This is now my third attempt to actually blog, so we'll see if the third time is really a charm. I figured I'd start out with a little summary of our summer so far. Living in Iowa for FOUR, yes, FOUR summer's now and still doing it on a students budget (one more year) our summer fun is usually fun on a budget, to say the least. Jack's summer pre-school ended over a month ago and I lost count on day one of how many times he painfully declared "Mom, I'm bored!" We have out-played playdough, given the Disney Channel and Nickaloden a run for their money and have gone though gallons upon gallons of wasted water having hose fun out front.
One saving grace is Brookside Park. It's only $1.00 "a wader" (and yes, I pay for Emme...why, I don't know) he can splash and terrorize the little kids for hours. He LOVES it and was
sad when the temperatures were unseasonably cool for a while and we had to find other activities to fill our days. Emme on the other hand liked it for about ten minutes then had about enough of her swim diaper and the other kids...but she looked cute none the less.
The 4th of July came and went this year with it's own sort of big bang. We were unable to do our usual Ames 4th fun of going to the ward pancake breakfast, followed by the parade downtown then fun at the Bandshell because it rained ALL DAY! So when the sky's finally cleared for fireworks later on we all were very excited. Evan being the "responsible" parent that he is bought Jack the wooden sparklers to prevent him getting burned and even had a jug of water on hand to stick the used sparklers into when they were finished to prevent any injuries (can you sense my foreshadowing here).
We went to our usual spot I like to call "Mormon Hill" since it has been the unspokenOne saving grace is Brookside Park. It's only $1.00 "a wader" (and yes, I pay for Emme...why, I don't know) he can splash and terrorize the little kids for hours. He LOVES it and was
sad when the temperatures were unseasonably cool for a while and we had to find other activities to fill our days. Emme on the other hand liked it for about ten minutes then had about enough of her swim diaper and the other kids...but she looked cute none the less.The 4th of July came and went this year with it's own sort of big bang. We were unable to do our usual Ames 4th fun of going to the ward pancake breakfast, followed by the parade downtown then fun at the Bandshell because it rained ALL DAY! So when the sky's finally cleared for fireworks later on we all were very excited. Evan being the "responsible" parent that he is bought Jack the wooden sparklers to prevent him getting burned and even had a jug of water on hand to stick the used sparklers into when they were finished to prevent any injuries (can you sense my foreshadowing here).
gathering place of both wards to watch the fireworks since we have lived in Ames. Jack and the other kids played with the sparklers safely while we were waiting for it to get dark and the real show to begin. The five minute warning firework went off so I headed to our blanket with Emme (keep in mind it had been raining all day so it was REALLY damp and muddy) when Jack's blood curdling scream cuts through the smoky air. I run over to see what is going on (Evan had been with him the whole time), Somehow a metal (note that it was METAL...not our safe wooden sparkler) got wedged into
his crock and had given him 2nd degree burns on the side of his foot. Needless to say it was a blur of blanket gathering and muddy shoes running to get to our van. We rushed to
the E.R. with the applause of the real fireworks in our rear view. It was in the van that Jack stated that "this is the worst 4th of July ever!!!" So yes, we are now officially a 4th of July stastic (the third sparkler injury of the evening according to the
"murse" who helped Jack) and will not let our kids enjoy the magic of those evil hot sticks until they are much older and wearing closed toed shoes.We have also enjoyed our mini "staycations" (I REALLY hate that word, but yeah, I used it) when family from out of town came to visit. Chris, Lacy and the girls came into town for two days and I think it took Jack a week to recover from the whirlwind of fun he had with them. In the two days they were here we went to Raimen Gardens, played Tennis (Evan, Chris and Aaron even played a game until two in the morning), went to the new game place, swam every night and had multiple DQ trips...I'm sure I'm missing something. It is always a welcomed breath of fresh air when they come and see us.
Brad also met us at Joes Crab Shack in West Des Moines a week ago for dinner since he had business in Omaha. After having just done that drive on a recent Temple trip to Winter Quarters and am so happy that he did that drive to meet us for a quick bite o
nly to turn around and repeat the two hour drive (thank you Brad). I LOVE seeing Brad but it is such a tease to actually be able to sit down to dinner together only to have to say goodbye right away. But hey, it's better than nothing and I'm saying some prayers that his business deal in Omaha works out so that we can do this again, only this time maybe we'll drive just a little further to meet him (he can still pay).
2 comments:
You are a good writer. I laughed out loud more than once. Keep it up :)
I agree with Cory. Your blog is sufficient to receive my glorious accolades. You're welcome.
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