Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Keeping Up With...Family (Summer Weeks 5 and 6)

I missed last week because I have been busy with other stuff around the house and we honestly haven't had much excitement around here these past two weeks.  We're still enjoying every minute of our summer, it's just been a lot of the same things and a lot of downtime.

We've been spending our Mondays bowling.  We also checked out their mini golf course and their game room.  Zachary loves playing Skee Ball while the other boys bowl.  Everyone also enjoys the pizza they serve at the bowling alley.  AJ and Daniel are currently in first place in their summer league with one week to go.

The rest of our time has been spent at art class, having play dates with friends and enjoying a very mild summer.  We have spent a lot of time in our yard, playing with the swing set, sprinkler, water guns and soccer goal.  The boys also enjoy playing video games on the days that the weather isn't cooperating, or as a break from the sun.

We also spent a good portion of last week organizing and purging the toys in our play room.  Adrian & I used to spend a lot of time organizing their toys and putting the like items together.  We stopped about 6 months ago because we got frustrated doing the same thing over and over.  The boys finally got frustrated that they couldn't always find what they were looking for.  So we spent 15 minutes at a time for about 2 hours total organizing everything.  AJ suggested we label the boxes so they know what goes where so we did that as well.  We still have to tackle the game closet, but we'll leave that for another week.  I'm really proud of them for taking the initiative on this project!!

Other than that, it's just been a lot of relaxing and gearing up for a super busy Aug!  Oh and we did of course find time to celebrate national ice cream day at our favorite place, Graeter's!
Chocolate ice cream all around!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Keeping Up With...Workouts (Zumba Jam!)

I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of being a licensed Zumba instructor and I finally was able to attend my first jam session this past Saturday.  A jam session is where a group of Zumba instructors (ZINs) get together to learn specific choreography for 2-5 songs.  It is a great way to meet other instructors, improve your skills and learn new songs to keep your play list fresh.  I have been interested in going since I became an instructor but either commitments, location or money have kept me from attending.

This Saturday the stars finally aligned and I had the three hour block free plus it was only about a 20 minute drive from my house.  I double checked on the timing with Adrian and signed up!  This session was a rhythm specific jam, meaning we would learn how to do all the steps in that rhythm (reggaeton) and then learn 2 songs with those steps.  I love the reggaeton songs and thought they would be a good addition to my class.

I loved everything about the jam this past weekend.  I got to meet a bunch of other ZINs, including one who will be working with me at the downtown YMCA.  I learned the two songs and love them both!  I'll be adding one this week (Bate Bate by BIP) and one next week (Pa Kum Pa by Daddy Yankee).  I enhanced my reggaeton skills and saw some other new moves that I will be trying to incorporate into my routines.  And I left feeling sweaty, sore and excited!  This will definitely not be my last jam session!!

Here is how the rest of my week looked:
Wednesday, 7/16 - Rest day
Thursday, 7/17 - Taught two one hour Zumba classes
Friday, 7/18 - Taught a one hour Zumba class
Saturday, 7/19 - Taught a one hour Zumba class, then did the 3 hour Zumba jam
Sunday, 7/20 - REST!
Monday, 7/21 - Taught a 45 minute Zumba class
Tuesday, 7/22 -Practiced my new Zumba songs for about 20 minutes, rode the bike for 20 minutes

And the weigh in:
716 - 214
7/23 - 215
Change - up 1 lb this week

This is fantastic considering what I ate this past week!!  I had fried foods, pot lucks and just bad eating decisions for most of the week.  I credit all the working out for the fact that I "only" gained one pound!  I didn't get much variety in this week, although the Zumba jam was different than my class.  I missed barre class last night because I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all I have going on and just felt it was better to finish my grocery shopping and get some stuff done around the house.  Continuing to do what I can, when I can!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Keeping Up With...Food (Menu Plan 7/21 - 7/27)

First, I want to thank Laura from Mommy Run Fast for highlighting my blog last week.  I love this link up for keep me on track with my menu planning and also for getting a ton of healthy recipe ideas.  If you're new here, welcome!  I hope you enjoy this little peak into my life.

Last week didn't really go as planned and I'm honestly not sure why.  We still cooked most of our planned meals, but I must have also thrown an extra one in some where because I still have a carry over to this week.  (Full disclosure - I'm writing this very sleep deprived so my brain isn't fully working, LOL).  Maybe this week I will finally get to the BBQ Chicken Sandwiches.

We had a fun food related date night Friday night, we went to the Jazz and Rib Fest in downtown Columbus.  We went with my brother and sister in law and even though it rained all night, we had a blast.  We probably ate too much, but it was SO worth it!  Everything was delicious.  Here's a look at what I ate:
Ribs from my favorite place - Butch's
Jeni's ice cream - Chocolate, Strawberry Buttermilk & Salted Carmel
Fried Cheesecake - amazingly good but way bigger than we thought it would be (couldn't finish it)
Fried Buckeyes - my favorite food ever!!!
Me taking down the fried cheesecake
Now on to this week.  Here is what's on my menu plan.  It's another busy one, so we'll see how I do!

Monday, 7/21 - BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Relish recipe) - carry over from last week again
Tuesday, 7/22 - Taco Tuesday - back by popular demand!
Wednesday, 7/23 - Swedish Meatballs (Relish recipe) - requested by AJ
Thursday, 7/24 - Mac & Cheese (Relish recipe) - requested by Daniel
Friday, 7/25 - Shake & Bake Chicken - we'll be at the local water park & will be packing this to eat there so we don't have to buy overpriced gross food there
Saturday, 7/26 - Sweet & Sour Pork Chops (Relish recipe)
Sunday, 7/27 - Ribs with Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce (Relish recipe)

As always, I'm linking up with Laura at Mommy, Run Fast & Jill at Fitness, Health and Happiness.  Go check them out for some more yummy recipes!




Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Keeping Up With...Workouts (Mini Slump)

 I've got that blah feeling about my workouts right now.  Not sure if it's burn out, being tired, summer slump or all of the above.  I've been through a slump before and I know I'll get through this one just fine, it just takes time.  I'm still working out and eating OK, just finding that I have to force myself to do these things.  I gave in on Sunday and ate whatever I wanted and took a day off from exercise.  I thought I would feel better after that, but I didn't.  At least I got back to it for Monday and Tuesday.  Today I did OK, but after a rough night of sleep I didn't feel like getting a workout so I'm over my calories, although not by much.

We have a lot of things coming up in the next few weeks.  If I'm honest, my schedule is pretty overwhelming right now.  So I'm going to change my goals and just do what I can when I can and be happy with that.  I have a lot of activity planned over the next few weeks too, including a Zumba Jam session this weekend, a special Zumba/Hip Hop event next weekend, finishing up my month of barre classes and doing a month of boot camp in August.

I'm still enjoying some variety in my workouts with the barre classes and a few extra classes last week thanks to the big boys having golf camp.  I would have had another class on Thursday, but the gym's childcare was closed for cleaning so Zak and I went back home to chill.  Hoping for more variety in the next few weeks!

Here's how my past week looked:
Wednesday, 7/9 - Took a one hour total body conditioning class (am) and a 45 minute barre class (pm)
Thursday, 7/10 - Taught a one hour Zumba class and a 45 minute Zumba class, did a 20 minute strength workout with a friend and went swimming with the boys for about an hour
Friday, 7/11 - Taught a one hour Zumba class
Saturday, 7/12 - Took a 30 minute barre class and taught a one hour Zumba class
Sunday, 7/13 - Rest day!
Monday, 7/14 - Taught a 45 minute Zumba class
Tuesday, 7/15 - 20 minutes practicing my new Zumba song, 45 minute barre class

And the weigh in:
7/9 - 215
716 - 214
Change - down 1 lb this week, down 4 lbs since 6/16 reset

I'm happy with these results so far.  I'm hoping to maintain in this 215ish range until the end of August when we leave for Florida.  We'll see if I can do that.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Keeping Up With...Family (Summer - Week 4)

Last week was actually pretty calm compared to the past few weeks.  AJ & Daniel were signed up for golf camp every morning this week.  They were there for three hours each day and were exhausted when they were done.  They both loved the camp and are looking forward to practicing golf with Dad and Grandpa in the next few weeks.  We did Skyhawks camp and really enjoyed it.  I recommend it and will probably go back next year if they want to do another camp.
Wacky Weds at golf camp
Golf camp
Since we had that going on, Zak and I got to spend some time together each morning.  We went to the gym Mon, Weds & Fri and hung out at home Tues and Thurs.  We missed bowling camp and art classes this week because everyone was tired.  We did go out to lunch (to Burger King) one day and went up to the pool near our house for a few hours one day.  And Zak had his gymnastics class, which he now says he doesn't like and would rather be playing soccer.  Other than that it was a very calm week.
Pool time - I love rest period!
The weekend was also a rare free and relaxing one so Adrian & I decided to play catch up.  We spent the whole weekend working on our very long to do list.  Saturday the boys spent most of the day in the yard playing with our water toys.  Daniel asked to go out to make our own ice cream so after dinner we took a family trip to Menchie's for dessert.  Sunday we spent the morning working, then Adrian took the boys out to his parents' house for the afternoon.  I stayed home & finished every thing on the to do list!!!  That never happens!  The boys enjoyed playing golf, checking out the new RV and hanging out with everyone.
Back yard water fun
Ice cream!
We did have our first major injury of the summer this weekend.  Daniel was walking running at the Y on Saturday while we were there for swim lessons.  He got his feet twisted up and fell, literally on his face.  He banged his face and knee up pretty bad, but he says it doesn't hurt too much.  He didn't want me to take a picture of him because he thought his face would look like that forever and he wanted to surprise everyone with his "new face."  When we explained it would go back to normal in a few weeks, I was allowed to take a picture:

We're back to a full week this week and have some fun planned for the weekend as well!  Stay tuned!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Keeping Up With...Food (Menu Plan 7/14 - 7/20)

So last week went a little astray.  I went to make dinner Sunday night and realized it was supposed to be marinating all day.  Oops.  That's the second time in the past week that I haven't read a recipe early enough and had to change my menu plan.  I need to do a better job with that.  Instead of making the best of the planned pork chops, we decided to splurge on Chipotle.  It was worth it!

I also got the day to myself today!!  Adrian took the three boys out to his parents house to play and have dinner so I'm on my own.  I am working hard to get caught up on stuff around the house and honestly don't feel like cooking (or eating) dinner tonight.  I'm kind of just picking my way thru the day.  So I had to juggle around the menu last week and there are a few carry overs to this week.

We also bought a pig!  Well, 1/3 of a pig with a group of other people.  So you will be seeing more pork on my menu in the upcoming weeks.  This week there isn't that much because I actually already planned and shopped for most of this week and I want to use what we have.
Mmmm, bacon
Here's what our menu looks like for this week:
Monday, 7/14 - Pineapple Black Bean Enchiladas (Relish recipe)
Tuesday, 7/15 - Thai Chicken, Mango & Pineapple Salad (Relish recipe)
Wednesday, 7/16 - BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Relish recipe) - carry over from last week
Thursday, 7/17 - Sweet Potato and Egg Skillet
Friday, 7/18 - OUT!!  It's double date night with my brother to the Jazz & Rib Fest!  Can't wait!
Saturday, 7/19 - Eggplant, Ricotta and Pasta Pots (Relish recipe)
Sunday, 7/20 - Tilapia in Macademia Butter (Relish recipe) - carry over from last week

We have another busy week on tap so I'm hoping I can do some prep and stay organized and on track! As always, I'm linking up with Laura at Mommy, Run Fast & Jill at Fitness, Health and Happiness.  Go check them out for some more yummy recipes!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Keeping Up With...Workouts (Variety!!)

I finally got to do some other exercise, other than teaching my class!  I'm so sore today & I'm loving it!!  Yay for strength training!  I have been saying that variety has been a challenge this summer and it will probably continue to be a struggle.  But soon enough school will be back in session and we will be back to a routine so I will have my variety back.

This week is easy because AJ & Daniel have golf camp in the morning so I drop them off and head to the gym for the 9:30 classes.  I also started my barre class deal at Judy Dollenmayer Studio in Gahanna.  I'm going 2-3 nights each week for that.  I love it!  And I can tell I'm stronger than I was the last time I took these classes.

When I shared my plan for the summer, I said I would be trying CrossFit on a Groupon deal I have.  I have decided not to do this.  I'm still very curious about CrossFit, but this was very hard to fit into my schedule.  I decided to go with the barre class instead.  If you or anyone you know wants to try a CrossFit gym in Blacklick, let me know.

I did great with my exercise this week, got in at least an hour every day except one (rest day) and most days I did more.  I did great with my eating for 5 of the 7 days.  The other 2 were not great.  I should have factored in a day to indulge for the 4th of July, but I didn't.  And that one day became 2 days, Saturday and Sunday.  I got right back to it on Monday and now the goal is to go straight through next Friday when we go to the Jazz and Rib Fest!


Here's what the past week looked like:
Wednesday, 7/2 - Taught a 45 minute Zumba class, took a 45 minute barre class, went swimming with the boys for about 2 hours
Thursday, 7/3 - Taught a one hour Zumba class, walked 6 miles at the zoo with the family
Friday, 7/4 - Taught/took a 90 minute Zumba class.  We did a team approach to the class, so I taught for about 1/2 of it and then took the second half.  I had SO much fun dancing with the other 4 instructors!!
Saturday, 7/5 - Taught a one hour Zumba class, took 30 minutes of a barre class
Sunday, 7/6 - Rest day!  I did some strength training to try to catch up on the June challenges that I still didn't finish and also practiced my new Zumba song
Monday, 7/7 - Took 30 minutes of a Zumba class (so FUN!), did 15 minutes on the elliptical (ouch!) and taught a 45 minute Zumba class
Tuesday, 7/8 - Took a 45 minute barre class, rode the bike for 30 minutes and practiced my new Zumba song for about 15 minutes (my Zumba class canceled so I was able to do some different things)
With the other instructors after our 4th of July class

And the weigh in:
7/2 - 213
7/9 - 215
Change - up 2 lbs this week, down 3 lbs since 6/16 reset

Blah!  It's amazing how quickly the pounds creep back on when you have two days of horrible eating.  I'm hoping most of it is water weight and will come right back off this week.  The ping pong continues...

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Keeping Up With...Family (Summer Week 3)

Another great week of summer vacation!!  And this one was extra great because Adrian had off Thursday and Friday for the holiday so we got a lot of family time!

We started the week with out normal stuff, bowling camp on Monday and art classes on Tuesday.  We also went swimming on Monday afternoon at the pool near our house.  We were supposed to meet a friend, but she had to cancel.  Wednesday we had AJ's 7 year well check and then headed back to the pool.  AJ's check up went really well, he is now 4 feet and a 1/2 inch tall and XX lbs.  The doctor was happy with his progress over the past year.

New goggles for the dudes - they will now put their faces in the water, getting closer to going under

Pool fun!
Thursday we headed out to the zoo to see the new Heart of Africa exhibit along with 1/2 the state of Ohio.  We have been very excited to see the new part of the zoo and it didn't disappoint!  It is a gorgeous open area with the animals roaming together.  I don't think I can put it into words, just go see it!  We spent the rest of the day at the zoo doing what we do best...riding the rides.  I was surprised we were there until closing time, 8:00pm.  The crowds started to thin around 4:30, I think everyone else headed out for fireworks.

Checking out the giraffes
Train selfie
Frog Hopper
My guys in Africa
Friday was a pretty low key day for us.  We tried to get a few things done around the house, recover from the zoo and Adrian took AJ and Daniel to practice their bowling skills.  The camp they are in isn't really teaching them how to bowl, but since they are both very interested in it, Adrian is helping them.  We also made homemade pizza for dinner which was delicious, as always!

Saturday started with AJ & Zak going to swimming lessons, then we spent the afternoon and evening with friends.  We went to their house to catch up, eat and let the kids swim and play.  We all had a blast and can't wait to get together with them again!  The night ended with a show by the kids, including costumes.  Way too cute!
Part of AJ's costume
Saturday night on our way home, we realized that we could swing by one of the neighboring towns to catch their fireworks.  We didn't plan on seeing any this year since Zak still needs to go to bed pretty early, but that night he had already fallen asleep in the car and the older boys really wanted to see them.  We found a place to park, but we didn't end up being able to see them from where we were.  Adrian took AJ & Daniel up closer so they could watch the show & I stayed in the car with Zak.  The boys loved them & can't wait to see more later this summer in Disney!

Sunday everyone slept in until almost 9:00!!  Yay!!  Then we spent the rest of the day doing all the work around the house that we blew off over the rest of the 4 day weekend.  We are doing pretty good keeping up with playing half of the weekend and working the other half.  We may have to alter that plan for a few of the upcoming weekends, but it's still looking like a great summer ahead!!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Keeping Up With...Family (Vacation - Part 5)

It has taken me three weeks to finish this recap up, but this is the final part.  If you missed any of the beginning, you can check out Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4.

So Friday morning, we got up and it was pouring rain again.  I was actually excited to see rain this morning because it meant we made the right decision to pull up the tent and bunk with friends.  The downside of the rain was that our plans were cancelled for the day and we only had plans for later in the evening.  We went back & forth about what to do and decided we should just head back to Ohio.  I was upset because it meant missing out on seeing one of my friends, but we had nothing to do for like 8 hours so it was the right decision.

We took our time getting ready and headed out around 9:30.  As we started to drive, the rain stopped and it started to clear up.  I brought up the fact that Six Flags was on our way home and maybe we could kill a few hours there, then still meet up with Kim & Tom for dinner.  We decided to head that way, but if the weather got worse, to get on the highway and head home.

The weather held out so we went back to Great Adventure for the third time during our trip.  So glad we got season passes!!  We had a blast riding our favorite rides and a few we missed out on during the week.  We stayed until about 3:00, just as it was starting to get very hot and crowded we left.  It was probably the best weather we had at the park and I'm so glad we made the last minute decision to do it!
Once (or four) more time on the frog hopper!
Selfie after AJ & I rode El Toro for the 3rd time
Zak & I on "the horses"

Last ride of the trip - sky ride!
 
After we finished up at the park, we headed out to Kim and Tom's house for dinner.  We had such a great time visiting with them and our kids played really well together.  We ordered a ton of Chinese food for dinner and it was like a little in home buffet.  Zak hit the wall pretty quickly though, so we headed out around 8:00 and drove as far as we could into PA (about 2 hours).  We stopped for the night at a hotel and resumed our trip in the morning.  We got home in time for dinner on Saturday and spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and doing 10 loads of laundry!

All in all, it was a trip of extremes.  For the most part, it was amazing.  We had a blast seeing family and friends and playing at Great Adventure.  It had a few very low points, most of them things we couldn't control (damn weather!)  But the boys had a great time.  They are asking when we are going back to NJ (hopefully next summer) and when we are going camping again (never!)

Hope you enjoyed the recap of our trip.  And a special thanks to everyone in NJ who fed us, visited with us, gave us a place to dry off, let us stay over and spent time with us.  Hope to see you all again soon!!

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Keeping Up With...Food (Menu Plan 7/7 - 7/13)

So I did pretty well with my menu plan last week, except that I didn't get to make the zucchini lasagna that I was really looking forward to.  I forgot to check out the recipe and I needed to thaw out the spinach.  When I went to make it, I realized it was still frozen and I didn't have any fresh spinach.  I thought about microwaving it to defrost it, but I hate doing that.  So I made eggplant parmesan that day and bumped the lasagna.  Unfortunately the week was busy so I didn't get to it last week.  I am making it tomorrow, but probably using noodles not zucchini because I have a very active day planned (two Zumba classes and swimming with the boys).

I was doing great sticking to my stay under my calories goal until the holiday hit.  I probably should have given myself one day off for the holiday when I planned my month, but I didn't.  I survived the trip to the zoo (although walking 6 miles helped!) and pizza and ice cream on the actual 4th (thank you 90 minute Zumba class!)  But on the 5th, I caved.  I had the leftover pizza for lunch and then went to a BBQ and that was it.  I had a mini pig out session when we got home last night as well.  But I'm back on track today!

In addition to the yummy dinners I have planned, I have these delicious melons for snacks this week:
Here's what's on my menu this week:
Monday, 7/6 - Black Bean & Spinach Lasagna - bumped from last week
Tuesday, 7/7 - Taco Tuesday!  The boys have been requesting this.  Thank you The Lego Movie.
Wednesday, 7/8 - Garlic Roasted Chicken (Relish recipe)
Thursday, 7/9 - Tortellini with Summer Vegetables (Relish recipe)
Friday, 7/10 - BBQ Chicken (Relish recipe)
Saturday, 7/11 - Shrimp & Rosemary Skewers (Relish recipe)
Sunday, 7/12 - Tilapia in Macademia Butter (Relish recipe)

As always, I'm linking up with Laura at Mommy, Run Fast & Jill at Fitness, Health and Happiness.  Go check them out for some more yummy recipes! 

Friday, July 4, 2014

Keeping Up With...Workouts (Zumba Nightmares!)

I can't believe I forgot to write about this last week, but two Saturdays ago I experienced every Zumba instructors worst nightmare...my music wouldn't play!  My cell phone screen cracked a few days before that and the left side of the phone wasn't always working.  I had taught my classes Thursday and Friday and didn't have any problems so I thought I was good.  But Saturday when I opened my app, I couldn't get the playlist to come up.  I tried for a while and it wasn't happening.  Nightmare!!  I finally got another MP3 app to open (the Google one that came with my phone) and found an OLD playlist and got that to work.  It was kinda fun to put on Zumba music and just dance, but not ideal for a class.  I messed up a few songs that I hadn't practiced in at least 6 months.  Thankfully my students were understanding and they all came back the next Saturday and we rocked it out!

Then this past Friday, another nightmare...the air conditioning wasn't working in the group fitness room at one of the gyms.  And it was HOT!  I was concerned for both myself and my students.  But we made it thru class OK.  I kept giving them water breaks and reminding them that with how much they were sweating that they had to rehydrate.  I was a little dizzy after class, but after some time in the A/C and about 40 oz of water, I was back to normal.
After class one night - sweaty!
Anyway, other than those two things, things have been going really well!  I was under my calorie goal for 6 of the last 7 days, only missing Wednesday when I took a full rest day from exercise.  And I'm still considering that day a win because I was only 35 calories over my goal.  Normally when I don't exercise and know I'm going to be over, I just throw the whole day away and eat what I want.  Not this time!!

I'm still struggling with variety, but I'm starting my month long Barre classes, then have boot camp coming up in August.  The boys also have golf camp next week so I'll get to go to classes every day next week, yay!  I'm excited to do different things, but more excited to see my friends!!

Here's how the past week looked:
Wednesday, 6/25 - REST DAY!
Thursday, 6/26 - Taught a one hour Zumba class and a 45 minute Zumba class
Friday, 6/27 - Taught a one hour Zumba class (without A/C), then went swimming with the boys for 3 hours
Saturday, 6/28 - Taught a one hour Zumba class, then went swimming with the boys at a water park for 5 hours
Sunday, 6/29 - Tried to catch up on my June challenges, did about 20 minutes but wasn't feeling it.  Still have some more to catch up on.  Not giving up!!
Monday, 6/30 - Went swimming with the boys for 2 hours, then taught a 45 minute Zumba class
Tuesday, 7/1 - Taught two 45 minute Zumba class, one am and one pm

And the weigh in:
6/25 - 216
7/1 - 213
Change - down 3 lbs this week, 5 lbs since 6/16 reset

Yay!!  Great week of food and exercise and I see results on the scale.  Super happy with how I did this week.  Keeping the momentum going!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Keeping Up With...Family (Summer - Week 2)

We continued to have an awesome summer last week!!  I have to admit I was a little nervous to have all 3 boys every day to entertain all summer, but so far it's been a blast.  We of course have moments that aren't great, but all in all I don't think it could go better.

Monday started again with bowling camp.  The boys bowled their best games so far, with Daniel getting his first strike and a few spares and AJ getting a bunch of spares.  AJ is really liking bowling and wants Adrian to help him learn how to do it better.  After bowling, we headed to the eye doctor for our annual exams.  The boys did great & their eye site is perfect!  My left eye has gotten a little worse, but this is my first prescription change in over 5 years so I'll take it!

Tuesday both boys had art class.  Daniel & I made a Roy G Biv to help him learn the colors of the rainbow.  And AJ continued to work on his painting of animals in a jungle.  We were going to have a picnic lunch in between classes, but the weather didn't cooperate on that one.

Wednesday we had a "stay home" day and had a new friend come over for Zak to play with.  He had so much fun playing with another kid the same age as him and I enjoyed getting to know the mom.  I see many more play dates in our future.  Wednesday night Zak started gymnastics and he loved it!  Isabelle is also taking this class and seeing the two of them together is hysterical.
Zak doing a back roll
Zak & Isabelle waiting their turn in class
Thursday we had another "stay home" day because AJ and Daniel were really tired.  They did Vacation Bible School (VBS) this whole week and Thursday was the last night.  They were gone each night Sun-Thurs from 6:00-9:00 and then it took them a while to wind down and get to bed.  They went to a new to us church, New Albany United Methodist, because it fit best in our schedule...and it was free.  They did the "Weird Animals" program that most of the other area churches are doing this year and really enjoyed it.  They looked forward to going each night & came home with tons of stories and crafts.
Matching Spider Man shirts for VBS!
Friday we started the day at the gym while I taught, then went to the YMCA to swim with friends for about three hours.  We had such a fun time!  I was exhausted when we got home, but it was well worth it.

Saturday we had a birthday party at CocoKey and we had a blast!!  We rode water slides, the lazy river and swam for nearly five hours. We also had cake and pizza and celebrated Daniel's friend Marli turning 5.  Such a fun day!  But again, I was exhausted when we got home.  I think Adrian & I went to bed at like 10:00!

Sunday we spent the day getting done as much as we could around the house.  There is always so much to do and never feels like there is enough time to do it.  I'm hoping a four day weekend this week will help!