First Pool Day of the Season!

Wednesday morning felt super exciting to the kids because Uncle Stephen came to put our new dishwasher in. The kids ate breakfast and got dressed and were staring at the window for him before he even pulled into the driveway.

Fortunately, Stephen got to witness our first full day of potty training Jay. Side bonus! 

below: The kids watching Uncle Stephen examine the old dishwasher. Excuse Jay's bottom. If I knew how, I would blur it out. haha.

Uncle Stephen made changing out a dishwasher so much fun! The kids and him would sing songs together and he let the girls "screw" things in. They even fought over who would help him hold the flashlight up.

Jaybird watched Uncle Stephen, but he also spent a lot of his morning hanging out. Waiting for things to drop. (sorry)
below:

 below: Calla keeping Jay entertained. Notice Kelsey behind Jay ha. Notice all the white "crumbs" on the floor (they kept playing with all the dishwasher packing).

We spent the morning at home, and tried to stay out of Stephen's way! I worked on some laundry but maybe I should have paid more attention to Jay because he had a pee accident. Then he peed two more times, both times in his little potty, and I was congratulating myself and patting the girls on the back. We had just finished high fiving when I left the home and the little man up and booed (pooped) all over the couch. Why child why.

Kelsey was his witness, and she seemed surprisingly undisturbed. I cleaned it up and set the kids up on the floor to color. Thanks to a gel pen gone awry, I have big black ink stains on my carpet. Let's just say it wasn't a good day as far as cleanliness went around here.

Uncle Stephen got the new dishwasher all set up by about 11 or so. We said "see you soon!" (we are going to see him at Poppi's birthday party on Sunday). Then I fed the kids lunch. We didn't have any plans for the afternoon, so earlier in the morning I had texted my friend Kate to see if Maggie and Kelsey Ann would want to come for a playdate. The weather was warm and sunny and I envisioned them playing out in the sprinkler together.

Well Kate texted back and asked if my kiddos would actually want to go to her place, since they had a new blow-up toy to play with in the backyard and her kids wanted to use it! I thought that sounded like a lot of fun, so after lunch we headed out.

We made a stop on our way to Kate's to go to the dollar store to pick out a handful of items for Kelsey's birthday. I didn't want to interrupt the potty training, so I put Jay in undies (I had to erase the word "panties") and brought the potty chair with me.

Most people (including my own mother) would think this is a super trashy move. But have you ever been to a $ store? This is completely appropriate behavior in there.

I packed the potty in the cart and at one point Jay decided he needed to go. Right there in the "beach toy" aisle.

below: Jay sitting down to go. As you can see, his sisters don't even look. Using the potty in a cart in a store is perfectly normal behavior to them.

It turns out, he did go. However he wasn't positioned correctly on the potty (could it have been the cart?! ha) and he missed and it squirted all over his blue backpack. Oh well. It's the thought that counts. I pulled his undies and shorts back up and told him to hold it until we got home. (Sadly he forgot and left a little stream coming down his legs as he tinkered with the vending machines near the checkout.)

below: TRASHY Bird

So our dollar store run didn't take long (ironic that Jay had enough time to pee twice while we were there) and then I dropped the girls off at Kate's. My friend sent me this video. How fun is this?!

Once I got home, Jay went down for a nap and then I did some cleaning and laid on the couch and listened to a sermon. So relaxing. 

Jay woke up early from his nap, which was pretty pathetic. Maybe he was anxious to use the potty - ha, probably not). We went outside and it felt so hot that I thought it'd be fun to go to the Rice Pool for the first time. Rice is still on its "pre-season" hours since kids are still in school. But it is open from 4-8pm every evening, so I thought I would pick up the girls from Kate's and head straight over to Rice.

Kate said she'd join me. I picked up my girls and I met her over there.

below: Our ceremonial "first pic at the pool"

The kids had SO MUCH fun at the pool! We stayed for it least two hours. Some other friends of ours were there so that made it great for the kiddos to have playmates. I got Jay in his swimmies (that "puddle jumper" thing with the snap on the back) and he swam around. Kelsey used her swimmies too in the water but Calla has (thankfully) seemed to part ways with them. 

The kids spent some time in the sand, of course. I forgot our snacks at home on the counter so really everyone should have been ravenous (especially Jay, who hadn't eaten lunch since 11:30am). Somehow the pool and sun and sand kept their minds off of it, because they were super happy the whole time.

At about 6:40, I realized what time it was and encouraged the kids to dry off so we could grab dinner. I was starting to feel starved!

below: drying off. (Yes Jay brought an empty Barney DVD case to the pool. Odd.)

below: Jay advances to the waterfall. He loves it.

Jonathan was meeting with his core groups for dinner and to watch the Blackhawks (ice hockey) game. So we weren't going to see him, so I decided to forget going home and preparing dinner. Instead, we drove a minute down the road to Chick-fil-A and took advantage of their outdoor seating.

I figure we were outdoors, so I kept Jay in his undies. That turned out to be a foolish move.

below: Jay is trying to look casual in this picture because he is peeing his pants.

We were just finishing up the nuggets and fries when Jay started to make his I'm-going-to-poop face. I thought surely I was just imagining things since he had already gone in the morning, but lo and behold something that looked like leftover chocolate ice cream came sliding down the chair. I wish I could say it was super gross but that would be a vast understatement. Thank goodness we were the only ones enjoying the outdoor dining area!

The girls eat like snails and you'd think Jay's animal-like display would put them in high gear but they seemed to chew in slow motion. We finally wrapped it up and I put Jay in the car and honestly sat him down on a towel and just drove home.

Once we got home, I put him right in the bathtub. There was no other way to deal with the despicable mess than hosing him off with the whirlpool "hose" and then scrubbing him down.

The girls got into pjs and once Jay was done I put everyone to bed. The girls felt a little scared since I was "all the way" in Jay's room and later I found they had fallen asleep holding hands. Is there anything so sweet? I love how they share a room and a bed and I love when I've found they are being sweet to each other.

Callaism~

~ 4,586 = number of times a day Calla asks Jay if he has to go potty

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey was probably the most interested in the dishwasher-replacement process. She loves to sit and watch someone do something (cook, clean, fix stuff). Maybe she is an Aunt Kimmi? :-)
~ Kelsey loves to kiss and hug Jay while he is sitting on his potty. Poor kid. She reminds me of how my sisters and I always were with Uncle Caleb, and how Aunt Courtney was with Uncle Ben. Baby brothers just need to be babied!

Jayism~

~ Potty Tally of the day: Accidents: 4 On the Potty: 2 or 3 . Not a good ratio! ha
~ word of the day: whatever you ask him, he will repeat. Probably two syllables or less, though!

The Kids Go to the Movies

Yesterday felt like a Monday but it was really Tuesday. How fun is that? (-: 

We got up and had some breakfast and the kids played and I did the dishes and then we headed out the door to go to the sports center. It was rainy but warm. Better than rainy and chilly!

below: Jaybird loves to hold his sisters' hands. Usually Kelsey grabs his, and then he looks for Calla to take the other. I love this pic because I love his feet in it:

My girlfriend Ashley had spontaneously texted me to see if I wanted to join her at the movies! The Wheaton movie theater, Studio Movie Grill, has a summer series for $1 or $2 a ticket on weekdays at 11am. This week they were showing Richard Scarry's Busytown "Mysteries." Once I heard that, I knew I was in! The girls rarely find a movie they like, but they are a big fan of Busytown. (I know this because of Mimi's VHS tapes from when we were kids! ha)

After the sports center, we drove over to the movie theater. There were four other moms there and it least a dozen kids between us all. We filled a couple rows of the theater but besides that it was so empty!

below: Calla, Kelsey and Jay ready to watch!



The concept behind Movie Studio Grill is that it offers in-theater dining so you sit down and there's a tray attached to your seat and a menu. So let me just tell you that every normal theater is going to seem pretty lame to our kids in comparison. ha.

Our friends were already seated when we arrived. Jay wasn't sure where he was but he was excited about it. Especially after we ordered a basket of popcorn. Yum. It was so big that it took almost the entire hour and a half for us to eat it.

below: Calla feeling giddy about her first theater experience. Next to her is Robbie Livingston. He is going to be in her class at school in the fall. Yay for friends at school.

below: Kelsey ready for the movie!

 below: Smiling while we wait for the movie to start. Jaybird had his own seat but he wanted to share one with his mama.

 below: Pretending to be a dog, of course.

The movie was so cute. It was actually six mini-episodes (15 min. each) about a mystery in Busytown. All the kids stayed pretty riveted for the first hour (perhaps the popcorn was keeping them seated!).

After awhile, they started to wander.

below: Kelsey and Jay (blurry) watching standing up.

 Kelsey Mae and her little bud Ellie ...

So for the last half hour of the movie, Jaybird literally roamed the theater. Fortunately I literally knew everyone there except for four people, so I don't think it was too intrusive to have him just walking the rows. ha. At one point he and another little boy crawled around like they were dogs. That kept them occupied for it least a 15-minute episode.

We could have snuck out but Calla and Kelsey were loving it, so we left when it ended. They were so tickled by the whole experience.

below: a pic in front of the theater on our way out

By the time we got home it was 1pm! We ate our late lunch and then Jay went down for his nap. The girls spent a solid hour and a half coloring and practicing handwriting. I literally laid on the couch and listened to a sermon while they colored next to me. Sometimes they can be so peaceful! {Sometimes}

We woke up Birdie at 4pm and then headed to the grocery store/Target. The kids were giddy about going because I told them we were going to pick out underwear for Jay! The girls were so excited. His potty had come in the mail and they couldn't wait to start him in potty training. It seriously is so cute how enthusiastic they are on his behalf.

Grocery shopping took an hour or so and then we got home and practiced Jay's potty form.

below: This picture majorly cracks me up. I love the chokehold. Kelsey is very hands-on when it comes to potty training.


below: Girls thought they should pose with the potty boy

 below: Nice form, Bird.

 below: Yes, it goes down there.

 below: His first run was a dry one. We gave him a cup to get that boy juiced up.

Once Daddy got home, Jay gave him the tour of his potty and showed off his new undies. He also peed on the floor, so that was special.

We ate dinner and then gave the kids baths and read books before bed. Jay peed in the potty two times so he ended the night 2-2. You win some, you lose some.

below: Jaybird after his first potty success!

 One of the nice parts about our summer schedule is that we can be a little more relaxed at bedtime. I'm hoping to spend more time in their devotions before bed since we aren't so rushed against the clock to get them asleep at a reasonable hour!

Callaism~

~ Calla's been my challenge of late! That girl does not obey the first time. We are working on it. My Dr. Rosemond book (my all-time favorite parenting author) says if a parent is raising their voice it's because they aren't being strict enough. If Calla had a consequence when she didn't obey the first time, I wouldn't have to yell at her the second/third time.
~ okay that was my pep talk for the evening.

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey can write all the names in our family. Calla is her biggest cheerleader.

Jayism~

~ Jay and Daddy love to play hide and seek before bed. Jay usually hides in the exact spot that he most recently found Jonathan. haha.
~ We wheeled our cart in the toddler aisle at Target to pick out panties. (We keep reminding ourselves to say "undies" and not "panties." Hard habit to break.) Just as I was saying, "Calla and Kels, which ones do you want to get for Jay?" he started pointing and squawking "Choo choo!" at a pair of Thomas the Train ones. Little man has opinions!

Our Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday morning we headed to church. This Little Bird took the safari hat off a shelf near the children's "welcome desk" area. (Why is there a safari hat there?)

below: poser

below: what can I say? He has a hat fetish.

During the second service, the childcare coordinator enlisted me to help in a class that was short on teachers. I told her I would fill in to the 2-year old class if I could bring Jaybird with me. I pulled him out of his class and into the new class and he was a big fan of it. haha. I think he liked having mama there.

The class was hilarious. All the kids were in the throes of potty training and I spent a good portion of the class just standing in the bathroom waiting to help the next kid in line. Of course then you have the rogue kids, still in diapers, who insist on trying. (I'd tell their parents, "she wanted to use the potty" and they'd say, "huh? she's not potty training!") I guess it's peer pressure or something.

After church we came right home for lunch, and then to start our company preparations. We were having a couple families over for a casual get-together on Sunday evening. The weather definitely wasn't cooperating. In fact, it looked like it might rain any second so right after lunch I took the kids outside and made sure our weeds weren't taking over. That tends to be a trend.

This year I noticed I had one of these hanging flower pot holders. (I am sure there is an official knowledge...) How did I never notice this before?! I guess it's because our yard is so huge. haha



At 2, Jonathan put Jay and Kelsey down for naps. Calla skipped the nap and helped me clean her room and her desk. Oh my goodness her desk can get so out-of-control. She likes to keep everything she's ever written on. :-)

Anyway, Kelsey and Jay woke up after a couple hours and then Jay helped Daddy get the chicken marinated. He is so clingy to me when he wakes up but he couldn't help but be lured outside when he saw Jonathan on the grill. Man-stuff.

Our friends came over at dinnertime. I had hoped to host an outdoors-affair since our home can get "smaller" by the minute once there are young children running around and toys being pulled out from every angle. hahaha. Well that idea went out the window in the first five minutes of sitting outside, when it started to drippy-drop. Even the kids wanted to head inside! (haha - poor Calla went indoors to grab something and some kids were right on her heels. My friend overheard her say to them something to the effect of - "Guys, this is an OUTDOOR party!" Lol. I can picture her friends filing meekly back outside...into the rain.)

So Jonathan grilled and my friends Jenny and Ali brought sides and it was very casual but delicious. It was fun to catch up and to watch the kids play. They all played so nicely together.

The "dads" took the kiddos outdoors to play some Hide & Seek after dinner (obviously it had stopped raining). Mr. Bryan took the prize for his hide and seek hiding spot. He definitely took the game to new heights. ha

 below: "Mr Luke" counting down..

After some dessert it was the "dads" who thought to go across the street to the park. We all went along and ended up staying out right up until "bedtime!" At 8, the Moos said goodbye and shortly after Bryan and Ali got ready to go. Right as they were leaving they came up with the idea to have a spontaneous sleepover.

I love last-minute plans so I thought this was a great idea. We put the kids into pjs and drove across town to Bry and Ali's. It felt like a mini-Memorial Day getaway! haha.

below:
Sisters, ready for bed! Brooke and Kelsey, Calla and Anna...

 below: Jay during our before-bed prayer time. His clasped hands kill me. (And how can his hands be so big when the rest of him is so small?! ha)

 below: Sleepover!!!! Kelsey and Calla were so giddy with excitement. Blake, age 3, got in on the fun too.

The girls brought their sleeping bags that Mema gave them a couple Christmases ago. They were happy to have an "official sleepover" to use them at!

Jay took awhile to fall asleep which was surprising because I thought he'd be tired. I didn't want him to cry and keep the other kids awake so I laid next to him while he dozed off. Then the adults got to hang out. It was fun to be able to stay up late and talk.

So Monday Ali and Bry pulled out all the stops with a big breakfast. They are big-breakfast people (even on non-holidays!) so I really should take a page out of their book and get my act together at my own house.

below: The kiddos enjoying pancakes and eggs and coffee cake.

 below: bird! HAHA

After some breakfast we took a little morning hot tub swim. The air was 60 but the water was 100. Sounds good to me. Jaybird is a big fan of the jets.

The rain seemed to be holding off, so we packed up our pjs and sleeping bags from Hotel Sagen Casa and drove home to change. We hope nobody was standing close enough to us at the parade to notice our dirty hair.

below: Check out BIrd's "hot tub hair." ha

The parade was brief and definitely the hot spot for Boy/Girl Scout troops. But there were enough bands to give it some spice. We stood with Bry and Ali so that was fun for our girls to have friends to enjoy it with. Then we packed it up and headed home.

below: i think these two look alike in this pic!

Kelsey Mae was in tears in the car-ride home over her lack of parade candy. (She was carrying a bag, probably anticipating it to be packed to the brim. Instead she came out of that thing with two pieces to show for herself.) Talk about first-world problems, Kels. The tears were a little much. I think she was tired. We fed them all lunch and then I made everyone take a nap. Calla, Kelsey and I cuddled in my bed at 1pm and by 1:03 Calla was snoring up a storm. Kels can sleep through that but quite frankly I can't so I called Mom instead.

After everyone took naps, we showered and got presentable and drove up to Mema and Opa's. Mema was hosting a little family cook-out. Everyone was able to be there but Aunt Court! We were sad to miss her (she was working).

Calla, Kelsey, Jay and Brax played in the basement and Jonathan and I ended up sitting down there (among others) and looking at old pictures. It's amazing how years that seem so recent (2002 anyone?) look so old in pictures! Oh my. Jonathan and I spotted a couple pictures of us in our youth and decided we are on the fast-track to obesity if we don't get our act together.

That may have inspired Jonathan to locate his old bike in the garage and haul it into our minivan. Special shout out to Opa for his assist in this random request.

Opa was also the grill-master. We sat down to burgers and brats at 5:30. Mema did all the trimmings. I contributed a pretty low-key green salad. I wish I had taken a picture of the kids table..I wonder if Jonathan did. It was cute to see Calla, Kelsey, Jay and Braxton sitting over there and talking amongst themselves. At one point I heard Kelsey telling Braxton something and caught him staring back at her in confusion. We all have a hard time understanding Kels occasionally, Brax! Calla is fluent.

After dinner we hung out some more. The kids started getting rowdy so I decided to take mine on a walk. Mema and Opa live on a pretty golf course and the cart-path seemed to be the perfect spot to wander.

below: out on a walk. It was overcast and icky. Hardly similar to last year's Memorial Day! (which we spent at the pool!)

 below: Jay was delighted (nay, ecstatic) over these two geese. He would have chased them (you know, on a wild goose chase) except his sisters were shrieking their warning. I had told the girls not to bug geese and you would have thought I told them geese turn into Big Foot. They were so concerned Jay would get hurt.

 below: wedge heels were probably not my best choice for footwear for this walk.

We headed back to Mema and Opa's and the boys were all two-inches from the screen (figuratively), watching the Hawks. I just don't find anything appealing about ice hockey, especially in (what's supposed to be) warm weather. So Mema and I looked at some old pictures of when she was a baby, and some of Jonathan when he was little. Calla loved seeing pictures of Daddy when he was her age! Her favorite one was a picture Jonathan found of him in a Cubbies vest.

We headed home at about 8:15 or so. Kels and Jay fell asleep on the way home but Calla was still looking pretty bright-eyed. That's what a nap will do to you!

I hope you all had enjoyable Memorial Day-weekends. I can hardly believe it is almost June! YAY!!!!

Callaism~

~ Calla has a tally in her head of the sleepovers that she has had. The tally is up to four. I thought that this weekend was the first time we had ever slept at Bryan and Ali's but Calla remembered when we slept over at their old house. It took me awhile for her to get me to remember that we had slept over there when our house had flooded (July of 2010). I looked it up on the blog. (Click here) Calla was two years old (she was two months away from turning 3). Her memory is crazy.

Kelseyism~

~ Daddy attempted to give Kelsey a lecture on the importance of Memorial Day and the sacrifice our military have made for our country. {INSERT SHOUT OUT TO OUR GRANDPAS.} Somehow those meaningful words were lost on her as she mourned the lack-of-candy dilemma. Next year I am going to do what my friend Jason did at last year's 4th of July parade...he bought a huge bag of candy and every so often would discreetly throw it up in the air at his kids. LOL. Awesome. Gives me the giggles every time I picture his kids, and all their friends, squealing and packing away the candy. Nobody seemed to wonder where it was coming from.

Jayism~

~ new phrase of the day: "do it again!"
~ I was carrying him in Mema and Opa's basement and we walked by the air hockey table and he pointed and said "hockey!" I am wondering if someone showed him that earlier and said "hockey?" Jonathan said it wasn't him. (I was thinking Calla.)

Our Saturday

Today I was going to write about our whole weekend but to be honest I just fell asleep on the couch listening to a sermon (no offense to the pastor...) so this is going to be brief!

Saturday morning was marked on Calla's calendar with a big circle around the words "Pool opens!" But we didn't go anywhere near the pool (in fact, I think it was too cool for it to be actually open). The day was dreary and high of 63. Hardly sounds like "summer kickoff" material.

We had no other choice, obviously, than to just head to the sports center. Jonathan stayed behind to do yard work.

I thought I'd join him, so after the workout class I skipped the shower/locker room part and we headed home.

below: Jay trailing behind his sisters on the way back to our car. Part of the reason he was going slow was because he thought it'd be fun to tap on all the license plates on the way to our car. At first I thought that was humorous and than I thought perhaps that is a dangerous habit to get into? ha



We got home and Jonathan was waiting in the driveway to take all three kids with him to Home Depot to buy a new washing machine. The girls were giddy about the purchase. Perhaps they thought they'd have more a say in the decision-making process.

I stayed home and straightened up and then headed to the grocery store. I don't ever go to the grocery store on weekends and so my small list + lack of children definitely made for a pretty peaceful trip. Except without the kids there to make me feel rushed, I took way too long. I guess I better keep them with me! ha

By the time we were all home, it was lunch. I made the kiddos sandwiches and then we headed to the library. The library isn't usually a Saturday destination for us, but Jonathan was going golfing with Uncle Ben and his buddy Bryan and Bryan's brother. So Bryan's wife Ali and her kiddos and me and mine decided to meet up at the library.

My girls were looking forward to replenish our library supply. The kids seemed to enjoy picking out books together. Jay has a strong opinion about the books he picks. He prefers for them to all have Thomas the Tank Engine on the cover.

The library was such a fun outing but it didn't end that way. Totally randomly (well if you refer to "sin" as "random" hmm), Calla and Kelsey and Jay decided instead of waiting quietly next to their mother while in line for checking out books, that they'd walk away from her and instead walk onto the elevator.

Jay led the charge, and the girls - who'd you think would helpfully corral him back to the group (including my friend's kids, who were waiting in line with their mom) - just followed him. The elevator didn't go anywhere, and the doors on it didn't close. But I was pretty heated about the whole thing, especially because they did not come to me when I originally called to them. It's like they had gone deaf and mute.

I wasn't sure how to punish him. So we checked out our books and movies and hen we walked upstairs and I made them put them right back in the drop-off box. Calla was pretty aghast over the idea, and shaken up. Kelsey didn't seem to mind putting her books back but was ticked about putting the movie back. I told them they were going to put their books back before taking them home every time they disobeyed at the library.

Perhaps what I should have done was take them home and sit them in their room. My friend Ali and I had already made plans for my girls to go over to her place to join her daughters' to watch a movie and eat some popcorn (since their dad was golfing too). My girls were still teary (mostly Calla) when I walked them to Ali's car. She drove them back to her place for the movie and popcorn (although I think they played more than they paid attention to the movie!) and Bird and I went home.

Birdie took a nap and I cleaned the house. He woke up sooner than I thought he would, so I fed him a snack and then he played a little while I finished up a couple things.

At one point I ran across him in his room and he was doing this:

 I'm not sure how that is a comfortable way to relax. ha

Jay and I went over to Ali's to pick up the girls and the four of them were swimming in the hot tub! It turns out it was a pool-filled weekend after all! hahaha. Kelsey had her swimmies on (it's a pretty big hot tub) and they weren't exactly thrilled to see me since they were having so much fun.

Eventually I got them out and we said goodbye to Ali and fam and then drove back to our place to meet up with Jonathan. We didn't have any set dinner plans, so when the Moo's invited us over for pizza we decided to go over there. They had a couple other families from church over, including a family who I didn't know very well who teach in Kelsey's Sunday school class. (They teach first service, and I help in second service which is why we don't overlap.) It was really nice to get to know them, especially because their son goes to Wheaton Christian Grammar School.

The weather wasn't really outdoor-weather, but the kids didn't seem to notice and ate dinner outside and then played on the swingset and ran around. I stayed inside and got to hold Britta. She was my excuse to stay inside in the warmth!

We left at about 7 because I knew the girls would be tired after their playdate and I didn't want to have to rush bedtime. I think Jay was pretty sufficiently tuckered out after running after big kids outdoors after dinner. He was pretty engaged in a game of flag football...except he kept crying because he wanted the football. Ha! There's no crying in football, Jay.

We got home and got the kids to bed. Then I did some more cleaning. Sometimes I get a big burst of energy once the kids are in bed. Other days I just wanna sit down and put my feet up so I guess I should take advantage of the energy bursts when they come!

Kelseyism~

~ The new family I met at Moo's have a daughter, Ashley, who is about six months older than Kelsey. They are in the same Sunday school class so it was cute to watch Kels play with "her friend." Ashley has a really bubbly personality and I could tell Kels really enjoyed her.

Jayism~

~ word of the day: apple
~ phrase of the day: happy birthday

Happy BIrthday, Aunt Alicia! Love, Calla and Kelsey and Jay

Friday was pretty much as chilly as the day before. This isn't really the type of weather folks head in mind when they started referring to "Memorial Day weekend" as the start of summer. There is something about an overcast morning that causes my kids to sleep in.

I think the girls were up at 8, and Jay didn't start stirring until 8:30. We got up and had some breakfast, and after we were dressed and dishes washed (no dishwasher, remember?) we headed out to the door to the sports center. It was starting to get sunny, so that helped.

After an hour at the gym, we ran to Target for a couple items. No reason to buy everything you need for the week on Monday when you can make the trip into two. (I'm being sarcastic.) It didn't take long, and then I swung by the house to pack a quick lunch and we headed to the park. It was only in the low-60s outside, but the sun made it feel warmer than it was and I felt like we needed an outdoor day after being inside on rainy Thursday.

Some friends were at the park, so that made it more fun. Jay likes to follow around this particular friend:

below: Jay and Dane Moo. You can't tell here, but they are only eight months apart. Grow, Jay, grow.

It felt so good to be outside! We didn't stay much more than an hour and fifteen minutes, but it was all I could do to keep Jay awake on the ride back towards home. There's something about running around that makes little boys sleepy. ha

Before we headed home, I stopped by my friend Kris' house to pick up her girls. She had invited Calla and Kelsey a couple weeks ago for an afternoon playdate, and my girls had been hoping to return the favor. Molly and Annie were outside playing when we pulled in, so they just hopped in and we headed home.

Jay went down for his nap, and the girls got busy playing "house." And "restaurant." And "school." You know, what girls do. I thought they might head outside but they were too busy indoors to think about it.

I did some cleaning. Every so often someone would need their bottom wiped or a snack, but otherwise I barely saw the girls. At one point, I hadn't heard from them for awhile so I peeked my head in their bedroom and Annie and Calla had barricaded their younger sisters, Molly and Kelsey, into a "pen." They were the dogs, Calla explained.

When Jay woke up, he volunteered to be a dog too and the girls were enthusiastic about having another animal to boss around. Jay makes for a great dog. He is very dedicated to the task...right down to the tongue wagging and the incessant barking.

At 4:30, Kris came by with her boys to pick up her girls. We got to talk for a bit (our kids - well, mostly Calla - kept interrupting and finally Kris said, "Can't you see the mommies are trying to have a playdate?" ha). We need to put mommy playdates on the schedule.

By 5, Kris was gone. We cleaned up the house and made dinner and Jonathan was home by 6. We had to eat dinner and get the kids dressed and finish cleaning the house and read devotions and I really don't enjoy when the whole bedtime-routine is rushed but rushed it was. We had a baby-sitter coming at 7:45 so Jonathan and I could slip out to go to Aunt Alicia's birthday party.

We put Kelsey and Jay down to bed but Calla was allowed to stay up. (I don't think she could have gone to sleep that early after sleeping in.) I really like putting the littles ones to bed before a sitter comes because then they never even realize we left, but Jay took a while to fall asleep. I don't think he was really tired yet. Eventually he dozed off and we said goodbye to Calla and Lindsey. Lindsey is a friend of Stefani's who has baby-sat a couple times in the past when Stef couldn't do it.

Lindsey said later that she and Calla just colored for forty-five minutes until bed, chit-chatting about family and summer plans and school. haha. Calla probably loved the one-on-one attention.

Jonathan and I met up with Alicia and Uncle Stephen and some of their friends and the Brust fam and it was a really good time. We were home by 11:30 and when we got home Lindsey had invited Stefani over so the four of us sat around talking for an hour.

Jonathan and I were feeling pretty young chit-chatting with the college kids until we asked Lindsey how old she thought we were and she told Jonathan "thirty-eight." I didn't even want to know how she thought I was after that! ha. (She tried to defend herself by saying her brother is 38 and we look like we are his age but that didn't make us feel much better about it. We are eight solid years away from 38.)

Well we felt old after that and as soon as they left we went to bed!

Jayism~

~ new word of the day: apple
~ Poor Jay got his hand pinched in the minivan door. I felt bad because I saw him sticking his arm in there to get back in the van (he was being naughty, since I wanted him to get out) and I didn't get to him on time. The doors have a sensor so they don't close on anybody but I don't think the sensor picked up his little hand. Poor Bird. He cried harder than he's cried for anything in months.

A Birthday Tribute to Aunt Alicia....
~ here are some pics ~

below: okay, Alicia isn't even in this one. But I feel like most of the pics I take when I'm with her are with our kids together!
...Brax & Kelsey : buds!

 below: Brax & Jay at Christmas

 below: our kiddos together

 below: the whole fam at Easter

 sitting together at Easter: