Good Weather

Sunday was more General conference. Tyler made himself a mohawk out of air dry clay between sessions. It was a beautiful day so after conference we were all outside playing soccer and volleyball and all the outdoor things. Ben ended up scratching his knee on the fence so Tyler wrapped it up. Ruby wanted a "wrap" on her knee like Ben so she went inside and put on Lucy's volleyball knee pad. The older kids were having fun showing Ruby how to fake getting hurt in soccer. At one point I decided to trim Penny's little side bangs. Everyone laughed when I cut them so she started crying but I really didn't do an awful job. They just needed to be blended into the rest of the hair better. I ended up asking Grace if she could help touch them up. She was amazing and had us come in Monday morning and now Penny's hair looks fantastic. She trimmed my bangs too and I really should always have her do it- she is so much better at it than me since she actually knows what she is doing.

Monday Penny got a sports physical so hopefully she can do archery with the middle schoolers. She is thinking of leaving Renassiance and this feels like a good way for her to meet some kids that go to our local middle school. Tyler thinks he is a cool enough coach that he can introduce her to the kids. I hope it ends up happening and is a good help for her to make a decision for schooling next year. 

Tuesday my dryer died so that was a bummer. Even worse, the new one we ordered isn't coming until next week, Wed. I'm grateful to my mom who has been doing my laundry in the meantime. 7 people make a lot of laundry and she has been helping me keep up on all of it. She even ironed my boys' dress shirts which is something I never do. She definitely wins extra Grandma points for that.

Tuesday we had lunch at Burger King with Poppy. They had some pretty awesome Halloween decorations up.

Tuesday after lunch, Ruby and I met Kara at a park we hadn't been to before. It had a great play structure- so great that when Kara and Amelia came, Ruby did not want to go for a walk around the grounds. She was really unhappy about me making her go so it wasn't the best walk but we did have a good talk about all our ailments (she has arthritis issues and me and my dumb leg pain- she inspired me to schedule a PT appt). After the walk Ameila and Ruby swung on the swings- until Ruby had to pee. The bathroom was soooo far from the playground and I about died rushing her there but thankfully she made it. When we went back to the playgroud, Ruby started playing with some other kids. She led her own made up "lava" game with the kids- it was very reminiscent of a game my dad used to play with us.

Tuesday night Ruby, Grams and I went to Ben's Soccer game. Ruby was having poop issues so I almost didn't go. She is making me crazy with getting poop smears in her underwear. I tried making her go bare butt around the house and it sort of helped but was also slightly terrifying. Anyways she ended up pooping in the potty so we could go to the game. At the beginning of the game Ruby saw Ben and shouted "Ben! I see you!!!" until he turned around. It was super cute. In the end, Ben did not get any play time and his team lost so not the greatest game but it was nice to get outside and support him nevertheless.

Wednesday both Penny and Ben had orthodontist appointments, but thier appointments were not at the same time. I'm glad the orthodontist is only minutes from our house. Ruby came with me to the second appointment because she always likes to see what movie is playing. We also all went out to lunch with grams and Poppy that day. Some of us got subway, some of us got tropical smoothie. The subway people brought their food to tropical smoothie so we could all hang out. Even Steven came so it was a good family outing. 

Thursday's playgroup was not a success this week. As I was driving to the indoor playground that we had planned to meet everyone at, I got multiple texts from people saying that they wouldn't be able to make it. Only one person said they'd come and they said they would be an hour late. I had rushed out the door to make sure we would be there on time for basically no reason. That was frustrating. We got there and it was a really cool indoor playground but it was a tall playground and Ruby was too anxious to climb up in it by herself. She ended up just playing in the toddler area. An hour after being there, Kelli showed with her girls and shortly after Sam came. Sam pretty immediately pretended I wasn't there and gushed about how excited she was to see Kelli and didn't allow me to part of conversations- talking quietly, showing pictures to only Kelli. I felt pretty excluded from my own playgroup and it didn't help that Ruby wasn't clicking with their kids and was being very needy. It's weird because Ruby usually makes friends with strangers. Anyways,I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to being left out and Ruby wasn't having a great time so I decided we would leave. I tried my best to act not upset when I told them we were heading out, I'm not sure if I was successful. It was easy to get Ruby to leave because the church that this indoor playground is in offers free drinks so I just promised her a chocolate milk on our way out. We sat at a window while she drank it and then left. I felt pretty disgruntled by it all and I'm not sure I have it in me to continue this group.  

Thursday Steven helped me make sloppy joe's for dinner without complaint. This week I have seen him making small changes in his behavior, for the better, and I hope he continues on this upward trend. 

Friday was a pretty chill day. After school work we went for a walk to 7-11 for slushees. It was a beautiful day and I always enjoy walking and talking with my kids. We have some good conversations on these walks.

Friday night the girls had a dance at Renassiance that night. It was Penny's first dance and it had a country theme. They both came back saying it was super fun- even if they don't actually dance with anyone. 

While they were at the dance, Tyler took Ruby out of the house so I could clean. I'm actually really enjoying this new routine. I like being able to plug into a show and get the house clean with no one around to bug me. 

Saturday at lunchtime Ben had a soccer game. Ruby got there and immediately started whining for candy. I thought it was going to be a rough game but she got over it pretty quickly and even made a friend. Ben got to play for 20 minutes so that was really awesome. And even better, his team won. 

Book Club and Play Group Success

Sunday morning I woke up feeling puffy under one of my eyes. When I looked in the mirror, sure enough, my cheek was swollen under my eye. I hadn't slept well and had some drainage but since I wasn't feeling awful, I still went to church. I figured a puffy face wasn't a reason to miss church. At church Ruby's friend (Melissa P) was gone so Ruby desperately tried to get everyone around us to play with her- the little boy in the pew in front of us, the family in the pew to the right of us and then, a mom behind us (who had 3 little ones of her own). Ruby would show them things from her bag and try to chat them up. She is such an attention hog. After church we needed to give Reggie a ride and I asked Steven to do it (we bring several cars to church) and he refused saying "Why do I have to do everything?" That led to a discussion after church where he was asked to write out a list of everything we do for him/give him- the catch was if it wasn't on the list he wouldn't get it anymore. It felt like a fitting punishment, although I am not sure it changed his attitude quite as much as I was hoping for. Also after church, I suddenly got struck down with all the usual cold symptoms and felt completely miserable. It's funny how all those symptoms waited until after church was over. Thankfully I had nothing to do after church- besides deal with a toddler- so I was mostly able to rest. 

Monday I felt much better but still not 100%. I am glad that whatever I had was fairly short lived. However, my hormones went insane Monday so I pretty much snapped at everyone in the family and I felt extra irritable towards Ruby because she was particularly needy. It was not one of my finest days. Tyler decided to buy a gym membership and further pushed me into a bad mood when he left me with the toddler to go work out that evening. Some days my hormones just cannot handle a full day of Ruby.

That night Steven got the brunt of my hormones when I unplugged the internet on him at 11pm because he was being too noisy gaming with friends. Our room is right across from him and I just cannot sleep when I can hear him. He came down "to get a drink of water" (or maybe to fix the internet) and we had a chat about my concerns that he is addicted to the internet and that he needs more balance in his life. Once again, not sure if this conversation made a difference but these are legit concerns I have for him.

Tuesday was a beautiful day, but my horomones were still messy so I opted against going to storytime and being around other people. Instead I went with Grams and Ruby to Milford. We parked at Central Park and then walked to the bakery for treats and then played at the park. The park was dead when we got there, literally no other kids, but near the end a 2 year old girl showed up and Ruby quickly started to hang out with her. They wandered the playground together- pretty much  instant friends. Ruby is just so much happier when she is with other kids and I am starting to think she might be the first kid of mine that I put into preschool.

Tuesday night was book club. We were discussing "How to Solve Your Own Murder". Grace, Becky, my mom and Marlene came- a smaller group than normal. I served caramel and apples and homemade toffee. After we ate some treats we all talked about how much we didn't like the book. It was nice to have us all in agreement on it being a very poorly written book. Then I read everyone's "fortune" using oracle cards. That was actually really fun and I think I was kind of on point for some. Grace brought slightly "darker" oracle cards and we did those next, but those were not very nice fortunes so we didn't love those. Next I had some logic crime puzzles I had gotten off Etsy. We broke off into pairs and solved the puzzles. Everyone seemed to enjoy doing them and it seemed like book club was a success, despite being small in numbers.

Wednesday evening  I was trying to clean out the guest room- it had become a bit of a place to just dump everything so it really needed it. While I was attempting to clean, Ruby was dumping things out (like buttons and googly eyes) and just making a giant mess. Tyler ended up taking Ruby to Home Depot so I could actually get it cleaned it. I was grateful for that. Now the guest room feels a bit more ogranized and less chaotic. We still have too much stuff but we are also a family of 7.

Thursday's playgroup was much more successful than last week- there were 3 other moms there and the nanny that I had met at the library came as well. I was glad the nanny came because she is maybe a decade older than me so then I wasn't the oldest lady in the room- although I am the oldest mom in the room. My friend Kassi hosted (she has a beautiful house and lots of fun toys). The kids parallel played for a long time but near the end they started to interact with each other. Ruby still gravitates towards the grownups and will chat them up or try to get them to play with her. She can make things so awkward.  She also can occasionally have a hard time sharing but I do see her doing better. Conversing with grown ups was nice for me but afterwards I started overthinking everything I said and started wondering if I had retold stories that I had already shared and if I was being an annoying conversationalist. Hopefully I didn't scare people away and the playgroup continues to be a success. 

Thursday evening I ran a couple errands with the girls. After cleaning out the guest room, I realized their special markets had dried out and since I didn't want them using mine, I decided to buy them new ones at 5 and Below. We also stopped by Marshall's just to browse and I ended up buying them shirts. I wish I had an unlimited budget and could properly clothes shop for winter clothes for all of us, but alas I cannot. Clothes are just so expensive so I have to buy them sparingly. I guess that's a good thing since we have too many things in our house ;) It is fun to shop with them though and even Ruby had fun trying on some clothes (that I did not buy for her).

Friday was not an exciting day for me. Homeschool, work out, entertain a toddler, pizza night, and clean the house (while the kids were at the temple and Tyler was out with Ruby). Saturday was equally non exciting- took Lucy to law mow, made cinnamon bread, watched General Conference (yelled at Penny for being silly over where she was sitting while Tyler yelled at Steven for being silly over helping him out), walk with Steven and Ruby, more General Conference, and Panda Express with Tyler.

Too Social

Sunday we had the missionaries over for dinner. Tyler made an Asian beef and rice dish and it was perfect because it is a fairly cheap meal to make for 9 people. Also it's not too complicated to make, so he was able to finish it on time. I think the Sister missionaries are much less awkward to have over for dinner than the elders we have had in the past. I think they just have better conversational skills. But at the same time they really lingered at the end, like they didn't want to leave. I always find lingering good byes extremely awkward because people should leave when things are over but also, I don't want to be mean. I guess I should take it as a compliment though, that we are people that others want to hang with. 

And a cute picture of Lucy and Ruby from Sunday...

Monday night was craft club and it was a bit of a disaster. I got there maybe 10 minutes late and no one was there- including the host. At first I thought that maybe I had the wrong door because they had gotten a new door but once I was sure I was at right house and that no one was home- I gave Tana a call. She did not answer and I wondered if I should just leave. Then she called me back and said she had forgot but that she would be home in 15 minutes and we did not need to cancel. I, on the other hand, thought we should probably just cancel. It sounded like it was not a good night for her. Then Jean showed up and she did not want to cancel. So when Tana came home, we went in and I was immediately sure that we should have cancelled. She seemed overwhelmed and on top of it, she had her kiddos to take care of. About a half an hour in, her youngest got super fussy and she said she needed to put her down so I took the hint, and coerced Jean into leaving with me. Such an awkward night.

Tuesday morning Ruby and I walked with Grace to the library. I had missed my walks with Grace. I love a good chat while walking. We walked to the library and I went to music and story time with Ruby while Grace hung out getting books. It was another noisy storytime and it just isn't the same without Miss Marissa. We had Miss Jen and she was good but she is new to teaching and has a few things to work out- like how short toddlers attention spans are. Ruby still seemed to enjoy it though. During music and story time I sat next to a nanny that I had met before. I ended up inviting her and the 2 year old she watched to my play group that I am trying to start. I think that was brave of me? Or maybe crazy? She couldn't come this week but maybe we will see her in the future.

Tuesday evening we went out to Farmington Hills for Ben's soccer game with Grams and Ruby. On my way there I had IBS issues and ended up stopping at a nearby park to use the bathroom. It was a wise choice. Once at the game we discovered that it was quite cold. Ruby had on a sweater but refused to wear a jacket. Meanwhile I hid under a blanket. The game ended up being a close one but the coach still let Ben play for the last 10 minutes so that was nice. I am always happy when I get to see him playing out on the field.

Wednesday Penny had an appointment with her orthopedic surgeon. He cleared her for getting back to regular life and she doesn't really have to wear her brace much anymore. He was wanting to get the rods out in January but I managed to have him bump that up to the end of December so we won't have to pay a bazillion dollars on the surgery in the new year. The only issue with that is we were considering the possibility of driving out to Arizona during Christmas break, depending how Tyler's dad is doing. Now it looks like Penny will be getting surgery during that time so that puts a kink in our plans.

Wednesday night I went over to Grace's. She is having troubles with her oldest because her oldest wants to go to ASU but her oldest really just wants to go party and have the "college experience"---without really taking college seriously. Problem is that tuition is $30,000/year for someone out of state. And then you have to factor in another $30,000 for living expenses. That is not a debt to take on just to have the "college experience". It is wild how expensive college is. I am grateful my boys are getting their first 2 years in for free. 

Thursday I had my first playgroup. I spent the morning prepping the house and then no one showed for the first 15 minutes. I was sure it was going to be a complete flop, but it was only a partial flop. Kelly ended up coming with her 2 girls. I had met her at the previous co-op, she is a friend of Tana's. She is really nice and I am grateful she showed up when everyone else flaked out. Jean came about a half an hour later and then tried to stay an hour later than the allotted time. I may have slightly lied and told her I had to leave to pick up my girls at 1:30 (actually I leave to pick them up at 1:50). There is a reason I set the time from 11-1. Jean is as nice as can be and fine to talk to and Ruby loves her daughter, but Jean just has no clue about social etiquette.

Thursday evening Ben had a soccer game. It was not quite as cold as Tuesday nights game but it was still cooler than I liked. Ben did not get to play but the game was pretty epic and made it into the Oakland Press. They won the game 4-3. With just 5 minutes left in the game they were tied 3-3 and with just a couple minutes in the game they brought it to their winning score of 4-3. It really was a great watch. Bishop came to watch it which was super cool of him. He became Ruby's best friend- coloring with her and buying her treats at the concession stand. She will attach herself to anyone who will show her attention and who will also let her boss them around. 

Friday morning Lucy had her lawn mowing gig for Sister Miller. Usually she only takes about 30 minutes to mow so Ruby and took a quick trip to the playground and got back roughly 30 minutes later. Well the grass was much longer this time around and it ended up taking an hour. We ended up just hanging out in the car which was kind of bummer because it was a beautiful playground day. We should have stayed longer. Since it was such a nice day, after lunch I walked the kids to seven eleven for a treat. The only way I can get them to walk with me is if there are treats at the end. I enjoy my walks with them so I guess it's worth the bribery. 

Friday afternoon I went with the RS Presidency to visit a new sister in the ward. She is very chatty but I enjoyed the chat. We got her whole life story but she also reciprocated and asked us about our lives. I did need to get home at some point though so I eventually just had to ask if we could leave her with a prayer and then the message was receieved, lol. I think she is a fun new addition to our ward. 

Saturday morning Grams, Poppy, Tyler, me and Steven went to the temple. Steven was going through for his endowments. We had to get there an hour early so he could do his initiatory first. Grams and I probably should have waited in the car or in the initial waiting area in the temple because we were too early to go back to the endowment room. We ended up standing awkwardly by where you get ready to go in. There was a lady there who was taking a nap and I don't think she was happy that we woke her up. She kind of scurried away and didn't come back for a long while. Steven did not want to do prayer circle but he didn't seem completely overwhelmed or weirded out by things, and I got a hug from him after the session was over- he couldn't run away from me in the temple. Bishop and his wife came for the session and Sister Perriton met us in the celestial room since the session was full. They are good people and I appreciate their support for my kid. After the session we met the rest of our kids at Culver's for lunch. Steven grumbled about going, saying he wasn't even hungry (despite not eating breakfast) but he ended up eating most of his food. It really frustrates me how much he protests spending time with us but then he seemed to enjoy hanging with Ruby in the end.

Doughnuts and Gram's Birthday

Sunday Tyler sang in our sacrament meeting with a small choir. It was one of the new hymns- "What God Calls Us To." We thought the women that spoke before he sang was just going to introduce the hymn, but she gave a full on talk about it and even recited all the lyrics. I'm not sure if she was supposed to do that or not, but she made sure to include how inclusive and loving she is of trans and lesbians so that was nice. After church we didn't have any meetings so it was a restful Sunday. When I went to check the mail that afternoon I discovered a spider had made his home in our mailbox. Last week I had found a spider making a web on my car door. I am beginning to feel like this is a start of some spider horror movie.

Monday morning Kara brought Amelia over for us to watch because she had a colonoscopy. The girls were ecstatic to have Amelia over and did a lot of the baby watching for me. We were all impressed with how much food Amelia ate. She ate 3 small pancakes that I had made and then the oatmeal her mom had made for her. But I guess all that food gave her plenty of poop because the first time we put her down for a nap she cried and we discovered she had pooped. Then after we changed her diaper and did some rocking and gave her a little more milk, we tried to put her down a second time. She cried again and we eventually went in and discovered that she had even more poop. Other than her pooping and not napping, it was an easy gig.

Tuesday Ruby and I went to the library for music and story time. We were excited that it had started again. This time we attended the all ages storytime instead of the toddler storytime but it really wasn't any different in material or audience. The audience was basically toddlers since it is during the school day. However, storytime was much louder than I remember. Not sure if that was just because it was the first storytime of the new season or because of the substitute teacher (the regular teacher was out of town). The only bummer about this storytime is they don't do toys afterwards and that was one of Ruby's favorite parts.

After storytime, Poppy took Ruby and I out to Burger King for lunch. Then we took Grams to Milfords so she could buy the bread she likes from the bakery there (orange cranberry). She was nice and got Ruby a cookie while we were there. 

After I picked up the girls from school, I had to rush to an appointment for an ultrasound on my leg. I ended up feeling like a crazy person because I had  tough time explaining my leg pain. In the end I guess I was a crazy person because there were no signs of muscle tears or injuries. Doctor Google is telling me it might be a sciatic nerve problem so I have been trying some stretches that are supposed to help with that. They do feel good in the moment but I am still struggling with leg pain- especially when driving.

Tuesday night Ben had a soccer game. Thankfully this time Ruby did not suffer any dramatic falls. However, we did have to make 2 trips to the bathroom. Why are the bathrooms always such a long walk from the bleachers? Also, this school had narrow walkways which made the journey even more awkward. Ruby was quite funny (and embarassing) that night. She was enjoying ease dropping on other people's conversations and repeating phrases she heard people say and she would also turn to me and say "What the flip did they say?" She also was entranced by a light in the ground and tried to convince me that she had to go potty (for a third time) so she could walk by it again. When I told her I wanted to watch the game she said, "Oh fine, we'll watch the game." She is a lot all the time and certainly makes our life more entertaining.

Wednesday morning was tough and not because of homeschool but because Ruby was having poop issues. I tried to do my work out but kept having to stop because she needed to sit on the potty- only no poop ever came. On top of that the girls were fighting over silly things. These girls are really wearing me down. To reward them for their awful behavior, we went to Long's Farm for doughnuts. Ben and Grams came too. Penny was upset the whole time because she thought I was going to make her late for a birthday party. She ended up being a whopping 7 minutes late to her party.

On our way home from dropping Penny off, Ruby, Lucy and I stopped by Target to do some shopping. I was working on decking out our mantel and had already spent a ridiculous $40 at Dollar Tree and just needed a couple more things from Target- some orange lights and little trees to go by the haunted house. I should have taken a pic because it turned out pretty good. I also impulse bought a pair of pants that make a nice swishing sound when I walk. They are good lightweight pants for fall and spring but I want be able to sneak around in them. Ruby also tried on this awesome hot dog costume.

Thursday was Grams birthday. After dropping the girls off at school, Ben, Ruby, Grams and I went out to Ann Arbor so we could enjoy some free samples at Cherry Republic (and of course buy some cherry products too). As we were walking out the door Ben showed me a handful of candy samples he had taken- sometimes my older kids are worse than my toddler. 

After dinner that night we sang to Gram and ate some delish strawberry bundt cake that I made. Unfortunately I did not plan ahead well and did not have a 5 candle so she got to turn 74 again. 

Friday evening Tyler, Ruby, Penny and I went to a wedding reception for the Dumont's son. We don't really know him very well but I served in primary with Sandra so I felt we should go and support. I spent too much time trying to figure out what to gift these people. I didn't have enough time to order things off their registery and I didn't really want to just give them cash. I ended up getting them a small lego flower set and after much hunting- a vase that fit the flowers. Apparently a tall shot glass from the Dollar Tree was the best fit for the flowers, lol. The reception itself was nice enough. I had a good visit with some people and the groom's friends gave some really nice speeches about him. I don't even know him that well but I felt touched. After the recpetion I cleaned the house and that's always a joyous task. It is better than cleaning during the day with Ruby but I get very snappy with the older kids when they get in the way. I am not a nice cleaner.

Saturday was a cool and rainy day. I did a little thrift shopping in the morning which always makes me happy. Then after lunch I had a missionary farewell party to attend for someone who used to be in our ward. He had been in Ben's seminary class so Ben came with me as well. I thought it was just a farewell party so I didn't bring a card or anything but it ended up being a grad party too so I felt embarrassed for showing up empty handed. I really didn't know anyone there so it was a bit awkward for a minute but a nice lady sat by me and I got to know her. Ben told me afterwards that even thought I don't love going to these things, I am good at making conversation. While I don't think it's hard to make conversation, I do think that it's draining. 

And with my social battery was already drained...we had one more wedding reception to attend. Another kiddo in the ward that we didn't know super well but we are friends with his parents. This time only Tyler and I attended. The food was Chipotle so that made me happy and we had some good visits with people there. One lady was asking me about my trip to Italy but I'm not sure she would like my itinerary since she is not into architecture and art. I do love to talk about Italy though...

On a negative note, pooping in the potty is not getting any better with Ruby. She only poops in the potty when I notice the signs and get her there. She was also suffering from some constipation this past week so she went 3 whole days without pooping. And today she pooped her pants twice- one of the times was right after she had just peed on the potty. I really wish we could get this figured out.

On a funny note, I forgot to share a story last week- the case of Ben's disappearing shoes. He could not find them and I thought he must of just taken them off in a funny location- they couldn't just disappear. But I was busy and didn't help him hunt for them and he ended up wearing crocs to soccer practice and wearing Tyler's baseball shoes to school the next day. I finally went to help look for his shoes and discovered that the black pair of shoes that I had thought at first were Steven's, were not Steven's because he was not home. I realized they were my dads. So I ran over to my parent's house with my dad's shoes and asked him if he had accidentally taken Ben's shoes. He was, at that moment, wearing Ben's navy shoes. It was a funny mix up.

Fredrick Meijers Gardens

Sunday we got ready with only the help of our generator. It's hard to get ready with minimal light. We also had the new schedule at church- 2nd hour was now half Sunday School and half classes (RS/EQ/YM/YW). Things went slightly over but I am liking the schedule. Shorter classes are better for my short attention span. When we got back from church, we were blessed to find our electricity was finally working. It is funny how much we take electricity for granted in our daily lives. I was so grateful for lights, air conditioning, a way to charge my devices, a stove, a microwave, a dishwasher, a washer and dryer...All those things that I use daily and feel like such a normal but necessary part of my life.

Monday was Labor Day. I ended up driving out to Grand Blanc in the morning to pick up large plastic animals and dinosaurs. It was an amazing deal- the person was selling about 30 of them for only $10 so it was worth the drive. It was nice to have a quiet drive by myself. I ended up stopping at a couple shops on my way home just to further enjoy my solitary quiet time. I didn't really need anything, just browsed the aisles. The plastic animals/dinosaurs I got were to be used as bribery for Ruby to go poop on the potty. She kept going in her pants which is really a miserable thing for all involved. The addition of the bribery really hasn't been as helpful as I had hoped. We have had the toys for almost a week and she has pooped in the potty only twice since then. But I will take the 2 wins and hope for even more wins in the future.

Monday night we had a couples game night at Grace's. Nahoko and Eric were there as well. We played a game called "Bad People" that Eric had bought on a whim. It turns it is probably meant for single men in their 20's. The point of the game was to pull a card and determine who the person who was "it" would think fit what the card said best (I.E. Most likely to launder money). But at lot of the cards were super inappropriate- some sexual, some to do with drinking- and that didn't really work for us. We had to filter out a lot of cards but there were still some funny moments. After that game we played Caution Signs and that was a pretty fun game. You get an adjective and a noun and have 20 seconds to draw it. Then the person who is it has to guess which adjective and noun goes to everyone's drawing. I pretty much love most drawing and creative games like that. All in all it was a good night with friends. 

Tuesday after we dropped the girls off at school, Ruby and I went to Scarlet's Park. Ruby loves the zipline and swings there. We had a pretty good time until it started getting way too peopley so we left.

After the park, I went to the doctor for my ears and leg. I have had such clogged ears and have tried at home products to clean them out to no avail- they usually get worse. The doctor agreed they were very full of wax and commented that my ear tubes were also very small. She had a nurse come and rinse them with a warm hydrogen peroxide mixture. This nurse was not happy about having to clean out my ears and somehow she managed to get that mixture all over my shirt. I was pretty wet. Then the doctor came back in to check and apparently that hadn't done much. She tried as well but said there appears to be a ball of wax stuck in the middle of my tubes and I will probably need a vacuum to get it out. She referred me to an ENT because they would have the proper tools. Unfortunately the ENT can't see me until November so I get clogged and itchy ears for another couple months. 

As for the upper leg pain I have been having in my right leg- the doctor ordered an ultrasound for me. She thinks maybe I injured a muscle when I slid down the stairs and landed on my thigh about a month ago. I am honestly not sure if the pain started with that incident or not. Memory is a slippery thing for me. It could also have happened when lifting weights or maybe I am just getting old? It's just sitting has become pretty painful at times because of this leg pain. The ultrasound is on Tuesday and I am hoping it will show something fixable but I am also not counting on it.

Tuesday night I took Ruby and Penny to the library. Ruby made a friend while she was there- they hit it off immediately. She very quicky asked the boy"Are you my bestie" and he was like "You're my other friend". Toddlers are funny. They went through all the pretend food with him asking "Do you like ____?" And her replying "Yes I do!" And then Ruby and her new friends spent a good amount of time shouting out each new color the light in the ceiling changed to and then dissolving in giggles. I wish I had been brave and asked that mother if she would like to meet up again because they really did play so well together. It was also nice to have watch the sweet easy way that toddlers make friends when I feel so worried about my older girls and all their friend drama.

Wednesday morning, Penny had some emotions towards math. Meanwhile Lucy has been working very hard to stay calm while doing math. She slips momentarily here and there but overall I have been impressed with her control. After homeschool I ran a few errands and of course, while I was gone Ruby pooped herself. I felt so bad that Lucy and Penny had to clean up after her. I hope they don't resent me for all the things they are asked to do for Ruby. 

Ben had an orthodontist appointment that afternoon and Ruby tagged along because I did not want to risk her having any more accidents while I was away. I am grateful that the office is only 2 minutes away and I am grateful for the TV in the waiting room. There is also a really nice office lady who has a similar age gap with her kids that I chatted with for a bit. I love getting to talk to people who have been in similar situations. Especially when they talk positively about it.

Wednesday after dinner we had some fun with sidewalk chalk. Lucy is a really good artist with the chalk.

Thursday after dropping the girls off at school, Ruby and I met Amelia and Kara at a park near the girls' school again. It was a cooler day so it felt good to be out but that conversation wasn't my favorite. Lately when I start to vent about things- like I started to talk about the struggle with potty training Ruby- Kara will cut me off and say that she can't give me advice on that. I don't necessarily need advice but I do want to feel like someone is willing to talk to me about things in my life- even if they can't relate or understand yet. It is just off putting. She is still a nice person and I am grateful for her friendship. I am just learning she won't be the friend I can vent too.

After the park we ran a couple errands and I was able to find some cute sweaters and fancy/fun shoes for Ruby at a thrift shop. Ruby really loves shoes and immediately put on her new "Elsa" shoes in the car. She also got some mini mouse shoes. 

Thursday night Ben had a soccer game nearby so we went (Tyler, Ruby, Penny, Grams and me). They won with a score of 1 to 0 so it was a tight game and he did not get to play. It was not exactly a fun watch either because Ruby was being a total nightmare. She fell at one point and got a scratch on her leg and then spent the rest of the time crying over the scratch because she did not want to see it. She wailed like we were abusing her and I kept having to walk her around behind the bleachers until she calmed herself. But then she would see the cut and the tears would reactivate. It was miserable.

Friday morning Lucy mowed Sister Miller's lawn while Ruby and I went to the park. Ruby spent most of the time on a thing with seats that you sit on while someone pushes it so it goes around (sort of like a merry go round). She made some friends while on it (mostly with the grandma in it, lol) and would sit sometimes and other times help push. 

Friday night we went to Amelia's first birthday party (Tyler, Ruby and me). It just consisted of eating cupcakes and socializing on their driveway. A family that came had brought a scooter and Ruby kept trying to ride it which was causing me to panic inside thanks to Penny's accident. Thankfully no one was injured. The Massey's were there as well and I enjoyed chatting with them. They are good people and I haven't had a chance to visit with them for awhile. 

Saturday Penny, Ben, Ruby, Grams and I went on a road trip to Grand Rapids to go check out the Chihuly Exhibit at Fredrick Meijers Gardens It was a longer drive so I took some pain killers for my leg so it didn't bother me too much. It was warmer than I would have liked but not too bad. I love any outing involving nature and artwork so I really enjoyed seeing all the sculptures and the additional glass art by Chihuly. Ruby was a bit whiney in the beginning and not a fan of the giant horse statue (although she gave the small horse statue a high five) but she eventually came around and seemed to have a good time, We also had the fun of her needing to pee and of course, there wasn't a bathroom super close by, but we did make it. We enjoyed reading plaques and talking about how the titles related to the statues. Ben thought the glass art we saw in the water near the building looked like onions and it turns out he was on point with that- they were modeled after onions. 

Eventually the heat got to us and we ended our exploration of the grounds. Ben was nice and offered to watch Ruby at the play area so us girls could go see the indoor Chihuly exhibit. I am so glad we got to go see it. His work is really beautiful. Penny thought she was funny and kept making me nervous by getting extra close to art pieces. I am sure that we would be in debt for the rest of our lives if she broke anything in there. I swear sometimes my older kids are just as bad as my toddler.

After the indoor exhibit, I went and got a soaking wet Ruby from Ben- he had let her have a little too much fun in the water play area. We changed her and then bought her some cotton candy because she is just like her dad and obsessed with it. Then we headed home. On our way home we stopped at the Horrocks Market in Lansing so everyone could get a treat. We are such a sugar addicted family. Once home, I was quite pooped so that was pretty much the end of my excitement for the day.