Home Depot

Today was another home depot project day. The kids were actually having a blast playing with their toys that I had to drag them away to go. I ended up not giving them a choice when their playing included filling our play kitchen's sink with water. This month the project was making coasters and a coaster holder. It was actually a little trickier than the left project because the pieces were small, but we got them made! Caleb looked adorable wearing his apron. Kendall refused to wear hers because she is nervous about the pins.
We then headed to Michael's to make our next craft. We are really on a roll with these crafts! Today's crafts were a dream catcher and a flag pin. It required the kids to do lots of beading, which was wonderful fine motor skills! Caleb did great, but Kendall was about ready for a nap at that point, so she was a little crabby.
After nap time we headed to Uncle Sticks house to hang out for a bit. The kids decided to give their coaster to Ken and Jackie. I thought it was pretty nice of them! We ended the night watching one of the Star Wars movies. It was another great day!

Great America

Caleb and I had a fabulous day today at Great America. I was nervous after we went on the first ride...the carousel. Caleb chose to sit in a chair instead of on a horse because they were scary. Yikes...I was really worried that he wouldn't go on any rides. So, I forced him on the second ride to prove to him that he will and did survive! He had a morbid look on his face during the entire ride, but was all smiles when we got off. Phew! That could have backfired!
So, we made it on a few rides then his the raging rapids...the one with the raft. Caleb and Julia loved the ride. We hit the bathrooms afterwards. This is when I discovered that Caleb thought that not one, but three pairs of undies would be the perfect amount to wear. Hilarious.
Caleb and Julia found Shaggy from a mile away...ok maybe a slight exaggeration! After they found him they were on the search for other Scooby characters. They were thrilled to later find the mystery machine ride. It was actually pretty lame and VERY hot, but they loved it because they both love all things Scooby!
The little kid areas were definitely Caleb's favorite areas. They had very tame little kid friendly rides. There was also slides and a sprinkler area. I wasn't thrilled to see the two put together as Caleb went flying out of the slides.
At the end of the day I asked Caleb which ride he liked the best. He said it was the pink tea cups. I found it amusing that the ride he didn't like was the big/adult size tea cups. He said they were way to scary! Overall we had an awesome day. It was wonderful to get so much one on one time with Caleb!

Rx Cafe

This morning we went back to Michael's to do their Canada project. The kids were very surprised to see Terry waiting for us! The kids got to make a moose. It was a very cute, but messy craft. They got to paint, and wow it is amazing how the kids can get the paint EVERYWHERE! They had to paint a round cork, and it went flying out of Kendall's hand multiple times. She got brown paint on her arms, legs, the chair, and the floor. It makes me thankful that the crafts are not at my house.
After Michael's we tried out Rx Cafe for the first time. There was this really neat adjacent room for kids. We were able to see them from our table, and this cozy nook had great books and toys for the children to play with while they were waiting for their food. It was heavenly, no fighting, just happy smiles all around!
The food was really good as well. It was refreshing to see a children's menu that didn't include french fries and cheeseburgers. Caleb ended up having a bbq chicken skewer, while Kendall had a turkey and swiss melt. Both were very yummy! It was served up with carrots, and raisins. Terry and I ordered a variety of tapas to share. My only complaint was that the only drink they had for the kids was lemonade or water. I would have preferred milk for lunch time, but they were out of milk and juice. We will definitely going back again!
I love that Caleb and Kendall planned matching outfits together. It was actually Caleb's idea, he wanted to get their picture taken together. This was a pretty fountain outside of the restaurant. I can't believe they both smiled for me. Yeah!

We ended the day with swim lessons. The kids had fun, but they would have kept swimming if I had let them. They are really enjoying their pool time!

Hanging Out With Rachael

Yesterday we started the day by cleaning our house. I try to always get the kids involved in cleaning. Caleb loves to vacuum. I always need to go over it again, since he misses spots, but he gives it his best try!Kendall's favorite is dusting and cleaning the windows. I spray for her and she goes through and wipes it all up. Kendall, actually does a great job and when she is done, the job is done. It makes cleaning go so much faster, plus we have fun at the same time!

Next, we went and got Caleb's hair cut. He did a great job and sat very still. I don't love the cut, it turned out a little like a bowl cut. He loves it though!
We then picked up Rachael and went to Michael's for their craft. We went to the Bahamas and made cup holders. They turned out really cute!
Kendall and Rachael made jungle scenes while Caleb made an ocean scene. It was great fine motor practice, with cutting and pulling off the sticker backings. If you haven't tried this out should! Typically it is free, today's craft only cost .66 per kid.
We then went dog walking. Rachael is making some extra money walking the neighbor's dogs each day. So Kendall and I walked one dog while Caleb and Rachael walked another. Kendall really wanted to be the boss of the dog, and was very stern with Jasmine. Jasmine listened fairly well.
While Rachael was getting her swim gear on, Caleb played the piano. He always looks forward to playing when he visits Rachael's house.

We ended the day swimming and swimming...first playing in the water then swim lessons. Fun times! Rachael was a great helper.

Today I spent the day in the hospital. Isaac does in fact have brain cancer. It was a sad day for his family. The good news is it is curable. I am going to focus on that fact and I know that he has a long road ahead, but I know he will persevere.

Sleepy!

We had another fun day. We went to Barnes and Noble story hour. The helper read Pete the Cat, which is a favorite of ours. I wish that she would have watched the authors on youtube tell the story so that the song part was correct. But, the kids enjoyed it!

We then went home for nap time. As you can see above, nap time was quite unsuccessful. Neither of the kids wanted anything to do with naps and both played quietly in their rooms.

We then spent over 2 hours at our local pool. The kids had a great time and Caleb was swimming! He floated on his back, and swam 8 feet to me over and over. I was really proud of him and he was supper excited!

Terry stayed back and cooked a yummy dinner, that Kendall did not get to enjoy. I think both kids should sleep well tonight!

Swedish Days

Today we met Michelle, Christopher, and the twins at the Swedish Day's Parade. This was the first time that I have taken the kids to this parade and I was pretty surprised. The parade was very long...over 2 hours. It had some great acts in it, including some tumbling troops. The kids really enjoyed it. They did not actually sit through the entire parade because it was so long, but they had fun eating a picnic lunch, and watching parts of it while playing with each other.
Kendall has been pretty frustrating lately. Whenever we get anywhere she has to go potty. I always remind her before we leave the house, but it typically does not make much of a difference. I think she just has the need to check out every bathroom in town. Unfortunately, this also includes port-a-potties. Ewww!
After the parade, we headed home and Kendall took a nap. Caleb was filthy, so he hopped into the shower. He now likes to shower on his own. I just give his hair an extra rinse to make certain the soap is out of it. His new thing is singing in the shower. It is pretty funny! All of his songs are Caleb originals. If he had his choice, he would sing in the shower until the hot water ran out.

Later, we went to Michelle's house for a barbecue. The kids had a great time. Terry met us there and took time to pull the kids around in the wagon. Their favorite part was going down the hill by themselves. It was a gorgeous evening!

Beach Day!

We started off our day by going to Michael's to do their Passport of Fun. The project was about Egypt. The kids got to make hieroglyphics and a mummy pin. Fun stuff! The kids were thrilled. Caleb thought it was so neat, that later in the afternoon he made a pyramid out of paper to put his mummy in.
Next, we met my sister at her house to take the kids to the beach. My brother-in-law Mike decided to join us as well. We all piled into her car, with Mike in the trunk and headed to the beach. This time we went to a quarry. Brrr!! The water was freezing, so the kids spent most of their time building in the sand.
Later, we had dinner at home and then Terry went out with us to finish the scavenger hunt. We went to Norris Woods first. It was beautiful there, but the mosquitoes were out in droves! I put bug spray on all of us, but it barely worked with those nasty bugs.
Our last stop on the hunt was at Majestic Oaks Park. The kids had a great time checking out the playground. Kendall did the spider swing with Kendall. She was giggling and laughing! What a great summer day!