2023 :: week 30

Summer Week #10

July 23

Sunday afternoon we attempted to get a picture of all the grandkids with their tie-dyed shirts. Some were more excited about it than others. That evening after (salmon) dinner the sisters had a "meeting" with our mom and dad where we discussed end of life plans, asset locations, retirement goals, funeral wishes, etc. All that stuff people love to think about. ;)

July 24

Monday morning the Toms packed up and headed back to Utah. We enjoyed having them, but know that travel with toddlers and babies is exhausting. Sunday night we stayed up later than we should have visiting with Laura and Trevor, so I was a bit tired Monday. Monday night Melanie and I went to see the Barbie movie with friends from my book club. We thought it was clever and especially loved "Weird Barbie," because our family definitely had a weird off-brand Barbie affectionately referred to as Horns. Horns originally was in our Grandma Crane's small selection of toys, but one of our Barbies got swapped with Horns and she became legend with the Crane sisters.

July 25

Tuesday we went to Clinton Lake with the cousin crew. Jill & Jake brought their paddle board and tent, which made things extra fun and comfortable. The Staritas brought Tyler with them and we brought Mikey so the Wilson boys could come even though Matt had to work and Emily didn't want to take Calvin out in the sun. The kids had fun swimming, playing in the sand and digging for clay. The adults had fun chatting and snacking and swimming a bit too. Our water life has gotten so much more pleasant now that Miles enjoys the water. I remembered to bring our cooler, but left our bag of food (pretzels, cookies, etc.) on the counter at home, so others shared with us. Tony really liked the cinnamon sugar Dot's pretzels that tasted like churros. 

July 26

I was so tired on Wednesday. I got up and took Elliott to an early dentist appointment (he got his first filling) and felt like I was dragging all day after that. In the afternoon we stopped by his classmate Jaklyn's summer treat sale. Jacklyn and her brother James were selling strawberry lemonade and cake flavored homemade ice cream. I can honestly say I have never bought roadside treats from kids that tasted this good! Their mom Katy is an excellent cook so I shouldn't have been too surprised

July 27

On Thursday afternoon I drove Will & Lauren to Independence for the MAMA festival. They had a bit of nerves on the drive there. The kids perform their pieces in a room alone with a judge. While Will was performing "Katy's Dance," he stopped and restarted and I was worried for him. When he came out he was sure he had failed, but he played well enough on his second try and even better on "The Spy" that he still received a Superior rating. Lauren also received superior ratings for her song, "Part of Your World," and "Jazzy Cat." At the practice recital the week before she made several mistakes and was excited to redeem herself. I was so proud of both of them for working hard and persevering through set-backs. I treated the kids to chick-fil-a milkshakes and we headed home, they had to wait a few weeks for their teacher to bring them their trophies. Last year the festival was in St. Louis and we made a trip of it, but when it is in KC we don't go back Sunday for the award's ceremony.

July 28

Friday we said goodbye to the Staritas (they would leave Saturday morning). In the morning we went to the Allred's house to celebrate Arthur's birthday a little early. His really wanted to have a birthday party with his cousins and the Allreds went all out putting on a really fun water party. That evening we went to Bluejacket for Blaise's birthday party. He and Elliott have gotten to be great buddies this last year! The pool really cooled us off, which was perfect because we then met the Throssells at Theatre in the Park to see Footloose. I had no idea how many classic songs came from that movie! I knew about the theme song (obviously), but "Almost Paradise," "Let's Hear it for the Boy," and "Holding out for a Hero" were all surprises. 

July 29

Saturday I hosted a small group recipe exchange relief society activity. Each of us prepared an easy go-to meal and brought it and the recipe to share. Kami, Rebecca, Jennifer, Bonnie and Allison attended. It was fun trying new recipes and visiting with friends. In the evening the Maxfields arrived for a week of fun! Lauren's friend's (Breña) mom was selling authentic Peruvian food that we bought for dinner for the adults and we treated the kids with pizza. After dinner we walked over the the pool and went swimming. It was cheaper for the Maxfields to buy a pool pass than to pay each time if we went three times, and being that it was forecasted to be in the high 90s most of their visit we figured we'd be spending a lot of time at the pool. We are excited to show the Maxfields the four OP Pools over the next week, and are interested in their unbiased assessments of the pools.