Last Week of Summer Vacation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am absolutely loving my new Canon 5d Mark II camera body. I pulled it out Sunday evening while Everett was blowing bubbles. The focusing mechanism was fast and sharp enough to capture incredible details of the event. Be still my heart! Sunday afternoons are the best time to hang out in front of the house. The kids play in the back of Justin's truck while I watch. They play some pretty funny games in the truck.

Monday we drove to Scottsbluff Riverside Zoo for part of the day. Sarah and RJ Wood came along for the day. We picked up Ella on the way up as well. I really enjoyed the company! Sarah is one amazing lady. She is due with her second a week or so after me. Phillip and Everett adore RJ, who is a little older than Everett. We chose a pretty amazing day to visit the zoo, it was warm but a little breeze kept the temperatures bearable. Phillip showed the little boys how to work the lion water fountain. I think we spent a good portion of our time at the fountain! RJ and Everett loved pushing the button and spraying water into each other's faces. Oh the smiles! Everett, RJ, and Ella were brave enough to feed the tame donkey and Llama. Phillip and Amelia were over the top afraid. Amelia was relieved the tiger did not rush at her this time. She said that the tiger likes purple but hates red. The splash pad was closed for maintenance when we arrived. I think the park opened the splash pad just because of the number of visitors. We ate lunch then let the kids play in the water and at the park. The zoo is small, affordable, and close enough to enjoy for a few hours. Perfect for us! The credit machines in Scottsbluff had serious issues during our visit. The zoo machine barely processed our payments. Sonic was out of ice cream (what the heck?) and the credit machine was down, McDonalds had ice cream but no credit machine. Lucky for us Sarah was prepared with a bit of cash. We stopped to pick up Papa John pizza before heading home. My first question was if their machine was working. Phew! It was. Sarah and I took turns ferrying kids to the Kmart bathroom. Phillip peed on himself while in the bathroom, Ella was in tears by the time I got back to take the next batch to the bathroom. We made it in time for the rest to use the potty. The drive home was plagued with the smell of fresh, hot pizza. Drool.

I asked Amelia what she wanted to do before school started. Her dream was to eat lunch at the Cabela's store café. Easy peasy! Justin met us there to fulfill her summer dreams on Wednesday. The café really does serve tasty French Fries, other than that it is over-priced. We picked up a new camo jacket for Phillip. He wore the jacket for two days in 90 degree heat. I had a short ultrasound to determine the baby's weight. Everett was 3 weeks early and weighed 8.5 lbs. Little Evelyn weighs in at over 6.5 lbs at 37 weeks. Looks like I will wait until closer to my due date for an induction. Most likely Dr Shaw will induce me on the 27th of August right at 39 weeks.

Thursday morning I met with Dr Shaw. I am progressing a bit on my own this time! I am dilated to 3+ and 75% effaced. She stripped the membranes which almost put me into labor Thursday evening. I felt nauseous all day, plagued with numb legs, contractions galore, and aching lower back. I spent the rest of the day taking it easy...making headbands and watching movies with the kids. Phillip had his well-child visit at the same time. I will give the stats closer to his birthday. He was very excited to show Dr Shaw all his boo-boos, listen to his heart, and look in his ears. While I was unrobed from the bottom down Phillip kept peeking under the sheet and telling Dr Shaw that I had a pee-pee too. There is a good reason I usually leave the kids home this late in pregnancy. Phillip now has a baby in his tummy. The baby like to kick Everett (literally). Justin was gone all day to attend two new store openings in Colorado. He rode a company bus there and back. It was an exciting day for those who went.

Friday morning Everett woke up asking me for something I could not decipher. Finally he made clear that he wanted a shower. He loves to sit in the shower. Right after his long shower he colored himself and the basement carpet blue. He got another shower! Then he glued his legs and got another bathing session. Before dinner Phillip dumped wet sand and leaves all over Everett's head. Yep! He got another bath. It was a bath-tastic day. I made a ton of bonnets and headbands this week. I love making handkerchief bonnets out of old vintage hankies. It takes only a couple minutes per bonnet. I sold most of them already. Sweet. We took the kids to see Planes. Everett crawled into my lap and went to sleep around 7:45, once his popcorn, soda, and candy were gone he was done with the movie. Phillip was quite distressed when Dusty Crophopper crashed into the ocean. He got several chuckles over his exuberant crying and exclamations.

Saturday we took the kids to Sterling Pool for a last swim session this year. I love that our kids adore swimming. The kids swam for hours! The water felt great because it relieve a lot of pressure on my legs and belly. I was in the water just as much. Justin drove to Scottsbluff for a speaking assignment this morning. I got to take the kids solo to church. Phillip would not get dressed and refused to wear undies this morning. I took him to church naked. Luckily, he decided that going to church with clothes on was a good idea. Brother and Sister Gallego agreed to sit with us. They acted as wonderful bench blockers. I came home to find Justin home already. He spent an hour cleaning up the kitchen and living room areas. That was the best ever. You did good!

**Everett found an old binky animal I made when he was newborn. He is now attached to a large 8 inch turtle and binky. He is sleeping again. Darn it. He did not sleep or nap well for 3 weeks, my boy was a demon child. I am allowing the gigantor binky for now. It is not easy to lug around so it stays in his room. Much happier Everett=much happier Mom

***I forgot to explain Phillip's craft. He and Amelia got art supplies out and went to town. Phillip made an airplane submarine. I thought it was a bug of some sort! He got the tape, newspaper, glue, and pipe cleaners out all by himself. I think it is a very creative project he created. Way to go little man.