False Start

After just 2 days of school, sickness hit...hard. I can't blame them getting this sickness at school, they weren't there long enough. 

 On Friday Yoda started feeling sick.  As I loaded him into the van to pick up the school children he got sick ALL OVER the van...uh...
By Saturday it was obvious he had strep--thank goodness for urgent care. It's his first time with this bacteria, and he was crazy sick. 

Regularly on Mondays I pick up two of our neighbors from school.  But this Monday their babysitter didn't show up so their dad asked me to keep them until their mom came home from work. No problem right?

Well...I show up at the school and Mimi isn't there!  I'm told to park and walk up because Mimi has been sick. 
In my head:"AH!  Did I send a sick kid to school?"  "Did she get "sick" as in made a mess?"  "Was she sick all day but didn't know she was allowed to call to go home?"
yes, yes, and yes

Her teacher was very nice about it, but as I unpacked her un-eaten lunch and early morning snack I was crying thinking of how terrible she must have felt but didn't know what to do about it. 

She's feeling better--hence the thumbs up. 

I told Parker like 100 times to tell me if he feels at all sick, throat, head, tummy, anything.

*this morning*
Me:"Good morning, Parker, how do you feel, do you feel sick at all?"
Parker:"I feel totally fine."
*30 seconds later*
Parker pointing to his throat:"By the way these things hurt when I swallow"
Me:"That means you're sick and you're not going to school"
Parker--bummed that he won't get perfect attendance again this year. 

This picture was taken just about 30 minutes away from Parker asking me to turn up the heat.  Now his fever is back and he's feeling terrible again.

Here's our fridge with all the Amoxicillin (and a little butter too).  I have to write down a list of the meds that everyone is taking and when, I don't trust myself to remember everything!  

The Sate Fair

Before Summer is officially over I thought I better write about the State fair. 

This year we decided to do more indoor and animal stuff, and less rides.  We had lots of fun.  

Here's Yoda playing trucks with what looks like a queen or princess. 

The kiddos made a lego-pinewood-derby car. 

And then raced them!  

We checked out the owls. 

Smokey the bear knew their names! 

Milked a cow! 

Giant butter sculpture.  Moo. 

Played with electric trains.  Maybe I need a plexiglass case for our train tracks?  

Duck/t Tape parade floats. 

And a few rides. 

Summer's over, time for more school posts! 

A cupcake poem for Sonya's birthday

Eight little cupcakes, sitting in a tin
along came Yoda and then there were sev-en!

Seven little cupcakes, not from a mix
along came Mimi and then there were six!

Six little cupcakes, with honey from a hive
along came Parker and then there were five!

Five little cupcakes, not on the floor
along came Sonya and then there were four!

Four little cupcakes, decorated like bee
along came Josh and then there were three!

Three little cupcakes, on a plate of blue
along came Rebekah and then there were two!

Two little cupcakes -- not a ton
along came Jill and then there was one!

One little cupcake, waiting for a hero
along came Daddy and then there were zero!

Happy birthday! 

And a little cupcake dance as well!  This girl loves her some cupcakes! 
(Sorry for the squeaky camera...)

First Day of School!

 They packed up their school supplies and met their teachers yesterday.  Then we set off this morning for the first official day of school. 

 Mimi a big, all-day-1st grader.

 Parker, 4th grade?  How is this possible???

Here we are with our neighbors.  Yoda was pretty ticked to be left out, but then pouted when he was in the photo.  Poor guy asks to go to school ALL the time. 

Reading...

As I helped Mimi read the word "pharmacy"
she yelled:"'P' does NOT sound like 'Ffff'!"

__________

 On Mimi's 1/2 birthday her new backpack came in the mail.  Yoda inherited her old one (the one that Parker used in preschool and Kindergarten as well). 

 She insisted since it was her 1/2 birthday that she was in charge of our activity for the day.  

We biked to the school and had a picnic that she prepared and carried in her backpack.  

Also in her backpack was:

a soccer ball

a football

a tennis ball

a frisbee

and a small basketball

Later that night Greg treated them to one last camp-out before school starts.  S'mores! 

(and yes that's a dinning-room chair, it's comfy)

Hair Cuts

If you have a second, please take me poll, just curious who's out there--don't worry, it's anonymous:)

 Mimi before

 Yoda Before

 Yoda during

 Parker waiting

And after

Last of the Vacation Photos

A better picture of us with Greg's family. 

 On our last day, we ran out of clean clothes, so Yoda is in long sleeves and Parker is in long pants.  oops.  Thanks goodness it wasn't too hot this day. 

We did a few things before we left town.  First Iwo Jima.

Mimi is the eagle in this photo.

 Next Thomas Jefferson Memorial

 **Yoda gearing up for a twist**

 **twist complete**

 We didn't plan on visiting the FDR monument (we didn't even know it existed), but SO glad we did.  This is so different.  It's more of a walk and an experience. 

One last thing...the WWII monument, also amazing.  This was on Greg's list of things to do.  So glad we did, another amazing monument.  

Then we headed home to Ohio.  

And so ended the 8-states-and-The-District-of-

Columbia-tour-for-the-Gibbys. 

 

Thanks for coming along with us:)

D.C. Continued...

Our first night in D.C. we visited with Greg's brother and his family. 

 The only photos of the night were taken by Yoda :) 

 Baby H wasn't feeling well, poor girl! 

Our next day in D.C. was CRAZY HOT again, so we hit the monuments in the morning before the temperature hit 100 degrees. 

 Vietnam Memorial

 Mimi looking at the Lincoln Monument on the penny. 

 

 Just before this photo Yoda tried to go under the little rope and stand next to Lincoln.  This did not go over well with the volunteer who went white in the face trying to stop him. 

 There she is in the yellow hat.

Koren War Memorial 

 Every monument I got choked-up trying explain war to the kiddos, it wasn't easy. 

 Random loud helicopter

 Crazy hot 

 MLKjr. Memorial

 Finding the White house

Finally inside!  

We went to the Air and Space Museum.  I think it's the law that you have to go here while visiting D.C.  Because the place was wall-to-wall people. 

 A little Modern Art education--Henry Moore sculpture.

 Smithsonian--Natural History Museum

We lost Mimi for a few minutes because she couldn't stop herself from finding all the fossils.  The last we heard of her was her saying:"Let's find more fossils!"  and she was GONE!  The place was SUPER crowded and I was in a PANIC!  She finally realized she was by herself and came running--phew!

 Up and down stairs carrying the stroller was sometimes quicker then walking to find a ramp.  Again, it was CRAZY HOT! 

Another Smithsonian--This time American History. 

 Checking out the comics and making a surprised face. 

 Kermit! 

 Choo-Choo!

I put the camera on the stroller and set the auto-timer.  This was the result. 

 But for this shot, a man stopped us to take a picture.  His wife assured us he would take a better photo, yup, she was right. 

(Yoda occasionally likes to do this stance while I'm taking a picture, in this one he is admiring his shoes as well :)