Intro: I didn't have a system for blogging this year. In 2014 I wrote a post everyday. It was crazy, but I did it. In 2015 I wrote a monthly post for each kid on the date of their birth. In 2016 I just did a big end of month round up for our entire family. This year, I had no system. I need a system. I'm going to have to come up with a system for 2018. Ah!
Anyway, to get all the photos and memories (that I still recall) from September and October (and soon November) onto the blog, I'm just going to write a quicktake for each month. So here's September. Enjoy!
1. Through late August and early September, Ben was busy helping move a lot of our Church friends. I can't remember exactly how many there were, but it seemed like there were four moves in just three weeks. Some of our favorite friends moved out of our neighborhood to their dream home on a lake. We were rewarded threefold for the little help we offered them.
One weekend they had Ben and I come out to canoe around the property with them. It was such a fun afternoon. They live in a small little town, so at one dock we hoped out and walked over to the drive-in for some ice cream (but it was probably really custard, 'cuz Wisconsin). One week night they let us bring our kids over for some fishing. The third reward came when they invited us, as well as all the other people who helped them move, over for a sunset BBQ. Spending time at their new place truly feels like a vacation. They are certainly living the dream, and we are so grateful they so willingly share it with us.
2. Our little town fire department put on a parade and car show the weekend after Labor Day. It was so fun to bike down to Livi's house and watch the parade with all our friends. The weather was fabulous and the fun didn't end after the parade. J, who lives on the street behind us, came over to play. D and V, who live next door, were out for some fun too.
I caught the kids putting this giant diaper delivery box in the wading pool and I just shrugged it off in the name of science. They all looked like they were having a lot of fun. But the real fun began as the box started to fall apart and Reid and Dougie flung chunks of it at each other. Oh my gosh, their giggles truly were contagious. It was wild!
Ben had a sore back this weekend (he hurt it real bad in one of the moves), so I was hauling kids everywhere I went and trying to make the best of it. It can be really exhausting to not feel like I never catch a break on the weekends, but I'm trying to work on my attitude in that regard. Anyway, we had fun snooping around the car show and supporting our local fire department with some food purchases.
3. A few days later we took advantage of a beautiful midweek afternoon. I drove the kids up to Neenah to see a park I meant to visit this summer. We've always heard so much about the Rocket ship park, and I assure you it did not disappoint. Imaginations were shooting sky high.
4. The heat kept climbing and we actually experienced our hottest day of the year on the first day of Fall (I love irony). Reid, Nell, and I were sweating bullets at the city's annual Touch a Truck Event (Coraline, Mara, and Ben were home taking a comfy nap). There was something really special about a couple of quality hours spent with just my big kids. They are still such good buddies. I love having them alone together.
5. The next weekend was the opening of the duck hunt -- which I always try to make the best of. It was also the last day to cash in on one of our library summer reading coupons. And it was the special opening of the Lego Ninjago movie. Our theater wasn't having a party, but our Target was. So I took the kids there to do the scavenger hunt. They loved it, obviously. Next, we went to the pizza ranch for our free buffet (yay for the reading program).
Our final destination was a special field trip with some friends to the local museum. It was the last weekend to catch the art gallery "Voices of Native American Art -- Telling Our Stories" It may have been the last weekend to catch it, but it was also the best. We had a very intimate guided tour with one of the local artists. The kids spent so much time taking it all in and asking such fabulous questions.
6. Reid and Nell were in a dance class together for most of the month. The idea was that having something regularly scheduled at the Y would get Ben back in the habit of going to the gym. But, when he hurt his back he wasn't feeling up to it. So I took them most weeks and the whole thing felt like more stress than it was worth. But hey, at least we tried something, right?
7. As I'm flipping through my September calendar to see if there is anything else worth noting, I find one simple phrase that makes me smile. It says "bought new clothes." I was in desperate need of some new pants, so I spent a couple of evenings driving up to Kohl's to check out a sale they had advertised. Almost $200 later I have a whole new wardrobe. It's funny how something like that can make such a big change. I'm constantly updating the kid's wardrobes and making sure they have nice, well fitted clothes. It's about time I did that for myself, right? It was money well spent. I now have a titch more confidence and I love my oversized body more than before. Maybe there really is something to this whole "treat yourself" movement.
Anyway, to get all the photos and memories (that I still recall) from September and October (and soon November) onto the blog, I'm just going to write a quicktake for each month. So here's September. Enjoy!
1. Through late August and early September, Ben was busy helping move a lot of our Church friends. I can't remember exactly how many there were, but it seemed like there were four moves in just three weeks. Some of our favorite friends moved out of our neighborhood to their dream home on a lake. We were rewarded threefold for the little help we offered them.
One weekend they had Ben and I come out to canoe around the property with them. It was such a fun afternoon. They live in a small little town, so at one dock we hoped out and walked over to the drive-in for some ice cream (but it was probably really custard, 'cuz Wisconsin). One week night they let us bring our kids over for some fishing. The third reward came when they invited us, as well as all the other people who helped them move, over for a sunset BBQ. Spending time at their new place truly feels like a vacation. They are certainly living the dream, and we are so grateful they so willingly share it with us.
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| Caught her first THREE fish! |
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| Mara was so determined to touch our catches. |
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| One happy boy! |
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| Lou stuck to me like glue. Which was nice, because then we knew she wouldn't fall in! |
I caught the kids putting this giant diaper delivery box in the wading pool and I just shrugged it off in the name of science. They all looked like they were having a lot of fun. But the real fun began as the box started to fall apart and Reid and Dougie flung chunks of it at each other. Oh my gosh, their giggles truly were contagious. It was wild!
Ben had a sore back this weekend (he hurt it real bad in one of the moves), so I was hauling kids everywhere I went and trying to make the best of it. It can be really exhausting to not feel like I never catch a break on the weekends, but I'm trying to work on my attitude in that regard. Anyway, we had fun snooping around the car show and supporting our local fire department with some food purchases.
3. A few days later we took advantage of a beautiful midweek afternoon. I drove the kids up to Neenah to see a park I meant to visit this summer. We've always heard so much about the Rocket ship park, and I assure you it did not disappoint. Imaginations were shooting sky high.
5. The next weekend was the opening of the duck hunt -- which I always try to make the best of. It was also the last day to cash in on one of our library summer reading coupons. And it was the special opening of the Lego Ninjago movie. Our theater wasn't having a party, but our Target was. So I took the kids there to do the scavenger hunt. They loved it, obviously. Next, we went to the pizza ranch for our free buffet (yay for the reading program).
Our final destination was a special field trip with some friends to the local museum. It was the last weekend to catch the art gallery "Voices of Native American Art -- Telling Our Stories" It may have been the last weekend to catch it, but it was also the best. We had a very intimate guided tour with one of the local artists. The kids spent so much time taking it all in and asking such fabulous questions.
You'll notice the little girls aren't in this picture. Ben made it home just as we were headed to the museum, so I snuck them both inside for naps and enjoyed another weekend outing with just my two big kids (and two of our favorite friends).
I was so moved by a few of the pieces. The one we are pictured in front of was my favorite. The statue you see above Nell's head was bleeding/crying/spilling oil over the Earth. I really regret not writing about this day that evening before I crawled in bed. There were so many little details I wanted to remember. Reid and Nell each had a favorite piece of art as well. Plus, they made their own art and wrote about what they learned. Nell's writing did say something about taking care of the Earth. I was so grateful she picked up on that.
Julian's writing mentioned a story our guide let Nell share. We noticed some strawberries on a few prominent pieces, so Nell made the connection between that and book we have called, The First Strawberries. I believe it is a Navajo legend, and she retold it quite well. I was in awe with how much they were learning and growing. It was so wonderful to share it all with fabulous friends.
6. Reid and Nell were in a dance class together for most of the month. The idea was that having something regularly scheduled at the Y would get Ben back in the habit of going to the gym. But, when he hurt his back he wasn't feeling up to it. So I took them most weeks and the whole thing felt like more stress than it was worth. But hey, at least we tried something, right?
7. As I'm flipping through my September calendar to see if there is anything else worth noting, I find one simple phrase that makes me smile. It says "bought new clothes." I was in desperate need of some new pants, so I spent a couple of evenings driving up to Kohl's to check out a sale they had advertised. Almost $200 later I have a whole new wardrobe. It's funny how something like that can make such a big change. I'm constantly updating the kid's wardrobes and making sure they have nice, well fitted clothes. It's about time I did that for myself, right? It was money well spent. I now have a titch more confidence and I love my oversized body more than before. Maybe there really is something to this whole "treat yourself" movement.
1 comment:
Looks like many fun times, but just exhausted me reading it! You are not your homebody mother's child! Good for you!
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