offsite

today bear bear got to meet his teachers for the upcoming preschool year. that simple statement cannot possibley convey the complexity of waking all the adorables , loading them into the veen, unloading at home, changing for all and showering for me, corraling the babes back in the veen, and finally locating the  new driveway and preschool room at the outdoor discovery center. thankfully, bear was super excited, so his enthusiasm helped move things along when the other children vocalized their preference to stay at the campground.

we had to be there before noon so i felt as though i was both sprinting in a race and coaching a team of little leaguers to ensure we arrived on time and relatively presentable in appearance.  maxer was appreciative of an opportunity to see harv again and played contentedly with his pup while i speed showered, started laundry and scrambled to find clean clothes for the chidren. ayla methodically removed all her ponies from her room and lined them up beautifully in a parade around the living room. bear bounced from sibling to sibling to mom eager to  set out for school.

 thankfullly, our neighbors the thurstons pulled into the correct outdoor discovery center drive just after i drove right on by so i got a clue and turned around to join her at the correct location. our children prompltly shot out of their seats and began climbing a large sand pile in which they found a frog. things were off to an amazing start. once we wiped off frog poop and reassembled the darlings, we ventured  into the classroom.

 ms. emily welcomed us and began a friendly and informative tour pointing out the students hooks for coats and rainsuits, some blocks crafted from tree branches, a bean table, the reading area, a crafting center and lots more areas of intrigue. the entire time bear worked his cute little mouth into all manner of sideways smiles. the siblings were mostly well behaved. soon the kleins joined us for more meeting an greeting of ms. rachel. the outdoor play area beckoned us all, so we purused the tps and balance beams, and giant lincoln logs. next we explored the pond area and boardwalk. after an hour, we considered ourselves acuainted.. so very grateful for westons excitement.

  we were feeling exuberant and therefore i splurged on some mconalds which we scarfed while heading to target to do some birthday girl shopping, with the birthday girl. tricky. it was super fun to show her some cool ideas, all involving ponies, and watch her delighted expression. but so difficult to actually purchase something without her knowledge. each time i would present to her a princess cadence my little pony or a pink barbie and pony combo she would ditch whatever was in her hands and grab ahold of the new option. then baby blue would pass the discarded pony and become outraged that it was not in the cart.

the brothers were so great.  first of all, they brought their remaining puppy money to spend so they were super entertained and occupied. then they  were hilarious and committed to distracting cupcake from whatever i was hiding in the cart. i spent money, they spent money, but i really have no recollection of what is in those bags still in the back of my van. we shall all be surprised come wednesday.

yesterday brought a huge surprise for me. my baby sister kelsey came home for a quick visit from france. unbeknowest to me. so as i was unloading the veen of aylaroo, i saw my brother in law austin pull in near our camper. hey.. what are you doing here. and then surprise, kels and meggles walk on over. the reunion was beautiful though way to short.  i selfishly piled the darlings into the camper to watch my little pony for the nine hundredth time this week so i could catch up with my sister.  from what i could gather, kels is happy and healthy and as gorgeous as ever. hoping to meet again bfore her departure. hard to get enuf.

 we are back at the campground recuperating from the exhausting day by playing at the hottest park on the property. sweat is literally dripping down my legs as i blog and the kids are pretending to be kittens. except max, he is excavating the sand from one location to another. why arent we at the pool or in the freezing cold camper? im about to change that. come on littles