The last couple of weeks have been really busy for us. It all started on Friday, July 3, when we took the kids to see some fireworks. We received an invite from one of Greg's co-workers to come to his house to watch some fireworks, and all we had to bring was ourselves and a blanket or chairs to sit on. Fortunately, the kids took a great nap that day, so after dinner, we all piled into the Commander and headed out to Taylorsville Road near the Jefferson County line.
Frank, Greg's co-worker, has a large piece of land on which fireworks could be set off at a safe distance. Several other people with their kids were there, and a former co-worker of Greg's from Humana, Paul, had purchased some kid-friendly fireworks to set off before the big show.
Zach, Hannah and Jessie were mesmerized watching the snakes, speeding/flaming fire engines and race cars, spinning pagodas, and neon-colored fountain-type fireworks. Paul also set off several colored smoke bombs for the kids to run through. Zach and Hannah didn't care for the smell of the smoke bombs, but Jessie had no problem with running through all the different colors of smoke. Eventually, Hannah ran through some too, but I was with her holding her hand.
After it was dark, Paul and another guy ventured out into the field to set off fireworks. It was a very impressive show, and I'm sure it was a costly show as well. These fireworks had to have been a commercial grade that was approved for home use. The kids absolutely loved watching them go off, and after each firework ended, Zach shouted, "Good job, Paul," or "How about another one, Paul!" Paul was a very popular guy with the kids that night!
On Tuesday, July 7, we picked up Lindsey from Mimi's workplace so that she could spend a couple of days with us. We headed out to the zoo where we saw all kinds of animals (yes, even more than what we were able to see when the kids and I went the week before), and we had another picnic lunch. It was a hotter trip than the week before, too, so I made sure the kids stayed well hydrated. They didn't get much playing time in the Islands play area because it was just too hot. They were overheating quickly, so we went as fast as we could to the Herp Aquarium where we could cool down and get out of the sun for a while. We haven't been in the Herp Aquarium for a long time, so it was neat taking them there now that they were old enough to look into the various window displays and comprehend what they were seeing. We also visited the Gheens Room again, and happily, the penguins were much more active than the last time. Since the train still isn't running, we rode the carousel twice again: once when we first got there and again before we left.
After leaving the zoo, we came back home where Lindsey and the kids enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie snack before taking a nap. Lindsey and Hannah were the only ones that slept. Lindsey was battling allergies, so between the heat and the decongestants, she was ready for a nap! Unfortunately, the cookies were enough to re-energize Zach and Jessie. How Hannah and Lindsey slept through their noise is a mystery to me!
The next day, we headed over to Pop Pop's to go swimming. Pop Pop took a day off from work to join us, and we all enjoyed a great afternoon in the pool. Mom Mom Sue and Becky were back from their vacation and joined us later in the day. Sue's nephew Kyle is staying with her for a while this summer, and the kids had a lot of fun playing with him. Kyle is 11 but has three younger siblings around Zach, Hannah and Jessie's age. You could tell he could relate to them. He had them laughing so hard at one point that I was concerned the girls would wet their pants!
The kids got a lot of swim time that afternoon. Zach preferred to be out in the water in a float, and Hannah preferred to play on the steps of the pool. Usually, it's the other way around! Jessie, as usual, wanted no part of a float and wanted to be out in the water with someone so she could swim. Lindsey was Jessie's assistant of choice, so Lindsey didn't get much time to swim on her own until Mom Mom got there. Mommy got a workout swimming the length of the pool several times while pushing Zach back and forth! Mimi came over after getting off work, and we all enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.
On Monday the 13th, the kids went to see Dr Kim for their 6-month dental checkup. Within the last month, Hannah fell and hit her mouth, so like Zach, she had a tooth darken, which required an x-ray while we were there. Fortunately, it's lightened back up, but I had already talked with Dr Kim about taking a closer look at it.
Jessie was the first up to get her teeth cleaned, and even though she sat in the chair all by herself the last time, she needed mom to sit with her this time. While Jessie and I were in the chair, Hannah sat for her x-ray all by herself. I was really impressed, especially since she's not had a dental x-ray yet. She was really proud of herself, too!
Jessie sat really well for her checkup and made it all the way through the polishing before announcing she was done. Hannah still wanted no part of the big chair, so we again sat her in my lap and leaned her back into Dr Kim's lap for a tooth count and quick inspection. Dr Kim said she could see where Hannah's tooth had been hit, so we go back in six weeks for another x-ray.
Zach was the man! He sat in the big chair all by himself, and he sat really well for the entire checkup! He even made it through the flossing. We all applauded him, and he was bashfully proud of himself! All the kids were rewarded with extra prizes for being so good!
The busy times keep a-coming! This Saturday we're going to Mimi and Jon's to celebrate Lindsey's birthday, and then next week, the kids and I are heading to my mom's in Cincinnati for a couple of days to go to the Cincinnati Zoo and a water park. Greg and I are thinking of taking the kids to the Louisville Zoo on Monday since the weather is going to be cooler than normal. Busy, busy, busy!
