Thursday, August 23, 2018

Fun in the Sun


D: How much longer?
Me: I don't know.  Until 2:00, maybe.
Nanan: Are you not enjoying the movie?
D: I am enjoying the movie, but not how long it's taking!

Rob: It's science!
J: It's not science. It's just a packet.

D: Do you know why I only drive the car on the Magic Trax?
Me: Why?
D: So hair doesn't get caught in the wheel. Because Moose!  He shaved all over the floor. And the Jimmy!  He even shaved all over your sweatshirt, Mom.
Me: I know!  Moose and Jimmy really need to stop shaving!  😂


(8/3) I start work early on Fridays at the office, and Dad is still shifting his sleep schedule.  There were some bumps today with J barging in and waking him up, but hopefully things will get better as he adjusts to a graves schedule. Yuck. I went to a Zumba party tonight ~ four of the regular instructors were there and it was so fun!


(8/4) I slept in this morning, and had a mostly lazy day with the boys.  We waited until evening when it was slightly cooler, and took the dogs down to the dog park.  Cass still got so hot that he took his ball and laid down with it in the water. The boys hauled down logs and tried to surf in the waves. Lovely way to cap off a hot summer day!


(8/5) C was off at a friend's house today, and I took the twins out to hang at the lake while Dad slept.  They had a great time, and I got to sit in the sun and read.  Bliss!


(8/6) I'm supposed to be on vacation this week, but we're alpha testing a new product for work, so instead I am working from home for part of this week. When I went to let the puppies out mid-morning, I noticed Noodle chewing on his collar.  Only he wasn't chewing on it, and he had actually gotten the ring wedged onto his lower jaw and was stuck. I was unable to get it to budge, and poor Dad woke up to a lot of hollering (me for help, and Noodle because he was scared), and had to run him into the vet for some assistance.  Noodle had to be sedated, but we were able to pick him up this evening. Way too much excitement for one day!


(8/7) I worked a half day from home, and then went to my company's summer outing on the pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge.  We went for a cruise around Lake Union, then to the Flatstick Pub, and finally to Art Marble to play games.  We had a blast! It was a beautiful day for it too.


(8/8) Two of the boys had doctors appointments this morning.  Nanan came down to go swimming with us at open swim this afternoon. And D had another appointment after all that.  We sure do know how to party on my days off!


(8/9) I worked a half day from home, and then we packed up and headed out camping after Dad woke up.  We went to Coal Creek, just out past Granite Falls, to the group campground.


(8/10) Camping was fun! We lazed about during the hot parts of the day, and had fun group fires at night under the shooting stars.  Lots of laughing, dogs, and friend time this weekend.  Just what I needed!


(8/11) It started raining pretty hard this morning, and there really wasn't a dry spot to hang out.  We decided to come home a night early.  It worked out well in terms of keeping Dad on the same sleeping schedule, and we didn't mess him up too badly.


(8/12) Lazy Sunday with the boys today. I went for a long walk with Sarah, and the boys video-gamed.  We watched some Gordon Ramsey after dinner. The kids love MasterChef and To Hell and Back. Thank goodness they bleep Gordon out.  Haha.


(8/13) Sarah and I went for an early morning walk today before my work day at home. Thankfully today's work day was not nearly so exciting as last week's Noodley drama.


(8/14) Work day for me in the office, and the twins went to Amanda's.  She took them berry picking.  They helpfully suggested she fill their tubs so they could eat. Sounds like everyone had a chill day.  Noodle turned one today, and I bought special ice cream cone cookies to celebrate.


(8/15) I caught a walk with Sarah this morning before hauling the boys to the dentist. C was in and done quickly, and the boys were back home and plugged in shortly thereafter.  I can't really complain because I use that time to get stuff done around the house. Our HOA board had a lengthy meeting this afternoon.  Why I let myself get talked into that is beyond me, but it is nice knowing what's coming?  Trade offs.


(8/16) Work day at the office for me.  Dad took the boys to get their hairs cut for going back to school. I caught a walk with Sarah this evening. The walking, the talking, and the coffee truly is all therapy!


(8/17) I was at the office today, and predictably got stuck on a long call.  Friday nights about ten to going home time are magnets for issues. The twins were anxious to go to the park and hovered while I ate dinner, trying to hurry me up.  They crack me up.


(8/18) I was adopted at birth, and four years ago, I applied for my pre-adoption birth certificate. From that I made contact with two of my bio sisters.  I did one of those Ancestry DNA tests last year, and have been building out my family tree.  Fast forward to April of this year, and I got an immediate family match notification on Ancestry, and it turns out we have another sister, with a very similar story to me.  We all got to meet and swap stories, and have been having fun getting to know each other. In July, one of my sisters got an immediate family match notification through 23andme. And we have a brother ~ no longer are we the #secretsisters; now we're #secretsiblings. Today we invaded Seattle!  Here I am with everybody ~ three half siblings, and three full. It was so great to meet everyone, swap stories, and show pictures.  My boys looks sooooo much like my big brothers did when they were kids! I can't believe it.


(8/19) Today was super fun!  One of my sisters invited us out to the spray park today to play with her grand-kids. C is too cool for the spray park, so he went to a friend's house, and the twins and I headed out.  We were joined by our brother and his daughter.  The kids played until dinnertime, and then we went around the corner to the Beach Cafe.  They have the best sandbox around!  I was shocked the twins managed to pry themselves away long enough to eat.  Lots of laughs were had.  It's been an amazing weekend!


(8/20) Work day at home for me. I've been putting in a lot of hours into a project for work, and feel like I hardly left my computer all day. The smoke outside is terrible, and I pretty much holed up inside with fans blowing.


(8/21) Work day for me.  The boys all stayed home and played video games since it was too gross to play outside.  My work team took me out for a belated birthday celebratory lunch. We picked a Thai place on the waterfront, and it was delish! Just a bit of news happened today, so I was glued to the television this evening. The boys were all very unimpressed with our viewing choices, so we shooed them into the other room.


(8/22) Day off for me today.  Nanan and I planned to take the boys to see a movie and hide from the smoke, but only D wanted to come along.  We went to see Christopher Robin, and it was darling! I have many memories of Pooh and his friends. D said he enjoyed the movie, but not how long it took.


(8/23) Work day for me, and the boys are with Dad.  The smoke is forecast to clear out by noon.  We're melting, and are desperate for some clean air.  We don't have air-conditioning at home and closing up the house has been a miserable solution.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Summer Blitz


J: I'm lucky, a'cuz Mom? When you make mac and cheese perfectly? It tastes like clams!

J: Can't we stay home and watch [Secret Life of Pets] on Netflix? There’s too much sitting at the movies!

J: Dad won't let me go to Africa anymore, or out of the state.  
Amanda: Why?
J: Just because. 
So mean.


(7/15) Being 11 is hard.  C was exhausted after all that video-gaming yesterday for his party.  We planned to go swimming this afternoon, but when it was time to go, newly minted 11 was zonked out on the couch.  I got the little pool out for the twins, and they played in that out in the back yard, and had a great time squirting the dog.


(7/16) Work day for Dad & me.  One of my #secretsisters discovered more family today.  Come to find out, we have a full biological brother!  We got the now #secretsiblings all together on one massive group chat to compare notes.  For those playing the home game, that makes ten siblings - five half siblings, and four full siblings to me (with three adopted out, that we know about).  We're planning a big meet-up next month!  I'm so excited!


(7/17) Work day for Dad & me, and the twins were with Amanda. They got to go play at the beach today.  Perfect activity for a hot day!


(7/18) I took all the boys to the dentist today ~ I sure do know how to party on my days off! The hygienist asked D if he was having a fun summer, and he told her all about his dad having to sleep during the day from Aug to Feb, because it was his turn, and that's the job. With his arms crossed, and sounding all exasperated. It was hilarious! Dad is starting a stint on graves next month, and the boys are still trying to wrap their heads around what that entails.


(7/19) Work day for me, and Dad had the boys. Busy day for me with project meetings, and I was ready to turn my brain off when I got home.


(7/20) Work day for me, and Dad had the boys. Dad had to run C back to the dentist today to have some work done.  Ugh for him.  I took the twinadoes down to play at the park after dinner.  D's favorite thing to do at the park is to high-center his bike's training wheels, pile up dirt behind it, and then peddle up a dust cloud. J brings a collection of sticks down every time, and diligently brings them all home again too. 


(7/21) I went to the gym this morning while the boys video-gamed.  The boys and I caught an afternoon ferry and headed over to the grands' house to celebrate August birthdays while we're not all off gallivanting across the US.  Shannon, Mike, and baby Kieran were already there, and it was so good to catch up!  We went to the marina tonight to dip net and kayak.  The boys had a great time finding sea stars, kayaking, and catching jelly blobs.


(7/22) We had so much fun today!  We headed to Sequim to go to the Lavender Festival. We met up with my brother Jake & his fam. D was fascinated by the booth covered in prisms.  He picked one out, and later set it up as a disco ball, and invited the whole family up to have a dance party.  It was pretty adorable! J and C selected some amethyst rocks as their picks from the festival. J conned me into an elephant ear about as big as him, and D had ice cream, from which he picked out and ate all the cookie dough. C picked salted caramel fudge--yum!


(7/23) Work day for Dad & me.  D came running down to tell me he had "made magic" in the bonus room.  I went in and found rainbows everywhere.  Pretty cute!


(7/24) Work day for Dad & me, and the twins were with Amanda.  They went to the $1 movies at the theater, and watched The Secret Life of Pets.  It was movie day for all of us today, and we watched Ready Player One with C after the twinsies went down.  He reallllly wants the Oasis to be real.  It kinda is, bud 😉


(7/25) Day off for me.  I went to the gym in the morning, and took the boys swimming this afternoon.  Nanan joined us about halfway through. She and D did somersaults, and D managed to do three in a row ~ two backward, and one forward!  Nanan she would throw up if she did any more.


(7/26) Work day for me, and Dad took the boys up to play at Beckler River.  Good choice since it was a bazillion degrees here!


(7/27) Work day for me, and Dad had the kiddos.  He took them to the spray park, where the big one declared he had NO fun, but still ended up pruney. Sure, bud.


(7/28) I walked to the gym for class this morning, and Dad made brunch for his last daytime weekend. We celebrated our 17th anniversary today by going to Bad Dog Distillery, and then to Skookum Brewery.  We finished off our date day at Outback.  The lamp below was at eye-level for both of us.  Good thing it's been 17 years; no need to see him!  Ha!


(7/29) Lazy Sunday for the boys and me.  Dad had to work.  I let the kiddos play screens in the morning, and then we went to open swim at the outdoor pool. I took the boys out for ice cream afterward. Both D & C lost teeth today.  D has been working on losing that tooth for weeks now.  So cute with this jack-o-lantern smile!


(7/30) Work day for Dad & me.  It was HOT, HOT, HOT out, and I pretty much hid in a dark room (at home) and tried not to melt.


(7/31) Work day for Dad & me.  Amanda had the twins, and she took them to the spray park in Edmonds, which D has told me we MUST revisit.


(8/1) Happy birthday to me!  I walked to the gym this morning and enjoyed the mist, as well as the time to myself.  Nanan came over this afternoon and took me out for coffee.  Dad and the boys took me out to dinner tonight, and on our way out the door, Grandma & Granddad called because they happened to be in the area, so they joined us too!  Dinner was delicious!


(8/2)  Work day for me, and Dad has the boys today. It's rainy/gray out today, so I imagine it'll be a lazy day.