Evening Routine

My evenings are pretty redundant usually. Especially when Dan is gone I get into a routine and forget to step out of my little box. My normal night pretty much consists of this:

Playing outside when we first get home (5:15ish to about 6:00pm)

This always includes a TRACTOR! (lawn mower) ride for at least Sam, if not both the boys.

Dinner at 6:00 where I throw something together for them and really kinda grab whatever for me.

The boys watch some TV program of choice after dinner which is either GEORGE! or BIBERD! (Clifford!)

That is my time to clean up after dinner, do some laundry, pick up after boys and what not......

Baths are after the couple of shows that they will watch.... (Every other night, depending on the level of dirt that was caked on over the course of the day) Right before bed.

Then of course Books are read and backs are patted and eyes are closed......

Last night I decided that we would eat our dinner outside on the patio. Sam is just at that age where this is possible. He actually sat in the same chairs as myself and Henry and ate his dinner like a big boy!

That little change was really nice for me. It was nice to be able to let the boys play while I gathered what I needed to pull dinner together and not have to watch them EVERY second (every other second was fine).

This little distraction worked well for all of us as it was the 2nd night in a row that Dan was gone and that is usually when emotions run high (for all of us!).

Do you have a nightly routine? or do you change it up quite a bit?

my sweet, thoughtful boy

This weekend my father, "Opah" took Henry and Kaden to a park. Opah happened to find a shiny penny on the ground and offered it to Kaden - who refused.

Henry stepped in and said:

Opah, I will put that penny in my pocket.

....and I will give it to my daddy, because he needs lot of monies.

(all very seriously of course!)

All weekend he was such a big helper with Kaden. He is VERY patient with helping him get his shoes on and other tasks that he himself has long sense mastered.

Not kidding, he would give his last cookie to Kaden if he asked for it. Now to Sam? That is a different story of course.

State Fair & other weekend ramblings

This weekend was really the nice relaxing- no agenda weekend that I needed to charge my batteries again.

My parents were in town & had plans on Friday night so we stuck around the house. I was able to catch up on the ever mounting laundry, the boys and I mowed the lawn & Dan power washed our long split rail fence. (He bought a power washer the other day and I swear he is going to wash everything in site).

Saturday I woke up early and ended up meeting Heather, Jake & Zack to go to the Fair. I took Sam along since he and Zack are buddy's and left Henry at home to play with Kaden.

It was the perfect time at the Fair. We got their about 8:30 and the weather was cool, the crowds had not yet arrived and we were able to do the things we wanted to do with ease.

It is amazing the difference in them from last year at the Fair!

The boys had a blast looking at the animals.......

Splashing in the water (Well, Zack did anyway-- Sam was not very into it!)....

and eating Fair Food.........

We walked the entire fairgrounds, tired the boys out (and ourselves!) and then Jake & I decided that we would give ourselves a treat......

Heather was not thrilled with the idea of going, and since it was a two person deal anyway-- she stayed with the boys while I got the adrenaline rush that I needed to put me back in a good mood! I was seriously SO excited to be going on this ride. It has been YEARS since I have even been on a roller coaster, so this was a real treat for me!

The view from up there was awesome!!

That night since my parents were in town Dan & I had date night - separate.... haha

I went out with the girls, and he went out with the guys. It was nice to have a night out and we each had a great time!

The weekend recharged me for another week of Dan being gone....

Venting...

With my job it is Feast or Famine. I am either pull my hair out busy or just ridiculously slow.... I am not sure which one is worse... or better?

Today I wrote an offer on a half million dollars worth of land so I was productive, but that does not take all that much time.

So it is gorgeous outside, all I want to do is leave-- but I am stuck here for another 2 hours-- and then most likely will have to present said offer after hours and THAT will creep into my personal time. Not to mention that I really get no kick back from this deal. Maybe I need to mention that one to my boss?

Grrrrr.

I am so very tired lately. I feel bad even complaining about Dan being gone because he is busy and I am VERY thankful for that but I am WORN OUT! He left Sunday night for Minnesota, was home Tuesday night at 8:30pm and left Wednesday morning for another night away Wednesday night. He got home last night about 9:00pm and thankfully stayed in town today to catch up on sleep and things around the house.

Work is mentally exhausting some days and then not having Dan at home to help with the boys at night is tough. Not to mention the toll it is taking on them emotionally. Sam is SUPER clingy to me. It is almost like he is a cat and cannot get close enough--he just suctions himself onto me as soon as we get home and there is no letting go until bedtime.

Henry misses Dan tremendously. He asks as soon as he gets in the car after daycare if daddy is home and when I say 'no' he cries and says "I will see when I get home!" like I am not telling the truth.

I had planned on taking the boys to the State Fair this weekend, but I just have no energy today and am not in the mind frame to think about pushing two kids around a jam packed-hot and sweaty fair.

It could have something to do with the fact that I was stupid enough to stay up late watching the Olympics and then Sammy just happened to wake up READY TO GO at 5am. Oh yeah-- that could have a lot to do with my grumpy ass.

Well-- everyone have a fun-filled weekend and hopefully I will have a change of attitude on Monday... for every ones sake!

a little tune...

This morning I caught Sammy singing twinkle twinkle little star! I could not believe it! He is getting so big to fast!

Of course it went something like....

"inkle inkle ittle tar"

and then I could not recognize the rest of the words, but the tune was there!

So I started to sing with him, and he shut up. When I finished he exclaimed:

"YEAHHHHHH!!!!!!!" While clapping in a fury of excitement.

Oh man he is fun sometimes!

Isn't it ironic?

Dan was working out of town last night at one of his dealerships.

He was working late fixing a hail car of course and he noticed that the sky was turning a hint of green. He stopped to take a better look outside and noticed that the sky was about the open up.

As he was walking inside we was hit with a hail stone. A large hail stone. Big enough to break the skin and give him a goose egg!

I got a good laugh out of that. My husband the hail chaser.

........do I hear crickets?........

Maybe you had to be there.....

Needless to say he is going to be bombarded again with MORE HAIL cars to fix. The poor guy is getting burnt out quickly. I am so glad that we have our trip to Chicago to look forward to!

Enjoying the nice weather

He kinda looks like me!

One....

I see you!