Summer Vacation Recap--Week 9

Sunday, July 22--It's going to be a crazy-busy week!  Today, we had a playdate with the Streeter boys and their mom, Sarah.  Sarah and I met as next-door neighbors at UNI.  She lives in Des Moines with her family so we are lucky to get together a couple of times a year.  They traveled to Ames for an early playdate at Reiman Gardens.  The theme is year is "Nature Connects" and they have several nature inspired sculptures built entirely out of LEGOS.  It was really neat!

  Though we went early, it still warmed up and wore everyone out so after lunch, my girls and I headed home for a nap followed by 2 hours at the Big Bucket.  After supper, we went to Aspen Leaf for a fro-yo treat.  We had a full rewards card as well as $1 off of our purchase....can't pass when you get a great deal from coupons!

Monday, July 23--The girls and I headed to HyVee for the weekly grocery trip at 7:30 am as Brandon was heading out the door to the Jasper County Fair to work concessions to benefit/fundraise for the Colfax/Mingo basketball program.  At 10:00, we headed to the library for the last K-Club program of the summer.  The theme was camping. Here's Maysen making her camping snack mix.

 

While the older two were there, I took Mylie to the Toddler Time program and then to play with the toys in the children's section.

Shakin' her booty....too cute!!

 We went for lunch at Subway to use M&M's coupons for free apple slices and cookies that they earned from the summer reading program.  From 1-5 M-F this week, M&M are attending a Summer Olympics camp through the Park and Rec department.  It was only $49 for the entire week (20 hours!).  Due to the heat today (105 degrees) they decided to hold the camp indoors at the Ice Arena instead of outside at Inis Grove Park as originally planned.  The girls got to ice skate, make a craft Olympic torch, and have a snack.  They had a great time!

Tuesday, July 24--It was already 86 degrees at 9:00 so I took Mylie for a 3 mile walk in the stroller instead of doing any running.  I also power washed the trash can in the garage with bleach......diapers + this heat=rotten smells!!  We pretty much bummed around the house the rest of the morning before heading to M&M's day camp.  Today it was held indoors at the High School Gym and Pool since it was so hot outside again.  After supper, we made a quick trip to Target and to the DQ for blizzards.

Wednesday, July 25--The girls and I made Pink Lemonade cookies (Pillsbury) this morning....can't wait to try them!!

  I took the girls to the chiropractor for the first time today.  Afterwards, I dropped them back off at home with Brandon.  Since this is the only day that he didn't have anything going on, I took a little time for myself.  The heat was still strong so I went to the big bucket (by myself!) and did some water walking in the lazy river.  From 11-1, it's open so that you can walk against (or along with) the current.  It's a fabulous leg workout and it's refreshing at the same time.  I got home around 2 and Mylie was fighting her nap so I got her to lie down in my bed with me and we slept for an hour and a half.  Time to myself AND a nap....does it get much better??  I picked up the girls from camp (Brandon had dropped them off) and we had taco salads for supper followed by baths, and a movie with popcorn!

Thursday, July 26--Brandon had to leave the house early for the Drake Basketball Camp.  Don't tell him, but the girls slept in until 7:45.  I'm pretty sure that's the latest they've slept all summer and he wasn't here to enjoy it.  Us four girls went up to my classroom for about an hour so I could start getting some of my things out and deciding where they should go.  I moved to a different classroom (down and across the hall a few doors) since it has three whiteboards in it and I needed a change of scenery.  The girls begged for HyVee Chinese for lunch, and who was I to say no since it's my favorite and we hadn't had it in forever!  The early part of the week was so hot, but today is had come down to a 'cool' 93....haha!  However, there was a nice breeze and camp was held outdoors today at Inis Grove Park, where it was supposed to be all week.  The girls came home hot and sweaty to it was bath time after supper of a (FREE!) Casey's Cheese Pizza and a  ($2 off) Garlic Chicken DeLite pizza from Papa Murphys!  Once Mylie was in bed and the sun had gone down, I went for a 3 mile run.  It was a beautiful night to be out!

Friday, July 27--Up and at 'em again today!  The girls had a re-check at 8:30 at the chiropractor to see how they were holding their adjustment.  Then we went back to the middle school for about 45 minutes for me to organize a few things followed by a quick trip to HyVee to get some fruit for lunch.  At 11:45, we joined the Geisler's at the Story County Conservation Center for a Naturalist Lunchbox lunch.  We pack sack lunches for the kids, and we go eat at the park by the conservation center for a lesson on animals.  Today's featured animal was the frog.  We also got to see tadpoles, salamanders, and crawfish.  There were games and crafts as well centered around the theme of the day.  There have been 4 or 5 of these throughout the summer--today being the last one--but this is the first one we've made it to.  It was fun and interesting so we hope to make more of them next summer. 

 At 1:00, I dropped the girls off for their last day of camp.  They got to meet at the Big Bucket....for four hours....they were exhausted!!!  Mylie and I headed there for about an hour and a half after nap time so we all got a little sun and water today.  We rounded out the evening with the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Saturday, July 28--Most of the day was spent indoors and watching the olympics due to the fact that it sprinkled and rained.  Brandon had basketball camp so it was just me and the girls.  We made cookies, had a nap, and anticipated Nana and Papa's arrival in the afternoon.

We tried Papa's Pizzeria in Polk City for supper.....it was a great meeting point for us and Kelsey's family.  More Olympics watching before bed.

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 8

Sunday, July 15--As much as we enjoyed our vacation, it was wonderful to wake up in our own beds this morning!  The only thing missing was my husband, but he returned later in the day.  The girls and I grocery shopped (it was worse than Old Mother Hubbard around here!) and took a walk around the block pretty early in the morning to beat the heat.  Mylie got a little morning nap and then we drove through Jimmy John's for lunch and headed to the Big Bucket for a few hours.  It was so hot out.....too hot for anything besides the pool.  Brandon was home by the time we returned so I gave him an hour or so with the girls while I went to the hospital to visit Dellisa and baby Carsten.  He was so sweet.....his chubby cheeks are so kissable!  We just chilled at home the rest of the evening.
Monday, July 16--The morning was spent vacuuming out the van, emptying the dishwasher and going around the block.  Brandon headed over to Nevada to finalize things with our "new" van while the girls and I headed over to Bandshell Park for Dan Wardell's Reading Road Trip (he's the PBS kids guy on IPTV).  The girls really enjoyed his presentation, as did I.  This year, he was handing out frisbees (which are to double as spaceship steering wheels).

 Backpacks are on sale at Target this week so we went and got some for the girls.....Kindergarten will be starting up really soon.

 After lunch, Myah, Maysen and I headed to Huxley to my friend, Anne's, pool.  Sadly, she's moving at the end of the week so it was our last hurrah at this pool.  Luckily, their new house (in Cedar Rapids) has a pool so we can't wait to go and visit them soon!!  After supper, we went over to the Geisler's house and Myah and Maysen got to hold baby Carsten.  They think he's pretty fun!

Tuesday, July 17--We had a playdate at our house with the Zoskes!  Stacey is my good friend with whom I ran the Dam-to-Dam, her oldest son, Nate, was born the same day as Myah and Maysen, and Logan is about 6 weeks older than Mylie.  Needless to say, we have a good time when we are together.  After playing for about an hour, we headed to Panchero's (AKA the Quesadilla Place) for lunch followed by a quick trip to Target.  I took the girls home for a nap and we had planned to go to the Big Bucket once everyone was awake.  Those plans changed when Mylie woke up with a 103.5/104 temp (taken in her ear).  I called for a Dr. appointment for her and she saw our pediatrician at 4:15.  He ordered some blood work but concluded that she has a virus and it will probably 3-5 days until she's over it.  Unfortunately, she had a febrile seizure around 6:30 and spent the next 3 hours in the ER.  Luckily we got to take her home that night, but it was the scariest thing I've ever experienced.

Wednesday, July 18--With all of the 'excitement' of Tuesday night, we spent the entire day at home.  I think this was the first day all summer that I didn't leave the house to even go to HyVee.  Mylie is back to normal running around and laughing, which is such a relief to see.  If I hadn't witnessed the seizure, I'd hardly believe it actually happened.  We napped, played games, read books and did a whole lot of snuggling.  Brandon had basketball camp all afternoon so it was just me and the girls.


Thursday, July 19--All three girls had dentist appointments in the morning.  Sparkling reviews for all of them.  No cavities.  Myah and Maysen's x-rays showed that they will have another set of molars moving in really soon.  It's apparent that Mylie just got her 1-year molars and she's cutting her bottom incisors....hence the fever on Tuesday :(  Mylie had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Smith after seeing the dentist.  He thought she looked good and didn't feel the need for further tests after her seizure.  The RSV and Influenza tests had come back negative and he was pleased that she no longer was running a temp.  We went for lunch at Noodles and Co.  and then had a quick trip to Target before heading home and all of us having a much needed 2 hour nap.


Friday, July 20--It was nice having Brandon home for the entire day.  I took Myah and Maysen to the Big Bucket for 3 hours while Brandon and Mylie helped out Brandon's friend Mike and went out for lunch.  We had supper with the Geisler family and played outside on the waterslide until bedtime.  It was really nice to have a normal summer day again....no basketball camp, no appointments, no sick kids.


Saturday, July 21--I got up and ran 3.5 miles with the Vardo group.  I wanted to do the 6.5 mile route but no one else in my pace group was doing the long route so I went home and took Mylie for a walk in the stroller for my last 3 miles.  The girls are going to be doing a Park and Rec Day Camp next week with a Summer Olympics theme so they needed some new tennis shoes.  We scored some purple and silver Champion ones at Payless!

 I took Brandon and Mylie home--so she could nap-- while the other two and I got some groceries.  After lunch, we hung out in the family room and then called for an all-family nap around 2:30.  It was a great day to go to the park because even though it was 93 degrees, there was a nice breeze (that we haven't been seeing lately) and it was partly cloudy so the sun wasn't beating down on us.  We grilled chicken breasts for supper and then made a spur-of-the moment trip to Target.  We are working on paying off all of our debt but we wanted to be sure to cash in our rewards points on our credit card.  We had enough for two $100 gift cards from Target.  Awesome, right!!  We bought all of the girls' school supplies and a few other necessary household things and have $75 left for next time.

It's been a long, hot week and it looks like another one's moving in.  What have you been up to?

My Daughter had Febrile Seizure

Tuesday started out like any normal day in our home.  Kids in jammies walking around with granola bars and waffles for breakfast.  I went for a 3 mile run while they watched their morning shows and continued waking up.  When I got back from my run, I encouraged the girls to get dressed and take care of some items on their chore chart.  As I was dressing Mylie, I thought she felt a little warm so I took her temperature rectally and it read 99.5.  She has recently cut two top molars and I can see the eye teeth on the bottom starting to come through so that type of a temp made perfect sense and I gave her a dose of IBUprofen.

The rest of the morning continued on as planned.  At 10 am we had a play date at our house with our good friends, the Zoske's.  Stacey is my good friend with whom I ran the Dam-to-Dam.  Her oldest son, Nate, was born within minutes on the same day as Myah and Maysen and Logan is 6 weeks older than Mylie.  After about an hour of playing, we headed to Panchero's (AKA the Quesadilla Place) for lunch and then a very quick trip to Target and back home for a nap.

Our plan had been to go to the Furman Aquatic Center (AKA the Big Bucket) once everyone was up from their nap.  This plan changed when Mylie awoke from her nap.  She had napped for about 2 hours, but I could hear her about every half hour or so make some crying noises so I imagined she was a little uncomfortable but still tired.  When I picked her up after her nap, she was burning up.  I took her temperature by way of ear and one side said 103.5 while the other said 104.  I immediately gave her more IBUprofen and got on the phone with pediatrics.  Of course, with a fever, they have to have a nurse call you back and they hee-and-haw about having you come in to actually see a doctor.  I finally convinced the nurse to let us come in since she's so young and her temp was so high.  The earliest appointment was 4:15.

We saw Dr. Smith at 4:15.  Her temp was still 101.something even after 2 hours of having IBUprofen...this seemed a little high to me.  She was still really hot, whimpering and just sitting on my lap.  The girl always smiles and runs around with her older sisters so I just knew she wasn't feeling like herself.  He ordered some blood work, which came back normal, and ruled that she has a virus that will take probably 3-5 days to pass.  Not what you really want to hear when your child doesn't feel good, but at least it's something.

Upon returning to our house, Mylie sat on my lap and laid on my chest for the next 45 minutes  dozing in and out of sleep.  She didn't appear to have any appetite, but looked as if she could go to bed at any minute for the rest of the night so I got her jammies on.  Brandon got home around 6:05 from basketball camp and Mylie actually perked up when she saw him.  She smiled (the first time since 2:30) and even got off my lap and acted playful towards him.  Seeing this, I asked her if she was hungry and she nodded 'yes.'  I put her in her booster seat and gave her a few crackers and went to warm up a hotdog for her.

This is when my worst nightmare happened.  I heard Brandon say something like 'Mylie, why are you dropping your crackers on the floor?'  I turned and looked at her and said 'she looks like she's having a SEIZURE!'  I ordered Brandon to call 911 as I unbuckled her (thank goodness she was buckled or she would have fallen to the floor from the booster seat) and sat on the floor with her in my lap (lying on her side) while she convulged.  Her eyes were open for a while and then they rolled back into her head and she turned a blue/purple.  Especially her lips.  A little blood ran out of her mouth....she must have bit her tongue or something.  The dispatcher directed me (via Brandon) to lie her on the floor and give her some rescue breathing breaths...thank goodness for 9 years of lifeguard and CPR training. I gave her two breaths and then the first responders arrived at our house. It seemed like forever but Brandon was probably on the phone with the dispatcher for about 5 minutes and the seizure lasted for about 2-3 minutes I figure.

I rode with Mylie in the ambulance to the hospital and I sang to her the whole way.  She cried. And she never really looked at me.  I'm sure she knew I was there and she eventually grabbed onto my finger but she never turned her head to look at me or reach out to me.  This scared me, but apparently it's pretty normal as she's confused, still fairly tense, and hooked up to monitors and in an unfamiliar place.  At the hospital her temp was read twice right away one said 102.2 and the other said 103.something, she had two blood draws, a Tylenol suppository, two chest x-rays, a urine sample conducted via catheter, and two nasal swabs.  The poor girl was exhausted from all of the crying and she just wanted to sleep.  I just held her on the gurney and she slept on and off for the 3 hours we spent there.  All of her tests came back normal, which is good news.  Her body responded to the sudden spike in fever by way of seizure.  I guess this happens a lot to little kids, but no one prepares you for it that's for sure.  It just wrenches your heart out seeing your child go through something like this.

I slept in Mylie's room last night and I probably will for a few days.  I finally went to bed around 12:20 but was yelling out for Brandon by 12:45.  I had dreamed (nightmared) it was all happening again.  When I came-to, I told him to 'nevermind' but I had woken Mylie.  She was feeling a little warm again so I gave her some Tylenol and she went back to bed.  She slept until 5:39 and then fell asleep on me in the rocking chair until shortly after 7 am.  Every time I look at her booster seat, I envision it all again.  I see the spot on the floor where she laid.  I get tears in my eyes.  And I look around the house until I see her bright smile, and big, brown eyes looking back at me.  I feel prepared if this should ever happen again because I will be set aware of the possibility if she has a fever, but I pray that I never have to go through that again.

Thank you to all of my friends and family who were praying over us through this scary time.  We are so fortunate to have so many people who love us.  A special thank you to Mal, our favorite babysitter, who responded immediately when I called her.

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 7

Sunday, July 8--Mylie turned 16 months today and we just can't believe everything she's doing these days.  I got up and ran 3 miles in the morning and Kelsey, Eric and Rooney arrived at the "Okoboji House."  We spent a beautiful afternoon on the boat.  Even Brandon got in the water, which was a shock (and an awe!) for just about everyone.  We'll get him to be a "lake man" yet!

Monday, July 9--Most mornings when we are up at the lake consist of sitting on the deck.  Some people drink coffee, some people check their email, some kids sweep the deck or play in the kiddie pool, but all in all it's people doing their own thing in the midst of company.  I "slacked" a little and only ran 2 miles :)  We had decided to take the girls to Arnold's Park Amusement Park today because we figured it would be quieter than on the weekend.  They had a fun time as usual, though they are a little too big for the kiddie rides, but about an inch short for some one the bigger rides.  Thankfully they appeased their baby sister and went on the kiddie rides with her.

 Afternoon naps were in order so it was pretty quiet around the house.  We went to the Fisherman's Wharf for supper and then Brandon and Uncle C (my brother, Cole) took Myah and Maysen back to Arnold's Park for a few more rides since we had paid for the day pass/wristband.

Tuesday, July 10--Myah and Maysen have never been miniature golfing so we decided today was the day.  We ventured to Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf in Arnold's Park.  They weren't great at it (obviously, since they had never done it before) and it was nearly impossible to actually play because of "The Bear" (Mylie) attacking the balls.  It was still fun.

 The five of us and my dad walked into Arnold's Park for lunch (corn dogs and pork tenderloins) and then headed back to the cabin.  Mylie was more than ready for a nap so Brandon stayed back with her while the rest of us went on the boat.  She was not a happy camper when she awoke because she was well aware of where the rest of us were, and she felt as if she was getting "jipped!"  We ordered supper from Tweeters and brought it back to the cabin to eat while we watched "America's Got Talent."  Brandon's parents came up around 8:00 to bring our "new" van.  We decided to trade in our blue van for one that Brandon's dad had on his lot.  It has more miles than our other van, but it has power doors, rear air, and stow-n-go, which are some options that we are really needing/wanting right now for the stage(s) our family is in.  We hope to get something newer in the next 2-3 years, but this is perfect for right now!

Wednesday, July 11--We spent the morning on the deck and had Eric try to get a picture of the 5 of us in our Okoboji shirts.  I bought the girls new, matching shirts since they didn't have any Okoboji gear that fits them right now.  We bought a size bigger than usual so that they will fit them next summer, too, if not longer.  We got on the boat early and headed to East Lake to the Ritz for lunch.

   Mylie fell asleep on the way there so I stayed on the boat with her and had them bring my lunch down to the boat.....talk about the life of leisure!  We stayed on the lake until about 3:15 so it was a lot of sun and fun.  The girls will be plenty tired!  Brandon headed back to Ames to tend to some open gyms, but the girls and I are hanging around for a few more days.  One of the things  I have always wanted to do is to go ParaSailing (a bucket list sort of item).......Kelsey, Eric, and I went tonight at 7:00.

 Uncle C watched the girls (who were worn out anyway).  It was so much fun......seriously something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember!

Thursday, July 12--This was technically a "race week" for me since I'm running a 5K on Saturday so I took Mylie out for a 3 mile walk in the stroller instead of running.  She enjoyed encountering the other morning walkers/bikers/joggers and they thought she was pretty cute.  She slept the second half of the walk, which was nice since we wanted to make the most of our last full day in 'boji.  We went to Minerva's (at ArrowWood Hotel) for lunch and then made a stop to Goodies to get a stash of chocolates to take home and savor for the next week (I hope it lasts that long!).  Unfortunately, it was kind of an overcast day and not really good for the boat.  We hung around the cabin getting things tidied up since we needed to leave the next day.  We watched the movie "We Bought a Zoo" before going to bed.


Friday, July 13--I spent the morning washing towels and sheets and gathering up all of our belongings.  We left Okoboji around noon, but not without a final drive through Hey, Good Cookies to grab some lunch.  Upon arriving in Lake Mills (the next stop of the tour), I got my packet for the 5K Saturday morning and I also went up to my dad's store to pick out some tile for a backsplash in my kitchen.  My mom's side relatives from Norway were in the United States (more specifically, Iowa) for a few days so we joined them for supper at the Grand Cafe in Lake Mills.  It had been 4 years since they've been to visit and my girls had a great time playing Caroline and Maya Helena.

 After the girls went to bed, I went over to my friend, Jill's, house for a bonfire.  It had been way too long since I'd had a good chat with her.

Saturday, July 14--Kelsey, Eric, and I got up and did the July Jubilee 5K.  My time wasn't too bad (31 min 20 sec) and it sure felt good to burn some good calories after eating all of that food while in 'boji!  Of course, we went to the parade and the girls collected to gallon sized ziploc bags of candy.....yikes! 

After a quick lunch, the girls and I loaded up and headed back to Ames.  They were really missing their daddy since they hadn't seen him since Wednesday, but he wasn't going to be in Ames either, unfortunately.  He went to Minneapolis with his friends Kevin and Andrew to a Twins game and had a guys weekend.  He doesn't do that very often so it was good for him to do something like that.

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 6

Sunday, July 1--Well, folks, June is over.  I can't believe it.  The best part about it??  Brandon's grad classes are over!  At 9:08 this morning, we decided that we would go to church at 9:30---talk about throwing ourselves together!  It's been a little difficult for us to go to church recently because of Mylie.  She's going through some separation anxiety so she doesn't like going to the nursery.  If she acts up, Brandon ends up chasing her around the hallways.  However, today, she kept herself busy with a bunch of colored pencils and prayer cards :)
On Tuesday, we will leave for about 12 days so I started making some piles.  It takes a lot of stuff for 5 people to be gone for that amount of time.  After nap time (which was awfully short) we loaded up and went to the Big Bucket for about an hour.  Supper was simple and followed by more time playing in the backyard.

Monday, July 2--Mylie spent the day at Sue's so that I could get the majority of the packing done without her taking everything out right behind me.  I ran 3 miles before it got too hot outside and then I treated my friend and neighbor, Dellisa, to a pedicure.  She's due to have her baby on July 12--I keep telling her that he's wanting to stay inside as long as possible to avoid all of this heat.  We had lunch at West Street Deli and then I headed home to pack.  Myah, Maysen and I spent a few hours at the pool in the afternoon before going to get Mylie.


Tuesday, July 3--I went for a walk pushing Mylie in the stroller so that Brandon could pack and get a few things done before we left in the afternoon.  I was glad that I decided to walk because there was no 'beating the heat'--it was already hot!!  Shortly after lunch, we loaded the van and headed up to Rembrandt where Brandon's parents live.  They took us to the diner for supper and then the cousins played outside for a little while before bed time.

Wednesday, July 4--We had a pretty lazy day just relaxing around the house at Brandon's parents.  Brandon worked with his dad at his car shop fixing the driver's side window in our van.  The girls played and colored most of the day.  We drove to Storm Lake for supper at Subway before heading to the fireworks show back in Rembrandt.  This was Maysen and Myah's first time of seeing fireworks.  I know you're all thinking that I've deprived my children of one of those "American" things, but we've always functioned on a schedule and since they can't really do fireworks until it's dark outside, they haven't been able to stay awake that late.  Needless to say, they absolutely loved them!  I stayed back at the house with Mylie (who needed to go to bed before dark) and finished The Hunger Games.


Thursday, July 5--I gave all of the girls a bath in the morning since they had been out late and running around in the heat to get very sweaty and stinky.  Brandon's dad grilled burgers and hotdogs for lunch and his mom made yummy pea salad and green bean casserole.  We loaded up the van shortly after and headed up to Okoboji.  My parents and brother, aunt, two cousins, and nana were already up there.  The girls swam in the little pool on the deck.  Mylie didn't even wait for me to get her suit on her, she just plopped her little leg over the side and got right in. 

 We went for supper at the Asian Palace, which has fabulous Chinese food!!  After the girls went to bed, my mom and I ran to Wal-Mart and to Goodies, which is one of our chocolate hotspots at the Lakes!

Friday, July 6--We hung around the Okoboji house all day, which really rarely happens.  My dad had gone back to Lake Mills to work so we didn't have the boat.  I got up and went for a run and then we took the girls to the park nearby and they swam in the pool on the deck again.


Saturday, July 7--I got up and went for a run again in the morning.  It's always fun seeing the "Lakes People" out for their morning walks as well.  Many of them I remember from year to year.  The girls had been asking to go to the candy store so I had told them we could go after my run.  We went to the Central Emporium (the traffic was crazy!) and visited the Sugar Shack.  Myah had a ton of stuff in her bag before Brandon and I could reach her.  Luckily, a lot of it was wrapped stuff that could be put back on the shelf.  Most of the items are sold by the pound so we were a little nervous at first:)  We met my parents at Hey, Good Cookies for lunch....one of our lunch hotspots that we frequent multiple times every time we are in the area.  Brandon and I took Mylie back home for a nap while Myah and Maysen went with my dad to get some new lifejackets.  Once Mylie woke up, we headed out on the boat.  Mylie didn't know what to think at first, but it wasn't long before she was loving it! 

All three girls had baths before supper to get the lake gunk off and needless to say, they were all tired after sun and swimming!!

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 5

Sunday, June 24--Myah and Maysen sang two songs from bible school in church. 

The girls and I then headed to Lake Mills for a few days with my parents.  After lunch at Subway, the girls were excited to go to "Papa's Pool."  They LOVE the big blue slide and spent most of the 2 1/2 hours going up the steps and down the slide.....they were exhausted.  We spent the evening out at my grandparents' house....they always love to see the girls.

Monday, June 25--We hung out at mom and dad's most of the day.  It was kind of nice to just chill out.  We keep busy, and it's mostly by choice, so it was nice to not have to run off to an activity.  We met my high school friend, Jennifer, and her daughters at the park before supper.  Meg and her son, Finn, met the rest of us up at the Grand Cafe.  The girls continued to play outside with Papa to really wear them out :)  Brandon attempted to go to the Colfax-Mingo softball game in Story City, but ended up blowing out a tire on his car (haven't we had to replace enough things recently?!?!).

Tuesday, June 26--Spent a lot of the morning on mom and dad's deck enjoying the cool morning and fresh air.  We headed to Burger King near the Interstate for lunch and the girls and I headed back to Ames from there.  I was sure to register for the Lake Mills July Jubilee 5K before I left, though!  Brandon spent the morning at his final grad class....one of the two classes are done!  What a relief! Once we got home, I did laundry, paid bills and then it was time for swimming lessons.

Wednesday, June 27--We got back into our busy groove again today.  In the morning, I got groceries (since I was out of town on Sunday) for the week until we go to 'Boji.  I pulled some weeds and vacuumed out the van before the three girls and I headed to the Big Bucket.  Brandon met his dad to get the tire replaced on his car and then helped his friend, Mike, move into a house here in the Ames area.  It was the hottest day of the year......maybe not the best day to move.  The Geisler family (our back yard neighbors) came over for supper.  For those of you who don't follow my blog regularly, we have them over for supper once a month, and they have us over once a month as well.  Dellisa (the mom) is a vegetarian.  She doesn't cook with or eat any (real) meat---she's made us a few dishes using soy meat, and it's actually pretty good!  I gave this lasagna rollup recipe a try tonight.  I made two pans....one with meat and one without.  It was tasty, but very tedious.  Next time, I'll just make the lasagna, so what if it's messy.

Thursday, June 28--Day #2 of extreme heat.  Due to the final swimming lesson being in the evening, I tried to keep the kids busy without going to the pool.  I did run 3 miles in the morning--it was already 82 degrees and no breeze.  I survived, but was a hot sweaty mess!  After a shower, I got some more things done around the house (like hanging the photo boards that the girls got for their birthday that I had meant to hang every day for the last month).  Myah and Maysen went to K-Club at the library where they learned about and read stories using shadows.  We also made the (almost) weekly trip to Target.  The girls rocked their skills at swimming lessons and passed on to Level 2 for the next time we sign them up.  I'm pretty proud of them, and they absolutely LOVE the water!

To celebrate one of Brandon's classes being done and the great success of the girls at swimming lessons, we had supper at Village Inn.  It's kind of a joke between us and my parents because it's a very retro looking place and has a certain 65+ crowd except for us and our three crazy kids!  We had a coupon for 20% off and also 4 $5 off gift cards (courtesy of the MS Walk) so we paid a whole $10 for the five of us to eat there, and that included a splurge on 2 pieces of pie (to go!) for dessert.

Friday, June 29-- My mom, aunt Kathy, and family friend, Sonja came down from Lake Mills to join us at the Big Bucket.  Kelsey, Eric, and Rooney also came for a little while.  We went for a late lunch at Panera Bread.

We spent the rest of the day around the house doing laundry and playing in the backyard with the neighbors.

Saturday, June 30 -- I got up and ran 3 miles before it got too hot.  Myah and Maysen took a kids cooking class at HyVee in the morning and they thought that was pretty fun.

In the afternoon, the girls stayed home with Brandon and napped while I went to a movie with my backyard neighbor and some of her girl friends.  We grilled burgers for supper with the Geisler family to celebrate 5 years of them moving to the neighborhood.  The kids played in the sprinkler and on the swingset until bedtime.