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Baby

Summer 24

Featuredby motheringmillieLeave a Comment on Summer 24
Summer 24

We kicked off this summer with an, ‘A Kid Again’ adventure to the Columbus Zoo and Zoombeezi Bay. We all wore our matching, A Kid Again shirts; I had to cut the long sleeves off of Crosby’s – he won’t fit it during the winter months anyway. Millie and Wells wanted to ride the rides first, which was included with our event tickets. Due to their height, they couldn’t ride all of the rides but they were able to ride on the Macaw Spinner and the Swinging Gibbon (swings). We were given a meal time so between 4-5pm we went to the pavilions for dinner; veggie burgers, chips, cookies, drinks, and uncrustables for the kids – all included.

We were able to ride on the train through North America, something we have never done before at the Zoo. One little boy screamed the entire ride and due to the construction in that area, the train ride was not very scenic; we saw a lot of wooden fence. I was grateful we didn’t have to pay for that experience. We continued to Africa where we all fed a giraffe; another included activity. Millie and Wells were pros, they knew exactly what to do. Chris held Crosby while he fed Ootoo but Crosby backed his body into Chris’, he didn’t seem to like feeding the giraffe.

We headed over to Zoombeezi Bay as the sun was going down. This was the best time for the boys to experience the water park, when the sun wasn’t so harsh. After getting everyone changed into their suits (it was an experience trying to get the two bigs to change without touching the wet, bathroom floor) we had to wait for the day time life guards and night event life guards to change places. They informed us that they were not opening the toddler area for the evening (which was insane to me considering the amount of kids with needs that could have utilized a developmentally appropriate swimming area). We enjoyed our time in the wave pool even though the water was frigid!

Wells was shivering and Mills lips were purple so we knew it was time to dry off and go. As we were leaving, A Kid Again volunteers were passing out fiber optic, light-up wands to each kid. There were three colors to choose from; orange, green, and blue, so each of my kids got a different color. They enjoyed swinging them around – even Crosby! Chris didn’t particularly care for the wands when he mistaked them for police lights in his rear view mirror.

The next day, Millie and I went to her Senior Prayer Buddy’s graduation party. She has absolutely loved spending time with Kennedy this year. She brought her a card, got to take pictures with her, highlight a scripture in her Bible (she chose one from the book of Psalms), and eat a cookie decorated like a graduation cap. Millie got to see her kindergarten teacher at the party and Mill spoke with Kennedy’s mom about doing Bible Quizzing in the fall. The party was being held at the park across the street from my Dad’s house, so after we said our goodbyes, we popped over to Papa’s house to see him. My Dad lives next door to a student of mine and when the student saw me she said, “Hi, Mrs. Doyle!” Millie said, “Why are you calling my mommy, Mrs. Doyle?!”

To end the first weekend of summer vacation, we went to the Troy Strawberry Festival. We have never been there before but it reminded us of the Circleville Pumpkin Show – but strawberries. Millie wore a strawberry dress and purse for the occasion. She was astounded that the fountain in the middle of town had been dyed pink! She wore her sash and crown to make an appearance out of the event; she passed out strawberry candies and stickers to other little girls. There was a gag-band playing through the streets of the festival and when they saw Mill, they played a royal tune; she was flattered and took a picture with them. We ate delicious strawberry kettle corn and drank strawberry lemonade.

Throughout the week, we crafted necklaces with shrinky-dinks, celebrated Maw Maw Bev’s 77th birthday, played in the water table, completed math and reading pages, and went swimming in Maws pool – twice! The bigs swim independently (with their puddle jumpers) and I am able to hold Crosby in the water. We tried him in a float that reclined back but when he would sit up, the float flipped him straight into the water, head first. Maw took the float back the next day and told costumer service that it’s an unsafe floating device and that they should pull it from their shelves. While we were swimming, Wells told a tanned, mixed girl, “Your skin is boo-ti-ful!” He is such a special kid.

Saturday, Millie and I spent the morning at an ARB Pageant Workshop to help prepare for Nationals! Before the event started, some pageant queens were passing out their title cards with QR codes to take you to their website. Mill loved getting cards from everyone and she was upset that we didn’t have any to give out. They were given notebooks to keep notes in and Millie loved writing and drawing in it. Millie would play hand clapping games with her friend, Goldie while they would wait for their turn to work with the specialists. She was given runway advice and suggestions to make her introduction stronger.

After her workshop, we were super hungry so we had a mother-daughter lunch at her favorite restaurant; Olive Garden. Instead of playing games on the table-top tablet, she found the books app instead and we read while we ate. She had buttered noodles, broccoli, salad, and a few breadsticks. A waitress heard us reading and said, “I’ve never known there to be books on that thing! What a better option!” Millie will always opt to read.

The whole fam and my in-laws went to the Columbus Arts Festival. We got lemonade, stickers, sorbet, and free Nutcracker tickets! This is our second year “spinning the wheel” at the BalletMet booth and winning tickets; Millie was the lucky spinner last year and Chris spun the tickets this year – even though we were pretty sure Wells’ first spin was going to land on the tickets but Chris stopped the wheel and they made him re-spin because “the wheel hadn’t spun all the way around”. You could hear our exasperation. Thankfully, Chris redeemed himself when he spun and won the tickets on his turn.

Wells found an artist that he really liked who painted pictures of fish in unique places. The bigs enjoyed coloring at the zoos booth (Mill colored a purple and yellow Tasmanian devil). Mill tried tap dancing on a piece of wood and tap shoes. Crosby was fascinated by the helicopter flying above us. After the festival, Mill went to stay the night with her grandparents because they were going to take her on her June adventure; hiking. (They walked two trails in Hocking Hills and had a picnic lunch.)

Wells was disappointed he wasn’t going hiking with Mill so while we waited for our dinner to be ready for pick-up (we ordered Indian to-go) we let Wells play on a fun playground with swings and four slides across the street from the restaurant. It was so sweet, he ran up to the swing set and yelled, “Hi everybody! My name is Wells!” It reminded me of the first time he introduced himself to a stranger at the Newport Aquarium. Wells has worked so hard for his words and I am so incredibly proud of him.

The next week, our evenings were occupied with Vacation Bible School. This year’s theme was, “Team Jesus” because of the summer Olympics starting soon. Wells was able to attend VBS this year and he was super excited (although he was a little disappointed that the pre-k shirts were yellow and not blue). Millie was placed in a group with some of her friends from school. I didn’t feel like the message was as engaging as last years. Last year, Mill would come home everyday wanting to talk about Jesus and what she learned but neither kid did this week. On the family day, neither kid was singing along to the praise song; hopefully next year they’ll feel more connected. We all had a good time at the celebration to end the week. The bigs went down an inflatable water slide, jumped in a bouncy house, raced each other in a blow-up obstacle course, and ate shaved ice.

Millie was so excited to play tennis this summer. Even though the flyer said 2nd grade and up, the coach let Mill sign up because of how eager she was to learn. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am-12pm we walked over to the tennis courts for Mill to practice her serves across the net. The coach was so kind and patient with her. It was exciting watching her improve. On the last day, the coach let each kid fill a bag full of tennis balls to take home to practice with. Mill was able to cheer the kids out on the last day, “One, two, three, go Dawgs!”

Then my friend Rebecca passed away. Then my MawMaw Bev passed away. I was in survival mode and the kids played a lot on their own.

One of my best friends, Sarah, came and took the bigs to see Inside Out 2. She said that the kids were the best behaved kids in the theater. She also said that she took Wells to the bathroom and she was relieved when he said he didn’t have to poop (he still can’t wipe on his own quite yet). She brought back Chipotle for dinner and it was the nicest thing in the entire world because she’s the nicest person in the entire world.

We needed something happy so we celebrated Shark Week. I bought special balloons and shark hand puppets. Each night, we watched new Shark shows on t.v. We went to Outback Steakhouse because they had a special drink called the Sharky Temple. The kids had sprite with a Shark full of red grenadine. When they dunked the shark in the pop, the drink turned red like a shark attack.

For my dad’s 56th birthday, we planned a trip to see the Chicago Cubs play in Wrigley field. Dru and Katey graciously took the bigs putt-putting the Thursday before we left so I could get everyone packed. To split up the drive, we stayed one night in Indianapolis, Indiana before heading to Illinois. We woke up early on Friday, packed the car, and made it to the Indianapolis Zoo before 1pm; we rocked out to SpongeBob the Musical and Crosby slept the entire ride.

The Indianapolis Zoo is privately owned however, they still gave a discount on our entry for being Columbus Zoo members. After our tickets were scanned, the entrance to the zoo was through a beautiful garden which set the tone for the entire zoo experience. There were fountains with animal sculptures and actual parrots in the trees. We are used to a cluster of people, bubble wands, and annoying photographers trying to snap a picture; this was completely different. There was a greenhouse with exotic plants and what seemed like a million butterflies. It was better than the Franklin Park Conservatory’s butterfly exhibit and this was included with the admission to the zoo. The only issue was Crosby was having a rough time with his light sensitivity so we made sure that he was wearing his hat and sunglasses and tried our best to stay indoors.

We went into the ocean exhibit and there was an electric eel swimming out of the coral. It was squiggly and creepy looking. Wells was so excited to see the “touch pool” that had epaulette sharks, sting rays, and two dogfish sharks. This was actually the nations largest shark, touch pool. The water was deep and the wall was tall so Wells had a tough time reaching far into the water. It took some patience but eventually he was able to touch both sharks and many sting rays! With Chris’ support, even Millie touched a shark. Wells was so happy and proud of himself for being brave.

In the oceans exhibit, there was a section with different penguins. When Crosby saw them he said, “duck”. He was so proud of himself. There was a seal enclosure where the seals were diving in the water and swimming around. Chris asked the kids, “Do you know what’s making all those bubbles? The seals are tooting.” To which Wells replied, “That’s my favorite part.” Chris said, “What is?” Wells said, “The tooting.”

We were super impressed with the plant based options at the grill; Wells and I got veggie dogs, Mill got a pb&j, and Chris got vegan chorizo tacos. They even had chikn tenders and black bean burgers (It’s not often we get food choices). Crosby was struggling with his photophobia; the sun was super bright even with his sunglasses, hat, and stroller visor to help protect his eyes. While the rest of the family ate at an outdoor picnic table, I took Crosby into the gift shop where he was much more comfortable. While we were in there, I picked out a shark sticker for Wells’ suitcase and a Christmas ornament that said Indianapolis Zoo.

After lunch, we watched the Gibbon monkeys and that was a real treat. The mother monkey was pooping and the baby was grabbing the poop as it came out of its mother’s butt. It was disgusting but of course the kids thought it was hilarious. The baby monkey threw the poop on the ground – praise because I thought it was going to eat it and I would have barfed on everybody. We were pretty upset with the zoos newly added Chimpanzee “complex”. We saw it advertised on their website and social media. It was supposed to be this cool, interactive way to experience the chimpanzees however, it was more like hanging, metal dog crates. The chimps were no where to be found until we saw one at the bottom of a stairwell banging his head over and over again into the steps. It was hard to see.

We saw two, brown bears active in their enclosure. They were massive. One was taking a dip in the water and the other was walking around and even on its hind legs at one point. Crosby called them, “og” like dog – it was cute. The rhinos were sunken into a mud bath and when they raised up the suction sound was thick. The rhino walked to a large rock to scratch his underside and then let out a huge toot that made his tail fly! It was so gross!

There were wildebeests, ostriches, and kudus all in the same habitat. There was a large, ostrich egg just lying in the middle of the kudus. It was making me so anxious – all the hooves around the egg and the kudus kept sniffing at it. The ostrich looked down right haggard and was hissing at the kudus. It was national geographic at its finest.

Our favorite part of the Indianapolis Zoo was the dolphin show. I felt like we were at the Georgia Aquarium again. They had a huge indoor space with the water as the stage. We sat in stadium seats and were in awe of what these eight dolphins could do; jump, splash, turn – all on command. They showed a video about dolphin conservation and the dolphins that were critically endangered or extinct. Wells started to cry. He was so emotional about the dolphins. He loves ocean animals so much, bless his heart.

After our time at the zoo, we checked into our hotel for the night. It had two, queen size beds so Chris and I divided up; the boys slept with me and Chris had Mill. It was a quick stay. We packed up the next morning and spent the day at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. We were blown away by the size of the complex. There was a parking deck attached with a four story tall Anubis, an outside sports area sponsored by the Pacers, and a “life -sized” brontosaurus climbing through the window. Wells was amazed by the transformer, Bumblebee in the lobby.

The dinosaur exhibit was spread out on all four floors of the museum. Like the Children’s Museum in Dallas, Chris and I were impressed with how many bones were actual fossils versus casts. The fossilized skull of the duck-billed dinosaur was really off putting to say the least. Millie “smelled” what the dino would smell like to a T-Rex and she said it was disgusting (how would we know what they smelled like?). The bigs colored pictures of dinosaurs and scanned them onto a projected screen, much like what we did with the fish pictures at the Newport Aquarium. It was neat, each new dinosaur that was scanned would hatch out of an egg and walk across the wall. Wells was coloring in the lines!

My favorite part of the museum started on the bottom floor and was over 40 feet tall; a masterpiece of blown glass by Chihuly. The kids could make their own sculpture with plastic pieces made to look like blown glass. The ceiling was covered in different glass pieces with a slow spinning ottoman in the middle of the room that you would sit on and it gave a kaleidoscope effect. There are many Chihuly pieces at the Franklin Park Conservatory and I always remember how my much grandma loves them. I FaceTimed with her throughout this part of the museum so she could see the amazing art, too.

There was a Greece exhibit where it actually looked like you were in a villa in Sorento. Mill and I learned a traditional Grecian dance by an instructor and Wells rescued turtle “plastic” off the coast. We also enjoyed the Ninja Turtle exhibit (this is only there a limited time) and the kids got to shoot foam pizzas into windows. Another awesome art piece was many miniature doll houses; I wish I could’ve lived inside them, they were so beautiful. If you pressed a button, holograms of period people would walk around the houses. It was so cool.

On the top floor of the museum was a restored carousel. It broke down and was stored in someone’s barn for decades. There were all different animals; tigers, horses, giraffes and they were so intricately painted. We all rode on the carousel as a family. Millie wanted to ride a giraffe but they didn’t move up and down so she sat behind the giraffes on a horse. Wells didn’t want to go up and down so he sat on a giraffe. Crosby was not a fan so he stayed in my arms. As we were riding, I looked up and the top of the carousel was painted like the night sky – it was really beautiful.

There was so much more to do and explore in the Indianapolis Children’s Museum however, we were on a time crunch to get to Chicago before 5PM. On our way out, we got the kids a soft pretzel and to my surprise I hear, “Mrs. Doyle!” Two of my students were also at the museum and saw me there. I gave them hugs and told them to enjoy the rest of their vacation. It was neat seeing students in a different state experiencing cool, new things. As we walked back to the Jeep, we promised the kids that we would be back again.

The kids all napped during our drive to Chicago; I’m sure they were wiped from the museum. The bigs were awake when we entered the city so they could see the skyline. I saw a sign for Louis Vuitton and Wells repeated me in the sweetest French accent you’ve ever heard. Our first stop was to the American Girl store. Millie brought her doll, Isabelle, and woah was she excited (Mill, not the doll – the doll had seen better days. Her hair was a mess.) Millie was like a spinning top in the store; looking at everything and wanting everything. She cracked up seeing a doll scene of a bathroom. She especially liked seeing her dolls set ups; Kit and Isabelle. Chris and I both prefaced this shopping trip that we were going to spend $150 and that was all. A lot went into the shopping bag but when it was time to checkout, she was very good at deciding what she wanted and what she didn’t. She ended up getting matching shirts for her and her doll, a pajama outfit and slippers, a doll carrying bag, and Isabelle a new hair style.

Isabelle was looking raggedy. I didn’t know that prior to our trip, Mill had taken out Isabelle’s hair. Thankfully, the doll salon was open with not much of a wait, so we let Millie pick out a new hair style for Isabelle. Chris and the boys wondered off. I watched Millie as she lit up in amazement. She talked to the stylist and picked out ribbon colors. She chose two French braids with red and blue ribbons for the Cubs game we would attend the next day. She listened to the stylists instructions about how to keep her dolls hair nice and Millie hung on to every word.

We left the American Girl store and the kids rode on an escalator for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by how well they did stepping off. We went to the Lego store for Wells and he and Chris chose different sets to put together. Crosby was having so much fun. He kept running behind the counter and the cashier said, “I should go grab him an application!” Millie saw a woman with my similar hair and build leave the store hand in hand with another man that was not her dad and she was very confused. She yelled, “Daddy! Mommy’s leaving!” But I was not leaving – I was chasing Crosby around.

After shopping, we made our way up to the highest floor of the mall to eat at Harry Carey’s. Both Mill and Wells did really well navigating the many escalators. Harry Carey’s TVs were playing the Cubs game but I didn’t get to watch much of it because I spent most of the time in the restroom instead of at our table! First, I had to go to the bathroom and as I was walking back, Wells was running towards me saying he had to go. Then, Mill had to go! Millie’s American Girl got to sit in a special high chair. We were so impressed with Wells, it was the first time he colored a picture inside the lines!

After eating dinner, we walked around the city for a bit before heading back to our car and going to our hotel for the night. The drive to our hotel was eventful. We drove past a road named, “Wells Street”. While we were on the highway, we saw a motorcycle up in flames and someone giving CPR on the side of the road – we found out later that the motorcyclist had died. When we got to the hotel, we met up with my dad and stepmom. They had already spent one night in Chicago celebrating my dad‘s 56th birthday. It was late, so we discussed plans for the ballpark the next morning, Millie dressed Isabelle in her new jammies and slippers, and went to sleep.

The next morning, we walked down to the hotel lobby for the complementary breakfast. I had Crosby on my hip when I walked over to grab a bowl of cereal, and I heard a man say to his wife or partner or female friend, “That’s one ugly ass kid.” If my kids weren’t present, I would’ve had some choice words with this man however, I chose to grab breakfast and go about my way. Who says something like that about a child? It honestly had me mentally messed up all morning. After breakfast, we all dressed in Chicago Cubs gear and loaded the Jeep headed to Wrigley Field – the kids and my Dad’s first time!

When we arrived in Wrigleyville, I gave my Dad a big, blue, birthday hat that he wore for a picture or two and left in a tree by our parking garage. I wore Crosby in the baby carrier and Chris carried Wells on his shoulders. As we walked closer to the stadium, I watched my Dad’s face as he saw places he had recognized from WGN broadcasts. The smile on his face when he saw the Wrigley Field sign was priceless. He took pictures under the sign and next to the new, Ryne Sandberg statue. We went into a Cubs team store and bought my Dad a red, baseball hat to match his outfit, for his birthday.

Millie got so many compliments on Isabelle. Many workers reminisced about their little ones and their dolls. We got the kids and my Dad, “first time” certificates and pictures. We got food and found our seats (apparently my Dad almost choked to death getting his hot dog). Our seats were underneath a seat deck which made the sunny day so much better on my Dad and the boys’ eyes to be sitting in the shade. A 92 year old, lifelong cubs fan threw the first pitch and the National Anthem was performed by a father-son, saxophone and guitar duet. We were ready for some baseball!

Crosby sat up in a seat by himself and drank water from his Clark the Cub sippy cup. Wells ate French fries and fell asleep on Chris’ arm while watching baseball. Millie was actually invested in the game and asking intelligent baseball questions. My heart was so entirely full. During the ninth inning, my Dad, the kids, and I walked behind the ivy to prepare to “run the bases”. One Sunday a month, kids at the ballpark can run the bases on Wrigley Field. Each kid could have one adult with them so my Dad and I also got the opportunity to be on the field. Finishing the game through the Ivy was surreal. Cubs won in extra innings and we got to sing, “Go Cubs, Go!” with my Dad on his birthday.

Walking out onto Wrigley Field felt like a dream. Wells and Mill ran out in front of us as my Dad and I tried to take everything in. Cubs players were conversing with their families out in the outfield. The grass was so incredibly green. I gave Mill my phone to video record while she and Wells ran the bases. They started the kids at first base told them to, “go!” So Mill took off towards home plate and she had the whole lot of kids going the wrong way. Her and Wells ran to home plate, to third base, out to left field, to second base, then they were finally turned around by a field volunteer, hit third base, and ran to home plate again. They definitely got my money worth, running around the bases!

Walking back to the car was tough because the kids were so tired. Millie was embarrassed that she ran the wrong way around the bases. My Dad’s foot was killing him from all the walking he’d done in Chicago. We made bets on if the blue, birthday hat would still be hanging in the tree by the parking garage. Wells was the only one to say, “I think so.” We all freaked out when we saw the hat, in all its glory, still hanging in the tree.

On the ride back to the hotel, we chose a restaurant while Crosby entertained us with his best rendition of, “Go Cubs, go!” We ate at a delish, hole in the wall, Mediterranean place called Backyard Grill, celebrating its 20th year in business and reminisced on the amazing weekend we had. We went back to the hotel and presented my Dad with a chocolate brownie cake that we made for him with the candles 5 and 6 for his birthday. The kids were begging us to take a dip in the hotel pool so before bed, we swam for an hour. Chris and I were amazed because Millie was jumping in and swimming underwater for the first time!

The next morning, we said goodbye to my Dad and step-mom as they left for home. We checked out of the hotel and drove back into the city of Chicago to take the kids to the Chicago Aquarium. The Aquarium is right on Lake Michigan; it’s beautiful! The kids and I enjoyed sitting by the water before and after our excursion – Chris wasn’t about the detour. Wells loves everything about the ocean and we found out that the Chicago Aquarium has white-sided dolphins, a species that we had never seen before. I was so impressed with the architecture of the building; the ceiling tiles had carved ocean creatures and the crown molding looked like waves. The kids loved playing on the indoor playground at the penguin exhibit. I was so impressed with Millie as she read so many of the informational texts next to the tanks. Before we left, I threw some seagulls some pretzels. The kids loved watching the birds swarm. Chris wasn’t so enthused.

The next weekend, we made our way to Cincinnati for Millie’s beauty pageant nationals. (More on this in its own blog post!) My friend Sarah stayed the week with us – the kids love it when she’s around. She reads books to them, does crafts with them, and brings them gifts. We spent some time at Mawmaw’s pool and with Lindsey at her brother’s pool; Millie and eventually Wells too, were jumping off the diving board!

I remember back to last summer thinking how Crosby would be walking by now and how different everything would be – but it wasn’t different. It felt just right. Every day is a gift. Every. Single. Day. If losing my sister (and my step-dad, and my cousin, and my grandma, and my friend) has taught me anything, it’s that we aren’t guaranteed anything. Writing these posts help me to not forget the gift I was given; time.

Baby

Summer of 23

by motheringmillieLeave a Comment on Summer of 23
Summer of 23

Maternity leave with Crosby rolled into summer break. I printed off a checklist I found on Pinterest of fun ideas to make this summer enjoyable for the kids.

Beautiful dancing, colors, and music at the Asian Festival commenced our summer. We heard a guzheng performance, saw dragon kites, and ate lo mein noodles. We watched a Tai Chi studio performance; the movements were so fluid and mesmerizing. Millie danced with an Asian exercise dance group; Wells started to but quickly found his way back to holding my hand. Both kids got their faces painted for the first time; Mill got a rainbow arching from her forehead down her cheek and Wells got a Spider-Man web. He wasn’t thrilled that the artist was touching his face but he was happy when he looked in the mirror. They both colored Japanese opera masks and painted cherry blossoms using the bottom of a coke bottle. I bought an umbrella tree bonsai plant that Mill named Bonsai Bonsai the Bonsai.

During our first week together, we painted rocks for the garden; we painted a lemon slice, a rainbow, and a purple rock that said, brave. Millie and Wells both helped me in the kitchen; Mill helped by chopping vegetables for dinner and Wells helped by putting parmesan cheese on the garlic bread and dividing salad into bowls (not for him though because Wells doesn’t like salad).

We went to the library to register for the summer reading program and to see a children’s comedian, Mike Hemmelgarn. During his performance, Mr. Hemmelgarn juggled balls, performed magic tricks, and told jokes with balloons and puppets. Wells’ favorite part was when the skunk puppet sprayed (squirt gun) and Mill’s favorite part was when Mr. Hemmelgarn drew a face on a dry erase board and that face became a moving puppet!

After the show, Millie and Wells played with legos while I picked out some books; a ballerina book for Mill, a shark dog book for Wells, and a book called, Saying Goodbye to Lulu (we’re getting ready to have to say goodbye to my family dog, Brandy). I heard Wells say, “Mommy? Mommy?” We had to leave the library early because Wells had an accident. I was proud of him though, for telling me, and that he mostly held himself all the way across the library until we got to the bathroom.

Once it was officially strawberry pickin’ season, we took our buckets and went to the fields. My friend from work, Madison met us there. Wells would pick a berry, take a bite, and chuck it as far as he could throw. If he wanted to keep the berry, he’d toss it into the bucket and yell, “goal!” Crosby was perfectly content in the carrier, even as I bent down to pick berries. The strawberries were delicious and we shared them with my mom and maw.

We had a fun day swimming at Maw’s pool. It didn’t get warmer than 75 degrees but the kids swam until their lips turned purple. Wells hit the weight requirement for his puddle jumper (it’s blue with a shark on it) but he won’t trust the float. My mom held him in the pool all the while wearing the puddle jumper. Millie swam all around with her puddle jumper on and even floated on her back. Wells tried jumping into the baby pool but the bottom was incredibly slippery (last year Maw slipped when getting into it). He landed his jump but his feet slid from under him. He hit his head on the edge of the baby pool and we watched for concussion symptoms all night.

Millie had no interest in Taylor’s (my step-mom’s, granddaughter’s) softball game. Instead of watching, Millie spelled her name in the dirt with little sticks. Wells found larger sticks and played, “swords” with whoever would swing them around. After the game, we went to the Columbus Arts Festival and got the kids snow cones, pretzels, and lemonade. Millie saw her dance teacher and spun the prize wheel at her company’s stand. She won free tickets to the Nutcracker! Both kids rolled down the hill by the river with my dad. It was a good day.

Week two of summer vacation started off rainy. We played board games; Hi Ho Cherry-o and Candy Land. Millie started VBS at our church, that was cowboy themed, so I got her a new pair of boots to wear. She was so happy to see many of her friends from school. Each day they read scripture and prayed about trusting God in difficult situations. On her last day of VBS, Chris asked her what she learned and she said, “A lot and nothing.” VBS family night included songs (and dances) of praise, bounce houses, and a petting zoo that had a zebra. Millie was not scared to go down the big, blowup slide. The kids met a police officer and sat in the driver’s seat of a cruiser. My favorite part of the night was Wells doing the “cowboy dance” in the middle of the aisle. It was awesome to see both kids having fun while worshipping the Lord.

Wells continued to go to speech therapy twice a week. Since Crosby’s birth, in March, Chris has been taking Wells to his speech appointments. Wells is working on the f, c, s, sh, g, and t sounds. The toughest part of therapy is making sure Wells doesn’t fall asleep on the car ride there! When he wakes up from his car nap, he is not happy and the first ten minutes of therapy are useless. His therapist, Jody suggested that we only have appointments once a week instead of our usual twice a week. I was not keen to this notion as aggressive speech therapy is the best way to help with his Apraxia. People who hear Wells speak, continue to praise him for his hard work and how well he is sounding.

Millie received a birthday party invite from a friend in her pre-k class. It was held at the play place at our church. It was very much a “little girls” party; pink, sparkly, unicorns and rainbows. When a new girl would come through the door, the girls would run, scream, and hug each other. Millie wanted me to go with her in the play area but my gosh, it smelled like dirty feet. Still, I gratefully followed her because one day, she might not want mom to be there with her at parties.

On the same day that Millie had her friend’s birthday party, we had our cousin Lily’s 7th birthday celebration at Chuck E. Cheese. This was the first time my kids had ever been there and the first time Chris or I had been in over 20 years. There wasn’t a ball pit or jungle gym like we remembered; it was completely modernized with Kidz Bop projected on the wall and swipe cards instead of tokens. Millie and Wells played shooting games, rode on a small carousel, got into a machine that dumped balls on their heads, and rolled a ball that made a monkey eat bananas. Wells’ favorite part was the shark projected on the floor; he ran around trying to stomp on the fish. Millie ate three pieces of pizza with the cheese off. Both kids had a great time.

We rarely make it over to the East side of town so after the birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, we took the kids to the outdoor mall. They were impressed with the life-sized, Lego giraffe and Lego Barbie creations. They both laughed when the stone frogs would spit water in the outdoor fountain. Wells wanted to take the coins out (he almost fell in). We took Millie to the American Girl store and she was so excited. Chris didn’t like being there however, my inner child was just as excited as Mill. She knew exactly what she wanted to get – the bitty, bitty baby from the Christmas catalog. She got the baby and a new pair of shoes for her doll, Kit.

After treating Millie, we went to Build-A-Bear for Wells. He had never been before. He chose a great white shark with a huge head. He threw it on the ground; mad. He said, “It’s flat!” He didn’t understand that he was going to get to stuff it. We looked through the different sound bites but we landed on puppy noises so that he could be, Shark-dog. We’ve been reading the Sharkdog books from the library. Chris and I were so impressed that the lady helping with the stuffing understood Wells when he said and spelled his name. Millie and Wells both put hearts in Sharkdog. The joy on Wells’ face was everything.

The weekend before Father’s Day, Chris and his dad took Millie and Wells to Home Depot to do a Kids Workshop activity. They wore orange aprons, painted, and had a lot of fun assembling table top putting greens. (During which I got some quiet, alone time with Crosby.) For Father’s Day, Millie gave Chris a mug that she picked out that said, “Dad Joke Pro” and he loved it. We went to church and the kids danced in the Praise House to the Cowboy Dance song; Wells is obsessed and his lasso moves are the best. After church, we spent the day with Chris’ parents, watching the Navy’s Blue Angels fly right above the rooftop. The Air Show was held in Columbus for the first time in over two decades and you could see the flights from my in-laws house. Neither kid was particularly interested in the air show; they were busy playing with badminton rackets. We ate a dairy-free, chocolate cake that Millie helped me bake and the kids fell asleep on the car ride home.

It rained everyday for the remainder of June. We did in-door activities to pass the time. We decorated cookies; Wells decorated blue dinosaurs and Millie decorated pink, sparkly tiaras. They were both most interested in eating the sprinkles. We created pictures using dot stickers, played with sensory bins (cornflakes and construction vehicles), sent cards to family members, built houses with magnet tiles, and read lots of books.

The kids were so excited to have a getaway weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. We planned to show them the Arc Encounter, the Newport Aquarium, and the Cincinnati Zoo. Unfortunately, the night before we were set to leave, Wells threw up and had diarrhea. I was really worried because his vomit was black and everything I found on Google said that could be a sign of internal bleeding. I called the pediatrician in the morning and she reassured me that the color was because of the amount of black food he ate (Oreo-O’s, black beans, Oreo cookies). She said that his symptoms sounded like a gastro-virus that would run it’s course within 72 hours.

Even though Wells was feeling under the weather, he still wanted to go on the trip. We packed up my in-laws new Expedition and drove to Kentucky. During the car ride, we found that Bob Marley’s, Three Little Birds, soothed Crosby when he would fuss; it was instantaneous. Millie practiced her sight words with Grandma in the third row. Wells slept.

At the Ark Encounter, the kids were scared of the sounds inside the exhibit and they did not want to look at the wax animals. Their favorite part was the playground. Wells said, “Thank you, Mommy for taking me here.” He led me through a maze, we raced, and we went on the see-saw together. I was super proud of Millie because she went on both zip-line rides (something she was too scared to try last year). Wells stayed hydrated by eating ice chips but by the time we got to the car, his temperature was 102.

We drove an hour to Cincinnati and checked into our hotel. We had an awesome view of a clock tower and we were on the same floor as the grandparents. We weren’t there 10 minutes before we changed into our bathing suits and went to the in-door pool. The water was the perfect temperature for Wells. It was the first time that Wells trusted his puddle-jumper and floated on his own! I sat on the steps of the pool, holding Crosby, and watched Chris swim and have fun with Millie and Wells. It was a beautiful time.

For dinner, we went to the hotel restaurant (they had an excellent soft pretzel). Wells ate a single french fry and threw it up later. Wells had a difficult night; fever and diarrhea. Crosby slept wonderfully for his first night away from home; he slept between me and Millie. Mill moves around in her sleep so I had to be mindful of how close she was getting to Crosby throughout the night. At one point, she hit her head on the headboard (it was really loud).

Morning came quick. We packed, ate pop-tarts, and loaded into the car on the way to the Newport Aquarium. Wells enjoyed looking at the different frogs; brightly colored poisonous frogs, big-eyed frogs, and frogs that stuck to the glass. Millie colored fish pictures with our initials on them with Grandpa. The fish were projected onto a digital screen. Both kids were super brave and walked across a tightrope bridge suspended over a tank full of sharks!

Before we went to the Cincinnati Zoo, we had lunch at an inner-city Skyline restaurant. The atmosphere was awesome and it was surrounded by brightly painted shops and a beautiful fountain. We went to the zoo and saw the hippos, Fiona and Fritz. Fiona was such a ham, kissing the glass and we saw Fritz kiss his daddy; it was so sweet. We got to see a tiger taking a bath, a snow leopard moving around the enclosure, and little lizards running around everywhere (I didn’t realize Ohio had lizards). Before we left, we stopped at the gift shop. Millie got a tie dye baseball hat that said, Fiona and Wells got a squishy ball in the shape of a shark.

July 4th was a special day. We had my mom and Maw over, Shauna, and Chris’ family, too. We ate and played corn hole. Once it got dark, we lit sparklers – Wells didn’t want to hold one; he tried on Memorial Day and didn’t like it. Millie did cartwheels in the yard while we watched the fireworks over the trees. Mawmaw lit Millie’s room with neon light sticks and the kids slept together through the sound of patriotic booms.

Millie would work on sight words at the breakfast table while Wells ate blueberry waffles (two, cut up, with butter on them, and syrup on the side). For every book that Mill read independently, she would get to add a pom-pom ball to her book worm, Maws idea, and she named it, Dotty. The word “the” gave her the most trouble. She could never remember it. Wells knew some sight words before the end of the summer; a, I.

Before lunch, we would play on the back patio in the baby pool and water table. The magnetic water balloons were the kids’ favorite toy this summer. They would trap their toys in the water balloons and throw them. Crosby got a water balloon to the cheek once – he’s a tough guy and didn’t even notice. Wells threw a water balloon at the back door at the same time that Chris was opening the door to ask me a question. Water got all over the hardwood floor but all we could do was laugh. It felt like heaven as Crosby slept on my chest, while I watched Millie and Wells water the flowers. Then, a fight would happen over the watering cans and I would heat up chicky nugs.

Dru and Uncle Nick wanted to take the kids putt-putting. This was their first time playing putt-putt golf. Millie of course, chose a pink ball. I was super impressed with how well she was lining up her shot and swinging the club. Wells mostly just ran all over the green. There were some arcade games in the lobby and Millie wanted to try the claw machine. She was impatient and hit the release button right over the drop shoot. She was devastated she didn’t win a toy (We explained to her that those games are rigged anyway). After the tears, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and found out that Mill really loves chips and salsa (she still doesn’t like tomato’s though, she thinks they’re squirty).

Millie was invited to an open house at her ballet studio for a dance exploration event. Chris took her and I stayed home with the boys. We both got the start time wrong so she was there almost an hour early however, Millie was able to have one-on-one time with instructors and older ballerinas in the company and was able to take pictures with them in their performance costumes. She was most excited about the ice-cream truck that came at the end. Chris said she did a really great job.

Wells had a good experience at his first dentist appointment! He watched Millie go before him. The tech gave him a pair of Spider-Man sunglasses to wear and she didn’t turn on her head lamp due to Wells’ eye sensitivity. I remembered to prepare him about the chair moving (I forgot with Millie). His cleaning didn’t last longer than five minutes and we found out that he didn’t have any cavities! I was nervous, the boy loves his sweets.

Both boys had an appointment with Children’s ophthalmology. Mawmaw came with us. Unfortunately, Crosby has the same genetic syndrome that Wells does and after the examination, it was confirmed that he has stage 1 dry eye. Wells allowed the cornea specialist to look into his eyes instead of squeezing them shut like he’s done in the past. I was so proud of Wells for doing a good job at this appointment that I took him to a trampoline park for a thirty minute jump. He would run across the trampolines and it looked so funny; his torso stayed still while his little legs moved so quickly.

The KidzBop Live Tour came through Columbus and we bought tickets because Mill is obsessed. She was pumped to be going to this concert; I let her pick out her outfit. She completed her look with a unicorn bow and a fuzzy, fanny-pack. The concert was held at the fairgrounds. Waiting in line to get in, I ran into a teacher friend and a current student of mine. I was wanded before entry and Wells was insistent on being scanned too. He was so observant; he held out his arms and turned around just like he saw me do. The whole fam went to this concert, including Crosby with his headphones. We arrived early enough to eat a funnel cake before the show. Millie was bummed only 4 kids performed. A little girl sitting in front of us shared beaded jewelry with Mill. I bought Mill a tour shirt and Wells a hat. We left shortly after intermission- it was hot and loud. Their new KidzBop attire read, “KidzBop Never Stop” and we had fun on the car ride home changing the last word of that slogan. Wells’ was my favorite, “KidzBop never poops”.

My best friend Lindsey invited us to spend a long weekend at Posey Lake in Hudson, Michigan with her and her family at her grandmothers lake house. Millie had been asking to go to the beach all summer so she finally got her chance to play in the sand. Wells pretended to give me ice-cream cones made out of sand. I was very impressed with how much Millie wanted to be in the water. It was awesome to see her and Chris play together in the lake; he would jump off the dock and she would score him. He taught her to close her mouth when waves came. We took pontoon rides around the lake and spotted turtles sunning on logs. Both Millie and Wells got to drive to boat with Lindsey’s help. We made s’mores at night; Millie liked her s’mores with a Reese Cup (it’s amazing that they make plant-based chocolate bars). Chris, Crosby, and I slept in a full sized bed while Millie and Wells slept in their sleeping bags on the floor. While we were sleeping on the first night, Wells managed to get his head stuck under the bed. I think the kids’ favorite part was jumping on the trampoline with Logan and Ben.

When we got home from the lake, our pet fish Shark had gone belly up. He wasn’t floating at the top but he was gone. We had an inclination that the ammonia levels were too high (I had been over feeding him and I didn’t know that could be an issue). Chris and I discussed what to do and we thought it best to be honest with the kids about what happened to Shark. We explained that Shark’s water made him sick and that he was dead. Wells was very upset; he cried. He cried when we buried him in the backyard under the pine tree. We all decorated the box Shark was buried in and we put his favorite plant in with him. Wells cried the next morning when he couldn’t feed him. It was incredibly sad. We decided that we will get another fish but not quite yet. Wells already decided that our next fish’s name will be Shark Junior.

The kids really wanted to go to the Ohio State Fair to ride on rides since they didn’t get to go on any when we were there for the Kidz Bop concert. My Dad agreed to help me take them. It was the hottest day ever. Millie was too scared to go on the roller coasters with Papa but they went into the FunHouse together. While they did that, I paid a man behind the darts counter to let Wells win a prize; to my surprise, Wells popped two balloons with the darts and he won a blue lemur! My Dad took both Mill and Wells on their first Ferris wheel ride; they were very brave. I took the kids through a Spider-Man maze (I almost slid into Mills back going down the slide). We shared a lemonade, French fries, corn on the cob, and a giant pickle.

We moved the kids’ rooms! Millie was moved into what was the guest room, Wells moved into Mills old room, and Crosby finally got a space of his own, in Wells’ old room. Millie’s new room is attached to the bathroom, which we felt was fitting as she’s the only girl sibling. Millie’s room was inspired by Sawn Lake. She has pink walls and lily pad curtains. There are ornate, brass details; her lamp, curtain rod, and side table pulls. She loves the space and it was fun giving her a “big girl” room. Wells is out of his crib and in a toddler bed. It was an adjustment encouraging him to stay in his bed through the night. Sharks are everywhere; a shark jaw bone, shark blankets, and hanging shark decor. Crosby is using Wells’ crib. I created his name sign for above his crib and Little Bear decor.

Sending Millie off to Kindergarten was easy because she was so ready. I was proud to send her to school with the knowledge she already had and the faith of how much she would learn. Going back to school myself was not so easy. Crosby was refusing the bottle and it was stressing me out. Chris was able to use his last weeks of paternity leave to watch Crosby while I started back to work. He was able to push through while Crosby learned that Mama was going to be gone for many hours during the day. Like the doctors said, if he gets hungry enough, he’ll take the bottle. After 3ish weeks, it was a non issue.

Some of my favorite summer highlights;

– Millie holding a tarantula

– Wells and I chasing after the bunny who feasted on my petunias

– Chris and Crosby surprising me at work on my birthday

Summer came and like that, it was over. It always goes by so fast. Those cheesy sayings, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” or “The days are long but the years are short.” are infuriating because they are absolutely correct. I swear, having three kids speeds up the time even more. I’m already thinking ahead to next summer – Crosby will be walking, Millie will have a year of school under her belt, and Wells will be getting ready to start pre-k. Until then, they’ll grow and I’ll continue dreaming of summer.

Baby

Summer of 22

by motheringmillieLeave a Comment on Summer of 22
Summer of 22

Adventures from June-August; kinda like a list, more like a diary entry. A post to remember this summer.

We kicked off the summer with a trip to Louisville, Kentucky. We were visiting friends, Kristin and Kyle (Wells’ Godparents), and planned to see a botanical garden along the way however, it poured down rain. We changed plans to an indoor adventure instead. We stopped at the Louisville Slugger Museum to see the worlds largest baseball bat. The ivy on the wall and the hall of fame stars on the sidewalk were super cool. Millie picked out a pack of Chicago Cubs baseball cards and Wells loved swinging his blue, souvenir bat. We stayed the night with the Merkle’s, where the kids loved playing baseball in the basement with Uncle Kyle, and in the morning we left for the Cincinnati Zoo.

We used our Wonderfold Wagon at the zoo. There were a lot of hills so Chris was the one doing the pushing. Many people complimented our wagon and asked us questions about it. Millie and Wells have the freedom to move around while also being safe; I love it and wish we would’ve bought it sooner. We fed the giraffes expensive pieces of lettuce, ate at the food court, and saw the sifakas jumping around. Both kids love Fiona, the premature hippo who’s basically a celebrity now that Cincinnati needed some positive press after the death of Harambe (R.I.P).

The next weekend we went strawberry picking. I was inspired by a friends Instagram story; I never knew Ohio had strawberry fields. Chris has fond memories of strawberry picking as a kid and both Millie and Wells love to eat strawberries so I figured this was something fun we could do as a family. We were given two buckets and were told the best area for the ripest strawberries. We were surprised by how small they were compared to the strawberries we buy from the store. Wells was not interested in picking but he was interested in eating them! He sat down in the strawberry plants and turned the caboose of his khakis, pink. Millie was not enthused about touching the berries, especially the over-ripe ones that felt “squishy”.

Unfortunately, both Millie and Wells started this summer with a nasty cold; the snot was never ending. We seem to catch every germ. We wanted to play with friends and explore new places but we also wanted to keep everyone safe. Monday, Wells took his first bath in the sink. While Chris and I attempted a tile reno, I sat Wells on the counter to play in the sink water. Before I knew it, Wells had sat in the sink, fully clothed. I stripped him down and let him play in the water. On Tuesday, we roasted marshmallows using our tabletop fire pit. Neither kid enjoyed the taste of burnt marshmallows. Wednesday, we went to the thrift store and bought a water table, two ladles, and a new bathing suit for Millie. Wells tried to feed me octopus soup! We had a great time playing outside and eating strawberries! Thursday we ran errands, Millie had a fever, Aunt Lindsey came over, and Grandpa came into town. Friday we went to the library and signed up for the summer reading program. Wells very clearly said, “library”. I am so proud of how hard he’s working to communicate.

Here were some of their favorite reads:

No Pants by Jacob Grant

1, 2, 3, Jump! by Lisl H. Detlefsen

Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Flower Man a wordless book by Mark Ludy

June went by entirely too fast. The kids enjoyed finger painting, chalking, and bubble blowing. We saw lots of family members at my cousin Carson’s graduation party and afterward both kids got to order their own pizza from Mod (Millie says she won’t be putting cucumber on her pizza again). We went to Hobby Lobby to get a decorative welcome mat for my mom who just bought a condo in Ohio and while I pushed Wells in the cart, he scared an old lady who was passing by! He said, “Ah!” and pointed at her as soon as she turned down our aisle. He’s a rascal. My in-laws came to town and we went out to eat at BrewDog to celebrate the closing of their new home. (The kids are getting ready to have all of their grandparents in Ohio!) Millie ate a vegan hamburger meal and Wells ate a soft pretzel. Wells enjoyed playing ladder toss, outside, after the meal.

July started with COVID. I went to a worship concert, unmasked, and another woman I went with tested positive after, too. The worst part of it was we were sick during the Fourth of July and my cousin Donaven, who’s currently serving our country in the Navy, came home to visit. Thankfully, we still got to see him (from six feet away). The kids watched Red, White, and Boom on the T.V while eating banana splits in their sleeping bags. Our town set off fireworks at the local high school that we could see from our backyard, too!

We have season passes to the Franklin Park Conservatory and explored the children’s garden with Lindsey, Logan, and Ben. The kids enjoyed pushing the hula hoops down the hill, watching and performing puppet shows with mangy-looking puppets, playing restaurant with the plastic food in the mud house, and pretending like they were birds making a nest of sticks. Wells spent time at the koi pond watching the fish. He was fascinated by the toy train. Wells was apprehensive about wading in the sandstone creek and wouldn’t let go of my hand but he grew confident and explored on his own.

Food competitions are regularly watched in our home – we’re currently undertaking Master Chef. We decided to have a baking competition of our own. Millie, Wells, and I mixed the cupcake batter and of course, they licked the beaters. We’re vegan. No raw eggs were consumed. Mills were topped with hot pink icing and Wells’ were blue. Of course the icing stained their lips and teeth. I let them add sprinkles and we tasted both cupcakes. It was decided that Millie’s tasted better because her sprinkles were less crunchy than the ones that Wells used. The cupcakes were served on Mickey and Minnie Mouse plastic party plates that the kids wouldn’t let me not buy at the store.

I got the feeling like we weren’t doing enough with the kids this summer. (Now that I’m typing everything out I can see that was absurd and just my anxiety.) I think because last summer we spent a week at the beach – financially, that wasn’t in the plans this year, I still wanted to do something special. I looked for activities relatively close so that we could plan a day trip. I had friends go visit the Ark Encounter in Kentucky and really love it. Chris was on board with the trip so we left on a rainy, Saturday morning. What better weather to visit the Ark? The car ride was three hours long but the kids rode perfectly. We took Noah’s Ark books to read along the way and we ate Tim Hortons; they love the birthday sprinkled Timbits.

When we got to the Ark, we had to take a charter bus to get on location. Wells thought he was hot stuff getting to sit in his own bus seat. Millie was so excited to see the beautiful, bright rainbow arch (Gods promise) entering the complex. The Ark was insanely massive; bigger than I could’ve ever imagined (the dimensions are actually listed in the Bible). I thought the kids would be overwhelmed by the size but they were excited to see the different exhibits inside. Millie thought the ancient animals (wax models) in the cages were creepy.

There was a petting zoo on location with lots of goats. Millie did not touch the goats (I don’t blame her – poop pellets were everywhere.) We got to watch a live, animal show with a scorpion (which glows under a black light – who knew?) a sugar glider (which made us miss Cooper), and a pig named, Festus that the kids got in stuffed form at the gift shop on the way out. The buffet on location was delicious and super accommodating to our vegan diet. There was a really awesome playground but Amelia got knocked over and the fun was over. Both kids fell asleep as soon as they were strapped in their car seats and slept the entire way home.

The next week of summer vacation was packed with fun activities. Millie and Wells made crown crafts from the library and decorated them with gems and stickers. We went to the pool and Millie went under the water with MawMaw (she did not like it). We took a trip to the Columbus Zoo with my friend Katey and saw the elephant baby, Frankie for the first time (He was so fuzzy!). Uncle Nick’s girlfriend came to town and we all went out to eat at CapCity Diner; it was our first time eating there, they gave us a private room, and the food was delicious!

Our last weekend of July was spent in Ligonier, Pennsylvania with our friends, and Millie’s Godparents, Jane and Todd and their two children, Maisey and Luca. Of course Mille and Wells were excited about Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood but they were most anxious to see their friends. The night before we were supposed to leave, Wells tripped in his crocs while helping me water the neighbors flowers. I could tell by his cry that he was in a lot of pain. He wasn’t bearing any weight on his left foot. Immediately, I knew he could have a toddlers fracture. We let him sleep it off and examined him the next morning. He was putting weight on the injured foot but was still limping. We decided to go forward with our PA trip and keep him mostly in the stroller. If his foot got worse, we’d have no choice but to get it checked out.

To start our road-trip, we grabbed Tim Hortons and I entertained the kids by putting Mickey Mouse characters on Chris’ seat (it’s the little things). Once we got there and met up with our friends, we went to the water park and the girls immediately ran to the kiddie splash area. Maisey wasn’t afraid to put her head under the water but Millie wasn’t trying it. Maise ended up drinking a lot of the water and was sick later in the evening, poor girl. Wells and I ended up standing under a bucket that poured an intense amount of water on my back. We had a great time swimming together. Luca dirtied a diaper and we put on dry clothes to enjoy the amusement park.

We grabbed a soft pretzel and some lemonade before watching the end of a Daniel Tiger show. There was a meet and greet afterward with Katerina and Daniel – Wells stayed on my hip and Millie was just curious enough to wave to them from afar. We rode on Trolley through the neighborhood (Millie informed Maisey that all the characters were made out of cardboard) and the weather shifted. Just before the sky opened up, we ran back to the parking lot and managed to stay dry while it stormed the rest of the afternoon.

After a thirty minute drive, we checked into our hotel. We met up with Jayne, Todd, Maisey, and Luca for dinner at a restaurant called, Sharkys. Wells loved their aquarium and we loved the food. That night, we all changed into our pjs and played games in the hotel lobby. The kids exchanged gifts, colored My Little Ponies, played with clay, ate sprinkled popcorn, had a dance party; it was awesome.

In the morning, we shared a breakfast table with the DiMascio’s and said our goodbyes. We left for the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum where they had a Daniel Tiger exhibit. The exhibit was amazing; it looked just like the show had come to life. We saw some of the original puppets from Mr.Rodgers’ Neighborhood and Mr.Rodgers’ red sweater. Wells enjoyed building Daniels neighborhood with blocks. Millie added a leaf to the “thank you” tree. The kids loved the interactive clock shop and the musical radio.

The rest of the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum was also loads of fun for the kids. Millie climbed up a super tall rope web, they launched balls on a track with a pulley system, they made car ramps, and created a musical assembly line. Wells and I went into a room at an angle. I literally ran us both into a wall (my knee caught the brunt of it.) Millie loved playing with the sand art and Wells liked the seesaw that blew bubbles. We grabbed a snack at the cafe before we left; Wells loved the bite-sized pancakes. The yellow bridges leaving Pittsburgh were cool. We definitely will visit PA again.

August was a blur. I started to have back-to-school meetings and by the 22nd we were all in. I tried to make each day we had left together, special. We visited the Columbus Zoo with my dad; the kids always have a great time with Papa. He rode on the carousel and bought them blue and pink cotton candy. Wells tried to feed the baby gorilla popcorn and the baby fell backwards! It was so sweet. We went to the Ohio State Fair with Chris’ parents (Grandma and Grandpa), his brother (Uncle Nick), and my friend Shauna. Both kids enjoyed riding on the rides and eating pineapple whip! We even watched a pig race. We swam a couple more times at Mawmaw’s pool; Millie was brave and went down the water slide! At home, we made cement garden stones, played with modo (a fragrance free play-dough), baked banana bread, and completed craft kits.

For my 30th birthday, Chris took me to Chicago. This was the first time that I spent a night away from Wells and we were gone for more than 48 hours. Chris’ parents stayed at our house and we FaceTimed them often. Both kids slept well for them! I was so impressed. My babies are growing up and it’s hard to believe that they won’t stay 4 and 2 forever.

Baby, toddler

Summer 2021

by motheringmillieLeave a Comment on Summer 2021
Summer 2021

I write with Wells sleeping next to me. I listen to him breathe and I thank God for my beautiful, healthy children. I don’t want to forget the memories we made this summer; when Millie’s thirty, asking me questions about her childhood, I pray I’ll remember but if my memory fails, there’s always this blog.

We would sleep in every morning, all three of us. Wells was still breastfeeding so he’d sleep next to me and I’d kiss his little hands. His feet would curl up and rest on my stomach. That boy would sleep all day if I laid next to him. Millie would wake up to the sounds of her daddy getting ready for work, come into our room still half asleep, and crawl into our bed for another hour or two. Millie insists on putting her own toothpaste on her toothbrush and she received a fantastic dental report at her first dentist appointment this summer.

Both kids enjoyed playing on Mawmaw’s back patio this summer. Millie loved redecorating the fairy garden and Wells loved to destroy it. Maw had a faux pond made of blue stones that Wells would put in his mouth, sometimes three at a time. Maw would fill up a plastic, clear tote with water and they would splash and play; Wells’ head being in the 100th percentile made him a bit top heavy so his head would go under the water anytime he would bend over the edge. Maw bought guest passes for her neighborhood’s pool and we able to enjoy that this summer. The first time we went, Wells stuck his index finger out to a wasp who was trying to escape the water and it repeatedly stung him. It swelled up pretty bad but maw got him some children’s Benadryl and it was fine. Millie made some new friends and even braved the water slide by the end of the summer.

The trampoline park was a good time for the kids. We went once with Lindsey and her boys and once with Papa. Wells couldn’t really bounce on the trampolines but he enjoyed running around. He didn’t like keeping his socks on. One older lady saw him and said, “He looks like a football player!” Both kids liked throwing the balls. Millie met a worker there named Isla that she referred to as her “big sister”. Isla was sweet with Mill and played with her on the trampolines.

We went to the zoo many times this summer. Twice with Lindsey, Logan, and Ben. Once with Mawmaw, and once with Papa. Giraffes are Millie’s favorite animal and Wells loves the elephants (he can buzz his lips together to make a trumpet sound). When we went to see the elephants, I held Wells in front of Hank, the male elephant. Wells held out his elephant stuffy like he was giving it to Hank, it was so sweet. Millie did an excellent job being brave and riding the camel this summer. Both babes rode on the carousel; Mill wasn’t a fan of the up and down motion of the horse and poor Wells was terrified when we started moving (he was shaking, wasn’t breathing, his eyes were wide, and he was turning red). I held him until he was ready to get back on the horse and by the end of the ride, he didn’t want to get off!

Zoombeezie Bay was an unforgettable outing. This adventure with Lindsey was planned “day of” and it was doomed from the start. Dublin, Ohio had a 15% chance of rain but we figured we’d chance it and maybe less people would be there. I had one swim diaper. Lindsey forgot her stroller. We went straight to the kids splash area; my kids loved the slides but Lindsey’s boys were not into it. Wells amazed me with how brave he was getting wet and maneuvering around the other children. We enjoyed the water for maybe an hour before the sky opened and it down poured. While we waited for the storm to pass we watched the stingrays in their new exhibit. Millie did not want to touch the stingrays. The rain continued despite the iPhone forecast so we saw some more indoor animals (we called it the ghetto zoo because this enclosure had crows and cats lol). As we were heading towards the exit, there was a seal show about to begin. The kids really enjoyed the seals. Wells chose to sit by himself on the stairs and he clapped along appropriately which was cute. We got drenched on the way back to our cars – I used napkins from my glove compartment to wipe myself off. Millie loves to say, “We’re going to Zoombeezi Bay!” when playing make believe so maybe for the children, it wasn’t so bad after all.

Going to the Franklin Park Conservatory was always a good time. We went many times; Maw, Lindsey, Logan, and Ben, Katey, and we had a “girls only” play date with Brooke (a friend of mine from work) and Mya her four year old daughter. The kids loved to explore the children’s garden. They climbed on rope webs, played in the water, made music with sticks, watered the flowers, played in the mud house, had puppet shows – Mill used the owl puppet and told a joke, “Who turned the owl upside down?” She held the puppet upside down and the answer was the owl! It was so cute seeing her come up with a joke like that on the spot. Wells fed the Coy fish his puff snacks. They both loved seeing the banana plant and climbing to the top of the tree house. They enjoyed watching the toy train with Charlie Brown characters on it.

We moved into a new house this summer. This is the third house that Millie has lived in, in her three years of life. Maw watched the kids while we moved the majority of our things into the new home. Millie slept in bed with us the first two nights we were in the house. When we did our final walk through of our previous house, Millie was with us and had to go potty. “Mommy, I don’t remember where the potty is in this house!” Both babes adjusted to the new home just fine.

We went to the Outer Banks with Chris’ family for a week vacation. Instead of driving straight there, we broke up the drive and stayed a night with my mom in Virginia. From there, it was a four hour drive to the beach that we caravanned down with Chris’ family. We made a stop at a farmers market along the way and picked up some corn on the cob and blueberries for the children. The man sitting on the porch cut up a peach with his pocket knife and gave us slices to try with the dirt still on it. Both children traveled well, between downloaded episodes of Pete the Cat and the Chipmunks movie, they slept, and ate snacks to pass the time.

We stayed in a beach house with his parents, his grandparents, his aunt, his uncle and his family. Our room was on the first floor and together we shared a king sized bed. Wells was particularly fond of the bed because he could reach the light switch. He thought he was cool stuff, “eee” every time he flipped them. Wells also would wave at the pelican and lizard statues every time we’d use the staircase. Wells wanted to be included in everything; corn hole, bocce ball. He was overwhelmed by the beach initially but once he experienced the waves and the sand over the course of the week, he warmed up to it. Millie was still hesitant to swim on her own but she loved jumping into the pool to her daddy. She got to bury Michael’s girlfriend in the sand, make a sand castle with her daddy, and fly a kite on the beach with her grandpa.

Thankfully, I didn’t watch any shark documentaries before we went. Apparently, the sharks are attacking much closer to the NC shore and Chris took Mill out into the ocean many times to his waist level. (Definitely won’t be doing that next summer.) Since the beach, Wells has been particularly fond of sharks; he wants to watch them on tv and makes growling sounds when he sees one. He got a Baby Shark Outer Banks shirt and every time he wears it, Millie sings the song, “Do do do do”. On a rainy day, we took the kids to the aquarium in Manteo and they had a blast. Wells would wave at the fish and Millie loved the interactive touch screens. Grandpa bought Wells a baby shark sing along book from the gift shop – which continues to annoy us months later.

Our last summer hoorah was a trip to PA on Labor Day weekend. We went to an amusement park called, Idlewild that has Daniel Tigers Neighborhood attractions. Millie wore her Daniel tiger shirt and brought along her character stuffies. We got there just in time for a performance so we found seats in the shade and waited for Daniels appearance. Like the wind leaving a balloon, gone was Mill’s excitement upon seeing, “big head Daniel”. She hid behind my back peering over my shoulder for the remainder of the show. Wells chose to sit by himself, just like he did at the seal show, and watched curiously. At the end of the show, we all took a picture with Daniel and seriously, he must have been 6 foot 5 in that costume. When you watch Daniel on TV he’s supposed to be like 5 years old. What five year old could start for the Chicago Bulls?

We rode on an interactive trolley ride and both kids liked that. The characters along the trail were made out of cardboard and Mill did not let that detail slide. We found Daniels house (also made out of cardboard) and Millie was afraid to knock on the door, but not Wells. Wells particularly loved the children’s only trolley ride. He sat across from Millie and through the windows, we could see them holding hands. Wells’ arm rested on the window sill and Chris and I laughed at how grown he looked. We stayed the night in a hotel and ate breakfast in bed the next morning.

Things I’ll miss most from this summer:

– taking walks with the kids and my dad

– watching the new season of Bluey, listening to both kids sing the intro

– Wells’ love for corn on the cob

– knowing when I went to sleep that the next day I’d get to spend it with my children all over again

toddler

Sweet Summer Time

by motheringmillie1 Comment on Sweet Summer Time
Sweet Summer Time

“PSA to parents – you only have 18 summers with your children, so make them count.”

Talk about pressure.

I don’t know where I heard that quote but it has definitely stuck with me. I love that I can spend fourteen weeks of summer with Millie but here we are, two summers deep and I already can’t remember what we did during our first summer together! Thankfully, this blog helps to jog my muffled, mommy memory. Leaving Mill every weekday is rough. I love teaching music and the start of a new school year is always exciting but I miss our snuggle time in the morning, eating lunch together, and I especially miss taking mid-morning naps. So, here’s a post to commemorate our summer (because God knows I will forget by fall).

Millie’s favorite breakfast was a bowl of multigrain Cheerios with almond milk and a side of fruit, usually strawberries or blueberries. She’s gotten really good at using a spoon! Her go to lunch was veggie chicken nuggets (dipped in ketchup), steamed broccoli, and black olives that capped her fingers before they went into her mouth. She breastfed twice a day; before her afternoon nap and bedtime.

It was impossible trying to keep the living room clean. I’ve heard, “You can have a clean house when the kids grow up and leave the house but once they do, you’ll miss them in your house, messy and all.” and my OCD does not care about that for one second. Every time one mess would get organized, Mill would have two more activities out, while playing with something totally different! Then inevitably, it would be meal time and I’d have to walk away from the mess in the living room, just to make a new one in the kitchen! It was definitely one step forward and two steps back when it came to cleanliness this summer. It was best just to clean everything at night, after we put Mill to bed, so we could start fresh the next morning. BTW- she started sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, and through the night this summer..so there’s a win!

Traveling to Texas and Washington DC were easily some of our most memorable adventures this summer. (You can read all about our Texas vacation in the previous blog post.) We went to the DC Zoo with my mom, step-dad, and sister. We drove about two hours, braved the heat, and saw pandas for the first time! Mill loved them. Her paw-paw Kev got her a panda book and stuffed animal panda bear. She’s gotten pretty good at saying their Chinese names, too! On an episode of Daniel Tigers Neighborhood, (that’s a regular show in our house now) there was a quick clip of an actual panda playing in his enclosure and before they said the bear’s name or even the name of the zoo, I was able to identify both. Needless to say, we got a little “panda crazy” this summer.

“Pool?” Mill’s little voice would ask constantly because she loved being in the water this summer. She rotated between a striped, watermelon bathing suit and a hot pink, pineapple suit. To dry off, she used the cutest, hooded Daniel Tiger towel. We set up a small, blowup pool in our backyard, which ended up being more work then fun; it would only stay clean for a day or two before getting slimy and gross, the hose water was freezing, and the pool killed our grass no matter where, or how much we moved it. Next year, we’ll be getting a sprinkler. Mill loved going to her Gam’s pool while we were in VA; she would play with other kids, go under the sprinklers, and go swimming in the deep end with her Aunt Nani. At Zoombeezi Bay, a waterpark connected to the Columbus Zoo, Millie enjoyed going down the water slides (she was too little for some of the slides and would end up with a face full of water). On two occasions, Mill got to play in splash pads. Although she loved it, I was a nervous wreck with the possibility of her slipping and falling on the wet concrete; thankfully, that never happened. She liked playing in her water table, especially on the day that her dad and I attempted to power wash the house; we all got soaked.

We did another session of Zumbini this summer with an instructor that Mill loves. The class was early on Monday mornings and every week, Millie was excited to get dressed and go. Mill surprised me with her dancing and instrument playing; she can play the triangle with great technique and started to twirl and stand on her toes. Frustrating to me, some mothers would bring their newborns with them to class, which of course distracted Mill because she loves babies. She would want to touch the babes and play with them instead of listening to the instructor. And sometimes the moms would get irritated with Mill wanting to see their baby – hello don’t bring your newborn to a toddler class. My grandma made Mill a scarf like they used in class so she could continue to practice her Zumbini dances at home. This girl loves to dance.

Millie loves people, being outside, and anything loud so we decided to take her to our community’s firework show. Her patriotic outfit was absolutely adorable and her pigtails had sequin bows. She rode in her wagon and waved at children we passed finding the ultimatum viewing spot. Mill and her daddy kicked around a soccer ball while we waited for the sun to go down. Once it got too dark to see the ball, I tried my best to explain to Millie the loud booms the fireworks would make. I showed her a fireworks video so she would know what to expect from the show. During the fireworks display, she bounced between mine and Chris’ laps, completely unafraid. Mill was interested in the fireworks for the first three minutes and then asked for baby videos; she loves babies.

We found out in July that we will be having a baby, expected in March! Good thing Mill has taken such a liking to them. Next summer will be different but I’m sure just as memorable.