The 4th of July and Beyond. Summer Part 3 & 4

On July 4th, you guys participated in our neighborhood's Independence day parade. Daddy went with you guys while I stayed home because I sprained my ankle the night before. I'm glad he snapped these pics because I would've totally missed out on all this cuteness! I mean, coolness (because Hailey, you have made it very clear that you do not like to be called "cute." 

And tradition did not fail, Kona ice after the parade! 

The night before, we hiked out to watch the fireworks from the golf course next to our neighborhood. It was the first time you guys could remember watching real fireworks. Since most fireworks were cancelled during COVID and before that, Hailey, you were definitely too young to remember the fireworks, let alone stay up late enough to watch them. 

We also stopped by the fireworks store a few days prior and picked up some sparklers. It's been awhile since it has rained, so things are pretty dry. We kept things safe by just lighting up some sparklers on the drive way....also a first for Hailey. You big kids don't remember this from a few years ago as well. 

Some Fridays we visit dad at work. We usually bring lunch and then go downstairs to play in the lounge. Skee ball is very popular with you guys. 

Another morning we went bowling. It was cute how you big kids would help Hailey line up the ramp. 

Hailey ended up getting the high score!!! 

After bowling, we walked really slowly to the snowcone place because we finished right before they opened. They were just enough to hold us over to go to "the caterpillar sushi place" also known as Kura sushi. 

You guys love going there because they deliver the sushi on conveyor belts. This time they also had a little robot that brought you food. Super fancy. Hailey, you were able to order your all time favorite, crispy shrimp, AKA shrimp tempura. 

One Friday, while Hailey was at gymnastics camp, I took you 2 big kids to San Marcos to float the river. Hannah, you loved the whole experience, the cold water, the nature, the rapids, basically everything. Nathan, you complained about the cold, complained about drifting away and didn't enjoy it too much. After we worked up a big appetite from floating, we got a chance to try out a new Taiwanese restaurant that opened up this past year. It was good and super authentic. I'm kind of glad that this place wasn't open when I lived there, because I would've probably eaten there all the time. 

Then the owner suggested that we go across the street to pick up some mochinut. Most of them were dairy free so we bought half a dozen home so that Hailey could have some too. 

Before we went home, we stopped by another new place, a rolled ice cream parlor. They chop up ingredients into a ice cream base and then scrape the frozen surface to roll the ice cream up. 

You guys got to pick out your toppings and the end result was delicious! 

Hailey, you attended your first ever friend birthday party. You've been to Hannah and Nathan's friends' parties, but never your own friend. It was a pool party and as a bonus, the cake was dairy-free so you could eat it too! 

Hailey, you are also doing pretty good at swim lessons. You still are not a big fan of getting your face wet, but when asked to do so by your teacher, you will do it. When I ask you to practice, you basically try to delay and will do anything to avoid sticking your head in the water. 

Last week Auntie Momo came with her boyfriend. We did all the things that you would do in hot weather, including visiting a cavern. Hailey, you thought it was so cool to be in an underground cave. You walked the whole way all by yourself. I picked you up for a few minutes just so we wouldn't lag behind the group, but you loved the whole experience. 

We even saw a cute tri-colored bat hanging out on the ceiling. 

Another thing we did with our out-of-town visitors was to check out the Austin aquarium. We have pretty much boycotted the whole establishment since it opened, but I hear they are treating their animals a bit better these days, so we decided to give them a shot. It was an extremely interactive aquarium with touch tanks everywhere. 

The big kids (especially Nathan), you all were super excited to see a real axolotl and begged me to take a picture of you guys next to one. 

Here's a close up view... 

The sting ray touch tank was also pretty cool. 

Most mornings have been slow, which has been a good change of pace. When I sleep in, this is what I wake up to. Crazy hair Hailey, Nathan reading and Hannah working on some sort of craft or reading. 

This week the big kids have martial arts camp. Hailey it is just you and me and so I asked you what you would like to do. Here are the things that you told me: 1)make something yummy 2) play at a playground 3)watch a movie 4)go to costco. 

Day 1: We made pecan macarons. Since you are allergic to almond, I happened to pick up a bag of pecan flour just the other day to make macarons that you could eat. They turned out delicious! 

You helped measure out the ingredients, mix the batter and then you added the sprinkles to the finished macarons. 

Day 2: We started our day at the playground, where we ended up seeing one of your friends from school. Afterwards we went to get my oil changed and after figuring out that I have been driving with unlubricated axles, we had to do some car shuffling so that we could get home and then pick up the big kids from camp. You were very easy going through the whole process. Thank you! 

Day 3: Today Daddy worked from home and we took the car to the movie theater. We watched the minions movie and it turned out to be the perfect movie for you. That movie included so many of your favorite things: hide and seek, rolling on the floor, seals, and big belly laughs. 

Since the car with problems was the minivan, we had to figure out how to transport all 3 of you guys, along with our sometimes 4th child home from martial arts. I looked up to see how old you have to be to ride in the front seat and it turns out that Nathan you have been qualified to sit shot gun for almost a year! So yesterday, you sat in the front and have been sitting in the front ever since. 

 Considering tomorrow's big Hailey bucket list adventure item is Costco, I will spare everyone the details there. But I'm pretty sure Hailey wants to go to Costco for the S-A-M-P-L-E-S. 

We have 2 more full weeks before school starts back up again. So let the days of summer begin! 

Hailey update: We finally got a call from the surgical team about Hailey's surgery consult. This will happen in 2 weeks. We will find out more details then. Please pray that we ask all the right questions and for peace during this anxious time. 

Until next time, 

Love, 

Mommy 

Summer Fun Part 2

Dear Kiddos, 

June came and went quickly. I had agreed to help teach at preschool and you guys ended up attending church camp so everyday was hustle and bustle. We'd leave the house around 8 and get home sometimes as late as 7:30. Hannah started team gymnastics and that runs 2 times a week for 2 hour each. And then we had martial arts 2 times a week as well. Juggling camp pick ups and practices for multiple kids was quite the feat. 

We also puppy sat for a neighbor for a whole month. With him, we quickly realized just how little time we would have during the school year to care for a pet and Hannah, you have proven yourself to be a responsible pet sitter. Maybe next year, you can start a pet-sitting business. 

This summer has been a record setting kind of hot. We finally decided to try out a snow-cone stand by our neighborhood and realized that we've been missing out on some delicious snow cones all these years. 

Another day we went to the library and happened to come across this community event and also scored some free snowcones! You guys love to get all the colors! 

One afternoon we went to urban air, which is an indoor amusement park. There were ball pits, obstacle courses, virtual reality games and trampolines. We spent most of the day there and you guys enjoyed it a lot. 

Hannah, you even tried out the sky diving experience. 

Another week was VBS. All three of you guys were able to attend this year and all three of you enjoyed the experience. I led elementary games and was completely exhausted by the end of the day. It was a fun, but tiring week. 

Well, that's about it for June. Coming up, part 3. 

Love, 

Mommy 

 

Summer 2022 Part 1 of 5

Dear Kiddos, 

As soon as school got out, we packed our cars and went camping at South Llano River state park. We went with another family and that made camping that much more fun. The weather was nice the first day, clear skies, and a brilliant night sky, but the second day was muggy, overcast and just hot. 

After we set up our camp site, we cooked up some hot dogs and s'mores for dinner. 

There was a burn ban, but charcoal was ok, so we made do with radiant heat. 

After dinner, we decided to check out the river. My only rule was to stay in water that is shallower than knee deep. Nathan, you were very into skipping rocks. After a few dozen attempts, you started to get pretty good at it. 

We even got a chance to snap a picture. 

Ya'll found some pretty cool rocks that you wanted to keep. 

And we also found a lot of little clams as well. 

But in the end, the knee deep rule was conquered by gravity. 

That night, we stayed up to play some games, watch the stars, and saw an armadillo wandering through the camp site. The next morning we got up and went on a short hike before it got too hot. 

                                        

Then we went back to the river and spent a good few hours playing before it was lunch time. After lunch, we went back to the river for a bit and then came back to the campsite. We should've stayed at the river becasue the water was cool and the campsite was not. Hailey ended up getting tired and grumpy, so dad turned on the AC in the car and brought you into the car for a nap. I went into town to get some cold watermelon. That was a good move on both our parts. 

We made more s'mores that second evening, but tried to head to bed earlier because everyone was a bit more tired from a long day in the sun. 

Hailey started martial arts at the same dojo that Nathan and Hannah practice at. Hailey, the first time you stepped into the dojo with your uniform on, you were so proud and just ran around like crazy. All these years of watching your big brother and sister do their thing prepared you well, because you were able to blend right in with the rest of the class. You've been looking forward to playing battle ball, but since the class has been on the small side, you have been disappointed each time you guys play a different game at the end of class. 

On the days you have martial arts, you are exhausted. 

Finally, one day, you guys got to play a game like battle ball...you got to hit cones, instead of people. Hailey, you approved. 

You guys have a 2,000 half push up challenge this month. Hannah, you are convinced that you will do 500 half push ups each day and finish the challenge in 4 days. Tonight you did 30 and decided to call it quits...let's see how you end up doing with this challenge. 

That first week after we came back from camping, we had a 2 day virtual chinese camp. I didn't realize that it was the dragon boat festival, so we had to make a few batches of chinese rice dumplings (similar to tamales). 

Hannah, you were my side kick and we knocked out 35 of these dumplings in 2 afternoons. One day we made sweet red bean, and the next day, savory mushroom and pork belly. 

One of the highlights of chinese camp was making traditional chinese toys. In the picture below, you guys are making a rubber band shooter out of chopsticks and rubberbands. 

Last Friday Hailey, you and I went to visit daddy at work. I took you down to the game room and we spent a good part of our afternoon playing all the things. 

And we are currently dog-sitting for our neighbors. This is Polo, a 6 month old puppy. He's super cute, playful and you kids are going to do most of the caretaking of him. We have a schedule and you guys get to earn some extra spending money. I'm figuring out that Hannah will probably be the more responsible pet owner, but we will see how long this interest lasts. 

The cardiologist called again earlier last week and said that other doctors agree that surgery is the best next step. We are awaiting a call to set up a consultation with the surgeon and a team of cardiologists to make sure we want to move forward and so that we know what to expect. I'm not quite sure what the timeline is, but I guess we will find out at the consultation. Hailey's surgery is kind of low on the priority list, so I think that will also factor into when it will happen. 

In June, you big kids are going to church camp while I am teaching at the pre-school. Hailey you are in my class and so far it's been ok. The first day was rough, and I almost sent you to another teacher, but you quickly learned how our roles are different in class vs. home and you've been able to adjust and fall back into the school routine quickly. 

Hannah you started the Xcel team gymnastics program and when I ask you about practice it's been "fantastic" every time. 

 Until next time,

Love, 

Mommy