A Tale of Two Beds, Part 36

Once again, here are the links to the previous tales. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Frustration, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35.

Remember part 35, just two short weeks ago, when I posted about their new big twin beds? Here are the results.

 The hallway - not the same thing as a bed

In his bed! He has his books and stuffed animals. This is a huge victory.

In her bed! Surrounded by books about travel, she is asleep.

Um... Not what we had in mind, but IN BED!

Well, at least one of them is in bed. It's getting better.

Wordless Wednesday

We ran into this guy in the library

Water Balloons

When you get back from a bike ride and you want to cool down, 100 water balloons are a great idea.

Filling them

Throwing balloons at the house

Throwing them on the roof

They also threw them in the tree, on the tree, and all over the fence. It was fun and as always went way too quickly.

Sprinklers

Beautiful weather means water fun. Some days the pool is closed for maintenance, so we get creative.

It's a water slide...

Using a racquet to keep water off his face (it didn't work)

Different day, now playing with sprinklers in the front yard

Jump!

Wee!

Race to get wet

The fastest way to get wet in the sprinkler

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

After last week's success with making orange juice the kids wanted to make fresh lemonade.

She thought lemons would be easier since they are smaller, hah!

This is one way to build arm muscles.

They both tried pure lemon juice and then agreed we should add water and sugar. They both loved it, but agree it is easier just to buy lemonade from the store.

Military Miles

After running the Mother's Day 5K with me, Sweet Daughter wanted to know when she could run for a medal again. We decided to sign up to run the Military Miles race benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project.

Ready to start (ignoring the storm clouds)

Excited to start the race!

She spent the last mile of this race complaining, whining, and just not wanting to do it. Then she saw photographers and the finish line and took off. Her hat flew off and she didn't even notice so I started carrying it.

We did it together!

Our cheering squad

It's been a long morning when you need a nap before 10am. She wasn't about to let go of her medal though.

This is one of the best things about me running. Not only do they see it is important for everyone to exercise, they start to want to do it also. I am so proud of my 5 year old who completed 2 5Ks in 2 months. That's more than many adults will ever do.

Wordless Wednesday

Sweet Son having a test done - he looks so tiny in the big machine

Good results - everything is normal.

Hair Cut

Sweet Son decided he wanted a hair cut. As much as I love his hair long, it's his hair and not mine. Here are the before and after photos.

Long hair before

Short hair after

Ok, short hair for him is still chin length, but it is so much shorter than before. He clearly loves it and that is what matters.

Indoor Gross Motor

As it gets hotter outside, we are still looking for ways to exhaust the kids. This was one of the best ideas Wonderful Husband ever had. Cheap, easy, and great for hand/eye coordination.

It's like the slowest game of volleyball ever.

She liked to jump up to hit it.

Hand Squeezed Orange Juice

Everyone in our family loves orange juice, so it was natural that we would need to make some.

PUSH!

It was much more difficult than they had guessed.

The final result

It was really good. However, the kids agreed it was much easier just to buy some already juiced from the store.

A Tale of Two Beds, Part 35

Once again, here are the links to the previous tales. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Frustration, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34.

ARGH! She's sleeping in the floor of the hallway with her head on the kitchen tile. She has her own room, own bed, and everything she could possibly need and more. Why, why would she sleep here?

After she fell asleep, he quietly went into her room and took all of her stuffed animals. He arranged them with his stuffed animals and then fell asleep - on top of his blanket.  

At this point we have had enough. This bed craziness has been going on for YEARS. We need a new plan. Maybe it is time for them to get bigger beds. Twin beds that they can't move around the room. Maybe those would be more comfortable and convince the kids to sleep on the bed rather than the floor. Maybe?

 Her new big bed

(There are decorations and things not in the photo because they display her name. The kids rooms are not this empty/bare.)

His new big bed

Wordless Wednesday

Making popcorn balls

Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons are a requirement around here. She loves them, along with every other sport she has ever tried. He hates them, along with most other sports he has tried. They have both come a long way. Yes, they are the only two kids in the class. It's awesome!

Swim out, dive down and pick up a toy, then swim back

He is supposed to do the same thing she just did

Learning the backstroke

He struggles with swimming, but has come a long way

Car Repairs

A flat tire turns into a learning experience and a family activity.

Learning to jack up the car

Taking turns

Repairing the hole

Waiting for the tire to inflate

Fresh Coconut

Any time we see a new type of produce in the store, we like to try it. This week they had "fresh" coconut. The kids had never seen a whole coconut.

Drilling holes

Pouring out the juice

Using a hammer

It's open! Turns out the kids don't like it, but at least now they know.

Triathlon

I have been running for awhile, but for some reason I was convinced to try a triathlon. This doesn't seem like a huge leap, I mean I enjoy biking. I can run. Only... I don't know how to swim. I can stay afloat and doggy paddle, but I don't actually know how to swim. So this was an exceptionally strange choice. There was an all women's triathlon scheduled near me. The swimming portion was in a lazy river (jets turned off), so I knew I could stand up or quickly get to the side and hold on if I needed.

In the month before the race we had record rain. This race was scheduled next to a lake. Both the biking and running portions were along or around the lake. The area was flooded and we weren't sure they were going to be able to have the race at all. They did find a way to make it work, but it wasn't ideal. After the swimming, we had to go straight into 1/3 of the run. Then the biking was doing 3 loops instead of going around the lake. This meant a lot of traffic and a lot of turns. Then the last 2/3 of the run which went back past part of the bike race and almost back to the swimming portion. It was crowded.

Luckily, I have the best cheering squad ever.

They were there to remind me what this is all about.

I did it! I can't say I really enjoyed the race. After a half marathon I feel such a sense of accomplishment. This just felt like something I was able to get through. I'm not sure I will ever do another triathlon, which since I still can't swim, is probably a good thing. (The mimosa was good, but could have been stronger, haha.)

Wordless Wednesday

We offered to pay her to clean the shower. She agreed!

Building at the Museum

Between Legos, Keva Planks, cardboard blocks, and magnetic blocks, you would think the kids would want to do something other than build when we go to the museum. However, they found a new type of building blocks and spent most of their time building.

The early stages of design

His creation (the building just to his right)

Her creation