Milford Memories and Turning 41

Sunday I managed to get my Relief Society Presidency meeting cancelled because one of the members was out of town and I kind of pressured the president to just skip this weeks meeting. It is so nice to have a lazy Sunday- even if that is probably not the entire point of Sundays. We also had another new Sunday School Teacher (they have called 3 people to alternate with one another). This one is a frequent commenter so I knew her vibe already and I do not love it. She is really hard to listen (she feels very dramatic in her delivery and she is also a bit condenscending). I ended up just reading my scriptures during her lesson because I did not want to listen to her. Probably not the best choice but it sure helped me feel less annoyed.

Monday morning I had to do an Amazon return at Whole Foods and Ruby said she had to go to the bathroom while we were there but I think she just wanted to try out the bathroom. She did not have to pee. Later that day I went thrifting with Lucy and Penny for jeans that they could wear at camp. I did not want to buy them brand new jeans and have them mess those up at camp. We had zero luck finding something in their size at Salvation Army. Instead I got a lot of sass from Lucy who hates thrift shopping and refused to really look for something. Lots of eye rolls and anger from her. I ended up going to a couple other thrift stores later that night with just Penny and managed to find both the girls and the boys jeans. It turns out Lucy is pretty close to my size in pants so if they fit me, they will likely fit her. 

Also Monday, Ruby met her buddy Asher at the dog beach. I never go to that beach because it's tricky to find (it looks like you are walking on someone's property to get to it) but I will need to get over that because it is a fun beach for Ruby. The water is really shallow so she can have lots of fun without me having to get in with her. It is also nice and shady.Her and Asher played fetch catching poop (an acorn) for quite awhile- until Ruby got frustrated beacause Asher kept catching the "poop" first. They really have a love/hate relationship.

Tuesday afternoon I went to see the new Spiderman movie with my dad, and the 3 middle kids (Penny, Lucy and Ben). My mom was nice and watched Ruby for me. I like the Spiderman movies because they have a good mix of everything- action, romance, feelings, humor...It was a good time. I brought bowls to split up the popcorn in and my kids were so embarassed but I like them because they are easy to pour in and I don't get butter on my lap. 

Tuesday we got the bad news that Poppy Hatch was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. Later they determined he was stage 2 or 3 and he will need chemo, radiation and then surgery to remove it. I was supposed to go to Grace's that night but I decided to stay home because even though Tyler said he was fine, I know he was not. His dad, loopy on drugs after a test, called everyone and was giving away his stuff to them because he was sure he was already dead. He was very fatalistic. The next day he called Tyler and asked Tyler if he had promised him his truck. And then told Tyler he could not have his truck because he still needs it. Funny, not funny. This is going to be tough because his dad really is the glue that holds Tyler's family together. We are all doing a special fast for him and Leslie on Sunday.

Wednesday, the kids and Tyler all headed off to youth camp in Pennsylvania. They were pestering Ruby so it made it easier to say goodbye to them. Ruby had a Dr's appt and we had a new doctor. She was ok I guess. But she was zero help with the rash on Ruby's face. Basically she doesn't know what it is either but I should message her if it gets worse. She also had Ruby draw shapes and trace a shape she had made and really seemed to be questioning Ruby's development which felt annoying to me. I have 4 other kids and I know Ruby is right on track, if not more advanced than her sisters were. I miss dr Friedman. 

After the appointment Grace stopped by to give Ruby and me our birthday presents. She got Ruby a scribble/scrubbie cat named Jenny, a library book bag with the letter R on it and a cute book. She got me a Venice paint by number and a shirt I had wanted at Salvation Army but I hadn't gotten it because I thought was too expensive (she went back and got for me). She is so thoughtful. We had a good chat, catching up on things- it had been far too long. 

After her visit I went with my mom and Ruby to Ikea. I had bought some bowls there ages ago and I wanted to buy more so we actually have enough for our whole family. I was in luck- they had the same bowls there. Plus Ikea had given me a $10 off coupon for my birthday so I was able to get them all for really cheap. Ruby loves Ikea, but mostly because I got her ice cream after we were done shopping.

That night we went to Wendy's for dinner with Poppy because I was too lazy to cook for me and a toddler who eats very few things. Ruby true to her self wanted to go test out another bathroom but unfortunately this one traumatized her. It flushed very loudly while she was still on it. She then became very scared and traumatized of public restrooms. An unfortunate event.

Thursday we ended up meeting Julie at the beach. She had 2 other friends there that all seemed to know each other very well and it was sort of awkward for me. Ruby had some drama in the beginning with needing to pee but being too scared of the porta potty so I ended up taking her home to use our bathroom and then going back to the beach. Since I was awkward I didn't want to stay long but Ruby wished we would stay forever. It was hard to get her to leave when I didn't have a legit reason for leaving.

Thursday evening Ruby and I went to Home Goods with my parents. I was looking for blue and white bowls to complete my other set of bowls I already have, but I had zero luck. Then we went to Chick Fil A for dinner where we had more toilet drama. Ruby had to pee but she was scared it would flush on her so she refused to sit on it.  We didn't stay too long at Chick Fil A because I needed to get her home to a toilet. When we got home, as soon as I started pulling down her pants to set her on the potty, she started peeing. Most of it made it in the toilet but definitely not all of it. 

Friday morning we headed out early to go to Milford Memories. We got there at 9, a whole hour before everything opened, and parking was already filling up in our old neighborhood. We did end up finding a decent spot though, near where we parked the year before. Once parked, we walked over to the park and Poppy was a nice Poppy and played with Ruby while we waited for everything to open. Right before everything opened, I attempted to take her to the bathroom, but the nice park bathrooms were closed and they only had porta potties available. As soon as we were in the port potty she screamed so I caved and put her in a pull up. I do not like regressing but I felt there wasn't really any other option. Next we went to the kids area but she only wanted to play with the bubbles that they had. 

I enventually convinced her to go get a tattoo at the kids tent, but then she cried because she said she did not want the stars on her. Then I tried to get her to color a mask but she did one scribble and was done. She was literally no fun. Seeing what a pill she was being I decided to get her some doughnuts so maybe she wouldn't whine too much as we shopped but the doughnuts took forever to make and it felt like a poor choice.  Once we finally got shopping, she did whine and it came to a point I just gave her my phone to color on because I was tired of fighting with her. After seeing all the things, we went back to the park to get some lunch. I had an amazing grilled cheese sandwich on a pretzel bun with mustard sauce. Poppy got Ruby a strawberry smoothie and she threw it on the ground like a spoiled toddler. Half of it was lost. When she finally actually tried it, she realized it was quite tasty and regretted her actions. Right after the throwing of the smoothie her sword balloon she had got, popped on the grass. She was a disaster. After eating, it was definitely time to go home. To seal the drama of the day, her red balloon escaped to the sky while I was loading the car. The pictures below depict her cranky mood accurately.

Somehow, after all of that, she was still full of energy when we got home and asking to go play outside. I had had enough outside time and refused. Instead she ended up flitting from toy to toy, leaving piles of things behind each time. I eventually decided to just clean because I knew I wasn't going to get any rest. So she moved on from playing with toys to instead attempting to help me clean. Spoiler alert- she is not very good at cleaning. She really is a lot, all the time. 

Saturday was my 41st birthday. 41 is not super exciting so I didn't feel the need for a party but I always do like a good outing. So for my birthday, my parents, Ruby and I went to Ann Arbor. First we stopped at the Kiwanis Thrift Store. I had been there before with Grace and had some good luck finding things. This time I had a little less luck and didn't find as much. I did, however, get a fun looking puzzle and a pair of shorts for Ruby. While thrifting, I also had to deal with a Ruby who needed to pee but was scared of the public bathroom. I had to revert to the old days and hold her down while she screamed and eventually peed on the toilet. I am sure the other patrons using the bathroom were questioning my parenting. It was not fun.

After the thrift store we went to eat at Nick's Original House of Pancakes. Ruby was super wiggly and a bit of a pain but the food ended up being really yummy. I got a cinnamon apple waffle. It was basically dessert- it was do delicious! Ruby shared the waffle with me and seemed to enjoy her bites too.

Our last stop was the Creature Conservancy. It wasn't a huge place but it had some fun animals. Ruby was most excited by the turtles and a room that had lots of toys to play with. I was most excited by the sloth. I also really enjoyed their little presentation with a porcupine. I learned some new things about porcupines and it was cute to watch it waddle around. Honorable mention was the really big owl and the emu that scared Ruby. While there Ruby had to pee again and thankfully she did it without crying. Maybe it was good that I had forced her to use the toilet at the thrift store.

When we got home from Ann Arbor, Tyler and all the kids were back home. It was so nice to not be alone anymore. I am so grateful for how much they help with their little sister, Ruby. I had some lazy time and then for dinner we all went out to Kickstand Brewing Company. It is expensive but good and they always do a good job of accommodating big groups. Ben surprised us all (and himself) and ordered a huge pizza. I think he thought it was going to be a personal sized pizza. Poppy thought it was funny to watch him try to eat it all. He ended up eating half of it. It was a lot of pizza. We talked all about their camping adventures and it was a really nice dinner.

Here are some fun pictures that I was sent from the camp out. They had a lot of adventures:

Potty Training and Ruby Turns 3

Monday I decided to begin the torture of potty training Ruby. The journey ended up being just as unpleasant as it has been with other kids. We set the timer for every 15 minutes and she was pretty good about sitting and trying and reading books. She had no pees in the toilet and no accidents until I went and took Ben to the orthodontist around lunch time. When I came back I found out she had peed on the carpet. Thankfully Tyler was working at home so he helped clean it up. Ben was nice and gave Lucy a ride to her friends house so I could stay home with Ruby. While he was gone, Ruby peed on the floor again (and on a doll in her room). But she did better the rest of the day and mostly got all of her pee in the toilet. However she would start screaming and crying when she had to pee and continue to be upset while I held her on the potty. 

Tuesday I spent another day at home working on her potty training. She had an accident, but then pooped and peed on the potty for the rest of the day. But once again she would start screaming when she needed to pee and I would have to hold her on the potty. She had no problem sitting on the potty if she was just "trying" but she had a big problem when she knew the pee/poop was coming. I think she was just scared of that feeling of "letting go". Ben was my big helper again, and took the girls to meet friends at the mall while I stayed at home dealing with Ruby and all her crazy. Ben brought his friend AJ with him but the girls ended up spending 3 hours at the mall with their friends (Lucy spent $75 of her own money, and Penny $30 of her own money). Needless to say, Ben and AJ got pretty bored for that last hour. I am so grateful he took that bullet for me.

Tuesday evening I hosted book club. The book we discussed was "The Little Italian Hotel". We had 8 people there: Carli, Cherish, Grace, Sandy, Becky, Mandi, my mom and me. I don't think anyone really loved the book but it did provide for a good discussion. Carli brought homemade bread and I provided fruit. We ate and then I put on my powerpoint with facts and questions. Nerdy? Absolutely! But it keeps things from getting awkward and keeps the discussion moving- although I also think it makes me talk too much. We talked about the unrealistic aspects of the book, the frustrating characters, what might be on our own bucket lists and things that we might do when experiencing heartache. After our discussion Carli and Cherish had to go. The rest of us played BINGO (they had played Bingo in the book). Mandi won and I had a pint of gelato for her prize. She was nice and shared it with all of us and then book club ended. Grace was kind of quiet the whole time and seemed uncomfortable. I feel like the Grace I know is totally different than the one she presents to "church" people. 

Wednesday the screaming at the potty continued so by Thursday I was ready to give up on potty training. I ended up letting her pee all over the bathroom floor because I didn't want to hold her down on the potty. I felt like I was just causing her trauma. I ended up spending the rest of the morning brainwashing her with various potty training videos (daniel tiger, catie's classroom, baby shark, etc). There were some good song about being excited and proud to pee on the toilet so I started singing these with her.

At this point, I was done with not leaving the house, so Ruby and I went swimming with Kara and Amelia at their neighborhood pool after lunch Thursday. Lucy came with us which was really helpful because the water was freezing and I did not want to go in, but Lucy was willing to go in with Ruby. Lucy can be so helpful with Ruby and I really appreciate that. It was a nice outing until Ruby started screaming and then got out of the pool and peed. I awkwardly rinsed it off with cups of water. We pretty much wrapped things up after that drama. 

But that night things took a turn, I think the positive potty songs had worked because she peed for the first time without any drama. She celebrated with a popsicle.

Friday we officially turned the corner and Ruby was peeing and pooping without melting down. I am glad I didn't give up when I had wanted to. Our morning was spent with a quick outing to the park while Lucy mowed and then an errand to Costco. No accidents or drama! That afternoon Mimi came over to hang out with Penny. They were nice and played with Ruby for a bit and I had a nice chat with Nahoko when she came to pick up Mimi. She is so different as a mom of 1. Apparently she felt sad after Mimi was potty trained. I am not at all sad about not having diapers to change anymore.

Saturday Ruby turned 3! She woke up to find her presents in her new (to her) water table downstairs. Grams and Poppy came over and she got to unwrap all her gifts. She would unwrap one and then reach for the next. She was a little more excited about the process than the actual gifts. We got her the water table, a fireman pump for the water table, more kinetic sand and magnetic tiles, and a new creative Tonie (with her favorite dancing songs). Grams and Poppy Brady got her a fun tin with magnetic building blocks. Grams and Poppy Hatch got her a Minnie Mouse phone. Ben got her baby bottles for her dolls. Penny got her princess jewlery and a pink hotwheels car. And Lucy got her Dum Dums. 

She spent the morning hopping from new toy to new toy and then Tyler and I took her to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. The rest of our kids went to a Stake Picnic instead because that sounded like lots more fun to them. Going to the hands on Museum made me miss the days when we could go somewhere as a whole family and everyone could have a fun time. Still it was nice to have some special time with Ruby. Her favorite part was probably the room with lots of water play. She could have probably spent the whole day there. The 2nd floor of the museum was pretty loud and noisy so she didn't last too long there- although she did have some fun with some parachute guys and some magnetic tiles. We really liked the top floor because it was much less peopley and she enjoyed the things they had up there. 

On our way back from the museum we got Culvers. Then we chilled at home for a bit. That night we sang "happy birthday" to Ruby and had cake(a beach themed cake that Lucy decorated). Ruby had a hard time smiling and holding up 3 fingers. 

After cake, Poppy took everyone out for ice cream at DQ. I think it's safe to say that Ruby had a pretty great birthday

Summer

Sunday we had a new Sunday School Teacher and he was really good. He added a lot of historical context that made it super interesting.I actually really enjoyed a Sunday school lesson for once.

Monday afternoon Lucy went to Tree Runner with some church friends. The friends had promised Lucy free entry because she had buddy passes but the employee was having a tricky time getting the buddy passes to work. There was a moment I thought they weren't going to work and I was panicking about spending an unexpected $60 for her to do this. My finances have been so tight since Penny broke her arm. Thankfully the passes ended up working and there was no need to panic. I think she had a good time. 

Later Monday Ruby and I met Asher and Julie at the beach. Ruby and Asher pretty much fought the whole time. He even threw sand in her face so that wasn't great. At least he went and got her water so she could rinse it out of her mouth. They are such frenemies.

Tuesday Penny had a friend over for most of the day and they got along so well it made my day easier. They even entertained Ruby at times which was so helpful. I spent a lot of the day in the kitchen. I made salsa, cookies and muffins. I was quite domestic.

Tuesday evening we had the missionaries over for dinner. Due to a visit they had scheduled, they could not come over for dinner until 7pm. It was a late dinner and made even later because Tyler got distracted and did not start cooking the hamburgers until they arrived. Thankfully they chatted with him at the grill and I did not have to lead a conversation with them. Unfortunately Ruby was kind of a disaster and whined and cried most of the time they were over. It was not pleasant. Also, while the missionaries were giving a lesson, Steven was messing around with Ruby and being distracting. That was a bit embarrassing that my 18 year old was being the most disruptive. I struggle with having the missionaries over but I know it's a good thing to do.

Wednesday was a day of appointments. I started the day with a dental cleaning. It felt like she was hacking my teeth away. I have 2 cavities that I will have to get fixed next month. Yay. After that appointment I took Penny to the orthodontist. Lucky for her, she will finally be getting her expander out in a few weeks. Then after that I took Penny to the orthopedic surgeon's office. This time he gave us good news. Penny does not need a cast. He gave her a brace and said to come back in 3 weeks. He is thinking in 3 weeks she probably won't have to wear the brace constantly. I am happy that is healing so well and she doesn't have to wear an uncomfortable cast.

Thursday my parents were getting their air conditioning fixed and the Relief Society Presidency came to visit my mom. She ended up having the presidency come to my house so she wouldn't feel weird having the ac people there while they visited. I went outside with Ruby so they could have a proper visit- I felt it might be weird for her to do a get to know you visit with me there. While we were out Ruby wanted to go see Poppy so we went to their house but Poppy was in the basement with the ac people so we decided to play with toys on the main floor. While we were there one of the ac people came upstairs to go to the bathroom and he seemed very confused by our random appearance. We probably made it even more confusing because Ruby wanted to go before he came out of the bathroom. We were just a random apparition.

At one point Thursday, I lost my phone and asked Alexa to find it. She asked for my phone number and then said she had sent me a security code that I needed to give to her. I was like, I can't give it to you because I can't find my phone. But she literally kept asking me for the code over and over again, despite my protests. Finally I found my phone, by myself obviously, and gave her the code. She then called my phone so that I could find it. Super helpful.

I started my Friday morning with a Mammogram. I am always anxious about new things and since this was my first time getting a Mammogram- I was anxious. Thankfully the front desk directed me nicely to where I needed to be and once there it all went smoothly. Not the most comfortable thing but definitely not the most painful thing I have ever experienced. After the mammogram, I took Lucy to mow her lawn. Runy and I walked to the park and on our way back, we noticed this frog. However, the frog did not move as we approached it and I wonder if it was even real. It was bizarre.

Friday afternoon Ruby and I went on a walk with Amelia and Kara. Since we hadn't been on a walk for quite awhile we had lots to chat about so it was a nice walk. We walked to the library and then the park so Ruby got to get some wiggles out. 

Saturday evening Tyler and I went to the Jones's home for a BBQ. I had put the time down as 6:30 on my calendar but turns out it was at 6pm. Grace sent me a text as we were driving over asking me if I was ok. I quickly checked the time on the invite and realized my mistake. I was so hopeful it was a big bash with lots of people so every one was not waiting on us. It was not. There was only one other couple besides us and the Eakins. They did not eat until we got there so that was super awkward. Other than that it was a pretty decent night out. It was nice to not be in charge of hosting something for once. 

Cute Ruby moments this week:

Shipshewana

Sunday Penny decided to brave church but she didn't last past sacrament because her arm was hurting. We ended up going home and I missed an exciting relief Society. My mom told me some one stormed out during the lesson. A sister had shared how she felt she had been neglected by her ministers and when someone else commented that she shouldn't judge her ministers because she may not know what challenges they are facing, this really offended her and she left church. Honestly knowing who it was, this is par for course for her. On a better note, Lucy came home from church with a care package from the Young Women for Penny. I know Elaine was behind it and I felt very grateful for her kindness because I was honestly feeling a bit neglected by my ward.

Monday I woke up in not a great mood, likely caused by Ruby not sleeping well again. Ruby then proceeded to make working out challenging and to whine all morning. And to add to my bad mood, Lucy was in the shower when I wanted to be in there and then later I couldn't find Ruby's shorts anywhere. I was really crabby and I took my angry feelings out on pretty much everyone. It wasn't pretty. 

After lunch, we my mom, me and and the girls headed to Shipshewana for a little get away. My bad mood was still in tact and I had shared it with Lucy, who sitting next to a whiney Ruby, began to go off on her. The car ride wasn't great listening to the ails of Ruby and Lucy, but at least it was short. We ended up listening to part of Pride and Prejudice during the drive. Not my favorite but their are some funny moments to it- like the mother and her tender nerves and Colin proposing to Elizabeth. 

We made it to our airbnb around 3:30 and it was a cute place. It had a oval path through the living room and kitchen that Ruby immediately started running. Her mood seemed to change for the better and so did mine.

 Since everything here closes at 5pm, we needed to figure out what to get for dinner quickly, before it all closed. We ended up walking to Yoder's barn. Google maps was being weird but we ended up finding it, it was only like an 8 minute walk. Weather was in the 90s though so that felt pretty hot to us. Once there we found some frozen meals that sounded good and picked up some rolls.

When we got back from the market, we found board games at the bnb what we decided to play while we waited for the food to cook. I played Scrabble with my mom and then Candy Land and a dice game with Penny.  The games contiuned to improve my mood. I was feeling much better ar this point.

The games entertained us until dinner was ready. After eating, we drove to a Meijers to pick up breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. We needed a little more variety than what we found at Yoder's- mostly because of Ruby. On our drive back, the driver in front of us was swerving and was holding his arm out his window with his middle finger raised. The kids thought it was funny but it made me very nervous. I left a lot of distance between us and I was very happy when he pulled into a hotel parking lot.

When we arrived back at the bnb, the girls put a movie on and then I started the long process of putting Ruby to bed. It took an hour to get her to bed and I am pretty sure that she only fell asleep because it was finally dark in the room.Once she was asleep, my mom and I chatted outside. 

Monday we got up and at it and then walked down to the Shipshewana Flea Market. It was a short walk but another warm day. At the market we strolled the different wares and ended up spending most of our money in a little shop that had crochet animals and other cute things. I got Lucy a chicken, Ruby a little pink bee, and Penny got a crochet hanging plant. I also got cactus earrings (thanks mom!) and a cute little hair tie. At another store I found a very small tea set for Ruby. It was only $3 so I couldn't resist it. We also got delicious pretzels and then later, snow cones because they girls were roasting and getting grumpy. Ruby ended up soaking her bum and stroller with melted sticky ice so that was fun. Near the end, we discovered a stall with puppies and the girls spent a long time playing with the puppies. When they finished with the puppies, we were all super hot so we decided to walk back to the airbnb.

We were taking a bit of a break when Grams got something lodged in her throat so I walked to a nearby candy shop to get her a coke. I ended up getting her a glass bottle Coke and was dumb about getting the cap off. I was trying to do it on the counter but my hand slipped and I bruised my arm really good. After injuring myself, my mom found an actual bottle opener. I probably should have looked for that first. 

After that fun, we decided to go to Menno Hoff. It was a nearby cultural center/museum. The tour they offered was not really meant for toddlers so Ruby spent most of her time coloring on my phone, but I found it really interesting. I think the girls found parts of it interesting as well but it may have been a little long for them. We learned how rules can vary greatly between different Amish or Mennonite communities. Each group consists of about 20 families and a Bishop is the leader of the community. The Bishop and people basically get to decide what technology they should accept based on how they feel it will support(or hinder) their traditional family and faith or rather how it might threaten their religious or moral values. Some use generators because at least they don't have wires connecting them to the world. Some are ok with solar power. Some use cars while others don't because they don't want to risk harming others with their vehicle and they don't want to pollute the earth and deplete natural resources. We also learned that the Amish people originated from Anibaptists- they did not believe in baptizing babies and many were killed for this belief. It was neat to see that we shared that belief. I really enjoyed the whole thing, despite my wriggly toddler. At the very end of the tour, there was a play area that was a lot of fun for Ruby but of course not so much for the older girls. I wish I could have left Ruby there during the duration of the tour/presentations so we all could have had a better time.

After the museum we went out for a late lunch at Wana Cup. Ruby spilled her lemonade all over the table and floor pretty much right when she got it, but they were very nice about it. The food was good, very fresh,and we all gobbled it down. When we were done eating,we went back to the bnb. The girls rotted their brains while my mom and I hit a couple shops. She was looking for things for her yard and I was looking for puzzles to do with Ben. Neither of us had success. Then we came back and I decided I was going to take Ruby to the carousel at Davis Mercantile- Penny tagged along. I thought it didn't close until 5pm so we would make it there in plenty of time (it was 4pm). Unfortunately I was wrong because when we got there, it was closed. To make up for Ruby's disappointment, we went to the candy store and I bought her a sucker. To make up for my disappointment, Penny and I shared a pretzel. 

When Grams and I had been out earlier I had noticed a thrift store and since it was the one thing that was open past 5pm (it was open until 6pm) I decided I wanted to go there next. Lucy was uninterested but Penny, Ruby and Grams came with me. It was fun to see all the Amish dresses there. I had the best luck and found a puzzle that I had been wanting to get for me and Ben to do- a castle one. It was only $3 instead of the $18 new so that was quite the steal. I also found a fun car parking garage/car wash thing for Ruby for $5. I love thrifting. 

We called it day after that. We had TV dinners, watched "The Devil Wears Prada" and Ruby and I even spent a little time hanging out outside. That night I decided to not even try to put Ruby to bed until 9pm. That was a wise decision. It meant I only spent a half an hour with her until she fell asleep since again, once it got dark, she passed right out. Maybe summer is just hard with her in general because her body really is ruled by the sunshine. 

Wednesday morning we got up and got ourselves packed and out the door. We decided to hit the Shipshewana Flea Market one last time since there were a few things Grams had seen that she decided she did indeed want. We had a bit of a hard time finding a dish towel (one that hangs on the oven) that we had seen the day before but we did find it and she got me one too. Yay! I also got a bag for plastic bags that unfortunately never made it back with me. I have no idea what happened to it. After that, Ruby played on a playground while Lucy and Penny hung with the puppies again. Meanwhile Grams hunted down a fun potted plant holder she had seen the day before- it was pig on a bicycle  with a basket on the back for a pot. 

Grams came back with her potted plant holder and we did a little bit more strolling. I ended up finding these cool twisted metal weapons for the kids. And I also got some pretty flowers. It was a cool booth with lots of neat things at fair prices.

After leaving the market, we headed back home to Michigan. We listened some more to "Pride and Prejudice" and had a smooth ride home. When I got home, I discovered that Ben had finished the puzzle we had been working on. It was a tricky puzzle so I was quite impressed.

Thursday the smoke from the Canadian wildfires blew in. This year it feels worse- you can even smell it- so we have opted to stay inside. Ruby has not loved being stuck inside but I did take her to the libary that night so she could get some wiggles out and not die from cabin fever. I am starting to feel like living in Michigan means never going outside due to various things like freezing cold temps, rain, humidity, wildfires, etc.

Also Thursday I went and got my hair done by Grace. I wanted a chesnut brown for a change but it ended up really really dark. Hopefully it will fade some, but I am also sure I will adjust to it. I also got bangs again because I just really love the way they look on me- even if they really just drive me crazy. Grace and I had a good chat while she did my hair and we caught up on all the gossip. 

Friday was another day of wildfire smoke. We ended up going to Target to look at school stuff. It felt much too early to look at school stuff but in the past, when we wait, it all clears out fast. After Target we went to Marshalls to look at a few things. And pretty much that was the most exciting part of Friday.

Saturday was another fairly chill day. Tyler ended up finishing our flooring for the front living room, kitchen and dining room so now everything is back to normal and that feels good. That night Tyler and I went out to dinner and a movie with Grace and Jason. We went to the Filling Station, it is one of our favorite places to eat. Jason was kind of rude to the waiter and complained about the wait. It is a small place and the waiter is always the same person so now I am not sure we can go back. After that we picked up treats at the Dollar Tree and we all went to see "The Odyssey". We missed the first 10 minutes of the movie but other than that, the movie was good. It had enough action and violence to keep me from falling asleep. But I did not like the part where the witch turned the soldiers into pigs- that part was revolting. Poppy also called us during the movie and gave me a panic attack because I thought for sure something terrible must have happened to one of my kids for him to be calling at 10:30 at night while we were out. Thankfully all my kids were safe and sound and he was just worried about a water leak.

Funny Ruby this week- she has been very interested in bones since Penny broke her arm. I showed her some xrays on google and she will ask to see them on my phone. She will also randomly declare "I have bones!" or ask someone to touch the bumpy bones on her spine. I found some books about our different body systems at the libary and she has been reading them with me often. I love her curiosity.