Easier said than done. Especially when I feel like I'm losing my mind by being cooped up in a house all day just to stay cool. So as a result, we've pretty much just gone to the library and to the Ellett's to swim in their pool. Other than that, we are just counting down the days until we drive out west! In fact, the kids made countdown chains to help with our anticipation. It's funny because their concept of time is so confusing right now. They never know if it's bedtime or naptime (especially with the sun being up when they go to bed) and they never know when a new day starts or how much time has passed in the day. Caleb is obsessively fearful that July will come and we won't know. I was having to tell him what day it was and what month it is 25 times a day. So the chains have been a great visual for them to understand. They even cut each chain link themselves! I was so impressed! Another note about their chains: I bought a new set of markers and each kid has attached him/herself to certain colors from the set and won't use anything but those colors. So those colors are what they chose for their chains (except I didn't have light green for Caleb in addition to his green and black). Anyway, kind of funny.
So before school got out the first of June, we decided to go to an open gym at a local gymnastics complex. I've wanted to do it all year but again, always talked myself out of it because of the price per kid. This was the last open gym before summer so I thought I should get in before it got crazy. Apparently every other mom in the metroplex was thinking the same thing. We pulled in the parking lot and got a spot in the front row. But then I turned around. A procession of vans was entering the lot and they just kept coming and coming and coming! We hurried in, paid (didn't sign a waiver or any sort of form), and started playing. The place was awesome! Tramps, foam pit, tree house, giant slides, tramps, balance beams, monkey bars, etc... The kids had a ball...
for about five minutes.
It was INSANE in there. The amount of moms, kids, and babies was definitely over fire code and overwhelmingly loud. VERY stressful for me because I had to keep track of three who would fall into a panic when they couldn't see me. This happened a lot just because it was so chaotic. Ten kids going down the slide at a time. Five kids on the balance beam at once. Screaming kids, moms everywhere, and little babies crawling around. Plus the music was blaring. There were no employees walking around helping either. At one point I turned around from watching Leah on the monkey bars and Caleb was head down in the foam pit. I could only see his from his knees to his feet. I jumped in and pulled him up by his ankles and he was purple in the face from screaming and crying so hard. I immediately started crying because I felt HORRIBLE that he had been stuck, unable to flip himself, screaming for help, and no one could hear him because it was so loud in there. After that he was so shaken up, as was I, he couldn't play anymore and we decided to leave for safety reasons. A whole 40 minutes of stress and chaos. Yeeesh. The line was OUT the door for families still trying to come in and play as we were leaving. It was a total safety hazard and since they didn't require me to sign a waiver, I could get them in some sort of trouble I imagine...especially if someone did actually get hurt. On the way home I thought, "why did I do that?? The kids are much safer and happier right in our own backyard." Anyway, it's a hard balance to find fun stuff to do with the price and with potential craziness. The ONLY thing Leah would do was the bar because it wasn't overrun by other kids. She wasn't interested in anything else.
Moving on to happier things...
Of course we celebrated Father's Day this month. Clark's been working like a dog and reaaaalllllly wanted a new power tool. I mean, nothing comforts his overworked soul more than a power tool. So we supported him in a trip to Home Depot and he came home with an air compressed staple gun. Exciting right? On the actual holiday, the triplets and I made German Pancakes for breakfast and surprised Clark with cards and paintings. Then I planned to make a yummy dessert but Clark had to work that night so we postponed. We did snap some pictures though and hopefully made him feel loved and appreciated for all his hard work!
The kids have received a crash course in soccer rules and regulations this month as we've had games going since the World Cup began. They know all about red and yellow cards, goalies, referees, and scoring goals. What more do you need to know?? Really they just were concerned about what it would mean if the referee gave out a green card :) Lunch has usually been spent at our makeshift picnic table in the tv room. You can't beat it!
The highlight of our month was that Clark and I got to get away for a few days! He had a business trip down in Argentina and I joined him for a few days before his meetings began! We weren't sure the trip was actually going to happen until about 36 hours before hand so it was a crazy packing experience. His two previous trips in the past month have been cancelled because of unexpected inspections at work so our upcoming trip was up in the air. Luckily the stars aligned and we were able to drop the kids at the Ellett's house for the weekend! I left the Ellett's with over 12 pages of schedules, food ideas, potty instructions, emergency information, etc... as well as the kids' bedtime stuff, extra clothes, and swimsuits. Then Clark and I headed to the airport! It was very weird and I was nervous about leaving them but I knew they were in a comfortable place with people who love them so they had no problem saying goodbye to us. No tears were shed. Clark hasn't had a day off or a holiday for that matter since the beginning of January. So this trip was MUCH needed for him and me both. We needed to catch up, rejuvenate, and regroup from the past six months. It's winter in Argentina so it was a really nice break from the heat too.
It was an overnight flight which was awesome trying to sleep sitting straight up. :) I can't sleep in those situations and did my best. I think Clark and I came away with a few hours each. We arrived at 8am and headed to the hotel. We were traveling with five others so everyone freshened up and we met in the lobby to tour the city a bit. We planned to find a city tour bus and do it that way but wanted to change our US dollars for pesos first. That excursion was successful but resulted in us walking around the city instead of taking a bus. After six miles we decided to find a place to eat and my feet were shot. I did NOT have the right shoes on. Worst decision ever. My muscles were totally sore all along the backs of my legs for the remainder of the trip. Ugh! Should've worn tennis shoes!!!
For lunch we found ourselves in the basement of a restaurant seated in front of a huge TV ready to watch Argentina take on Iran in the World Cup. The game was scoreless until the last minute when Argentina scored and everyone in the restaurant erupted in cheers! It was awesome to be a part of the energy and environment.
That night we joined another couple and headed to a Tango show! It was, by far, my favorite event of the trip. We started by receiving 45 in tango lessons, learning three 8-counts. Clark and I were pretty dang good. I was just sad I didn't have better heels. I was in flats and didn't quite fit the part of a tango dancer. After the lesson, we went down three floors to where we would eat dinner and enjoy a Tango show. Dinner was delicious and the show was amazing. The dancers definitely didn't do any of the steps we were taught. Or they did but they did the steps 100 times fast. It was crazy. There was dancing, mariachi band, rope swinger, singers who of course sang "Don't Cry For Me Argentina!", and such amazing talent from all the musicians who played their instruments. It was so authentic and I enjoyed every second.
After a late night, we proceeded to sleep way past normal waking hours the next morning, get massages, walk into town to watch another soccer game and eat breakfast, and then meet up with everyone to cheer the USA on in their soccer game that evening. Obviously a lot of soccer was watched over the weekend. Every TV in every corner of the city was tuned in to the games. I loved it and felt like I was missing so much the first day I came back home. The popular restaurant where we watched the US game had a line out the door and down the sidewalk. We finally got a table and realized we were not near a TV. We saw a huge projector in a back room of the restaurant and asked if we could go back there. They workers obliged and we were seated all alone in a room full of tables and chairs (not sure why they weren't seating people back there since there was a line out the door) and had a private viewing of the game! It was so weird. Apparently the Argentinians didn't care much about the US game or something. The waiters totally forgot about us and we practically served ourselves but it was a fun experience.
We did eventually get on that bus tour the next day and got to see much more of the city. We ate empanadas, facturas, dulce de leche, and alphajores. I was surprised at how much bread, pasta, cheese, and meat was down there. I don't think I saw one burrito or enchilada on any menu. Kind of interesting.
The weekend was so fast and suddenly I was boarding the flight to come home. Luckily I had five seats all to myself on the way so I sprawled out and tried to sleep, knowing that the kids would be ready and waiting for me when I arrived. The trio had a lot of fun with Michael and Marisol and everyone was exhausted. So I had them all lay down on the couch that afternoon with their blankets and I turned on some soccer. :) They were asleep within minutes. I'm still getting bits of pieces from the kids of what happened while we were gone. Who said what, who got in trouble, what they ate, where they went, and what movies they watched. We feel so fortunate to have good friends who love the kids and were willing to put up with their shenanigans for three days. It's no easy task!
We feel rejuvenated (well at least I do, Clark worked like a maniac after I left him in Argentina) and now we are preparing for our long drive! Idaho here we come!
Until next time!
