Monday: Labor Day

We went over to Larry and Cheryl's for lunch and some games.

On the way way home the kids were trying to figure out where we were going to to next for a small surprise.  Joshua said Bricks & Minifigs at one point and then immediately said, "oh, I hope we're not going there.  I don't want to go there."

Obviously, we were going there.  We briefly talked at home but decided to go anyway.  I had a great time.  Joshua had at least a good time.  We got some interesting pieces.  They put some Minecraft sets on the table when we were there, so the kids got a lot of Minecraft themed pieces.  We got some normal pieces - there are some that we just don't have enough of right now, surprisingly.  (When you're looking for a specific piece in a certain color and you need several of them, we sometimes don't have enough.)

And with the end of this weekend, we start getting into a busy season.  Isaac's evening stuff starts, Ben has a work trip soon, and I'm just trying to stay on top of everything.  Ben and I have also managed to increase our social calendars, so we're figuring out how to fit that in.  Joshua has a few more weeks before his extra-curriculars start.

Saturday: new litter box

Our excitement today was getting a fancy new litter box.  Joshua came with us to get it from the store so that he could get out of the house today.  He said it was a lot more exciting than he expected because he was expecting a tiny little litter box but instead we got a big one.  And then he helped me get it all set up.  It doesn't really take up less space, but should be much easier to clean.

We had it set up around 11am and I was starting to get a little nervous as evening rolled around and the cats hadn't used it yet.  I know that cats can be temperamental when their surroundings change, and so I was hoping for an easy transition.

They both used it shortly after that.  Yay!

Friday: rain

It rained all morning.  Per the weather apps, there was supposed to be a brief amount and then it would be done.  Instead it rained pretty constantly and the thunder came and went too.  It's been like this all week, and has been really weird.

It was an excellent day to not have school.  It would not have been a good option for Isaac to walk to the bus stop, but I don't know if I'd bring him to school or just to the bus stop.  It's going to happen at some point and I guess I'll just play it by ear.

Our evening plans were canceled due to a family having sick kids, so we went over to another family's house for a few hours this afternoon.  It was a great choice.  The kids played well and Natalie and I haven't seen each other for a few weeks so we were able to catch up on everything.

Yesterday's karate class was just warm-ups: push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.  "Do as many as you can."  "Ok, now let's check your form and do them properly.  Do as many as you can."

I didn't do well on push-ups, but I was under the impression he wanted toe push-ups and not knee push-ups, which is what I usually do.  However, I did really well with the sit-ups, outlasting most of the kids.  (It worked well because I was just about to drop out and he told us to stop, so no one knew that I was at my limit.)  I did well at squats too, but would say I was just in the high middle of the pack.  Anyway, all that to say that stairs have been difficult all day.  We sometimes do squats as warm-ups, but not often enough that my legs are used to them.

Thursday: busy

It was a pretty busy day.  I worked hard before/between classes but didn't quite get everything done that needs to be done.  I do this to myself because I don't do any work during the summer, but it's a bit annoying at the beginning of the semester.

Joshua got a new trophy from piano.  It's mostly a participation trophy, although I think he is required to play something during his lesson in order to earn it.  He's just a *little* excited about it.

Wednesday: the little stuff

I woke up to my alarm this morning, shut it off and went to the bathroom.  While I was sitting on the toilet I looked at the time.  6:24.  6:24?!?  My alarm was supposed to go off at 6:15!  Where did those nine minutes go?

While there's a chance I didn't hear my alarm, I think there's a greater chance that I fell asleep on the toilet for a few minutes.  I'm waking up earlier so Isaac isn't by himself in the morning and Tuesday was busy.

Later in the day I had a great idea for a Christmas present.  I looked it up to see if such a thing existed.  Yes!  ...For a grand total of $15.  I'll still put it on my Christmas list, but I'll need a few more options I guess.

Tuesday: first day

Today was my first day of class.  There were a few small hiccups, but nothing major.  Just normal first day stuff.

Dad and I also drilled another quarter of the holes for the Christmas tree.  We were a well-oiled machine and got it set up and drilled in about an hour and ten minutes.

I also dropped off some stuff at Goodwill from the garage.  It wasn't a ton of stuff, but it did free up a nice amount of space in the garage.

Monday: bang

 **BANG**

Ben half jumps out of bed and I, previously sleeping, actually jumps out of bed.  Ben is often in a medicated sleep, so any funny noises belong to me.  He asks me if he should go look, but by that time I'm half out the bedroom door.

I look around and decide it was just cats running through LEGO.

I go back to bed and tell Ben.  He doesn't seem to believe me.  He thinks maybe the ladder fell.  I say it was LEGO.

We go to sleep.

I wake up, and find the ladder had fallen.

So, in hindsight, I think I only had my eyes open 20% of the time I was looking around.  And by looking around, I mean looking in one spot.  And by looking in one spot, I mean deciding what to see and seeing that.

The whole story came out this evening when Ben came home and Isaac was cracking up.