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I found this unpublished post in my drafts folder.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.

2017 :: week 21

SUMMER :: WEEK 1

Getting in the swing of summer

May 21

My parents headed to Utah for the week, so we celebrated my birthday a little early. My mom made my favorite peanut butter chocolate rice krispies and the we sang the birthday song.

May 22

We stated the summer of right by taking a trip to the library. Will found a book he had been dying to read (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and he got down to business. By the end of the first week he of summer he read almost 600 pages.

May 23

A fellow OPC mom organized a going away party for our friend Tori. Tori and her family are moving to Texas next month. She was one of the first friends I made last year because she was a fellow "half day mom." Most of the women in this picture were half day moms and I am so grateful for them and their friendship over the past two years. Our family has been so blessed with friendship since Will started kindergarten.

May 24

I found this fort making kit on clearance at Kohl's and gave it to the kids for Christmas. Anthony helped them build some forts after dinner.

May 25

Back in March Holly and I talked about getting together. Then she started a long term substitute teaching gig and didn't have a lot of free time. We were finally able to enjoy a day at the zoo together this week. Will and Bennett were fast friends again and enjoyed checking out the animals together.

May 26

We had an epic family fun night Friday. We went to the splash pad, then watched Honey I Shrunk the Kids together. I loved that movie when I was young and was so delighted by how much Will enjoyed it. It was the perfect start to my birthday weekend.

May 27

My birthday! We started the day by going to Will's best buddy's (Jack Cook) baptism. It was a great baptism. There seemed to be a nice emphasis on becoming a disciple of Christ which was a good topic for me to ponder on the anniversary of my arrival on Earth. That afternoon was dark and stormy. We watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I loved it! Anthony and I watched it again after the kids went to bed because I missed a lot while we watched it with the kids. The Throssells joined us at Red Robin for dinner. It was a great day full and family, friends and things that make me happy. I felt very loved.

2017 :: week 20

May 14

Mother's Day! Due to a fender bender the night before, we ended up taking family pictures at the Navarre Pier Sunday evening. After the pictures we walked along the pier. This was one of our favorite things we did on our Florida trip back in 2015.  For Mother's Day I told Anthony and the kids that their Mother's Day gift to Memaw was to not complain about taking the family pictures. They didn't complain too much.

May 15

Monday was our last full day in Florida. We spent most of it at the beach. We spent the morning hunting for shells, the afternoon playing in the water and the evening in the sand. It was just so gorgeous and picturesque! I saw sad to leave.

May 16

Wednesday was our travel day. Anthony travels quite a bit more than the rest of us so he gets a Southwest "A" boarding pass each time he flies. Elliott boarded with him while Will, Lauren and I waited to board with the families. It was a much smoother trip home than out. We were all so tired that afternoon and evening.

May 17

Art imitating life. Lauren and Will made an airport that was connected to a beach out of their Legos Wednesday afternoon.

May 18

Lauren only had two days of preschool once we returned from our trip. The district switched the end date of school on us after we had already made our plans and it is harder than you think to coordinate a time for 6 busy families. Lauren's preschool teacher this year was Miss Diana. She is awesome! Lauren loved being in her classroom, they both like singing and crafts. Miss Diana's son is going to be a life guard at our neighborhood pool this summer so we look forward to running into her there!

May 19

Will's finished first grade in style! He had a great year. He learned a lot, made new friends and gained a lot of confidence. What more could a parent want for their child?

May 20

After his Saturday night bath Elliott climbed into the big bed in his room. Will saw him, joined him and read him a book. I love my little buddies.

2017 :: week 19

May 7

Our ward relief society has a visiting teaching conference the first Sunday in May. This year we did a skit featuring various visiting teaching "ants" at a picnic discussing ways to be a good visiting teacher. I was Observ-Ant. Acting isn't my calling in life, but it was fun working with these ladies.

May 8

The kids always want to play outside after school. I got out my camping chair to watch them play and it made me smile when they were all lined up. Spring makes me happy.

May 9

Monday and Tuesday were my big work days. We left Wednesday for our family reunion trip to Florida. I was pretty busy doing all the prep work, but got ahead of schedule enough that I was able to take Lauren and Elliott to a birthday party for our friend Emmett.

May 10

Wednesday was our travel day! We left after school, flew through Nashville and arrived in Pensacola around 8:30. By the time we rented our car and got to our hotel room it was pretty late. Our trip out was not without stress. There was a car accident and our trip to the airport was delayed by about twenty minutes. The Southwest employee was struggling with our tickets and after spending over twenty minutes with him waiting for our luggage to get processed and our boarding passes to print we were some of the last people on the plane. Elliott threw up down my shirt just after we took off. The plane we were on had some serious undisclosed "technical difficulties" including an ineffective air conditioner and had to be towed to the gate after we landed. That night Will and Lauren both struggled to sleep so we had to change up in the middle of the night.

May 11

The beach is beautiful and as a Midwesterner I am amazed and awestruck by the ocean every time I visit.

May 12

We went to the beach in the morning and early afternoon, but a thunderstorm passed through in the evening. The ladies, including Lauren, and some of the men got pedicures. That night we had a bubble blowing contest with some bubble gum my mom bought. Will LOVED this activity.

May 13

Saturday we rented paddle boards. It was the windiest day we were there, so it was a lot harder than I was expecting. The house we stayed in was on the sound with a short walk to the beach. Most of us weren't brave enough to brave the ocean with the paddleboards, but the sound was perfect. Lauren had never heard of a sound before, and when we left to go swim asked if we were going to the "noise" or the "beach."

2017 :: week 18

April 30

Both Anthony and I have been bitten by the family history bug this year. I've always had a general interest in our family histories, but over the past few months I've spent more time trying to learn more about the lives of my progenitors. This is a photo of my maternal grandmother Joan, and her older sister Olive in Manchester, England.

May 1

I feel like our bedtime routine is ever-evolving. Now that the sun is setting later we are having a hard time getting the kids to want to go to bed. We don't want black out curtains in the entire house. :) Currently we've been letting the kids pick a book or two to read on our room before we head up to their room. Lauren usually picks a Berenstain Bear.

May 2

The weather went from warm to cold to hot this week. My head did not appreciate all this fluctuation. I hate when I get headaches and this one did not come at a convenient time. Anthony was out of town for four days, and I had previous committed myself to doing several things (treats for teacher appreciation at both Will's and Lauren's schools, helping chaperone a field trip, an appointment for long-overdue electrical work, and a RS meeting). The kids and I hit Hy-Vee  to buy supplies for the teacher appreciation breakfast at Lauren's school the next day.

May 3

Will's poor first grade class had pretty back luck with the weather this year when it comes to field trips. It was windy and cold during their trip to the pumpkin patch in October (Will missed it because we were in Utah for Jill's wedding). Their trip to the Historic Mahaffie Farm was the coldest and wettest day of the week. It was 47 degrees with steady rain when we arrived. Because it was so close to the end of the school year and schools book these trips months in advance, there were no available slots to reschedule. We soldiered on. It was fun to see Will interact with his classmates and to get to know them better.

May 4

Nearly six years after moving into our home, and many, many bumped heads later, we finally replaced the light fixture in our kitchen. It is nothing fancy, just an LED light from Home Depot , but it gets the job done. We also had the ceiling fan in Elliott's room and several wall plates replaced that were no longer working. Money well spent.

May 5

Friday was nice and warm and the kids and because the kids had a day off from school we went strawberry picking. I wanted to go on the front end of the season being that the rest of the month we were quite busy. We picked some berries, the kids played on the bales of hay and we shared some strawberry doughnuts. Fun way to spend a morning with no school!

May 6

Anthony arrived home late Friday night. It had been a long week for both of us and when my friend mentioned that she and her husband were going to a free play at JCCC Saturday evening I asked if we could tag along. Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and spend time with friends without worrying about anything else! I was able to hire a sitter last minute and we went to the play and got ice cream afterwards. It was nice out and we were comfortably able to eat our ice cream and chat for awhile. The free play was Assassins by Stephen Sondheim. It is about the various men and women who have attempted to assassinate presidents of the United States. Some were successful (John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz) and some were not (John Hinckley Jr., Sara Jane Moore, Lynette Fromme, etc.). It was different than I was expected, but made me think.