Well, I'm not entirely sure how it's possible, but yesterday marked an entire month (!!!) since our return to Oklahoma. I guess I'd best pick up after the weekend of the 4th and continue catching up on our life here in these parts...
On Monday, July 7, the kids and I were excited to go visit Porter's new preschool for the very first time. His cousins Emerson and Ellis attended here when they were his age, which adds to the coolness factor for him. I set up our tour on a morning when the school wasn't holding its summer session, so Miss Hannah, one of the teachers who also works in the office, was able to visit with us for quite some time. She showed us what will be Porter's classroom this fall, and while the kids played, she told me a little bit more about the children's daily schedule and the curriculum they will be using. Based upon my sister's strong recommendation, I had expected to get a great vibe from the school, and I wasn't disappointed. I know the Lord has a great year planned for our Porter Boy, and I can't wait to watch him learn and grow!
Fish tank at the entrance was a big hit.
Malone was pretty impressed with the water fountain. ;)
Making himself right at home with the trains.
On, Tuesday, July 8, one of my favorite people on the planet, Cindy Beall, invited the munchkins + me over to her casa for a morning of swimming. Kaiser + Porter were super stoked to hang at a new-to-them pool; I was just excited to be in the presence of my friend. Though I'd seen Cindy on our move-in day and on our first Sunday at church, we had yet to spend any quality time together. So, while my boys
Staying toasty in the tub.
This girl in green was kind of a mess.
Malone snapped this awesome pic of Cindy. She's a natural.
That Sether Joe is a sweet one.
Making friends with the Bealls' Yorkie, Bevo.
Launching himself off of the rock ledge.
The swimmer in action:
Swingin' sibs.
You know that your non-napping 5 1/2-year-old is pooped when he abandons his Lego building project and puts himself to bed on the couch.
That evening, I was pumped about a visit from my bestie from college, Emily, and her family. Her husband had a golf event for work to participate in on Wednesday, but they decided to drive in from Tulsa the night before and stay in a hotel. We had plans to hang out the next day, but she asked if they could stop by after going to dinner with her sister to say hi. Of course, I told her to c'mon over! The Braly babes were already playing the backyard, so Emily, Justin, and their children Olivia + Ethan joined us out there.
Last time I saw Em, this girl was in my belly!
Taking turns on the tractor.
Getting a push from her new buddy.
After a while, my trio was practically begging to head to bed, and our friends needed to get back to their hotel, too. At Kaiser's suggestion, we sent dinosaur-obsessed Olivia off with a brachiosaurus toy to keep her company for the night, which she promised to return when she came to our place the next afternoon.
On Wednesday, July 9, we spent the morning at the YMCA while our friends were in Kingfisher visiting grandparents. Due to some overtired kiddos, they had to adjust their plans and take naps at Emily's sister's house before coming over to see us a little after 2:00. The oldest three got busy straight away playing up in the boys' bedroom, while Emily + Ethan + I hung out downstairs chatting/playing. Honestly, it had been a pretty crazy morning -- car issues + pest issues requiring immediate attention had me stressing out bigtime -- and I wasn't the best, most attentive hostess. Then, Justin called to say that he'd finished much earlier than expected, so their time with us was cut short by a couple of hours. I wish I had some cute pics to share of the little people hanging together, but alas, I didn't snap a single one. My only consolation was that I knew I'd be making a trip to Tulsa to see my BFF the following week, and that the kids and I planned to make a separate trip in the near future to go to the zoo with the Forths.
Would you believe that I only took one photo all day, and Kaiser requested that I do so when he completed this:
Told him I wasn't sure he could put this {legitimately difficult} puzzle together all on his own. He proceeded to make me eat my words.
On the morning of Thursday, July 10, my niece Emerson texted me while I was at the Y to tell me that she was available to help if I needed a hand with the kids. As a matter of fact, I did! The previous days' pest scare had resulted in an appointment with The Bug Guy for treatment that afternoon at 12:00, and we needed to be out of the house for at least 2 hours while it did its magic. I also had an appointment with my chiropractor that afternoon at 3:00, which happens to be right by the Rowes' house. I realized that the perfect situation would be for me to come over with the kids, hang out for a little while, put Malone down for a nap, then leave the boys to swim/play while I went to see the chiro. Emerson was all for it -- and the kids were thrilled with the prospect of seeing her -- so I took her up on her kind offer.
Tickled to be twinning with his cousin.
They love the tramp.
So much that I {almost} want to buy one of our own.
Teaching K + P how to play Jenga.
Serious concentration.
As if Emerson hadn't already come to our rescue enough, that night she really saved us. I learned that, after the pest treatment, I needed to come back and vacuum our entire house. That's great and all, but a little difficult with three kids running around. So, after feeding everyone dinner at the Rowes', I left them in my niece's care yet again while I drove home and vacuumed every square inch until I was sweating buckets (thankfully, Pops came over to help with the upstairs). Then it was back to pick up my babes, who were having the time of their life with now not only Emerson, but also Aunt Cami + Ellis (who had been gone all day at work + gymnastics). By the grace of God I was able to get them lured into the bathtub and finally loaded in the car and back home, where we all crashed way past our bedtimes.
At 9:00 on Friday, July 11, we met up with a couple of other new mommy friends + their broods for a special morning treat at The Donut Nest. While our kids stuffed their faces with sugary goodness, Sarah, Kara-Kae + I managed to get in a few minutes of conversation. Unfortunately, the workers at the Nest decided to hand out balloons on sticks when we purchased our donuts; great in theory, but not so great when you have 8 kids who finish their food and decide it would be fun to get up out of their seats and start playfully hitting each other with them! We weren't technically kicked out, but when one of the ladies asked that we keep our children out of the way of the door because it was not safe, we took the not-so-subtle hint and left promptly.
Only shot of my pajama-ed princess and her "boon".
After donuts, Sarah, Helen + Halle invited us over to their neighborhood pool to swim. We gladly took them up on their offer and spent the rest of the morning enjoying the company of these three sweet girls. No pictures to show for it (partially due to the fact that Maloney was throwing a minor fit every few minutes), but we had a nice time.
So, have I mentioned that we're missing Brett pretty desperately? If not, let me just be clear -- WE ARE. On Friday afternoon, Kaiser + Porter worked on some notes and pictures to send to Daddy, just to let him know we're thinking of him all. the. time.
"Oklahomeu" isn't the same without him.
Later that night, we went to Pops's house for pizza. After eating dinner, we were able to Skype with our favorite doctor. I'm not sure Brett got a word in edgewise, what with all of the screeching that was going on. It was loud + hilarious + heartwarming + LOUD.
A relatively calm moment.
Most looked like this.
Our daughter wasn't the least bit excited to see her daddy. ;)
Eventually we said goodbye (and see you in 22 days!) to the love of our lives and headed out on a walk. I'd wanted to take the kids to the little playground in Pops's neighborhood, and it ended up being an absolutely perfect evening to do so. We couldn't ask for more pleasant weather, with mild temperatures and just a hint of a breeze. I could have easily stayed outdoors all night! The kids really had a blast and were bummed when we had to leave.
Had been a good while since they'd swung together.
She was all about the big girl swing.
"See, I can do it."
Love this girl's confidence.
"A little help here?"
Stopping to check out the creek on our walk back.
Face of a boy who's tired from racing Mommy from mailbox to mailbox.
Found the karaoke machine right as we were about to walk out the door!
Thanks to the holiday, our third week happened in a snap! And, since we had lots of fun things planned for the next few days, the week to come was sure to pass quickly, too...
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