Broken

For over 10 years, Mike and I have been planning to break something. 

On Thursday, June 5th it happened. 

 

 

 

 

We broke ground...

My Kids' GGs' Sister

Because of this little firecracker....

 

 

 

We have these sparklers. 

 

 

Two of which would eventually grow into these hot mamas...

 

 

One had the fate of becoming my kids' GG, while the other had the privilege of being the one and only, 'Aunt Judy'.  Not only to me, but now to my kids as well.  The excitement and fun Aunt Judy brings goes way beyond her Rubbermaid tub of Minute To Win It Games.  The sheer announcement of her arrival brings the same squeals and joy that I remember from being a kid knowing we were going to see Aunt Judy.

 

Aunt Judy spent last Sunday with us.  She went to church with us, which is something only very brave people attempt to do.  As I held Ross in a headlock and twisted his ear to keep him quiet during the gospel, she didn't even flinch.  Now that's what I call a trooper.

 

After countless minute to win it games, hide-and-seek in the hedge maze, playing Rapunzel at Clarks tower, running around the playground, a water balloon fight, a Bohemian lunch of pork roast and dumplings, a trip to Frostie's for ice cream as well as showing her our future homestead, our day was officially complete. 

 

Wherever we go and whatever we do, I pray that the fireworks in our lives will always be there guide our way.

 

I have no words.

 

Maisie can only smile so long before she instinctively breaks into song.  'Let It Go"

 

Additionally, Aunt Judy got to witness Mike eat 4 locust bugs.  Alive.  Apparently they taste like nuts.  We took his word for it.

 

 

I captured this bad boy just as he was coming out of his shell.  Timing is everything.

 

Officially Summer Break

Monday marked Ross' last day of 2nd grade.  Monday morning my boy walked into school as a 2nd grader and later walked out as a 3rd grader.   A 3rd grader who couldn't stop smiling now that we have the whole summer in front of us. 

 

Ross on his first day of 2nd Grade.

 

Ross on his last day of 2nd Grade.

 

 

When he came from school I surprised him with a little introduction to summer break...

Little did he know what was hiding inside. 

 

Game on.

Bat, Dora Blankets and Front Yard

I woke Friday morning at 3:02 to Mike sitting up saying "What was that?"  I immediately assumed someone was breaking in to our house.  With my heart pounding I begged him to turn the lights on.  He quietly reached for what I thought was his gun, but turned on his lamp instead and waited....

He told me he heard something hitting the wall, bumping his lamp shade and knocking behind our bed.  I assumed mouse or raccoon.  Raccoon?  Really Heidi?

I asked Mike to look under our bed as I boogied out of our room.  Once safe on the sofa in the living room with my feet up,  I saw it.  I managed to squeal, "Oh God it's in the living room" as I ducked down and threw a Dora the Explorer blanket over my head. 

Sure enough, we had a bat.

Mike pondered what to hit the bat with while I stayed hidden under Dora on the couch, peeking occasionally to watch the dark brown flying object circle the living room.  That's when it occurred to me. What if it landed on me?  I had to make a run for it.  Don't these things carry rabies?

I suggested Mike grab the baseball bat out of the kids room as I darted back into our bedroom and hid behind the cracked open door.  I watched as Mike in his wife-beater began swinging at the bat in the living room.  On the fourth swing, I heard the thunk as it landed beside the sofa.

Knowing a bat had been in our bedroom, circled our heads and was bumping into the lamp on a nightstand while we slept... lets just say it was tough falling back to sleep after the fact.  With that, I'd like to thank Mike for dealing with the intruder as well as Dora for her protection.  Amen.

Perhaps if I hadn't been woken during a REM cycle, I may have thought to grab my camera, documenting the ordeal for all time.  However, that wasn't in the cards.  Therefore, I'll share photos of our staked-out house instead.  It's a happier thought.  At least to me.

If you look really, really close, squint your eyes and stick out your tongue, you might see a few orange flags above.  I took the photo standing in our front yard.

 

A little closer.  I'm on the driveway, looking toward our house. 

 

This is the view while standing on my front porch.  Hopefully this will make more sense soon.  I wonder if bats live around here...

Skateboard Swing

Last fall I came across a pin on Pinterest (imagine that) that caught my eye.  I did a little research and finally decided to bite the bullet.  I made a skateboard swing. 

Here's how I did it.
1.  Found Ross' old skateboard in the garage.
2.  Removed the wheels.
3.  Drilled 4 holes wide enough for a 3/8-inch rope to thread through the skateboard.
4.  Tied a knot above each hole to secure rope in place.
5.  Drilled holes through 2 wooden dowels and threaded the rope through.
6.  Tied a knot below each dowel to hold dowels in place for handles. 
7.  Climbed a tall ladder and hung the swing on a thick branch just as a storm rolled in.

 

 

 

 

Optional: swinging on the skateboard swing while singing 'Let It Go' can be very liberating.  Maisie mastered the technique immediately.

 

 

 Side note: after hanging the swing, Maisie later sat in a slice of pizza leaving a triangular shaped grease stain on her maxi dress.  I treated the stain, washed the dress and without thinking, dried it.  Unfortunately, the stain remained.  Pinterest advised me to rub dish soap into the stain and rewash. 

Worked like a charm.

Last Day of Kindergarten

Today marked the last day of kindergarten for Sugar Plum.

Below is her first day...

And now we have a few photos of her last day...

 

Apparently without the hitching post to stand by, she took it upon herself to pose in other natural positions.

 

And to clarify; yes, she wore the exact same shirt as she did the first day of school. 

 

I think Molly has mixed feelings about school being out. 

 

Just kidding. 

These two have been counting down the days for summer to start. 

Maxi Dress

Maxi dresses have been all the rage around 411 E. Washington.  Ironically, finding one smaller than size 7 has become nothing short of a wild goose chase.  Luckily, we found a style that came in size 7, yet fit Maisie with some alterations (thank you Grandma Boyd).  Therefore, it came as no surprise when Molly announced she too needed a maxi dress.  I'm pretty sure maxi dresses don't come in size 3's due to a safety hazard, however Molly can be awful cute when she wants something and finds a way to justify it. 

 

Lucky for us, Grandma Boyd owns a sewing machine.  Lucky for us, Grandma Boyd is retired.  Lucky for us, Grandma Boyd is wrapped around Molly's finger. 

 

Therefore, Grandma Boyd took Molly shopping for fabric to make her very own maxi dress.  Turns out Molly spotted the fabric immediately.  Grandma tried showing her all kinds of other patterns, but Molly insisted on her first selection and proceeded to carry the bolt of fabric under her arm until the purchase was made. 

 

Grandma Boyd and Molly have developed a pretty tight bond.  Since last August, Grandma shows up 3 days a week to play with Molly while I go running.  As much of a gift it's been to me, I'm confident the two of them have found the true treasure of that gift. 

 

The below photos showcase Molly's new maxi.

 

Meanwhile, stay tuned for photo's of our staked out house, a skateboard swing I built and hung Sunday, as well as an update on Ross as he just told me he discovered an unopened Lunchable at the City Park and ate it...