Aedan: 62 Months, Week 1
Owen: 20 Months, Week 3
Morning came way too early on Sunday after a night of sleeping on an air mattress. It was probably 11:00 when Samantha and I fell asleep, and most girls were up by 6:00-6:30 playing. Our air mattress was much better than sleeping on the floor, at least. Here's the little room that Samantha and I shared together.
They had muffins and bananas for breakfast, the girls made a necklace craft out of washers, and then once everything was wrapped up and cleaned up, we left the museum about 11:30. We rode back with Darcy and Emi, and I could tell that Samantha was tired and bored. She already read the books that she brought along, and Emi played on her Kindle most of the trip, leaving Samantha with nothing to keep her occupied. When that happens in the car, especially when she's tired, she starts feeling worried about going to the bathroom. When we stopped for lunch in Munising, Samantha went to the bathroom twice, and then not that much time later, I looked in the back seat and noticed her making another face, the face she makes when she has to go again but doesn't want to say anything. Luckily, there was a little restaurant we could stop at, and Samantha sat in the bathroom, feeling worried that she would have to go again as soon as we started driving. I told her that she was feeling this way simply because she was tired, and I told her I wanted her to sleep for awhile once we got back in the car. Even though she normally doesn't, she actually fell asleep for a good forty-five minutes and felt much better when she woke up.
They dropped us off at home, where my dad watching the kids. Ben had flown out early that morning and would be gone for a whole week, so it was good to be home, but strange that he wasn't home as well. Shortly after arriving home, Owen woke up from his nap, and then we went to the airport so that we could pick up the minivan. We got back in just enough time for me to get food ready for small group. My dad stayed home, but the kids were looking forward to going and playing with their friends. The kids played outside for awhile, and we had an appetizer theme for a meal. We had really good conversation about the verses in James, and I found myself not wanting to leave to go home, even though I knew bedtime would take longer because I was by myself. However, I knew we only had a few weeks left before we moved, and we would no longer have this small group of people, so I decided to stay and enjoy their company for a little longer.
Ben's trip to Salt Lake City was for being an AP grader for the AP Government test. It was the first time he had done this, so he didn't really know what to expect, but he worked from 8:00-5:00 with a couple short breaks as well as a lunch break. He was excited about the opportunity to make some money, and it was a pretty good deal since they paid for his flights out there, his hotel room (that he shared with another guy), as well as all their food. Even though he was really busy with work all day long, he was able to get out in the evening to get some exercise and see a little bit of the city. Here is a picture he took of the Mormon Conference Center.
That night as I was putting Owen to bed, I took this cute video of him singing. There's nothing to see in the video because the light was off in his room, but I just had to capture his cute little voicing singing. With all three kids, especially when they are babies, Ben has rocked them and sung the hymn "It Is Well" to them. Well, on Sunday night, as I began to rock Owen before bed, he pointed to my lips and I knew what he wanted me to do, so I started singing the chorus to "It Is Well," and he joined right in. It was so precious that I had to get our little duet recorded. Owen's little voice is so sweet. We sung this seven or eight times, and when I stopped, he kept touching my lips, wanting me to keep going. I could hear Owen still singing it in his crib after leaving his room. What a great song to fall asleep to!
On Monday morning the only thing we had going on was Owen's follow-up hearing test, to see if his hearing improved from getting the tubes placed in his ears. Grandpa stayed home with Aedan, while I took Owen. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was very surprised at how much a difference I could tell in what he could hear. The first time I took Owen for his hearing test, before his tubes, it would take him quite awhile to respond to the low decibel sounds, especially on the right side, where he has had most of his ear infections. However, this time he responded very quickly. I could tell that he could hear the sound right away and wasn't just looking around randomly. In fact, I don't think she had to run the test for quite as long because she could tell he was responding so well. After the test was over, she said he did fantastic. When she tested his ear drums, there was good movement, whereas before there was no movement, and she said his hearing increased 20 decibels. I was so excited to see these clear results of getting tubes placed in his ears. I now feel even more confident that it was the right thing to do. And it's interesting to think that these tubes might be the reason his language development has exploded so much in the last couple weeks. He is learning new words every day, and it's so exciting! Yay for medical technology that can help my little boy be healthy and hear better.
The rest of the morning we didn't really have any plans. I was trying to finish up a few things in getting prepared for moving and doing some organizing around the house, so I tried to keep the boys occupied by bringing out the Play-Doh for them to play with. Owen had never really played with Play-Doh before, so he found it pretty amusing. Aedan made food out of his Play-Doh, and Owen just cut it up with the knife. Owen only tried to eat the Play-Doh a couple times, and Aedan was upset when we had to put it all away for lunch.
This is inside the tabernacle where the choir practices and performs.The rest of the morning we didn't really have any plans. I was trying to finish up a few things in getting prepared for moving and doing some organizing around the house, so I tried to keep the boys occupied by bringing out the Play-Doh for them to play with. Owen had never really played with Play-Doh before, so he found it pretty amusing. Aedan made food out of his Play-Doh, and Owen just cut it up with the knife. Owen only tried to eat the Play-Doh a couple times, and Aedan was upset when we had to put it all away for lunch.
Monday was the start of Samantha's last week of school, and she had some fun things planned with her class. On Monday they had a field trip to the bowling alley where they had pizza and pop. Samantha came home saying she got two strikes, and she had a great time.
Here are some more pictures that Ben took during his time in Salt Lake City. This is a picture from Ben's hotel room at dusk.
It was a bit windy and chilly that morning to play outside, so I wanted to take advantage of some time outside once Samantha got home from school. I had the kids bring their bikes through the back gate so they could ride around in the parking lot for awhile. They were having fun, and Owen even tried to join in on his little giraffe tricycle. Somehow Izzy got out through the crack in the gate at some point, and she started running around with the kids on their bikes. It was so funny to see how fast she was running and how much she was trying to herd them. I don't think we will have to be worried about her leaving our yard in Pennsylvania. She just wants to be with us, and she listens really well and comes running back every time you call for her. She is such a good, obedient dog, I don't think we would have anything to worry about.
Grandpa stayed through right before lunchtime on Tuesday, so we hung out around the house again that morning. I had a headache since Sunday morning that just wouldn't go away, so it was hard for me to stay patient with the kids. I was also still tired from the Girl Scout sleepover on Saturday night. The reality of Ben being gone for an entire week was setting in as well. It's not that I can't do it on my own, it's just a lot more tiring having everything be my responsibility. Ben and I are a pretty good team when he's home, so I definitely feel his absence, and it's awfully quiet in the house at night without him to hang out with in the evenings.
On Tuesday Samantha was sad because her field trip to Project Playground got cancelled because of the rainy weather. She was really looking forward to going, and with it being the end of the school year, they were unable to reschedule it.
Since Aedan was whiny that morning and acting super tired, I decided to have him take a nap that afternoon. Even though he never wants to nap, he always falls asleep quickly and sleeps for a long time. I had to wake him up at 4:00, but I took a few pictures of my cute, sleeping guy before I woke him. I love how he doesn't really even lay on his pillow, and he tucks the covers all the way around his neck and under his chin so only his head is sticking out. That's exactly how I sleep, too, so it made me smile.
When my dad came up to help us out, he gave us my old jewelry box for Samantha to use for all of her necklaces and earrings that she just got. She was really excited about getting all her jewelry organized.
Owen decided to bring his guitar to me that afternoon and sing me a song, so I was able to capture him singing "It Is Well" where we can actually see his cute little face and his adorable face and his smirk when he dropped the guitar on the floor.
Ben decided to go out to a Salt Lake Bees baseball game on Wednesday night to relax and enjoy some time on his own. He got seats close to the field, and he enjoyed watching the game.
On Wednesday night after getting the kids to bed, Linda came over to talk with me and hang out. We don't usually get much time to talk without the kids around, so it was really nice to spend this time together, especially since our move date is fast approaching.
By Thursday we were kind of getting into the swing of things in doing life without Ben around. My headache finally went away, and I felt like I was pretty productive on Thursday. We were going to have wonderful weather that weekend, so we spent a lot of time outside. The boys were really good that day, and Samantha only had a half day, so everyone was excited about that. I mowed the the back yard during nap time that afternoon and finished the front yard after getting the kids in bed (simply because I didn't know when else I was going to get it done).
Ben decided to go back to the tabernacle on Thursday night to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle choir practice. He thought it was amazing how much practice and correction even professionals have to go through to make it sound as good as it does.
However, after I came in from mowing, Samantha had been up to go to the bathroom three times and was then crying her room at 11:45. I couldn't figure out what was going on with her, except for probably the anticipation of school being over and all that entails with summer coming, having to leave her school and friends, and knowing that it meant moving was coming very soon. Samantha has definitely taken the idea of moving the hardest, although Aedan also expresses feelings about not wanting to move and leave his friends. There's been a lot going through poor little Samantha's head, and she worries about things much more than she should. I was trying to supportive and encouraging to her that night, but it is frustrating when she just gets up without really trying to stay in bed and go back to sleep.
Friday, June 7th was a big day for Samantha because it was her last day of 2nd grade and her last day of school ever at JKL Bahweting School. On Wednesday night, she had picked out cards, flowers, and gift cards for her teachers, and we all planned on going to school together to drop Samantha off so that I could take a picture of her in front of the school and with her teachers. I know she was feeling sad going into this day, but she was doing a great job being brave.
After dropping Samantha off at school and helping her give her presents and cards to her teachers, the boys and I went back home to play. They played outside for awhile while I cleaned the floors and put laundry away. I was anxious to see Samantha come home off the bus a little after noon that day. She usually gets off with a bounce in her step, running up the driveway, but not that day. She was very somber and walking slowly. I could tell that she was sad, so I didn't even say anything to her when she walked in the door, I just gave her a big hug and held her like that for awhile. Oh my sweet, sensitive, empathetic child! I'm go glad that you have such complex feelings, but sometimes I wish that you wouldn't feel things quite so deeply. It breaks my Mommy heart.
After the boys and I finished lunch, Samantha decided to play school with Aedan. She got her paper out to write things down and seats for the boys to sit in. When it was time for Owen to take a nap, he wanted to go say good night to everyone, and he is so cute when he does it because he runs back and forth giving everyone hugs and squeezing you so hard. Oftentimes, he gives everyone multiple hugs. It's pretty cute, and I love how much he loves his family. That little Owen give the greatest hugs.
As a way to help the kids relax and to celebrate the last day of school, I let them watch a movie that afternoon while Owen napped. Then, mainly because I didn't feel like cooking and cleaning up dinner, we decided to go out to Wendy's for dinner. The kids did really well eating their food, and since it was such a nice day, we decided to get Izzy, put Owen in the stroller and go for a bike ride/walk around campus. There won't be too many more chances for us to enjoy the fact that we live right across from campus, and that's been one oft he best things about where we live in Sault Ste. Marie. In this picture you can hardly see Samantha way up in the front, followed by Aedan, followed by Izzy, followed by me pushing Owen in the stroller.
And here are the kids sitting on the front step after our bike ride/walk. You can tell Samantha and Aedan both have red cheeks from biking hard in the sun. I love spending time with these three cute, fun, silly kids of mine.
Since Owen didn't really know what was going on, he wanted to come over and take a picture of himself, and Aedan tried to come in behind him.
That night out in Salt Lake City, Daddy went to a baseball game with some of the other AP graders and sent me these pictures. Their mascot was a bee.
Samantha got up a lot again on Friday night, too. She just stood in the hallway until I came over, and then wanted to give me another hug. She got up again around 10:30, and then was crying in her room at 11:45 again. Our guess is that it has something to do with school ending and now that school is over, she knows that our move is coming, and she's letting all the worry take over her head. I felt sorry for the poor girl and wished there was something I could do to help her calm down. The way she reacts like this to big life changes makes me concerned with how she will handle things as she gets older because it's not like big things and dealing with change is going to go away. Ben and I decided we are going to talk to her doctor about it next week at her well child visit and see if she has any advice for us in how to help her. Plus, she was tired that night, which always makes it worse.
In talking to Ben on Friday, we learned from our realtor in Pennsylvania that the courthouse got a virus somehow, meaning all courthouse work, like closings, were put on hold for the time being. They really had no clue how long it would take for the computers to be back up and running. Our realtor said they had the following Tuesday as the goal for getting everything going again, so we would know more for sure then. If for some reason they don't meet that goal, we were going to have to push off our closing there, which would then mean it could possibly be helpful to push off our closing in Michigan. Who knows what plans would have to change, and I just hoped that it wouldn't come to that and having to delay things. Everything with this move and buying this house was going so smoothly, but this was certainly throwing a wrench in our plans. It was kind of crazy thinking that our moving was coming in a week and a half. Especially with not having to pack anything ourselves, I think I was in denial a little bit. Plus, with Ben being gone all week, I hadn't really done much of anything in preparation for moving, so it felt strange.
Saturday was going to be another nice, warm day, so I decided to take the kids over to Canada to have a picnic lunch, play at the playgrounds there that they like so much, and check out the new splash pad that was having it's grand opening. I figured it would be busy, but it was going to be our only chance to check it out before moving.
Here is Owen after getting dressed that morning. I found this cute little Cubs onesie that he hadn't had a chance to wear yet. He looked pretty cute in it, and I made sure to take a picture of him in it to send to Ben. I also ended up sending it to Papa because he kept pointing at the Cubs logo and saying, "Papa," because he remembered Papa wearing a shirt like that when they came to watch the kids for us. You can also hear him roaring like a dinosaur at the end of this video. :)
After crossing the bridge, we found parking easily right near the splash pad, loaded up our picnic lunch, and found a good spot to sit and eat. Owen didn't eat too well because he was too concerned about going and playing, but Samantha and Aedan did a good job. We started off at the new playground right near the splash pad where there are fun swings that are like zip lines that go back and forth. Then, as it got closer to 1:00, we went over to the bathroom so the kids could change into their bathing suits, and we waited for the announcement that the splash pad was open. As you can see, it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day, and there were quite a few people there for the opening. Samantha ran right out and started playing, but Aedan and Owen were much more hesitant. Aedan really wanted to play, but the water was just too cold for him. Owen wanted to play, but I think the amount of kids and the screaming that was happening intimidated him a little bit. Here are some videos of the kids running around in the splash pad that afternoon.
Here's a video of Samantha running through the water.
Here's a video of Aedan running through the water.
Here's a video of Owen starting to venture away from me a little bit and explore all the splash pad has to offer.
And here is Owen finally playing in the water some. He was enjoying playing in the fountains like this that were more his size and didn't spray him in the face too much.
After getting our fill of the splash pad, we decided to get changed and spend a little more time playing on the playgrounds. Bellevue Park is such a great place with paths and multiple playgrounds. We definitely haven't come here with the kids enough, and they were having a blast. Even though it was well past Owen's nap time, he was still going strong, so we decided to enjoy a little more time playing outside.
It was a long line to get across the bridge on the way back home, and Owen ended up falling asleep in the car. Samantha and Aedan really did a great job whispering and playing quietly so that he could nap. I was even able to lay him down again when we got back home so he could nap a little bit longer.
The first task of the afternoon for Samantha and Aedan was cleaning up the toys in their room. Samantha got done faster, so she was able to go outside. She decided to bring her sketch book and crayons outside, moved the chair in the middle of the yard, and sat there quietly and drew pictures. I love the creative things my little girl comes up to do all on her own.
That evening we tried a new meal for dinner, sweet potato and black bean quesadillas, and the kids really loved them. (I just didn't tell Aedan they had sweet potatoes in them, or else he would have automatically said he didn't like them.) It's fun to try new recipes with simple ingredients that are healthy and kid-friendly, too!
After dinner it was bath time, time to talk to Daddy, and bed time after a busy day and lots of time playing outside. Samantha and Aedan played with my old Beanie Baby animals, and they created a zoo, grouping the animals into categories, and they were super excited to have me come and visit their zoo. They gave me a great tour of the animals, and I was even allowed to pet some of them. It was a good day together with the kids, and I'm excited for this just being the beginning of our summer where we can spend lots of time outside playing and going on fun day trips together as a family.
Here are a couple more pictures Ben sent me of his view in Salt Lake City. This is a picture of the mountains and the University of Utah football stadium.
(Blog about June 2-8, 2019)
