The One About Good Times and Tan Lines

July 28-31, 2017
Holy COW!  These girls are trying to squeeze every last drop of life out of the last few weekends of summer!  I’m exhausted just thinking about it!  But it makes my heart happy to know they have such great friendships and families that treat them like their own.

After a mid-week float trip down the Illinois River with her Eagle Heights Church friends, Lara went to a fun (Almost) Back To School Party at her friend Molly’s house Friday night.  They have a great yard with a perfect hill for a giant slip-n-slide, so they do this a few times a year!  They had water, and soap, a hill, and a tarp – perfect makings for a fun party!  There was a water balloon fight, too.  Lots of fun!

On Saturday, Lara got to play her favorite roll: Basketball Sister!  Jake was invited to play on a team that he’s never played with before, and she was right there with us to make it a fun weekend.  It’s a plus that she actually likes basketball and knows what’s going on!  She’s a great helper for Finn, too.  We were playing at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, so she got to see another University, too!

Lara also has a J-O-B of sorts for the next week.  Our friends the Hatfileds are taking an end of summer (before the CRAZY resumes) summer trip to the lake.  And they have chickens.  LOTS of chickens!  So, Lara (and the rest of us it seems!) are helping care for the critters while they are out of town.  This means we had to leave EVEN EARLIER for basketball this weekend so she could be the chicken lady each morning!  She is very good at it, and makes it look good, too!

Emma spent the last half of last week with her Nana and Grandpa.  My mother has declared she is too old for teenagers!  LOL!  (She said she was too old for pre-schoolers about this time last year with Finn.  My kids apparently wear her out!)  On Friday, Emma went to White Water with a friend, his brother, and some other kids they know.  Emma and Lukus were friends when they both went to school in Stillwater.  She’s at the M-O, and he’s now is Cushing, but they are still great friends!  (His mom was my sorority sister and roommate in college; they live in Perry). Emma and her new friends had the best time at White Water and stayed for the summer movie night.  They decided since it was so late getting back to Perry, that Emma would just stay with the neighbor girls that were on the trip, too! She said they stayed up most of the night playing video games!

Emma’s Saturday night was spent at an open rodeo in Chandler with another friend of hers, Dylon, and his family.  This was the first rodeo of this kind Emma had been to and she said she learned a lot.  She also said that Dylon drove home from the rodeo because his mom doesn’t drive at night, and he’s an angry driver. LOL  She also leaned that all 5-6 year old younger brothers are annoying.  She thought Finn was bad, but then she said his little brother might have been worse.  But, another fun night of memories for her!  She got back to Nana’s sometime around mid-night!

 

Sunday, believe it not, we were all back together for a little bit.  All EIGHT of us!  Nana, Grandpa, me, Dad, Emma, Lara, Jake AND Finn!  Jake was back to the basketball tournament in Tulsa, and Emma came with my folks to catch a couple of games.  We had a late morning game, then a long break so we all went to McAlister’s for lunch!  It was loud, crazy, and too many conversations to track!  Just the way I like it! 

Emma had to head back before the tournament was over to go take care of her horses.  We were sad to see her go, but it was nice to all be together for a minute!  Lara was a trooper and stayed with us through the end of the tournament.  It was a long day with long breaks between games, and even though I know she was bored, she was a pretty good basketball brother fan this weekend.  We ended up second, and finally made it home about 9:00pm!  She ate well this weekend, though. I loved just having her there and getting to have spontaneous and random discussions!

I'm pretty sure they are both spending this Monday trying to recuperate from all their weekend shenanigans!

We turn our calendars to August this week.  Emma has enrollment on Tuesday.  My boys have it Wednesday, and Lara has schedule pick-up the next week.  Football practice starts in a week.  Summer is truly closing down.  I am so glad I am writing these weekend memories down!  What comes next? Another busy weekend I’m sure!  School starts in 2.5 weeks!  These girls will get every last drop out of summer 2017!

The One With the Lazy Dayz of Summer

July 21 - 24, 2017
Another weekend in the books! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!?  But it is now Sunday night, everyone is settled in, and Monday will be here before we know it.  This weekend was pretty lazy - just the way three days in a row of over 100 degree heat should be!

It was Emma's weekend to be in Stillwater with us.  She was coming off a week of being on the Oklahoma State University campus at Big 3 fields days where she worked hard and ran in to a lot of her Stillwater friends!  We picked her up later in the evening on Friday night, and she stayed through the morning on Sunday.  We were so lazy!  She wasn't feeling 100%, plus it was so very hot, so Saturday we just hung out at home all day.

Riding in to Stillwater!  The OG Three!

Saturday morning we watched the movie "Forrest Gump" as a family on Netflix, went out for lunch, then took another lazy approach to the afternoon. Emma took a long nap, and Lara went went with her friend Molly out to Molly's grandma's house for some pool time.  She had a blast - and this time didn't come home with a sunburn.  Britt and I sure miss her when she's gone like that, but we remarked about how lucky she is to have another family to love her like their own.  We never have to worry about her when she is with them!

Lara came home in the evening, and we all SIX hung out as a family watching "Family Fued" best answer clips from YouTube until bedtime. Steve Harvey is one funny dude!  It was SO MUCH FUN to hear big belly laughs from both Emma and Lara!  And the boys, too!

Sunday, Emma left mid morning to go to church and lunch with her other family.  We slept in, then went to lunch as a family of 5.  Since we go to church in the evening, everyone came home and played video games and/or napped.  SO LAZY!  (In Lara's defense, she wasn't feeling to well today, either.) We got up and went to church where we got to see Week 3 of At The Movies.  (I think it is so cool that Emma went this morning and we went this evening and we ALL got the same teaching!).  This week's movie was 2016's "Lion" and the message was about never giving up.  That applies at all ages!

One more weekend in July, then it will be AUGUST - all the back to school stuff will be up on us quicker than we would like!  Here's to a great last week in July!

Family Meeting

sample Cozi calendar

As part of Dream Weaver family tradition, we have a "Family Meeting" every Sunday evening.  Typically, after dinner and before all the kids get ready for bed.  The purpose of the meeting is to maker sure we, as a family, are all on the same page.  Spiritually, academically, socially, financially, and logistically.  My GOLD (True Colors) personality relishes in this meeting.  Looks forward to it.  Plans for it.  LONGS for it.  And is Oh-So, Ever-So grateful for the Cozi calendar app and the special role it plays in each meeting!  The rest of the family likes it, too. Me?  I am empowered by it!  But, alas, it is summer.  And I miss it!  Desperately...

The format of the meeting goes something like this.  Some one hollers at someone else to get the other some ones into the same room.  "NOW!". "Let's go!". "Let's get this started!" "Let's get this over!" (I'll let you pick and choose who says what...) Once the shenanigans of who is touching whom die down and we have Finn occupied with a Kindle, iPhone, or iPod and endless Easter Egg opening You Tube videos, we can get started.  Typically we open with a short praying thanking God for the blessings of the past week.  Then, we ask for each person to tell their favorite part of the past week.  Some weeks, it is remarkably difficult for the kids to come up with ONE thing to share.  Other weeks, we have to cut them off to ensure everyone gets to bed on time!  From there, Dad pulls up Parent Portal to check grades for the oldest 2.  This is an online grading system our schools use.  We can see the current grade for each class, plus what has been graded or what is missing, future assignments, absences, etc.  It is a GREAT tool, and it has helped us help Emma and Lara stay on track.  Jake is jealous and wants to be old enough that his grades are on there.  We still have some years...

After grades, we move to the calendar.  It takes orchestration - and outside help at times - to keep this crew moving forward!  2 working parents, 4 kids. (And get the grandparents in there too since they help out so much!  I feel lost if they leave town and I don 't have on-demand helpers!)  School commitments, work meetings and events, volleyball, track, dance, clubs, baseball, basketball, football, mother's day out!  Not to mention, doctors, dentists, specialists, therapists!  WOAH!  So, it has to be discussed - sometimes just to talk it out and make sure we have all the bases covered!  Mom opens the Cozi calendar and we go day by day for the week talking out each person's commitments, who is taking and or picking up whom, and if the meal planning has been done, what we are having for dinner!  (Sometimes this happens later with just mom and dad!). This is a very helpful thing for our family.  The older ones are mature enough now to be aware of their own commitments, and they can help make sure things are getting done; that they are in the right place at the right time waiting for the right ride.  In just a few short years, they will be added to the pick up and drop off routines as well!  (YAY! And NO!  All at the same time...)

So, it's summer.  There are no grades to monitor.  Days are not as busy (although this month's camp schedule was a BEAST).  Most travel logistics during the day fall to Nana the Wonder Sitter.  Everyone is staying up later, sleeping in longer.  The Meeting has just kind of fallen to the way side for now.  Last Tuesday evening I said to the girls, "Don't forget you have dentist appointments in the morning.  I'll come by to pick you up about 10." Both of their heads spun around.  They had no idea.  *sigh* Dang you "No Family Meeting" time.  (And they even have the Cozi calendar app on their iPods so they could look for themselves...). Britt and I still talk over the week, but the thought of stopping the summer crazies to get them in one place to talk logistics... Well, it's summer.  They are just not interested...

It will come back.  In a few weeks.  For now, I'll just say, "See ya later, Family Meeting.  Until summer ends, when we meet again." In the meantime, I will continue to spoon feed the kids the tidbits of family logistics they need to know at dinner time.  And pray with them at bed time.  And long for more normal days and weeks where Family Meetings can be a part of our lives again.

DATE NIGHT

This print available at Dream Weaver Prints!

Summer.  Summed up in one word: FULL.  As in: FULL of activities, FULL of family, FULL of fun.  A full car, a full calendar, a full onslaught of laundry.  Full bellies, full minds, full hearts.  For us, summer seems to get more hectic every year.  Make sense – kids get older, have more things going on, more independence for the older ones.  So, the management of this is really an ongoing, dynamic process.  Once again, I have to say how very thankful I am that I found Cozi a few years back (after making my own color coded Excel Spreadsheet calendar for YEARS!) to help keep me organized!  And without Nana the Wonder Sitter, well, all would be a huge mess.

The last couple of weeks were full of baseball, nature camp, baseball, friends over for dinner, baseball tournament, Father’s Day, Britt dressed as a Kangaroo, volleyball camp, sleepover wilderness camp, Kayleigh here from Texas, and looking forward to more baseball and another baseball tournament.  All of this can best be summarized in a few sunny and funny 

pictures and a short video:

Pirates end of Season Party

Last Pirates Game

Lara, Jake and Emma at Nature Camp

Lara's presentation at Nature Camp

Jake - warming up for Stampede Baseball

Me and "Kanga" Britt - March of Dimes Kangaroo-a-thon

Stillwater Stampede - 3rd place Eskimo Joe's Tri-State Shootout Tourney

Emma - Pioneer volleyball camp

Jake - Camp McFadden

Finn's Flags

Emma and Kayleigh with the Krazy Loom

(LOTS OF DREAM WEAVER PRINTS PRODUCTIONS IN THOSE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS!)

But the definite highlight of my summer so far?  DATE NIGHT WITH MY HUSBAND!  It’s been MONTHS.  And months and months. Since we have had the opportunity to be kid free and do something just for us.  Back on Valentine’s day, I was given this:

Last weekend, it finally was time.  We spent hours getting everything arranged for the kids.  The older 2 were with their Other Dad, but needed to come home and be cared for before we would get home.  The younger two would need care as well, so I hired a sitter to come hang out with them.  Nana the Wonder Sitter and Grandpa were road tripping south to pick up my niece Kayleigh from her mom.  I needed all 7 of those people to end up at one place at the same time while we were in Tulsa.  I made a spreadsheet.  It helps, I swear!  It was color coded, and had every phone number anyone on this carousel would need.  Quasi adults and adults each got a copy.  Digitally and in print.  There was NO WAY this was getting messed up!  I felt I had it all covered.  AND IT WORKED!  By late evening, all 4 of my kids and my niece were at Nana and Grandpa’s for the overnight.  #MommySuccess

So, what were WE doing is the big question, right?  Well, we left Stillwater mid-afternoon for a blissful, kid-free time in T-town.  That’s right, Tulsa was on the horizon and we wouldn’t look back.  For a few hours, at least…  First stop? GAS!  It’s so much cheaper in Tulsa (Sand Springs) than Stillwater.  This tank should last us a couple of days, right?  Then, the MALL!  We’re flatlanders in a flyover state.  The mall is a big deal.  Again, haven’t been inside one in YEARS!  And this one?  WELCOMED us!  Seriously – it’s like they knew we were coming:

Woodland Hills Mall

Wicked and OSU adorned the courtyard in the middle of the shops.  Yup.  All for us.  Even though we had agreed upon a STRICT “no shopping” policy, I somehow ended up with the CUTEST shark pajamas for Finn (dang you, Gymboree) and a fun baseball T (in Stampede colors) for by baseball lovin’ Jake (And dang you, too, Children’s Place)!  Time to get the heck out of there!  NO MORE SPENDING!  (I promised Britty I would sell extra stuff on the Etsy shop to make up for it, so go check it out!  I do custom graphics for just about anything!  What can I do for you?)

On to dinner.  Now, you know, we are on an ******** journey and we’re both droppin’ libbies right and left.  So, what’s a couple to do?  Why, go to CHEEESECAKE FACTORY of course!  All kidding aside, we had acquired a gift certificate to that restaurant last winter, and since cheesecake is may FAVORITE (all time, ever!) desert, I wanted to go there!  This was our first “cheat meal” (I hate that term) in FOUR MONTHS.  We knew we wanted to make good, sensible choices, especially since we KNEW there was cheesecake for desert.  CF made is easy for us!  They have an extensive (and delicious) “Skinny” menu.  (Again, small town dwellers that don’t get out much – we don’t know about these things!)  We chose from those items, and Oh. Em. GEE!  Love.  We ate it all (not really, I can’t eat like I used to).  Loved it all. AND had cheesecake for desert.  It was a truly wonderful experience.  And, YUM!

Next stop: Tulsa Performing Arts Center to see WICKED!!!!!  Back where it all started!  The first time we saw Wicked, I surprised Britt with a trip to Tulsa and tickets for his birthday in August of 2009.  We saw it once, and were hooked.  This past weekend marks the 5^th time we’ve seen it!  We’ve been changed for good and can’t help but to keep dancing through life as we defy gravity and spend one short day reveling in all things popular.

This performance.  Whoa.  Hands down, the best we’ve been too.  Tulsa, Wichita, OKC, Dallas, and back to Tulsa.  It was WONDERFUL.  Through and through.  The last time we say it was in Dallas for the girl’s 8^th birthday; that was 4 years ago.  (We’ve had a hectic few years…)  A lot of the costuming has changed (The flying monkeys got scarier!), and so has almost ALL of the choreography!  While we both have favorite scenes we were looking forward to that were completely different this time around, the show was fabulous.  This Elphaba (played by Emma Hunton) was by far the best I’ve seen.  And her chemistry with Fiyero (played by Nick Adams) was unmatched in anything I’ve seen – it made the show that much better.  Glinda (Gina Beck) had the best ad-libs and was very convincing.  The entire cast was stellar.  The dancers and ensemble were just incredible.  I was bawling at the end of Act 1 (typical) and still crying at the curtain of Act 2.  I can’t explain it, but this Musical has my heart.  I can’t wait to go again!  Where to this time, My Love?

We got back to our home in Stillwater in the wee hours of the night.  During intermission and after the show I had read texts from Nana describing the musical beds situation going on at her house, but I think they all finally got a few winks before Sunday morning rolled around.  We spent a leisurely summer day – resting, playing in the yard, doing chores – before wrapping the night up at church.  The twins are old enough to serve in the little kid rooms during the service.  How is that even POSSIBLE?  Sunday was their first time.  They did GREAT, and they loved doing it!  So proud of them as they start this new chapter of life.  This is a summer they will never forget as they step into the role as servants for our Lord with the Church in our local church.  They are the hands and feet of Jesus for these small fries in the yellow hallway on Sunday nights at LifeChurch Stillwater.  To sum it up: they are changing lives.  And because they are committed to serving, Britt and I added more to our serving plates as well.  That’s what leaders do, right?  Lead by example.  Love.  Serve.  Summer. Full of awe.

Lara and Emma - Swerving for the 1st time!

Hello Sunshine

Moore Tornadoes.  Moore rain.  More tornadoes. More rain.  This Great State I call home has had it’s share of weather drama over the past few weeks.  But we are #oklahomastrong.  We have finally had a couple of beautiful days with bright, abundant sunshine!  We were DUE!  The Weavers even got in on the bad weather blues  last week – in the middle of dance recital!  Thursday during dress rehearsal, all the moms and dancers took cover for 30 minutes or so before resuming the run through.  The first show was scheduled for Friday night at 7.  It was postponed until 7:30 as everyone that was there – dancers, staff, spectators, and vendors – was once again shuttled to “safe” locations within the building.  Some dancers and families never showed up in the first place since there was a threat of severe weather, and some left when we were sent to take cover.  So, the show was completely cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday.  In the meantime, we had a babysitter at our house with Mr. Finn.  She called while we were sheltered at the high school to tell us the power had gone out in ½ of our house.  Come to find out, we had lost a VERY large limb on a tree in the back yard, and it had taken out the power lines that run to our house as it fell.  The power company had to shut off all our power due to the fire risk, and we ended up in a hotel for the night – checked in at 11:15 pm!  LONG night….  Then, 2 recitals the next day (the second one was missing lots of dancers, and the dancers were tired, but I am glad we got to get both shows in!).  Here are my favorite images from that very crazy, more than enough, 24 hours:

Dress Rehearsal - before taking cover

Dress Rehearsal - after taking cover and back to work

Recital - Night one "taking cover." SO BORED!

Betsey and Britt - waiting out the storm..

4 hours later - Finn in the hotel room... "I may not be able to fix storm damage, but I stayed at the Holiday Inn last night!"

Since then, we have been trying to enjoy our summer.  T-ball games!  Several have been canceled and rescheduled due to rain, but we are just a couple of weeks from the end of the season!  The rain has been a constant companion, but it comes with cooler temperatures and overcast skys, so it is a nice change for an Oklahoma summer!  The kids are adjusting to days with Nana, and I have started my summer schedule of 4 – 10 hour work days with Wednesdays off.  This past Wednesday was my first.  We did chores around the house in the morning, ate lunch, then went bowling.  We ran a couple of errands, then came home to make Jello play doughcookies.  Over all, a pretty fun day.  But, FWIW, 4 kids who are all very high energy and 3 of them are high maintenance with forceful personalities will wear ANYONE out!  KUDOS to Nana the Wonder Sitter – I don’t know how she does it!

And in Finn news…  We were trying to sleep train him, but then we had to spend a night in a hotel, and he got this silly summer cold - which put us at his specialist on Monday.  (21 pounds!  YAY!) We’ve been derailed a bit on the sleep thing…  But as soon as he is feeling better we are back at it!  he is on breathing treatments and Dimetapp 3x a day right now.  Poor Peanut! Here is a slide show chronicling the first few nights and how it all went:

By Slide.ly - SlideShow Maker

Finn’s Child Development specialist came to the house for an evaluation yesterday.  She was SO HAPPY with his progress.  He has come a long way in a few short weeks, and he warmed up to her very quickly (which is rare).  He even shared toys, pillows, and used tissues with her! LOL!  At the beginning of the appointment, I told her Finn had 5 words: No, Yes, up, down & uh-oh - in that order, all in the last 7-10 days. These 5 words he uses often and appropriately. While she was there, Finn added cup and ball. Can you say, language explosion?!? She said he is now caught up to his actual age as far as language goes! Just a few short months ago he was MONTHS behind!  And of course, since he is running and climbing like crazy, he has caught up physically, too!  Nana the wonder sitter said he used hello and bye-bye, too!  YAY for talking Finn!

Here's hoping the good news and good weather continue!  We want to go SWIMMING, but it's been too cool!  June doesn't quite feel like June... YET!  Stay tuned!

Where has the time gone?

9 months – and A WEEK!

I really need time to slow down!  I thought summer was a time for fun and relaxing and enjoying lazy days!  While we have had a couple of pretty lazy Saturday’s as of late, the rest of the time has been go go go!  And here we are ONE WEEK past Finn’s 9^th month-day!  I haven’t even contemplated professional pictures – let alone made arrangements for some!  But, summer with 2 full time working parents, 4 kids, a LARGE house to maintain, swim lessons,  summer camps, sleepovers, dance auditions, operetta rehearsals, and doctor’s appointments, a moment to breathe has been hard to come by!  WHEW!  Gotta love summer! 

As the lead picture shows, Finn was weighed in at his 9 month pediatrician checkup earlier this week.  He is 15 pounds and 6 ounces, and he is 26.5 inches long.  He is still well below the third percentile curve for a 9 month old, but he is getting closer!  I also looked up those stats on a 6 month old (his adjusted age) and he is about 10^th percentile for weight and 50^th for height.  Still a peanut, but he is growing just as he should be!  We also had another SoonerStart visit this week, and she was wanting us to encourage him to sit alone (this was Monday), and to get on all fours to start crawling.  By his 11:30 doctor’s appointment on Tuesday – he had mastered sitting!  He just needed the extra encouragement!  Nana the Wonder Sitter texted me earlier this afternoon and said he said unassisted for over 20 minutes this afternoon – correcting himself when he needed to – listening to his Big Twisters read him books!  SO SWEET!  He was also scheduled to have a hearing test this week.  I won’t go into WHY, but it has been rescheduled for next week… (*smh*)

In the meantime, Emma and Lara got to spend the better part of last weekend at Yost Lake with a friend, and then spent the last 4 days at Camp Lela!  They are having a super fun summer, and I love watching them interact with their friends, their brothers, and just growing into fantastic young ladies!  Plus, they have amazing tan lines for being outside so much!  I have had several adults that have spent extended time with them lately tell me how wonderful it is to have them in their company, and I truly appreciate it.  Don’t get me wrong, they still have their 10-year-old-girl moments, but they are truly becoming the young ladies God wants them to be.  They are really starting to look forward to starting 5^th grade at a new school next month, and we have been blessed by being able to meet several families that have kids around the same age at the school.  Hopefully, this will be an easy transition for them.  Lara also tried out for a company dance squad at a local dance studio, and has made it!  We are still working out details, but look forward to starting that fun adventure soon, too!

Jake made it until last weekend before ever going swimming this summer – that’s how crazy busy we’ve been!  So, he was super thrilled to tag along and jump on in at Yost Lake with his sisters and their friend for a bit last weekend.  This week he started his annual due of swim lessons.  He had a rough start, but it going strong now.  At the end of last year they recommended Level 2 for him, so that’s what we signed him up for.  He started the first lesson with the Level 2 group, but was soon moved back down to Level 1.  This DID NOT sit well with Master Jacob!  Poor guy was so embarrassed and mad and SAD.  But, after much talking and cajoling, we got him going for the second lesson, and he said it was the most fun he had ever had at the pool! LOL!  5 year olds are fickle! He is super excited about MORE fun pool time tonight as his T-ball team has a slightly belated end-of-season swim party.  He may have gotten a late start on the pool time this season, but we are making up for it fast!

Oh, and those Doctor's appointments I mentioned?  Not all of them are for Finn.  I went to the dentist this week.  I have a CAVITY!  Only my 2nd in my 37 years of life!  It is the exact opposite side of my first one ever - 3 years ago.  My dentist (whom I love) was telling me how "easy" it was to fix and how it was "no problem" and "shouldn't take but 30 minutes."  I looked at her and said , "Yeah!  'SAYS THE DENTIST!'"  So, I got back in a couple of weeks for a filling.  JOY!

Hard to believe we are already over half way through summer!  Next week Emma and Lara are performing in the “Jack and the Beanstalk” Operetta at the Stillwater Public Library on Monday (for family) and Tuesday (for the public).  We are thrilled to see what they have been working on for the past several weeks!  I was 10 the first time I got bit by the acting bug, and I loved performing from that day on.  I wonder how this experience will shape their futures!  I can’t wait to run it down here on the blog and show off pictures.  In the meantime, I have to finish their costumes…  So, until next week!

Happy Summer!

“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon”

That is a quote from the incomparable Winnie the Pooh.  He loved balloons!  Come to think of it, I’ve had a few dogs that love balloons, too.  And all my kids seem to go crazy over them.  I distinctly remember Emma playing with her first balloon at about 10 months old.  Lara had one, too, but for some reason Emma’s reactions stick out in my mind.  But I digress.  All of that has nothing to do with my post today.  I got off on a tangent! Time to reign it back in…

This past weekend, Britt, Jake, Finn and I got to be a part of a very memorable time in some dear friends’ of ours lives.  (Emma and Lara were with their other dad at the time.)  Jenny and Brian are pregnant with their first child, and this weekend they had a little get together to see if “Baby B” as they were calling it would in fact be a boy or a girl.  You may recall that Britt and I had a similar gathering, and we cut a cake to reveal the batter color indicating if Shocker would be a girl or a boy.  Our friends too it to the next level – using BALLOONS filled with helium in a big cardboard box.  It was SO FUN to watch.  But first, I have to tell about the games we were subjected too.  She had a 3 stage “Daddy Olympics” of sorts that my fabulous husband got to participate in – and he survived the first 2 rounds!  Round one had 8 dads from the audience chugging water form a baby bottle (the first 6 finished moved on):

Notice Britt was the only man on team Pink.  Or at least the only one man enough to don a pink shirt!

Then, they had to CORRECTLY diaper and put a onsite on a baby doll.  There was some cheating going on here!  I knew Britt would excel at this one – he was the only dad with an infant on the panel!  He even cuddled and burped his baby when he was done!  The 4 fastest moved on…

Round 3 was a pacifier spitting contest.  (Think watermelon seeds…) This was pretty funny.  All 4 daddies had very different techniques, and I have to give my hubby props because he came in second!  And there are not any pictures of this event as my camera freaked out about this time, and really, what can possible be more attractive that the ones above from the bottle chugging… ;)

With our friend Darci (who was also on team PINK with me), I got to help MC a game of “Old Wives Tales” where Jenny was asked 15 questions related to old wives tales that “predicted” the gender of the baby.  As you can see from the board at the end of the game, it was VERY heavy on the “boy” side…

After everyone had voted pink or blue, cast a lot for the corresponding name they thought the parents had picked, consumed fun foods based on her cravings, cute blue and pink treats, and LOTS of bottled water to stave off the heat, and the games were all done, the time had FINALLY come.  A friend of Jenny’s had the dubious job of acquiring the balloons in the correct color and sealing them in the box.  The guests all gathered around Jenny’s mom’s side yard to watch the happy couple open the box.  Here is the video I took revealing the gender of Baby B:

It’s a BOY!  The look on Jenny’s face is priceless!  She has lots of little boys in her family, so I know she will get lots of good advice.  And of course, she can always ask me, too.  We are so excited for them and look forward to welcoming Braxton Wayne in November!  

Jenny and Brian – thanks for including us in your big day!  LOVE you guys!

And lastly, I have to mention the HEAT (previously alluded to in the party wrap-up)!  While it is oppressive, this week is the first week we’ve hit triple digits, and by this time last year, we had been in the thick of it for almost a month.  And, it still looks like this summer will be better than last summer.  I am trying to not complain about the heat, because NOTHING can compare to the misery I was in last summer with the record breaking heat, my complicated pregnancy, and an old home and air conditioner that simple could not keep up.  I am a million times better off this summer, and for that I HAVE to be grateful!  Thank you Lord, for providing!

Sum- Sum- Summertime!

Here we are – 2^nd week of June and summer is well under way!  And, it has been over 2 weeks since I sat down to write and update my little corner of the world.  Can you say, BUSY?  That’s what’s been going on in the World of Weavers!  Getting out of school for the summer means getting in to a new routine and for us this year, every few days that routine changes since no one is in formal day care/day camp this summer.  It has proven to be a bit overwhelming at times, and a huge logistics puzzle that requires LOTS of communication between the four adult, car owning drivers we have in our family helping out this summer.  So thankful for my Cozi calendar to help keep it all straight and to text reminders to people!  I’ve only had a couple of meltdowns trying to make sure it is all taken care of… ;)

The past couple of weeks have seen lots of excitement and new things at our house!  The weekend after Memorial Day, we had our first “event” at our new house.  We hosted our LifeGroup in our home – kids and all!  There were 4 families there, which included 10 kids ages 10 to 6 months.  It was a loud, crazy, running around the house, up and down the stairs, chaotic mess – and we loved it!  We had ice cream floats for snacks, and it was a HUGE hit!  Followed that up with 3 intense days of dance recital, and by Monday of the following week, I was WORN OUT.  Dance recital, as always, was a blast.  Lara was in 2 dances – ballet and jazz, while Emma was in one (ballet).  They both did a GREAT job, and I know they had a wonderful time.  (If you are a die-hard dance fan, you can check out the rehearsal pieces on my youtube channel!)  They both enjoy it, and I just love seeing all the costumes, the music, the production!  *sigh* Reminds me of my dancing days years ago…

Speaking of our summer schedule, it has all of the kids involved in LOTS of things to try to keep them busy, and to try to keep my mom (Nana) sane!  We are trying to break the kids up as much as possible, so she only has all four for short periods of time.  She reminds me ALL THE TIME how old she is, and how she’s not a spring chicken anymore, and how she’s already raised her kids! LOL!  Gotta love the Grandma-isms!  But, she is doing a GREAT job – the kids are having a wonderful summer.  The girls have small rolls in an Operetta that will be performed next month, and they rehearse for that formally once a week, and then work on their parts at home as well.  This week, they are also in a morning day camp through the Sierra Nature Club – they have done this for several years now and absolutely LOVE Nature Camp!  We have Jake set up one day a week to go to a friend’s house to hang out with him and his babysitter, too.  He has had fun adventures with this so far – including a trip to the StillwaterPublic Library this week to see the Mad Scientist – which he won’t stop talking about!  It’s a great change of scenery for Jake, and I know his friend is happy having a playmate once in a while, too!  Lara has also started a dance camp this week in the evenings to hone her skills over the summer, and she is LOVING it so far!  She woke up tired and sore, so I know it was good for her!  LOL!  Add to all that T-ball games (which we have several make ups this week due to rain outs), several appointments of various types for Finn and for me (my back is acting up again), a trip to Enid to celebrate a (very) belated Mother’s Day with my mother-in-law, and we are meeting ourselves coming and going!

Coasters I made my Mother and Mother-In-Law for Mother's day.  Instructions: http://leelala.net/2011/02/diy-tile-coasters/

Did I mention I am back in the A Dee Pi saddle again, too?  Yeah, I can’t stay away too long!  Shout out to my AMAZING husband and the best Daddy in the land as he was single daddy of 4 for almost 24 hours straight as I attended back to back to back summer meetings for my position last Friday evening and almost all day Saturday!  I got the call and accepted a new position within our structure a few weeks ago, so I have a lot to learn again.  Feels good to be back on the board (well, 2 board this time, but I digress…), and back to interacting with our collegiate members.  They keep me young.  And active.  The last event I was involved with last year was Bid Day in mid-August before I was put on strict bed rest – almost a year ago now.  And our meetings this past weekend were all about finalizing plans for Spirit Week, Formal Recruitment and Bid Day.  WHEW!  I can’t wait to see how it all turns out in just a few short weeks!

And for all you Finn Fans out there, here is an update on him as well!  He is by far my smiliest baby – and it shows in all the pictures we take of him!  But, we have not gotten any real belly laughs out of him, yet.  I can’t wait to hear that sound!

But, he has allergies.  Welcome to living in Oklahoma, little buddy!  We took him to the doctor to rule out a cold or any respiratory issues, and allergies are probably what are causing his congestion.  We have added a Vicks steamer to his room (Jake’s too – he’s breathing GREAT!) at night to help with the congestion, and it seems to be working well.  The nights we (OK, *I*) forget to turn in on you can really tell it the next morning.  Despite not being able to breathe, Finn has grown like a WEED lately.  He is still in size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing, but he suddenly looks so BIG.  His head has gotten bigger for sure – there are a couple of T-shirts that don’t have the envelope sleeves or snaps on the shoulders that are HARD to get over his noggin!  And his feet are finally growing!!!  His cute little newborn crocheted slippers he got right before Easter were big then, and they are just now getting too small.  But, the size “0” baby shoes at Target and Wal-Mart are still just huge…  I figure another 2 weeks and we’ll have to break out the 6-9 month clothing…  Along with all this growing, he is getting better at sitting unassisted (still in a “tri-pod” pose), and we know he can roll from tummy to back (although we rarely see it), so we offered him some cereal for the first time last week!  Here are some pictures/video of how that went down:

 

 

Not bad for a first try!  He’s still not an expert, and it may be a little early yet.  Our pediatrician recommended he be 6 months adjusted age (which would be July 5), but he has been very interested in watching us eat, reached for our food, and got a hold of some applesauce from Jake a few days back and was able to get that in his mouth without thrusting it out with his tongue, so we decided to try.  I also just read that the “old” school of thought was to offer rice cereal first and let them get good with that before moving on to vegetables, THEN fruit – saving meat for later - has been replaced with a more “feed them whatever, whenever” school of thought.  I’m not too sure how I feel about that! I’ve been feeding babies that way for over 10 years!  LOL!  Plus, we have this whole box of rice cereal to get through…  Anyway – we’ll stick with rice cereal once a day for now, then maybe I’ll get adventurous with some fruits and veggies (not sure in what order, though…)

Father’s day is this weekend, and I am looking forward to honoring my amazing husband and my hardworking dad.  I don’t have any cute Pinterest projects to produce for them.  My dad is next to impossible to buy for, so he will probably get cards from the kids and I.  But my husband, I have the perfect (in my mind – this has turned disastrous for me in the past.  Apparently, I am not a great gift giver when it comes to my husband) idea in mind for Britt.  I can’t wait to take the kids shopping Saturday morning (nothing like the last minute!  It’s hard for a working mom to get things done…)!  I hope he likes it!  And Honey, if you’re reading this, just fake it if not, OK?  ;)