Good Things to Come

Chi Town!

It might be easier to say what we DIDN'T do in Chicago! We wore ourselves out from having so much fun!
Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier, Art Museum
Planetarium
Ghirardelli hot fudge sundaes
Lots of shoulder rides
Face fountains

The Bean
Lake Michigan

Fun at The Inn of Chicago (Rocky's favorite thing about the trip was himself).
Lego store aka Cooper's HEAVEN
Lots of walking (ask Cooper) and lots of pictures (ask Matt)!
Chicago Deep Dish! YUMMY!!

Need I say more?

Thanks for the great trip Ick and Grandma Retta! We love you!

Ick and Retta

"Ick" and Grandma Retta came to see us last week. Retta has always been one of my favorite people. She is one of those people that everyone LOVES to be around. I have known her since I was little and have loved her ever since. My kids have adopted her as their grandma and I have adopted her as one of my dearest friends.

We had all sorts of adventures. The weather was TERRIBLE! In the 2 years that we have been here, we have only had one tornado warning. While they were here we had 2! All 7 of us had to squish in our little tornado room!

We saw Marmaduke, went to Nashville, played games, watched fireflies, ate lots of yummy food AND went to Chicago (more to follow).

We are so thankful to have Ick and Retta in our lives and can't wait to see them next time!

Oh what do you do in the summertime?

I feel like I am telling my kids NO all the time. Don't touch that, don't bite him, do this, don't do that, etc.... My summer goal is to relax and have fun with my dudes. I am going to say YES as much as possible and not get after them for the things that really don't matter. So when Ruby wanted to draw on my face with a marker, I stopped my mouth from saying no and just let her enjoy. Matt told me I looked like a Maori warrior. Here are just a few of the fun things we have done so far.
Hot dates!
LOTS of LEGOS!!!!
Wrestling matches.
Sprinklers.
Monroe County Library Summer Reading Program. It always amazes me how hard my kids will work for a ten cent toy. LOVE IT!
Forts. We have a tradition of building a fort on the days I wash bedding.

Lots of art projects.

We are loving our summer in Bloomington. Matt is working his little heart out looking for a job. I am so proud of him for his perseverance and his optimistic attitude. I am so thankful for the huge sense of peace I am feeling at this time. I know that God lives and it is in His hands. It will all work out.

Time for tea...

As I have mentioned in the past, we loved our teachers last year. We wanted to do something special so we invited them over for a Teacher Appreciation Tea (with no actual tea :)). We had so much fun getting ready! We made lovely tea party hats out of wrapping paper, ate tea sandwiches, and drank lemon water with our pinkies up.

We feel so blessed to have Mrs. Behne and Mrs. Garl in our lives. I taught 2nd grade for 4 years before Ruby was born. Teaching is one of the hardest things I have ever done, definitely not for the weak! Now as a parent, I am amazed at the influence a teacher has on a child. I am so thankful for these amazing women who have helped my kids learn and grow. I will miss them!

Schools out!

Coopers class did the cutest rendition of The Rainbow Fish. I was so proud of Cooper for saying his part and actually dancing in front of the crowd. It was much easier to snap a picture of Rocky than it was to get Cooper!
Ruby's class did a hobby show. She shared her Nature Collection. Ruby is ALWAYS collecting things and sticking them in the stroller. I collapsed the stroller to stick it in the trunk and wondered why it was so dang heavy..... 20 lbs. of geodes in the basket!!!
2nd grade picnic
Decorating cookies for our amazing teachers. I tried to convince my dudes that grown ups don't like sprinkles nearly as much as kids do. Oh well....
Rocky doesn't realize how much fun this would be if he was sucking on the open end. I felt like Lady and the Tramp.
We have a tradition of having a party at the bus stop for the first day of school. We decided the last day was another great reason to celebrate. I have been super sentimental lately. This was our last time at our bus stop. At this point, we don't know what school the kids will be at in the fall. They are troopers. I am still doing my best not to stress, it won't make our situation any better. My job is to be a good mom, so I am going to do my best.