7QTs - Camp, Swim, B-DAY

Linking up with Kelly ... SUMMER!

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E was dropped off at the happiest place on earth on Sunday - and no it was not Disney. Week long sleep away camp that she’s been talking about since last year when it was broken into half week covid friendly sessions. I think she would stay all summer if we could afford it. I’m sure we’ll get tons of details when she gets back because it has been device free and contact free week - not that she has a device of her own to bring anyways…

This will be her last summer at CWS and will be able to go to CWR next summer 

She'll be back in July for another session because she eeked into two weeks of camp that fills of almost instantaneously upon registration opening - I literally told everyone in my office to not expect me to do anything from 9:58 to about 10:05 the day the camp opened.  

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R and M got to go to horse camp for a few mornings this week. M wasn’t thrilled with her group because she wanted to be with her a friend but she did like her horse and I kept telling her she didn’t have to go back if it was THAT bad.

I had to dig out jeans from the fall/winter clothes that I still have not completely sorted from the clothes switch!

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We celebrated family Fathers Day a whole week early this year because yours truly doesn’t cook for sport or attempt to out cook the man of the house so we always go out for brunch. On the actual day, my parents and brother will be here and we have two campers jet setting next week so early it was. Lobster Benedict. Check. Loads of chocolate chip pancakes and tea and one tummy ache later - we did quite well. Mostly because Papa tolerated holding J the entire time. J is a frequent visitor to Papas lap when he is eating. It is a terrible habit but J is so stinking cute so he tolerates it.

The girls wanted to wear shorts and their new shirts but I reminded them we rarely go out and this was for Father's Day and they change into more dressy clothes WITHOUT a whine or complaint - insert all the shocked faces. 

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Last weekend we finally got R a new bike. Hers may have gotten run over by construction traffic so she’s been without a bike for a few months plus she legit needed a new one. Have you bike shopped recently? I don’t think it is as Hunger Games ish as a year ago but bikes and good deals are few and far between. R and M have stayed out riding bikes until dark this week and one night they caught quite a few fireflies. 

The evening weather was amazing this week and Lee and I sat on the porch several nights enjoying the non-humidity. I can't say this week will provide similar opportunities. I think the humidity is coming. Plus he's got 5 evening pool appointments in 3 nights and 2 more to schedule so M and I will be wallowing in evening loneliness next week - E and R won't be home so it could be an epically fun week for M or the worst week of the summer for her. 

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The first summer swim meet of the year was this week. A and C swam pup squad though after night I’m hopeful A will get bumped to 6 and under in the next week or so - he can do it he just isn't confident that he can actually swim. Lady C was happily whisked down the lane and content with copious amounts of snacks. R swam with the usual suspects and finished in her usual suspect type manner. M rocked out her events and nearly got outtouched in back. I’m hoping they’ll throw her in IM next meet. With only 4 meets and an action packed summer schedule I don’t think all five Kibbes will be at one meet together : (

A little nervous

The reluctant cap wearer 

Ready to roll 

Miss Pink 

C refused to jump off the blocks even though I'm pretty sure she would have absolutely love it

She is such a fun swimmer to watch and smoked everyone in fly. She is missing her BFF competitor in crime this year. 

I didn't even notice M in the background! Cheering on her big sister. R has got great competition just in her age group on our team. I hope for her sake she can snag a blue ribbon but it will be tough. 

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Lady C had a bday this week. Actually the night of the swim meet which was hilarious because she waffled on wanting to swim all week. E was still at camp and Papa was out of town for work - insert all the laughs - so we settled for post meet popsicles and a party the next day.

 

Everyone say Happy Birthday C!
 

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Addition construction seems to have an end in sight. I’ve been able to hold it together a lot in regards to the stress of the disruption and disarray and everything but last weekend it really got to me. I think I just want my house back. I don’t keep the tidiest or cleanest house - I like to think we go for the more lived in style - but I do like order and when stuff has a spot even if it doesn’t always get there - there’s at least a place for it. I was hopeful the painters might finish this week but that’s not in the cards. We did get a firm date of 6/29 for floor finishing so I’m thrilled. 

Happy Birthday to Our Favorite Guy!

Yesterday we celebrated Lee's birthday. It was not nearly as exciting or complicated as last year's surprise party which was so fun (and nerve-wracking in the hours leading up to it) but fortunately you only turn 40 once, so Mexican dinner out and homemade cake for the win this year. 

So Happy Birthday to man who makes our world go around. Who loves us so much, who cooks amazingly, who cleans afterward too, who mows the grass (and let's the kids ride along), who can fix just about anything, who loves to read, who has become quite Southern Catholic preacher, who pours hours and hours into preparing for Bibles studies, who gets up at the crack of dawn and works in the heat all day, who cheers us on in ball games, who is the most willing timer at swim meets, who helps in the carting from there to here and here to there, who is our resident foodie, who is our story reader who gets jammed between eager listeners, who never gets tired of pulling on locked car doors while I'm inside the car thinking it is hilarious, who always fills up the gas tank without complaint, who is an amazing Christ-like example in all he does. 

I would be remiss to leave out that it was 12 years ago, on the occasion of his birthday, our mutual friend who I was calling from Guatemala to check in and see what the latest was stateside. She let me know I should call Mr. Lee - that's what she called him - because it was his birthday. I can remember where I was when I made that call. Who knows what we talked about and anything like that and I supposed it doesn't really matter because the rest is clearly history. 

He wrote a post on his blog that was way better than this so best to check that out if you are in the reading mood. 

Happy Fathers Day 2018

Happy Father's Day to my Dad also known around these parts as Grandpa Joe. My dad is probably one of the funniest guys you'll ever meet and he can make anyone laugh. He has a small pack of grandkids who love playing endless games of Uno Attack and whatever other board games they can convince him to play. He is an expert at pretty much everything and he's always ready to go out for a stroll. 

Then there's this guy. Not as seasoned in the Fathers Day department but so loved by his troop of adorers. He's super hard working especially during the summer and I think that's when I notice the kids love him the most because they whine and cry and stay up later than they should just to catch a glimpse of him some days. From work to church to home, the only way that he gets through his days is by God's grace - because he should be falling flat on his face as soon as he walks in the door and he should be dragging out of bed just to get out the door, but he doesn't. 

We went to our traditional Fathers Day dinner spot on Saturday night. We were running a solid hour late, because there is a Mt Everest amount of work to be done, and I was pretty much up for ordering pizza and just scraping the whole thing because personalities, no naps, bedtime etc etc. I kept my mouth shut and put on the best face possible and everyone must have rose to the occasion for him. Even C cooperated on the eve of her first birthday and happily ate sweet potato fries. E would have nothing to do with sweet potato fries but might have eaten as many fried oysters at Lee and I. R was the first one done. A forgot his tie. M barely squeaked in the roasted veggies on her plate so she could get the last of the skillet cookie we saved her. 

Then we came back for cards and presents... And yes there was much lobbying over who was going to sit where (as usual)

He is super hard to surprise and of course we did not surprise him. I don't know who was more excited about his present - him or the girls. There will be a lot of Friday night Lego building in the foreseeable future. 

7QTs - Ni Hao Edition

Linking up with Kelly and co... 

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Thursday was International Women's Day... 

Which I was not aware of until I was presented with this. In China it is a day women get flowers. Also at dinner, the ladies at the table got this special warm drink with peanuts. Both were quite out of the blue and unexpected. 

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Green tea frap anyone? 

I'm sure it was terribly loaded with sugar and other stuff but I needed a little caffeine kick one morning since coffee has been a thing of the past. Green tea should be added to the menu in other markets for sure

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Everyone seems to be okay back stateside. 

C was a bit confused by the FaceTime but I know she'd had a blast with Grammy and Grandpa Joe and she's been spoiled but twice daily walks. She's slept through the night most nights so I am grateful to her for that!

Lee is holding down the fort at home. He said the general sentiment is everyone is ready to be back under the same roof and I couldn't agree more. 

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The conference we attended it right next to a mall which we did some window shopping while waiting for lunch

This will not be coming home with me but I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take us to build. It is only $500 and would not stow well for sure. There was this really neat 3000 piece world puzzle with the flags of the countries lining it but it was sold out and I wished I snapped a picture of it. Window shopping was fun to compare prices which are nearly the same. 

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Speaking of window shopping... 

After we had our last meeting yesterday we stole away to the black market for some real interesting shopping

I got prescription glasses for $30 and if they break I really won't mind. There was loads of stuff - of course - I was hoping to find some Crocs for the kids this summer but nothing jumped out at me. There was tons of everything except quality :  )

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The food this trip has been quite good... 

Stingray anyone? 

I love spicy food and there were several spicy dishes each meal. There is always so much food. There wasn't anything too wild and crazy which I definitely appreciated. Maybe next time I'll try some wine from the growing wine industry in China. 

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I'm happy to report we'll be heading out in a few hours. I can't wait to get home and see all my peeps and Lee : ) who has earned himself a few days off which I'm sure he won't take because St. Patrick's Day is calling his name. I'm ready to stop fooling around pumping which has required some logistically aerobatics - I bought a hand pump before I left and it has worked well I'd just rather feed the bebe directly. 

There's a whole long list of people who have seen our family through the week and you know who you are so many thanks - we couldn't do it without the village. 

Snow-cation 2018

2018 started off with an Elsa-like icy blast... 

We got 4-6 inches of snow the evening of the 3rd 

It was a puffy, powdery snow that fell really quickly and stuck almost immediately because it had been so cold. 

It did not make for the best sledding times because we really need more icy snow to stand up to the hard South sun that our sledding hills gets everyday

This guy was in his element. Outside with an unlimited food source at his finger tips - and warm finger tips. On Monday I ordered him snow mittens because the snow wouldn't be here until Thursday. Well Amazon let us down and the gloves did not get here on Wednesday as I expected so when I realized that I placed an emergency call and waterproof mittens from Target arrived via his Fairy Snowmother. It was either that or shlep all the kids into Target with arctic blast apparel, search for mitten and herd everyone out. You know how much fun it is getting kids in and out of carseats and putting coats on and praying the toddler has kept his shoes and socks on and zipping up coats and lugging the infant bucket and all that jazz. Just send Lee right? Wrong. See below. 

I learned a lesson about those built in mitten things on the coats they got. You have to put the gloves on AFTER the coat. Not before. This is opposite how I did it growing up and I almost lost all my cool the first day before I figured this out. 

Friends enjoying the snow! This is them last year. 

With good sledding kind of out of the picture the kids took to slopes in the yard and rode those. E braved the snow twice on the first day and went to the frozen swamp with the neighbors and had the biggest time. 

Frozen chariot 

Frozen house

I don't know which is more work getting the kids dressed or getting their stuff dried for the next trip out. 

C was put in bed as the big kids were getting ready to go out the first time because I was about to lose it trying to stuff hands in gloves and feet in snow boots. 

But A and I suited C up and took her out for a ride on the sled. 

Then we replaced C in the warmth of the house and we set out on our second jaunt in the snow for the day. A was desperate to be out in the snnnnoooo. He would put the softest s on snow it was cute. He's going to miss it the most. 

Snow babies

Then it was time for..... Cookies and Snow cream

Trying Snow cream for the first time

Eating a raisin-free oatmeal cookie Papa made just for her

Yum 

We didn't have a lot of ingredients (as in running low on oatmeal and zero baking soda) so my brilliant neighbor suggested I search baking soda free oatmeal raisin cookies and imagine that, there were a zillion recipes that popped up. 

This guy held down the inside fort during the snow. The chef, the baker, the hot chocolate maker. The C watcher. Thursday was supposed to be his day off because Tuesday he poured 20 yards of concrete and 28 on Wednesday - he was a tad bit sore. Honestly I was just glad to have him back home because Wednesday afternoon I wasn't sure he was going to make it back before the roads got bad with snow. He called just after 8 and said he was on his way home. At 9:25 he rolled into the yard and brought the snow with him. 

Obligatory all kids in the snow picture

Winter Wonderland - and man was it cold. It was in the single digits most mornings and warmed up to the upper 20s 

Me and C deep in thought over the snow

A's rosy cheeks from his snow consuming adventures. I'll post a pic of that later because I took that on Lee's phone. 

Friday I had to go to work in the afternoon. The county roads were not great but once I made it to the city they were fine. I picked up dinner and then headed home for in-house Theophany vespers. Saturday everyone was going snow crazy so I convinced Lee we could all use a little time out of the house so he went to the gym while I took the kids swimming and it true fashion they stayed in the pool about double the time it took to get changed into bathing suits. Whatever. We came home to a yummy pot of chili and settled in for some football and a King Cake thanks to some friends who braved the snowy roads. Sunday we made it to the later church service since there is still a good amount of snowy ice on out neighborhood hill (not the sledding one). After church they (not me) went out for one last play in the snow. Lee and I had a peaceful hour or so that involved cleaning up more Christmas presents (yes they are now finally put away), folding laundry and watching football. I told them whoever stayed out the longest would get the most snow cream so they were huddled in the garage waiting each other out but finally they all came in at the same time when hot chocolate was served. 

With a two hour delay today I imagine our snow days are over for this round. We'll see if we end up with more. We're supposed to hit the mid 60s toward the end of the week so we'll see if that holds true.