2013 :: week 28

Lauren loves to "help." She's quite possessive of the dustpan. She gets quite upset if she spies me sweeping and I try to use the dustpan myself.

I know I'm probably the last person to this party, but I listened to an audiobook for the first time this week. In the past I've limited my use of audiobooks to the roadtrips, but this week I listened to a book while working our photo album and other housekeeping.

Lauren's hair is always getting in her face and so we tried out a new hairstyle Tuesday. Her hair is getting quite long in the back, but the hair on the side isn't growing quiiite as fast.

On Wednesday we went to a Paul Messner puppet show sponsored by Olathe Library. I wasn't sure how the kids would do, but Will absolutely LOVED it. He laughed hysterically at the parts that were supposed to be funny. It was quite over the top. Other kids were enjoying his sideshow. Apparently all the laughing wore him out, because he fell asleep on the way home. It was a hot day and I attempted to relocate him to the couch, but he woke up in the process. I should have learned my lesson now.

Thursday we made a multi-store shopping trip. Costco was our first stop and even that was too much for Will. He told me wanted to take a nap in the cart and tried to get comfortable.

Friday afternoon we took advantage of chik-fil-a's dress like a cow customer appreciation and got some free lunch. Will really liked the dressing up like a cow. 

Saturday we got our grill on. We had the missionaries over for dinner and grilled hot dogs, brats and chicken.

it's independence day!

We had a fun-filled 4th of July. It started early (for me). I did a 5k first thing in the morning. For some reason I was thinking the start time was later than it actually was (7am), so I was pretty tired. So tired, in fact, that when I got to the race I realized I forgot my bib and timing chip. A woman asked if I wanted to walk with her, so we kept each other company as we jogged through Old Town Lenexa.

When I got home we ate breakfast, then headed back to Old Lenexa for the community parade. The kids are funny about parades. They like parades until we are at one. Typical.

Will really liked the army band. Lauren was pretty freaked out by the shriner clowns and never really recovered.

That afternoon we had a few friends over for a small barbeque. Everyone brought their own meat and a side to share.

 Lauren was a scavenger and tried to eat off the abandoned plates.

After eating we went to our friends' house to set off a few fireworks.

obligatory family holiday pic

Each family had bought some poppers, so we spent a good while letting the kids make some noise. Then the adults brought out a few bigger fireworks and the kids retreated to the lawn.

Lauren loves being a "big kid." Our friend Drew did NOT like the smell of the smoke bombs. He was so cute sitting on his chair, holding his nose.

I wasn't sure if he would be up to it, but Will loved the sparklers. He was so focused on his sparkler that he wouldn't look up for a picture.

After our firework fun we met up with my mom and sister to watch the city fireworks. There is a golf course attached to my parents' neighborhood with a great view.

 
Lauren was so hopped up on sugar (I think she had eaten 6 twizzlers) and sleep-deprived that she kept bouncing back and forth between my mom and me throughout the entire show.

patches

Last week my mom showed me a picture in which one of Will's eyes was red and the other white (the rest of us all have slight red-eye).

I didn't know this, but apparently eyes reflecting different colors in photos can be a sign of an eye disease. After doing some internet research and consulting family eye-expert, Uncle Steven, we decided to take Will to see an ophthalmologist for an eye exam.

We first had to meet with our pediatrician and get a referral. She did a brief exam. She told me she saw red reflex in both eyes, which put my mind more at ease. I really like our pediatrician. She called me on her day off to follow up and make sure that things went okay at the ophthalmologist appointment.

We spent a few hours getting Will's eyes examined. I was very pleased with how well he did with it all. He did feel a bit betrayed when they put drops in his eye to get them to dilate. In the end they determined that Will has an amblyopia. I have noticed that his eyes look a bit crossed, especially when he is tired or has been watching TV for awhile. He gets to wear a patch over his left eye for three hours a day for at least the next two months to help strengthen his right eye.

We're now five days into the daily patch wearing. Some days have gone better than others. As long as he is distracted, it goes pretty well. The problem is distracting him for three full hours. We've set up a series of positive reinforcements that have helped. For the time being, he gets a popsicle at the end of the three hours. After a week of successful patch-wearing he gets to pick an activity to do with mom and dad (no Lauren).

2013 :: week 27

Sunday evening we met up with some friends at the park near our house. It was a gorgeous summer night! The adults had some fun conversations while the kids played. We all ate cookies. If you look closely you can see Lauren climbing the ladder in the back.

Lauren hoards all things, including pool toys. The green shark is her favorite. She really enjoyed our one-on-one swim time while Will was taking his swimming lessons the past two weeks. She is getting almost too confidant in the water. It is fun to pull her around and watch her kick.

Tuesday evening we had dinner with our good college friends, Brad and Karen, and their fun kids. We have several connections with them--Tony and Brad were roommates and BYU, I know Brad because we grew up in the same stake, and Tony met Karen when he painted houses in Seattle one summer. We talked for hours, but it felt like the evening flew by.

Wednesday morning we went to the library before swimming lessons. They had an outdoor activity, "Dig into Dirt," set up, which the kids were all too excited to check out. Lauren kept her eye on the lawn mower, and snatched it up when it was finally available. Will played with worms, made a sand pie and blew bubbles. I really love all the activities our neighborhood library has been sponsoring this summer.

We had a pretty laid back Independence Day. Some friends offered to share their kid-friendly fireworks with us, so we went to their house and had a lot of fun. We spent most of our time with poppers. Will initially preferred detonating the poppers with a stomp, but later he figured out how to pop them with his fingers.

Friday we hit up some holiday sales at the Legends Outlets. Both kids were exhausted from the late night the night before and passed out while we were still in the parking lot on the way home. Even though the kids didn't have much energy we were able to snag a few good deals, making the trip worth it in my book.

Will really wanted to practice jumping in the water when we went to the pool today. He devloped an elaborate count and approach to his jumps.

2013 :: week 26

This week can pretty much be summed up in two words (pool and paint) or activities (swimming and home improvement).

Will gave his first talk in Primary on Sunday. He's had other assignments this year, but this was the first time we had to write the material. I'm a little embarrassed by the amount of stress I felt preparing for the 2.5 minute talk. The presentation went well. We got to church early and practiced a few time. He really liked using the microphone and did great when it was time for him to speak.

Will started swimming lessons this week, so the pool was a daily thing for us. The kids worked up quite an appetite and devoured the muffins and fruit I packed for us to eat on Monday. The rest of the week I packed more. Between the prep work and clean up, not to mention actually keeping track of the kids at the pool, pool trips are never really "relaxing." But they almost always go to bed well on nights we go, and we all have a good time, so we keep going.

Tuesday morning was pretty rainy. After an abbreviated swimming lesson (due to lightening in the area), Will came home and ran around on the deck for a bit. As you can see the paint is peeling on our patio and it needs to be refinished. We worked on that over the weekend.
 

 

While Anthony was in DC I painted the kitchen walls. It wasn't a very difficult job, but one I've been putting off for ages. It took me several tries before I found the right color, but I feel really happy with the one I ended up using. I also feel pretty pleased with myself for doing a project totally by myself, even if it was just painting.

Thursday afternoon I took the kids to the children's museum. I went with pretty low expectations which were slightly exceeded, so the trip was a success. Lauren really got into building while we were there. She spent a lot of time playing with Duplos, making towers, knocking them down, then expecting me to pick them up.

This is the remains of one of the dead bushes in our backyard. The drought last summer claimed a few of our plants and since we were in "home improvement/yardwork" mode, I decided it was time to get rid of it. While Tony prepped our deck for refinishing, I used a hedge-trimmer and shovel to get rid of the offending bushes.

Due to the aforementioned deck refinishing, we took a family trip to Home Depot and the kids wanted to explore the "barns" (sheds) displayed out front. The kids had fun dancing in the barn and Lauren mooed, hoping to see a cow. Our trip to the Home Depot, or "Ho Depot" as Will calls it, was also notable because we ran into our Congressman in the plant section.

climber

Lauren is a little climber. She may be short, but she doesn't let that stop her from trying to get what she wants. I often walk into a room and find her in some sort of precarious position. Sometimes she is trying to reach something that was placed out of her reach, and sometimes she just seems to be climbing for fun. Will has never been much of a daredevil, so this is all new for me.

2013 :: week 25

After eating more than we should for dinner on Father's Day, we decided to take a walk. Lauren took off and ran as fast as her little bowed legs could carry her and Will marched slow and steady with his drum. Between a freezing church building and the air conditioner in our car and home, we didn't realize how hot and humid it was outside. Both kids ended the walk by demanding to be carried the final eighth of a mile to our house.

Despite knowing about it for weeks, I put off constructing some look-and-find bags for our Relief Society service night (I'm on the planning committee) until the last minute. I had planned on a long night of "crafting" after the kids went to bed Monday because Tony had left that morning for DC. Turns out the training he had flown out for was cancelled, so he turned around and came back that night. While I was excited to have him back early, picking him up seriously cut into my sewing time! While I cut and sewed I watched a few episodes of the American Experience about FDR.

 
Tuesday evening Anthony and Will spent some time doing "mouse cards." Mouse cards are really Brain Quest cards for 3-4 year olds that Will loves to go through. The "monkey cards" are the Brain Quests for 2-3 year olds that have been passed on to Lauren. She can answer a few of the questions, but for the most part she just enjoys having cards of her own to look at while we quiz Will.

Wednesday morning we went to the library for their song and dance time. The kids loved it. Loved it. They had these ribbons for the kids to wave around during some of the song and Lauren hoarded them. There were a lot of great people-watching moments during the hour we were there, but my favorite was watching the hippie librarian dance around to a kiddie cover of "Yellow Submarine."

Thursday morning we went to Porter Park to meet friends from Hickory Hill's playgroup. We were very late and it was pretty humid, but it was a bright and sunny day and the kids had a great time. I enjoyed visiting with Rachel and spending time at a new park.

Friday we got to spend the evening celebrating Laura's 20th birthday. One of the perks of living so close to my parents is that we get to spend time with my sisters when they are in town. Laura is home from BYU for the summer, so instead of celebrating her bday with a bunch of friends she got to spend it with Will practically opening all her presents for her. Laura is gorgeous and smart, but so down to earth and fun. I'm glad

Of all the things we did today, cleaning the toilets was far and away the thing Will looked forward to the most. For some reason Will really likes to "clean the potties!" I hope he always is so enthusiastic about chores. Also, photographic proof for future roommates/wife that we taught him how to clean.

2013 :: week 24

Lauren's new shoes of choice are these pink water shoes my mom picked up for her on the clearance rack last year. They are great for the pool, but she wants to where them everywhere. After vetoing them for church, we let her wear them around Sunday evening. She was quite pleased.

Will has been begging to go to the children's museum ever since we got back from Utah. Monday was the first day that worked out for us to go and we were there as soon as they opened that morning. As usual, we spent a disproportionate amount of time in the ball room. I was relieved the museum wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been the past few visits, making it much easier to keep track of Lauren.

Tuesday we went to Olathe and had an indoor picnic with the Diggins. Will loves the Diggins because Carrie's keeps her pantry well stocked with a variety of good food and their den well stocked with art supplies. Lauren likes their toys and "bay-BEE" Gwen. I enjoy chatting with Carrie and knowing my kids are having a good time. A visit with the Diggins is always a win for the whole family, especially when Anthony is out of town and we're all getting a little tired of each other.

At the pool Wednesday afternoon Lauren was driving me a little nuts wandering too and fro. As I followed her from place to place I daydreamed about future days of coming to the pool, lounging and reading a book while my kids cheerfully play together. Then I saw noticed her cute little footprints and decided I should probably stop wishing my life away and just enjoy the present.

Will is a lover of "art projects." I'm having a hard time keeping up with his need to create. Luckily he isn't too picky. Here he is stamping a zoo with some new animal stamps.

Friday afternoon we went to a "goodbye" picnic for several girls from our old ward. Despite Will running out in front of a car and getting cursed, we had a fun time. Several of the kids had fun spinning each other around on the old school merry-go-round. Watching the kids play reminded me of how much fun it is to be young in the summer.

Saturday brought some crazy weather. After a hot, sunny morning we were treated to a sky full of clouds before severe thunderstorms. The clouds reminded me of snowdrifts, spread out across the sky. I don't know why, but I find clouds so fascinating.