Our first week off of school went well. We kept busy, and rested in the afternoons for those needing naps (Nico and Gianna).
Monday, we went to the Children's Museum. It is excellent. At first, when we walked in and I saw some exhibits that looked very, very similar to the children's museum in Palo Alto, CA, I thought, "Oh, boo..." because the museum in Palo Alto is, in my opinion, small and uninspired for the older set. But this museum is great. It is very large, with tons to see and do. And, even better, it's for all ages. They just opened an outdoor play space. When I read about it a few months ago, I thought, "An outdoor play space in Portland? Is that really necessary?" because Portland has a ton of green space and parks. But this outdoor exhibit is wonderful! Bode and Gianna (and other kids) all scrambled around the grassy areas, climbed in a big tree, "hid" in other shelters made out of sticks and grapevine-like material, etc. The best part was the creek that flowed downhill. The children stood in the dry creek , while other kids turned the water on and off, and kids can also operate a dam in the middle. The water flows downhill, so there's no alarm (for alarmist parents like me) of your kids falling into deep water. Of course everyone got soaking wet, even though they were wearing rain clothes and boots (because, surprise! it was raining that day). I bought a membership when we walked in, not knowing what to expect, but reasoning that the cost would pay for itself if I just dragged the family there 4 times this year. Buying the membership to the museum sight-unseen was a good gamble: I fully expect to take the children at least 4 times this summer, and I'm sure that they'd love to go at least 1xmonth all year!
Monday night, I smashed my iPhone by accident. My iPhone case had cracked a few months ago, and I had never replaced it. So when I dropped my iPhone Monday evening, the glass completely shattered. So! I knew what my plans were on Tuesday! Early Tuesday morning was spent at the mall, in the Apple store. The children were so good while waiting for me to get my new phone! I couldn't believe how patient (quiet and still) they were while waiting. I took them to Barnes & Noble afterwards for a treat in the cafe. After we refueled, we went to the children's section and perused their toys and books. Wednesday we ran errands. Thursday, Bode and Gianna started gymnastics again. They both go once a week at the same place, so that is good. The gym is much more crowded during the summer though! I was disappointed to see such a crush of children and parents at the start and end of the classes. I even "lost" Gianna at one point. I completely panicked, grabbing Gianna's teacher and telling her that Gianna was missing. They shut down the exit, deposited Bode with the front office manager in her office while we searched the gym for Gianna. The little stinker was playing in a (pretend) school bus upstairs! She had decided that she wasn't ready to leave and wanted to play with the toys (they have a waiting area upstairs for children/parents with toys and magazines). Her teacher found her. I'm going to be much more diligent around the gym going forward! That afternoon, I turned on the hose and had them wash our patio chairs. They had so much fun!!! I really scrubbed the chairs while they had the fun job of spraying the chairs and dumping the water out of the tubs. I forgot the "magic" of the water hose...such easy entertainment! I'll have to use that trick several times this summer, I think.
Today, Bode and Gianna got their bangs trim. I've tried for a few weeks to get Bode's hair cut. But he insists that he wants to grow it out. RWF thinks we should just get it cut, no questions asked. I'm inclined to let him do what he wants with his hair right now. I kind of like it on the long side, though I would like to get it styled/trimmed up. This morning, I asked him if we could just get a small trim and Bode said No. When he got in the chair, he turned to the stylist and said, "Just trim my bangs above the eye brows, please," just like I request of Gianna's bangs. He was very grown up about it. It was pretty cute.
Both my baby sitters quit at the start of June to pursue full-time summer jobs. So I don't get a break to run errands like I used to, and now, I have to run errands with all 3 children in tow. A lot of the time, I dread this errand-running. I think of taking the children in and out of the carseats, and in and out of the stores, walking through busy parking lots, and the logistics of shopping carts (who rides where, if at all), etc. and I get completely stressed out. But I have to say that this week, the children were so unbelievably good while running errands! It might be a nice change of pace for them this week. I don't want to drag them around too much though. And I try to do at least one fun thing either in the morning or the afternoon. That way, if we spend time doing errands, they have some fun time for themselves, too.
Next week, we start DAILY swimming lessons. I'm sure the novelty will wear off quickly and I'll be dragging them by their spandex to the pool.
Happy almost-official Summer, friends!
xo
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