We did things to "celebrate" all weekend. On Saturday night Ron and Elaine came over to babysit so Duncan and I could go out on the town which consisted of Indian food and a trip to Home Goods. My, how things change as you age. Five years ago I wouldn't have dared set foot in an Indian restaurant whereas just the word Indian now makes me start to drool. Yup, there it goes again. We contemplated going out for a movie but I thought it would be nicer to just go home and watch something with Ron and Elaine because it isn't very often we get to do something with them without the children around. We waited until the kids were in bed to go back though hence the stop at Home Goods. You didn't think I would let the chance of NOT putting the kids to bed go to waste, did you? Even though Colby is still nursing more than I would like including before bed time, he does fine without it hence why I was able to skip that.
Sunday was my usual Corey day. I got up with the kids and got them breakfast and then Duncan took over from there so I could have the rest of the day to myself. Which, no suprise, was spent going to Goodwill. I went to three (I can spend hours in each one) with a pit stop at Panera for a late lunch. It was all wonderful as usual. Meanwhile, Duncan took the kids to soccer, made lunch at home, and then took them (along with Elaine) over to the Florida Mall to the American Girl store before ending up at Ron and Elaine's for supper. We are so blessed to have those two close by!
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| At Grandma and Grandpa's |
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| Trying out a Pocahontas wig I got at Goodwill |
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| Ditto on the space suit. |
Monday was a pretty normal day with taking the kids to gymnastics. I've mentioned that their coach is named Corey (although I think it may be with a "K") and then lo and behold, her birthday is also the same as mine. How weird is that? However, I would say the similarities end there as she is only turning 23 and then there's the fact that no one would EVER confuse me for a gymnast.
Monday evening we headed over to the Winter Garden Pizza Company to meet up with the Isidro's and Jennifer and kids (can't say "and the boys" any more) so that I wouldn't have to make supper. We had the back room to ourselves which was quite fortunate because Colby was a pill for at least the first half. I tried to hand him off to Duncan so that I wouldn't have to deal with him on my special day but that just makes it worse. That kid! Despite that, it was still very nice and Jennifer even brought in an ice cream cake (my favorite kind of cake) for me. When we got home, the kids and Duncan presented me with some lovely cards and Duncan gave me one of the "Day off" coupons. As soon as I started thanking him for it, he took it and said "Okay, this was for today. I just gave it to you for a photo op." Just teasing me, of course! Year 39 is officially in the books.
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| Lining the kids up for a picture. Colby was VERY confused. |
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| Calleigh gave me the card and Aubree made me the dinosaur. |
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| This was from Brady. A hammer maybe? It may not look like much but he seriously had no interest in drawing, coloring, even holding a writing utensil until about two months ago. I've never even had him pick one up...just waited for him to decide to do it on his own. |
The rest of the week was pretty run of the mill. We are actually back doing "regular" school. I decided to go with a reward system wherin for every subject she completes, each kid is allowed to use their tablet for five minutes which equates to about 30 - 35 minutes a day. I wasn't necessarily crazy about the idea (and Duncan definitely wasn't) of letting them use their tablets potentially four days a week like this...we just don't like it. BUT, I needed something to really motivate or incentivize her and I couldn't come up with anything else. So it is what it is and it's working (so far). I wanted to make really nice laminated coupons for each five minutes of time that I could give her when she completes a subject but my laminator has something stuck in it so I scratched that idea for now. So instead, we have a list of subjects on the board and as we complete one, we erase it off that list and put it under the "Completed" list. After lunch, we have quiet time and that is when they use the tablets. I have an alarm set on her tablet and when it goes off, they have to immediately turn them off and bring them to me. They have been very good about that step. Hopefully this will continue to be an effective motivator.
On Thursday morning we were supposed to go over to Bonnett Creek Resort near Disney to visit the Cases & Conrads who arrived earlier in the week for some R & R. Good timing too with the storm baring down up north! Our plans got slightly off course when Aubree came down into our room at 6:45 am and threw up. She had been saying the day before that her stomach felt funny and mine did too (it actually was feeling at its worse at 9:00 pm that Wednesday evening and I wanted to just go to bed but it was the last day of the sale at Publix and I had a shopping trip with coupons planned and I couldn't NOT go. No way could I pay full price for those things the next day!). I felt perfectly fine on Thursday and so did Aubree after she threw up but I wasn't completely sure it wasn't something and with baby Levi around, I didn't want to take any chances. By the afternoon I was sure so we still headed down since the girls were excited about swimming in the heated pools. The temperature outside wasn't much more than the high 60's but it was at least sunny and we didn't get too, too cold. It was so nice to see the relatives, of course, and we can't wait to them more this weekend including for the big game. Yippee!!
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| Kelly in the pool with all the kids. I was actually in too but got out to take the picture. |
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| Okay, so it was pretty cold when you got out. |
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| Calleigh got to go down three times but would have stayed there all afternoon if allowed. |
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| The girls got to meet Levi for the first time since they didn't get to see him at the Cape during Christmas. |
I heard from our piano teacher today that he is all moved in so he's going to come meet with us on Monday to introduce himself and then go over things. Wednesday the girls will start their lessons. Yes, BOTH girls will be doing piano. Yesterday, Calleigh randomly told me that she wanted to do piano lessons. Since we got the piano about a month ago, she has taken great interest in it and I've been teaching her a couple of songs. I didn't say anything about lessons for her...just letting her figure it out on her own and there it was. We will shelve violin for now since I don't think I want her starting two instruments at the same time.
Before I close, some conversations with the kids:
We were in the middle of school and I think I told her she needed to do her math. So this is what she said:
Calleigh (big sigh):"I will NEVER be free. I have to go to high school. Then to college. Then I have to take care of the kids. And then I'll have to work."
Calleigh has been on a braid hiatus for about the last two years. She says she doesn't like how they feel on her ears. I love braids and have been sad all this time so I was so thrilled when she recently got back on board. I think she decided she liked them again because a lot of the characters from her "back then" (which is what they call anything more than like 30 years ago) books have them. I was braiding her hair a few days ago and this is what she said:
Calleigh:"I really wish I had good quality hair like Marley. She has really thick braids."
Calleigh:"I really wish I had good quality hair like Marley. She has really thick braids."
I cracked up at the "good quality" comment but it's totally true! I wish I had hair like Marley too.
Then on to a different Marlee. Calleigh was talking about our old dogs Dewey and Marlee and said this:
Calleigh:"I really wish Marlee could have had puppies. But, she didn't have a husband, so...
Oh please believe that forever!
I was upstairs with the kids last night before bed...
Me:"Guys, you have got to clean this stuff up off the floor. This is a hazard. What if there was a fire and you couldn't see where you were going and you tripped over it?
Aubree:"Well, that would be good because you're supposed to stay low when there's a fire."
We were watching a bear documentary this evening and Aubree and Brady were on the floor acting like bears.
Brady (seeing a bear standing on hind legs): "Bear power!"
Two bears start fighting on the screen and they follow suit. Then...on the documentary they start talking about mating season and how the male was lucky to have a female to himself and it shows the bears mating.
Aubree: "Come on Brady. Get on my back." And he does.
Oh my mercy!
A couple of other pictures.
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| The girls are into Odyssey CD's I got at the ABC for Christmas. Found some more at the library so that was exciting. |
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| This was my big Christmas present from my parents. A photo book for 2014 that my mom made. She made it for herself so some of the stuff doesn't necessarily have to do with the Grodacks but I still wanted one. It came on my birthday and the kids look at it every day. |
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| Including this one who LOVES books much more so than his older brother. He found my mom's picture and waved and said "Hi Gigi." |
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| Bread and peanut butter. He asks for it for every meal. Seriously, EVERY MEAL. (I don't give it every time though.) |
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| When her belly felt strange on Wednesday she took about a two hour nap on the floor. |
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| Calleigh loves to do US puzzles and world puzzles. |
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| My boys. Moving furniture and rugs around. |
Have a wonderful Sabbath!