Dentist, December 21st, 2020

I totally forgot to post these pictures. Everyone  had a good visit. They are still monitoring Etta's missing teeth and how it affects her eating, speech, and jaw growth. It is nice to have an outdoor playground to wait in.

Busy day...

I am really a home body. Today I went to the pool. I was in a part of town that had a lot of memories. I almost had a panic attack.  All I can think of is past faliures and perceived faliures. My work out was ok. Then after a nap I took 4 kids to the new park again..  Hopefully I can sleep well tonight.

A warm day....

Alabama weather is so unpredictable. It was nearly 70 degrees today. That usually means it should storm tonight. Ted is feeling better. I guess he just had a 24ish bug. He didn't miss any work. The kids are still out of school for the rest of the week. 

Well, there is a new park in town. We tried it out a bit late in the day. It was made in a very rustic style. Four kids came to get some energy out and I took the opportunity to study before it got too dark. Too bad there weren't any lights.

 

Playing at the park

The weather here in Alabama has been unbearably hot in the afternoons. I packed a breakfast snack and took Evan and Eliot to the park while Lyn was at soccer camp. We got there before 8am. It was cool enough to actually enjoy ourselves. I wasn't ready to leave and since the kids got a little stir crazy I got out some of my work toys and entertained them for a bit longer. Needless to say after about 3 and a half hours of play we all took a good nap....

Spring is here!

It is officially Spring! The weather has felt like Spring for a long time but now it is actually here. To celebrate we headed to the park and playground at the waterfall in Old Towne Helena. The kids had fun and when we got home we had a surprise waiting for us. Each child had a basket nest full of goodies set out for them. We don't celebrate Easter but we like to incorporate some of the old fashioned fertility symbols like eggs and rabbits into our welcoming Spring activities. Lyn dyed some eggs and Connor and Evan (with Ben's help) played the Wild Craft board game. The eggs made it on one round of hiding before they all were eaten.

Another day at the park

It was great to be invited to a play date at a park today before the rains started. Ben, Eliot, and Lyn were my tag-a-longs. Everyone else was in school. Eliot met a whole bunch of other 4 year-olds to play with and Ben went up to every person his size and shared his crackers and started up whole "conversations". It is amazing how fast he is growing up. He is no longer my baby. He is such a toddler! 

A new playground in the neighborhood...

For two days in a row now I have taken the kids to a local playground. It is so toddler friendly. Since Ben is weaning I need to keep him busy and distracted so this worked out great. They were worn out by the time we left......

Merry May Day!!

What did you do today?

We had four kids at home this weekend. The other three kids were at their dad's for the weekend. As soon as the library opened we headed there. The library we visit has a great children's section. The little kids played on the computers, played with puppets, explored puzzles, and read books. When their interest wained we headed for the outdoor playground nearby. We had picked out some books to check out so Dad walked them to the car as we got ready to walk to the playground. As we were waiting for Dad to come back we got a nice surprise. Walking towards us was my boss and her husband. We visited for a minute and we all went on our way. We then walked to the playground. They kids played. Ben slept in his sling. We walked around the lake by the playground. The kids found turtles in the water and a family of ducks. We stopped by the playground again as Dad went to get the car. Another family we passed while walking around the lake joined us. The mom was expecting. They commented on Baby Ben and asked how old he was. The dad looked around at my kids and asked if I had 4 kids. I told him I actually had 7. He smiled and said that was great. He said they get a lot of flak for having 5. I mentioned that my kids alternated boy, girl, boy, girl..... The mom said their kids were the same! I then herded the kids into the van and we drove off. Now, I am sad that I did not stay and talk more with this family. They were so welcoming and I feel that we cold have become friends. I only wish I knew a way to find out who they were. I did not even get their name!