2018 :: week 34

August 12

Sunday evening we went for a walk after dinner and before bed. We ended up at the school playground so Lauren could work on the monkey bars for a few minutes. While we were there a man that was watching his son's soccer practice told the kids they could take a ride in his toy electric car. Our neighbor Blaise was also at the park and so the two of them took a ride around the blacktop together. Elliott was a surprisingly good driver and he and Blaise seemed to really enjoy their joyride. They just needed a little help--strength--the turn the wheel.

August 13

Monday night we finished FHE with a round of UNO. It was the kid's first full day of school and everyone was a little bit tired.

August 14

I took Elliott to his 3-year check up Tuesday morning. He's still our small little guy--almost 35" tall and 28 pounds. We read our Daniel Tiger Goes to the Doctor book before we went to his check up, and then again a few times in the afternoon.  I spent the rest of the day packing, cleaning and otherwise getting ready for our big trip!

August 15

Wednesday Anthony and I got up before the sun to head to the airport. We flew to Boston to meet up with his parents and then together flew to Finland together! Ever since he returned home from his mission Anthony has wanted to go back. Last year, his parents invited us to go with them and we--mostly Anthony and his mom--have spent the past year planning. It was a long day of traveling. We left KC at 7am Central Time Wednesday morning and didn't arrive in Helsinki until 4pm Thursday afternoon (we lost 8 hours).

August 16

Anthony got right to business when we arrived at our Airbnb in Helsinki Thursday evening. After grocery shopping and dinner he turned the sauna as hot as he could stand and got in. I was exhausted and went to bed. None of us got much sleep on the red eye flight, and then we got delayed a few hours in Amsterdam so I was ready to lay my head down. We all went to sleep relatively early, and were all up and ready to go for the day around 4am. Jet lag is a funny thing.

August 17

We spent our first day as tourists in Tallin, Estonia. We took the two hour ferry ride from Helsinki to Tallin early Friday morning, and after a brisk walk from the port to the old city made it in time for the free guided tour. The tour was excellent and I learned a lot about the history of a country I previously knew very little about. The old city is a fairly well preserved medieval city, I felt like we were walking through the world of a fairy tale. The cobblestone streets and old building, churches and castles were what I would envision the world of Cinderella to look like. We logged a lot of steps this day and I slept great that night.

August 18

Saturday we woke up, packed our bags and picked up a rental car. We drove from Helsinki to Turku. Anthony spent 13 months of his mission in the wards in Turku and visiting was a must. On our way we stopped at the temple in Espoo. When he was on his mission the temple had been announced, but not yet built. It was dedicated shortly after we got married in 2006. While we were on the temple grounds Anthony ran into a few people he knew and ended up visiting with them for close to an hour. We then drove for approximately two hours. I had planned on watching the beautiful countryside, but was so tired I slept most of the drive. In the afternoon we toured the Turku Castle. While we were trying to find a place to park so we could eat dinner and get groceries the bishop of the Turku ward saw Tony and yelled hello!

2018 :: week 33

August 5

Will and Lauren drew several pictures of our family during Sacrament meeting. This picture made me smile because I think I look like Peppermint Patty from Peanuts. Will has been learning to write in cursive and now Lauren is trying to as well.

August 6

It's hard to believe we made it to the last week of summer! And it's not even a full week--the kids start school Friday! On Monday Will's friend Knox spent the day with us. In the afternoon we went to the pool and the boys had fun playing catch, swimming and jumping of the diving board in tandem. They are great friends, even though they are mismatched in their sizes. Knox is the tallest kid in their grade and Will is one of the shortest. Knox wears a size 5 shoe and Will wears 13 kids. But they both love basketball, Pokemon and Legos so it works out just fine.

August 7

Tuesday morning we found out who the kids' teachers were going to be and that night was the PTA Icebreaker. We dropped off their supplies, met their teachers, said hi to old friends and paid various dues and fees. Each of the kids got a shave ice. The building was HOT! After we finished we hurried home to change and fit in a quick trip to the pool. Because most of the kids in the neighborhood were at the school we had the pool almost to ourselves. It was a peaceful way to end the night. I have reached the point of summer where I am starting to get sad that it is ending.

August 8

Wednesday we went to the zoo with the Throssells. The kids were bummed when we recently went to the zoo and didn't get to ride the Ski Safari. We wanted to do a trip where we rode all the rides, but it was hot and our time was still a bit limited. This trip was notable because Lauren finally got up the courage to pet the rays and sharks in the new Sting Ray Bay that was opened a few months ago. That evening Lauren had her first soccer practice of the season and Will had his first Cub Scout activity since June. Fall activities have begun!

August 9

Elliott makes me smile every single day! I had a bit of a headache Thursday and tried to stay in bed a little longer than usual. Elliott ran into my room, slammed the door and told me he would keep the big kids out so I could sleep. It was a noble idea, but he was so loud and chatty any thought of additional sleep was quickly forgotten.

August 10

First day of school! I will never understand why our school district insists on starting the school year with a half day on a Friday, but this is the third year in a row where that has been the case. I'm holding out hope for a slightly later in the month but earlier in the week start date next year. Both of the kids' teachers are new to the school this year. Will started third grade with Ms. Shelton. Lauren started first grade with Ms. Barnett. Elliott was willing to go to whatever class would take him, though he told a few people that asked that he was in "fourth grade" as he held up two fingers.

August 11

On Saturday we celebrated Elliott's third birthday with friends at the pool. We invited a few of Elliott's buddies and their families to join us for swimming, pizza and cupcakes. We had a great time! Nicholas and the Ule family, Kendall and the Throssell family, Blaise and the Mansingh family and Tyler and the Wilson family all came to help us celebrate. Elliott is a bright light in our family. Everyone adores him. He has a special charisma about him and draws people to him with his big eyes and easy smile.

2018 :: week 32

July 29

Sunday morning was wonderful! It was a fifth Sunday and Anthony didn't have his full slew of meetings. Since he was home later than normal I was able to go for a walk with the boys. It had rained during the night and there were a few puddles. Elliott is a big fan of puddles. 

July 30

Monday we went to Science City and brought Will's buddy Porter along with us. We got there right when it opened, which was great because it got crowded as the day went on. 

July 31

Tuesday morning we went to the Arboretum and had a great time! All three kids were fascinated by the turtles sunning themselves in the lake. We walked around the lake, took a short hike, spent a long time in the Train Garden and ran into a few friends. I think I will be going back during the school year with Elliott so he can watch the trains to his heart's content. His older siblings were not as into them as he was.

August 1

I love these sweet kiddos. As we were getting ready for bed I was overcome with gratitude for my little crew. We have had a fun summer and I have really enjoyed the time together this summer.

August 2

We went to the zoo for the first time in months on Thursday with our neighbors (Renee, Blaise and Luke). Being that we had a 1 year old, 2 year old and 3 year old in our party, we weren't able to do everything the older kids wanted to do. I promised to take them again next week. One of the highlights was the very active female white cheeked Gibbon. Apparently she is very territorial and does not like people with blonde hair standing too close to the glass. She whooped and hollered and banged against the glass. It was fun to see!

August 3

Friday evening we went to the Loose Park splash pad. It wasn't very crowded and the kids had the run of the place. On our way home we picked up dinner at Chipotle, then paid a quick visit to the neighborhood pool. The kids played in the pool with Anthony and I sat on the side and read my book. It was a quintessential summer evening.

August 4

Friday morning Emily and I went on a sister date in honor of her birthday next week. We went down to the visit the antique shops in the West Bottoms. Real life Flea Market Flip. We had a fun time talking and browsing and knowing we weren't annoying our husbands. It was fun getting together just the two of us. Usually we are surrounded by children. :) In the afternoon we went to a joint birthday party at the splash park for two little boys in our ward. The kids had a great time running around and eating ice cream. In the evening we watched the Wilson boys so Matt and Emily could go out for a birthday date.