Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk

Today we went blueberry picking. I heard about Tammen's Berry Farm through our park district. It was a little over an hour away, but the thought of reliving Blueberries For Sal was irresistible. So, I got my mom, and off we went! I probably should add that it was about 96 degrees out with very high humidity. When we got there, we got our pails, and headed for a very bumpy tractor ride.

Then the picking began. I was surprised that the bushes were so tall. I was expecting them lower to the ground because of the book. I was wrong! Some were so high I couldn't reach them.
At first, the kids had a great time. We picked and picked for about 15 minutes. Then they melted, as did my mom. We went to the water cooler. The kids drank and drank as we waited for the ride back to the car.
Here they are on the ride back. I made the HUGE mistake of allowing them to sit in the front row. The tractor wheels kicked up a ton of dirt. We were filthy by the time we arrived back. We ended up picking about 3 pounds of blueberries. Supposedly, these can be frozen. I certainly hope so! We will be eating the yummy berries for awhile! Yum!

When we got back to town, the kids happily went swimming and had their swim lessons. Terry surprised us by cooking chicken satay. YUMMY! Another fun, hot summer day.

Birthday Parties

It was a birthday party weekend. On Saturday, we went to Isaac's 6th birthday party. This was a huge party to celebrate his life before he begins his cancer treatment. It was really well done. First there was a reptile show and later there were police, fire, and ambulance cars for the kids to look out. I love this photo of the kids watching the reptile show, snuggled in the same chair. They are at such a sweet age. Caleb and Kendall hold hands together when we go out and about and are truly best friends right now. I wonder how long this will last!
Isaac was all smiles during his party. It was awesome to see, after such a rough time with his brain surgery. He was full of laughter and life. I think he will always remember this day.
Caleb loved the reptile show. He was very proud of himself that he knew that herbivores eat plants. I guess his nature classes have paid off! Kendall kept a little distance between herself and the animals. Caleb always went up and touched the animals as much as possible.
I was very impressed with the show. They did a great job talking about the animals while interacting with the kids. He had a great sense of humor. Dan, who did this show, was a childhood cancer survivor himself. He not only donated the show, but rearranged multiple other shows to be able to come to Isaac's party. That was amazing of him. I think it was great to see a survivor who is living and loving life as well. It is a great reminder that hard times can be followed by great times.
On Sunday, we went to Jayden's birthday party. The kids loved seeing both Jayden and their former sitter Heather. They had a blast playing with a slip and slide and having a water balloon fight. I think all of these parties has Kendall very excited for her upcoming birthday!

Philip's Park Zoo

We had an awesome day today. We started with gymnastic lessons. The kids both did a great job listening and had much fun in their lessons.
Next we picked up Rachael and went to Philip's Park. This is a great little park a few towns over. It is totally free and includes a small zoo. We started with a picnic in the park. The kids love having these picnics. They think that eating outside is a great treat. What an easy way to have some fun.
Next we went through the zoo area. There were sme interesting animals. Kendall really enjoyed the tortoise and the snakes. Caleb loved the mountain lion and the otters. Most of the animals were very active today, which made it so interesting for the kids.
After the zoo we went to the pool. It was cooler today, and the pool was empty. We had so much fun! Caleb practiced swimming and floating. He had a great time racing for the rings. He also played monsters with Rachael and I. One of us chased him and the other rescued him. Where was Kendall, you might be wondering...Well, she refuses to leave the baby area. So, she found some kids to play with in the sprinklers, but pretty much played by herself. I wish she would try playing with us!
By far, my favorite moment of the day was when I dropped the kids off at home before I dropped Rachael off. Kendall stood and waved and shouted goodbye to us until we drove away. It was super sweet. I love when she shows her loving side. That smile was golden!

I Can Do It Myself!

Both Caleb and Kendall are going though a new 'I can do it myself' stage. This is always a double edge sword...there are great learning and things about it, but it can be very frustrating at the same time!

Kendall wants to do her seat belt on her own. This will be great once she gets it, but right now it is very hit and miss. When it is a miss Kendall becomes very crabby! The good news is, that she has gotten it a few times in the last couple of days...so I think she will have this mastered soon.

Caleb now wants to do his own hair. This morning he found the spray bottle with water and a bit of conditioner that I use to do their hair. He did it...of course it looked like he just got out of the shower when he was finished. The best part was he then tried to do our dog's hair, both spraying and combing Flash. She is such a good job and just sat there happily.

I love when my kids hit these new milestones, but the weeks before they truly get it can be so frustrating! Hopefully both of them will figure out their new skills soon.

Backyard Camping

We have been so busy this summer that we haven't had a chance to take the kids camping. So, tonight Terry is taking them camping in the backyard. A nice compromise!
The kids started the evening making banana boats. They are easy to make. First, you take a banana and cut a slit in the peel. Then scoop out a little of the banana. Replace the missing banana with chocolate chips. Next, put a layer of marshmallows on top of the chocolate chips. Wrap the banana in foil. Finally, cook it over a campfire until it is all melted. Eat with a spoon.

The kids were super excited about there adventure. I am excited to have a quiet house tonight, with the kids in the tent with Terry.

Morton Arboretum

We had a great day today! The kids started the morning with gymnastics. Caleb had a new coach working with him. He was very tough, but Caleb was so well behaved. It was exactly what he needed. He is really trying to do cartwheels now. He also did some flips over the bars. He was very proud of himself!

Next, we picked up Rachael for our weekly outing. This week we went to Morton Arboretum. We first drove around and looked at each part of the forest. Next, we found a picnic area and ate lunch. It was so pretty. Caleb thought he saw an eagle, so we walked a bit through a forest searching unsuccessfully for the eagle.
Next we went to the children's area. There is a great tadpole pool for the kids. They are able to search in knee deep water and search for tadpoles. Today the tadpoles were becoming frogs with legs, but they still had the tail.
The kids also were able to paint nature pictures. Kendall, missed the paper and painted herself instead. I am hoping it is washable paint!
It was scorching hot out there. While the kids were wading, Rachael and I tried to stay cool the best we could, but there were not too many shaded areas in the children's gardens. We soon headed out.
After the Arboretum, we decided to cool off by swimming. The kids swam for about 2 hours and had a blast. They fell asleep on the couch while Terry was cooking dinner and I was dropping Rachael back at home. Unfortunately, a 5:00 nap equated a 9:00 bedtime. So goes summer! Hopefully that means I get to sleep in tomorrow morning.

Battle of Wills

Today, I had one objective, to clean our house. This included having the kids clean their room. I know, I am such a mean mom! So, we had a late start to the morning and the kids finished breakfast around 9:30. I then told them to head on up and clean their rooms. I added the fact that they would not get to come downstairs until the cleaning was done. My version of clean was nothing on the floor. So, the kids needed to put any blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals on their beds. Any toys needed to go into bins of their choice. Well, my kids being themselves chose to play. They played and played and played. Their rooms were not cleaned until 4:00. Crazy right? They chose playing over eating! Not to worry, they always have plenty to eat, and the cleaning took about 20 minutes, so they had the choice to quickly clean up and eat at any time. But, they played and played with the occasional sneaking downstairs to seek attention. I just redirected them back upstairs until it was done.