Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 7/20 - 7/26)

Friday (7/20) We all slept in today since Adrian had the day off and we had a family day planned.  Even though the forecast was not great, we headed to the zoo to do some of the things there that we haven't been able to do yet this summer.  We had a relaxing start to the day then headed up to the zoo around 11am.  We started on Dinosaur Island because we wanted to make sure to ride it before there was a line.  Then we decided to head over the Africa to feed the giraffes.  AJ and Zak had so much fun doing that!  They took all of our lettuce to feed to the giraffe, which was fine because Adrian and I just enjoyed watching them.

 

 

After those big things, we did a few little things that everyone wanted to do.  We rode the carousel, train and played in the splash pads near the aquarium.  Then we watched two 4D movies.  AJ, Daniel & I watched "Sharks" and then the other two joined us for "Storks."  They were both pretty good, the shark one was educational and the storks one was cute and made me want to see the full movie.  When we finished up there, we headed to Jungle Jacks to try to get in as many rides as we could before the storms hit.  We did the log flume and safari stampede twice then he headed to the "Sea Dragon" coaster.  Just as we were ready to take off, the lightening started and they closed all the rides so we headed home for the day.  All things considered, we really made the best of the day and did a ton of stuff in a short time before the weather got really bad.

 

 

 

 

After we fought rush hour traffic to get back home, we had a little bit of free time for everyone and then we got set up for family game night.  We played Machi Koro, Avalon, Magic Maze and New York Slice.  We had a great time playing together and everyone had fun!  When we were done with those games, Zak really wanted to play his new game Beets so he played that with Adrian while AJ and Daniel watched a show and I did a few things to start getting the house back in order.  When they were done their game, we got the kids down to bed, made ourselves a bowl of ice cream and watched a few comedies.  It was an early bedtime for us since we were exhausted after a fun filled day!

Saturday (7/21) Today started earlier than I wanted it to because I had to get up to teach a Zumba class.  I was the first one up and enjoyed a little quiet time with my coffee before everyone else got up.  I got ready to go the Y to teach my amazing Zumba class.  AJ and Adrian were supposed to go on a canoe trip with the Scouts but due to the bad weather, it will be rescheduled.  The only good news was that I didn't have to drag the other two boys to the Y with me.  I came home a sweaty mess after the class, grabbed a quick shower and lunch and headed back out to a planning meeting for Zak's Cub Scout pack for next year.

While I was at the meeting, Adrian got Daniel ready to go to the movies together to see "The Iron Giant."  AJ and Zak decided to stay home instead of going to see the movie.  Adrian and Daniel enjoyed seeing the movie and then headed down to the Jazz and Rib Fest to pick up some Butch's ribs for us for dinner.  While they were out, I got a bunch of stuff done around the house, specifically catching up and dishes and laundry.  When everyone got home, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and then settled in with some popcorn for family movie night.  We watched "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."  It was my first time seeing it, everyone else saw it in the movie theater.  Zak was hit or miss thru the movie, but pretty much held it together.  I loved it!!  When the movie was over, it was late so we got the boys to bed, finished up a few things, watched a few comedies and went to bed.

Sunday (7/22) We all slept in a little this morning and had a slow morning.  I got ready and headed to church for the first service since I was serving in the second service.  Since the boys slept in, Adrian brought them to the second service.  When we all got home from church, we focused on getting our stuff done so we are ready for another fun week.  One of the things we are working on slowly is switching our spare room to become Daniel's room.  We made quite a bit of progress on it today and he is thrilled with how it looks so far.

Adrian took the boys to martial arts in the evening, where all the kids were wound up and not listening.  They got thru class but had some extra push ups to do because of their behavior.  When they got home, we had a quick and delicious pasta dinner and then cleaned up and set up for family game night part 2.  We played "Unlock" which is like an escape room in your house.  It wasn't the best game for us, Zak got bored and I got very frustrated.  The other 3 really liked it so they may play again another time.  Then we pulled out a fun evening with "Dixit" which Daniel won and we all had a lot of laughs.  When that was done, it was late so the boys had a snack, watched a show and headed to bed.  When we came back down, we finished a few things and then grabbed some wine and a snack and watched a few comedies before we headed to bed too.  We're ready for our last full week at home for the summer before vacation!

Monday (7/23) Today started earlier than we wanted it to because Zak got up at 5am.  Thankfully Adrian was ready to get up for the day so he took him downstairs while I got a little more sleep.  Then I got up and got ready to head to the Y to sub a barre class this morning.  The boys stayed home again while I was gone.  They have been doing a great job of staying home by themselves this summer, I'm very proud of them.

I came home, got a few things done, we all had lunch and then I turned around and headed back to the Y for Zak's swim lessons.  AJ didn't want to swim so he sat in the internet cafe and played on his phone while I saw with Daniel and Zak had class.  After a little "practice" Daniel finally worked up the courage to try the deep end test again and he passed!!  He was so excited, as was I since now all three boys have passed and can swim in the deep end together.  When Zak was done in class, he swam with us until the next rest period and then it started raining so we changed our clothes and headed out.

We ran a few errands including going to Meijer to pick out book bags and lunch boxes for back to school.  I was reminded why I don't like to grocery shop with the boys!  They did great picking out their stuff but trying to get them thru the rest of the store was a nightmare.  At least I finished my grocery shopping for the week and am just about finished back to school shopping.  I'll just need to pick up a few things next week for our vacation and then I'll be good until everyone goes back to school.

When we got home, the boys played while I put away the groceries and made soup and salad for dinner.  Adrian came home from work and helped out a little, then got himself and AJ ready to go hiking with the Scouts.  Even though it was a little rainy, they were still able to make it work.  They did some bird and animal watching from the nature center first and learned about what they need to hike.  Then when the rain stopped, they headed home.  They came home wet, tired and hungry.  Everyone had a snack and then we got the boys down to bed for the night.  Adrian & I finished up a few things and then had a snack and watched a few comedies.  We are almost caught up on all of the shows from last year, just in time for the new season to start!

Tuesday (7/24) Today started early again with Zak getting up around 6am.  I don't know why he doesn't like to sleep in like the rest of us.  He watched some TV and played while Adrian got ready for work and headed out.  Then I got ready and headed out to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  I also needed to run to Kohl's to make a quick exchange while I was over there.  Then I came home to have a quick lunch, change and head to the Y for more swimming.

AJ and Daniel had their lessons while Zak and I had the outside pool to ourselves, probably because the weather wasn't great.  We swam outside until they closed the pool due to thunder in the area and then we moved inside.  The boys continued to swim with a few friends from their class while I dried off.  We headed out at the next rest period so we could get ready for our night activities.  When we got home, the boys played while I cooked dinner and got ready to head to the church to work for the evening.  While I was gone, the guys worked on the escape room game for a while and made some really good progress.  When I got home, we got the boys down for bed and then watched a few comedies and headed to bed too. 

Wednesday (7/25) Today we all slept in again, we are loving summer and are going to have a very hard transition in a few weeks when school starts.  But I'm going to enjoy the late mornings while I can!  I got up and did a few things around the house and then headed out to sub a class for another friend who is in Florida at the Zumba convention.  I taught a fun barre class to a few people, then headed home to grab a quick lunch with the boys before heading to the Y for Zak's last swim lesson of the session.

After he finished his class, we swam for a while together, then we headed out so I could drop the boys off at home and turn around and come back to the Y to sub another Zumba class for a friend.  The boys really didn't want to stay in childcare so I agreed to go back and forth so they could still get some swim time in today.  After my class, I headed home and got dinner ready for everyone.  Adrian had Bible study so I was on my own with the kids all night.  We had dinner, played Forbidden Island and relaxed.  I am super tired from teaching all of these extra classes!  Adrian got home in time to help with bedtime for the boys and then to have snacks and watch a few comedies with me before we headed to bed too.

Thursday (7/26) Today looked much like all of the other days this week.  We got up early and Adrian headed to work while I got ready to head out to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  The boys stayed home again and did a great job here at home.  On my way back, I stopped at Dollar Tree and officially finished our school supply shopping so we'll be ready when we get back from vacation.  When I got home, we had a quick lunch and then headed to the Y for AJ and Daniel's last swim lesson of the session.  Daniel has officially tested out of swim lessons, yay!!  AJ has opted not to do them in the fall but will swim while Zak is in lessons so he remembers how to do it.

After we swam for a while and soaked up a lot of sun, we headed home for the day.  When Adrian got home, we had a nice dinner together and then played the DC deck building game with Zak (he destroyed both of us!)  Adrian and the older boys also finished up "Unlock" and started another adventure in that game.  After all of that, it was time for bed for the boys.  We got them settled and then headed down to do a few things around the house and watch a few shows and head to bed.  I am super tired this week with all of the extra classes I'm teaching, whew!