Plenty To Do

 I'm back to being somewhat useful this week.  I hope.  It's still not much, but it's so much better than this whole year has been.

I was going to pick up the girls on Monday and take Katherine to soccer, but Ryan texted and said he would get them, and Emily would meet them there after work.  Kate was disappointed that I didn't get to see her play, but I bet I will next week.

Yesterday I had PT and did fine.  I'm sure it could have been better, but it wasn't worse.  Emily came over and distracted Laura for a lovely 5 minutes, so that was a bonus time when she was kneading my muscles.  I had very little time when I got home to pick up leotards and then pick up girls and get them to the gym - and then go through that confusion of changing clothes and putting up hair.  I think I'll call next Tuesday and remind Ryan to pack the leotards so Jadyn can have them dressed.  This was my first time picking them up by myself and my first time seeing J's little girl Sawyer since she was a little baby.  Jadyn handles the 4 older girls' school schedules and chases Sawyer around a few days a week.  Sawyer just turned 2 and thinks those girls are her sisters.  She cried so sadly when I picked them up.  

Katherine had her class first, and she did so well.  She's a serious little thing.  This is when she noticed that I was watching her and taking her picture.

I remembered to take a distraction for the ones waiting.  They forgot their masks and had to ask for a throwaway one.

Graysen has learned the names of her classmates and had a great day too.  Their group is too far away for me to get good pictures of them.

This is probably my least favorite thing to take them to, but I'm so lucky to get to spend time with them.  The chairs or bleachers are hard to sit on for 2 hours, even with getting up and walking around.  It's as noisy as can be, and there is always some little brother or sister having a meltdown in the waiting area.  I'll have to ask, but I think I remember that we're not supposed to leave them alone - but maybe that's the very youngest ones.  

I entertain myself watching what people have worn out in the middle of the afternoon.  The gymnasts are pretty nicely dressed and groomed, but the siblings - oh, my.  Lots of pajamas and slippers and various costumes.  Many of the kids are brought by their dads, but the mothers look at you with that level gaze meaning, "Don't judge.  We've made it through another day."   Think messy buns and leggings and most of them juggling one or more other kids who are hungry/tired/sleepy/hyper.  I hear a lot of, "Who thinks chicken nuggets would be good tonight?"

Luckily, I just have to drop off my apple-chomping sweeties and head home.

I love how they never forget anything!  Especially Graysen, because Katherine was just a baby when the elk story happened.  The herd was out on both sides of the road today, but they were starting to cross the road as we went past.  Graysen said, "Do you remember when Daddy yelled at the elk?"

He didn't actually yell at the elk, but he did get out of the car and yell.  At people.  I had taken him to get his car worked on in North Bend with the girls along for the ride early one morning when we saw the elk all crossing the road.  Unfortunately, one of them separated from the herd and started walking up the shoulder on the grass away from the others.  That caused people to stop, not only for fear of hitting her - or her hitting them - but just to see one up close looking right in your window.  After sitting there for probably only 5 minutes, Ryan got impatient to get home and started fussing about why people had to stop and sightsee.  Finally he stepped out of his car and yelled, "What's wrong, folks.  Move along!"  Graysen was so shocked and embarrassed that she never forgot it.  I guess she was about 3 years old.  It's now one of those crazy stories that we like to laugh about.  I doubt Ryan even remembers it.  

He's coming along with the house remodeling.  I always mean to take more pictures, but I forget.  Here's the fireplace wall.  To the left, that corner fireplace that they hated has been removed and a pocket door put in between the den and the mud room.  This wall with be a center fireplace with bookshelves on either side.  

This is in 2018 right after they moved in.  The old fireplace is gone, and the new one will go where the bookcase was.

I know it will be beautiful when he gets it done.  He's about finished moving the laundry room upstairs and changing out the office door and wall.  I'm not even sure what else they have planned.

Today was what Katherine deemed as the most exciting day EVER!  There are a lot of those.  

First of all, this happened pretty early.  She's had to wait a long two years while Graysen lost tooth after tooth and got visits from the Tooth Fairy.  

She got her expander in last week, and already it's changing her mouth.  Graysen is out of her expander and is using retainers.  It sure makes eating tricky.  

We played a few games of Slapzi.  I wasn't that familiar with it, but it was lots of fun.  Katherine refused to play with us but only dealt the cards for us.  She has a hard time with speed games and a harder time with losing.  Later on, when Graysen was doing her piano lesson, I talked her into playing just with me, and we went slowly.  She won both games and loved it.  I think it's the reading that holds her back right now, but she's getting there.  

They enjoyed the sunshine while I talked on the phone and texted a little bit.  Sharks and trucks and playing in the fairy garden.  

We had time to walk over to the park for only about 20 minutes, but they met some friends and really didn't want to leave.  Katherine asked her if I would leave her there while I took Graysen home for piano, but she does not know her Mimi well if she thinks I would do that!  You can imagine how I have to struggle to sit there and watch them on that swing!

After piano and Emily arriving home, Ryan was to take them bike riding, so I wandered off home to rest!  It makes my day for them to beg me not to go home and say I'm the best Mimi in the world.  I'll take that.  I just wish I were a little younger and more energetic for them.

Biking pictures tomorrow and maybe some greenery Friday.  Emily and I plan to ride to North Bend to check out the Senior Center plant sale after we drop the girls off and see what tomato varieties they have for sale.  And maybe get some advice on growing them here in this short growing season.