We went hiking!
Month: June 2019
My boys get their hair cut at Matt’s at the Buzzer Barbershop. I’ll admit I have never found anyone that particularly cuts kid hair better than anyone else so I tend to go for cheap and not-to-bad. Matt hits the cheap mark at $8. The hair cut is decent and there are several guys that cut hair in the shop. I definitely think some of them cut hair better than others, but all of my kids have hair that grows quickly and nobody does a horrible job. Matt’s also gets people in and out fast. There is always a wait but they move people along at lightning speed. Put all this together and now we go to Matt’s. We have been going long enough that my boys have noticed that Matt (and only Matt) sometimes puts cool designs in the backs of people’s hair. They have been begging to get designs and at some point I agreed that their one and only shot was for their first haircut of summer.
We came today to get haircuts. (We had to wait a little while and Matt paid the boys to sweep his floor with candy out of his vending machine.) The boys had been discussing what designs they wanted for weeks. In the end, Alex decided not to get one. Teague requested a car. For an extra $5 on his haircut charge, he was so happy. I was rather impressed with Matt’s skills.
I decided to take all four kids to the outlet mall. Not one of my better ideas.
Finally! All of my monkeys are out of school. We did the last day of school pictures. We went for ice cream. We are done!
Now let’s see how much everyone has changed in a year. Here’s a side by side of the first and last day of school pictures.
Today’s ballet recital was a vast improvement over last year’s. Last year was a mess in an un-air conditioned sweatbox. Wade ended up with all three boys and missed Kaitlyn’s dance because Ben had a dirty diaper at exactly the wrong moment. Today we left the boys at home with Ben’s babysitter. Wade and I throughly enjoyed Kaitlyn’s dancing. Then we let her choose lunch – she of course chose McDonald’s and fell asleep in the car on the way!
The school year is beginning to wrap up. That means things like band concerts. Since we are starting to feel like pros at concerts and recitals, we got smart. We had a babysitter stay with Ben this year. We did feel like Kaitlyn and Teague should be present to support Alex in his trumpet debut. (They will thank us one day I am sure.)
The unexpected best entertainment for Ben out of this move has been the rollercoaster. This toy has actually been around a LONG time. Alex inherited it from family friends in 2010. It’s not even Ben’s first time riding it, but something clicked this time and suddenly when he saw it at this house he fell in love. Now let me explain the best things about this toy. 1.) It has a track, but the track isn’t necessary so setup can be immediate. 2.) Because it is designed to run on a circular track. It continuously goes in a circle. You don’t have to worry about your child driving anywhere. He literally just rides in a circle over and over.
I put him in it and can go inside the kitchen and watch him out the window while I put away dishes. It’s the best thing ever!
We did 75% of this move ourselves. We have done it in small trips in our cars. We did it in Pop’s truck when they visited. We still have lots of little loads to go. However, we hired our favorite movers for a few hours to move the heavy, awkward, and fragile items. These guys are awesome. They came. They were friendly and polite. They were nice to my kids. They worked fast. They didn’t complain. They ended up moving items we didn’t anticipate that will save us so much headache later (i.e. way overpacked boxes of books). Most importantly – They listened.
My mom is here to help me move. We are tackling one decorated space at a time. The theory is she will help me get the “pretty” spaces from the old house to the new and I can do the inside cabinets and closets later when she is gone. Today we worked on the living room shelves and the exposed shelves in the kitchen. Kaitlyn offered her services in between iPad time.
Kaitlyn and I took a little time out of moving/unpacking to attend a friend’s birthday party. We have been to West End Creamery many times to bounce or eat ice cream but we have never been to a birthday party. What a fun time! Kaitlyn had a great time with her friends and I always like a chance to see mine too.