Memorial Day weekend - we had planned to have a picnic at Ryan's mom's house for the holiday, and she wanted to get something fun and entertaining for the kids. We thought she might get a sprinkler or a ball or something, but instead, she bought this:
Let me in!
They were hot, sweaty, and most importantly, tired at the end of the night!
Texas Blockhouse - We spent a beautiful Sunday morning up at T&B, the hunting and fishing club that Ryan belongs to. We are fully cognizant of the fact that the dogs have taken a bit of a backseat since the kids came along, and we usually decide to do something about it when we notice that more of the kids toys are destroyed by the dogs or we come home from work to find they have eaten all of the mail and two boxes of crackers off of the counters. Every once in a while it is nice to take them up there and let them run loose, swim in the creeks, etc. It is sometimes difficult to find a good weekend, as we don't want to take them up during hunting season lest they be mistaken for a bear or deer (although if you ask Ryan I think he prays for that on a daily basis) and when it is too hot you have to watch out for snakes. So when the weather was nice and cool, we loaded up the kids and the dogs and headed up there.
Wyomissing - the boys and I went home for a weekend in June.
Itty Bitty Soccer - I signed Connor up for Itty Bitty Soccer through the YMCA. It is a six week session, once a week on Tuesday nights from 5:15 - 6:00. I thought he would love it, because he loves kicking around the soccer ball (or any ball) in the house, at the playground, etc. It is for 3-5 year olds and I thought that he was fairly athletic and big for his age, so he'd be fine. To be honest, it's not that fun. For him or for me. Since Tuesday is Ryan's night to work late, I always have to take Grant with me. I think part of it has to do with the fact that it is in a big, open gym, and they play basketball on the other half so it is noisy and he has trouble paying attention. Part of it has to do with the fact that he spends all day at school following directions and the open space is too tempting to be confined to one area doing "drills." I also think he's hot, tired, and hungry, and probably just a tad too young to really grasp the concept of organized sports. Most of the 45 minutes is spent with Connor running wildly around the gym, kicking any ball he can find or picking it up and trying to dribble it like a basketball (they have itty bitty basketball but I am not sure I have the energy to sign him up for that this year), and me trying to prevent Grant from having a meltdown in his stroller because he wants to get out and walk/crawl all over the place while at the same time trying to tell Connor to pay attention to the instructor and wait his turn instead of pretty much ruining the drills. A few weeks ago we were having a particularly bad session. Grant was screaming to be put down and Connor wasn't even bothering to pretend he was interested in any organized activity. He was just being a little brat, and when I told him to listen and stop throwing the soccer balls, he started having a major tantrum and throwing the cones, pulling on the soccer net, etc. I was pretty embarrassed and ready to get the heck out of there, so I wrangled Grant into his stroller, which proved to be very difficult because he was violently arching his back to avoid having to go back in it. I tried to nicely ask Connor to walk out with me since it was obvious he wasn't having any fun, and he started kicking and screaming. Somehow I got this weird old man strength, picked him up with one arm and managed to hold his hands down to avoid getting punched in the face by him, and pushed Grant's stroller out with the other hand. Thank God for the one kind soul who actually held the door open for me. Of course it was like 113 degrees and I parked in the farthest possible spot from the door so by the time we got to the car and managed to get both screaming kids loaded up in their seats all three of us sat and cried for a good five minutes! We did go back the following week (much to the eye-rolling dismay of the other parents, probably) and he did a little better, but last week was the last session and I can't say I was disappointed.
The maiden voyage of the wagon that my dad restored for the boys. Grant made it about 1/2 way around the block before bailing out, and I was a sweaty mess by the time I pulled Connor the rest of the way. It sure is cute but we'll have to get some padding and seat belts before it is ready for the Wyo 4th of July parade!
Itty Bitty Soccer - I signed Connor up for Itty Bitty Soccer through the YMCA. It is a six week session, once a week on Tuesday nights from 5:15 - 6:00. I thought he would love it, because he loves kicking around the soccer ball (or any ball) in the house, at the playground, etc. It is for 3-5 year olds and I thought that he was fairly athletic and big for his age, so he'd be fine. To be honest, it's not that fun. For him or for me. Since Tuesday is Ryan's night to work late, I always have to take Grant with me. I think part of it has to do with the fact that it is in a big, open gym, and they play basketball on the other half so it is noisy and he has trouble paying attention. Part of it has to do with the fact that he spends all day at school following directions and the open space is too tempting to be confined to one area doing "drills." I also think he's hot, tired, and hungry, and probably just a tad too young to really grasp the concept of organized sports. Most of the 45 minutes is spent with Connor running wildly around the gym, kicking any ball he can find or picking it up and trying to dribble it like a basketball (they have itty bitty basketball but I am not sure I have the energy to sign him up for that this year), and me trying to prevent Grant from having a meltdown in his stroller because he wants to get out and walk/crawl all over the place while at the same time trying to tell Connor to pay attention to the instructor and wait his turn instead of pretty much ruining the drills. A few weeks ago we were having a particularly bad session. Grant was screaming to be put down and Connor wasn't even bothering to pretend he was interested in any organized activity. He was just being a little brat, and when I told him to listen and stop throwing the soccer balls, he started having a major tantrum and throwing the cones, pulling on the soccer net, etc. I was pretty embarrassed and ready to get the heck out of there, so I wrangled Grant into his stroller, which proved to be very difficult because he was violently arching his back to avoid having to go back in it. I tried to nicely ask Connor to walk out with me since it was obvious he wasn't having any fun, and he started kicking and screaming. Somehow I got this weird old man strength, picked him up with one arm and managed to hold his hands down to avoid getting punched in the face by him, and pushed Grant's stroller out with the other hand. Thank God for the one kind soul who actually held the door open for me. Of course it was like 113 degrees and I parked in the farthest possible spot from the door so by the time we got to the car and managed to get both screaming kids loaded up in their seats all three of us sat and cried for a good five minutes! We did go back the following week (much to the eye-rolling dismay of the other parents, probably) and he did a little better, but last week was the last session and I can't say I was disappointed.
