Monarch's Baseball Game

One of the few events I do with my retirement group is go to the Monarch's baseball game.

I try and recruit Teresa to go with me so I don't have to make that long drive to the stadium out by the Legends by myself. While it wasn't raining, the humidity was about to kill us. I got to see a few of my former KCP&L friends but next year I may consider passing on this event. Sweat and I don't seem to get along.

First Day of School

Well the new school year has started and mothers across the country are tying to get that first day of school pic. I've even seen commercials where companies are using this first day of school pic movement in their ads. It's hilarious. It takes about 25 shots in order to get that one almost perfect shot.

Hazel starts kindergarten. Lincoln is going into the 3rd grade. And Violet is going to middle school starting 6th grade.

It's a good thing Hazel was able to bring all her school supplies to school yesterday or this backpack might have tipped her over.

While Lincoln wasn't that excited about going back to school, he sure was happy with his new classroom, teacher and desk. Let's hope the school year goes smoothly. Meanwhile, Melissa will be at home with Goldie. That's a class in itself! 

Another Evening with the Kids While Violet Gets Contacts

I love watching the kids during lunch or dinner time. It makes the time go quicker!

Before going to dinner, we decided to spend a little time at the park.

The weather was amazing and very crowded.

Parents were probably taking advantage of one more day with the kids before school starts.

I had the kids because Violet was at the doctor practicing putting in her new contacts. I almost didn't recognize her when she got home. I can't believe she's growing up so fast.

Getting to Know Your School

So many things have changed trying to get kids adjusted to going to school. I think when I was going to grade school, Mom just loaded us in the car the first day of school and we were on our own.

Violet is going to middle school this year. There's a few more kids in her class from other grade schools merging to middle school but to me it's the same friends going into a different building. I can understand having a "dry run" so she can find her locker and classrooms on the first day of school.

Hazel is starting kindergarten. Hazel may seem shy and unsure but she can handle anything (except taking pics). Her introduction to kindergarten included popsicles on the playground.

Goldie filled in taking a picture in front of Hazel's locker.

And Lincoln....well he could care less about going to school. But another school year starts soon.

Evening with the Kids

After the volleyball uniform fiasco, there was a pool party for the girls. Hazel and Goldie had been running fevers but I just couldn't take any more volleyball mom drama so I chose to watch the kids and let Melissa take Violet to her party.

The kids didn't seem sick to me. We walked down to the pond being extra careful not to step in the goose poop.

Lincoln would have thrown every rock into the pond but I limited him to any rock that wasn't bigger than his hand. I'm sure the neighbors were watching out their windows wondering why those kids were throwing rocks in the pond. They complain about everything.

Then we came home and played with the ball in the back yard. This was a total of watching kids for about 7 hours in one day. And I thought I was retired! 

Volleyball Parent Meeting and Picking out Uniforms

Melissa had a conflict so she asked me to take Violet to figure sizes for her uniform, shoes, knee pads, hoodie - much more than I was prepared to handle. You'd be surprised how many different things the girls need in order to play volleyball. Shorts, knees pads, sweat pants, 4-5 different shirts, shoes, etc. There's exactly one of each size on a table and some mothers were hoarding shirts and other things. There was one mother that saw my anxiety and began helping me. This was much more than I planned for. I'm still wondering if I got the right sizes.

When we got done you had to stand in line to check out. I was in the wrong line, then stood in another line that was wrong then finally got the right line. One more thing that shows why we have kids when we're young. I had to come home and take a nap!

New Floor

Last month we had a monsoon that lasted 2 days. Besides the enormous amount of rain and a small piece of something getting stuck in my sump pump, my basement flooded. I wasn't too concerned about the flooding because my basement is unfinished so I'm prepared for these "Acts of God". What I didn't take into consideration was the small landing area in front of the basement door. It was carpeted and got completely soaked.

In order to prevent future problems, Teresa and I decided to replace that area with vinyl planks. It took us about 4 hours to replace but it looks like that area was meant to look like that.

I still need to caulk around the perimeter but since I can't see it, I keep forgetting. I need to add that task to my list!

Wine Tasting

I am by no means a wine connoisseur. I know there's red and white wines but haven't really studied them enough to have a favorite. I do know I'm not a fan of red wines. Mostly because I prefer cold drinks and red wines are usually served at room temperature.

My friend, Monica, has a membership to Cooper's Hawk and they offer a free wine tasting each month. You're given a sheet to choose from different varieties. After tasting 8 different wines each about a half a small glass and then having another glass of wine while getting something to eat, I decided Moscato is my favorite or at least I think it's my favorite. I had so much wine I can't quite remember.

Lincoln, Football and My She Shed Wall

I have a part of my She Shed wall devoted to Melissa and Violet and their volleyball.

Teresa suggested I add Lincoln and my love for football to the wall. So I found a touchdown wall hanging and framed the picture of Lincoln's first touchdown along with my Kelce pennant Lincoln gave me for my birthday. There's still plenty of room for when Hazel and Goldie pick a sport!