last post

I have come to terms with the fact I can't keep this up.  Obviously.  So this will be the last post on this blog.  I'm sure someone will be annoyed that it is another blog address that will go to waste, but whatever.  The name isn't that cool.  They will think of something else.  Email or text me if you want to keep in touch!  It is the same old email I've had for forever. 

I have just been really enjoying being with the kids.  While Papa was on his work trips, he asks me what thing I did that day.  I respond back with really boring routine things and he tells me about his adventures.  But honestly I just love boring routine things because right now I just get to enjoy the kids.  And I have really been enjoying them.

At the beginning of the summer, a friend told me about her summer schedule and how things were by theme each day.  I tried adapting hers to our family but that worked for about 2 weeks.  This month, however, I was motivated to adapt to our family.  visits to family reminded me that I have been wanting to teach my kids music and Spanish, plus plan time to supplement what the school is doing.  So far this has also lasted two weeks.  We shall see what really happens, but I rather enjoy it because it feels like I am nurturing them better, having better mommy time and teaching them something.  I'm sure they disagree, but oh well. 

Wednesday and Friday mornings are Spanish mornings.  I just speak Spanish instead of English.  This is how it has gone.  T really liked it for the first two days and told me he liked Spanish days.  But then today he said he didn't like it.  He couldn't understand what I was saying so he "just ignored me".  True.  E doesn't like it either and is constantly saying "No!" in a growly voice or "what are you saying?" over and over.  W has just ignored it altogether.  I think she knows it will go away soon.

T said he hates piano lessons, but then he is the only one that voluntarily practiced the song on his own.  E tries to get piano lessons but is told he is too little still.  He bangs on the piano and growls "no!".  W pays attention but gets frustrated and ignores the piano all the rest of the time.  I think she knows it will go away soon. 

We have started doing reading writing and math every morning.  I was surprised that they caught on to reading already.  Definitely not fluent, but the idea of it is present.  Practicing helps most of the time but is more frustrating to T. 

He likes writing a bit better.  His favorite word to practice writing is "meow".  W's favorite phrase is I love you.   E wants to scribble and does it with gusto, on paper and the counter.  I love granite, washable countertops.

T is really good at getting math.  I think he gets the concept much better.  It helped a bit too, when I told him it is a skill a papa needs so he can add measurements to build. 

Some really cute stuff they have done is do gobs of I love you art, and  continue playing".   They call playing together their "games" or their "plays".  I often hear T ask W in the morning "W, can we play king and princess?"  or "Let's play kitties in the dark, W".  Or "let's go outside and play on the boat" (the trailer with the kayaks).  Today they added "ruby land" and "wheelchairs" to the repertoire.

Here are some pics of some times that I just really enjoyed with them playing.

Discovering how fun cattails are.  We sat under a tree while they climbed it and later found cattails at the park.  It was a fabulous day

T was pretending it was smoke on a train.  He ran up and down the trail until the whole area was covered in seeds

E wanted his own.  But just to have his own.  Not to open up

I took W on a mommy/daughter date.  We needed just girl time.  She found these parrot wings at the kid museum

I love the stillness of the lake in early fall.  It sounds like the echoes of summer are fading.  Some sort of still calmness to the water.  It was way too cold to be in the water, but E disagreed.  He wanted his own island.  Just like T

A reminder to me that W loves to find me beautiful rocks

E laughing on the see saw

getting off while in mid air and mid cute pic.  Agh!

T has been so good to E.  He loves to help him with his diaper changes, puts his flip flops on if E allows it and gives him all sorts of rides.  He is so good at that!

family reunion

We drove down to see family as our road trip this summer.  I tried to visit as many family members as possible!!  We almost got them all!  I wanted J to be with us, so we were not there for long.  Definitely a road trip.  But definitely good to see family.

These are the only pics I remembered to take.  I was busy either chatting it up or helping my kids when they demanded my attention after me ignoring them while chatting it up. I let the family photographer take the rest of the pics.

We visited my papa, Aunt B, and Auntie Anne on the way to and from Uncle Frank's place.  While we were at Frank's place, we hung out playing games, talking, eating smores while having a campfire, visiting the largest tree on earth, cooling our feet in the river, and having a pool party.  We enjoyed the stars while we were there and my kids experienced real hot, something I was trying to describe to them previously.  I think they had a tiny taste of it.

I came back more motivated to teaching my kids Spanish and piano.  We will see how long that lasts.

Here are the pics

 

Asleep in Aunt B's bed.  We took over her room and fridge.  It was fun.  They loved looking at all of her shoes

T and E looking at the photo of S and B playing in the mud puddle as kids

E played with Aunt B for about 20 minutes straight doing exactly this.  Running his truck up and down her arm.  He was pretending it was a huge speed bump.  At the end of the line, Green, his truck, got a kiss from Aunt B.

because T loves dumping the sand down this hole over and over

The sand flower W made on the spinning seat

A purple flower W enjoyed.  She had never seen this kind of flower before.  I happen

Look E!  The biggest tree on earth!

Smile please J!  Papa/W pics are hard to come by

This was an awesome stop.  We played near these trees for about a half hour.  So relaxing and enjoyable.  Saw some deer

This tree was like a miniature caving experience for them.  Only they could really fit in this tree's cavities, but they could climb up and down.  They didn't want to leave

This is a great memory for me.  We stopped at a really scary park while J scouted out some amazing food for us.  We ate in the park.  It got dark.  We forgot it gets dark so much earlier!  I've discovered I really like food from Mexican grocery stores.  Yum!

Yummy food.  We love chips!  This was also the "naked potty" park.  We went to use the restroom and all the stall doors had been removed.  Very uncomfortable. We stood guard for each other.