Summer Vacation Week 7

 Monday 7/20 - 

On Monday our good friends and neighbors came over for a distanced playdate.  My friend taught T some Chinese.  The kids talked and played and climbed.  It was so good to be together. T has a cup she received from her orphanage and X was explaining each symbol to her. 

T: I love learning from X!

Besides the wonderful playdate, X shared some special Chinese food with Brandon and T.  

Tasty Chinese dumplings handmade by X and her family.

Tuesday 7/21 - 

On Tuesday we headed to a brand new to us State Park.  M didn't want to go, but tolerated a hike.  We didn't last too long, but I am glad we went out and had an adventure. 

My hikers!

T: I brought a first aid kit and a magnifying glass just in case. 

Sadly, I think the fruit by the foot on the way home was the highlight. 

T: There is a road on my fruit by the foot!

M: Look at the cool pattern on my tongue!

Tuesday night after Brandon came home from a meeting we dug out more dirt to create a more stable swing set.  It really made a big difference and the swings are much safer now. 

T: I like helping and stomping down the dirt. 

It was getting late and I crashed on the couch in weariness and sickness.  The kids helped themselves to a snack and apparently a new hat.  I am thankful that Brandon was supervising. 

T: The hat helped me cut better. 

As I continued to be a lifeless heap on the couch the kids and Brandon waited for dark so they could try and see the comet.  Sadly they saw nothing. 

M and T: The only thing we saw was lots of mosquitos!

Wednesday 7/22 - 

On Wednesday morning T invented a three in one swing for her bottom, hands and feet.  First M pushed her. 

T: This is SO COOL!

Of course M wanted to try it.  He struggled to make it work in quite the way that T did.  

M: It wasn't that comfortable. 

They reached a compromised for this super sweet swinging moment!

After swinging it was time for a LEGO creation. 

T: Do you like it? 

On Wednesday afternoon T created a little fort on the patio.  Check out the awesome leaf roof. She was very proud. 

T: It is my very own castle! 

Thursday 7/23 - 

On Thursday T made several forts. I had to help her move and set up each one.  They all had the same basic design. 

T: This is my club house!

Our next-door neighbor (and classmate) J was eager to get in on the action.  He also made a fort and they had a socially distant playdate with a fence between them.  They even played Connect Four.  T ran the game and J would tell her which column (1-7) to drop the checker into. 

T: Connect Four was my game of the week!

Here is a pic of both kid's forts!  Such creativity. 

Friday 7/24 - 

On Friday we decided we would all stay up and try to find the comet.  The kids had a great idea of how to pass the time, they asked Brandon to teach them calligraphy.  

Getting set up. 

T: It is harder than you would think.

M: I agree!

Getting the hang of it. 

T: I really like this larger style. 

M: I decided to make a fun design. 

It took forever for it to get dark enough to see the comet.  We invited our neighbor friends over and we all tried to see it.  We used the photo below as a guide and we did all end up seeing it with our neighbor's binoculars.  Even with the binoculars it looks like little more than a smudge, but we were all proud to have found it. 

This picture helped us so much!

Saturday 7/25 - 

On Saturday T made some color changing slime! 

T: It was blue inside. 

T: As soon as I took it outside it turned purple!

In the afternoon Brandon and T washed the car!  They did a great job!

Good teamwork!

Sunday 7/26 - 

On Sunday we did the usual two church morning and some relaxing for much of the day.  It was HOT outside.  The heat index was 106 in the afternoon.  I love the humidity and was enjoying reading some emails outside.  I was able to get shade right next to the house so it really wasn't too bad. 

T: Do you like my huge marble creation? 

Sometime after the above picture was taken T came to the sliding door and asked me, "Can I light some matches?"  I said, "No!  Where is Dad?"  She told me he was playing piano.  I decided it was time to come inside.  As soon as I walked in the house I smelled that Birthday party smell and knew someone had already lit a match.  I asked Brandon what was going on and he told me he was playing piano and cooking a pizza.  He said the smell was coming from the pizza getting a bit burnt.  I was quite sure it wasn't.  I asked, "T, did you already light some matches?"  She said she had.  I asked where the match was she lit and she told me it was in the match box.  We keep our matches in a bin on top of our fridge.  I tore the bin off the fridge and found the box and the match.  Thankfully, nothing was hot and no fire was smoldering.  I was overwhelmed as to how this could happen with a parent in the house.  Brandon said he did catch her standing on the counter next to the fridge and she said she was looking at her candy.  He told her she couldn't have any.  The candy was just a cover for her real plan.  T acts on impulse and it can make things pretty intense most days (most hours)! 

T: I have to have lots of air to get the balloon this big.  (Yes, I am passed out in the background.  Yes, the floor was clean earlier that morning!)

Pastor Micheal talked about a ball of lint in the children's message and the kids insisted we send him this picture of our dryer lint trap.  M's sleeping bag lint actually created its own ball on the trap.  Strange! 

T: I love dryer lint! 

Because I was actually on top of my laundry, I attempted a tasty casserole for dinner.  This is a step up from my usual Sunday options which are leftovers, popcorn, and smoothies!  

Buffalo Chicken Casserole for the parent win!  The kids ate leftovers. 

While I was making the casserole, Brandon was introducing the kids to one of his favorite childhood games.  He loved playing Risk with his dad and grandpa and he wanted to pass on the tradition.  Both kids enjoyed it at first and caught on quite quickly.  

Oreos and a family game.  A great way to end the weekend.