Cue Alice Cooper

Who's ready for SUMMER?

School's Out! Yes, I know school has been out for a few weeks already, but this felt like the first week of summer for us. The beginning of June was hectic (in a good way) with vacations and Spunktacular Days Fun Run planning. Last week was our first chance to get into the summer routine of having no routine. It was fantastic! We slept in, picked fresh veggies from the garden, mowed lawn, rode bikes, ate ice cream, hit the beach, played baseball, and went to the cabin, just to name a few things. And the weather was HOT, HOT, HOT with some good old Minnesota humidity. I love it!

Paige's first black eye.

Last year Blake hit her in the head with an aluminum bat. This year he hit her in the face with a pitch. This baseball injury looked much worse in person, but I just couldn't capture it quite right on camera. However, I do love the added pout for emphasis.

I ran outside when I heard the commotion. Henry said, "I don't know why she stepped into it. The pitch was obviously inside." It takes my brain a few seconds to process this language that I don't speak. It just looked, to me, like she got hit in the cheek with a baseball.

Blake biking in the rain.

I truly believe that playing in the rain is one of the greatest parts of childhood. This is, of course, closely rivaled by playing in mud puddles. I have some wonderful photos of the kids during these magical moments that only happen a couple times a year.

Blake (aka Mr. Cool Sports Kid) at Spunk Days.

Bring on Parade Season! Blake seemed so much older that weekend. Going off on his own a little and hanging out with friends. Not to mention, how serious he was about collecting the parade loot. He didn't do too bad. Does anyone have any recipes that call for Tootsie Rolls?

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Blake and Paige are rarely sick. There have even been a couple years during which the only time they went to the doctor was for their wellness check. Despite that, they sure do seem to pick up some dandy illnesses.

Paige had RSV when she was 3 weeks old. The doctor scared us with all of the possible repercussions that could follow her throughout childhood. Nope, she is as healthy as a horse. In fact, she sometimes thinks she is a horse, or a dog, or a cat, or a cheetah. She also had Scarlet Fever when she was about 2 years old. No big deal.

Last week, Blake tested positive for Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The only reason I took him to the doctor was because the school district had just sent home another letter asking parents to get their kids tested for any cough lasting 5 days or more. I am such a rule follower! Blake coughed a couple times, and I knew he had been exposed, so I took him in to the doctor with a mild, mild, mild cough and zero other symptoms. Henry thought I was nuts especially since I generally try to avoid taking the kids in to the doctor unless I am really concerned. Well, the test results were positive so the whole family got to take a course of antibiotics. Top it off with multiple calls from the Minnesota Department of Health, and the whole saga seemed very silly considering that he only coughed a handful of times, there were no coughing spells and no whoops. Blake thought missing school (school policy) was pretty cool since he didn't feel sick...and with the long holiday weekend, he ended up with an entire week of vacation.

Busted!

Remember when you were a kid and you always wondered what your parents did after they made you go to bed?

Remember when you finally realized what your parents did after they made you go to bed?

It was then that you realized why it always seemed so urgent that you go to bed RIGHT NOW, even if it was still light out.

Parents out there...have any of your kids discovered your dirty little secrets?

Today Paige opened a drawer and stumbled upon one of ours...

First Curiosity

Then Disgust, Rage & Anger

Finally Disappointment

That's right kiddos.

We make you go to bed so early so we can eat Dairy Queen...WITHOUT YOU.

Sweet Dreams.

I'll Always Make Time for You

There are always laughs to be had when children are not sure what is to be taken literally. Now that Blake is getting the hang of the concept, he loves to tell Paige "Ugh, it is just a figure of speech!" (with ubiquitous eye-roll and head shake...which he gets from me...just ask Henry).

My favorite "not literally" moment with Blake was when he was about 3 years old. We were outside doing yard work on the front lawn when he decided he had to go to the bathroom, NOW. I looked around and some of the neighbors were outside so I told him "go pee on the side of the house". After a few seconds, I walked to the side of the house to check on him. He was doing exactly what I told him to do...peeing ON the side of the house. Of course, I just have to laugh because I can't possibly get mad at him for doing exactly what I told him to do.

I had a pretty humorous "not literally" moment with Paige the other day. I made her toast for breakfast and told her to hurry up and eat it because we needed to leave as soon as Daddy got home. Paige does not hurry up and do ANYTHING. She walked away from the table to gather up some of her beloved stuffed animals, leaving her food unattended. This is a huge no-no at our house...a few seconds later I hear Paige shriek (she shrieks a lot) "Bad Ringo". She comes running into the laundry room crying, very upset that Ringo is eating her toast. I told her I could make more. This made her even more upset. "There isn't enough time. You said we had to hurry because we have to leave. I won't have time to eat." So I reassured her by saying, "It is okay. We can make time." Wrong answer. Insert strange facial gesture of anger and confusion mixed with crocodile tears. "YOU CAN'T MAKE TIME. NOBODY CAN MAKE TIME. HOW DO YOU MAKE TIME? YOU CAN'T!" Whoa. My mind was caught between laughing at how much this upset her, being upset at her for yelling at me, and being proud of her understanding of the concept of time. "You are absolutely right sweetheart. No one can make time. It was a figure of speech. What I meant was that we will wait for you to finish eating your breakfast." Thankfully, this appeased her.

I love to try to imagine what is going on in their little brains and how they see things with their level of understanding (strange carry-over from the background in psychology). What I pictured made me giggle...

Mmmmmm...Fresh Batch of Time Comin' Right Up

Be the Puck

The SCSU Hockey Spring League is almost done for the year.  It is such a fun time.  The teams only have games (no practice) and they get to play on the SCSU main rink.  It is pretty exciting for the kids to get to skate the same ice that the Huskies do.  It really great to see their skills improve so much and in such a short amount of time.  They play full ice and there are only 7(?) players on Blake's team as opposed to 35 during the regular season so they get a lot of meaningful ice time.  It is a lot more fun for me to watch the Spring League games too.  They actually turn the heat on in the arena (hear that River Lakes?).  And other than the jersey, they can wear whatever they want for their uniform.  Henry bought Blake a pair of red socks so he is easier to spot.  Now I can actually watch him instead of spending half of the time just trying to find him.  

Blake has had some pretty impressive games the last couple weeks. Grandma and Grandpa Blattner came to watch on Monday so Blake had some incentive to play extra hard.  He scored 5 goals and was pretty pumped.  Henry said he had a great attitude during the entire game which is what makes us, me and Henry, happy...well, seeing him score some goals is nice too.  Keep up the good work Blake!  What an awesome kid.  I wish I could skate half as well as he can.  Maybe next winter he can give me some pointers!

Face-off

Blake with the puck.

Blake (on the ice) as he scored a goal.

Hey, there is that cute coach again!