Monthly Archives: June 2020

I’ve been slipping with my daily blog updates! We’ve been hanging out at home, keeping cool, staying busy and counting down until we head to the woods. 

Possibly even more fun than the pool is making mud puddles around the yard to jump in and then wash off in the pool. At one point, the pool water was BLACK and I was worried the neighbors were going to judge us for how cruddy it was.

Saturday was Xander’s buddy Skylar’s 5th birthday party. Most of the kids are back to daycare and I was so happy he could see everyone and also sad that we aren’t back to normal yet. It made no sense for the boys to go back for June, leave in July, go back in August and then switch to their new pre-k in September. But I am sad that the boys don’t get to play with friends every day.  It was nice to see Xander run around and socialize. Augustus and Nate had a special daddy/son trip to the park while Xander and I were at the party.

When we got home, we played some “floor is lava” which is a new show on Netflix that the boys are super into. We made our own at-home version and they enjoyed it.

We woke up to pouring rain this morning and I just couldn’t bear the thought of a long day stuck inside. We got ready to go right away and headed to Inneractive, which is an indoor play place. They had so much fun and came home exhausted.

 

It’s been a low-key few days. A few park trips, bike riding, hanging out. Both boys talk about camp every day and we’re all getting excited. Until then, we’re enjoying the nice weather and regular life at home.

Axel has been super goofy and plays fetch every night. He is a pretty chill dog overall and always looks kinda sleepy, but then he gets silly and runs around like a puppy.

Father’s Day craft project

Xander fell off his bike today and hurt both his arm and his face. He reacted as if his arm had been cut off. I was concerned that the neighbors might call 911 based on the shrieking. He calmed down eventually. He’s going to have a bruise on his face, but he’s ok.

Wednesday fun at Grandma Debbie’s house

Thursday was a fun day at home- playing outside, doing a Father’s Day craft project, staying cool in the pool.

Friday was a super fun day because we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to use their pool. The boys were so excited and it was a perfect day. The water was warm and they cannon-balled in about 100 times.

When we got home, they rested for a while and then went outside to play. Before I knew it, they were in our pool (in their clothes).

I got them dried off and they played inside while I cooked dinner. After dinner, we went outside to play. Axel was so playful and goofy and running around, chasing his toy. He’s been here 3 weeks and that is the silliest I have seen him yet.

The boys played for a while and pretty soon, they were in the pool again! I’ve got a lot of wet laundry to wash tonight! I think getting in the pool in their clothes seemed different because they were so funny and excited about it.

It was a full week and we’re counting down until we leave for camp! The boys ask every day when we are going and I too am eager to get to the woods. Until then, we’ll stay as busy as we can.

It was a HOT day today. We went outside right away this morning to take advantage of the slightly cooler weather. The boys played while I emptied, cleaned and re-filled the pool.

We headed in before lunch and played in the basement for a long time.

I’m pretty sure Xander is having a growth spurt, because he ate 3 pieces of avocado toast for breakfast and still ate lunch just a few hours later.

I have SO much work to do to prep for our month at camp without campers. I attempted to work while we we in the basement and got a little bit done. I worked while the boys rested. But I was very happy Nate was able to come home early and I was able to get some solid productive work done.

This afternoon, we all headed outside and the boys played in the pool. The water was so warm and the sun had calmed down a bit. We had pre-dinner popsicles because I was hot and wanted one.

We had dinner and bathtime, and then we went back outside to play for a while. The weather was perfect after dinner! Tomorrow is a busy day with Grandma Debbie.

The boys were dirty and sweaty when we got home, but they were very excited to find Grandma at our house. So they didn’t even pause to rest, they got busy playing until dinner! I can’t believe Augustus didn’t fall over at any point.

They played and played and then we ate, and then they played some more. It was early bath and bedtime tonight, but no arguments about it! A great start to what is supposed to be a hot week!

We have been a busy family these last few days. Xander and Augustus had a fun Wednesday with Grandma Debbie. The weather was gorgeous and they were outside most of the day. 

Thursday was a fun day with Daddy for the boys. I headed up to camp for a few days of planning. Nate took the boys golfing for the first time. Xander has been very excited about his new “plunger” (aka- putter) and they did really well.

They played outside and had a great day. I spent time with the dream team (Meghan, Abby and I) and we made about 1000 lists, walked all over camp, and re-imagined summer at camp without campers.
Friday was another day at camp for me and another fun day for the boys and Nate. They started the day with a donut picnic. They went to the park. They played with playdough. . 

I got home on Saturday afternoon and was happy to see all my boys. I got so much work done in such a short period of time and it was SO fun to be back at camp with my camp besties. The years we worked together were some of the best times of my life. It was nice to get the team back together. But it was also good to come home to my loves.

Today has been a full day as well. I went grocery shopping and Nate mowed the lawn. The boys spent the day playing. Nate went golfing this afternoon, so the boys and I went to a playground nearby.

We got home from the park and had dinner, and then we walked to the ice cream shop to get a treat. Xander rode his bike the whole way there and did a great job.

We got home from the ice cream shop and picked up Axel for his walk. He tried keeping up with Xander the whole way and was acting like a sled dog. He was pulling so hard that if I’d given in, we would have been jogging. I kept reminding him he is a bulldog and bulldogs don’t go for jogs. By the end of the walk, I think he was wishing he’d paced himself, but we all made it.

We got home and played inside so we could cool down and then had lunch. 

Our playground is open again! It was supposed to rain today, but it wasn’t raining in the morning and when we were in the backyard, the weather felt pretty mild. So Xander got on his bike and I pushed Augustus and we headed to the park. It ended up being a lot more humid than I’d realized, but it was still nice that we could go play.

Xander has been working on a chore chart for a few weeks and he is SO close to the end. He picked out a Power Ranger Megazord, which I ordered on Amazon earlier this week. I thought it was going to take longer to arrive, but it arrived today. Xander was VERY excited and determined to finish the chart today. He helped me clean the bathroom, helped strip beds and put on clean sheets. He cleaned the basement (yelling at Augustus and I the whole time, lecturing us that, “this would go much faster if we all worked as a team!”). He cleaned up toys around the backyard. He ended the day with 2 blank squares, so tomorrow he will get his well earned toy.

It rained all afternoon, but it was barely drizzling after dinner, so I took Axel for a walk. He was NOT having it. The rain had completely stopped by the time we had walked a block, but he still kept stopping and then walking super slow. We didn’t go as far as we usually do, but we made it.

It was a HOT day today (a high of 96 degrees!). It was already in the 80s when we set up our pool bright and early this morning. The water was so cold, but the boys got in right away.

We played outside until lunchtime. It was getting hotter and hotter. After lunch, the boys rested and cooled down. We played upstairs and then in the basement. At some point in the middle of normal playing, all of a sudden Xander screamed and when I looked at him, he had a BITE mark on his FACE. Neither of the boys has really gone through a biting phase, so this is new.

I had a long talk with Augustus, like, imagine a wholesome sitcom dad style lecture. I thought I got through to him. Until an hour later, when he bit him again. The second time he bit him, I scary yelled at him and then he cried and I found myself saying, “wait until Daddy hears about this!” which meant nothing, but made Augustus cry harder. So hopefully he’s going to quit biting now. The boys are best friends and play together so well. They scuffle often, and get over it quickly. It’s also very mutual- they both pick on each other equally. It’s rare that either leaves a mark on the other, so this was a surprise.

Xander has a chore chart and he’s been doing things around the house to earn stickers and once he fills the chart, he gets a toy. He has 8 boxes left, and so he’s VERY motivated. Today as I was folding laundry, he rushed over and said, “I’ll help!” and so he learned how to flip pairs of socks together today.

After dinner, it was still in the 90s, but the sun wasn’t blaring down, so we all went outside to play in the pool again. Nate and the boys ended up in a water fight- the boys with squirt guns and Nate with the hose (both boys got in a few good shots though, even though Nate had the advantage).

We ended the night with homemade popsicles followed by bath time. They were both exhausted.

What a super fun and busy weekend!

On Saturday, we had our first social outing since the pandemic started. It was Oliver’s 5th birthday and Elliot’s first birthday and so we headed over for a backyard BBQ. I actually really enjoy kid birthday parties anyway, but I was SO excited, like, ridiculously excited for this event. We headed over at 11 and didn’t get home until almost 7pm! I don’t think any of us expected a lunch AND dinner ALL day event, but it was the best day. The weather was perfect. The kids ran and played the entire time. Everyone was so excited to see each other and just be normal and have drinks outside and chat. We got to meet the newest addition to our friend group- baby Ollie is 6 weeks old and was so tiny and perfect and I didn’t even get a picture of her.

The boys jumped into this pool, not exaggerating, 50 times each. It’s been so long since they got to play with friends and I was so so happy they got to play. It was truly a perfect day and I’m so grateful we could all get together.

5 minutes into our drive home, they were both out. When we got home, they both woke up but were extremely tired. We didn’t even take a bath (VERY rare that we skip bath time). They changed into pjs and went right to bed.

Our snuggly dog is learning how to beg for food (which we don’t give him, but he seems to think if he’s cute enough, we will give him a piece of pizza or something). Mostly he just likes to be in the middle of the action and let everyone know he is a baby who needs lots of love and attention.

Today the boys spent the day with Grandma Debbie. I have no idea what they do all day, but they came home exhausted and filthy and happy, so I consider that a successful day. I went to Costco, the grocery store, washed the floors, did some work and then relaxed. It was a fabulous day.

Nate had a late tee time today, so after I picked up the boys from my mom’s house, we had dinner and then played outside for a long time. It was still pretty hot outside, so I knew that we weren’t going to be able to go for a full walk, but I didn’t want to skip it. Augustus has only come on one walk and he got tired quickly and since he was already tired tonight, he got to ride in the stroller. Xander tripped within the first 5 minutes and didn’t have a scratch on him, but did spend most of the walk crying that he was in nondescript pain (which ended after the walk).

Luckily 3 different people pointed out to me that I had my hands full as we passed by, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have realized it…. we all survived and I would have liked to have walked longer because it was a pretty nice night, but all 3 boys were DONE.

Bath, snack and bedtime were fast tonight- they were very tired. It was a busy weekend!

Xander has been on a 6/6:15am wake up kick recently. And I am TIRED. Does one hour really make that much of a difference? The answer is yes. I have been amazoning blackout curtains, because we need to get this kid to sleep in. Augustus could sleep until 8:30 or even later, but Xander wakes him up and so he’s been crabby lately. Today was a busy day, but I was dragging all day.

Xander and I started the day with a morning walk and then the boys played for a long time. I had the dishwasher unloaded, a load of laundry in and our picnic lunch packed by 9am- you can accomplish a lot when you get up that early.

We headed off to Hidden Falls to play. I brought a picnic lunch. We threw rocks into the river, ran around, and even did some biking. The weather was perfect and there was a lot of shade. It was LOVELY!

Is that his Senior picture?!

We had kind of an early lunch because they were very excited about the picnic. But they must have been hungry, because as I was unpacking it, Xander said, “those sandwiches smell great!” and then after he took a bite, he said, “is there mayo on this? This is great mayo!” and then he ate 3 hawaiian bun sandwiches. Lately he says things that sound like he is on a cheesy sitcom, but he is totally serious. He is so funny.

When we got home, we rested a while, and then Nate was home for a little while before he went golfing. He and the boys played in the basement and then we did an activity that I saw on pinterest. I froze little toys into blocks of ice (I did it a small amount of water at a time so that the toys would be layered through the whole block). I gave them hammers and they smashed away. I used little toys that came from McDonalds or the dollar store, because I knew they would get broken (and they did). But they really enjoyed it.

After the ice block activity, Xander said, “I want to do another activity”. By that point in the day, I was exhausted, and it was hot out, and I didn’t have any other activities. I said, “let’s read a book. Let’s play with toys.” Xander said, “I want to do a planned activity, like the ice block thing.” He was not satisfied that I had nothing to entertain him. After he whined and deep sighed and agonized for a while, I eventually came up with another pinterest idea- water balloons are “pinatas” that they could hit and get splashed. The balloons were actual balloons, not water balloons and they were very strong and hard to break. And they were HEAVY- I needed a higher string. But it was still a pretty fun activity and they enjoyed it.

We played until dinner and we’re having early bedtime tonight. I am HOPING that they sleep a little later tomorrow morning.

This sleepy dog is also hoping for some rest tomorrow. He is exhausted.