Monday
On Monday we went bowling in Arlington. I made sure to make reservations earlier in the day. When we got there, we were the only people bowling and no one else ever joined us! There is a restaurant attached to the bowling alley with windows looking out at the lanes. We were the sole source of entertainment for anyone eating at the restaurant. We went as soon as they got home from school. Dode was at work but I think he's uninvited from future bowling trips. We went bowling for a date night and he lost the feeling in his thumb for months. He's falling apart on me!
It didn't take Miriam long to learn where the sweet spot was. She wasn't very good at aiming but when her ball got close to that spot, she got so excited. They had a great time and asked me when they could go back again.
Miriam said these batter dipped fries were the best fries she'd ever had.
$3 for the basket, definitely worth it!
William used this ramp to aim his ball.
Elizabeth getting ready to bowl.
Miriam proudly wearing the crown she got at Disney on Ice. I used to bowl here on a youth league. It's fun to see my children getting a chance to bowl here now. It's a good thing they removed the signs they used to have up, "Don't loft the ball." because Miriam lofted the ball nearly every time she threw it! (Lofting is letting go of the ball when it's still high in the air, causing it to crash down on the lane with a loud bang and possibly damaging the lane.)
In Arlington, you still do your own scoring. Miriam caught on to the process quickly.
Once bowling was over, it was time for conferences for Miriam and William.
Miriam came along and read some books in her classroom while I spoke with her teacher. Miriam's reading has gone up a whole grade level since school started! William has 8 sight words. His reading level is still too low to register on any assessment tests but to his teacher and to me, eight sight words is amazing!
Tuesday
Tuesday was the day to do something that I've been needing to get done for a while, take the kittens to get fixed. I had them fixed up at NOAH near Stanwood where they do low cost spay/neutering. They also do pet adoptions. They have several cat "colonies" and a kitten room where you can pet the cats. The children were wanting to see the animals available for adoption so I made sure we got there 45 minutes before the kittens were ready to be picked up. They loved petting the cats and playing with the kittens. You forget so quickly how much they grow. The children just wouldn't believe me that our kittens were ever as small as the kittens at NOAH. They were! They had several big orange cats. I used to have an orange cat and I said that the next time I got a cat, it would be orange. Well, we found these kittens so I'm stuck with boring common tabby cats. On the way home, Elizabeth told me I should just adopt an orange cat. She was sure her dad would understand because it would be for me. She doesn't realize that although they all believe he was OK with us keeping the kittens was for the children, it was really for me. Maybe someday I'll have an orange cat again but it won't be for a long long time!
Caged up and ready for the trip. You can see that one of the cats has her paw out, trying to get out. NOAH required the cats be brought in in separate carriers. I think that was the worst thing for the kittens. They rely on each other so much!
Wednesday
On Wednesday I took the children to see Wreck it Ralph.
It's a Disney movie about a video game villain who wants to be a good guy. There are tons of video game references throughout the movie. Apparently I've forgotten most of my childhood because although I played video games, I can't remember characters or story lines. Even though a lot of the inside jokes sailed right by me, I thought it was a cute movie.
Thursday
Well, our Thursday plan was to go to Absolute Air Park, an indoor trampoline warehouse here in town. Elizabeth had a friend coming over to the house to play after the trampoline warehouse, so we had just enough time if we went when they got home from school. We loaded up the car and drove over only to learn they didn't open until 3:00 pm, too late for us to go. Miriam shed quite a few tears that we wouldn't be able to bounce that day. I promised that we would still make it happen but she'd have to wait.
Friday
No fun on Friday. It was the last day of the school quarter and Isaac had some late work he needed to get done. I spent the day keeping him on task. By the end of it, we weren't very friendly with each other. The school office closed at 3:30 pm. We arrived at the parking lot at 3:20 pm. Then, I spent three hours running him around doing his errands. After that, I was too burned out for any playing. Miriam was hoping we could go to Absolute Air park but we were worried that it would be full of teenagers and we weren't sure that was compatible with our little Miriam.
Saturday
On Saturday morning Miriam was finally able to go to Absolute Air park. Elizabeth really wanted to sleep in Saturday morning so once she woke up around 10:30, we set off to play. I was the observer while Dode, Anastaya, Elizabeth, William and Miriam jumped. Dode teased me because at some time during our hour, everyone spent some time moping with me. Elizabeth was disappointed because she REALLY wanted to do a flip but was too scared to actually pull it off. She kept chickening out at the last minute and was really frustrated with herself.
Two little boys watched Dode do this and had to tell him, "That was amazing!"
Anastaya gracefully floats down to the foam pit.
Elizabeth might not be able to flip, but she was the last girl left in the dodgeball game. In this photo it's Elizabeth up against three boys.
William jumping into the pit.
Miriam gets some big air before landing in the pit.
Two minutes before our time was up, Anastaya landed wrong and twisted her ankle. I looked over to see her laying on her back crying, an ice pack on her ankle. We brought her home where she lay on the couch with it elevated to see if that brought any relief. We had one more activity planned for the day, a family bike ride. There was no way her ankle was up to a bike ride so we left her recuperating while we headed out.
Last weekend, a new stretch of the Centennial Trail that runs near our house opened up. The new section runs from Bryant (North of Arlington) to the Skagit County line. We've been waiting for years for this part to open. It rained for the grand opening last weekend but Saturday was sunny, and cold. How cold? There was still frost on the foliage along the trail. By the time we were done with our bike ride, I was a block of ice. My toes were so cold I could hardly walk. Dode was amazed that I was frozen. He was overheated. He was riding a mountain bike pulling a tag-a-long bike and a stroller. He was working hard. I was riding a very efficient street bike and spent most of my time coasting. I just wasn't generating enough heat to stay warm. By the time I went to bed that night, I was still covered in goosebumps.
Trying to stay warm on a very cold day. On the way back, Elizabeth lost all the "get up and go" she started with (and that wasn't much!) At times we were down to five miles an hour, I was frozen and it took all my patience not to hurry her along (something she hates). At one point, Dode accidentally called her Miriam when he told her to get to the side of the trail because someone was passing. That made her so mad. She rode near me and gave me a piece of her mind. I tried to calm her down but I think it was more a week's worth of being stuck with the little children than a true personal insult that was bothering her.
Dode's one of a kind train. On the bridge over Pilchuck Creek.
Proof that we made it! In front of the Nakashima Barn near the Skagit County line. Elizabeth is resting on the bench.
We got home from the bike ride and found Anastaya exactly where we left her. She was still unable to put any weight on her ankle and it had started to swell up. It was time for a visit to the walk in clinic. X-rays revealed that it's just a sprain and they sent her home with crutches, a splint, and a note to excuse her from PE for two weeks (one of the main reasons we went to the doctor). Elizabeth said, "Someone always gets hurt when we have a family activity". I don't think someone always gets seriously injured but I told her, "That's how we know we're having a good time!" She said, "When do we start skydiving?" Silly girl!
Waiting for the doctor. A "fun" way to finish out the day. At least she has cute toe nails!
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