Monday - Holiday Monday, Civic Day. Sometimes I get really frustrated when I feel like doing something and no one else feels like doing anything, and other times, it's glorious! Today, I wanted to finish my room transformation that Ken had started on Saturday by putting the bookshelves together. I can't remember exactly when everything was done - when was it Ken fixed them to the wall? Anyway, we moved out all the toys - except the duplo and magnatiles, and all of the books have been moved and the bookshelves look amazing! The room feels so peaceful now. I love it.
Just as Ken was going to start making dinner I got a text from the sister missionaries asking if they could have FHE with us, and so we had them for dinner and FHE and we had a lovely time! I really love having the sister missionaries in our home!
It was really late when the room was completely finished, hence it's dark when I took the pic, but I love the changes. LOVE!!
Tuesday - Lim-Andersons! We just love the Lim-Andersons. Emily was a super star today. Super. Star. Alice has been wanting to learn to ride her bike. I have been putting her off. (I know, I'm a bad Mom.) Today, Emily ran up and down the street over and over again with Kate and with Alice. They both made good progress under Emily's excellent tutelage. Now to see if we can keep this up. Aside from the bike riding, the kids had fun, and Emily and I enjoyed chatting.
At some point Mom called me in the afternoon in a bit of a panic. Her fridge was dead and she didn't know what to do. Her compressor was gone, but could be repaired for $800. So really it wasn't worth it to fix. I started making phone calls and found a company not far from her that did next day delivery - if you bought something before noon, but they could do Thursday delivery, so that sounded promising. Ken came home early and we went to Mom's. Ken and the girls stayed with Grandpa, and Mom and I went to Tasco. They had a fridge that would fit the dimensions and that was in stock - Thursday delivery was guaranteed and Mom was happy! YAY!
Wednesday - the play date. Fiona was just a little too excited about today. She was having a big girl play date by herself, without her sisters, and without her Mom. We had a pretty lazy, quiet, morning, and honestly, Kate, Alice and I, had a pretty quiet, lazy whole day! Oh and I've been working on the cousin book - I'm going with the title Americans and Canadians.
Oh and when we were eating lunch, I watched Alice stuff almost her whole mini hot dog in her mouth and it took me back to when she was little and was always stuffing everything into her face at once... and sometimes barfing. Yup, that's my girl Alice! Oh and Kate wanting veggies in cheese sauce for lunch today. I thought it was so cute I made it for her!
Ken had toast masters tonight, and we've had a pile of unfinished painted rocks for ages, so we decided to finish - or mostly finish our rocks tonight, then we could go drop them off at parks around town tomorrow.
Thursday - rocks. Spraying and waiting, finishing and waiting and spraying again. We were off to a slow start. We've been enjoying being slow, and I keep having to remind myself that it's okay to slow down in the summer, that's it's necessary and important. Last year I went back to school exhausted from the summer. I didn't want that this year. That being said, sometimes waiting until two o'clock to leave the house makes everyone cranky because you start running into dinner time...
After the rock hiding - wait, perhaps I should explain. I'm part of this Facebook group - Durham Region Sun Rocks. The idea is that you paint rocks and leave them around the area, other people are supposed to find them and post pics on Facebook. We hid three rocks at each of the following: Kinsmen Park, Lakeside Park, Miles Park and Turnerbury Parkette. Now we wait to see if anyone finds them and posts pictures!
We came home from rock hiding and I made waffles for the girls, and Ken picked up Blizzards from DQ in honour of Miracle Treat Day which supports Sick Kids Hospital. It was a bit of a fail though, because Kate and Fiona didn't like the new flavours they tried. I suppose their loss was our gain, because Ken and I did enjoy a few bites!
At some point in the afternoon when Alice was again complaining that she didn't want to have to go to our Stake President's temple recommend interview, I texted Christie to see if she could babysit for us, and she did. So she came over after seven, and Ken and I left to go to the Stake Centre for our interviews.
After our interviews we decided to take our time coming home and go visit a couple of grocery stores. We went to Pacific Food Mart in Pickering. We were intrigued by the Husband and Wife cakes! And a few other things. And I think we decided that we like Blue Sky better. When we came home the girls were almost asleep - the stinkers!
Friday - Swimming at the Grandparents, which of course involved checking out the new fridge. Maria was there yesterday so that was perfect because she was able to help clean out the old fridge and throw out food and help Mom get the fridge all set up after it was delivered.
But before that, bicycles. Emily laid such good ground work with Alice. Alice was so excited. But we just didn't get the chance on Wednesday or on Thursday, and by Friday morning her ankle was sore from twisting it the day before at the park, and I was impatient, and she didn't think I did anything right, and instead of building on success there were tears. I feel badly about this.
The girls and I had a nice swim. We need some pool toys I think. Kate was introduced to diving toys last week, and now "needs" them. They are kind of fun I suppose! We were planning to head back home for four to meet the dude that was going to look at the water heater. There's been a puddle around the water heater and the air conditioner. Ken was convinced that it was the air conditioner. I was concerned because I'd never seen that much water before. After mopping up the area, whenever it was that I did that, and the water was all back really quickly, it seemed like it wasn't the air conditioner and then I started thinking it might be the water heater. The good thing about renting a water heater is that if it's broken, they fix it, no charge to me... The guy was in and out so quickly, but the leak is gone! GONE! Ken came home early from work and made pizza, it was great. AND THEN!!
I suppose just before "and then" I finished the book. I uploaded and ordered my copy of Americans and Canadians. I can't decide whether I think it's cute or lame. I'll wait until I read it again in hard copy! (And until I hear from my sister.)
I waited for a text from Kim to tell me that Oscar was home and she was on her way. Kim and I met at Symposium Cafe in Vaughan (right around the corner from my school - so weird), and had dinner and dessert and the loveliest time talking and talking and talking and talking! It was so great. Good friends are such a blessing. It stinks that life is just too busy sometimes and meeting up is hard, but it's so great when it finally all works out. We took a picture when we left after midnight - such naughty girls!
Saturday - It was Monday that I was sitting at the computer writing letters to missionaries and reading letters from missionaries, and one of the sweet Sisters was speaking about ministering to each other and what a blessing it is. I sent a Facebook message to one of the sisters assigned to me - I'm supposed to minister to her, help her out. I asked her what she needed, and she volunteered to watch the kids while Ken and I went to the temple. How awesome is that?! Of course I said yes. Bonnie is just awesome. I wish I'd thought to take a pic of her and the girls. The girls had an amazing time with Bonnie on Saturday morning - and how awesome is she, she came at 7 am. When we left Fiona was still sleeping and Kate and Alice were talking Bonnie's ear off.
Ken and I had a lovely time. It was a Spanish session, so we needed to wear translation head sets. It was kind of cool, I listened in Spanish with one ear and English in the other. There are so many similar words!
After we got home we had lunch, the girls got dressed, and we went to the movies. Fiona and I saw Hotel Transylvania 3 and Ken, Alice and Kate saw Teen Titans Go to the Movies. We all enjoyed our movies. I was in love with the reclining chairs. SO AWESOME!
After that we came home and had dinner. I think it was 7:30 and someone needed to run to the grocery store and the girls were running laps in the house. Ken was trying to get work done, so I decided that since the girls were full of beans, we should walk to the grocery store. It was just over a kilometre. Ken met us there, which was good. The walk was just long enough! On the way we saw a bunny, which is what all the girls are looking at.
After the grocery store I told Ken I missed the lake. This might have been a bit of a mistake. It was getting late and a little buggy and it might have been a bit much. But I guess we survived!! (Or at least Kate did.)
Sunday - Church of course and then afterward a baptism. Melanee Penney got baptized. It was lovely. We all had a lovely time visiting and the kids loved playing. And then home and hanging out and a quiet family day. Oh and it was Lovey's birthday. I thought we should call her, but I forgot, or just didn't get around to it. The girls and I watched two episodes of Little House on the Prairie - Ken had a toast masters executive meeting, so I made French Toast for dinner. Alice and I were sad that the previously anticipated dinner of dumplings will have to wait until another night.
There are three weeks left. I should feel grateful. I should feel so grateful that I have the entire summer off with my children, but right now I'm feeling sad and like there isn't enough time left. We really have had an amazing summer so far, but like every year, I just don't want it to end.
