Bud is Back!

The day after we went to the "beach", Bud returned from his marathon stay with my sister, Martha, and her husband Plumbean. He had an absolute blast, but I know that he was happy to be home.

While he was in Oregon, Bud got to take swimming lessons, participate in the summer reading program at the library, go to chess camp, eat great food.... Needless to say, I'm a bit jealous. What a great experience for him to have! Here are a few photos Martha snapped while Bud was there:

Martha also helped Bud establish a new hair care routine while he was there. You'll probably notice in photos from here on out how great his tresses are looking.

I was so happy to have Bud home, but only got to enjoy him for about a day and a half before Martha whisked him away again to go camping. Pen got to go, too.

Thanks for taking such good care of my kid(s), Martha!

Beachin' It Land-Locked Style

When we were at Art's house for the 24th, she mentioned this new park with a pond and beach. Rather than just talking about how we should go but never really doing it (as I often seem to do), we actually made plans on the spot to meet there a few days later.

I didn't even try to convince Pen and Ginger to go, opting instead to make the outing with just the two youngest. It ended up being such a relaxing time. The kids loved it. Definitely a place we will return to.

Edith was pretty tentative about going in the water, but that's just fine with me. Her caution allowed me to sit and relax more and worry less. I love what a dainty digger she is.

Big panned for gold while we were there, but wasn't uber-successful. 

Maybe if we go a few more times he'll strike it rich. Thanks for the introduction to a new place, Art, it was tons of fun!

When we got home from the beach, we gave Big a new haircut. Lookin' good, Big!

The 24th of July

My sister, Art, invited us over to her place for a barbecue in the afternoon on the 24th of July. It was a really hot day, so we needed to find some indoor activities to fill the time until we went to her place. We decided to finally check out the semi-new, ginormous outdoor store that opened up a while back. It ended up being more overwhelming than exciting-- way too much stuff and waaay too many people-- but I managed to capture a fun shot while we were there anyway.

Then we decided to go to a couple of grocery stores we don't have in our town to stock up on some items. Edith was absolutely thrilled to be able to push a cart just her size. When I asked her if she liked having a cart her size she responded, "Yes, I do! It's cute!" Cute, indeed.

The party at Art's was the best part of the day, hands down. The kids play so well together. I tried to get a picture of Edith sitting next to one of the twin boybies on the steps. A funny process, but I eventually found some sort of success.

Lest you should worry after seeing the last two photos... there is nothing wrong with Edith. This is the face of a Bandaid addict:

And this is the face of a girl enjoying her first corn on the cob. Poor deprived kid. She's taking her job of stripping the cob very seriously.

It was a perfect little party. Everyone had a ball. Playing in the pool...

Sharing s'mores...

Making pretend ice cream cones...

Speaking of ice cream, I made some salty caramel ice cream for the occasion. It was a big hit.

It was a nice relaxing way to spend the day. The only thing that would have made it better is if Bud had been there, but I know he was having a blast in Oregon. The girls actually were there, even though they're not pictured. Thanks for hosting a great get together, Art!

Starting the Catch Up

I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. It's a little overwhelming to think about how much I have to do to catch up, but if I don't get started it will get even worse. I went through my folks' house with my sister and that was pretty overwhelming and exhausting, too. No energy left for blogging, that's for sure. Anyway, let's go for it...

As much as the kids loved, loved, loved being on vacation, there's something nice about getting back home and picking up the routine again, too.

The older girls took off to Girls' Camp the tuesday after we returned from the reunion. When I told Edith she'd have to go video work trucks with us she complained and refused. I told her she could wear her shiny, new, hand-me-down party shoes and she finally agreed. Reluctantly. A few days later, Edith came up to me, begging to go look at work trucks again. I couldn't believe she was so eager... until I told her to go grab her shoes. Apparently, everything really is better with party shoes on.

I even tried to take them to the park once that week, to ease the pain and boredom of vacation being over, but unfortunately it was too hot for us to last long. I think it just made them miss Oregon and the great temperatures there even more. Parenting fail. :)

I realized on that morning at the park that with Big starting 1st grade I won't be getting as many photos of the two youngest together as I have been. It's kind of nearing the end of an era. Looks like it will be the Edith blog from here on out.

Thankfully we had a couple of rainy days mixed in with the terribly hot weather. My kids sure do love the rain. Must be that Oregon blood they got from their mother coursing through their veins. 

When it got hot again, I rewarded them with some ice cream for all of their hard work watching work trucks. It was fun, but I was reminded why I never take the kids to ice cream by myself. Having to lick their drips was making me sick to my stomach. Not liking sweets can be such a burden sometimes. Ha! It was really just so weird taking only these two blondies places all week. I'm pretty sure that people thought that I was their nanny.

The girls got home from camp on Saturday, and then on Sunday I made the play dough I had been promising to make forever. It really is fantastic stuff and proved to be a hit with everyone. Thank heavens I finally made it and released myself from that guilt. 

At this point I think I was kind of running out of 'Motivated Mom' steam, so luckily my little sister, Art, proposed a trip to the splash pad. With her twin boybies pushing their strollers around it ended up being a little like stroller derby-- way more exciting and fun.

Okay, and the next thing that happened really probably deserves its own post, but Pen didn't get one when she got her braces off and Bud didn't get one when he got glasses (blogger fail).... Edith is potty trained! She went from pretty much doing nothing on the potty to being potty trained in no time flat. Just like I thought, it needed to be her idea. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the proud face of an underwear wearer:

Way to go, Edith! Yesss!

Let's see, we did a few other things in the few weeks after we got back from vacation...

Pen treated Edith to some sisters bonding with manicures (gorgeous!):

We made some cookies to take to the new neighbors:

We played some games:

Exhausting!

Next up, the 24th of July! I bet you can hardly wait.