We all traveled to Normal for our neice Gabby’s Eagle Scout promotion! But first, dropping Olive at the sitter’s!
And then lunch, because we were at a Mexican restaurant!
Gabby is now an Eagle!
Category Archives: Kids
Today’s math lesson!
Road trip + no devices = napping kids
She wanted blue hair so she got blue hair!
We finally did Katie’s Christmas gift! And my friend Amy helped because I’d never done anything exactly like that before! (I could totally do it now, though, after watching!)
And after the shower… plus look how long her hair finally is!!
My baseball boys!
And what Katie does during baseball.
Olive is an escape artist.
Today I came back from the movie and lunch…and she was on the couch (and I had to clean up accidents). We thought it was a random thing but no, when we came back from gymnastics, she was out again.
So tonight at bedtime Tom clamped the blanket over the top of her crate area. Katie happened to go down to get water and…she was out again. Gahhhhhhhh. So Tom put more clamps on for the night and we get to figure out a better/less ghetto solution going forward.
An Olive Tuesday
Katie’s home!
Perfect opening day at the pool!
Basically an empty park (there might be 30 guests here and that’s being generous—I’ve counted who I can see and it’s less than 30), perfect weather for me not going in the pool (it’s a measly 70°!), good music, a new book, and kids leaving me alone… I just wish they served margaritas!
Bikes as teen transportation
Owen wanted me to drive him to a sleepover on the other side of the neighborhood. I told him to ride his bike.
Him: Umm huh?
Me: That’s how teenagers get around.
Him: blank stare
Me: It’s not raining or snowing or cold and you have everything in a backpack and it’s literally on the other side of the neighborhood.
Him: Oooookay, I guess.
I keep trying to get up and do things…
but Olive keeps whining to get on my lap. I’ll allow it since these days don’t last forever.
She couldn’t stay still…
Time to wake up!
And I finally caught her in a big yawn!
And then Owen came home…
And look what she learned how to do today!! Nooooooooo!!!
This is what Katie considered picked up.
I told Katie to pick up your bathroom before the housekeepers got here. I can’t even.
Oh, and her closet. Filled with clean clothes that she said she already put away.
The boys’ 8th grade graduation!
Owen and Evan had a game afterward and Tom and Owen had to leave right from graduation.
As a school board member, Anna was able to hand her kids their diplomas.
Just a normal Sunday
Heading out to celebrate Evan and Aiden’s 8th grade graduation with dinner at Primo!
Sleepy puppy, big snacks & play date
I might not have looked at how big the bully sticks were on Amazon.
Visiting with Honey again. Olive LOVES her.
Gymnastics is paying off!
Olive, Day 21
She’s so regal-looking here.
She found that napkin on the deck and proudly carried it under the chair and sat on it. I went to take her picture and caught her right as she started to bark at me.
She met Anna’s mom!
And Honey!
Owen’s final 7th grade band concert
They are fun to listen to…but it was a good half hour too long (due to the teacher talking so much about irrelevant things).
Baseball has started!
I missed the first few games because of weather and Owen being sick…but today was gorgeous! And we won!
I also don’t take as many photos these days…so this is all you get!
We caught Katie on her Chromebook last night.
There was lots of drama—and lots of crying as she lost her scheduled sleepover. This morning we found this outside our door.
A rare Katie reading sighting
I told her to take a book to baseball and she did…and actually read it!
Katie’s 4th grade open house
I loved seeing Katie interact with her teacher—who gave sass right back to Katie! Both her teachers had great things to say about her.
Owen went with us because he wanted to “check out his old stomping grounds” and visited with his third and fifth grade teachers! He’s now taller than both of them!
Olive, Day 10
Let’s see what she thinks of the front yard…
In this one she looks eerily like Maggie.
Mom I don’t like this. Save me.
I know I shouldn’t let her do this but at least it’s not my toes AND they’re Owen’s shoes.
Sleepy puppy…
And then the next nap…
Tonight she started chasing!
Life with a 9 year old
Nine is ungrateful. Minutes after returning home from a playdate, Nine will beg to have the next door neighbors over. When you explain why that’s not possible tonight, in a ridiculously kind and patient manner, Nine will sigh loudly and snidely mutter something about life being unfair. No matter how many toys or friends or things Nine has, it will never be enough.
https://www.scarymommy.com/this-is-9-year-old
Olive, Day 8
Yes these will eventually taper off but right now she is just so damn cute.
Her first trip to the park! She needs to start getting used to her harness and a leash!
Anna let us borrow her cat sweatshirt.
Tell me you have kids without telling me you have kids.
7th grade open house
Owen’s homeroom teacher, Mrs. Ancona. We love her. Pretend his eyes are open.
Olive, Day 4 — The kids were home sick…
Which means they got puppy duty so I could get some work done in the office!
Olive, Day 2
The kids took the overnight shift so were still with her in the morning.
We were trying to keep her awake so she’d sleep more at night…but she was so tired she fell asleep like this:
Introducing…Olive!
I loved Maggie fiercely and was devastated when we had to put her to sleep earlier this year. I knew we’d get another Boston Terrier eventually, but I wasn’t ready quite so soon (just over two months).
Emotionally I was okay but I was really enjoying having NOTHING to take care of (kids don’t really count as they mostly take care of themselves). Tom wasn’t thinking about that—he just wanted a puppy. But guess who’s going to be home with her ALL DAY EVERY DAY?! (You know if I would have told Tom I was getting him a new daily job he would have said oh hell no, right?!)
That said, I did kind of miss having SOMETHING around the house. And she IS super cute…I’ll give her that. This is the first photo we got of her:
We stopped in Normal on the way back and had dinner with Marie and Gabi!
Meeting Anna.
I think I’m going to attract boys.
I told Katie that I thought she was going to get a few comments today because she’s dressed up for school pics (vs her usual sweats and ponytail). Her response?
“I think I’m going to attract boys.”
And an outtake:
Michigan Egg Hunt
Katie was ready at 5am—she’s ALL about the egg hunt. And I think Owen is about over it.
And then the ever important opening and sorting process.
