Friday: TS Amanda

 It is worth nothing that tropical storm Amanda is in the Pacific!  It's going to max out as a tropical storm without hitting any land.

Friday: last day of school

It was the last day of school!  I almost forgot to get pictures but remembered just as we were pulling out of the driveway. 

Isaac is almost as tall as me but Joshua has really kept up with him and growth several inches this year too.

Thursday: graduation

Isaac had his 8th grade graduation tonight!  It was nice, but also boring as graduations are.  The best part was the kids' baby pictures, where the baby picture was on one slide and the 8th grade school picture on the next.

 

Wednesday: 20/20

Isaac: oh, I should have done xyz differently
Amanda: yeah, hindsight's 20/20
Isaac: can you explain that?
Amanda explains.
Isaac: OOhh.  I thought it was the year 2020 and had something to do with COVID
Amanda: yeah, that's understandable

Tuesday: shopping

I went to Meijer today to get some waterproofing spray.  I asked two workers that were talking together, and suddenly there were five people looking for the spray all around the store.  (I knew that it would be in section L, but no one knew where L was either.)  L is the shoes - they found it in the shoe section and then yelled it across the store that it was found.

Isaac needed new rock climbing shoes and he went up 1.5 sizes.  It is slightly large right now, but not overly large.  He'll grow into them over the summer for the rock climbing season.  Isaac was also suddenly the same height as one of his coaches.

Sunday: LEGO game

Joshua worked really hard on a LEGO game for us.  It started based on some sets, but then he added parts to actually turn it into a game.  He also typed out some rules.  As games go, it was definitely a first play through, but he had thought through a bunch of things well.

Ben died once and left a skeleton there.

We won!

Memorial Day Sunday: the wet day

Although I had initially been hoping that there wouldn't be any more rain, the weather didn't agree.  Monday around 7am it started to lightly sprinkle.  We got a text from the owners of the camper asking us to put up the awning if it started storming and getting very windy.  Well, the last thing I wanted to do was deal with the awning in the middle of a storm, and we were about to go to church.  I made the decision to put up the awning then.

Of course, Ben wasn't around as the beds weren't very good and he slept at home.  We almost got it up by ourselves, but it stuck at one point.  We asked a neighbor who put a bit more oomph into it than we were willing to try and we got it up.

By the time we got it up there was a steady rain, but not too bad.  We went in the camper for a bit before church.  Then we walked to church.  By this time the rain had increased a bit more and had been going steadily for a while.  Our slight uphill walk was a river of water going down the road!  My shoes got soaked and my socks got soaked.  I was less miserable than I expected once I sat down and didn't move my feet, but my toes got rather cold.

(As a side note, the sermon theme was about listening.  The pastor said "we were able to listen better before the internet was exploding in our ears.  Literally exploding."  Isaac and I looked at each other as that clarification was not correct.)

Anyway, the rain started to taper off after church, Ben came over with a bunch of dry shoes, and by 2pm the rain had stopped.  We had a nice fire and hobo pies.

Then the mist set in.  It was so weird, because the temperature was fine but you could see your breath as you breathed and talked.  I had things sitting on the picnic table from dinner, and when I moved them there was a dry spot underneath.

In the afternoon, once things had dried out, Isaac made a really long chalk line to follow.  It started on the road in front of the ice cream, went around by the big tree, through the front of the store area, past more picnic tables, and all the way to the beach.  It was pretty fun.  Most people ignored it, but we saw a few people following it.

We all went to bed at a semi-reasonable time because things were misty.

Saturday: stroller flowers

It is still (barely) too cool for some of our flowers in the evening, so we have often been bringing them in and out.  Joshua and I finally put them in the stroller for easier moving.  We could probably plant a few of them, but it would be easier to do them all at once.

Friday: breathing

Do you know what I'm supposed to like but don't?  Counted breathing.  Like "Breathe in -2-3-4.  Breathe out -2-3-4" and pretty much any similar thing.  I know it's supposed to calm me down, but then I feel like I haven't had a a good breath the whole time and I'm more stressed* because my breathing is all wrong.

*Honestly, the more stressed and the calming from the breathing probably cancel each other out.

Thursday: Craig's Cruisers

Craig's Cruisers invited the school over this evening.  Joshua and his friends went, while Isaac elected not to go.  They both chose correctly.

Lines were pretty long and we really don't have a large Craig's Cruisers.  Also, the number of times Joshua and company got in a line and then left the line was stressful to me.  They had a really hard time executing a plan - it was somewhat understandable, but it was driving me nuts.  I think Joshua still had a pretty good time because he was with friends and got to make decisions.  He also got some arcade tokens and enjoyed that quite a bit.

It was so loud.  I had to leave a bit early and after leaving the building I was amazed at the decibel change.

Wednesday: rock wrapping class

Isaac and I went to a rock wrapping class tonight (as a pendant for a necklace).  I enjoyed it, but I think Isaac enjoyed it a lot more and might make more at home.

The rock group is also really generous for their junior members (<=18).  There were four kids there, and they learned about copper, got a piece of raw copper, and Isaac won the junior door prize.

Tuesday: unpacking

Surprisingly, most of the camping stuff got unpacked by the end of the day!  I still need to roll up the sleeping bags and there's more laundry than normal, but everything else has been put away.  Usually it takes us several days to get everything unpacked.

I also got several things from my to-do list finished, but I will admit that many of them were pretty short.

Memorial Day Saturday: the fun day

Saturday tends to be the fun day of camping.  There are activities for the kids, the ice cream and candy store is open, and everything is still new.  

Julie put up two hammocks and they were a hit!  The kids didn't necessarily rest in them as much as play in them.

Ben and I took several walks to the beach, but never actually went down the stairs.  Saturday was rather cool and I had no desire to touch the water.  We did spy on Joshua and Jonathan one time though.

The kids did all the activities, even the ones that involved face paint.  They also seemed to interact more with the other kids at the campsite, so I expect that everyone is growing up a bit and it's becoming a bit easier.  (There were plenty of games and reading for Isaac too, and Joshua was doing his own thing with friends most of the time.)

We had a fire!  We did hobo pies both nights because it turns out that hobo pies are more delicious than hot dogs.  I will continue to bring hot dogs just in case, but had been expecting this outcome.

The sunset was hidden, but there was a nice flock of birds.

Memorial Day Friday: arrival

Once again, we went camping over Memorial Day weekend.  This was probably one of the least stressful preps I've had.  (Not that all the others were stressful, but this one was especially not.)  I did change a few things... 1) I split up the packing list and gave each boy a checklist of what they needed to find.  Usually they get their own clothes and then together, and on the fly, I try to figure out what else they need to find and they're always waiting on me and I'm always trying to do three things at once.  This was so much easier.

2) I pre-cut everything.  I've done this somewhat in the past, but this weekend I even precut the apples.  It makes meals so much easier.

We arrived Friday around 4:30, got set up, and the kids went to explore.  Ben showed up and we went to dinner.  The other people we were camping with slowly rolled in.  Unfortunately, we didn't have a fire.  I think it was too windy, but I'm not in charge of the fire so all I know is that there wasn't a fire.

Tuesday: lovies

I got an axolotl book at the library today, after I got groceries.  On the way home I decided to set up Snaxalotl so that it looked like he was reading it when Joshua got home.

This lead to setting up the other lovies too: Catnana with the bananas, Catcachino with iced tea mix, Creeper with the flour, and Grey Bear with the frosting (because he's so sweet).

After I got home from karate I commented to Isaac that there was a sock that kept falling out of the laundry basket - it was about the third time that I had put it back in the basket.  Later this evening the sock "had fallen" out of the basket again.  I haven't confirmed that he's the culprit, but I'm pretty sure he is.

Tuesday: the day

Today I went to the orthodontist to get my permanent retainer removed and get a removable retainer instead.  I've liked the permanent retainer, but I don't floss those teeth and decided it was not the right fit for me.

Afterwards I went out for lunch with a friend and we were rather chatty!  We had a nice lunch and covered a lot of topics.

Monday: fish

For the last 24 hours, there have been a lot of fish flopping around near the drain to the river.  They periodically flop over the rocks and swim away.

Anyway, when I went to actually investigate I see 7-10 fish in this small area and they're flopping around a lot.  I moved a few rocks so it was easier for them to get out and encouraged several to move towards the exit, but there were a few that refused to leave.  I left them because at least it wasn't overly crowded now.

Sunday: remembering

I remembered what I wanted to post about.

A few nights ago I was awoken from sleep by a crazy sound.  It sounded like one of the cats was dying.  I waited a minute and it didn't stop, so I got up and found both cats by the downstairs slider, perfectly ok.  I went to the furnace, because we get a lot of strange noises from that, but the sound got quieter.  I decided it was outside.

The next night, thankfully before I went to sleep, I heard it again.  I had the presence of mind to search around for it, and I'm pretty sure it was a fox.  It sounded just like the first sound in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHtmiL2fffY

Saturday: Lego Group

Lego Group was at our house today!  We had baked potato bar and it went better than expected.  Joshua was especially helpful today during cleaning time - he did a lot of cleaning without being prompted.

The kids decided to go in the lake.  All the adults were a bit surprised as the water is still cold.  I'm pretty sure that all the kids fell in the lake at some point.  They also played car tag with Lego cars in the basement.

The weather was nice, so we also sat outside for a while.  (Also because we try to monitor the kids while they're on the lake.)  It was just a lovely time.

Friday: Happy Anniversary!

Well, Ben and I were together today but he had a back procedure yesterday and isn't moving much today.  So here are some pictures of us from a long time ago.

New York - I think.  It looks like Watkin's Glen, so 2008?

After Joe and Dee's wedding (2003)

Joe and Dee's wedding (2003)

Graduation! (2004)

Honeymoon (2004)

Engagement pictures (2004)

Thursday: I forgot

There was something interesting to talk about today, but I've forgotten it.  I thought the interesting thought while I was at the kitchen sink.  Hmm.  I guess next time I should write it down.

I did a lot of running around today.  It did mean that I had a lot of time to read my book, which was excellent.  I'm really enjoying the series (Dungeon Crawler Carl) I'm reading right now, and it makes it so much easier to pick up the book instead of playing a game.  

Besides that I did a lot of normal chores.  I'm hoping to get a bit more on top of chores before the end of school, but I don't know if that will happen. 

Wednesday: flowers

Once again, I attempted to save my flowers over the winter.  It went better than previous years, but still not amazing:

The strawberry plant lasted until about February.

The succulent bucket lasted until early April, with the exception of one that is still alive

The big succulent lasted until early May, when I think I left it outside on a cold (but not freezing) night.  It might survive, but it is not looking good.

Anyway, we went to the greenhouse today to get some flowers.  The kids always enjoy this more than I expect.  I got some dragon leaf begonia because they are a hardy flower that can take some abuse.  We got some marigolds, snap dragons, two succulents, and a few small miscellaneous things.  I gave both kids about $20, and ended up with unexpected plants.  Isaac got something that is hopefully a pineapple plant and Joshua got a tall spiky cactus.  We'll see how it plays out!

Tuesday: semester finished

Grades are in!  It took a bit longer to finish up than expected, but they're done.  

Most of my graders are seniors (which is too bad), but two of them wanted more work during exam week so they graded almost all of the final exams.  It was lovely.

Monday: happy 8th birthday

Today was Horizon and Tornado's eighth birthday.

We got a screwdriver for Tornado.  He is always stealing Ben's.

Horizon just got some normal toys.

Sunday: Mother's Day

After church I had a few lovely presents to open, and then Tornado jumped into be a present too.

After my nap we went downtown to grab some food from a food truck for snack.  Joshua (and everyone else) tried Deep Fried Oreos and we all decided they were ok.  They were yummy, but not something that we would get again.

Joshua wanted to see the tulips, so we walked down the street and then up a street, and then we were at Centennial Park.  I'll be honest, I wasn't feeling it this afternoon.  But the kids kept being excited..."Let's go to the Gazebo and the Wizard of Oz book!  Oh! Let's walk around the statue!  We need to see the fountain!  Don't forget about the flags!"  "You really want to see the flags?"  "Yes!"  By the time we talked about the flags, Joshua was pulling my leg a bit.  I was a bit surprised about how many landmarks they wanted to see in a block of park.  Anyway, we ended up being lucky to only go around the park once - they also wanted to see the tulip windmill after we passed it but I told them it was mostly dead.  They said they still wanted to see it but I vetoed it.

 

Joshua made a fort at home, so we all read for a while once we got back.  Tornado was feeling extra cuddly and went back and forth between me and Isaac.

Saturday: bike ride

I had the kids bike to Lowes with me again today.  We needed to get a screwdriver, but I also wanted to look at curtain rods.  The hardware to mount the curtain rods was surprising expensive, so we just got a new one instead.  I thought this might happen, so I brought velcro to mount it to Isaac's bike.  He was a bit scared it would fall off, but I mounted it well.

Friday: Catnana

Today was Catnana's birthday!  Joshua got him out of a claw machine exactly one year ago and Joshua was so happy after getting him.

We also got this one of Horizon a few days ago.

Thursday: Tulip Time

I ended up walking with Isaac's band today.  The day was cool, but I was only cold a few times.  (I feel like I have a habit of chaperoning cold field trips.)  The sun was out and that helped a lot.  Unfortunately, we were in the last division of the parade so it took about 1.5hrs from when we needed to show up to when we actually got to move.

The band played the first few lines of the Imperial March.  So we picked up some red and black tape on our way to the parade and Isaac made himself some light saber sticks.

Unexpectedly (to me), Isaac also had the job of setting the tempo during the bridge between the song and the cadence.  

When all was said and done, Isaac said it went a bit better than he was expecting.  After walking back, we grabbed a treat from a food truck and ate it in my office.  (The treat was ice cream, but it was a bit too cold to sit and eat ice cream outside.)  Having an office near the parade was super nice - we used it as a base of operations and came and went several times as we also watched a friend Dutch Dance before Isaac needed to be in his spot.

Wednesday: cleaning

After a low-productive week last week and working the first two days of this week, things have fallen behind.  The kitchen was in a "how high can we stack dirty dishes?" mode.

I ran the dishwasher twice today, so the kitchen is back on track.  I did other things.  I wouldn't say that I caught up, but things are under control.  For now.

Tuesday: pictures

 Joshua made a large fort.

Giraffe finally got his birthday cake.  Ben had picked it up and managed to find one with grass.  Giraffe was really excited because he loves leaves.

Why yes, we did sing Happy Birthday to Giraffe.

Saturday: play

Today was the second, and last, performance of 'Freaky Tiki'.  The students did a great job.  Joshua did a great job with the lights.

Among the many things that Joshua did, he made this poster.  (At one point in the play someone thought it was a window and another actor had to say it was a painting.)

There was a really nice blurb about Joshua as the only crew member too.