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Category Archives: Owen

Vacation house, Day 2

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We were sleeping in an awesomely dark and quiet basement room so combined with a late bedtime, we all slept in! I was up at 7:30 (technically 6:30 CST) and just waited for either kid to wake up. Owen finally got up about 8:30! I stayed in bed to enjoy the quiet and when I finally came upstairs, this is where I found Owen.

And I decided to have a fully relaxing no makeup day.

The kids spent most of their day in and out of the pool. Spending time with Uncle Jim was super fun and they even had a cannonball contest!

While the kids were (still) in the pool I got some work done. Not a bad view.

The kids were finally out of the pool and playing hide and seek while we were getting dinner ready. Uncle Marcus and Uncle Jim we trying to confuse Katie as she counted.

The birthday kids!

And tonight was a campfire and sparkler night!

And it was a momentous night—Katie actually asked to go to bed!!!

Vacation house, we are in you.

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The kids really wanted to get in the pool the minute we got to the house but I was a mean mom and made them look through the house first and then actually put their suitcases in a bedroom and not just leave them splayed open in the middle of the living room.

Watching intently as I opened the pool cover.

It’s like this pool house knew I was coming.

They might already be in the pool and I might have bought them an inflatable unicorn. 🦄💦

Ahhhhh.

We had a bit of time before everyone else got here. It was quite a steep journey to the water and fire pit.

Dinner tonight was shish kebabs from the Coes. They were delicious!

The last day of 1st and 4th!

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This is what happens when you give your 10yo the phone to try and take a pic on their last day of school. 😂

It looks like all smiles and laughs but we parents all know the day is bittersweet as we’re reminded just how quickly time passes and how lightning fast they are growing up. Weren’t they just in diapers a few months ago? Weren’t they just getting on the bus for the first time? Before you know it they’ll be graduating and moving out and getting married. 😭

These are the feelings I’m going to try and remember this summer when they are making me crazy with 1000 snack requests and whines of “I’m bored.” And I’m going to try and take in each moment and relish the fact they’re still actually little kids. 🥰

First and last days of school. The district actually has three more days due to snow days but we had a family reunion vacation planned for months so today is it for them. We also had a Katie outfit change with lots of drama because she’s ALMOST SEVEN and everything is filled with drama. 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

We ran into a dwarf lilac bush!

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Today was a good day. We ran into a dwarf lilac bush that had such a strong scent I could smell it across the parking lot. As I got closer I closed my eyes and just stopped and slowly inhaled…and was instantly transported to my Michigan childhood home. It was a warm summer afternoon and I was playing in the front yard with the neighbor kids. The lilac bush was right in the center and was easily twice as tall as I was and probably 20′ around. We’d run circles around that thing trying to catch each other. My mom would cut branches off and bring them in the house so we could smell it all night long—and if we were lucky they’d last another whole day.

Sigh.

My mom still lives there but the lilac bush is long gone…but the memory of it will never fade.

What smells take you back to your childhood?

And thanks to the scissors I carry in my car this time of year…

It’s baseball season!!

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After a few rained out games, today was the first game of the season! Owen is one of the better kids on the team (it’s about half and half of kids with experience and kids with none). Owen was tagged to be a pitcher and catcher—and of course he’s still awesome on first base! Check out these amazing catches during practice!

Tom loves being there to help coach every practice and every game!

Owen was the very first one up to bat! Talk about a nervous mama. 🙂 But I shouldn’t have worried—he got a base hit on the second pitch!

And then—SURPRISE!—he was pitching! He didn’t do too badly!

More first-base coaching from dad!

And then—SURPRISE!—he was a catcher! Again, didn’t do too badly! (My knees hurt just watching!)

I honestly don’t remember if we won or lost—there’s no scoreboard and they do know at the end of the game but I’m writing this two weeks later. I think they lost since the other team was quite good… But the kids all had a lot of fun!

Just look at Owen’s lunch today.

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So Owen is really great getting ready in the morning. He gets up on his own, showers, eats breakfast, and packs his lunch. I always have lunch stuff available like fruit, cheese, lunchmeat, and there’s always PB&J. They also have access to candy and know they can or a piece or two in their lunch every day.

Well this morning Katie discovered that Owen forgot his lunch. Out of curiosity I opened it.

ARE YOU F’ING KIDDING ME?! A handful of grapes and half a lunchbox of Easter candy?!

Yes he’s just being a kid, but now it makes me wonder what all his other lunches have been like and if I can trust him going forward.

Kids.

Kids and pets. Why?!

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Owen came home, found a piece of garbage on the ground, played with it for a few seconds, then flipped it away and it landed here…and then he was off.

I’ve been outside mere minutes and Maggie is begging at the door to come out, even though she’s been in and out and in and out all day.

But at least it’s gorgeous out and there are no bugs.

Friday night in Chicago

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You’d never guess how anxious I was two hours before this happy family photo.

You see I hate traffic, I hate congestion, I hate hoardes of people, and I don’t do well with the unknown…yet we were on our way to downtown Chicago with the kids to meet an out-of-town friend for dinner. I wasn’t even driving, but just simply being a passenger is enough to raise my anxiety levels (I can literally feel the anxiety rising up in my chest). Now, it’s not debilitating by any means and I can always power through, but it’s why I tend to be a homebody. The good part is that Tom’s presence makes me feel better and the kids get to see me handle something not fun…and everything usually ends up just fine.

We had delicious 🍕 pizza at Genos East Pizza, delicious 🍨dessert at Shake Shack, we drooled over everything at Dylan’s Candy Bar, and then went a little 🛁 bath bomb crazy at Lush Cosmetics (I’m not sure if I should thank or curse my friend Sara who introduced me to them). And I survived to tell the tale. 🥰

The kids loved it and we had a good time so I guess my anxiety was worth it…but I was glad to get back to our little burg.

Our family selfie!

And since we did have someone to take our photo…

I love me a rainbow…

I am so glad I remembered that Lush was on Michigan Avenue, and as luck would have it it was directly on our way back to the car!!