Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
For those of you who like to tease me about being hyper-organized, there really is a method to my madness. I have been going to the grocery store nearly every day because I didn’t have a menu plan done for the past week. The grocery store every day for nearly a week is NOT my idea of fun. All that changes after this evening though! Only one more trip to the grocery store and I am good for the next ten days. Woo Hoo!
It was a relatively low-key birthday for Andy this year. It was a normal day that included work and hamburgers for dinner. We did change up the “normal” a tiny bit by heading to the Boone County Fair for some family fun. It was the first night that rides were open, so we bought armbands for Andy and Laura. As soon as the armbands were on, Laura dragged Andy off to ride “The Sizzler,” or “The Scrambler” if you are from Astoria. I think it’s her new favorite ride although Andy looked a little green afterwards… It was too close to dinner to be spinning in circles that much. After that, it was off to the Super Slide and Roller Coaster for Laura. Turns out that this is her last year to ride the roller coaster because our short girl will actually be too tall next year!
After spending some time just watching, John decided that he wanted to slide down the slide in the Cars-themed bounce house, which cost two tickets for about three trips through the bounce house. We ended up just buying him an armband too and off he went. After a while, he was watching some of the other rides with interest. Andy took him on the Super Slide, which seemed to then lead him to wanting to ride the Bumper Cars. I think our small boy just might be getting over his fear of carnival rides, because he had a huge smile on his face and he declared the Bumper Cars “Great!” What a difference a year makes…
At the beginning of summer, Andy and Laura planted Morning Glory flowers. The ones by the mailbox are not growing, but the ones on the other side of our driveway have really taken off. Every morning now, Laura and John walk to the end of the driveway to check out the newest flowers. Love the shade of blue!
In lieu of gifts at their birthday party, Laura decided to ask for donations to the Central Missouri Food Bank. I’m proud to say that the kids collected two large bags full of food along with four backpacks for the Buddy Packs. Also, Laura and John had a great time “raiding” our pantry for more food to donate (I need to go shopping now!). I’m not complaining though because I know the food will be put to good use. We will be delivering the food sometime within the next couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone for the donations!
Today was Birthday Party Day at Lake of the Woods Swimming Pool! Fortunately, the weather held despite some ominous clouds and we only had a few sprinkles here and there. Twelve of the kids’ friends (and eleven parents) attended for two hours of swimming and cake. We arrived at the pool about 45 minutes before party time so that we could pack everything in and get all set up. We had reserved a table so that we had a place for the food and birthday cakes.
While Andy and I got everything set up, Laura and John hit the pool. John’s favorite thing these days is jumping in and causing the largest splash possible. He is all smiles while jumping and he could do it all day long.
Laura’s new favorite is going down the water slides. She had already gone down the slides three times before we even found out! Her fear of swimming to the side of the pool in an area where she cannot touch the bottom is gone. She is really growing up fast! I love the confidence and her lack of fear, but it also makes me miss the little girl who needs Mommy and Daddy to help her.
After an hour of fun in the pool, it was time for singing “Happy Birthday,” blowing out candles, birthday cake, and snacks. John chose “Transformers” for his cake and Laura chose “Angry Birds” for her cake.
It didn’t take long to devour tasty birthday cake and soon the kids were back in the pool. Everyone swam and played until the end of the party. Some of us adults even got in on the water slide action. Laura and John were happy and both had a great time. Thanks to everyone who came and for all the food donations to the Central Missouri Food Bank!
After the party, we made a short stop at the house and then headed off to enjoy the second part of our day – more swimming, snacks, dinner, and fireworks at the Dothage house! We hung out by the pool for a while and then had a tasty barbecue dinner. We finished the evening with sparklers and a fireworks display. The kids loved it even though John covered his ears.
Andy saved some of the best fireworks for tonight! The fountains were awesome and the mortars were even better. It was a great ending to a great day!
The goodie bags are ready for the kids’ birthday party tomorrow at Lake of the Woods Swimming Pool. Fun times are ahead!
To begin the evening, Andy took Laura to Bass Pro Shops to buy her birthday present from us. She has been wanting a toy camping set that included a car, four wheeler, tent, food, campfire, and people. She was so excited to show it to me and she started playing with it right away. After dinner, Uncle B, Aunt Rachel, and Alia came over for a short visit. They brought along birthday presents for the kids. John was very excited about the Transformer that he received. Laura was literally over the moon about the Fife and sheet music that she received. She told Aunt Rachel that she wanted an instrument and was so excited to receive one. At least once she made a little bit of sound so I think she will be playing the Fife before long. Not sure about having a flute player in my household (trumpet, saxophone, or clarinet anyone?!?), but I *guess* I can let that slide!
