Westyn's First Gym Class

I had planned to put Westyn in a few gym classes over the summer but it didn't really work out. So, his official first class at The Little Gym started August 20.

This is a parent/child class. The class always starts by gathering on the big red floor mat, getting some cha-chas, singing a song, and introducing ourselves. Westyn had a hard time not playing on all the gym equipment but was quickly excited about the cha-chas.

Then we have a little warm-up session as a group where the kids are instructed to walk, then run, then do other things like jump or clap, etc. Westyn really surprised me during this part because he wanted to participate but he also didn't want to let go of my hand. He's always been pretty independent, so that wasn't expecting that.

After the group warm-up, it is time for free exploration. This was by far, Westyn's favorite part! He really seems to have very little fear of the equipment!
 

Of all the gym equipment, I think the bars are Westyn's favorite. And let me just say, his teacher was quite impressed with his hang time!


After the kids have some time to explore, the teachers do a few skills of the day. Westyn attempted to do the high kicks on the high balance beam. I don't think he really got the concept of high kicks but he will eventually. (On a side note, the teacher in this picture is Miss Leslie...she has a son named Weston, so I'm pretty sure she has a little soft spot for my little Westyn.)


Next, the kids get to play with balls. I didn't get many pictures of this part becuase it's so active. But all the kids have a great time playing with the balls.


Finally, it's time for bubbles. Apparently, we haven't exposed Westyn to bubbles enough becuase he was amazed and nearly frozen for the first half of bubble time.


Before the kids leave the gym, they get to sit on the wall to get a stamp.
 

Here is a video, too.


I really can't wait to see how much Westyn learns this semester. He is already more adeventurous than Garytt was the first time that he went to gym class but that's probably because Garytt has taught Westyn a number of his tricks.  (That's the bonus of being a younger sibling.) 

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Several months ago, I really wanted to get my hair cut because it was getting so long it was difficult to deal with. I noticed that it was just a few inches shy of being able to donote it though. So, I decided to keep growing it out. After our trip to Michigan, I decided it was finally time to cut my hair and donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Before:


After:  (Not the best pictures ever but all I got that day.)


So, there's a little story that goes with this hair cut. My original stylist had washed and done an initial cut. Then she dried my hair and started working on some layers on my dry hair. I have never had a cut done that way but she was young so I figured it must be a newer technique. Anyhow, we were getting along and chatting away as she picked up a razor and sliced her finger. She went back to bandage it and came back out. As I was asking her if she was ok, she started to look quite faint. So, she went to the back to sit for a minute.

The owner/stylist of the salon noticed she was missing and asked about it. I told her what happened and she went to check on her. Well, it turns out that the owner had a no-show, so she moved me to her chair to finish up while my original stylist recovered. As this lady was working, she decided that she needed to wet my hair down again to "have more control over the cut." So, I don't really know if that means she didn't like the direction my cut was going originally or what.

She wet the hair down and started the cut over. Then, she dried my hair and fixed any areas that needed attention on the dry hair. My hair takes forever to dry, even with it being much shorter, it is so thick that it takes a long time! So, needless to say, I was at the salon FOREVER! But after two hours and two stylists, I had a new do.

I'm glad that I was able to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, but I am still getting used to the much shorter length but it is "growing" on me. 

Michigan Trip

My great uncle hadn't been feeling well for a while. Early in August, he spent some time in the hospital and then was transferred to a rehab facility. But, his health continued to decline. So, his niece, June, went to Michigan for about a week from Colorado. She got to spend some time with Julius and did a lot to help my great aunt Betty by getting some things in order.

As her visit neared the end, it was apparent the Julius' health was still declining. So, my mom and I decided to go up to Michigan to be with Betty and see Julius. We could only stay a few days since my mom's school would be starting soon. We left for Michigan late on Saturday Aug 10.

We stopped about half way. But that allowed the boys to sleep a good portion of that trip. Then, we woke up early on Sunday Aug. 11 and headed up to Michigan. We did take a nice long lunch break for the boys.

We arrived in Okemos right at dinner time for the boys. So, we picked up some Happy Meals and went straight to the rehab center. June and I let the boys eat their dinner for a bit while my mom went in the room with Betty and Julius. Then, we all went to say hi to Julius. After a bit, I decided it was time for the boys to get settled in the hotel for the night. So, we headed over there. My mom joined us in the hotel a bit later (after the boys were already asleep).

The plan for the following morning was for my mom to meet Betty and June at the rehab center around 7:30am because my mom needed to drive June to the bus stop so she could go catch her flight.

I got a call about 6:15am on Monday, August 12 from Betty. (My mom was in the shower.) She said Julius had passed away. Bless her heart! My mom rushed over there to be with Betty.

The boys and I got ready but not in a rush. I wanted to give them time and space and I knew that it wouldn't be much fun for the boys. We did arrive a bit later at the rehab center. The boys entertained themselves pretty well.


Then, we decided mom and Betty had a lot of errands to run, so the boys and I went to Betty's house to hang out while the handy man did some work.


I had set up a play date and dinner with some friends of ours from Oshkosh that evening. It was so nice to see Wasingers! We, of course, reminisced about good time in Oshkosh and what a small world it is sometimes...who would have thought when we moved to Missouri and they moved to Michigan that we would ever meet up again. I can't thank Erin enough for our fun afternoon and dinner (even if G didn't eat...stinker)!


The following day, August 13, things were very much the same. My mom and B had a whole list of things to do. Unfortunately, none of the things on the list were things that the boys and I could really help with. So, we stayed at Betty's house in the morning while the handy man came back over for an hour or so to finish his work.

Then, I looked up something for the boys and I to do for the afternoon. I found a science center just a few miles from there. As it turns out, the gift membership from Aunt Shira and Uncle Kirk that the boys received for Christmas last year got us into the science center for FREE! So, the boys and I headed to Impresion 5 museum for the afternoon.


They started in the building and construction section.


Then we moved on to the music area.


Garytt's favorite thing in the whole museum was using the telescope. I think he would have stayed there all day! And we did stay the for quite a while. Westyn mostly climbed the stairs up and down and up and down.


The boys had a great time at the science center and I was so thankful to have something to entertain them!

We headed out that evening after dinner to come back to Kansas, as Julius' funeral would be held in his hometown of Leavenworth, KS. We, again, went part way and stopped for the night. The next morning, Garytt was ready for travel with his shades, book, and his movie. (Yes, it looks like he is sleeping but he is actually watching a movie.


When we arrived in Columbia, we decided Betty should just stay the night with us and my mom would travel back to Topeka. I'm glad that Betty was able to stay with us. She got to spend some time with the boys and the boys were able to show her some of their gymnastic tricks. They also did some reading with Betty.


Betty drove in to Leavenworth the following morning (with the help of my Uncle John and Aunt Trish through the KC traffic). She had some more arrangements and such to make in Leavenworth.

The rosary service was held on Sunday, August 18 and the funeral was on Monday, August 19.

Julius Cord

August 12, 1925 - August 12, 2013


Exactly 88 years old.

Me Oh My, I Love Pie

What better way to utilize all the fabulous blackberries we picked than to bake a yummy pie?! I have never actually made a blackberry pie before. I chose a recipe that looked fairly straight forward and hoped for the best.
 

After dinner, I cut into the pie and sadly found that the center didn't really thicken as I hoped it would. So, it was more of a blackberry soup with some crust. With that said, it still tasted good. I mean, how can you go wrong with blackberries, sugar and pie crust?! I think Westyn agreed.


Garytt, on the other hand, was quite unsure about the blackberry pie.


Apparently, the pie was torture...


Ok, so I really don't know why Garytt reacted that dramatically to the pie, but he did eventually calm down and give it a second chance.
 

Although, Garytt did give the pie a second try, it is obvious he does not care for blackberries (maybe it's a seed issue?) since he only ate the crust.

It seems there is some room for improvement with our blackberry recipes!

Picking Blackberries

Sunday, August 4, our friends, the Meiers, came in from Kansas City to visit us for the day. We were so excited to have them over! When Beth and I were discussing activities for the day, we thought about going to the MU Fan Appreciation Day. Then, I found out about a place called Pick and Pick where the blackberries were ripe. I suggested this activity for all of us because I thought it would be more relaxed and easier for us to hang out. Beth quickly agreed that would be a great plan!

  First, we got some buckets in the barn. They had little buckets for the kids and bigger buckets for the adults.


Then we headed out to find our blackberries.


Zachary wasn't quite awake yet.


All the boys seemed to get the idea of picking the black ones and leaving the red ones.  Of course, the little guys needed a litte more assistance.


Everyone seemed to have a great time!


Of course, the kids were very proud of the berries in their buckets.


After we were done picking berries, we attempted to get a picture of all the boys with their buckets of berries. Of course, I wasn't able to get one shot with all of them looking.


Then it was time to head in to weigh our berries.  Samuel and Garytt found a four legged friend on the way.


Garytt was pretty excited about our bag of berries.


After berry picking, we came back to our house to hang out with the Meiers for a while longer. The boys had a great afternoon playing with Samuel and Zachary!