The weather this past week was rather wet (we got six inches of rain in less than 24 hours and got rain every day after that, so…yeah), so we didn’t do too much. Luckily, the few things we did do were a ton of fun. Sunday was Independence Day, so the day before, Paul stopped by one of the fireworks stands and got some fireworks and a few sparklers. Our neighbors down the street got a ton of stuff, so we had front row seats to some awesome fireworks, too. The other fun thing we got to do was mid-week when I took the kids to the zoo. We dodged rainstorms and had a great time (we even got super-close to the lions which was a real treat). One funny story from this week: one night, Abigail “snuck” out of her room (it sounded like a herd of elephants because she was running). I headed up to check on her and she heard me coming, so she hoofed it back to bed. I slowly opened her door and she was in bed, with her eyelids cracked open (looking at me), and doing her most convincing impersonation of someone snoring. I can’t with that kid. 😂
Watching Dad getting ready to light off some fireworks. They had their hearing protection on because it was a little loud already.The fountains were my favorite (lots of lights but minimal noise).I love these super-long sparklers. I don’t worry as much about the kids burning themselves.This was the first year we let Abigail hold her own.She was super-excited!Another beautiful sunset.A yummy dessert to wrap up a fun evening. Strawberry shortcake is a big hit in our house.She loves her Bluey so much!We took advantage of some rare dry weather and played outside for a bit one day.I did take the kids out one day for haircuts.Abigail got her bangs trimmed and also got a trim all around. She’s also been into eating yogurt “couches” (yogurt pouches). I love that she’s figured out how to eat those…so much less mess than having her eat it out of a bowl, haha.Joseph’s super-happy with shorter hair!Eating an ice cream cone after an evening walk.She got all excited one morning and told me, “Hey, Mom! Look! ‘P’ is for “plant!”She needed to “ride the giant lizard.”Joseph opted for standing.Hippo statue!Peek-a-boo!She was so enamored with that lion!He was rubbing his mane on that beam right there. We really got a kick about how close he was.The elephants were super close that day, too!Abigail’s favorite: the dwarf mongoose.She was giving him a drumming lesson. 😉I tried out a new recipe: spinach and artichoke dip pasta.It was pretty tasty!Playing together.Helping with the laundry.All the fungicide that Paul sprayed on our grass (we have a hard time with mold, especially during the wet months) apparently washed away. These mushrooms popped up literally overnight.Paul bought some more shelves for our downstairs closet. Here’s the before… …and here’s the after!
It’s hard to believe that a third of summer is gone. We’re already into July…August is just around the corner, and then fall will fast forward into the holidays before I can blink. To be honest, we didn’t do too much this week. It’s hard to find motivation when the weather is so hot and humid. We mostly just sat around the house and soaked in the fact that we didn’t have any plans. Paul was able to take Friday off and he also has Monday off (Independence Day falls on a Sunday this year, so Monday is the observed federal holiday), so he has a nice, long four-day weekend (which is nice because he’s been at work while the rest of us have been lazying around). Oh, one funny story: Abigail was pretending to be a doctor and I was her patient. She was using her play kitchen utensils as doctor’s tools. She checked my reflexes and then checked my heart (with her toy stethoscope). Next, she said, “Now where’s my knife?” 😳 I pointed out her play knife and then asked her why she needed it. She answered (rather matter-of-factly), “I’m gonna cut off your arm.” 😂 She then proceeded to “cut” off my arm (very gently, thankfully) and bandaged me up with imaginary bandages. She finished up my (rather extensive, if you ask me) check-up by using a plastic fork to give me a shot (she told me I had to tell her that I didn’t want a shot so that she could tell me it would be okay) and offering me a Bluey bandaid. 🤣 Always on my toes. I’m always on my toes with her.
She loves to make forts!I love seeing my patriotic decorations. I have them out whenever there isn’t another holiday (Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day/Easter/spring, fall/Halloween, and Christmas).These little (and I really mean little…they’re about half the size of my thumb) toads are so cute! I’ve counted half a dozen so far (not sure if I counted any of them more than once…they’re pretty fast), just hanging out in our yards.Texas sunsets.We got him a bigger bike, so we went out to practice a bit.Paul pulled Joseph’s old balance bike out for Abigail to use. She’s a little tall for it, I think, so we might need to get her a bigger one, but we’ll see.Paul also pulled out Joseph’s old Spider-Man scooter which Abigail (of course) needed to try out.I took down the handmade sign I had for the downstairs bathroom and had Paul put this one up for me.I’ve always been a sucker for a simple metal sign…and I love the clean look of this one in particular.Yet another gorgeous sunset!
Bonus videos: outdoor fun!
Abigail scootering along. 😊
Joseph riding his bike solo for the very first time!
This week was a little different. Early Monday morning, Paul left for a work trip to Monterey, California. He got home last night. During his time there, he obviously had to do work stuff, but he did have the chance to visit the coast. He got to see sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks, but he also got to see a rather unusual sight: a portion of a humpback whale had washed ashore. I guess I never really thought about something as huge as a whale having a predator, but when I asked Paul about it, he said that a group of orcas had probably gotten it. I researched it a little bit further and came to learn that the reason why orcas are nicknamed “killer whales” is because a long time ago, whalers witnessed them, well, killing whales. I think they originally called them “whale killers”, but over the years, the name got switched around. Crazy, huh? While Paul was gone, I tried to make the week special for the kids. We went to the zoo and we also made a trip to Buc-ee’s. I wanted to grab some souvenirs for a friend and of course we needed to grab some fun things for the kids as well as some treats. It was a fun trip! We’re glad to all be back together again, though.
Paul’s Father’s Day haul: stuff so that he can start learning how to weld, snacks, and homemade cards.A picture that my brother Dave shared with the rest of us siblings on Father’s Day. I’m the baby in the picture. I sure do love and miss this man!They like each other sometimes.Checking out the black bear.Madame Butterfly. 😉Checking out the rhino.He got first choice since we happened to be first in line. He loves getting the dragon!She opted for the shark.New sunglasses! I really like having two pairs of glasses (having one available as a back up in case something happens to my main pair), so I decided to do the same thing with sunglasses. I love, love, love that I’ve been able to find affordable glasses and prescription sunglasses!This is the picture Paul took of the part of the whale that washed up on shore. It’s pretty much the bottom part of a humpback whale.When stopping at Bucc-ee’s, one must always take a picture with the Buc-ee statue.I got her a new sweatshirt (for when the weather gets cooler) and a Bucc-ee pillow pet.I got Joseph a new sweatshirt and a soft, fuzzy Buc-ee blanket.Lazy sea lion……this is the life!I find it slightly amusing that they’re bigger than the rocks they’re perched on.It’s hard to see, but if you look right at the center of the photo, there is one that is sticking its head out of the water.Color-changing toys are fun…especially since it means you get to use ice water.Our matching necklaces.Joseph’s necklace.Picking shells. Some are ones that Paul collected on the shore and others are ones that he bought at a store.Cute new fridge magnet.My shells.When I picked up the little jars for our sea shells, I also picked up this bottle/vase. I love the texture and color!
