2017 :: week 25

SUMMER :: WEEK 5

the week with lots of friends

June 18

Happy Father's Day to Tony! Due to the Olathe Stake Conference our meeting time was switched from 9am to 1pm. This worked out nicely because we were able to have a relaxing morning. We slept in, made German pancakes and played multiple rounds of Clue Jr., and Sleeping Queens.

June 19

We cashed in our Blue Crew tickets to see the Royals take on the Red Sox Monday evening. We met the Cooks about an hour before the game started and spent some time at the Little K while the kids took on some batting practice, pitched, climbed on the playground and rode the carousel. The actual game was great too! Will and Jack went wild when Eric Hosmer hit a home run (he's on Anthony's fantasy team so it wasn't all bad for him either). It was a fun game made better with fun company and yummy snacks. We visited about the Cooks upcoming move back to California. We are going to miss them! Our families match up really well--there is a built-in friend for each member of both families.

June 20

We made our weekly library visit Tuesday afternoon. Will beat me in a game of checkers and was pretty excited. I must defend myself a little bit, I was very distracted by trying to keep tabs on Elliott.

June 21

Several ladies from the ward got together for the morning "splash with me" pool session at Flat Rock Creek Park. It is intended for younger kids and in years past my kids have really enjoyed it, but I fear we may be outgrowing some of these activities. My kids were the oldest kids there, though there were several girls Lauren's age. Will was bummed no one his age was there and that he couldn't swim in the deep end. Even though there were friends for Lauren to play with, she too felt limited by the shallow end. At least Elliott enjoyed the spray features. Playgroups and park meet-ups have been my lifeline ever since I became a stay-at-home mom. It is weird to think that they won't always be a big part of my life.

June 22

When the kids ask if they can "do science" I know what they are really asking is, "can we mix various ingredients and see if there is a reaction?" Vinegar and baking soda are the building blocks of most of the experimentation, then they add whatever they can find in my spice drawer. This day they added sprinkles, cocoa powder, baking powder and cumin. The mixture had an interesting smell. When Anthony arrived home from work he asked if I had "done some baking?" The kids also used a "Kitchen Science" kit to make a volcano, shoot a rocket and conduct electricity through a tomato.

June 23

For the first time in months we got together with the Diggins clan. We made a list of things we wanted to do this summer and "playdate at Gwen's house" was high on Lauren's list. The kids played together very well and Carrie and I chatted about the current happenings in our lives.

June 24

Two of our neighbors (the Andrews and Sutherlins) smoke meat occasionally and they coordinated a block party BBQ Saturday evening to share the wealth with the rest of us. We brought cookies, chips and fruit and feasted on the delicious meat they prepared. Water balloons, good music and good company made for a fantastic evening. It was not very humid and the weather was uncharacteristically cool for a Kansas summer night. 

2017 :: week 24

SUMMER :: WEEK 4

the week of VBS and pool time

June 11

Cousins in nursery! Emily texted me this picture from the nursery on Sunday. Tyler and Lauren are 29 months apart in age while Tyler and Elliott are 18 months apart in age. At this point, Tyler considers himself to a big kid and Elliott to be a baby even though they are much closer in age to each other. Elliott's speech delay does make him seem younger than he is. It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops. So far, so good.

June 12

The older kids attended a vacation bible school (VBS) this week. Elliott was my little buddy while the big kids were gone. We delivered Meals on Wheels, went grocery shopping and ran a few errands that are more pleasant with just one kid in tow. The timing couldn't have been better being that Anthony had work in Dahlgren, VA, for four days this week. There are many things I love about having my kids home all day in the summer, but grocery shopping with the crew is not one of them.

June 13

Saffi spent the day with us while her mom Tabitha spent the day with Soren at Cub Scout Camp. (Not sure if I am looking forward to that next year.) I was pleasantly surprised that the girls got along so well and the only "fight" during the 5 hours she was with us was over the star cookie cutter.

June 14

Elder Kelly has served in our ward since a few days after Christmas. He got transferred this week and came by (along with Elder Limon) to say goodbye. He also gifted the kids some nerf guns that they have loved playing with since then. He is a good missionary and we'll miss him.

June 15

We met the Kanaks and Steiners at the Marty Pool instead of our usual Bluejacket Thursday afternoon. I was tempted to buy dinner on the way home (Chipotle was sounding really good), but decided to be "good" and stick to my plan of making spaghetti. I started cooking dinner immediately after we arrived at home and pretty soon was feeling pretty hot. The fan on our microwave does not work and the boiling pasta was making the kitchen feel really humid. When I went to turn the AC down a few degrees I was surprised to see how warm it was. I turn it up to 77 when we are going to be gone for several hours, but it has never gone about 78 before. It was at 81 degrees and rose to 84 before holding steady at 80 overnight. Our HVAC guy was able to come over Friday afternoon and replace the capacitor. It was a relatively quick and inexpensive fix.

June 16

Will and Lauren spent the week at the Valley View United Methodist Church's Vacation Bible School. The theme was Treehouse Tales of God's Love. They learned about God's love throughout the week with the following themes: Jesus is Coming (“You are the light of the world.”), Jesus is Born (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”), Jesus Serves (“Love each other.  Just as I have loved you.”), Jesus Lives (“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.”) and Jesus Sends (“Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”). Both kids listed singing time as their favorite, with science, gym, service and snack tied for second place. They made several cute crafts that I want to keep in mind for the next time I am a primary teacher. The kids attended a VBS at this church last year with several neighborhood friends. This year cub scout camp was the same week and none of Will's friends were at the VBS. Two girls from his class (Olivia B and Harper) were in his group and he had a great time playing with them instead.

June 17

Lauren is a prolific artist. She creates a pretty steady stream of art work and she likes to display as much as possible. I saw some cute gallery rails at Land of Nod, but with the price of shipping one three foot rail was almost $40. I found a similar item on amazon for less than half the price, took a gamble and bought it. Anthony helped me hang it Saturday afternoon while we crossed off a few things on the never-ending to-do list.

POOL TIME 2016

I found this unpublished post in my drafts folder. It is fun looking back at the fun we had last summer. I am trying to be more consistent about blogging, you know, since everyone is using Instagram Chatbooks now. I really like instagram and the idea of chatbooks (I haven't actually made on yet but plan to). For the past few years I have been using my old blog posts for a lot of the content in the photo books I made through Blurb.  

2017 :: week 23

SUMMER :: WEEK 3

the week it was so cool it tricked us into thinking it would be cool this summer

June 4

My parents treated us and the Wilson's to Sunday dinner. After we ate the lamb roast we went for a walk around the neighborhood. That's a lot of blonde hair in that wagon. Emily and I married the blondest of the Crane brothers-in-law, and so far our kids are far and away the blondest of the Crane clan.

June 5

My dad is a busy guy with a lot on his plate, and he still made time to basically plant our garden for us again this year. Our little patch was successful last year so we expanded things a bit. In addition to tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, and green peppers we also planted carrots and lettuce. Unfortunately, the lettuce was eaten down to a nub within 24 hours of planting--darn rabbits!

June 6

Will's baseball team the "Red Aces" played a great game Tuesday night. I was bracing for a rough outing being that Tony was in DC and the game started at 7:45pm, but it was actually a very pleasant evening. There was a nice breeze, several other siblings of players to entertain Lauren, and the most exciting baseball game to date. I really like this group of boys.

June 7

The pool is currently my favorite feature of our neighborhood. We go almost daily, Sometimes we plan to meet up with friends, but we usually just go when Elliott gets up from him nap and see who is there. Will and Lauren are always very good about playing together. This week we saw about a dozen 1st graders and Will played with all of them at some point. Trevor and Soren (pictured here) were Will's first friends in his kindergarten class last year. The three of them (and two others) were assigned to the same table and also were "half day kids." They were each in a different first grade classroom, but still seem to enjoy each other as much as they did before.

June 8

My friend Emilee texted me Thursday morning to see if we were interested in hiking around the Ernie Miller Nature Center. We had no set plans so we packed some lunches and headed over. We walked along the trails and spent a fair amount of time throwing rocks in the stream. That night Anthony drove up to Girl's Camp for testimony meeting.

June 9

Will and Lauren helped me watch the Wilson boys for a few hours Friday so Emily and Matt could unpack in peace. Mikey and Will have really taken to each other. Mikey seems to think Will is hilarious and Will enjoys playing with him.

June 10

We spent Saturday afternoon taking the big kids on dates. We try to alternate taking each kid on date each month so in theory they get six dates with each parent a year, twelve total. We hadn't done any dates since March because we've been fairly busy and the kids had been asking for them so we decided to do both on the same day. Anthony took Will to the batting cages and then to Arby's to try their new pizza slider. Will is a big Arby's slider aficionado and was interested in trying it. He gave it thumbs up. Lauren and I went to the mall to get her a sundress she could wear over her swimsuit when we walk to and from the pool. H&M had several cute options for $5. Then we went to Panera and enjoyed cashing in my free birthday pastry. We also stopped at the Lego Store and played for a few minutes.

2017 :: week 22

SUMMER :: WEEK 2

the week it started to feel like summer

May 28

Elliott is at such a fun age right now. He still isn't talking much, but he is communicating more every day. Belvitas are his favorite treat and he will do just about anything to get one. He has figured out that the lock on our pantry is broken and knows how to pull it just right to open the door. We keep the crackers on the top shelf and he has yet to get up there, but when you see him getting agitated in front of the open pantry door you know what he's after.

May 29

We made our inaugural visit to the pool Monday afternoon after attending our ward's annual Memorial Day picnic. The water is heated which makes swimming in May much more pleasant. I took Will and Lauren first, then Anthony and Elliott joined us after nap time.

May 30

The Wilson's are now Kansas residents! About six weeks ago (maybe more, maybe less) my sister Emily mentioned that they were thinking about moving back to Kansas, but that they were going to pray about it. They felt like they should explore the possibility and then things started falling into place one after another. Good job, check! Necessary profit on condo to buy a house in Kansas, check! Place to live in Kansas, check! Over the long weekend they packed up their stuff, headed east and arrived in the OP late Monday night. Tuesday afternoon we helped them unload their truck. It is going to be so much fun having cousins living close!

May 31

We were in our garage loading up the stroller with pool paraphernalia with plans to meet the Throssells at the pool when we head a crack of thunder. When lightening is spotted within twelve miles of the pool it has to close for thirty minutes. We decided to go to the library to pass the time and while we were there we head even more thunder. I ran into a friend who mentioned that it was $1.50 cone day (on the 31st of each month single scoop cones are only $1.50). At this point we knew the pool wouldn't be happening so we figured ice cream was the next best thing. The kids enjoyed the treat, then we went home and read our books.

June 1

The weather was stormy off and on all day Thursday. We made our annual pilgramage to the Holy Spirit Parrish Garage Sale and made off with a good haul. For $4 we scored Clue Jr., a brand new deck of Rook cards, 5 Little People figurines, a Clifford Book, 2 Hot Wheels cars, a KU keychain and Hello Kitty sandwich holder. I was careful to look through the Clue Jr., box and counted out each piece to make sure all were there before we made our purchase. The one thing I forgot to account for was the instruction card! Thanks to the wonder of the internet I was able to find them. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed playing this game. I remember playing a version of Clue Jr., when I was young and didn't really like it. I give the "Case of the Missing Cake" version two thumbs up. I was so engrossed with playing I didn't have time to make banana bread for book club like I had planned. It was my month to host and we read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

June 2

Friday morning I took Anthony to the doctor. He hadn't been feeling well for over a week, complaining mainly of a headache. As he described his symptoms to me it sounded like he probably had a sinus infection. On Tuesday afternoon he went to the doctor and started on an antibiotic and I assumed he was on the up and up. Unfortunately he was not on the up and up. Things would get worse before they got better. By Wednesday, in addition to the constant pounding headache, earache and coughing he started to feel nauseous and had a hard time keeping any sustenance down. We don't know if it was a bad reaction to the medication or if he had a virus on top of or instead of a sinus infection. The doctor started him on a Z-Pak Friday morning. He spent part of Wednesday and all of Thursday and Friday in bed. The kids and I got in on the "National Doughnut Day" fun and picked out doughnuts at Krispy Kreme to take to the park Friday evening. My parents and the Wilsons did too.

June 3

By Saturday Anthony was doing quite a bit better. The nausea was mostly gone and the headache was less intense. It was still another 24 hours before he was feeling more like himself, but I was very relieved to see some improvement. This was the sickest I remember ever remember him being. While Elliott napped I took the big kids to the pool. I LOVE watching them play together.