- Steve spent a few days in Chicago with a group of teachers and administrators from his school. They attended a workshop which gave him food for thought and things that will definitely be incorporated into his classroom. But, you don't want to hear about that. They did fun stuff, too: a boat tour of the architectural highlights of the city, the aquarium, Chicago style pizza, an unintentional shoe-shine by a bum, and a Cubs game with hot dogs Chicago-style (I had never even thought about putting celery salt on my hot dog).
- Isaac went for a sleepout at Grandma and Grandpa R's and had a blast. I don't think he could say goodbye to us fast enough. So Kate, Steve, and I hung out. It is amazing to me to realize the differences in interacting with two kids vs. one on one. Not that it is possible to always do one on one time, but I think we will make a point to do more of that.
- Following a herculean effort by Steve and his big bother PD to move three loads of topsoil to our backyard with no machinery, we got 6 more loads and decided to do what we should've in the first place. We rented a skidsteer/bobcat and moved 6 loads into place in less than a day. Oh the price of experience. Gratefully, PD is a good sport and can cheer on what we learned at his expense. THANKS PD!
- Hopefully we won't need anymore dirt. The red markings on the wall show how much we needed to bring the level up in certain places.
- We've actually done fun things this last little while, but no pics were taken because I have forgotten the camera. The one I really really wish I had pictures of was Isaac riding rides at the fair. Willingly. Happily. All alone. What a difference a few months makes I guess. I couldn't believe this was the same boy we carried kicking and screaming on the "Small World" ride at Disneyland.
- Do you have a meal that for some reason you keep making even though you are the only one who likes it? For me it is chicken and rice. I am sure I've posted about this before. After last night, I have decided to rename it "Contention and Rice" because it resulted in food thrown on the floor and a very sad little boy picking up every last piece of rice from the floor before being sent to bed early. *Sigh* So if you have a great recipe for this, one of my favorite simple comforts, let me know.
- It's confession time: I have not done much of anything (including helping in the yard) all summer long. So if you come to visit, please know in advance what to "expect" and that there is a reason. A recent post on cakewrecks could sum it all up: click here (a little content warning: just ignore the first picture on their post since it is quite crude)
