Farewell Summer

About that last trip to the pool yesterday...there were not many people there. That spells FUN for us. The YMCA pool has a big waterslide that lands in the deep end. Of course, you have to be a good swimmer to go down it, so the kids can't go down. But they never seem to tire of cheering Greg and I on as we take turns going down and trying to make the biggest splash possible. Garrett and Avery stand near the edge of the pool by the bottom of the slide (with one of us) and they cheer loudly, "Go, Mom, Go! Go, Mom, Go!" They were also very entertained as we took turns falling backwards into the water and doing cannonballs. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or us!

Driving Crooked

Greg and the kids enjoyed some quality time together a few evenings ago when I went out to dinner with a friend. Apparently they had a lot of fun. As we were driving home yesterday evening, (we made one final trip to the pool to celebrate the end of our summer) Garrett said, "Hey Dad, do that crooked driving again." I'm thinking, "What???"
Greg said, "Not right now buddy." There were cars driving toward us.
Garrett replied, "Because there's cars driving Dad? And someone would see us and call the police and think we were crazy?"
I'm still thinking, "What???"
After we pulled onto our street, Greg demonstrated his very popular "crooked driving." He makes the van swerve back and forth in rhythm with our favorite kids' CD. I have to admit, it was pretty funny!

Backseat Driver

I love the honesty of a 4-year old. That filter for what you should and shouldn't say just doesn't exist yet. As we were driving down a narrow street the other day, Garrett commented from the backseat, "Boy Mom, you can't drive very straight, can you?"

I must admit, driving straight has never been a strength of mine, in a car, and especially on a bicycle.

Need a Dog?

Greg seems to think that Casey needs a new home this week. Problems arose early on Monday morning when Greg stepped in a fresh pile of dog poop in the middle of the living room floor at 3 am. This is very unlike our dog and very unpleasant in the wee hours of the morning. I shouldn't even complain. Poor Greg!

We discovered later that day that diarrhea seemed to be the issue but he made it through the day in the house. Tuesday on the other hand - not so good. I had to clean 7 small piles of #$% off the floor when I got home from work and another one the next day too! I should note that since Wednesday, Casey has been confined to the kitchen on the vinyl floor. Apparently a child's toy is the culprit. (It's slowly passing). But we're not sure exactly what it is that he ate. Maybe something made out of plastic from China?

This is probably too much information but I've done too much carpet cleaning this week and needed to complain to someone. And the thought of Greg stepping in a huge pile of dog poop barefoot still makes me laugh a little. Sorry Greg! Good thing he puts up with me and all of my animals!

Could it be true??

Yesterday we clapped and sang and danced. We even went out for supper to celebrate. What is the big news? Avery stayed dry all day at Lynette's AND all evening at home! Last week she stayed dry all day at Lynette's for the first time (but then not in the evening). She came home from daycare with a certificate and a big smile. I helped her proudly hang her certificate on the fridge.

We had high hopes to potty train Sis over the summer, but those hopes were quickly squashed when she refused to sit on the potty most of the time. Then I had high hopes that returning to daycare would be the big motivator that we needed. Once again this proves that children are always more willing to do things for their beloved daycare folks than for us.

We're very proud of her. She's not even 2 1/2 yet. I have to keep reminding myself of that because she already acts more like a 3-year old!

Running Tuesday

I'm following Skinny Runner's lead and blogging about my run today. I haven't done a long run for awhile, but was super motivated to get out and run today. It must be the stress of starting a new school year! Here's my workout:

Distance: 5.01 miles

Time: 54 minutes

Averaging 10 minute miles

Not bad, considering that I usually run 11 minute miles. My faithful workout partner, Casey, hung in there for the long haul. I usually don't run him for more than 4 miles with the fear that he will drop dead from a heart attack before he ever stops running. You've never seen a dog get so excited to see his owner in workout clothes! He did great today and the 75 degree weather was a welcome change from 100+!

If you like to run and need a little motivation, check out Skinny Runner's blog. I figure that if she can run 10 miles a day, surely I can run a few too, right?

There's a 15K coming up soon that I'm thinking I might sign up for. It's always easier to run long distances when you are working towards a goal. Let me know if you want to join me!

Back to School

Today was my first day back to school. We had a wonderful summer. We took a little vacation to KC and visited the new waterpark, Schlitterbahn. The kids had a blast! The T-Rex restaurant in the Legends outlet mall was also a big hit for Garrett and Avery. I'll post some pics when I download them. We also had some fun visitors the last few weeks. Annie & cousin Finn spent 5 hot and humid days with us and Grandpa Reimer spent last weekend with us.

Now it's back to work. The students start next Wednesday, so we have a week to prepare. Garrett & Avery had a blast at Lynette's house today. Garrett was so excited to see his best friend, Jacob! He said, "I can't wait to see Jacob. Avery, aren't you excited to see Jacob too?" They were both sleepy kiddos tonight!

Big Girl

Our little Avery is growing up. She recently switched to her big girl bed! Her bedding has cats and dogs on it, which fits her perfectly. She LOVES her big kid bed. She doesn't try to come out of her room. She hasn't been napping because she spends most of her time "reading" books! We listen to this on the baby monitor and it's one of the sweetest things I've heard.

I included a few pics of our big girl. For her birthday, Grandpa Reimer bought her a pink Strider bike (Garrett has a green one). She is getting very good at it! I also had to include a pic of her with her hair in a ponytail. She looks so grown up ! I can't believe she is almost 2 1/2 now!

Here a few of the cute things she says:

Yesterday morning she wanted to sit on the bathroom counter as I got ready. She asked me, "Wanna do our makeup together Mommy?" As if she wears makeup every day! I must confess, I do put some on her (not daily of course)!

She always says to Greg:

"Hey Daddy." Greg says, "What?" Avery says, "No say, 'Hey Avery!" I'm not sure what this is about, but it's cute!

When she wants to show us something, she says, "Look it, Mommy!" I remember Garrett saying "Look it" also.

Casey continues to be her best friend. She says, "I like Casey. Casey is my friend. He's nice."

One more cute story:
Garrett was stung by a bee twice last week. After many tears and hugs, he was okay. His little sis was so concerned about him that she made 3 trips up and down the stairs to carry his favorite stuffed animals, blankets, and pillow to him, which he had left in the basement. When Greg offered to help, she said, "I get it, Daddy." How sweet!