2013/08/24 Saturday: Adventures with Nick

We started the morning by going to the park with the hand trains.

In the afternoon, we walked/biked over the local ice cream stand.  So far, we go once a year because when we are there we realize we don't really like their ice cream, but after a while you forget that.  Now every time we go for a ride, Gigi wants to head that direction.

A couple streets over, they were hosting a block party.  No one was on the bounce house slide, so we tried it out.  Gigi climbed that like a little spider.

2013/08/23 Friday: More Pupcake

Pupcake is a part of Henry's day.  He doesn't get super sad if Pupcake isn't around, but things just seem to be better when he is.

2013/08/22 Thursday: Preschool Open House

Henry keeps asking me if I'm going to be leaving him alone at preschool when it starts.  I think he's less worried now that he's seen how great their toys are.  Gigi will be very sad she's not coming back.  She loved it here.   It's just two more years until her turn.

2013/08/21 Wednesday: Nick at Work

The stitch removed from Gigi's face.

Due to some highly (and never to be seen again) circumstances, we knew that Nick was going to have a slow day at work.  We went to the hospital and had lunch together in the cafeteria.  Then we went up to the call room/office where he removed the single stitch he had placed near Georgia's eye on Sunday after she hit her face on the pew at Church.  (It was very small, but he felt one stitch would make it leave virtually no scar.)

Then Nick got to work hanging a shelf and rail on the wall so they will have a place to hang up their white coats that is not an IV pole (seriously, that's what they've been using.)

2013/08/20 Tuesday: A Long Walk

After we met our friends at the local park, we had a hard time getting home.  Gigi was too tired to ride her bike, so I suggested she walk.  She understood that to mean walk her bike, and kept hitting herself with the pedals, resulting in going even slower than before.  This got progressively worse, tantrums were performed.  It ended with me carrying a kicking and screaming Georgia and carrying her bike.  The time at the park was fun, but the ending made it not the best outing ever.

2013/08/19 Monday: Nick and His Light Reading

 

2013/08/18 Sunday: Biking Around the Block

Several times a day she says "I want to go for a wot [walk]".  What she means is she wants to go ride her bike around the neighborhood.  (She still substitues "t" for "k".)
She is really enthusiastic about footwear.  These glittery Hello Kitty shoes were from Katie.

2013/08/17 Saturday: Arboretum and Party

We had a family outing to the Morton Arboretum.  We hadn't been before and really enjoyed it.  You know how I love botanical gardens, and this one had a lot to offer for the kids.

And then remember that party we ruined last year?  It's an annual event.  Luckily, it was not so eventful for us this year (and I didn't go thinking it was a pool party), but Nick did give me the wrong start time.  Baby steps.

2013/08/16 Friday: Complicated Toy

Henry likes this toy, but I rarely get it out.  It takes several minutes to set up and has lots of pieces.  If it were running perfectly, you wouldn't be touching anything.  But the kids insist on touching things, so then you have to fix it.  It's cute but attention-intensive.

2013/08/15 Thursday: Hand-Powered Trains

We went to playgroup at Rehm park, where the hand-powered trains are available for two hours a day during the summer.  We then went to Costco, which was poor planning on my part.

2013/08/14 Wednesday: At Least Someone's Trained

We are home and suffering from post-vacationitis.  It's a very serious case.  The kids fell asleep on the ride home from the airport, and so woke up in yesterdays clothes.  Gigi is reluctant to sit on her little potty, but happy to teach her stuffed dog to do so.

2013/08/13 Tuesday: Reading the Safety Materials

We are on our way home again.  We never fit in everything and everyone we meant to on these trips.

2013/08/12 Monday: Make-up Class

Katie and I had a class with a make-up artist.  It was fun, but I'll never be able to replicate it.  I did learn a few things though.

2013/08/11 Sunday: Kids and Cousins

My parents with their grandchildren and Liz

Some impressive magic tricks (52 card pick-up)

 

2013/08/10 Saturday: Party Time

 

 

Great music, snow cones, dinner, face painting, and balloon artists all added to a great party at my mom's.  It was so fun to see so many friends, family and neighbors all having a good time.  If you would like to come to one in the future, let me know.

2013/08/09 Friday: Double Fun

We went to see Planes in the morning with Toots and J and Shannon and W.  It really is just Cars with wings.  Except worse.  It should have gone straight to DVD as originally planned.

In the evening we went to the Children's museum with my friend Jessica.   It was super fun.  Georgia would not let me take the admission bracelet off of her when we were done.

2013/08/08 Thursday: Siblings Day

I saw all of my siblings today, and went to dinner with everyone except Harrison.  I feel very fortunate that when I'm able to visit we can all get together pretty easily.  Liz is living in Provo, so we've seen less of her than usual.

2013/08/07 Wednesday: Ladies' Luncheon

When the stars align properly, I'm in town when my mom and her childhood friends get together.  They have been close since they started elementary school, and still get together for lunch periodically.  This was a special edition of the lunch, because my mom's cousin Pennie, who is also a part of this friend set, was also in town from Phoenix. 

2013/08/06 Tuesday: Zoo and Lego

My friend Jessica took us to the zoo for a special member's evening.  They've made a lot of changes since I've been to Hogle Zoo, but they have not changed the fact they built the zoo on the side of a mountain, which in my mind is a mistake.  Henry was most interested in the Lego area, where he "built" a car by sticking one more thing on one someone had built and abandoned.  He then raced it down a ramp over and over again until we made him leave.  We eventually saw some animals and rode the carousel.

2013/08/05 Monday: The Funeral

The funeral was very nice, and the military burial was beautiful.  Nick dedicated the grave, I sang as part of the funeral service.  The kids wore their train overalls to celebrate their shared love of trains with their Grandpa Brian.  There were several moments in the day that were very emotional for me.  We have had difficult conversations with Henry, trying to help him understand in an age-appropriate way what death means.  This week has been hard, but I've been so grateful for the support of our extended family.

2013/08/04 Sunday: A Poem

Is is on the cover of the funeral programs.
We spent the day sorting out the final details for the funeral, including display some of Brian's train memorabilia.  Nick and I attended church with his mother's congregation.  They were almost aggressive in their friendliness.  You can't visit there and not make friends.

2013/08/03 Saturday: Baptism

We picked Nick up at the airport at 1:00 AM.  He came on the last Friday night flight so that he could be to an additional family event, the baptism of his nephew.  It was nice to see the Preston side of the family, and a bonus that it was a happy thing bringing us together. 

2013/08/02 Friday: Mischief Managed

I saw Henry carrying the step stool out of the bathroom, with Gigi and her tutu following.  I asked him what he was doing.  He said "something.  You can just go somewhere."  Normally he is my velcro kid- super clingy- so even without the step stool, that was suspicious.  I had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but I stepped around the corner to give them a moment.  They were unsuccessful at using Liz's keypad lock to break into her room, where I imagine they would have eaten her gum.