Bowling for a Birthday!

On Saturday, August 25, the boys headed to the Hamilton Country Club to go bowling for their friend Kyler's 5th birthday. We dropped them off and headed out to run errands with only Ryan. I was so glad that Karisten took pictures and put them on facebook for me to get!

The boys thought bowling was SO much fun! Seth said that they did a great job taking turns and sharing, which I was glad to hear.

Karisten made a Toy Story themed cake - isn't it so cute and creative?

Here was Kyler opening his gifts. one thing his mom said he wanted was a flying ring thing, which we found on amazing. Joshua also picked out a couple other gifts to give him to go with it.

The boys love their buddy Kyler!

When they left, they got little goody bags full of thank you gifts, which was very thoughtful.

They had a great time bowling! We said we'll have to take them bowling again - only these were shorter kid-sized lanes and kiddo balls which were way better for them. This was the first time (and probably only time) the kids were ever at the Hamilton Club. :) :) :) Thanks for the fun times, friends!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

On Friday, August 24, Shawn took the older boys to watch the Lancaster Barnstormers baseball team with Chris and Isabella. We had the boys free tickets from the summer reading program, and originally I thought both families would go. But, I remembered how crazy the Barnstormers games were when the entire county had their free summer reading tickets, and I thought it might not be the best environment for Ryan. When Lisa said she wasn't going to take Aiden, I thought it might be nice to let the guys go with the older kids and enjoy the game. I was disappointed I didn't get to go, but I'm sure I'll get to see the boys enjoy a game next year. And I'm not sure that they watched any of the game. The tickets were lawn seats (meaning not an actual seat) and the kids mostly just played at the playground. I let them wear their angry bird shirts that they had been begging to wear, realizing that since they were t-shirts, they'd only get so much use out of them anyway.

I also dug out their baseball hats and I begged Shawn to take pictures at the game. Do you think he did? Nope, not one! This is the only picture I got of them in their shirts and hats.

Shawn said that he'd lose Caleb for a few seconds (as all the kids were running around like mad on the playground equipment) and then find him up high hanging dangerously from a piece of equipment. He definitely marches to the beat of his own drum!

In the meantime, I invited Lisa & Aiden to come over and enjoy some time at our house. We ended up going for a long walk (the route I typically jog) and chatting. I enjoyed her company. She left not long before Shawn called to say that Caleb was done playing and EXHAUSTED - they were on their way home. They were COVERED in filth when they got home, so they hit the bath tub before heading to bed.

So it was ONE, TWO, THREE strikes they're out at the old ball game!

Kindergarten Classmates Summer Play Date

At the end of June all registered kindergarten families received a list with their teacher's name on it and the names, addresses and phone numbers of their classmates. Someone told me this was to arrange carpooling since there's a mid-day pick-up or drop-off (depending on if you have morning or afternoon kindergarten). I thought it would be neat to organize a play date to get to know the classmates, but I didn't do anything for awhile. Part of me hoped another parent would take the initiative. Part of me wondered if I should try to host something...and then I wasn't sure if I really wanted parents knowing how close we live to the school.

But, with little time left in the summer, I decided to stop for pre-stamped postcards (enough for the entire class) and wrote this message "Please join us at Overlook Park on Friday, August 24, from 9:30-11:30 to play and get to know one another before the start of kindergarten. We will bring a snack to share, and siblings are welcome, of course. Please let us know if we should look for you [giving our info to RSVP]! Hope you can come!" I addressed each card to the student and his or her family. And I mailed them the week before the play date. The first three responses I had were that their children were no longer in the class, but thanks for the invite. Then I started to receive some that said "yes." One child showed up who wasn't on my list (but the mom must have known someone else, which was great!). Pictured above are Ella, Henry, Paige, Kayley, Nathan, Joshua, Brayden and Braedon. Bethany (I think?) came later, and I found out she was also in Joshua's class. A few moms emailed to thank us for the invite but said their child's daycare was going on a trip to Hershey Park. Another mom had to work, and two others said their child was sick. A few didn't respond at all. But, my hope was that Joshua would get to know some familiar faces and that I would get to know some of the parents/families.

After sending out the invitation, I looked high and low for a babysitter, coming up short all the way around. My sister and sister-in-law had to work. My other sister was at the beach, and so was my Dad (different beaches). It was my mom's husband's birthday, so she couldn't. Our babysitter was also away on vacation. UGH!!! I prayed about it. Then I thought of a gal from down the street whose mom had just invited us to the neighborhood picnic. When I called to RSVP, I asked her age and if she would be allowed to babysit. She was 13, and the Dad said he'd talk it over with his wife. She called me later to confirm that YES she was available and YES she was interested. I praised God! The mom also told me that she was just down the road if there was any issue. Hooray!!! I asked the gal if she would like both Caleb and Ryan or just Ryan (since he's at the stage of needing more of me, and I wanted to give a majority of my attention to Joshua and the other kindergarten moms). She said to leave both behind, and Caleb could be her helper. That was GREAT! Caleb had a fun time, and he said how much he likes Suzanna. YEAH!!! Shawn's not sure she's old enough to watch all three yet, but it worked out great for that morning. It was an answer to prayer!

We got there a little early, and Joshua started playing immediately. As families came, I introduced myself and him. He wanted to play mostly with his friend Nathan, but he at least said hi to some of the other folks who came. They all seemed very excited for school, and it was nice to meet some of the moms and see how involved they were in the children's lives. A couple moms couldn't make it but sent their child along with a grandparent, who blended right into the mix!

Since Overlook is a fairly big park, the kids had kind of scattered. It was a VERY warm day, and I suggested that we take a break around 10:30ish to have a snack all together in the shade. The families all said they thought that was a great idea. I took goldfish to share, figuring that was a safe snack as far as allergies go and having extra to feed siblings would also be easy. Another mom volunteered to bring drinks and crackers, and she had Capri Suns for everyone along with packs of Angry Bird animal crackers, which I thought was very nice. I took along napkins and paper products as well.

The kids all sat together and the moms all sat and chatted. After everyone had eaten what they wanted to, I suggested we get one group picture before they take off and play again. I thought the first picture turned out the best, but I thought the pictures in general were cute. They seemed like a good group!

After I finished cleaning up the snack (and since this is a "take-in-take-out" park, I had to take all the trash, which I hadn't anticipated, but it wasn't a big deal), I found Joshua playing this game with the boys who came that morning.

Then, Joshua went to climb on the spider web with his friend Nathan. Nathan lives next door to my sister, has parents who attend Calvary and seem like a solid couple/family, and he went to preschool with Joshua last year. He seems like a nice boy, and I'm glad they're friends!

Joshua LOVED the spider web! And I think he had fun at the kindergarten play date. The moms all thanked me for organizing it, and I'm glad I did. I would have regretted it had I not done something. There's no other way to get to know the parents, really, so it worked out great.

My little buddy scared me with how high he climbed! But he had a blast. We left right at 11:30 (some families had already gone and some were still there but left when we said we were heading out, I think). I headed back and paid the babysitter and took her home. It was a fun morning!

Joshua's Free Back-to-School Haircut

I found out from a couple different sources that JCPenny's was giving kids free haircuts during the month of August for back-to-school children ages K-12. As soon as I heard about it, I drove there (to pick up pictures) and went inside to book our appointment toward the end of the month for Joshua (since Caleb wasn't old enough yet). We got to pick our date and time. I heard that they weren't taking any more appointments for kids that month since they had filled up relatively quickly, so I was glad I scheduled mine when I did. Joshua needed a haircut a couple weeks before that, but I knew his was coming! Here's a picture of his before front:

When we got there, the hairdresser I was scheduled with hadn't shown up yet and called to say she was "running late." UGH! I knew it was free, but I was trying to keep to our schedule since Mom had the other boys. Mamaw had bought Joshua an "Angry Birds" shirt for school, and Caleb said he'd really like one too. Since they were inexpensive, I agreed to pick up one for Caleb while we were there since he didn't really need any clothes and didn't really get anything new for going to preschool. We found one for $4. Yeah! But Joshua begged and begged for a Mario shirt he found. I gave in, figuring I hadn't bought him much for going back to school. Shawn scolded me for spending money we didn't need to, especially since Joshua's shirt cost $15 (with a toy) and then Caleb felt bad he didn't get one of those too. I guess we can't win! But, I had to kill time because our hairdresser still hadn't shown up yet. Here's the back of Joshua's hair, pre-haircut.

Finally, she was there and ready for him! I asked if she minded if I took pictures and she said she didn't.

She spiked his hair in the front when he was done, and he did a good job staying still. I tipped her and she gave him a lollipop before we left.

I thought he looked so cute when we left, but when we got home, we realized how uneven and crooked it was. I think we got what we paid for (or less!). You can see in the picture below of the "back" of his head that the right side was much lower than the left at the bottom).

The top was terribly uneven and far too long, too, which we didn't recognize with it spiked. Unfortunately, Joshua had to sit for a second haircut that weekend so Daddy could fix it (as best he could) before school. Such is life! At least a majority of the long hair was left there to clean up, but I think typically Shawn does a better job than this gal did. He cut Caleb's hair the weekend before Joshua's so they were both ready to go back-to-school!

 

In thinking of how bad the hairdresser did on his hair, it reminded me of Jordon bursting out at dinner the one night "Yeah, Shawn and your five dollar hair!" We had no idea where it came from, and we CRACKED UP!!!! Yes, this was $5 hair all right. Haaa!!!

Suckers for Soccer

On Tuesday, August 14, I decided to take "Body Combat" in the afternoon and invited three of Jen's kiddos to ride along since the boys asked if they could take their cousins. They seemed to have fun together. After dropping them off, I headed to our favorite Amish produce stand to pick up our .25 cantaloupe & 1.00 watermelon and head to the one almost directly across the street for inexpensive cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, etc.

The next morning, I went to the gym for ATTACK at 8:30 in the morning and then left there to meet my friends Julie (with her son Jude and daughter Kate) and Kelley (with her son Lincoln) at Oregon Dairy. I was literally a sweaty mess, but I warned them in advance that I was going to be and they didn't seem to mind. My friend Julie drank only coffee (she's lost over 100 pounds and I'm so impressed with her!) while I indulged in the pancakes (my favorite!). The kids all ate extremely well, and it was a little bit of "breakfast mayhem" as it usually is when we get all the kids together. Joshua saw his preschool teacher Mrs. Zimmerman there eating breakfast with the mom of his preschool friend Simeon. I agreed to let him go say hi for a few moments before going back to our seats. After we finished eating, we let the kids play on the playground. Ryan showed off standing, cruising and clapping for himself. They were all COVERED in mud until the end of our time together, but they had a blast! I enjoyed catching up with my former co-workers too. FUN!

That night (Wednesday, August 15), Shawn & I finally got to go on our date to the Conestoga House & Gardens. We had asked Miranda to watch the boys again, and it was overcast and drizzly most of the afternoon. I feared we wouldn't be able to go and we discussed other options. But, when we went to leave it was relatively sunny, and Shawn said "Let's try it!" Woohoo! It was the right call to make (and we weren't sure when we made it!). We picked up take-out from Isaac's using a BOGO coupon we had, and ate at the beautiful tables there. A woman brought us seat cushions that they had taken inside before the rain, so they were nice and dry. The evening was gorgeous, the gardens were beautiful, and having time with my husband was priceless. It was a really great night!

Thursday began my first night back-to-school. I also heard from a friend of mine that her daughter had died (not sure if it was in the womb, during birth, or shortly thereafter). It grieved my heart to hear of their loss. :( :( :( Please keep her and her family in your prayers! I made them a meal and took it to her house on Sunday afternoon.

One of the days around that weekend, I saw a pair of all-but brand new soccer cleats on Craig's List, along with two pairs of soccer socks for $13. They were a size 13, which I thought would fit Joshua well. We drove to go pick them up, and they were in fantastic condition (even better than I was expecting!). But, when we got home, we realized cleats must run small because they fit Caleb perfectly and were too tight on Joshua. Joshua had shin guards for soccer (which were required) but didn't have cleats. I was a little sad, but Caleb was thrilled to wear them.

Then in looking on Craig's List again, I saw a pair of Youth Size 2 cleats (again looking great!) for...FREE!!! I thought they would probably be too big, but I thought the price was sure right (and understatement). I thought they probably smelled bad or were worn out, but since they were free, the only thing it cost us was a car trip to find out. We got to the home and picked them up, and they were in GREAT shape. I tried them on Joshua and they fit perfectly! While the thought of used shoes may not appeal to everyone, I know that kids barely wear them, and obviously cleats run on the small side. So, I'm not sure how much either of these were actually worn. PERFECT for us!

Once we picked up Joshua's cleats, I put on a pair of the socks (that I had washed) on each of them over the shin guards and we went outside to take pictures. They had fun kicking the balls around and enjoying their new cleats. FUN!

On Tuesday evening, September 21, Mom offered to watch the boys in the evening. She said that she hadn't had them spend the night all summer, and this might be their only opportunity since school was back in session. I agreed! And we asked if Ryan could come to play in the evening just long enough for us to take advantage of another opportunity to go out and spend some quality time just the two of us. She said yes, and we were off!
 
We started heading toward outdoor dining (since the weather was beautiful) BUT there was a major traffic backlog. Rather than sit there even longer (it had been over 20 minutes) we turned around and headed to the Longhorn Steakhouse.We were hungry by that point and just ready to eat! We sat down, and our server didn't come for another 20 minutes. Just then, my sister Becky and her husband Tim came in and saw us. They suggested joining us, and we said okay. It wasn't "alone" time, but we don't get to see them all that often. I warned them that our service so far had been awful. It continued to be, unfortunately. Becky & Tim had tickets to see a show in an hour and a half, and the show was starting when we still were waiting for our check to come. The food took forever to come out, but I think it was more of an issue of the server not taking and putting in our order, etc. But, our steaks were good. Becky had a coupon for a free dessert for her birthday, and she offered us a bite to try. It was heavenly! We enjoyed chatting with them and left to go pick up our little Schnook and head home.

It was strange just having Ryan to put to bed that night (as we watched some TV with overly stuffed bellies, wishing we hadn't eaten so much). It was just him & me the next morning until I dropped him off at Mamaw's and picked up Joshua for his haircut at JCPenny's, which I will blog about separately.

Ocean City, NJ!

We went to Ocean City, NJ, for a couple days the second weekend of August and I think it's my new favorite beach. We had a GREAT time!

When we arrived, our hotel room wasn't ready yet. That was okay, though, because I had already dressed the boys in their swim shorts to drive down, so we headed straight to the beach. I had packed us lunch to eat, and the boys enjoyed their sandwiches and "Angry birds" crackers especially (along with the healthier items we took along). I couldn't believe that I left my camera in the car, though. DOH!

We had to hunt for parking, and at one point I had almost given up hope of finding parking on the street. But, we found a space for free that was REALLY close to the beach. So, we parked and walked; and I didn't feel like going back to the car to get the camera with Ry-guy while Shawn watched the other boys. Part of me wishes that I would have, though, since we opted not to go back to the beach again that trip.

The kids LOVED the sand! Ryan played with sand toys, and he was doing great on the beach sheet I took. Caleb also played and played. I took the two older boys up to the water first, and Joshua spotted a crab claw on the ground. We also saw some sea shells, but there weren't too many. The sand was super soft on our feet and not too terribly hot to walk on. The boys & I dipped our toes in the water, and Shawn took Joshua out deeper at the Bean's request while I took care of the other two. It was a great day at the beach!

We were completely covered in sand when we went back to our car, but that was okay. Joshua minded, but he was it. We covered his seat with his towel and he was good to go. We went swimming in the outdoor pool at the hotel once we got back. Ryan LOVES the water! He would move his hands and splash and kick his little legs. The other boys could both touch in the shallow part of the pool and enjoyed the refreshing water - not too cold and not too hot.

We stayed in Somerset, NJ at the Residence Inn by Marriott. We chose the hotel because Shawn has points that we could use so our room was free. We had looked up reviews online and saw that everyone commented it was "family friendly" but a few complained that the decor was dated. So, we had little expectations but we figured you couldn't go too wrong with free when 99% of the reviews were good. I have to say that we LOVED it!

Shawn said there was a fridge in the room, so I took along a couple bottles of water. In reality, there was an entire kitchen in the room complete with stainless steel appliances and granite, etc. I wish I would have brought food along so we didn't have to eat out. We did bring pizza back from the boardwalk, though, and ate it for lunch the next day since there were dishes and a microwave, etc.
 
The rooms also had a fireplace, which we didn't take advantage of on these hot days, and a private little patio. What I loved most was the spaciousness of the room, though, because we could easily put Ryan's pack 'n play up and not have him see me directly (which helped him get to sleep in 10 minutes vs. hours). The boys LOVED the pool, which was shallow for most of it (again, emphasis being on kid-friendly). The room came with free breakfast, which I wouldn't write home about, but it's money we didn't spend. There were eggs, waffles, french toast, fruit, yogurt, bread, muffins, etc. None of it was great, but it was food.

The beach then was a couple miles from our hotel room (not all that far, but you definitely had to drive). The first day we found free parking on the street after hunting for a long time (I would have personally given up and just paid the $15 a day in the lot right near the front, but I think it became a challenge for my husband). That night, we found a spot right up front with a meter, which we kept having to go back and feed but we were only there a couple hours so we spent $3 in parking vs. the $15. I told Shawn that with a free hotel room, next time we're factoring the $15 cost to park as part of the cost of going to the beach. On weekdays, I think the cost to park drops to $10.

Shawn & I have gotten the shower routine with the boys down to a science, I'd say. My husband jumped in while I got one of the boys undressed and handed him in. Shawn would wash him as I worked on the next one. Then I'd throw a dirty boy in while he handed me a clean one out. I helped the boys find their clothes, and I helped lotion Caleb's sensitive skin up. Last was Ryan who needs the most help from Mama afterward, which gave Shawn a chance to shower. After he was done, I got in. The water pressure was excellent and I was impressed with the clothes line in the shower to hang our wet suits. I think we need to add one of these in our family bathroom at home. How convenient!

 

When we were all ready, we got back in the car and headed to the boardwalk. Again, we LOVED the area. We stopped for gas on the way and then parked the minivan and walked to see the sights.

The first stop was dinner at an overpriced pizza joint. The pie was HUGE, though, and fed us dinner that night and lunch and dinner the next day. So, I shouldn't complain too much. Thereafter, we went to the arcade and let the boys have fun.

This town is a "dry" town and the emphasis is on kiddo fun. That worked great for our family! We were impressed with all the fun activities to do with kids. There was a water park on the boardwalk (cha-ching!) that we opted not to do, there was tons of mini-golf places, arcades, photo shops and tons of food and shopping, etc.

The weather was perfect - beautifully warm without being overbearing. We were having a blast! Shawn changed in some cash for coins so the kids could enjoy the rides and arcade.

The boys loved it!!!

Caleb was riding his motorcycle like Papaw's...

And the boys would take turns or play games together.

Ryan got a little bored at times, so I took him for a walk.

We went and splurged on caramel popcorn that I've heard is fantastic. The smell alone called my name!

The boys continued to play games - this bowling one ate their money.

They did have a blast playing air hockey against each other.

I insisted on ice cream at the end of the night. Is it a boardwalk experience without it? Yes, it is. But, ice cream sounded good. Caleb picked chocolate!

Joshua begged for Rita's Italian Ice like we had had before. So, Shawn agreed.

I sat with Caleb and enjoyed my vanilla custard cone while he devoured his chocolate.

Ryan decided he needed ice cream too!

I took a picture of the sky, the ocean, the boardwalk and the people walking. It was simply beautiful! The perfect night!

Caleb & I had messy faces! And big ice cream smiles!

Ryan enjoyed some of my cone as well.

Joshua was thrilled to get his mango Italian ice before we left. Yum!!!

The baby was happy to eat my ice cream. Don't you love how he puts his feet up on the stroller and kicks back to have his snack?

Delicious! Only at the beach can you have pizza and ice cream in one night!

That night, the boys had their "hotel-only" pillow fight with Daddy!

Everyone slept extremely well, especially for being on vacation. That ocean air had worn us out! I kept hearing Ryan scootching throughout the night, but I think he must do this on his normal nights and I just am not close enough to hear him. It kept me waking me, but I'd get right back to sleep. He wasn't crying or fussing - he was just moving. Silly boy!

The next morning we opted not to get all sandy again since we were leaving later that day and weren't sure we'd have time to all get a proper shower. Instead, we went back for more boardwalk fun. There were a TON of bikes on the boardwalk - you can even rent family bikes and all sorts of contraptions, which are only allowed up until noon on the boardwalk. The air was invigorating and the place was alive with activity!

The boys were excited to go after our hotel breakfast!

I love to take a picture of Shawn walking with our boys.

They went back to a different arcade to spend some more quarters. Here's Shawn enjoying one of the "rides" with Caleb.

Caleb enjoyed the helicopter too!

Ryan was bored - poor baby! Next year he'll enjoy himself more!

I was starting to get bored as well, but the boys were having fun. I walked Ryan around a bit after snapping a few more pictures.

Caleb in Clifford was too cute!

Ryan fell asleep eventually.

We told the boys it was soon time to head back.

On Sunday, August 12, Ryan took four steps to get to Shawn in our hotel room. He LOVED to explore the room and there wasn't a lot that he couldn't get into, so we let him have the run of the place. The steps were uneasy and short, but they were definitely steps. He took several more the next day when we were home and I was on my run. Thereafter, he'd take between four and six at a time and then crawl. It wasn't long before he was taking more and more and walking like a champ!

A favorite "toy" that he loves is tissues. He'll pull one out and giggle with delight that another one comes thereafter. I typically think it's wasteful, but Shawn said that for the $1 of tissues, wasn't it worth it to see him having fun? I agreed - sometimes it's the little things in life that can bring pleasure. Why not enjoy it once in awhile? Ryan went to town. He LOVED the tissues! And the hotel room! He was a happy boy then!

We were sad to leave, but we hope to go back again some day. It was a GREAT mini-vacation and OCNJ was definitely worth the trip!