Doozy

Friday was a doozy

A long, exhausting day.  We started off the day by heading to Little Gym.  Avery was just not herself at all.  She was for a bit, but then she started to cry whenever any kid bumped her, didn't want to participate in the activities and was just generally very un-Avery-like.  Henry was a bit out of sorts, too, so Christie and decided we couldn't very well go home and deal with the situations solo.  Solution: food carts and the park.

We hit BBQ Fusion (excellent!) and then went to the park blocks to eat and play.  Following that, we decided to head to CdT (that would be here) to continue our playdate.

Avery immediately wanted to put on princess dresses and Henry obliged.  I don't care what you say, even with hair most girls would kill for and no issue wearing princess garb, that boy is all boy.  It's fascinating to watch them play.  Avery is all about the performing and the twirling and getting the attention of adults; Henry is all about running, noise making, running, playing with cars, running, playing with balls, running, and running.

We played outside with the tube and cars and blocks; we did crafts at the kitchen table when it started to rain; and finally, I yelled uncle and put on Monsters Inc for the kids while Christie ran to the local diner to get us (mostly me) milkshakes.

Immediately following Henry's departure, Elise arrived for the Gs date night (Nolan stayed home with Jay because their date night was unusual in that it wasn't really a date night).  I made Elise and Avery a tent in Avery's room.  They spent much of the time before dinner in there.  Right before dinner, Avery had a complete meltdown.  Elise saw the opportunity to be a golden child and turned on the charm while Avery was kicking and screaming on the floor.  Elise: "This is delicious!" as she downs the dinner.   So cute.

It was clear Avery's tantrum was a meltdown and (in my opinion) beyond her control.  She was so tired and I think feeling a bit under the weather.  D and I divided and conquered.  He took Elise upstairs to play; I waited out Avery's meltdown until the blessed words came: "I want some milk!"  That is now the signal that she's capable of calming down.  I was able to pick her up and she proceeded to eat her dinner and drink milk and return to my lovable Avery.

We read a book (I couldn't handle more than one I was so tired), then both girls were asleep by 7:30 with no issues at all.  That means Avery earned her second sleeping reward: a pretty purple dress.

House Progress

The arbor and most corbels are up on the house. The remaining corbel goes in the eave that they'll need a 40' ladder to reach, so it'll have to wait until Monday to go up. I'm hoping the garage doors go up next week.  I think those and staining the deck darker will make a huge difference.  The deck will be stained the same color as the corbels.

The corbels are the items in the eaves. I don't know why you can't click on the picture to embiggen, but they're there.

There will be lights at each spot with the wires.  The two trees (one on each side of the new sidewalk) will have two spotlights on them each. Not shown: we also have lights lining the other side of our driveway.

We have two large holes dug in the front for the trees; the lights are ready to be wired.  I think a lot of the landscaping work should start next week.

Voice

My voice is still hoarse, but it's getting better.  I can at least talk, though I'm trying to limit myself until it's fully better.  I find myself marveling at the loudness and clarity of the teachers' voices in the various classes Avery is taking right now.  I've never before marveled at such a thing.  It's a good reminder not to take things for granted.  

Silly Me

When Avery and I were at Little Gym on Friday, I realized that I follow the teacher's instructions with such vigor it's as if I'm waiting for praise, too: "You know where your feet are Megan!  Very good!"