Back to the Daily Grind

This may not be as exciting as vacation but here is what our life in WI has looked like lately.

Before we left for Mexico it finally got warm for one week and me, Chloe and Bernie lived outside. Our street dead ends in to a church and it is a fantastic place to learn to ride a bike since there is a big parking lot on one side. On the other aide there is a nice big yard where Bernie loves to chase birds. I let him off leash and he stays on the grass. Didn't train him to do that, he just doesn't bolt from me or Seth. The kids however are not allowed to let him out unleashed.
 
There is also a strip of downhill sidewalk in the middle of the churchyard which makes a fun, fast bike ramp.



Oh and these pics were also sitting by the outdoor ones on my phone. Another event from our pre-vacation week that I had forgotten about. The YM had their fund raiser dinner/auction which was a lot of work for Seth and the rest of the YM crew but they made $2300 after expenses. We helped by bidding $8 per cupcake. I bid on some other stuff as well but got beat.



Since we have been back the highs have been in the 50's, or on the days when it gets warmer than that it seems to rain. I guess June has always been like this here but every time I am reminded that it is not like that everywhere it tends to sting a little more.

The Saturday before Memorial Day we decided to make this year's maiden voyage to Six Flags. The high was 50 so our teeth felt frozen when we went on fast rides but other than that, it wasn't too bad. Alyssa is now tall enough to ride everything so Seth took her on Superman first, and then he remembered that he can't do coasters ever since he got vertigo a few years back so I took her on Raging Bull and Batman (which was running backward). She still has lots more new rides to check out but we spent the rest of the time with the whole family. We also added dining passes this year. Usually we just don't eat while we are there but they have all season dining for $69.99, which means that you get 2 meals each time you visit. We only added it to 2 of our cards, but that gets us 4 meals per visit which is more than enough food. We got a plate of spaghetti that was so big that it fed all 5 of us with leftovers so I guess when I don't feel like cooking this summer we can just pop over to the park and eat dinner.

That horrible ride that pulls you up 100's of feet and then let's you free fall. So glad they are now old enough to ride this one alone. They are laughing because Al's shoes were untied so the attendant came by and took them off his feet.
 
The in flight pic of Alyssa on Superman was no good because she was too small to be seen above the harness so she wanted to pose in the seat, so of course the other two had to pose there as well.

 
You get in this contraption and then they tip you down so you are facing the ground and you fly. 
 
I bought a USB key chain this year for $35 and when they take our ride pics I can have them loaded on my keychain for $1. My kids always want their pics and they are $15 a piece printed so I figured that this would be a good way to collect a few. We only got one that day but I will be making sure to get them on rides with photos and having the photographers in the park take our pics as well so I can get my money's worth.



The Tuesday after Memorial Day was Chloe's last day of preschool!

I can't believe I am now through the preschool years. I am happy to be done with tuition but so sad to close this chapter of my life. All year I have bawled whenever I hear the song Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.

Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too 

Everything that came before motherhood felt like a season in my life, but this has been my whole life and it is really hard to imagine a next right now, but I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to stay home and play mommy. Now enough of that before this post turns in to a therapy session.

One morning Chloe woke me up and asked if we could play spa. We have been so busy that I have been a not right now mommy so I was happy to have the time to say sure Chloe, let's play spa. We took turns doing massages, makeovers, and then cooking class, which I didn't know you did at a spa but okay.

For my hair Chloe sprayed it with water to bring out some frizz and she was afraid to poke my eyes so she said she was going to put the eyeliner a little low. Just a little. 
 
I went with a more subtle approach.
 
Thankfully I had a bunch of overripe bananas so we did banana bread for the cooking portion of spa day.



Chloe loves to be outside and she will even sneak out if I am in the shower or doing anything that requires her to wait. The other day she went out and introduced herself to a stranger and his dog and then came in to tell me she was going to go on a walk with him and his dog. She has no fear and even if you tell her someone could be dangerous she doesn't see it. She scares me to pieces so I admit that an occasional rainy day is a good thing because I know I will be able to keep her inside, but then she requires lots of board games and tea parties. She is one of those kids that just has to be doing something all the time.

This Monday we had weather in the low 60's and no rain and it looked like that was going to be our only good day all week so Chloe and I did a solo Six Flags day while the older kids were at school.
 
Chloe shocked me by deciding that she wanted to pose with Scooby Doo. She did not pose with any of the other mascots we saw that day. She said she just wanted to try it once.

 
We rode lots of Chloe's favorites and lots of baby rides that I am too big to ride, some of them many, many times.


 
 I love that Six Flags has games where you win every time you play because kids want to win something and you can waste a day and a paycheck and still come away empty handed. For $3 she picked a duck and then they scan the duck and it tells you what size prize you won.
 
Her small pink ducky prize and her big tall slurpie.
 

Now only 5 more days of school until the other 2 join us. I love summer!!!