It was a zoo!

70 and sunny is great, just not on the last day of June. The last day in June is supposed to be muggy and perfect for the pool. We aren’t supposed to wear sweatshirts to tennis lessons. When we got dressed this morning, Meredith said “Winter is back?” Honestly. It was 59 degrees when we left this morning.

We played in our yard until the swings became boring and the chalk wore down to nubs. Spontaneously, I decided we would spend the afternoon at the zoo. I realized we were sacrificing Meredith’s nap, but I was about to loose my marbles reminding small children why we couldn’t go to the pool…even though the pools are heated.

We got to the zoo around 1:00 p.m. to find out every other mother in the state of Indiana had the same idea. There were crying children everywhere and the new koala exhibit was packed. Even though I don’t like crowds or background noise, I’m able to cope well at the zoo, because we can leave after making our 30 minute loop.

Before we left, we rode the zoo train. I’ve never been all that interested in riding the train to see the maintenance area nor have I wanted to buy the tickets to do so, but Meredith was insistent we do just that. Now we can say we’ve done it. Sort of like when I made my grandparents drive me over the Kansas border when we were in western Missouri, just so I could add another state to my exotic travels log.

Alex was dead set on seeing the butterflies at the botanical gardens. He stood as still as a statue waiting for one to land on him. Meredith flitted around the exhibit like a moth, and guess which child the butterflies were interested in…

Those are the still pudgy-sweet hands of a three year old.

If you’ve ever wondered whether or not my children get tired of my camera:

But then they do something sweet like this and I forgive their total lack of appreciation for their mother’s effort to document their lives.

So far, I’ve known every family for whom I’ve done a portrait session.. I love this, because it gives me a chance to capture the families as I know them to be. I don’t have to pose them really, I just follow them around and wait for stuff to happen. This weekend, I had my first experience shooting a family I’d never met before.

Sunday morning I shot Erin S.'s family. Erin does Jill’s hair and Jill was kind enough to refer Erin to me. Jill called from Erin’s chair and set the whole thing up, which is exactly what I need. I have a really hard time self-promoting, which is almost an assurance of failure when growing a business. If I want to grow, I’m going to have to get over it. Blech.

The family chose a park near their home. It’s a beautiful park in Noblesville, complete with a covered bridge. The park consists mainly of walking trails through a forest and along the White river. Light wasn’t plentiful, it was muddy, and their son is a typical 16 month old boy. He wasn’t about to hold still for a second, so I had to be fast! He was a piece of cake to get to smile though. On command, and without the forced look my kids always seem to share.

I was so glad I grabbed a couple of shots of Erin and Sullivan together. I think it’s so important for every child to have a picture of himself with his mom. That’s a bond to be celebrated.

Blueberry Hill

One of the fun things about Alex’s tennis camp is we get to drive down our favorite road on the way there. We live in a very suburban area, but right beyond the boundaries of our neighborhood, the area is very rural. So rural in fact, we can hear cows bellowing nearly every morning. The road we take to tennis winds through the “country” and at certain point is draped in a canopy of trees. It’s just a very peaceful drive.

Along our route we pass the berry farm where the kids and I normally pick strawberries. I’ve had some excuse the majority of the summer. It’s been too hot, then too cold, and lately, too rainy. After tennis today, it was none of those things and Brandon was working from home, which means it’s just easier if the kids and I can find something to do. We came home from tennis, put on picking clothes, and the kids grabbed their rubber boots. We got to the berry patch to learn we were a week late to pick strawberries, but we could pick blueberries. We were all really excited. The kids just wanted to pick something and blueberries are certainly easier to pick.

They sent us out to the patch. We got there shortly after they opened, so we were the lone pickers. We picked a bush or two and I kept commenting on the bird sounds we were hearing. I’m no ornithologist, but this one was weird. I kept an eye on the sky to see if I could spot what was making the noise. I was half afraid it was something large enough to swoop down and make off with one of my children. Alex was on the lookout too.

We made our way down the line of blueberry bushes, with Meredith eating every third berry to “make sure it was ripe.” We stopped at a bush and then the bird got really loud and his yells were more frequent. I set down my basket and squinted to see if I could find the bird. The guy running a tractor across the patch from us noticed me looking for the bird and smiled and waved. About that time, I noticed a speaker next to my foot. I quickly figured out it was a fake bird call, it was motion activated, and I’m more of a city slicker than I thought.

We picked two pounds. Within 20 minutes of being home, we were down to one.

Oh, and we lost Meredith’s four inch tall plastic Prince Charming. She was really sad, but was warned about the pitfalls of bring Charlie along for the ride. The berry patch lady put a sign on their bulletin board that said, “Meredith Webber, lost Prince Charming,” along with our phone number. I’m thankful we have caller id.

After berry picking we went to the pool. Again, the forcast called for rain, but I thought we could get an hour or so in. We were at the pool with our neighbors yesterday for a good three hours. Meredith was the only girl and Alex wasn’t about to wear water wings in front of the boys. He swam all day without them and did the same today. We’re a little water logged, but they sleep well and that’s always my motive.

Brandon finished work a little early and we went to see a movie. We’ve waited on WALL-E for awhile, so the kids were really excited. I was excited to take along my refillable popcorn bucket. I’m really 68.

The movie is really cute and provides several teachable moments. I’m sure both the kids will talk like robots for the rest of the summer. Too bad their batteries never run down.

This is supposed to be our slow-going week. The only true commitment we have is Alex’s tennis camp. It’s an early morning, half hour commitment, so not huge on the scale. I was looking forward to some much needed down time. I should know better.

We were out of the house by 7:30 a.m. for tennis and home making dinner for a friend by 8:30 a.m. I LOVE getting my day on track early, so while this may sound a little nutty to some, it’s heaven to me.

I was making dinner to take to my friend Amy, who recently became a mom for the third time to Benjamin. This little sweetheart will be three weeks old on Thursday and is such a doll. He LOVES to be held and I have a more than willing set of arms. The kids really enjoyed seeing him too. Amy is doing beautifully and is such a good mom. I’m not sure I could handle three, so I’m always amazed at women who do it with aplomb. Amy even sent a loaf of her homemade strawberry bread with us! (We ate it in the car on the way home…with our hands…like street dwellers.) Come on, isn’t she supposed to be disorganized and exhausted?!

Amy lives on the other side of Indy from us, and it’s a bit of a haul. The kids were tired, but I insisted on dragging them to a furniture store to look at a kitchen table I’m considering. It is amazing how well behaved they are if I dangle a carrot, like a trip to the pool. Aside from lounging on couches they shouldn’t, and Alex’s constant announcements of prices and what he could and could not personally afford to purchase, they were angels.

I took the kids to the pool as promised and we splashed around for an hour. It’s amazing to me to watch Alex in the pool this year. This time last year, he clung to the pool side and was even afraid to paddle around in water wings. That was until I forced him into swimming lessons with our lifeguard. This year, he’s a different kid! It’s fun to see how much his confidence has grown.


Meredith, just likes to make a point of looking good at the pool. She gets this from her Aunt Jenn.

Ballet and Bruises

Would you believe those legs belong to the sweet girl in the middle? Well rounded isn't she.

Meredith had her dance recital Saturday and I was sorry our family missed the dress rehearsal. It went better. Meredith was nearly impossible to put to bed after my parents arrived Friday night. Meredith was barely awake for the recital and it was obvious even from the balcony. Next year, I’m going to put her to bed before our guests arrive.

After the recital we went to lunch, and then Meredith slept in a dance coma for three hours. When she woke from her nap, GramPam and Trophy taught her to play wiffle ball. Now, we are not an athletic family by any stretch, unless being fairly decent at golf counts. For whatever reason, Meredith seems to have a natural baseball stance and smacked one ball after another. Alex had little interest in playing and was committed to roasting marshmallows for s’mores.

Meredith was happy to eat them.

We might be asked to leave our neighborhood. My stepfather, “Trophy” built Brandon and Alex a potato cannon. They promised to shoot one potato and I think there are three left in the bag. If it was smaller I might be able to hide it, but I have a feeling I’m in for a summer of idiotic booms.

My parents left Sunday morning and the kids went with my in-laws to see a play. They saw Peter Pan and Alex wasn’t thrilled about going. This wasn’t his first time seeing it, and he let us know. “OH COME ON!!! I’ve seen Peter Pan in every theatre in Indiana!!!” Too bad. Brandon and I wanted to shop for a couch in peace.

After Brandon dropped off the kids, he stopped at the nursery again and came home with more plants. He asked if I wanted to help plant and I pretended not to hear him.

The rest of the day we shopped for furniture, once again unsuccessfully. I’ve come to the conclusion that we’ll never find a table that coordinates in anyway with our kitchen and no one makes a madras plaid sectional that is both comfortable and indestructible.

Home on the range

The Pioneer is down. The fever I mentioned yesterday, the one I thought was fleeting and due to exhaustion, stayed with us all night. I wish I could tell you how high it was, because I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seat with wonder, but I can’t.

One of the things Brandon’s travel schedule forces me to do is to be well stocked and prepared for any minor ailments or emergencies that might crop up. I don’t have the luxury of running to the drugstore at 10:00 p.m. when we run out of Motrin. I dropped the ball and we had two doses of Children’s Tylenol and a thermometer with a dead battery.

I took heart in my pediatrician’s long standing advice that parents over treat fevers. He believes a fever has a job to do and knocking it out with repeated doses of fever reliever is the equivalent of union regulations. So, I gave Alex a luke-warm bath and set an alarm so I would wake up every two hours and change the cold cloth I put on his forehead.

I don’t function well without at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. I opened the door this morning to let out Rolly and completely forgot to turn off our alarm. It went off and I made the dash to the keypad. We have 30 seconds before Noblesville’s finest come calling. I turned it off and yelled an apology to the kids. I came back into the kitchen and their were Rice Krispies everywhere. From what I could deduct through the giggles, Meredith had a spoonful when I triggered the alarm and needless to say, it startled her.

Happily, Alex is much better today. After a morning trip to the drugstore, where I bought Motrin and one of the very specialized batteries our thermometer requires, I still can’t tell you what his temperature is. I bought one battery. Our thermometer requires two.

Alex is very unhappy about being sick because today was tie-dye day at camp. He was so excited to turn a pillow case into a linen worthy of Gerry Garcia.

I was supposed to get a tooth filled so Meredith was going to spend the day with her grandparents. I was completely willing to post pone having my filling replace, but Meredith was not willing to surrender time at Grandma’s house. It will give me a chance to get stuff done and Alex will have a chance to rest without Meredith’s constant inquiries about his well being and why his “hair looks crazy.”

Ballet Day

If I’d known how tired I would be by the end of today, I might have chosen to stay in bed this morning. We were out of the house by 8:15 to take Alex to Man Camp. We’ve streamlined our bug spray and sunscreen routine, but we were still running a little late. Mainly because I had to slick Meredith’s hair into a bun and her curls take awhile to tame. We met up with Dawn and Annie as they dropped of Joe and we made a stop for bagels on our way to dress rehearsal for the girls.

The dress rehearsal was fun, but long and tiring. I’ve been a little annoyed because we aren’t allowed to take pictures or video during the actual recital. That’s a little like cutting off my arm. I have to say after watching through my lens today, I think I will appreciate the chance to just take it all in instead of worrying about camera settings.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so much pink in one room. It sounds nauseating, but it was really very cute. I wanted to run on stage and squish their cheeks. To the amazement of the moms, the girls actually did their routines…or at least made an earnest effort.

Because I keep the schedule of a preschooler, I was starving by 11:30 and the rehearsal wasn’t over until 12:00. I know; 30 minutes, but when I’m hungry, watch out. Angie and I took Kate and Meredith to lunch and I inhaled my meal. The girls were dying to go into the play area, but some kid stepped on a tack in there and we were able to scare the eagerness right out of them.

When we picked up Alex at camp, he was dog tired. He was beat read and said his head was splitting. After seeing and hearing all the other hooligans, I’m not surprised. He had a huge water, ate a bowl of blueberries, and announced, “That did the trick.” He’s lounging on the couch and is too tired to eat “hot meatloaf.” He wants a turkey sandwich. Twist my arm.

Day Camp

Today was Alex’s first day of Pioneer Camp. (That link is actually a cute little video that shows a clip of the camp, if you're interested. ) He’s spent waaaaaay too much time baking brownies with me lately, so this is our attempt at helping him man up. I dropped him off coated in sunscreen and bug spray, with a lunch and water bottle, so it’s not like it’s survival camp or anything. He’s also in the same group as his buddy Joe. It’s a long day, (8:30-3:30), and he was tired when we picked him up, but did manage to tell me they shot bows and arrows. Brandon will find that much more acceptable than helping Meredith into her dress up outfits.

Meredith and I did a little cleaning and organizing and then I took her out for lunch. She ate practically nothing, but did ask if we could go shopping after lunch. We walked down to a children’s store that happens to be going out of business. She wanted every outfit she stumbled across and we had to have a talk about spending limits three times. Don’t worry Brandon, I put my foot down after two…which were a great deal…almost free in fact. After that, Meredith wanted to visit her friend Miss Barbara. Meredith doesn’t seem to notice one of her best friends is a few decades older than her. Miss Barbara has lipsticks in every color and that’s a quality Meredith looks for in a friend.

We picked up Alex from camp and headed for the pool. I knew the kids would both be grouchy and the evening hours would pass much faster in the pool. It’s the same quandary I often have, too late for a nap and too early for bed. When I run into this situation, I usually fill it with outdoor activity. The whining is less intense when we’re in a wide open space.

Weekend Update

This weekend was another birthday weekend, but at last, it didn’t involve Alex’s month-long celebration. Alex’s friend and our neighbor, Kenzie turned seven and he is a really neat kid. Kenzie is whip smart, and has a gift for drawing that I’m convinced is Divine. I wish I had one of his pieces to scan in and show you, because I know I’m a bit dramatic, and you’re probably unconvinced of his talent. Trust me. It’s amazing.

Anyway, Kenzie is also a history buff, Civil War to be exact. Yes. I did say he turned seven. Kenzie’s mom is a former teacher, and she’s great with kids. Very devoted to learning and has the patience to raise three boys. She threw Kenzie a Civil War themed birthday party. The boys did a battle reenactment, which meant we had to purchase our first toy gun. Alex has a small pistol I begrudgingly allowed him to buy after riding Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time. I was nervous about it, but I actually think it’s reduced his aggression, at least toward his other toys. He’s much kinder to his Playmobil soldiers after an hour of shooting imaginary deer. For all my nervousness, the kids had a great time!

Saturday night we celebrated my favorite one year old’s birthday. Although Jill had doubts she would make it, she survived Kendall’s first year. Kendall is a great baby and really fun to be around, so long as you can figure out what it is she wants at that exact moment. In addition to red hair, I think Kendall and I also share the same temperament, which makes me love her unconditionally. :)

Our family adores this little one!

Jill and Scott had a small group of us over for a cookout and cake and, as is anything with the Ehnes Family, it was a blast! Selfishly, we let our kids play until they were near comatose and then we tried to get them all to fall asleep to a movie. All so we could continue to play Apples to Apples. (It’s boarding on obsession.) Meredith kept popping in and I kept ushering her back to their “bed.” I told her it was way past her bedtime and she should be sleeping and she retorted, “Well, then what in the world are we doing at Clare’s house?!” I wonder if I should include that on my mother of the year nomination form?

We were out late, but I was up hours before "Meet the Press" and was anxious to watch the tribute to Tim Russert. I know I’m a dork, and don’t need further proof, but I can’t watch Tom Brokaw get choked up without losing it. So I cried all the way through the show, and for an encore I watched Tim’s son Luke be interviewed on The Today Show this morning. What a good kid. They showed a picture of Luke touching his dad’s vacant chair on the MTP set and wow was it a reminder of how powerful photography can be.

Father’s Day was pretty low key at our house. We planned to grill, but a storm blew in and we opted for pizza at Brandon’s favorite place instead. They have a big T.V. so we could watch what was supposed to be the final round of the U.S. Open. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have left the house. The kids gave Brandon his presents, all of which they had a hand in for the first time. They were so sad to find Daddy left his new Crocs at home. I think they expected him to scoot around his office in rubber shoes in pride.

Alex's pleads the Fifth

It was naïve of me to think Alex’s face didn’t have space for additional blemishes. When I picked him up from my in-laws’ yesterday, I noticed his cheeks were bright red. They don’t always use the best judgment, so I assumed he was just overheated and/or had an allergic reaction to their berry patch. It didn’t go away. I jumped on-line to self-diagnose him before I called our pediatrician. I suspected Fifth Disease and I was right. Apparently, it’s going around and after calling in sick to VBS, I was told there were six other cases this week. Surprise. BTW, Alex declined to be photographed for this post. His exact words were, "You can take my picture, but you're not allowed to blog it!"

I told Brandon the doctor and I were pretty sure Alex had Fifth Disease and he seemed skeptical. Later, when I explained it’s little more than a viral rash and he’s no longer contagious, he said, “Well, that’s not a disease. You called it a disease!”

We were cleared to go to VBS, but after all the other suspicious marks on Alex’s face this week, I feared a visit from the department of Childhood safety. We stayed home and went to see Kung Fu Panda instead. I don’t recommend it. It was pretty dull. The new theatre we went to was anything but. The best part... if you buy a $10 bucket they fill it with unlimited popcorn for the rest of the year. So much for wearing shorts this year.

On a completely different note: To know me is to know my obsession with all things political. I’ve religiously watched (literally religiously…often skipping church to do so) "Meet the Press" since I was 12 years old. I was so sad to hear of Tim Russert’s passing. He’s the voice of reason at NBC. Within minutes, I declared to Sara that if they let that “smarmy punk” David Gregory take over MTP, I’m done! Do you hear me NBC?! My one-woman protests seldom accomplish much aside from making me feel better.

Hairrands

First thing this morning I was near tears. While I was pouring cereal and cutting cantaloupe, I turned on the news and was blindsided with the story about the Boy Scout camp in Iowa. I don’t know any of those boys or their families, but I am a mom and can’t imagine what those parents are going through. I said a prayer out loud, which always catches the kids’ attention.

Alex quickly snapped me out of my funk by smelling my coffee, wagging his eyebrows and saying in a terrible southern accent, “Smells good. Think I might have me a cup.” I laughed and he said, “I knew that would get you.” Bless his soul.

I got a much overdue haircut today. I missed my regular eight week appointment when we were in HH, and I couldn’t get in for another four weeks. Twelve weeks of hair is a lot for me. My hair grows out not down. Two more days, and my hair might not have fit in the van.

The kids went to my in-laws for the afternoon, so I made a mad dash to the mall to finish Father’s Day shopping. Once again, my gifts lack any sort of creativity. I also had to pick up a Civil War related birthday gift. Alex is going to a so themed birthday party over the weekend. This is not a joke.

As we drove home this afternoon, we saw one of our newish neighbors out walking his dog. The guy faithfully walks his dog several times a day. Rolly is lucky to see the path once or twice a week. He waved, we waved back and the name game started. None of us can remember his name. We think it’s Bob, but we’re uncertain. Meredith said, “Oh yeah, it is Bob and his wife’s name is Wendy.” For some of you that will be totally obscure, but if you have a small boy in your house you know exactly why that’s funny.

I haven’t written much this week, because there isn’t much to tell. Then again, if you are in search of news this probably isn’t the first place you turn.

As I’ve mentioned, this is Vacation Bible School week. Meredith is technically too young for VBS. Because I’m a volunteer, she gets to attend the three year old class that is set up for the children of volunteers. So, while I’ve not exactly relished my time in the nursery changing diapers of children I don’t know, I would…well, change diapers of children I don’t know, if it meant Meredith got to attend her class. She absolutely loves it and is most excited about her T-shirt. I’m not all that enthusiastic about their t-shirts, because they are supposed to wear them every day. This means I’m washing a load of little blue t-shirts every night.

Anyway, our mornings are occupied with crafts, snacks, and funky songs about “Our Friend Jesus,” so we’ve had to reschedule our pool time. I want to take the kids swimming as often as the weather permits, so we’ve sacrificed a few nap times this week. By 7:00 p.m. we are a surly household. Both kids are comatose by 8:15; which leaves me time to wash the shirts.

Oh, here’s a good one…Alex has completely marred his face. You know those weird rubber-half-circle-type things that you can squish onto a flat surface and just when you least expect it, they pop up and hit you in the face? For unknown reasons, Alex stuck one to his forehead repeatedly. I warned him it was going to happen, but he was still stunned to look in the mirror and see a suction bruise. For an encore, he sucked a Gatorade bottle around his top lip today and got the same result. I’d take a picture of him, but he’s smart enough to know where it would end up.

Weekend Update

Our weekend really started Friday morning. Alex finally had his birthday party at Bounce Planet. This was the best party idea he’s ever had. I didn’t run around frantically cleaning and decorating our house. I didn’t even make a trip to the party store. All I had to do was show up with a cake. It was heaven! The kids had a great time bouncing and playing the carnival games that normally make me nuts. For whatever reason, the machines were spitting out tickets left and right and the kids all went home with some thirty cent piece of junk they were thrilled with. An easy success!

Friday night we had Alex’s soccer team pizza party. We were on time, until we climbed out of the van and Alex announced he forgot to wear shoes. You can imagine the wild enthusiasm with which this was met. Luckily, we were near Old Navy, and we knew they would have flip flops. I ran in and grabbed a pair for each kid; Lord knows we’ll use them. Alex’s were black, and seemed fine until he asked me if all they had were girls’. I then realized there was a hot pink Old Navy logo plastered on the heel.

Our Saturday morning soccer game, the last one of the spring season, was a wash out. I was somewhat thankful for lightening. If it doesn’t lightening, we play in the rain. Blech. I was glad to avoid sitting in the rain watching and dealing with the mess after the game.

We had ballet pictures in the afternoon. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything cuter than six tiny ballerinas all dressed up in pink tutus. Most of them had their hair pulled back into buns, and it made them look so grown up. Our recital is in a couple of weeks. My parents are driving 10 hours round trip for a glimpse of Meredith on stage. Let’s hope she performs, or I’m going to have to serve a really great lunch.

Saturday night I went with friends to see a movie. It was a really fun movie and evoked far more emotion than I expected. I laughed and cried all the way through it. A great reminder of how important good girl friends are. We went out for drinks afterwards and I went to bed way to late, but it was good to be out and about past my bedtime. I've also realized I have diarrhea of the mouth when I'm around other adults. I need to get out more.

We didn’t do much Sunday. I edited loads of pictures and tried to tame the beast that had become my kitchen. I did pick up some herbs while we were out shopping. It will be a miracle if I get to use any of my basil before the rabbits who live under our deck find out about it.

It’s VBS week and the kids are excited. I normally work in the kitchen, but was so late turning in my volunteer form, I’m a floater. Yuck. That means I’ll have to do the jobs that are so unappealing the scheduled volunteer called in sick. I tried to explain that my feelings would, in no way, be hurt if they didn’t need me, but it didn’t work. Ten bucks says I end up in the craft room…

During our trip to Olney, we made our usual rounds. We visited my grandparents, and probably reminded them how glad they are their children are all grown. We met Michelle and her girls for lunch and Jennifer brought Caroline and Reese. This was Reese’s first lunch date, at 12 days old. Then, we invaded Jennifer’s house and the kids ran until their legs would no longer hold them…or at least we thought.
While the kids played outside, I spent some time bugging Reese with the camera. I hope he’ll forgive me eventually. He is the sweetest baby and such a good boy! Jenn is doing a phenomenal job transitioning from a mom of one to a mom of two. I’m so proud of her, because I’ve been there and it isn’t easy.

Michelle and I took our tribe to Jill’s restaurant in Newton for dinner. (Hey Jill, you need a website, so I can link to it!) For as tired and hungry as they were, the kids all did really well. I only had to fish Alex out of the kitchen three times. Jill’s boys had just come in from their baseball games, so they were tired too…again, at least we thought!

For whatever reason, The Moms all agreed to let the kids go to Jill’s house and run around in her yard. We were too tired to put up a fight when the angry mob asked. The kids and I were staying all night with Jill and her family. We thought the kids would drop into bed, but we were very, very wrong. Well, not entirely. Meredith fell into a deep sleep quickly. When I checked on her, she was sleeping with one leg standing on the ground and the rest of her body on the bed. But, the boys were like hyenas until the bitter end. I guess that's why I DON'T HAVE ONE picture of Giuseppe and Frank! Are you kidding me?!

This morning we went back to Olney and met Caroline and Reese at the park, along with Maci and Marni. We had to stop for a hat on the way, and Alex was completely stunned to learn Olney does not have a mall. He honestly asked me, in a sympathetic voice if it was hard to grow up without a mall.

Because we assumed the Burgener Girls wanted to eat every meal with us for two days, we made them come to lunch with us. We ate at Hovey’s, and if you don’t know Olney, you don’t know Hovey’s, but trust me, it’s great. I ran into my mom’s good friend Jeni. I adore Jeni, probably because she’s one of the only women in the world who can out talk me. I haven’t seen her for years, so it was a complete treat to run into her.

Before we left town in a stupor of exhaustion, the kids and I stopped at Michelle’s and let everyone play one last time. Michelle’s yard is wooded and gorgeous and my kids are so impressed with her trees and lake (and trampoline), they’re beside themselves. We left to the sound of thunder and didn’t give it another thought. I should have.

The drive was a white knuckle experience. Between our van’s tendency to hydroplane and my lackluster vision, our drive home was one refrain shy of a Carrie Underwood song. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen lightening that close before and I know I don’t want to again. The rain came down in sheets and if it hadn’t been for the huge truck in front of me I wouldn’t have known where the road was. I was so thankful the kids were asleep. That way they didn’t see me drive through standing water like weather people always warn you not to do.

You’re might be wondering why I didn’t seek shelter, but if you’ve every driven the stretch of road I was on, you know my options were dilapidated trailers or community buildings that haven’t seen a visitor in years. So, my best option was to pray and keep driving. The trip normally takes me two hours and 45 minutes, so after nearly four hours, I was really glad to get home. The kids however, are already planning their trip back.

Oh the agony!

Is tomorrow really Thursday? This week flew by. Monday, I spent the morning at the pool with Michael Phelps: and Amanda Beard.

I’ve been putting it off for an entire year. My swimming suit had to be replaced. It has seen better days. So have my thighs, and if I was going to buy a new one, it would have to have a skirt. Next to buying jeans, swim suit shopping is my least favorite activity. Anyone sitting next to me could probably pick up on this if they looked at my faded straps and picked seat. I committed myself to buying a new one by telling Meredith we’d go to the mall later in the day. I knew if I mentioned a trip to the mall, she would hold me to it.

The kids were ANGELS. I’m sure I bought Alex more time on the couch by making him stay in the dressing room with me while I pulled on suits and cried about the poor state of my body. He offered his opinions and wound up choosing the winner.---A little number with tummy control and a skirt. (Brandon is most definitely cringing right now and considering a career change that allows him to be home to supervise my parenting.) Meredith just asked for more suits for herself. I told her she didn’t need another one that she had three. She looked at me and said, “Well. I need four!”

I was able to get through the trauma by reminding myself I would be meeting this sweet little guy the next day. Little is a relative term. Reese Thomas Glover was born on May 22 and weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs. 2 oz. His mommy, Jennifer, is tiiiiiiny, so his birth will make a great episode of Medical Mysteries. The kids and I went to Olney on Tuesday to meet and photograph Reese.

This almost became the world’s longest post, but I can’t be responsible for leg cramps and eye strain, so I’m going to devote an entire post to our trip to Olney.

Weekend Update

I wish I could tell you this weekend was lots of fun, but for the most part it was just a lot of work. Honestly, I didn’t do much, but I’m surprised Brandon has fingers left. The poor guy worked like a maniac the majority of the weekend. I performed my usual supervisory role. Not that I didn’t want to help, it just wasn’t practical. Honestly.

After Alex’s soccer game we stopped by Jill and Scott’s to pick up a few things and they invited us to stay for lunch. It didn’t take much arm twisting and the kids had fun running off some energy.

Brandon and Alex made a trip back to the nursery. They were supposed to be choosing a replacement for our tree that bit the dust, but they bought enough stuff that it required two van trips. Brandon planted ten bushes of significant size in under two hours. They look beautiful and our backyard is starting to look like one. I just don’t want to see our Visa bill.

On Sunday “we” helped the Campbells move. Joel and Megan helped us move and we moved in January... in the bitter cold. So, we owed them one. They are building a new house, and it won’t be ready for another five weeks. So, they are putting their things in storage.
I wasn’t of much use aside from loading the couch cushions and trying to keep our kids out of the U-Haul. It wasn't for lack of offering. I think they just wanted me out of the way. I did manage to get a spectacular sunburn, which will please my new dermatologist to no end. Brandon finally made it home around 7:00. At which time the kids and I begged him to grill salmon. I felt incredibly guilty, but I’ll bet it’s nice to feel needed.