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Another week, another challenge. And this one was a little bit of a challenge. But when we were at the water park yesterday (more on that later), I thought I’d take advantage of the thousands of times Noah went down one of the water slides (Caden wasn’t much of a fan!).
 
And then I started watching the water pouring out of a giant bucket and thought it looked like it had potential. And Andy makes a nice subject.
 
And of course I had to try out a slide or two! (Andy took this one-obviously!)
And now that we’re home, Andy and I are back at the bathroom project. Okay, so he’s doing more of the work right now, but I had to get this pulled together! Anyway, the ceiling fan is on in my room, and I did some experimenting with my camera and shutter speeds.
1/2.5 sec
1/10 sec
1/40 sec
1/80 sec
Now check out other “motion” captures at I Should Be Folding Laundry!
Today I took the boys to a nearby park to meet up with one of Noah’s friends from preschool. His mom and his sister came too. We don’t get to see them nearly often enough, so it was a great chance for the kids to be crazy together and the moms to visit. There was a lot of running, and then a nice picnic lunch in the shade.
Check out their pink cheeks!
We’re heading out soon for a local water park, so stay tuned for pictures from that adventure!
*Doin’ it Ourselves
Andy started the latest project in our house today. We’re going to lay tile in our bathroom. It was time to be rid of the ugly linoleum. So I came home from work to find our toilet in the playroom and my bathroom devoid of any floor besides the subfloor.
We’re in the process of mudding the floor for the cement board that goes under the tile.
I really didn’t realize all of the steps involved in tiling a floor. I thought we’d just take up the linoleum, slap down some grout, put the tiles on, and then grout between the tiles. Not so much. But I have a handy husband who is quite confident in our abilities to do this.
More pictures to come…
We were back at the beach this evening! Not the same one as yesterday, but a beach nonetheless! We met up with friends tonight, so it was double the fun.
Here is my little bud, Andy. He’s been on here before. That face just gets me every time!
 
Here he is with his big sister, Kylie. She’s a great big sister, and a great buddy for my boys. Couldn’t you just eat them up? Especially with cherry juice dripping down his chin???
Oh yeah, my boys were there too.
 
We love hanging out with our buds, and it’s fun for the parents, as well!
Today the forecast called for hot and humid weather. I headed out for a run this morning, which turned into a walk because of the humidity (at least that’s what I’ll blame it on!). I figured it was a good day to hit the beach. The boys agreed.
One of our local beaches is on a 25-acre lake. We’ve discovered that the beach is a great option for our family. Andy and I are happy to lay in the sun on the sand all day, every day. Noah loves to wade in the water and Caden loves to play in the giant sandbox. Happiness for all!
There was a nice breeze, bordering on windy, while we were there, and numerous clouds were rolling in, but it was still really nice to be outside enjoying the warmth, watching the boys play in the sand, and reading my book (“Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” by Lisa See-read it!). A great way to spend a Sunday!
 
Today was Andy’s dad’s family’s annual reunion. Andy’s dad’s mother was one of 12 kids, so it’s a big group. I really know nothing of large families like that. When we got married, my entire family (at the time) numbered 21. That’s including aunts, uncles, cousins, all of ’em. Andy’s family that attended our wedding numbered 63. Three times more than my family. And we had to draw the line as to where to stop inviting! So I think it’s fun to be part of a big family reunion. Luckily, it’s right here in town (at a local park with a pool-bonus), so it’s easy for us to make it.
The day started raining (Hallelujah!!!) and continued to drizzle on us for a bit, until the clouds moved away to be replaced by gorgeous sunshine and hot, humid air. Summer arrived today! The kids played, we all ate, and the adults chatted. I even hula-hooped!
 
Then it was time to head over to the pool to cool off. It’s a great pool! Caden had fun playing with the water jets, and Noah braved the water slide. I couldn’t believe it! It was pretty big, and he was all about it.*
 
 
 
I think we’ll all sleep well tonight!
*This was very encouraging to me, since I’ve booked a room at a nearby hotel/water park for this Wednesday into Thursday. Fun!
Today was the last day of Caden’s summer sports program called “Little Sports Explorer”. Each week they tried a new sport. They did soccer (which he missed while we were on vacation), t-ball, hockey, kickball, another one he missed (because of vacation bible school), and today, track and field. Seriously! It was really cute.
Caden’s group started out in the field talking about running. Then they played Red Light, Green Light.
Then they rotated to the hurdles. First shorter ones, then taller ones. The taller ones don’t look terribly tall-until you put a 3-year-old next to it!
 
Finally, they rotated to shot put. In actuality, it ended up being a chance to throw a ball as far as possible, but close enough.
 
The last thing they did was run a little race against another kid. Caden was running against a little girl, and when they got to the hurdles, Caden went to the shorter ones, and the little girl ended up at the taller ones. She jumped over one, then decided to head over to the shorter ones. Smart kid!
 
Caden really had a good time trying different sports, and he was very excited to get a ribbon at the end!
 
And here are some sweet shots, too.
 
Okay, time for me to vent. Sorry if this gets out of control, or I start rambling, or whatever. But I’m pissed right now.
Today was Noah’s last t-ball game. It’s a gorgeous day, a wonderful breeze blowing, and the team did great. They don’t keep score, but everyone did their best, they had fun, and it was a great ending to the season. We decided to go out for ice cream with three other players. Sounds like a great treat, right? Not so much for me.
We get to the ice cream shop, and immediately my boys are forgetting we’re in a smaller area and start practically shouting to each other about a big tub inside the door that has water flowing into it and tons of coins at the bottom of it. Suddenly I’m being bombarded from all sides for pennies, dimes, quarters, anything I have that resembles a coin. Never mind we’re there for ice cream and I still need to order.
Okay, ordering is done, money is handed out, and we’re heading to a large booth in the back corner. Our ice cream comes, and for 5 blissful minutes, it’s pretty quiet. The moms are enjoying some nice conversation. It should be pointed out that one of the moms is someone who I have just met about 10 minutes earlier. We’re talking about school, the neighborhood, regular old mom talk. Then Noah pipes up to tell me he’s done with his ice cream. I suggest he eat some of Caden’s ice cream since Caden never finishes his. Caden starts to freak out. Thus begins the slippery slope downward.
As the other three kids are sitting nicely, eating their ice cream, Noah starts crawling around on the bench then on the floor to get over to the other side of the table. (Side note: I’m not a big germ freak, but I get really grossed out when my kids are on the floor in public places, especially restaurants where people drop food, step in it, all that gross stuff.) So I’m trying not to make a big scene, but I’m telling Noah to please stay off of the floor. Well, then Caden decides to join in the “fun”, trying to keep up with the big kids. His favorite thing to do that he seems to think is really silly and funny for everyone: spitting. Again, I’m not a huge germ freak, but I. Hate. Spitting. I think I have to tell him on a daily basis, if not more often, that spitting is not acceptable, it spreads germs, and it’s totally gross. Next thing you know, he’s on the floor (gross), spitting (double gross), and talking baby talk. The other three kids are sitting nicely, eating their ice cream.
At this point, I’m trying so hard to not be the screaming mom, the one who can’t control her kids, so desperate to make a good first impression on this new mom. Why does it matter what she thinks of me? I don’t know. But it does, to me. So I say that I think it’s time that we left. Well, that brings up screaming from Caden, significant protesting from Noah, and more mortification for me. We try to quickly say our goodbyes, me trying to save any ounce of dignity I may have left, and leave.
This was our third outing to ice cream shops this summer and the third time it ended with the boys getting out of control, not listening to me, and me getting embarrassed for them to be totally disrespectful to me and anyone around us. It should also be noted that many of our dinner outings end similarly. Oh, and numerous shopping trips also end this way.
So what am I doing wrong? It’s not like we never go out to eat. It’s not like we don’t go out to run errands. It’s not like I don’t tell them the appropriate way to act in public. In fact, we regularly run errands. I regularly go over the general rules as to how they are to act, or how they are not to act. It’s pretty simple, I think: keep you hands to yourself, keep your voices down, no running, and listen to me the first time. How hard is it? Seriously.
I’m getting fired up just thinking about today. Both of the moms I was with have four kids each. FOUR! And I can’t control two! As we were about to leave, I just said that my boys’ behavior is the best birth control there is.
Where did I go wrong? AUGHHHHHHHH!!!
Well, it’s not really you “you”. It’s really me. Yup. Beth wanted us to capture ourselves. I’m not really excited about this challenge, but I’ll do it for Beth!
I actually thought ahead a little bit with this one. See, after I chopped my hair off last summer to donate to Children with Hairloss, I discovered that my hair has some curl to it. I’ve been enjoying allowing my hair to air-dry in a curly/wavy state (with some assistance from some hair goop), significantly cutting my prep time in the morning. I can even get away with not washing my hair every day when I wear it curly/wavy! And during those humid days that we had in Florida in June and the humid days we usually get around here during the summer (though we haven’t had as many as normal), it’s a god-send, because my hair goes wonky anyway.
But I do still like wearing my hair straight. It takes some blow drying (with some assistance from some hair goop) and some brushing, but it works out pretty well. I don’t usually take the time to flat-iron it, which really makes it look the best, but it’s okay.
So yesterday I took the time to blow-dry my hair. And today I wore it curly/wavy*. What do you think?
*This shot is after working in the morning, and just pushing it behind my ears a lot. And I probably should have used a remote or something-this angle is weird!
Check out other posts at I Should Be Folding Laundry.
This is the lavender in my mom’s garden. I so love my mom’s garden. I wish mine could look as nice as hers. But she’s got a bit more of a green thumb than me (as well as a little more disposable income to allow for assistance from a professional landscaper!).
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