2017 Week 17

Sunday, April 23
Today's weather was markedly warmer than yesterday, so we took advantage of it and got to work in the garden. After a quick trip to Menard's, we were set. We readied the beds and planted peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and sweet corn. Then Josh took the girls to clean the car and for a quick trip to the park while I made corn chowder for dinner. It was a really nice Sunday.

Monday, April 24
This evening certainly turned out to be an adventure for us. As usual, the girls had soccer practice, and it was a nice evening to sit outside in the sun. We listened to the Moana soundtrack on the way home, and when the second verse of "We Know the Way" came on, Ellie shouted from the back seat, "ALEXANDER HAMILTON!!!! IT'S ALEXANDER HAMILTON!!!!" Proud parenting moment for me and Josh.  As we pulled into the driveway, Josh hit the button to raise the garage door, and, much to our surprise, a little pug puppy ran inside. I hopped out of the car and picked him up, and Josh ran inside to grab Yuna's leash while the girls and I kept the puppy occupied. He had on a little red collar but no tags, so we knew he belonged to someone. We walked around the neighborhood but couldn't find his owner, so Josh assembled Yuna's old crate and I took a picture to post on social media. About an hour later, Josh noticed a van driving very slowly down our road and, sure enough, it was the puppy's owner (Elaina had named him Pouncey during his stay with us). The girls were sad to see him go, but they understood it was best that he was back home, and the relief on his owner's face was all the satisfaction I needed for keeping him safe until they were reunited.

Tuesday, April 25
Today was busy. After work and a work out, (and a quick dinner of grilled cheese, which Ellie clearly enjoyed) we headed outside to finish up some planting. I got all of my petunias in the ground and geraniums and most of my pansies--just a few more to finish up. After the girls went to bed, I read more of the biography of George Washington while Josh recorded some of his music. His headphone selection amused me a great deal.

Wednesday, April 26
Today was a hard day. Around 9:30, Mom called with the very sad and unexpected news that my Uncle Rod had passed away earlier that morning. He hadn't been in good health for quite some time--he'd had a lung transplant in 2014 and was recently being treated for cancer--but his personality and resolution had always remained the same. He died exactly 5 months and a day after Gramma. It is so hard to lose them so close together.

I still tried to find some good in the day, and I looked to the girls for it. They didn't disappoint. A few rousing games of Connect Four were enough to cheer me up for a bit.

Thursday, April 27
With promises of torrential and unending rain this weekend, I stepped outside to take a few pictures of the blue sky while I could.

Friday, April 28

Today Ellie's class went on a field trip to the Peoria Firehouse and to Running Central for a shoe tying clinic. Ellie was so excited to take her sack lunch, simply because I'd taped her name to it (the only change from how it's been all year). She also modeled her tie-shoes, which hopefully she'll soon be a pro at tying herself.

Saturday, April 29

Today was forecasted to be a wet, sloppy mess, and it certainly lived up to its potential. This morning, we headed to Pearce for a quick workout and soccer pictures (they thankfully cancelled the morning's games earlier in the week), and as we walked to the car, the rain began. Josh and I split up our time with the girls after lunch, and I surprised Elaina with a trip to Barnes and Noble, where she excitedly picked out a book for herself and her sister. She helped me pick out a new umbrella at Target and get groceries after that, and we ran to the car in the rain and laughed. I told her how much I enjoyed our time together and that we're going to have to do it more often. She agreed. Meanwhile, Josh took Ellie to buy a birthday present for a friend's party the next day, and run a few other odds and ends errands as well. We all got home around the same time, enjoyed a tasty meal of chile con carne for dinner, and watched Sing before bed. It was a good day!

Deciding which book to bring home

Notice the garden box turned swimming pool....

2017 Week 16

Sunday, April 16
Since we made the decision to leave church, Easter Sunday is especially painful for me. Not because I ignore the implications of our decision every other week, but because I have good memories of it was a child, and because I know how important it is to the people I love most dearly, the weight is heavier on this day. I'm no less resolved that we made the right decision, but it hurts.

Thankfully, the girls and Josh were particularly sweet. The girls rushed to the window to see if their magic jelly beans had blossomed, which of course they had, and then had a good time rummaging through their Easter baskets before breakfast. Later in the day, we went to Josh's Grampa Bill's for a meal and Easter egg hunt for the kids. They had a great time, and it was such a beautiful day.

Monday, April 17
Today Josh left bright and early for a business trip to Pennsylvania (boohoo!!!). The girls didn't have school, so I dropped them off for a day at Gramma's, where they were absolutely spoiled rotten and likely loved every second of it. Mario happened to find some of Josh's old wrestling gear, so the girls modeled it for me so I could take a picture to send to him on his travels.

Tuesday, April 18
Today was a good day. For starters, Josh was supposed to get home after the girls went to bed, so we all had that to look forward to. Elaina and Ellie had good mornings with me at home with minimal fuss even about hair brushing (a minor miracle). And my boss granted me a "work remotely" day, which meant I spent the day working hard while listening to the Fleet Foxes channel on Pandora and having a nice spring breeze blow in through our windows. I got so much done and was so much more relaxed. Josh's flights were delayed, so he got home about an hour later than he was supposed to, but he woke the girls up with kisses. We were all so happy to have him home.

The school called around 10:30 to let me know Ellie had had a little accident during recess. Josh worried and worried and made me promise to send him a picture to let him know she was fine. She totally cooperated...while her sister showed her artwork.

Wednesday, April 19
To celebrate his homecoming, Josh treated the girls to the much famed unicorn frappuccino. They thought it was delightful (I was less impressed, to say the least). We brought along their name straws so there wouldn't be any bickering over whose turn it was to take a sip, and then headed to Detweiller to enjoy it in the great outdoors.

Thursday, April 20
Well, I'm very disappointed to discover that I didn't take a picture today. However, my day can be summarized by: sit in 4 hour meeting from 7-11AM, go home with Josh at lunch to let Yuna out, come back and work, go to Pearce after school, and then work until I about threw my laptop out the front door. So perhaps the Dilbert cartoon I took a picture of the day before is most appropriate, anyway.

Friday, April 21
Elaina's class is counting down to summer by the letters of the alphabet, and today was "Career Day". She dressed up as a vet and took along her vet kit. So cute. After a ridiculously long week, I went to have my hair done after dinner. I decided to go a little wild this time and had Dustin add peekaboo highlights in pastels. I love the finished look, but they're not quite prominent enough for me--something we'll have to fix next time.

Saturday, April 22
Another Soccer Saturday in the books. This week was notable for a few reasons. First, it was ridiculously cold. The open-field wind was unrelenting, and it was quite a shock to the system after last week's games that were comfortable in short sleeves. Second, poor Ellie got knocked down during her game and came away with a bruise, but she toughed it out and got back on the field. Third, she scored her first goal! Elaina's game was successful, too, though the team she played had much bigger boys and I think it intimidated her a bit (not that I blame her at all!). After soccer and a quick lunch, we ran some errands and then came home for dinner and a movie, Moana this time. We loved it!

A little blurry, but she was in the middle of the action!

What she does every time the ball is kicked in her general direction (not that I blame her...)

2017 Week 15

Sunday, April 9

Today was a busy day, and the weather in the afternoon was quite lovely, so we took advantage of it and spent most of it outside. The girls entertained themselves around the yard (which became even easier when our sweet neighbor, Jo, brought over a bag of Easter goodies), and Josh and I worked, cleaning flower beds, spreading crabgrass preventer, and relocating a baptista bush (which was, I might add, a huge pain in the keister--and lower back). While Josh was spreading the crab grass preventer, he excitedly called my name to come see something he'd found in the yard. And what do you know--not far from the mulberry trees, but still in the yard, was a nice, tiny crop of morel mushrooms. We picked them and had them with our dinner, and hope to find more!

Monday, April 10

Josh isn't one to spend a lot on himself, especially for his own entertainment, so I was really excited for him when he nabbed a Nintendo Switch from a flash sale online. Today we went for a quick lunch and then headed to the UPS hub to pick it up. He and the girls were ecstatic to unbox it---and then Ellie was happy to box herself. 

Tuesday, April 11
Tonight, while taking Yuna out, I saw a most delightful sight--the greenery surrounding our property has finally filled in enough to block our neighbor's back deck. For reasons unknown to anyone on this side of the property line, they have their back porch light lit all the time--all day, every day. And, for reasons even I don't fully understand, this annoys me to no end. But with the happy arrival of foliage, they can keep their light lit, and I don't have to see it--a win-win for everyone. The pretty sunset I saw while I was over there certainly didn't hurt.

Wednesday, April 12
This afternoon, the girls enjoyed some time outside, and I enjoyed checking out my newly-blossomed tulips. After dinner, I had to settle down and work for a couple of hours. Ellie was kind enough to keep me company before she went to bed.

Thursday, April 13
Today was a mind-numbing, exhausting, never-ending day. I had meetings from 7-11am, 12-1, and 2:30-3:00, and when they were over, I. was. done. At home, things eased up a bit. Yuna amused me with her window sniffing, we took the girls (and me) for a Dairy Queen after dinner, and Josh took some pretty pictures of our blossoming redbud tree.

Friday, April 14
Today was a bit of a whirlwind, too, but much less stressful than the day before. My team went out for lunch, and Josh and I left the office just a teensy bit after 2:00. We came home and relaxed for a bit before picking up the girls from Rita's, and then came home and began a mad-dash to beautify our home for company the next day. A thunderstorm also rolled through, so I went back outside to the redbud with our camera. Between it and the blossoming daffodils, I was quite happy.

Saturday, April 15
What a wonderful, busy, blessed day. We started off early with soccer games at 9, followed by my immediate family and their families joining us for lunch and an Easter egg hunt, followed by more time together, woods exploration, and ice pops, followed by goodbyes, followed by Easter Egg dyeing, followed by a trip to the battery store for a new lawn mower battery and a Starbucks just because, followed by dinner and watching the anime of the book Elaina's fallen in love with, followed by planting our magical Easter jelly beans. When the girls went to bed, we collapsed--but only in the best way that comes from having a great day.