July 2014

My sweet 100 tomatoes are starting to ripen, ive been getting 2-3 a day, they are DELICIOUS!

So when this month started I looked at the calendar and there was literally nothing on it for the entire month.  I was worried we might get......bored but as we went along week by week, day by day the calendar was filled up and we had a great month.  Not too many activities and not to few either and the weather was some of the best you could ever hope for in July in the midwest.  From 4th of July bbqs, trips into st. Louis, Grants farm, swimming, playing at parks, camping, a visit from family, VBS, why was I ever worried.

A wonderful evening at the Melting Pot with Amy, Michael, and Jason

Will and Beth:

  On the second to last day of June Will and I had a soccer game.  During the normal course of play my foot got smashed.  It hurt but I figured it was just badly bruised or maybe even broken but I played on determined to no let another injury take me out of the game (this we my first one back after a 2 week break from another toe injury).  When the game got over and we were taking our gear off I noticed my toe didn't look quiet right and it hurt a lot.  It was just one of those things I know how my feet have looked for the last 32 years and it didn't look like that.  (it was kinda bending the wrong way)   So we went to the ER and after some xrays found out I had dislocated my left big toe.  They numbed it (which might have been the most painful part of the whole thing) and yanked it back into place and sent me home with some pain pills.  I figured I would be better in a day or two....it turned out to be 3 weeks!  The first week I was in pretty bad shape and really huring, the second week better but still had to hobble and walk very slowly and carefully, the third week I was back walking normally but still couldn't run (I tried it hurt).  Im used to getting bumps and bruises and then bouncing back a day or two later but this one really slowed me down.  This was my 3rd injury at indoor soccer in a short amount of time and they seem to be getting more painful everytime.  So I have decided to retire from my indoor career.  It was fun to play, I looked forward to it every Sunday, I liked our team and of course getting to play with Will (we had quite a few assists and goals together), and just the planned time away to get away and do something for me, and it was a great workout but I think the pain is starting to outway the fun.  Its co-ed over 30 and the guys are big and play hard and they dont mean to hurt girls but they do.  So what do I do now?  Of course I still have running but ive been thinking about what else, maybe biking.  I have been riding a stationary bike at the gym and liking it maybe I could hit the open road and see if I like it?  Also I want to pick a half marathon in the fall to start training and working towards.  I still have never run a big race in St. Louis so maybe the St. Louis Rock n Roll in October?   

The Rowland Bros....

I dont know if there is much to report for Will this month?  Just work, I think maybe he is slowly getting back into doing some running but nothing to serious this month.  At work he helped out at the Range with the youth academy.  This was his 3rd summer to do it.  There were 27 or so students that were in the course this year.  They learn all kinds of stuff about being a police officer over the course of 1 or maybe 2 weeks.  One day they get to go to the range and shoot a handgun, a shotgun, and a rifle.  It seems like a really neat program Im glad Will is able to help for some of it.  

Our World Cup party

One of our funnest events of the month was having Wills brother Jason and Sister Amy and husband Michael come visit.  Partly for the World cup final and partly just to visit.  Amy and Michael hadn't been to visit us since we moved to Illinois and so when they heard Jason was coming they met him in KC and all rode together.  Our time together was short (23 hours I think to be exact) but we had a great time together.  We had a wonderful evening out in St. Louis and went to the melting pot (a first for all of them).  We got a reservation for 9pm and didn't leave until after 11!  Then church, a big lunch, and the big game (Go Germany!), then they were on their way home.  Lots of fun by it went way to fast!  The boys had fun showing off and being silly with all the guests, they are still talking about them daily.

Rex swimming with his buddies (Lem and Ezra)

Here are a few fun facts about our daily life.  The other day I realized that with Will on the night shift and us on our regular schedule there is someone sleeping in our house about 20 of 24 hours a day and also someone is awake at our house 24 hours a day.  Confused yet?  Let me explain so when Will is working he gets off at 6 a.m. and comes home and is asleep usually by 6:30 or 7.  Which is just about when we are waking up or even a little later if im lucky.  Then Will usually sleeps all day till 2:30 or after and I put Grant down for a nap at 1:30 and we get him up at 4:00 then bed time is between 7:30-8 for the boys and im more like 10-11.  So between 4pm-8pm our house get really loud because that is the only 4 hours in the whole day we dont have to be quiet for someone!  Also on the flip side when Will has a day off and is home all evening there is someone awake at our house 24 hours a day.  Because he stays up all night long and just about when he goes to sleep we are waking up for the day then when we go to sleep he stays up all night.  Still confused?  Its ok I live it and it doesn't completely make since to me either.

Rex playing in the fountains at the Our Lady of the Snows playground during a MOPs playdate

Rex:

Of course Rex and I worked on a few more Lego projects this month.  We build a pretty cool house (this was a great project when my foot was hurt).  We also added a few minifigs to our collections.  Other than thats just lots of playing with Lem and Ezra and having fun on our outings.  He went to VBS for the first time it was M-F from 6-8pm.  I was worried that would be too late night after night for him (we are usually in bed by 8) but he was very excited to go every night and slept in, in the mornings.  Rex was also a big helper to me while I was hurt.  He would go get the ice pack out of the freezer for me, or put it away, get me water, put my phone on the charger, and help get other things for me when I asked.  I have been having him help me around the house more lately.  He is good at loading the dishwasher and setting the table or clearing it.  He also helps me with laundry some.  We haven't started official chores or an allowance yet but I can see that happening in the future.  I have noticed over the summer Rex has a longer attention span at things.  Like coloring or drawing or working through some of our preschool workbooks.  He really seems to enjoy sitting and doing those things.  Its just fun to kinda be entering a new stage where he can really focus and work on something.  One funny story I have about Rex this month was the boys were finishing up a Jake and the Neverland Pirates show while I went to make lunch.  When it was over I told them to turn it off and come down to eat.  When it was over Rex did just that and Grant launched into a full blown tantrum.  It started out that he was mad about turning the show off but then it just tailspun to him fussing about anything and everything he could think of.  So Rex and I went to eat and left Grant in the living room floor to his tantrum.  While we were eating Rex looked at me and sighed real big and said, "Im just so disappointed in Grant right now."

Camping boys

dinner at the campground

Grant discovered scissors this month.....if I need to keep him busy for 20 minutes some scissors and a piece of paper is all I need......he will cut that paper into 1,000 little pieces. So on second thought scissors, paper, and a....... vacuum is all I need.

Grant:

 Well Grant  has been 2 for a while now but this month I feel like the terrible two's arrived.  There has been a lot of testing the limits, hitting people (mostly brother), throwing toys when mad, crying, and full blown tantrums.  I know its all part of growing up and having now gone through it with Rex I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel but I feel like we just entered the tunnel and it will be a long time before we see the light.  Of course there is lots of fun with Grant too but now I feel like I have a ticking time bomb, you never now what will set my once easy going, happy go lucky, go with the flow guy off into a tailspin of wailing, whining, and arguing.  

A few of  Grant's cars wanted to eat breakfast with him one morning.

 Another big deal with Grant this month is no more taking water to bed with him.  This might seem kinda like a "duh" thing but his water in his sippie has kinda been his comfort thing for a long time.  And if he could take his water to bed and not be completely soaked in the morning I would probably still be letting his do it.  I think it was when my toe was still huring a lot and I found myself in pain in his room at 3 a.m. changing him and his bedding because he was once again completely soaked through his diaper that I decided this has to stop.  So now he can have water until we head up for jammie time and then thats it.  There have still been a few days he is waking up wet but much much less for the most part.  Its so nice to not have to start the day doing a load of urine soaked laundry every day.  Some nights he is fine with it and some nights he has really wanted it and been wailing for "I want MY WATER!!" sometimes I will take in a cup and give him one sip and then thats it.  Also we lowered the crib railing on Grants crib because it was starting to kind of break when it was all the way up.  (ssshhh dont tell child protective services whe have a crib with a railing that lowers!)  So he climbs up over the rail and into bed every night but amazingly never gets out.  So im hopefully in a few months when we take the rail completely away he will stay in bed then too.

the boys sleeping in the trailer before we all went to bed.  

Grant after the World Cup Final was over and everyone had left