Friday: birthday

Today was Joshua's birthday!  We ended up going to Dutch Village.  It was my idea, but Joshua was happy to do it as long as he got stroopwaffles.  I didn't go last year and there were several changes that have happened recently.

The first change was that the kids get a free, homemade stroopwaffle!  They gave Joshua an extra because it was his birthday.  We started out at the ferris wheel, like normal.  The line is slow, and if we get there right away we can usually go twice without getting off.

Next we did the swings.  It was the favorite ride and we did several sets of the ride.  Again, it wasn't busy enough that we had to get off in between rides.  While on the swings I realized the duck pumpers were gone.  That was a bit sad; they were always fun.  The zip line was also gone and the train playground moved to the zipline area.  That was probably a good move; I never saw anyone on the zipline.

A goat!  The babies are so cute.  The barn burned down recently and a new one is being built.  The duck pumpers were also gone.

A new ride was slow-carts.  They weren't terrible, but they were slow.  This was a new thing again and probably only worth it if the line isn't too long.  

Then the making of, and more importantly, eating of the stroopwaffle.  Isaac made Joshua's second one a bit later as we were about to leave because Joshua really didn't want to make it.

A quick break for the playground.  Joshua went sloooooowly down the pole while Isaac managed to climb up it.

One carousel ride.

Joshua did the pumper cars.  Isaac was too tall.

They tried to walk together.  There was a lot of laughter.

And lastly, the kids were found to be witches while I was found to be innocent.

Everyone had a good time, although I do think that Isaac is getting a little old for it.  He was a good sport though, and enjoyed the time he was there.  Next year I could probably get away with just buying some stroopwaffles.

Sunday: life

We had some friends over today.  It meant cleaning the house, and Joshua and I had a hard time with it.  We learned about each other, apologized, and will try better next time.

I also need to remember that food helps.  When he was finally ready to talk I gave him the spoon for the brownie mix and he said that was the best part of his day.

Saturday: alarms

 Why does the low battery alarm always go off around 2am?  Every single time.

Thursday: excersise

We walked around the lake this morning; we didn't have any plans to leave the house until mid-afternoon and we needed to do something.  The weather was perfect.

Joshua finished his phoenix in the morning.

This afternoon I joined the kids for rock climbing.  It was a fun time.  This is Joshua's last time for a while; he's decided to take a break and run for a while.

I had karate this evening.  We worked on forms, and that's always my favorite thing.

Wednesday: text

We were on our way home from swimming lessons and debating about a stop at the library: I had some overdue books, there was one book waiting, but we were also waiting on a few holds that Isaac really wanted.

We decided to wait.  I got about three streets from the intersection that would send us to the library or home and I got a text.  Isaac's holds were ready!  It was perfect timing.

In other news, I've been making the kids slowly declutter their rooms this summer.  It's a good thing I'm having them do the decluttering because they are getting rid of more than I would have!  It does help that I'm not making them sort it...if they don't want it anymore it goes in a box and then I figure out what's happening with it (keep, give away, or trash/recycle).  Today Joshua finished his white bookshelf and I mentioned that the boxes under his bed were next.  Well, he decided that he just didn't need them anymore and put the whole boxes in my big box that was storing the stuff until I could sort through it.  Isaac added a bit and now my box is overflowing...but it's a good thing.

Tuesday: chaos

I went out to lunch with a friend today.  When I got home, I found that chaos had ensued and a ton of items were now in the wrong spot.  

*Lovies were switched

*Hand soap was on a night stand

*Shoes were in assorted places

*The cat carrier was in the shoe closet

*Chairs were all messed up

*Etc.

I noticed some of them right away, but didn't really understand what was going on until later.  For some of them I think the kids overestimated my level of caring about an object.  I imagine there was a lot of laughter during the time though.

Monday: busy day

While not crazy busy, today was one of the busier days we've had in a while.

*We went blueberry picking.  The goal was a full bucket and we got that in about a half hour with no complaints.  However, the ice cream machines were being cleaned and that was a let down for everyone.  The kids got pie and a donut instead, but it wasn't what they really wanted.

*We did some chores.

*The kids had swimming lessons.  The clocks in the pool we were in today were about ten minutes fast.  We got there a little early, but the lesson was still on the short side.

*Screen time.  A bit shorter than normal, but an important part of the day.

*Some friends came over, mainly so the kids could play with the Legos.  Natalie and I played Dominion, and that was lovely.

*Dinner!  Finish chores!  Have fun before bed! Bed!!