The boys spent the afternoon at the NVFD, with a load of other kids from our moms’ group…checking out the firetrucks, running in the water from the fire hose, donning themselves with fire hats (donated by the fire department) and sunglasses (donated by Publix), and eating ice cream treats (donated by Publix). What a fun summertime gathering…I’m so grateful for our community.
The boys and I went blueberry picking today at Valley Home Farm!!! That place just keeps getting better…not only do they have strawberries for picking but now they have blueberries AND blackberries. We met some dear friends there, that we have been fruit picking every spring and summer with since Roman was 2 months old…so precious. The boys all had homemade blueberry ice cream afterwards, and I had a homemade strawberry honey pop. Delicious. Kim and I sat on the shaded deck and got to visit a little bit while the kids ran around the farm. It was a good morning.
Mom: “Jonas, stop fighting about molecules with your three year old brother!”
Jonas: “Dad, who’s your favorite son?”
Dad: “Jesus.”
Jonas: “Why do dark colors soak up the sun more than light colors?”
Xander: “Ice cream and whipped cream are twins because they’re both white.”
Xander: “Does it seem like the moon follows us? I think it really likes us.”
Roman: “You put fruit in it and then you punch it. That’s fruit punch.”
Roman: “It looks like a booger, but it’s just green beans.”
Roman (trying to figure out how Siri knew how to get to the beach house): “Has Siri been here before?”
Roman: “Siri is Maw’s cousin.”
Roman: “Jonas, am I famous?”
Jonas: “No.”
Roman: “Yes I am. Everybody knows me.”
The boys had VBS at Holy Family this week and loved it!!!
The boys and I went downtown to the Cumberland Park Sprayground this morning. The coolest part by far was seeing the Blue Angels fly over the parking lot and hearing them break the sound barrier…I was jumping up and down and hooting and hollering…and the boys were super pumped about it too. We met one of our good neighbor friends at the sprayground, and the kids had a blast together. We picnicked and picked up an ice cream treat on our way out. I was smiley about a first for me…all three of the boys went into the boys bathroom with their dry clothes in hand and came out with their wet clothes in hand!!! It’s the little things. 🙂
Tom and the boys and I put out flags in our neighborhood (for the HOA) in honor of Memorial Day. I gave Tom a hard time about using a cordless drill to make the holes for the flags, but it TOTALLY worked and made things so much easier. The boys had a good time running all over the neighborhood and helping out.
We went to the Smyrna Splash Pad this afternoon! We had a picnic under a shady tree and had fun running around in the water.
The wagon that the Paccassis gave us for Christmas comes in SO handy for outings like these filled up with a cooler full of food, sunscreen, and dry towels and clothes. And I’m absolutely loving the rash guards that I found on clearance at Lands End with SPF 50 in them (thanks to a tip from Xander’s piano teacher)…I think they’re going to save my skin this summer.
I took the boys to gymnastics this morning. We met some moms and kids from our moms’ group, and if truth be told…I left crying. Ha! Funny now but not then. The boys were not listening and running around like wild banshees. I had to go and ask the gymnastics coach, as she was taking payments, what her rules were so that I could enforce them with my boys (because I knew they would push every boundary they could until they found out what they were). What made it a little more tough was that there were lots of little ones there who are used to having the gym all to themselves at that time. Suffice it to say that I will not be taking them back there this summer. They still had a good time, so I guess that counts for something.
Here are a few pictures of Jonas and Roman’s climbing adventures with Daddy this afternoon…
Happy 41st Birthday, Tom!!!
We went to Percy Priest Lake this morning. I had never been there before, and I probably never would have braved going with the boys had it not been for my dear neighbor sending the moms’ club invite (and for Tom coming with us since it was his 41st birthday today!!!). It definitely gives you that feeling of being “somewhere else”…wading in the water, playing in the sand, etc. We enjoyed a picnic with friends in the shade afterwards and the kids had fun running around on the playground. We hope to go back soon.
The boys and I went to the zoo this afternoon. It was good times…even though we had tantrums over maps, potty emergencies, and three strong willed little boys running all over the place with selective hearing…we had a wait in a hot long line thwarted and handled with maturity by a 7 year old, a quiet 5 year old using his getting lost skills and approaching a zoo employee and giving her important information to locate his mommy (sitting 10 feet away), and big brothers giving little brothers piggy back rides. An overall success. 🙂
Tom set the boys up with their fishing poles this afternoon in the front yard, and they had a BLAST casting and reeling over and over again. They ended up camping out in chairs in the garage and trying to get their bobbers into “paradise” (the water table). I love the creativity that comes on a slow summer Sunday afternoon.
Story times and marionette shows at the Nashville Public Library downtown are such a treasure!!! We are so grateful for the wonderful cast of people who work so hard to bring joy to the lives of children and their parents in that children’s theater.
This morning, the boys and I got to the children’s library a little bit early to check out the play structure, climbing wall, puppet theater, and tinkering tables (although they all immediately got sucked in by the iBoard and iPad). Then, we met friends for a marionette show, “The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings”.
It was good times (except for Xander’s meltdown over sharing the iBoard that could be heard through the entire second floor of the library and Roman pushing some little girl trying to get her to “sit down” instead of reaching up for the smoke special effects even though he himself was standing up). Sigh…such are the ups and downs of experiencing life with children. Here’s to more of that this summer…
Jonas had a dentist appointment this morning, so I packed up our stale bread for feeding the ducks at a little pond close by on our way to the park.
We spent the afternoon hanging out in the woods near our house…the boys and Petra ran around and I got to relax for a few minutes here and there and read my book. It was a great way to celebrate the last day of school and kick off the summer.
Grandma and Grandpa Seyfried came for a visit with us at the end of the school year! We watched Roman’s last soccer game, checked out some property that we’re hoping to buy, went to mass, and saw Xander’s kindergarten program together.
Roman had his last day of preschool in the 3 year old classroom today!!! I loved seeing him love on his buddies and his teachers. The photo album that they gave us was so precious with pictures of Roman all throughout the year in class (first day, farm animal visit, lunch time, kid fit, snack time, centers, safari, rest time, Halloween, Pumpkin Fest, fuel bags, holiday parties, pajama day, dentist visit, his birthday, Dinner with Dad, and Mother’s Day Luncheon). We are so thankful for such a wonderful preschool!!!
Roman’s preschool put together such a sweet Mother’s Day Luncheon for the moms and kids. I wish Roman had gotten the sweetness memo…ha ha!!! I don’t know what it is with our family and these types of things but they seldom work out for us. I thought it would be easier this year with just one child but no dice. I almost picked him up and left early at one point but decided to wait it out to see if the tantrums got better after he ate. I tried not to let Comparative Mommy Brain take over and just go with it. I sat in the floor with him and watched the science show after lunch which was great fun. We even got to get up and participate in a science experiment! I think his favorite part was the cotton candy and mine was the peace that came over him while he was eating it. 🙂
The boys had so much fun at Painted Clay Studios for a birthday party, that I thought I’d take Roman back to see what it was all about while the big boys were in school on a discounted studio fee day. Roman picked a tile that he could hang on his wall to paint. He was really good at picking out colors that go together well and enjoyed brushing and stamping on his designs. I can’t wait to see the finished project and to take all the boys back again this summer!
