First Trip To Scooters

Luke went to Scooters last summer but he didn't get to try anything. This trip was different!

We got him a bitty baby cone. He shoved the entire thing in his mouth and kept his hands over it. He literally did not move (or even blink) until the whole cone miraculously disappeared. He then conned Brooke into giving him some of her ice cream :)

Shedd Aquarium Visit

Its been a long time since the big kids went to the Shedd ... and Luke has never been. I figured it would be the perfect trip for our first week of Summer Break.

We hit all the sights - Brooke and Ryan walked the entire aquarium and never complained once. Im pretty sure that has never, ever, ever happened before. Ever. We went to a show that featured whales and dolphins. We got seats that were right behind the glass. This was perfect because there was a little area for Luke to move around while we waited.

He noticed a bit of an echo and got progressively louder and louder while we waited for the show to begin. I was worried we were about to anger many people, until I remembered I had a pacifier with. The paci kept him quiet and he (as well as the other two) was mesmerized for the entire show.

The kids had one mission. They wanted to pet the stingrays. How could I say no?

Nope. This isnt a different day or different place. Same day, same place. The kids got so soaked at the touch-a-stingray exhibit that I had to purchase them new shirts. I also looked around at every kid that came out of there - mine were the only ones who needed new clothes.

The Mosquito Bite

When picking cherries on Sunday, some kind people close to us were nice enough to call out and say the area had major poison ivy coverage.  So, we booked it. Unfortunately, Brooke has been worried about poison ivy for about 2 years now ... and the close encounter really set her off.

All day Sunday she kept crying and yelling about having poison ivy. She kept thinking she was itchy. I continually checked and saw nothing. On Monday she again told me she was itchy - up by her knee. This is unlikely to be poison ivy since (if she had contact) the ivy was by her ankles. However, I looked and it was a bit red. I let her know she has a mosquito bite. And it was like a bomb exploded.

We are now on day two of Mosquito Bite Drama Fest. She wrote a note and posted it to the door so her Dad would see it. She wrote a book about it. She woke up her Dad in the middle of the night last night to discuss it. She has been panicked about going outside in fear of another mosquito interaction.

Its gonna be a real, long, drama-filled summer!

She Said / He Said

Brooke: I love the calm noise of popping bubbles. Isnt it refreshing?


**********

Mom: Itchy head?
Ryan: Yeah, its always itchy. I think I have an itchy mind.

**********

Ryan: Could I borrow some help?

**********

Ryan: When I grow up I just want to be me. I want to still be funny. I want to have kids.

**********