First Week of Summer
Tuesday we went to brunch (my mom gets together once a month with some of the older ladies in her ward so we joined them) and then I drove the kids around the house I grew up in and my old neighborhood. I showed them my middle school and high school (where Josh and I met) and my dance studio. Then we went to the library and played at a cute park for awhile and then we went over to KayLee's for dinner. We played corn hole (my team won both times) and bocce (again, my team made an amazing come back and won) and then family feud (my team lost horribly). I didn't get great one-on-one time to talk with KayLee but it was still fun to see her almost every day and just be together. Kara is the only cousin still around since Carter just left for the Brazil MTC and Morgan is still on his mission for another month and Erik is working in Provo but the kids had fun with her. In fact Wednesday we picked her up and she spent the day at the mall with us. Mom gave the kids money and Lily and Kara went off and shopped on their own and bought clothes while the other three hung out in the bookstore for hours and ended up buying books.
My mom hurt her knee and can't get around very well right now so it limited what she could do. We tried to be super helpful but there was also a lot of down time because she needed to rest. I did convince her to come to Cheesecake Factory with us for dinner on Wednesday and that was delicious. Then we played cards and watched Robin Hood and it was a nice evening.
Thursday was very low key. We helped with some yard work, the kids read, I read, Mom read, Dad worked on a puzzle, the kids watched a movie and then we got my favorite pizza and went down to Charlotte Beach for a a picnic. The weather all week was rainy and cool so it felt more like early spring but I love being by the water so we made the most of it. Then KayLee and Kara met us and we got Abbott's custard (so delicious!) and walked around the boardwalk. The boys felt how cold the lake was and said it was freezing, yet people were swimming.
Friday I decided to take Emma and Brandon to the Strong Museum of Play, which is the second largest children's museum in the country and it is super fun. The big kids hung out with mom and dad and had a nice morning while we were museuming. Emma and Brandon played in the little Wegmans for about an hour before we moved on to all the other fun displays and then we circled around and came back to it for another hour before we left. It was fun to do something with the littler kids without hearing the big ones complain and they had so much fun. It was a great morning, although I had caught a cold and felt pretty cruddy. I went to the real Wegmans after we got back (best grocery store ever) and we got packed up. We left Saturday and drove all the way home again without stopping until we needed gas in Prince Fredrick. I was pretty tired so I was fighting to stay awake until Harrisburg where some construction messed me up and the adrenaline kept me going. We got home and unpacked, got some dinner at Panera and got to bed early. Josh flew home from Colorado but his flight got delayed and he didn't get home until 3 am.
Father's day was very relaxed since we were all very tired and I still didn't feel super well. We had gotten Josh's favorite doughnuts at Wegmans and had brunch after church, then he and I sat around and talked all afternoon. The kids gave him back massages and sweet cards and we were happy to just all be together. We had quesadillas for dinner and watched Home Town Takeover. Lily made a delicious cinnamon roll cake for dessert and we called it a day. I'm so grateful for Josh; he is a wonderful father. He is kind and never yells at our kids. He teaches them and supports them and sets a wonderful example of service for them. He is so patient and fun and works hard to give us everything we need and more. Our kids are blessed to have such a wonderful dad, and so am I.
I enjoyed being with my dad this week and appreciate how he builds me up. He kept telling the kids what a neat lady I am and he would tell them stories of great things I did as a kid. I felt a bit like the wemmick in You Are Special; he made me feel so good about myself and more grounded in who I am because he knows me so well. He thinks I am the best hugger and he loves me so much. It really filled up my cup and I'm grateful he is still around and healthy for being 85. He has always been there for me and helped me fulfill my dreams. He taught me by example how to live the gospel and I learned to read on his lap while reading the scriptures as a family. He was always engaged in church service and worked hard at Kodak and he was very busy, yet we always went on family picnics and had family home evening and he would listen to me practice the piano. He taught me to drive and trusted me to (kind of) live on my own as a senior in high school and he paid for my study abroad to London and supported me as a missionary. I love my dad and appreciate him so much.
Monday was a catch up day. I did tons of laundry, dishes, went grocery shopping and tried to restore order to our home after being gone and having company and a very busy week before we left. I was also very tired and still trying to get over this dang cold. Josh was home and that was nice but he and Curtis spent a lot of time getting ready for camp. I did take Emma and Brandon to the pool for an hour and that felt summery and fun and we had family night, which I always love.
Yesterday I took Emma and Curtis to a new doctor for their check ups. Ours retired and his practice closed but I liked these new people and it is very close to my house so that's a win. Two of the nurses are from our old office so that was nice familiarity too. Then I took Lily to get a hair cut and deadheaded roses with Emma and stressed about the dishwasher all day. It wouldn't run; it just kept going about three minutes into the cycle and then getting stuck. I called repair companies and no one answered and I worried and washed dishes and stressed and was mad because it is not that old and it is a good brand. I was telling Josh about it when he called me on his drive home and he suddenly remembered he had turned off the water to the dishwasher when he left town last week (I left before he did). So he turned it back on when he got home and voila! The dishwasher works again and I worried a lot for nothing. Then I went to book club and it was a great discussion about what I thought was a depressing book. I love my book club friends and we had a fun time.
Today is rain, rain, rain. I went to the gym and feel better than I have in two weeks; I need to exercise and stay active or I have a harder time feeling good about myself. I am also almost over my cold and the house is pretty clean and my to-do list is short so I am feeling more relaxed and ready for summer to finally get going!
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