Month: August 2011

Wade took the morning off and we all went to the pool. He has wanted to see it for a while and this is the last week it’s open. Alex loved showing Daddy all the fun things. We were the only ones there for an hour so we definitely had the run of the place!

Alex has not been waking up from his naps very happy. It helps if we have a fun activity planned. Today it was washing Mom’s car. He loved helping.

It seems that all the boys end up outside at the same time every afternoon (4-5ish) waiting for the Dads to get home from work. (Abram was running around too. He just didn’t make it into a picture.)

We’ve spent most of our summer outside and today was no different. We started the morning at the pool:

Then we played with Abram before nap:

Alex practiced his Ladder Toss skills while we waited for Daddy to come home from work:

Wade hosted the draft party for his fantasy football league today. We had a group of guys and computers and then added in moms and kids. Everyone seemed to have a great time and the kids definitely had a blast!

Wade and I spent the day doing projects – some for the church and some for us. A friend from church was nice enough to watch Alex while I painted and Wade built the new stage:

The rest of the afternoon Wade, Nick, Alex, and Abram spent building games (Ladder Toss and Cornhole) for our draft party tomorrow.

I spent most of the day driving and met Wade’s parents in Effingham, IL to pick Alex up. He was a trooper for the full day of car rides. Granny took quite a few pictures during their week and it’s obvious they had a lot of fun!

I have always been a big water drinker. Now it’s summer and hot. We seem to always be outside and since I fix snacks and drinks for Alex it has become habit to fix a drink for me too. My favorite water bottle is the .75L Camelbak (red, of course). My two complaints are that it is too fat to sit in my car cup holder and it sweats. The sweating wouldn’t be a problem except I want to carry it in my purse or bag which almost always has my camera. Then I discovered an insulated sleeve for the bottle! Now I’m down to one complaint and it is still my favorite bottle!

I tried lots of new veggies this year and only the green peppers and broccoli were a success (in addition to the tomatoes, like last year).

It’s been a while so when my neighbor, Bo, was hosting a Lill Party I decided to go. Here are my purchases – an iPad case and a new purse (the Roxy).

Amber called and asked if I would watch Grant while she ran to Target. I was happy to take a break from washing windows to snuggle a baby. It was a quick trip but I managed to take quite a few pictures!

Wade and I slept till the late hour of 9 AM (for those of you with early morning kids you understand)! Then we headed to Starved Rock State Park for a little hiking. The canyons were amazing. We wouldn’t mind coming back in the spring when there would be waterfalls!

On a side note: I was reading on the couch about 11 PM with Madison curled up beside me. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough a bat was flying around the room. I hid under my blanket and called for Wade. He came to my rescue and escorted the bat outside. (This has happened before – crazy!)

Wade and I met Judy and Jerry for lunch in Effingham, IL. We transferred Alex’s car seat and said good-bye for a week. (I think Alex was quite ready to have Granny and Pop all to himself.) Then we drove to Peru for the night. We made a quick stop in Bloomington at a chocolate shop for me and ice cream for Wade.

As we were almost to our hotel I suddenly realized I had only packed flip flops. Normally this would be fine except that we were planning to hike tomorrow. We made a stop at the mall and I got an unexpected new pair of tennis shoes and socks. Oops.

Alex had a play date with Abby and Asher today. Abby was content in her purple pool. Alex was intrigued by the slip ‘n slide, but never quite figured out how it worked.

Then the boys found a Buzz Lightyear Water Rocket. Alex loved it!

This is one of my favorite Alex stories. We recently drove by a UPS truck and this was our conversation:
Alex: “PS truck”
Me: “What kind of truck?”
Alex: “PS truck”
Me: “It’s UPS”
Alex: “I not PS!”
Me: “No. It’s a UPS truck.”
Alex: “I not PS!”
I give up. For now it’s a PS truck.

Alex has been obsessed with Curious George for a while (see here). The stuffed monkey normally stays in the bed, but today Alex wanted him downstairs. I loved when Alex started showing Curious George where Goldbug was hiding in his book.

I was making breakfast when Alex suddenly appeared with the camera tripod (which we rarely ever use). He set it up. Then looked at me and said, “Put camera on. Smile. Take picture.” Smart little booger, isn’t he?

It’s amazing how much time we spend on our front porch. Today the walkway made the perfect racetrack:

Before long Phoenix and Abram came out to play. (Alex and Phoenix were determined to get in the car together.)

We started the day with Riley at the pool.

We ended with water in the backyard.

This one cracked me up. Alex was trying really hard to drink the water as it came spraying at him.

Our refrigerator was a little light on food so Wade suggested a picnic in the park for lunch!

The neighborhood boys (meaning Wade, Nick, and Damian) decided to try a little pyrotechnics in our backyard. They were like little boys and had a “blast” making thermite.

In the beginning only the magnesium burned:

They finally got all the details worked out:

The aftermath:

The Kubickis went all out for Tony’s 40th Birthday! There were activities for all ages and a pig roast with all kinds of yummy sides!

We love our neighbors! Alex and I spent the morning at the zoo with Amber, Abram, and Grant. (By the pictures you can tell the boys are no longer really interested in the animals. The play areas are much more fun.)

After nap we played on the front steps:

Then we all rushed home for dinner before a group walk for custard at Gilles!

Tabit loves to be outside and doesn’t always show up at bedtime. When Wade’s home we leave the door open, but I wanted to close it while he was out of town. Tabit was around for dinner so I shut the door to keep her in. She let me know (for an hour) how displeased she was. I had no idea cats could make such an annoying crying sound. It was almost enough to let her spend the night outside!

On our way out the door to the pool, Alex requested mittens. (I have no idea why.) I happened to know where they were so I put some on his hands. He happily wore them until we got in the car:

Then we spent the morning at the pool playing with Abby and Asher. Alex was fascinated with Asher’s goggles and thankfully Amy had another pair.

Then my Dad and Laura (B and Lori to Alex) came for a short afternoon visit and dinner. We took Alex to Fujiyama and for the first time I ordered him a kid’s box. It was awesome – soup, teriyaki chicken, california roll, goyza, and gummy bears. He was fascinated with the chopsticks and even picked up the sushi, but wouldn’t quite try a bite.

We spent the morning at Chuck E. Cheese. (We had driven by last week and Alex got really excited about “Mickey Mouse”. I explained it was Chuck E Cheese and he quickly agreed.) It’s amazing how much pizza Alex will eat if he gets to watch a mouse sing while doing it! He also loved talking to Chuck E. Cheese on the phone. It was hilarious to listen to him having a “conversation” with a recorded voice.

We got home to find a box of Rendezvous Ribs on the front steps. (Thank you Judy and Jerry!!) After Alex’s nap we prepared cornbread and baked beans so that we could truly have a Memphis BBQ.

Alex had a busy schedule today. We started the morning with a play date at Nicki’s house with Riley and Abram.

We spent the afternoon at Fox Brook Park with Abby and Asher. The weather was cool and overcast so we had the beach to ourselves! The only downside was the snack bar closed early and the kids couldn’t get hot dogs. Instead we took them to McDonald’s.

Wade and I celebrated 7 years of marriage today! Ironically we got each other rings as gifts. I was replacing Wade’s lost wedding ring (this is number four for him). Wade followed the traditional seven year theme of wool/copper and got me this ring: