30
Jun
It was a s’more kind of night.
30
Jun
First trip to Silver Lake.
30
Jun
It was a s’more kind of night.
30
Jun
Today we dove into all things summer. Teague, Kaitlyn, and Ben were all excited for a trip to Silver Lake. We picked up a friend of Kaitlyn’s and found another friend already at the beach. We spent most of the day and had a great time!
Ben was excited to help me cook dinner tonight – Crispy Chicken Sandwiches. At first he was really excited to “pound” the chicken breasts. That is until he hit himself in the head. He recovered quickly and continued prepping the chicken. Next we had to toast some panko. Ben wanted to try putting the pan in the oven. However, we had a little mishap and it all ended up on the floor. Ben cleaned up the mess without a word and we prepped it all over again. The dinner was a hit and Alex was only upset that we hadn’t made more.
Teague had walked up the street last night to get the makings for s’mores, but we weren’t able to make it happen. Tonight it was a priority!
29
Jun
Today was back to some sense of normalcy. I was ready for Ben’s morning reading and writing. He was ready for space?
29
Jun
Wade and I were watching a movie when Alex popped in. We requested cookies and he was happy to oblige.
29
Jun
Snuggling with monkey – age 12.
29
Jun
Picking blueberries.
29
Jun
We got home yesterday and things are back to normal already.
28
Jun
Alex chose not to play electronics this trip, but he rode up front and put himself in charge of the gas. He somehow managed to get more “miles” each time he filled up. I was quite impressed.
28
Jun
It’s how he spent the majority of the drive, but nobody complains!
28
Jun
It’s how she spent the majority of the drive, but nobody complains!
28
Jun
It’s how he spent the majority of the drive, but nobody complains!
27
Jun
Last goodbye hugs before we hit the road.
26
Jun
We spent the day running last errands and packing up. Then we met Mackenzie at the pool for one last swim.
That evening Gram had everything ready for an early birthday celebration for Kaitlyn.
26
Jun
We celebrated Kaitlyn’s birthday with Gram!
25
Jun
Amber has always been the planner in our group. This morning she dreamed up the idea of the moms taking photos at this old playground we drove by. Nicki paid Alex to be the photographer. (He jumped at the chance for cash.) Here are a few of my favorites.
We knew we would have to say goodbye to our friends today. We decided we needed a last ice cream stop with everyone. To make it extra special, we went back downtown for “rolled” ice cream.
After we cleaned up the house a little, we met the cousins at the pool!
25
Jun
The Milwaukee crew before we said our goodbyes.
24
Jun
The McCracken County Fair did not disappoint.
24
Jun
We planned a girls outing this morning to downtown Paducah. The first stop was to get permanent bracelets.
and then we took a carriage tour around downtown.
We had a little downtime and then we loaded everyone up and headed to the McCracken County Fair. The big boys were once again bored in no time at all. The rest of the kids we bought unlimited ride bracelets and they would have stayed even longer. We got there almost when the gates opened and it definitely got more crowded as it got later.
23
Jun
Today we planned to take all the kids to Venture River. (Thankfully Riley had a miraculous recovery overnight.) We thought a day at the water park would be entertaining for all ages. The big boys were entertained for about an hour. Then they started complaining and wanted to go back. (Amber eventually agreed to take them back.) Everyone else seemed to really enjoy the day and stayed till dinner time.
23
Jun
We took all the kiddos to the water park for the day!
22
Jun
We had a slow morning at Gram’s house, but really we were just counting down the time till our friends arrived from Milwaukee. Nicki’s family arrived first, but Amber’s family was right behind them. The big boys immediately disappeared inside and up to “their” room. The girls went outside to play. Teague and Grant were upstairs for a while, but then they needed some entertainment. We convinced Teague to teach Grant how to make cookies. The girls spent most of their time outside or claiming the upstairs hallway as their own. The highlight for everyone was definitely BINGO. It’s always the game of choice at Gram’s house and my kids couldn’t wait to introduce the Kubickis. (The Strouds played last year.) The only downside was Riley suddenly got sick and had to go to bed early and not share a room with the other boys.
22
Jun
These three haven’t seen each other since February. Let the fun times begin.
22
Jun
Teague taught Grant to make cookies – delicious!
22
Jun
Kaitlyn has been waiting forever for her Milwaukee girls to all be together again.
22
Jun
With a little ingenuity, we got the car up and running for Ben.
21
Jun
Today’s outing included lunch and short hike at the park. We picked up lunch at Dairy Queen and then ate at Noble Park. Most everyone (except Alex) took a little while to play on the playground and Ben fed the ducks. Then we started our “hike” on the trail through the woods. It wasn’t that hot, but it was incredibly muggy. Everyone made it fine, but some complained more than others. They did all (somewhat willingly) agree to a picture at the end.
21
Jun
A short “hike” was more than some of them were willing to attempt. (We did complete the trail though.)
20
Jun
Melissa had to spend the day in Nashville for work so Harper and Mackenzie spent the day with us. We were a little lazy this morning, but we finally got everyone out the door and to vertical jump.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at B’s pool. The kids love the slide and having no lifeguard to yell “no running.” After swimming, we all cleaned up and went to dinner.
20
Jun
Alex was a pretty good sport about hanging out at Vertical Jump today.
20
Jun
Morning cartoons at Gram’s.
19
Jun
The younger kids started their morning their favorite way at Gram’s house – with cartoons. We let everyone wake up slowly and then we met Melissa and the girls at the pool. Melissa was kind enough to bring a portable air compressor to blow up Kaitlyn’s inflatable alligator. She won it last year at gymnastics camp and has been saving it all year to bring to Gram’s pool. (Our lake doesn’t allow big floats.)
After the pool, we all showered and had a little down time before we headed to Melissa’s for Chinese food. Then everybody went back to Gram’s for a sleepover.
19
Jun
These kids love Gram’s pool. (He actually does love the pool, but he is always ready to leave before the other kiddos.)
19
Jun
These kids love Gram’s pool.
19
Jun
These kids love Gram’s pool.
19
Jun
These kids love Gram’s pool.
18
Jun
Alex is in the road trip for the snacks and songs. He sat up front with me and didn’t touch his iPad or Switch once. He did sleep a lot, but we also had several long conversations. It’s crazy what these teen years bring.
18
Jun
We have definitely outgrown one booth at Waffle House!
17
Jun
Because we are leaving town today and will miss Father’s Day with Wade tomorrow, we celebrated today! Wade’s favorite gift is one I have been waiting for just the right moment to gift – an encounter with otters at a local establishment. We even get to feed them lunch!
17
Jun
We are loaded up and about to start our drive to KY.
17
Jun
Last day of school for these kiddos. (Technically school ends on 6/20 with a half day, but we are calling it quits today and heading to KY tomorrow!)
16
Jun
The school year for our district technically ends on the 20th (next Tuesday), but Monday is a holiday and Tuesday is only a half day. This was not the initial plan, but snow days have pushed us to this date. Our family had made our own plans to be in KY with friends by the 22nd. I talked with the kids and we all decided that it made the most sense to skip the last two hours of school and leave town on Saturday. That makes today the last day of school for my kiddos. We did all of our last day of school things – pictures, goodbyes, and Ben had an epic hike, lunch, and ice cream date with his friends.
Here are comparisons for first and last days of the school year:
As for Ben, we spent the day with his friends. We first met up at Purgatory Chasm for a hike. We tried this earlier in the spring, but the Chasm was closed for construction while overlooks were being constructed. The work is done and we got to enjoy the overlooks and hike the chasm. Two of the kiddos did amazing and loved the hike on the rocks. One of the kiddos did not. There might have been a fear of spiders involved.
After hiking, we took the kids to a nearby ice cream stop. We had packed lunch so the kids ate first, then we had ice cream. Then the kids played and played. It was adorable.
16
Jun
Last day of school for these kiddos. (Technically school ends on 6/20 with a half day, but we are calling it quits today and heading to KY tomorrow!)
16
Jun
Last day of school for these kiddos. (Technically school ends on 6/20 with a half day, but we are calling it quits today and heading to KY tomorrow!)
16
Jun
Hiking and ice cream play date for these three today.
15
Jun
It’s the last full week of school and all the things are ending. The morning started with Teague’s 6th grade graduation ceremony. Next year he will be moving to 7th grade and the middle school. Ben and I got there early to secure a parking spot (they go quickly in our small parking lot) and then found seats in the gym with all the other family. Teague thankfully has a last name that starts with “B” so he was sitting in the front row – perfect for pictures.
Ben and I were able to congratulate Teague in person after the ceremony. Then I rushed to drop off Ben just a tad late to summer camp at his preschool. Afterwards, I picked him up and we went to gymnastics. He and his friends have been practicing for a few weeks and today they get to perform for the parents.
15
Jun
He has been asking to make Puppy Chow so we finally got all the ingredients.
15
Jun
Teague evidently had a running joke with the principal about bringing donuts to school so today we made it happen.
15
Jun
A cute shower cap is how we get around washing her hair (and drying it) every time she showers.