.

July 25

Lots of summer endings this week. On Saturday we stopped at the library to turn in our reading logs and pick out prize (paperback book). Will chose a Curious George book about dinosaurs and Lauren chose a book about Clifford going to Washington D.C. The kids usually don't dress so nicely on a Saturday afternoon, but today we were on our way to a baptism.

blue berries

Saturday morning we made our third annual pilgrimage to the Berry Patch for some blueberry picking. Due to my increasing size and diminishing energy levels I really wanted to go at a time that Anthony could come too. We had planned to go Friday evening, but decided to postpone things because the kids were struggling to behave. Will woke me up from a short nap to remind me to return his library book (a book he had shed tears over when I told him it was due soon) and couldn't stop pestering Lauren. Lauren was only communicating via whine and had an itchy trigger to hit and scream anytime Will so much as glanced in her direction (which he was doing often on purpose). Finally I made both kids go to their rooms until TJ got home because I couldn't take it anymore. When he arrived home he suggested we go out to eat and go to the pool to relax after if we were feeling up to it. Moods improved almost instantly, or at least mine did when I realized going out meant I didn't have to prepare dinner.

On top of the improved moods Friday night, by Saturday morning the temperature had dropped almost twenty degrees and everyone was feeling refreshed. We headed to the patch after breakfast and got to picking right away.

Which berry is bigger? They were both determined to find the biggest berry at the patch.

 

There were tons of big, blue berries this year. I don't know if it is because of all the rainfall we've received this year or if we happened to come during a better picking time, but this was our best batch of berries yet.

We all worked pretty consistently at first. Then Lauren needed to take a break and evaluate the flavor of the berries. Her and I shared a bucket and despite the two of us putting berries into it, we ended up with the smallest amount of berries when we went to weigh in.

 

 Happy to be finishing up right as it started to get hot.

The area where you pay always houses some interesting treasures. The kids were especially fascinated by the bees.

I was more interested in the baked goods.

We decided to reward ourselves with a muffin. They were fairly large muffins so we got one to split. After the snack the kids played on the hay bales for a bit.

It turned out to be a fun morning adventure. I was so frustrated when we decided not to go the night before (because I hate breaking plans and letting the kids down, even though their behavior didn't warrant the activity). While we were there I couldn't get over how much better everything has worked out and how much fun we were having with each other. As my due date approaches--less than a month--I am getting increasing sentimental about the time we spend together.

2015 :: week 29

July 12

Anthony was asked to play the music in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday while our organist was out of town visiting her new grandson. He did a great job, but I much prefer having him sit with us.

July 13

We fed the missionaries dinner Monday night. We had a BBQ and while the meat was cooking Will brought his basketball hoop into the TV room to play with the missionaries.


July 14

Will was oddly excited about watching the MLB All-Star Game Tuesday night. After a evening trip to the pool we settled in and watched a few innings. It was fun watching Lorenzo Cain and Salvador Perez bat against Madison Bumgarner, even though the announcers gleefully brought up some disappointing World Series Game 7 memories.



July 15

For the third year in a row we went to a Cherry Bomb concert at Park Place in Leawood. Cherry Bomb is a local cover band that plays music from the 70s to today. We first went with our friends the Throssells in 2013 and had a fun evening, so it has become a tradition. Lauren and Anthony had fun dancing together even though it was so very hot and humid. I sat on our picnic blanket and ate crushed ice until the sun went behind the clouds.

July 16

Thursday morning my friend Holly told me she and her kids were going to check out a park we'd heard another friend talk about at book club. The kids and I headed to Grandview and had a pleasant morning visiting and playing at Valley Park for just under two hours.



July 17

We met some friends from church at a nearby pool Friday morning. Most of our ward friends live in Lenexa and have Lenexa pool passes, which means we don't go to the same pools. Will had fun playing with his friend Jack. In this picture Jack is jumping forward and Will is jumping backwards.



July 18

Saturday morning we finally got around to going to the blueberry patch. I had wanted to go Friday night but we were all too grumpy. It actually worked out for the best because it rained in the night, was much cooler Saturday morning, and we were all in better moods. There was a great crop of berries this year and we had a fun time picking before it got too hot.





swimming lessons 2015

I signed the kids up for the second session of swimming lessons (out of 3) our outdoor city pools offer (June 29-July 9). Both kids were very excited to start and had a great first day. Will's class consisted of two boys. After Wednesday of the first week the other boy transferred to a class at a later time, which meant Will basically received private lessons. Lauren's class had three girls and one boy.

In the afternoon after their first day of classes Lauren had an allergic reaction to nutella and wasn't quite herself the rest of the week. I had to bribe her to attend and be willing to hold the boy in her class' hand when they played Ring Around the Rosie.  Thankfully that only lasted two days, though she still asked for a treat after class each day.

Lauren feels very comfortable in the water and was willing to jump in and put her face under water from the get go. She did very well with kicking, blowing bubbles, and assisted floating. She doesn't really like using her arms to stroke forward or backward and propels herself along with strong kicking and minimal arm movement.

Will didn't enter this session of swimming lessons with the same level of confidence as Lauren, but he made a ton of progress. In fact, I think the money we invested in his lesson may have been the best money we've spent all summer. By the end of the session he was doing bobs, swimming with his face under water, jumping into the pool without an adult catching him, and attempting to float and "shred" (tread) water. Before he started lessons he had no interest in putting his face under or going more than waist deep in the water without an adult. It really worked out nicely for us that he got to have a lot of one-on-one time with his teacher, Sarah, because she was able to tailor his lessons.

This is the third year I've signed up for the second session of swimming lessons. For one, it is typically a bit warmer by late June. Second, because the 4th of July is in the middle of the session, the lessons are slightly less full. Also, since we live so close to the pool (less than 400 feet) it doesn't take much travel time to get there, so we've done 9:30 classes and those are much less crowded than the 10am classes appeared to be.

Unfortunately, this year it ended up being pretty cool. At least three of the eight days the high temp was below 70. The kids swam in a light mist of rain two or three times too.

All in all it was a great session. The kids had fun, are more confident in the water, and most importantly, picked up some new skills.

Proud of their certificates and celebratory tootsie pops.

2015 :: week 28

July 5

Lauren has been dreaming about taking a ride in Pepaw's big red truck for quite awhile and Sunday after church her dream finally came true. Will has gone for rides in the truck before, but for a variety of reasons Lauren never has. She was so excited to go for the ride and so pleased when it finally happened. Thanks, Dad!

July 6

We spent a few hours at the pool Monday. Swimming lessons in the morning and then a nice long visit in the afternoon. After a week of lessons the kids are feeling very comfortable in the water and are relying less on me to entertain them. Yay! When we got to the pool it was hot, bright and sunny. By the time we left storm clouds were starting to roll in. Within two hours the tornado sirens were going off and our area was hit with the worst storm of year to date. It was dark by 6pm and we enjoyed a cozy evening at home, which felt so different from our sunny afternoon at the pool.

June 7

It took me all day to get motivated Tuesday. I got a bit of a headache from the storm system, which combined with my poor late-third trimester sleep made me drag all day. Besides swimming lessons we didn't leave the house until the evening. Tony took the kids to the monthly Lego mini-build and I went to a water aerobics class.



June 8

To make up for such a lame day Tuesday we went to the children's museum Wednesday. In late May I bought a groupon to Wonderscope and needed to use it by next week, so the timing was perfect. It had been quite awhile since our last visit so the kids were excited to do everything. The face painting was the most anticipated activity, though they spent the most time in the farm and lego rooms. I planned on staying for about 90 minutes, but we were there for over three hours. One thing the kids have been doing fabulously lately is playing together. And they're on a really good streak of entertaining themselves individually too.

July 9

Thursday marked the kids last day of swimming lessons. It was a great session for each of them. They were very proud of their certificates and excited about the lollypops they received at the end of class.



July 10

Anthony and the kids took several sporkle quizzes while I made dinner Friday night. Will is really into quizzes right now. His favorites include: identifying and naming animals, car symbols, naming baseball players, and the 50 states. Lauren likes to help, but besides the animal quizzes is mostly there for moral support. Tony's just there to  explain the directions and type.

July 11

Today was a work day. We've wanted to paint our deck all summer, but between Anthony's travel and the excessive amounts of rain we've received this summer (on the news the other night the meteorologist said the KC area had recorded rainfall on over 70 percent of the past 60 days) it has been almost impossible! Anthony worked hard all day and got it done. He has the sore back and blisters to prove it.

2015 :: week 27

June 28

Despite leaving our house at 12:40pm to make the ten minute drive to church, we ended up being over half an hour late! A small part of the highway we take to church was closed and there was a multi-car accident on the detour, leading to a major traffic jam that we didn't find out about until it was too late to change course. Lauren even took a brief nap while we were at a standstill.

June 29

At lunchtime on Monday Lauren asked me for a brownie (leftover from a small dessert night we hosted at our house the night before). She had eaten a good lunch so I said sure. Unfortunately I didn't realize that Anthony put all the leftover treats on the same plate--including a few nutella brownies. There were also brownies made from a mix, but unfortunately the brownie I gave her had nutella in it and Lauren has a hazelnut allergy. When she asked for water because the brownie was too spicy I knew something was up. She had a few hives around her mouth, but otherwise appeared fine. I gave her some benedryl and we headed off to meet my sister Laura at the pool. Lauren did not want to swim (very unlike her) so I ended up taking her home. Anthony was at home and I had him sit with her for a bit while I went back to the pool to get Will. While he was with her she began coughing and then wheezing. He called ask-a-nurse and described her symptoms. The nurse said we needed to take her to the nearest emergency room, which we did. Once we were there they administered an epi-pen (we had one at home but were apprehensive about using it),a steroid and additional anti-histamines. As is protocol anytime an epi-pen is administered, Lauren was kept under observation for about four hours. Thank goodness for children's television. I could tell she was starting to feel better when she started to complain about being hungry and the shows on TV. All in all it was a good learning experience for us. Before this Lauren's only reactions to allergens were hives, stomachache and eczema. As such, I was intimidated by the epi-pen. I now feel more confidant about using one in the future and have had a greater respect for her allergies and how careful I have to be with the food she eats going forward.



June 30

Even though we were told Lauren could resume all her normal activities the next day, it became obvious pretty quickly that she wasn't quite her usual self. She had to continue taking the steroid and antihistamine for two more days and the cumulative side effects of the medicine made her "irritable." Besides swimming lessons (which the kids started Monday morning) I ended up scrapping all other plans for the day besides Will's eye appointment. His vision continues to improve while wearing glasses, with his right (weak) eye 20/25 and left eye 20/20. Will is very good about wearing his glasses when he is awake and making sure we clean them each night.

July 1

I don't remember a lot about Wednesday other than it was another rough day with Lauren. And it was overcast and I was generally in a bad mood. I'm not sleeping well at night and my back aches a fair amount of the time, so she was testing the limits of my uncomfortable, sleep-deprived patience. We battled it out in the afternoon and she repeatedly insisted to me that she didn't know how to sleep on her bed. She also said gems like, "I can't sleep and Dad just wants me to look at the ceiling all night long! That's boring!" She did eventually fall asleep after I relentlessly sang her primary songs for twenty minutes. Either she decided it wasn't a fight worth fighting anymore, or sleep provided the escape she needed from my singing.



July 2

Our internet has been spotty for the past few weeks. Basically the internet works in the morning, but then around lunchtime or midafternoon it totally stops. Annoying because we often stream shows in the evening, but I was able to get my most recent book club read finished in time so it wasn't a total loss. Thursday afternoon a technician came to our home and things have improved significantly. The city is also replacing the electrical lines on our street and so we've had workers in and out of our yard throughout the week, and most likely will next week too as they've left some equipment in our backyard.



July 3

Will puts his face under water now! This is big news. Up until this week he refused, but his swimming lessons seem to have instilled a new confidence in him and he now will do bobs and go under water to retrieve toys. I bought a cheap case for my phone that allows me to take underwater photos and videos and we had fun with it when we went to the pool as a family Friday night.



July 4

We had a fairly quiet, fun 4th of July this year. We made no plans in the morning and had a slow start. Anthony got the kids breakfast and let me sleep in a bit which was awesome. He found some episodes of Liberty's Kids on youtube and they watched a few of those. After lunch we went to the pool, then came home and the kids "rested." I have to use quotes because it's hard to say how much resting actually occurred, but they were at least quieter than normal. For dinner we had a potluck BBQ with several friends. In total there were about 40 people at our house which made for a lot of fun. Then our group headed to the golf course in my parents' old neighborhood and watched the city fireworks. All in all a pretty great holiday.