Week 19

This has been a nice, relaxing week. The days have kind of all blurred together but it has been so nice to spend time with my parents. My mom is fun to talk to and my dad always tells me stories and makes me feel so good about myself. I am sure he knows and sees my flaws but he makes me feel so loved and amazing. Both my parents are so kind and tell us what good parents we are and they love my husband and my kids and they help us out and really just build me up emotionally. They have always been so supportive of me and it is such a blessing to spend time with people who just love you so much and know exactly who you are. 

Monday I did laundry, some light cleaning, my body pump class and some game playing. I also took Lily to get a hair cut (love having other adults in the house!) but they wouldn't let me stay in there. I wandered around Bath and Body Works while I was waiting but I told the lady to cut off six inches and she only cut four so that was kind of annoying. Lily's hair was so long so now at least it is manageable. We had a fun family night with the hightlight being playing the signal game and then having my mom's cinnamon rolls for a treat. 

Tuesday I made a grocery list and then Mom and I took Emma and Brandon to the pool for an hour. We also played a lot of games. My parents brought a word game called Probe and we've played it a lot. Lily and Curtis have been joining in the games a lot and it has been fun to watch this transition out of being little kids into bigger kids who can hang with the adults. Josh was busy with his pizza activity. He planned this combined youth activity weeks ago and has spent hours preparing; I was so happy when it was over. Tuesday night they made the dough (Steve Tripp came over for dinner and then set up quite the camera layout to get the best shots possible). Although Josh has already made another dough ball the night before so he could show them what it would look like. He also had made at least three practice pizzas to perfect the amount of dough for the size pan they were using. So much work and so much pizza, but he really wanted it to be a good activity. 

Wednesday my mom and I actually went grocery shopping to Walmart. It was the first time I have been there since March 12. It was somewhat crowded and hard to maintain distance but at least everyone was wearing a mask. It did feel nice to pick out my own food but I forgot how much physical work it is to grocery shop and I was exhausted afterwards. I have definitely gotten spoiled with pick up. It was so nice to leave the kids home with my dad. We have a book called How to Babysit a Grandpa and Emma and Brandon were so cute and did all the ideas in the book. They had a marching band, had him read stories, drew pictures of him and sang songs with him, just like in the book. It was pretty adorable. 

Then we went to do a library book pick up, I picked up Brandon's physical forms for kindergarten registration and then I got everyone a frosty at Wendy's so they wouldn't complain about the heat. We went to Newtowne Neck and walked along the beach for a bit. I just wanted to show it to my parents because it is beautiful there and I love the water and the view, but it was hot so we didn't stay long. That night was the second part of the pizza-making activity so Steve came back over and they made their pizza. Seems like the kids participating had a good time and their pizzas turned out so it was a good activity. I think Josh would have like a few more kids to participate but was glad that those who did enjoyed it and learned something. I was so happy it was done! My mom and I also watched Hamilton together because she wanted to see it but my dad didn't so I showed it to her and she liked it. The second time through I liked some songs even better and was even more bothered by others but it is a good show overall and I was glad she liked it.

Thursday was a low-key day with lots of game playing but it was also pie day. I had asked my mom to teach me how to make a fruit pie with a top crust because I have never done one before so we made an apple and a cherry pie. We had to cheat on the cherry because we couldn't find the right kind of cherries frozen but she showed me how she makes her crust and it was way better technique then I was doing. I learn so much better when I can watch and then try it out with someone helping me rather then just being told how to do it (like over the phone when I call and ask for help). They both turned out well and it was fun to bake with my mom. 

Later I did take the three younger kids to the pool for two hours in the afternoon while Lily stayed here with my parents. They played Five Crowns and I think Lily enjoyed the one-on-one time. Then I met Josh at Sam's office to finalize our loan documents. Sam has been super helpful with helping us refinance and it was fun to see him in action at work. This is such a better deal for us financially and it makes me happy and grateful for how blessed we have been lately financially. Josh just found out he got the promotion at work so that is another blessing. I'm so grateful that he works so hard and that whatever he does, he does well. Not that he doesn't make mistakes but he always does his best and is super committed to excellence and I love that about him. 

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Friday Josh finally got his stitches out of his neck and can go swimming again! While he was doing that, I took everyone else (except Curtis who slept until 9:30-what?) to go blackberry picking at the Hendersons. They were so kind to invite us over and we picked for about 45 minutes and talked a bit. It was wonderful to see them both and my parents have always liked them so it was just a happy excursion. Emma loves blackberries and so she was particularly happy. Then we went to the wharf and just walked around a bit and sat and enjoyed the view while the kids played on the park. Josh and Curtis went to help a new family move in and they sound awesome! They have a daughter Lily's age, which is super exciting, and they live in our larger neighborhood so they'll be in school together (someday).  The rest of the day was pretty chill but we did go and pick up Panda Express for dinner and we took it to Dorsey park. Not five minutes after we sat down to eat it started raining but since we were under the pavillion it didn't matter. I love thunderstorms and it was fun to be in it without being in it. The kids ran around a bit in the rain once the thunder and lightning had moved on and then it stopped altogether so they still got to play at the park. We had pie for dessert, got the kids in bed and played Ticket to Ride, which Josh just barely beat me at. (insert somewhat annoyed face here)

Today (Saturday) I had hoped to maybe go on an adventure but no one seemed up for it so we hung out. Mom and I got a few groceries for tommorrow (my sister and family are coming for the day), Josh talked a lot with my dad and watched a documentary with him, we played more games and I won Five Crowns. Mom also made a blackberry pie and another apple pie and I made blackberry ice cream, which I am super excited about. Josh is making pizza tomorrow for my sister's family so he made dough and we also went for a family walk/bike ride around the neighborhood. We ordered Potbelly for dinner and the poor delivery guy apparently got pulled over on his way to our house and then dropped our shakes all over our porch. He came back half an hour later with our shakes plus two extras and a bunch of free cookies. I felt so bad for him but appreciated the cookies! While we were waiting mom and dad were telling fun stories to my kids and I love that kind of time when everyone is engaged together and bonding. This has been a special week with my parents and I am so grateful for them and love them so much.