Celebrating and Recovering from the 4th of July

We had a great weekend celebrating our country's independence!  Uncle Mike, Aunt Leslie, Aaron and Nathan were here to visit Friday evening through Sunday.  We played and visited and swam at "their" pool.  I cooked and Mark grilled and we ate take-out Chinese.  I made two great - very easy and fun dishes for the festivities; Red, White and Blue Strawberries and a Patriotic Fruit Salad - both were a huge hit!

All the kids had a great weekend and were SO well behaved!!!  They had a great time swimming and paddling about the pool - sadly my camera never left the pool bag!   They got to see fireworks Saturday night from our back windows :)  Sunday was spent at home playing in the yard and eating Chinese take-out, then napping and relaxing.  And I just realized, I didn't line the kids up all cute in their 4th of July clothes and get a pic...might have to rectify that!

Monday, Mark worked in the morning and then due to the threatening thunderstorms we bagged plans to go to the Todd Lake :(  We instead wandered up to Harrisonburg, by way of the Green Valley Bookfair - like we need more books.  But we did find a few treasures and were grateful we were inside when the storms did roll in.  We then went to Goodwill, found Finn 2 pairs of pants, much needed as his diaper was leaking [oops!] and I'm tired of having nothing but shorts for church.  After that it was Chili's for dinner, gotta love kid's eat free coupons!!!  At nearly $5 per kid...we'd never eat out if it weren't for the coupons and free or reduced kid's nights!!!  And what outing is complete without a run through Target?!  All the kids, except Fia, fell asleep on the way home and were transferred to their respective beds for the night.  Sofia stayed up for a bit with Mark and I and watched fireworks from the back windows again.  We were very grateful that we can see at least 5 different firework shows standing in our kitchen!!!  9-10pm is just too late for us and them!

The rest of this week we have been in recovery mode.  Mark has worked a regular schedule and is preparing to be gone next week and studying for a certification exam.  The kids and I have been LAZY!  The house is still mostly clean from my efforts over the weekend with company being here.  And they've been tired...sleeping until after 7a everyday.  Sofia came in our room Wednesday morning exclaiming... "do you know what time it is!!!  IT'S 8:30!!!"  I don't remember the last time I got to stay in bed until 8:30 :)  We have ventured out for the Wednesday library puppet show and swim lessons, but other than that there have been no necessary errands or shopping.  It's been a nice week of breathing.  I've even picked up a book to read, just cause...GASP!  Hopefully, I can snap myself out of it and resume productivity ASAP though, starting to feel like a slug.

Our week has looked pretty much like this....

There has been outside time, girls playing (mostly) quietly in their bedroom, Finn tootling around and Mathilde babbling and drooling! 

Exclamation of the week - Sofia has decided she will be both a baker and a paleontologist when she grows up.  She will bake by day and dig for fossils at night! (who needs sleep?!)

~ Kim

Wordless Wednesday

"Mommy, I need more motrin."

This is going to be a LONG post due to a very busy two weeks.  I've been remiss in posting as there has been a bad, bad bug that invaded our kiddos.  It has caused what has felt like a constant refrain out of the mouths of our babes this week, <insert whine>..."Mommy. I need more motrin."  We have been hit by a nasty kid-borne virus.  It started last week with Isobel and then made it's way through Sofia, Eloise and Finn.  So far Mark, Mathilde and I have been spared (thank goodness!).  It has been a silent and calm bug causing temperatures to spike to 102 and then holds for 36 hours causing belly pains and exhaustion.  As far as illnesses go, it is the best kind - it creates no messes and quiet kids!
 
Over the last two weeks; we helped move Uncle Joe's family and celebrated Mark, welcomed summer and Isobel turned 5.  The move was pretty easy as far as moving goes.  All the men and Olivia moved boxes and what-nots, while Heather, Mom and I entertained all 10 kids at Heather's. 

9 of 10

So with 10 kids...what did we decide to do?!  TIE DYE Father's Day gifts for 2 dad's and 2 granddad's with coordinating ones for all 10 kids!  It was a lot more fun than I expected, but a lot more of a mommy project than a kid project...oh well!  They turned out great :)  While we were all together we also celebrated Isobel's 5th birthday!

Father's Day 2011 was a good day.  We spent the day doing things Mark enjoys.  After Mass and an errand, we went to Goodwill and got Chinese and then it was home for a quiet afternoon of napping and playing.  The tie dye was a hit, but apparently Eloise was a surprise spoiler!  Mark had asked her the day before what we spent the day doing...honest 3 y.o. "Tie-dying for you!"...gotta love her.

 

 June 21st, we celebrated the Summer Solstice with summer drawings, Mathile's 1st food, popsicles and catching lightening bugs!  The kids had a great time, although Sofia was the only one brave enough to touch/catch the lightening bugs.  We caught 30+ and stayed up way to late.  After coming in and stories, Mark spent awhile with the big girls looking up and listening to summer noises on the computer.

Sofia's picture for the lightening bugs

YUM!  Spinach and potatoes!  1st Foods!

She was safe as long as they were in the jar!

Letting them go!

Once it is officially summer it must be time for Isobel's birthday!!!  She is FIVE!

She had a great day!  We went to Chik-Fil-A for dinner.  She (finally) got her Our Generation doll with an extra outfit and a new dress.  And we had cupcakes and ice cream.  Due to a very busy morning taking care of grown up stuff, I was slack and bought cupcakes...such a horrible mommy.  Isobel didn't seem to mind as the store bought ones came with Rapunzel rings.

Ice cream...yum!

A birthday is not complete without an Eloise covered in cake!

 And that wraps up the last two weeks!!!!