Teeth, sports update, weekend action, dry lawn

Summer is flying. Meanwhile Eleanor and I've both settled sunburns and been covered in bug bites. She has her mother's skin and even now I'm typing with an ice pack on a pack of welts that I gleaned from the weekend. 

It was a busy weekend - we are working to pack as much in as we can while the days have been pleasant and the sun is shining. Grady is winding down on golf and finished his last session tonight. He's been a wonderful surprise to watch play sports this summer. He's excited to play baseball... it was a building year for sure. There are moments when I can feel him getting it - the throwing, the catching, the batting - even the base running. But then there are times when I can tell he's all arms and legs and it's still development. When he played outfield there's a spot he would park himself in between 1st and 2nd and wait for his moment to shine/aka wait for the ball to come to him. I liked watching baseball - he had some really good boys on his team and

always was excited to go play. Golf also made him happy. This past weekend, upon his request we also went to the tennis courts to play a bit - he was so interested and wanted to swing and play but the hand-eye coordination is still a work in progress but he was a fantastic ball boy.

Eleanor and I had a big conversation about finishing things that we start and giving it our all when it comes to tennis - this past week was an improvement on her participation but we will not be doing day sports next summer.

E also a big week dental wise. She had a loose tooth on Monday that she
pulled out herself on Tuesday. And why stop there... she also ripped out the other front one the same day. Much to her dismay, she did not get $20 for both teeth from the tooth fairy. He, err... I mean she, was generous enough with $5.50. 

Matt also had a rough weekend when he realized that the cord he cut during landscaping project was not the deck lines that Amanda was excited about and he didn't want... instead it was his sprinkler lines. We only caught it after a month of non-watering and disappointment in the lawn conditions. Unfortunately, he didn't remember where the end he cut "exactly" was so it required some exploratory work. The good news - he did find the ends and managed to salvage the lines and he's back up and running... the bad news - all the new grass that he did get to grow is back to mud. 

The bad news doesn't stop there.. Matt was a two time loser in the badmitton off that we had in the backyard. Occasionally, we had a kid play with us and whoever scored the point got to have the interested kid stay/move to their side of the court. They were interested and tried and maybe we'll have more of backyard brawls but I'm the current undefeated champ. We did have to get official and measure the court out. The part that killed me in all honesty was E decided to be the sports announcer! Announcing the scores and providing color commentary to the action.

We had guests over for a well cooked smoked brisket too with some seasoned rice - and cleaned house. By the way, school shopping is done and 1/2 the garden veggies are too - E and I picked all the radishes and harvested a portion of beans. We also closed out the weekend with dinner with mom and dad who popped due to a rain shower. 

MJR: So Grady, what do you like better - golf or baseball?
GRR: Golf - baseball has a lot of running.

Lola gets booted out early sunday morning from main bedroom.
Lola begins crying sporadically to demonstrate her displeasure on the other side of the door. 
After awhile, door knob turns and Ainsley's arm becomes visible
Ains: Lola wanted in.
Ains shuts door. 
Lola begins crying inside the room to announce her presence. 

The one with the screening, undies, and k registration

We are two weeks into the new year. The weather has been beautiful. This past weekend was a bit slow. Numbers are going down for COVID counts and the statewide mask mandate is expiring soon. I'm not sure that it's right but I guess we will see in 2 weeks or a months time. 

Ainsley had her Right Track screening this week and with a month to go before she turns two - she did great. Mastery of all but two areas with no concerns. Wendy, our screener commented how clear she speaks and how deliberate she is. We have been noticing it too. Her and I were alone playing this past weekend and I watched her take a shape toy, one that stacks, and work it until she had it right. I could see her little mind working away as she shifted pieces - taking them off and removing them - putting them back on. She's had a knack with puzzles too lately but it was fun to watch her work. She's also been starting to parrot counting, along with her regular things. She's still so tiny but watching her grow up has been so nice. I know it will all hit me one day and I will realize that my baby is slipping away but she's full of so much.

In terms of growing up, we hit a big milestone this weekend. I registered E for kindergarten. We've been having a lot of talks - is this right? Is she ready? She works with words and shapes and sounds and numbers and she's a sponge for all things learning. I think we are struggling with our excitement or fear of missing out sometimes but I think we have good momentum for realizing that she can do great things in the world. 

G has been doing amazing with his undies. I feel like we've come around the corner and are in the final stretch. Yes, we have to remind him regularly but we aren't have accidents like I anticipated us to have. We are even waking up dry. I'm not ready to pull the trigger yet on night time BUT this is a great pace. He's working on his sticker chart for reward and I feel like maybe our diaper days are numbered. Ains isn't getting any better but she's not any worse so that's progress. 

We kept busy this weekend. We went for a walk with the wagon. We filled the bird feeders. we had to

straighten up the yard a bit after gale force winds from the week. There were gusts over 100mph. The kids' playhouse in the back was knocked over. Matt thinks there may be some damage - plastic roof, awning but all in all, I think we'll come out of it ok. We also worked on some inside things - straightening the house up - cleaning closets, organizing life. Matt was pretty excited to find hockey jerseys that he bought the kids a million years ago. E asked if Ains's was a dress!

Matt also had beat me to the capitol - Session is in and I've been watching the live stream (thanks covid) but he was the first to testify. He did a great job - no questions. We don't expect to get that lucky when he's back in a week or two. Session is hard for him but I also know that he secretly enjoys the cogs and parts of the whole thing. 

EER and GRR are playing quietly in the kitchen. 
Very quietly.
Lola comes up the stairs nonchalantly. 
Lola sees EER.
Hesitation registers across her as she's unsure if she should go back downstairs OR continue on her path.
EER sees Lola.
EER bolts down to grabs her.
Lola does a double step as she determines her path. 
Lola gets away.
EER looks at ALR who is looking at her.
EER: I was going to pet her.
ALR ohh, I see.
Twenty minutes later, EER walks by cradling a irritated Lola in her arms. 

Fargo Overnight, Jingle Bells, Light Night, Candy Canes

Another week with a lot of happenings. Michele came and stayed with us early on in the week as Matt and I went back to Fargo for my eye touch-up. We thought we'd take a little time to just be us. I won't lie I'm getting the travel itch so bad, Vegas was nice but the trip didn't pacify it like I hoped - only made me want to find a beach and some sand more. It's probably a good thing the pandemic is on because we wouldn't really be able to go anywhere anyway but the thought is there and a overnight to Fargo was a nice thing. We left midday and stayed downtown. Was weird to see downtown so shutdown. The icerink was up so that was cool but it wasn't busy and so many businesses were closed for the day. The next morning after a work call and a bit of things, we took off to eat at a restaurant - Beer and Fish Company. It was awesome, food - good, drinks - good, ambiance - good! That may be my new favorite Fargo food joint. We had the tuna tartar guac to start. I followed up with shrimp tacos and Matt did a duo fish and chips with halibut and cod. We even took a few plates home for supper that night. 

The rest of the week was catch up but Friday started an all Christmas weekend. Friday was a night that I look forward to every year and as the kids get older it's an even bigger deal. Light Night! Remynse tradition - Taco John's to have nachos navidad and then drive around looking at lights. After we take family pictures, we typically break out the candy canes and let them enjoy. We've chosen a different location each year to take our pics. In the past we've done the capitol or the chmielski's corner. This year we got out at peace park. Right now, I think our family is in this place where pics are haaaarrrrddddd. We had another go at Chmielski's - where the kids were enchanted by the Grinch and Elsa and the lights and all the fun. 

It was a beautiful night. I had to laugh after we got everybody buckled in and the candy canes were handed out. I said, Hold up your candy canes! And I see this little hand pop up with this little red candy cane. E and G were so excited to have their's. They didn't last long into the night. Everybody was out by 8:00. Not just a little out either. Full out - candy cane stuck on their face out. E's was a full mess, especially when it got stuck in her hat! But this tradition to me is beautiful - it's so simple and straight forward and to me what Christmas is about. Enjoying each other, making memories... I thought about what I saw while I rocked the baby to sleep. The cars driving the streets like us, the party buses and limos, the people walking through some displays....people taking time to decorate for the season and crowds appreciating it and hunting each house out. I hadn't really given this concept a ton of thought. People making this celebratory temporary art and how others are impacted. There is a huge evergreen down from our house that decorates like it were in their house, we wait for them to put stuff up each year. A carousel from a gazebo too that we look for. These houses are part of my family traditions and the people that live there have no clue. Tonight we watched a couple get engaged. He got down on one knee under a million twinkle lights, right there in a stranger's yard. A yard that 11 months out of the year would have seemed ridiculous but not tonight. They will come back and talk about that light display for the rest of their lives. I don't know if the kids will remember tonight but I hope that we create these moments that will light their forever. 

 

Other ongoings for the week include Eleanor's Christmas program - it had to happen remote this year and it was recorded by her teacher for us to watch. She picked out her own outfit and I happily did her curls. She's been singing jingle bells like crazy - which is one of her Dad's favorites, he knows more than just verse 1. She also watched the Polar Express and seems fascinated by that. 

Usually I try to grab a conversation or snippet from our house but... sometimes a picture (or 5) speaks a 1,000 words and conveys such strong emotion.

Two Turkey Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving! 

We've been busy this week. It was actually the first weekend that we've all been home all weekend this month. The kids had busy weeks at school and have been talking Thanksgiving and thankfulness. E's teacher is on quarantine right now so that's been hard for her a bit and worries about her but we are talking through it. 

For the holiday, we stayed in town and went to Eric's. Matt smoked a turkey and Eric deep fried one. They both did a really nice job. The kids had helped me with the cranberries and we also brought the turkey and a corn casserole. Matt made a pie that went over well. Eric may have enjoyed it the most! It was a nice day. The kids played around a bit and we headed home and watched Charlie Brown. 

It was a long weekend but there were some really nice days in the mix. It was Matt's first Black Friday where he really low-keyed it. I felt bad for him as I know he enjoys the day. He did pick up a few things but not like he usually does - no TV, no early morning rushing. The kids and I started the salt dough ornaments. We also worked to clean house so we could decorate for Christmas. 

The kids have been a little rambunctious. E has been all about Lola (much to Lola's dismay). She wants to carry her around, she wants to sit with her in her lap, she wants to keep her held tight. Lola ain't having it. We had to talk about kitty signs, what angry tails are, what angry meows are and why Lola scratches. Ains has gotten into books. She has a solid rotation of 6 - 2 of which are basically the same (Mr. Brown can Moo - the abridged and non-abridged version). G is working on potty training - that's another story. Matt took them all for a walk on Saturday so I could get things laid our for decorating. 

We started working on decorations - the majority was done during naps but E was up to help. She was so excited and had a hard time focusing, wanted to do it all, all at once. It was a bit overwhelming for me. I did have to get Matt involved in the process to help. We got a few things up but did stop so we could enjoy a little and calm down. 

We also had my Grandma over on Sunday. Mom and Dad had brought her up for a weekend visit. Ainsey decided Grandpa Perry could read Mr. Brown to her. She's a fierce little beast but we did laugh as she's learning her siblings' names. 

Daycare/School reports back: What are you thankful for?
GRR: My bed.
EER: Turkey and my toys

Tucking kids into bed on the day after Thanksgiving.
ALR: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow morning.
GRR: Tomorrow is Christmas?