Good bye summer

Being the economy what it is, there are many times when I have to step back before making a purchase and ask myself, "Is it really worth it?" And sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't, but there are two items we purchased this summer that I am so glad I didn't pass on.

One is the awesome hand-me-down swingset, we purchased from our neighbors.


And the second was a large box of ice cream cones.


Good bye summer, we'll miss you, and welcome you when we see you again in June.

A Week of Firsts, Seconds, and Sore Fingers...

So Friday last week Shane comes home at 5 pm, which is the first time in two weeks he's been home before 10 pm so we are all thrilled, and Shane is excited because he is going to fly his plane for the first time. Let me tell you that this rather large plane has been hanging around our house in various states of completeness for as long as we have known each other, and to tell you the truth I really didn't think that I would ever see the day that it would be completely done. But to my surprise Shane announced a few weeks ago that it was in fact done. So Friday we set off to take the plane on its maiden voyage.


So Shane is getting the plane ready, adjusting different settings and breaking in the engine, which means that the engine is running while the plane is stationary. Now let me tell you something I learned this day: when the model plane's engine is running, the propeller will be spinning...very fast, so fast in fact that you won't even be able to see it, and because you can't see it, you might forget its there and you might just stick your fingers right into its spinning blades at which time you will remember its there, because this will hurt quite a lot, which is exactly what happened to Shane. So instead of spending his free night in leisure we spent it getting stitches, and oh my I cannot think how grateful I am for modern medicine, and a grandma nearby who is willing to come and whisk my kids out of the waiting room so that I could pat Shane's head as they sewed the top of his finger back on. For the most part his fingers are expected to make a full recovery, but the top of his index finger will be shaped a bit differently from now on.


The second excting event we've had recently was Max's second birthday. This was a fun day because we were lucky enough to have Grammy come visit. She told me she had really been missing the boys, so she came up just for the day. Mason and Max were thrilled, and as the three of them set off for the zoo, I found myself in an empty house feeling very grateful for my mom too. We had a fun party that night. Max is in love with planes, trains, & tractors these days, and since our house is already a haven to more trains than should be legal (Mason was rather obsessed with them too) we had a plane themed party. It was very fun.

Shane was able to take the night off of work and Shane's family came over and we barbecued and had cake and ice cream. I think Max's cake was one of my favorite birthday cakes to date. Although the two little planes were the most desired object on the cake.
A serious tantrum had been exhibited only an hour earlier when Shane (against my advice that it would indeed cause a tantrum) had shown Max the cake that I had carefully hidden away. So as soon as the candles were extinguished both planes were immediately confiscated by two anxious boys.


After which everyone had to watch out for flying die cast planes, which although small did smart a bit when thrown at you by an excited two year old. But really I had a hard time getting him to stop throwing them since they were planes, therefore meant to fly, and it was his birthday. All in all everyone had a fun night, although I am still in denial that Max is two and rapidly growing out of being my baby.


The next day while we were outside playing we decided to try taking the training wheels off Mason's bike. We took them off a few weeks ago and Mason didn't like having them off at all. So we put them back on, but raised them up as high as they would go. Mason spent a week or so riding his bike at a severe angle so that he could keep at least one training wheel on the ground, but after awhile I noticed that he was riding most of the time with his bike upright and hardly using the training wheels at all. Still I waited awhile to make sure he was comfortable, and then Thursday he and I decided that he probably didn't need them at all. This time instead of being apprehensive, Mason was excited to take them off. We detached the training wheels, and as I turned to put the wrench away Mason hopped on his bike and started riding. I was amazed I didn't have to help him at all. In seconds he was halfway down the street without so much as a glance back at the piece of childhood he'd just left behind in the driveway.
It was so easy and I felt rewarded and proud of Shane and I for our patience. Yes, we may have been able to push Mason into learning to ride his bike when we first removed the training wheels a few weeks ago, but doing it on his terms worked out so much better for him (as is usually the case with Mason). I was so proud we all loaded into the car, put his bike in the back and ran over to Shane's work where he was again working late. We called Shane down to the parking lot and surprised him with Mason's new skill. Shane was as thrilled as I was and I could tell that it brightened up his long day as well.