Up, Up and Away

We had a fantastic evening at a community picnic with Grandma and Grandpa P. and Aunt Paula. Ok, so it wasn't really our neighborhood and you could probably argue that we crashed the picnic, but we had such a great time!

There was a hot air balloon there giving tethered rides. I have wanted to go up in a hot air balloon for ages, so you know i got in line!

Wesley didn't want to go up, but Ryan, Duane and I took a ride

 

 

See? There's my hand and ring (and Grandma and Grandpa on the ground). Proof I went up!

 

Duane had to lift me out of the basket because I was wearing a skirt. He's a gentleman like that.

Ryan's  out

 

Here comes the big man.

Duane did a lot of assisting with the balloon - helping people in and out of the basket and adding weight so the basket would stay down. While he worked, the boys and I walked around a bit.

A friendly little toad

Ryan just HAD to touch the toad. Repeatedly.

Wesley found the courage to go up in the balloon later in the evening. He headed up with Grandma and Grandpa and wound up loving it!

Looking a little tentative

But if you look real closely here, you can see Wesley's big grin!

It was so much fun!  Duane even helped put the balloon back in the truck.

And I can finally check a hot air balloon ride off my bucket list. It counts if it was tethered, doesn't it?

When the Stars Align

Every now and then the stars align and we have a Saturday that is not full or soccer, or classes, or gatherings with friends, or really much of anything. I am usually guilty of seeing these holes in our calendar and immediately trying to fill them - with classes, or dinner guests, or something that robs of the day of it's relaxing openness and possibilities.

Today was one of those days, but I managed to keep my inner planner in check and we had a fun, spontaneous day with just our family of four.

Ryan woke me up earlier than I would have liked, but I took advantage of that time to make cinnamon rolls (from a can, don't be too impressed) for breakfast. After breakfast (around 9:00), I decided to go work in the "garden" out front of our house. I didn't do that because I wanted to, I hate working in the yard, but the front of the house was looking overgrown and a little embarrassing, so I slapped on the gardening gloves and did an hour's worth of work. Duane even joined me - but he did much more work than I did.

We came inside to find the boys behaving really well and playing nicely together, which is nothing short of a miracle, so after lunch we decided to take them on a surprise outing to Glow Putt.  I was worried it would be really crowded there with birthday parties and families trying to beat the heat, but it wasn't bad at all.

Unlike when we attempted to play putt-putt at Magic Mountain, Wesley really enjoyed himself. He listened to Duane's helpful hints and got progressively better through the course.  In fact, both boys did such a great job and were having so much fun that we decided to extend the outing a little bit and got a little frozen treat afterwards.

Again, they behaved really well at the Italian ice place, so we decided to push our luck and do something else as a family. Guess we're gluttons for punishment. We went to a shopping center we don't usually go to and braved the crowds to take the boys into the LEGO store. Oh my goodness ! They were enthralled! At one point Ryan said, "We really need to come here once every day!"  Wesley found a $250 LEGO set that he wants and that's what he's decided to save his money for  - at least that's what he's decided to save up for this week.

On our way out of the shopping center we swung into a candy store and let the kids each pick out a small bag of candy. Wesley (my purist) went for malt balls. Ryan (the daredevil) went for a combination of rock candy, candy sour bananas and something else weird. We even let them eat some of their candy in the car, which again, I don't really like them to do.

Our final stop of the spontaneous outing was at the dog shelter. We told the boys we were NOT getting a dog, but we all had fun looking. Ryan liked a dog with "neon" blue eyes.  Wesley fell in love with a little pit bull puppy that was 8 weeks old. "When we get a dog, we need to get a puppy," he explained. "That way it can grow up with cats and no how to be nice to them."  I liked a little mix puppy (10 months old) and Duane was silent on the matter. :-)

We came home to cool off from the heat and kick back for a little while, but we're getting ready to go out again. Pizza night for the W. family.  I don't know about the boys, but I love it when the stars, and attitudes, align so we can have days like this.

How Do You Spell "Tricked?"

I was reading over one of the multitudes of papers that came home from school this week and discovered that Ryan will get to experience the joy of spelling tests this year.

"Hey, Ryan," I called. "Starting next week you are going to have spelling words to learn and a test every Friday."

"What?! How come? I didn't sign up for that!"

I chucked, "It's part of being in first grade, son."

To which Ryan responded with a growl. Guess he didn't read the fine print.

Must Be Doing Something Right

Duane was putting Ryan to bed the other night when Ryan said, "I wish I could be you."

"Why's that?" Duane asked him.

"So I could be a father to a family," Ryan said.  He went on to say that he has the "best parents and best grandparents."

Guess we must be doing something right after all.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for my kiddos. And yes, we did the annual first day of school pictures.

Looking stylin' for 3rd grade.

Ryan chose this outfit to start first  grade because he said it looked really nice and he wanted to look good for the first day of school.

Team Brothers!

Drop off was a cinch this morning. Wesley was so excited you would have thought it was Christmas Eve. That's my kid for sure!

This evening as Duane and I tackled the mountain of paperwork that comes home on the first day of school (including finding Wesley's social security card), I came across Wesley's first day comic strip that his teacher had each student do today. And let's be honest, a "what I did over the summer" comic is MUCH cooler than a "what I did over the summer" essay.

Wesley's comic was titled "Grandpa's Pool"

Here you see Wesley, Ryan (in the water in orange), and a couple of friends in the pool. They are all saying "Hi" or some variation thereof. Grandpa is sitting at the table saying "You can get in the pool, but you can't get wet."

Wesley saying "Count how long I can float"

Wesley floating and Grandpa calling out "3 Seconds" to which Wesley replies, "Huh?"

Grandma arriving with a picnic basket. Wesley is in the water saying "Yes! Lunch!"

Wesley and Ryan having lunch poolside. Wesley says, "I love grilled cheese!"

Wesley splashing into the pool after lunch. Grandpa is calling, "I said don't get wet!"

Looks like this year is off to a great start. I like the boys' teachers and we are starting off on the right foot. Hope your school year is starting well too.

Not Fair

Tomorrow is the first day of school for the W. boys. We've been pretty lax about bedtimes over the summer and letting the kids stay up as late as 10:30 if they didn't have to get up early the next morning, but obviously, school changes all of that. Duane and I decided that Ryan's school year bedtime would continue to be 9:00. Ryan does not like to get up in the morning and it often takes me going in there and ripping the covers off him to get his skinny little rear out of bed.  Wesley, on the other hand, often wakes up before I get him up and sometimes even beats me out of bed. Because of that Duane and I decided that his bedtime could be a little bit later - 9:30.

Ryan got wind of this change the other night and loudly proclaimed that it was not fair!

"It's perfectly fair, Ryan," I said. "First of all, Wesley is older than you so it makes sense that his bedtime would be later. More importantly, Wesley does not throw fits on a regular basis when it's time to get up. In fact, I usually don't have to tell him more than once to get up."

Ryan still believed that we were unfairly favoring his big brother, so he came up with a plan. At exactly 9:00 Ryan said, "It's my bedtime and I'm going to go straight to bed. I have to get lots of sleep so I can wake up earlier and then I can stay up later."

His logic kind of made my head spin, but it kind of makes sense too - in a weird six-year-old kind of way. I'll let you know how it works out.

The Kitten That Wasn't

This past Friday night Wesley informed us that he wanted a kitten of his very own to name Tiny. Gee, I want a puppy. He wants a kitten. Our house could very easily turn into a zoo.  Duane and I told Wesley that we were not going to get a kitten.

"That's okay. I'll save up my own money for my own kitten," Wesley assured us. "How much does a kitten cost?"

"Well, the place we adopted Cleo from charged us an adoption fee of $75 dollars," I told him. "Plus you have to pay for their shots and vet visits and for them to be declawed or have their nails trimmed regularly."

Duane was sure to add, "Plus about $12 a week to pay for cat food and kitty litter."

Wesley thought about it for a moment. "So I'll save up about $1,000. Then I'll have plenty of money for Tiny and everything she will need to be a happy kitten."  He turned to his brother. "Sorry, Ryan, but I won't be buying any more Skylanders or Mixels. I have to save all my money for Tiny."

I probably would have worried about this plan a little bit if Wesley had successfully saved for anything yet. He's been wanting a TV for years and we tell him that if he saves up half, we'll pay the other half - plus get the cable run to his room.  That still hasn't happened.

So that was Friday. On Sunday evening Wesley decided he wasn't going to save up for poor little Tiny after all. He'd rather save up for Skylanders.  A hypothetical kitten that existed in Wesley's mind for less than 48 hours was kicked to the curb for a video game figurine. Wow, that's a rough imaginary life.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not manage to double book myself for a church function and school function on the same day and time when school hasn't even started yet!

I was not so enamored of a friend's toddler one night that I pretty much ignored everyone else in the room and completely focused on her.

I was not reminded (once again) how much I love my kids' school, when the secretary took the time to call me at home and reassure me that the boys were getting a bus assignment even though I hadn't yet heard anything from the transportation department.

I did not hide several of the boys' back to school outfits because I didn't want them to wear them prior to the big day.  

Grillin' and Chillin'

Anyone else remember the Bobby Flay show with that name?  Well, even if you don't it pretty much sums up my day yesterday perfectly.

Duane did something for me (for us) that doesn't sound really romantic, but trust me, it was. He signed us up for a grilling class at OSU, through the farm bureau. How is a four hour class on grilling romantic? Let me tell you.
When he asked me about signing up, I said, "But you don't really like to grill."

Duane will grill when I ask him - and he does a pretty good job with it if you ask me - but he didn't grow up with a family that cooked out. I love grilled food, but I don't ask Duane to do it all that often. 

Do you know what his response to my question was? "No, but you like it and I like to make you happy." 

Well, sign me up!!

Turns out the class was fantastic! Each of the 40 participants got a BBQ with Brutus apron to wear and take home. Duane and I made an impression on a few other students when I handed him his name tag and said, "Here you go, love of my life."  Several people just kind of did a double take (of the good kind.) One guy said, "Wow. I don't know that I've ever actually heard that. I'm going to stick with you two. Apparently I have things to learn."

Then we went into a class room and listened to a staff member and a soon-to-be staff member (both with a PhD in Meat Science - who knew that was even a thing) lectured for about an hour and a half about meat and basic grilling techniques. 

When I type it, it sounds dull, but really, it was FASCINATING! I took notes and learned so much!

After the lecture portion, we broke into nine groups, with each group responsible for preparing a different dish on the grill.  Weber donated really nice grilling cookbooks for each participant to keep and the recipes we made were based on the book. You could sign up to cook beef sirloin, lamb sirloin, stuff leg of lamb, chicken wings, beer can chicken, bratwurst, pork loin, vegetables, or fruit.  Duane signed up for the leg of lamb (again, because I love it) and I signed up for fruit.  Oh! And the instructors did a brisket and some ribs.

Then we headed outside to the grills and got cooking. The best part was that as each group finished their dish, everyone got to sample.

Leg of lamb, stuffed and ready to go on the grill

Chicken wings

Red potatoes and hard boiled eggs on the smoker

Chicken and steak getting prepped

Lamb on the grill

Strawberries ready to go on the grill with a balsamic glaze

Peach halves stuffed with brown sugar

Ribs

Lamb steaks

Beef!

Shortly after we took this picture, someone commented, "You and your husband seem to have a really great relationship."  They are so right. I am the luckiest woman in the world!

I have never had a four hour class go by so quickly in my life. I swear, it felt like we were only there for 12 minutes.  I would do this class again in a heartbeat.

After we wrapped up with the class, we took our smoke smelling selves home to meet up with Kirk, Susan, Cheryl and Taryn. Taryn starts college here in town this week, so Cheryl flew out with her for orientation and to help her get moved in.  They are going to have a really busy week, but we wanted some time to see each other. I mean, when one of your best friends lives on the other side of the country, you take every opportunity you can to see each other!

We suggested going to Mya's Fried Chicken for dinner, and I'm happy to say it was a hit. 

Chow time!

Wesley couldn't wait to show Taryn his animals books. She was a really good sport about it!

Then we went back to the house for dessert and a few other friends came over to visit with the California girls.  It was just a laid back night, but it reminded me again how wonderful my friends are and that distance and time cannot weaken true friendship.  

I Did Say I Wanted a Puppy

But it looks like this is as close to one as I'll be getting. 

Head and tongue out the window

But at least this one is generally housebroken, even if he does sometimes have lousy aim.

Start of a New Soccer Season

Fall soccer season is once again upon us and, believe it or not, I am really excited!  I never thought I'd be a soccer mom, but I really do love going to the games and practices. Granted, Duane and I had some philosophical issues with Wesley's coach last year, but Wesley didn't have any issues with him and played hard.

This year, though...This year is going to be my year. Both Wesley and Ryan hit the jackpot with their teams and each have at least three friends they already know to play alongside. We met Wesley's coach tonight and I just wanted to hug him.  His goals are to have fun, get some exercise and learn a bit about soccer on the way. He spent time talking to the parents and learning the kids names and I just loved every second of it. Of course, it helped that I got to hang out on the sidelines with some of my friends.

Here's the gang from Wesley's school that are all on the same team. I cannot tell you how happy this picture makes me.

Ryan's first practice will be next week, but I'm already looking forward to it too. I may not be ready for fall yet, but go ahead and bring on the soccer!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

Duane and I did not try to teach Ryan how to sing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Seriously, what parent in their right mind would try to teach their child an annoying ear worm of a song on purpose?

I did not empty the department recycling bin that is next to my desk one morning because it was driving me bonkers that not all the papers were facing the same way. Didn't happen.

I know I didn't spend over an hour trying to make a replacement ringtone for my phone after all my ringtones disappeared. And even if I did, it wasn't because the particular ringtone I wanted (and for some reason couldn't buy) was our wedding song that I use for Duane's calls.

I did not take a walk with my mom one night and get home to discover that I only had 985 steps to go before reaching my step goal, put on my shoes and do another lap with the hubby just because I knew being that close to my steps would nag at me all night.  That would have been a tad obsessive. 

I Want a Puppy

I am a total cat person. I have always  been a total cat person. However, the time has come in my life that I think I want a puppy.  My friends have such sweet dogs. There are adorable, friendly dogs in my neighborhood. My own dad says, "A boy needs a dog," when I mention this desire and I think, "Yes. Yes, they do."

Logically, I know I like the idea of a dog much more than the reality. I love the idea of walks in the sun, but not the reality of walks in the rain, snow and cold. I dread the thought of puppy training classes and having to be home at certain times to let the dog out and more vet bills. But then I see a puppy and I think, "Oh! You shall be mine!"

I think I just have some misplaced mommy feelings. My kids are getting bigger. We're out of diapers (thank goodness) and one is out of a car seat. We're done with Kindergarten and into chapter books. I get drama and sass, and less hand holding. I miss snuggly babies that fall asleep on you. I miss little baby clothes and that warm feeling of feeding an infant.

So I guess what I'm really saying is, I want a baby (but not really) so a puppy would be the next best thing. A puppy would require me to lose sleep as it cries and needs let out. A puppy would have to be potty trained. A puppy would have to learn not to bite and not to chew and how to be sweet and behave. A puppy would love me unconditionally and actually be excited when I walked in the door instead of shrugging giving me a half-hearted "Hi, Mom."

Maybe I could just foster a puppy? But then I'm afraid I wouldn't want to give it back. Maybe I just need to hang out with my friends and their dogs a bit more until this feeling passes.

It's a Small World After All

Wesley and Ryan are currently taking a gymnastics class. Neither of them are interested in being competitive gymnasts, but they have fun in class and it keeps them moving while soccer is on hiatus. They are in a boys class, but a girls class runs at the same time and the boys and girls do warms up together before working with their own coaches.

Last night as I was watching Wesley and Ryan warm up, I noticed a girl with striking red hair join the class a little bit late. "Wow," I thought. "What beautiful hair she has."

Then I looked a bit closer at the girl and she looked extremely familiar to me. I looked around the waiting area and saw a mom that also looked really familiar. It took my brain a minute to piece it together, but it turns out the girl was C. - Wesley's girlfriend way back in pre-k.

C. and Wesley back in the day

I went over to the mom and re-introduced myself. She remembered me (and Wesley) immediately.

"Oh my word! This is so weird! We were just talking about Wesley the other day!" the mom said.

I waited until Wesley took a water break part way through class to ask him if he remembered C. from pre-K.  He said he did, so I said, "She's in the girl's class right now. See the girl in the green shorts? That's her!"

Wesley's eyes slid over to C., but since he was on a water break he didn't go over and say anything. I did notice a few furtive glances during class though.

When the classes were over and Wesley was getting his shoes on I asked if he wanted to say "hi" to C.  His face lit up, but then he got a hesitant look and asked if I would go with him. I said I would and the one time sweethearts were reunited. 

I won't lie and say there was immediate connection or that many words were exchanged other than "Hi, C." and "Hi, Wesley," but I do think it was nice for them to see each other again. And Wesley did ask if she'd be there next week too. I guess it really is a small world.

Zoombeezi Bay: Then vs. Now

Today was our family fun day at Zoombeezi Bay, which, of course meant that it was overcast and there was a chance of rain and storms. We pushed on and headed to the water park anyhow, but it got me thinking about the difference between going as a high school/college kid vs. going as 40 something year old with kids.

Then: You wait for the perfect weather day to go to the water park because you want to soak up the sun.
Now: It doesn't matter what the weather is like (as long as there's no lightning). You and your hubby had to take the day off work to make this family day happen and it's too much of a pain in the butt to try to reschedule for a better day.

Then: You slather on the tanning lotion and hope you get a good tan.
Now: Swim shirts for the kids. Lots of sun screen and you are kind of glad the sun is hidden behind the clouds all day.

Then: Search for the perfect swim suit to wear to flaunt what you've got.
Now: Tankini with swim shorts for the ultimate in mom swimwear

Then: "Do I look fat in this?"
Now: "I am well aware that I do not have the body of a supermodel, but tell me the truth, do my boobs look too saggy in this?"

Then: Grab a towel, a cover up and go!
Now: Grab towels for the family, cover ups, a change of clothes for everyone, umbrellas, sunscreen, goggles, camera, sunscreen, more sunscreen, and extra dose of patience and go.


Then: Search for a prime spot by the wave pool.
Now: Accept your fate and make camp in the kids' area.

Then: Scouting for cute guys.
Now: Knowing that I already have the love of my life and the cutest guys in the whole park are my kids.

Then: Willing to go on any slide
Now: Only going on the slides your kids aren't too short for (or aren't afraid of) and doing WAY too many laps in the lazy river.


Then: Prepared to close the place down
Now:  More than ready to leave by 4:00 because you don't want to fight traffic going home.

Then: Try and go to the water park as many times as you can in the summer
Now: Once a year is plenty.

Still, we had a wonderful day - just us and Aunt Susan.  The boys behaved incredibly well and I don't think anyone got too sunburned.

Ryan really was having a good time. He just didn't want his picture taken

The aftermath - all that swimming wore him out!

Nice hair, Wesley!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I have not started to count down the days until school starts, even though I am rarely home with my kids during summer break.

I did not get really excited about going to movie that I didn't really want to see just because it meant I'd have a long overdue date night with my hubby.

I know I didn't channel a 8-12 year old girl one morning, put the Frozen soundtrack in the car's CD player and belt out "Let it Go" the whole way to work.

I do not find myself constantly checking by Fitbit to see what time it is, even though I know full well that it is not a watch and does not display the time.

Weekend Wrap Up

What a wonderful weekend I've had. I actually got to do some things without my kids and hang out and friends and be a person, not just a mom.

Friday night Duane and I met up with some friends to go see "Guardians of the Galaxy."  We hired a sitter, which we rarely do, but the boys love her so much that it's worth every penny. Duane and I had a really good time and the movie was hilarious.

I spent a really long time Saturday hanging out and shopping with two of my best friends. It's funny when I think about how long we were at the shopping center and how quickly the time flew by.  I even managed to control my spending to a few back to school clothes for the boys and a brand new, grown-up, not purchased from Target purse. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Today we went furniture shopping after church. For some reason our youngest son is incapable of actually sitting on his rear end while eating and he pretty much abuses his chair. Well, part of the chair back snapped the other day, and since I don't really care for the dining set any more, we used it as an opportunity to start shopping around. We didn't buy anything today, but we did find something we both like.

The rest of the day was spent cramming a book I have to review by Wednesday. And to be honest, now I'm putting off writing the review. Not that it was a bad book, but it's not going to be an easy book to write up. Good thing I have Cleo to help me.