Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Auntie's in Indiana!

After uploading ALL of these pictures, it's no wonder we're tired!  Last week three out of the four of us got colds.  YiaYia came over Friday night so Ryan and I could grab dinner out and we ended up at an Urgent Care after we ate and Ryan was diagnosed with a sinus infection and got put on antibiotics.  Lovely way to start the weekend right!? 
 
Luckily, Auntie is back in Indiana working at Taylor University for a year and that means we get to see her a LOT!  We met up with her bright and early Saturday morning.  First thing on Phoebe's agenda!?  Donuts!  Maverick is fairly picky when it comes to food in general and donuts are no exception.  We've seen him pick the sprinkles off the frosting and call it good.  We've seen him lick the frosting off another and be done.  I was shocked and amazed when he actually ATE the donuts.  However, continuing his weird-eating-habit streak, this is how he ate his (and Auntie's) munchkins.
 
 
After "breakfast" we headed to the Zionsville Farmer's Market.  Maverick gravitated towards the rocks.  Auntie swiftly picked out ONE rock that he could take with him and we moved on to feed the chickens!

 
Mack had no problem feeding them the dehydrated meal worms.

 
Neither did the Phoebes!
 

 
After checking out the produced, we headed to the nearby park for some playground fun, hoping to beat the rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Unfortunately the clouds decided they were full and let loose while we were still playing so some of us took shelter in the playhouse.

 
Conveniently, there was a fun toy store just down the block that we've frequented in the past when the kids needed a break so it was the perfect escape from the rain!

 

 

 
After the toy store, we stopped at Cookie Cutters to get Maverick's hair under control (thus the balloons). While Ryan was home recuperating, we ran errands for him and stopped at Home Depot. 

 
We finally installed our (hopefully) last ceiling fan this weekend.  While I was debating which one we'd decided on, the littles were silly with their Auntie.

 
Seriously silly.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Then we stopped for lunch with YiaYia and Papou.  We've pretty much come to the conclusion that we should no longer eat out with our children.  We reached this stage when Phoebe was younger as well so it's no surprise we've hit it with Maverick.  After we left, Maverick displayed his lack of listening skills and ran out into the parking lot.  Luckily (?) he fell before he got out into traffic.  I cried and felt like a fool when I ran into a co-worker in the parking lot but there's nothing scarier than NOT having control of a situation that is potentially dangerous to your child.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that I'm never fully in control but the whole parking lot situation still gets me in a mess.
 
That being said, we're working on obeying.  The FIRST time.  While getting ready Sunday morning, Maverick decided he wanted to get IN the shower with me.  Phoebe quickly followed suit.  She is NOT a fan of the shower so I was a bit surprised.  I got out.  They stayed in.  A good time was had by all.  We tried showers on Monday night instead of baths and they were NOT excited about actually getting CLEAN in the shower.  I think we're back to baths for the time being. 

 


The Hamilton County Fair was going on so we headed to the fairgrounds in Noblesville for some down-on-the-farm fun.  Maverick LOVED the tractors.
 

 

 
Found out about another pumpkin patch we'll have to try out in the fall.

 
Then stopped by this booth that was offering dance classes.  Phoebe got all ballerina'd-up and glitterfied while I signed up for a chance to win five months of free classes...  She's been in KinderDance, Crouching Tigers and Happy Feet while at Shalom and whenever I ask her which activity she wants to continue when she starts kindergarten, she always says "dance."
 

 

 
They loved watching the equestrian competitions.

 
We watched the Walk-a-Llama but Ryan pointed out we weren't wearing proper shoes to actually "walk" the llamas...Next time we'll know better.

 

 

 
Cooling off with some sno-cups. 

 
One last stop by the tractors before heading out in time for naps...

 
We made a stop at the neighborhood playground before dinner on Sunday and Maverick was insistent on walking the trail to get home while Phoebe wanted to take the short route (full of sprinklers).  While Ryan went with Phoebe, I made the trek with Maverick.  He found this caterpillar shortly into our walk.  After playing with it for a bit, we safely put it back on the ground and I swiftly grabbed Maverick before he attempted to stomp on it.  So much for being sensitive to God's creatures...

 
This little guy has an adventurer's spirit and loves to explore.

 
 
 
 
Once we got back to the sidewalks, we were greeted by Ryan and Phoebe on the lawnmower.  Phoebe was "driving" and thought she was hot stuff!  Maverick climbed aboard and my arms got a much-needed break! 


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

We had another busy weekend and summer is going by WAY too fast for this little girl!  We got our first kindergarten book fees invoice in the mail today - think we could just not pay it and stay out of school another year!?  She's been very excited about going to BIG school but this past week she said she didn't want to go, she just wanted to stay with me.  I tried to explain that even if I didn't work, she'd still have to go to school but it just doesn't make much sense to her five year old brain.
 
 
In the meantime, we'll continue to soak up the sun, getting dirty, wet or sandy, whichever it may be.
 
 
Friday morning, Ryan headed to Grissom Air Force Base to enjoy his Father's Day gift.  He drove around this Lamborghini for a bit.

 
And because it was SO fun, paid an additional fee to race this Ferrari while he was there...fair enough, considering I don't see owning either model in our near future.  Or ever.

 
Friday afternoon we headed to Richmond, Indiana for a wedding rehearsal for my dear friend Amanda.  After a brief and efficient rehearsal, we headed to her future-in-laws' in Ohio for dinner and fun outside.  The kids had SO much fun running around that they weren't interested in eating at all!

 
Ryan regretted not bringing his fishing pole - the pond was well-stocked.  The kids had so much fun and burned so much energy.  We got back to the hotel after stopping at various locations for some mac & cheese, hot dogs and hamburgers.  When they're hungry and tired, some things just aren't worth fighting...

 
They both conked out before 10:30 - which, considering we were in a hotel room together, I'll count as a success!  Phoebe and I had to be at the church at 8:00 the next morning which was just a little rough.  Phoebe wasn't so sure about getting her hair done but LOVED the curls once she saw the finished product!

 
 
 
 The beautiful bride.  Seriously, one of the MOST amazing people, inside and out.  She's going to be a great wife and I'm terribly sad that she's now in Ohio.  Guess that means there are lot of fun little road trips in our future!  She's married to Andy, who has a five year old son that will also be starting kindergarten in the fall.  Who would have ever guessed we'd have kiddos in the same grade!?  God is good and I am SO excited to see this adventure begin for the Lee's!
 

 
It was so special to participate in this wedding WITH my daughter!

 
LOVED every minute of it! 

 
The only bad thing about being IN a wedding (not to mention one your child is also in) was that I didn't take a single photo after this point.  And Ryan was too busy corralling Maverick to take any himself.  Can't wait to see the professional ones!

 
Sunday after church, we grabbed brunch.  We opted for first available seating which put us outside in almost 90 degree weather and the kids were NOT interested in eating (see a theme?) and wanted to do anything but sit at the table!  Luckily, I got some good photos (and a sunburn!) out of the experience

 

 

 
The neighborhood pool was packed so we opted for a nearby splash park later in the afternoon.  I think I'd definitely choose the too-crowded pool over a crazy splash park any day!  Too much running and not enough paying attention - made me exhausted just watching all the action!



 


It's hard to believe in one month we'll be starting Kindergarten.  I'm sure we'll find PLENTY of things to do to fill our last month of "freedom" before we're on a school calendar for the next twenty years...