July 25th-29th

This week was a slower week for us. The past few weeks have seemed so action packed we decided to take it easy. It was a nice change of pace. We just have one short month left before Jacek and Luna will be starting preschool. I have a feeling we will be quite the busy little bees for the month of August.

We were low key this week. The kids rode their bikes, played with sidewalk chalk, went swimming and played with their neighbor friends. These are the simple things that are easy and free yet my kids are perfectly content. On Tuesday, we attended the Edgewood concert series. I forget the name of the band but they rocked. Matt and I really enjoyed the music and kids danced their little booties off.

                                                           Meet the Woods!

On Wednesday, Jacek woke up and wanted to dress like Happy Gilmore. He pulled out every pair of shorts and every shirt in his dresser until he got the perfect outfit. I can't tell you how many times I have done the same exact thing.

After piano lessons we came home and Jacek and I practiced some songs. I was very impressed with my little man.

On Thursday we went over to Kristina's house. Jacek and Luna kept bugging Michael because he was sleeping and they wanted to play. Eventually, he got up. He wasn't even the slightest mad. He seriously has the calmest demeanor of any 13 year old I have ever met. 

All in all, it was a very low key week and that was just what we needed.

July 17th-22nd

Wow is all I can really say. This week has flown by so fast but I am making myself add a blog entry. Every year I think, where did the summer go? At least this summer will be documented on Moon Flower.

On Sunday, the kids and I went to My sister's house to hang out and have our weekly Kruskamp crazy fix. Kristina made homemade chili and it was amazing. I love her chili. We make it the exact same way, the Kruskamp recipe, but hers always tastes better. After dinner we lounged out back and Luna made Kristina a mayo sandwich on a spiderman bun. They had to taste test it at the same time! It was a great day!

On Monday, the heat wave was in full swing. We made spicy pretzels and filled up the kiddie pool. We sat outside and enjoyed pretzels poolside and kiddie cocktails. The kids made me get into the tiny pool and we splashed and laughed for hours. For once, there was no stress, no fighting. It was simple, true and genuine fun.
On Tuesday, we went grocery shopping. We were out of everything. My dad came with us to help manage the kids when they were about to blow. Thank God for my dad! Tuesday night we attended out weekly Edgewood concert series. It's so funny. We do not care who is playing or what kind of music is playing . We just love live music. This week it was swing music, which I love. Jacek entertained the crowd as usual and Luna complimented the music with her mad bubble skills. They slept well that night!

On Wednesday, it was said to be the hottest day of the year. The heat index was around 110 degrees. That's insanity! After piano lessons, we came  home and threw our bathing suits on fast as we could. We decided to head to the Florence Aquatic Center. I invited my brother, Kelton and his GF, Sam. I cannot put into words how much fun we had at the pool. For such a crazy hot day we had so much fun! And, Kelton scored major bonus points and bought the kids ice cream. It's little things that make such lasting impressions!



As if our week wasn't crazy enough, it was free queso dip day at Moe's. It's not like I was going to let that one slip by! Kristina and Michael joined the kids and myself at Moe's for some amazing food. I really love that place! After dinner, we thought it would be fun to have some planking pictures. Kristina's were the best by far but Jacek and Luna had join in on the fun as well. These pictures make me laugh every time I look at them! And once again, the kids slept great!

Kristina had taken off of work on Thursday and we had been wanting to take the kids to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. We were so excited  and Michael came along, too. We didn't realize that going to such a famous Museum on the hottest day of the year probably wasn't a great idea. When we walked into the lobby their was at least a 20-30 minute wait just buy tickets. It was insane packed! There were kids screaming/ crying everywhere including my own at times. Whatever Jacek wanted to do Luna was not interested and vice versa. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty stressful at times. Luna loved the Dora exhibit. (She had been insisting all week to wear her Dora shoes with no socks.) Jacek loved the race cars and play area. We all sang silly songs and played instruments and this made the trip well worth it in my mind. 

Side note: When did my nephew grow taller than me?

On the way home, everyone was cranky and hungry. We ended up at Denny's which I was not that excited about. We all must have been super hungry because we scarfed down our food. It was the most amazing cheeseburger and cheese fries! Just what we needed: comfort food! Even Jacek, who is quite the picky eater, gobbled down his cheeseburger.
It was quite the action packed week and it was fun, fun, fun! I know this is a super long post but that just means we had a super fun week. I hope to do it all over again next week!

*Concept of the week- Planking*

July 11th-July 14th

Another fabulous week! It was extremely hot but we had fun anyway with the help of some sunscreen and water play. First thing Monday morning, we went outside and filled up the pool. Jacek and Luna love to play 'Simon Says' in the pool. They were acting like alligators for at least thirty minutes. We also pulled some weeds and cleaned the house. Luna loves to be my little helper. Monday night, the kids got to stay up late and watch movies. They watched their favorite movie of the week: Problem Child 2. That is truly one of the most ridiculous movies and my kids love it. I guess that's how it goes!

On Tuesday, the kids went to hang with Meemaw and Bishe. They always love going to Meemaw's house and they are always treated  like royalty every time they are there. Tuesday night we hung out with Kelita and Kristina. Nothing fancy. Just enjoyed some Kruskamp company.

On Wednesday morning, Jacek had piano lessons and I promised to buy him some water balloons. It took forever to fill those things up with water. It took at least an hour for 100 water balloons to get prepared and 5 minutes for them to be destroyed. Luke and Alex, the neighbor kids, came over for the water balloon "war".

After the water balloons, we headed over to Andrea's house for a dip in their pool. Andrea also made a nice picnic lunch for the kids. She's the best!

On Thursday, we continued to beat the heat and played in our kiddie pool again. I love summer time more than any other time of year. These are the best days!

Later on, Rodney was trying to teach Jacek how to swing a golf club. I think he might need a little more practice before he hits the green!

My sweet girl was just wore out from the week. Playing in the sun always wears my babies down. I think my girl was ready to come inside and go to bed!

Good night, sleep tight!

Sunday, July 10th

This day is always a much anticipated day in our house. Jacek has been looking forward to the St. Pius festival for quite some time. He's so funny. Every day he'll wake up and ask, "Mom, what month is it?" Followed by, "What day is it?" The festival did  not start until 5pm so it was a challenge to try and keep him happy until then. Upon arrival, Matt took our picture and you can just see the excitement all over his little face!

Luna had just awoke from a nap and was still little foggy. She insisted on wearing that dress. One might think she has a very limited wardrobe, which is actually pretty extensive, but she insists on wearing 3 dresses. They are her favorite! Whatever makes my girl happy, makes me happy! The first ride we decided on was the monkey barrels. Jacek said, "I'm gonna make Dristy puke!" I thought that to be an awesome idea. Truth is Jacek, Luna and Dristy were laughing while I was screaming and truly about to barf!

(This was a before shot. The after shot would not have included a giant smile on my green face!)
Next Jacek and Luna wanted to ride the wooden cars that go in circles. They were really excited about this ride, especially Luna!

Next up, the teacups! I knew that my stomach could not handle it so Jacek and Dristy decided to hop on for a circular delight.

Right after this picture was taken, Jacek got a little freaked out and Dristy had to move over and sit next to him until the ride stopped. He decided that he did not like the teacups as much as he had hoped. Next, we headed to the inside cafeteria where it was nice and air conditioned. The heat index was over 100 degrees. It was so hot! Leave it to Jacek to find a game that involves a gun.

We headed back out into the heat. The kids were dying to get into the Shrek bounce house. I kept trying to talk them out of it because there was no A/C but they insisted. It turned out to be their favorite thing. The lady collecting the tickets, who had the personality of a rock, said, "Times up, everyone out!" All of the kids came directly out of the bounce house except Luna. She was NOT coming out! I peaked in and she was in the far corner laughing at me. I had to physically pull her out and she was not happy about it! Jacek had 2 more tickets to burn so he decided to ride one last ride. Luna, Dristy and I decided to sit in the shade while Jacek went to his ride. Luna was hot, fussy and still a little mad at me!

That is what I call a Luna-tude! Haha! I love that face! Jacek enjoyed his last ride and we headed to the car. Next stop, Moe's, our favorite family restaurant! The festival was a blast and dinner was amazing as usual. By the time we got home the kids were exhausted. They took a bath and went straight to bed. That never happens! What a great day! We can do it again next year!

July 5th-7th

My kids are weird and I love it! I encourage them to be weird and we all celebrate our weirdness together. Luna was not feeling well all week (I think she is cutting her molars) but even when she has a fever she will still have some fun.

Jacek started piano lessons back up this week. He had a month off and he was really excited to sit down and play some keys. (Ms Anna is his teacher and she is amazing!)

Luna likes to color while Jacek practices on the piano. Since she wasn't feeling the greatest she decided to lay down and color. Make yourself comfortable, girl!

Some people may think that my kids never wear clothes. Some have even commented on it. They do wear clothes but they don't like to wear clothing around the house. Undies it is.... and snow boots, too! It's July and they want to wear snow boots! They look so cute, though!

After Luna wakes up from her nap we usually go outside and ride bikes. My little man was quite persistent on wearing his rain boots. It was 95 degrees outside; I couldn't help but to laugh.

The rain boots lasted about 5 minutes before he went in and grabbed his flip flops. It was way too hot for boots! The kids played with their neighbor friends and burned a lot of energy! I love to watch them run and play.
The next morning the kids woke up and decided they were going to be kitty cats. They crawled around on the floor meowing and then Jacek asked for some milk.

These kitties were very serious about slurping the milk. Luna even started to feel a little better after drinking her milk. There is never a dull moment in my house and that's exactly the way I lilke it. They constantly remind me to enjoy the moment and just go with the flow!

Song of the week: Teeth by Lady Gaga

July 4th, 2011

What an amazing day all around! I  had the cutest dress picked out for Luna! It was a white dress with red and blue stars all over it and she refused to wear it. She's 2 now, she actually   has a pretty loud opinion on what she will and will not wear. Jacek wore his red, white and blue shirt happily. My sister had the family over for a cook out and my brother brought kid-friendly fireworks. The kids had a blast playing with Pop-its and sparklers. Luna was so cute with the Pop-its. She would take one at a time and place it on the ground. She would then step on it real hard. She did this for hours. There was an entire case of Pop-its to keep her busy. Jacek really liked the sparklers. He didn't just want one sparkler at a time he wanted at least six. This makes me laugh because that's my boy! We all enjoyed the ever exciting snakes that came with the kid-friendly family pack of fireworks. I don't care what anyone says, snakes are awesome!

We stuffed ourselves silly and when night fell we decided to head up to see the Edgewood fireworks. It was the first time in 4 years that we actually got to see the fireworks.In previous years the kids were too young, it was raining or I was working. Jacek and Luna were in absolute awe staring at the sky. It was pure joy to my heart to watch them watch fireworks. The fireworks were amazing but my babies' excitement was absolutely priceless. My camera has been faulty lately, go figure! Tammy took a bunch of pics but I have not got them from her yet. As soon as I do, I will add some on here.

June 28th-June 30th

I miss my babies like crazy while I'm at work. I know they are at home sleeping soundly and I am anxiously looking at the clock only to realize time has practically stopped. I keep thinking of Luna singing, "Born this way, baby... heeeeey!" And Jacek squeezing me so tight telling me how much he missed me. "Mom, I missed you this much!" His little finger and thumb are barely spread apart but he really thinks that's a lot!

I replay our week in my head over and over. The little petty fights that I had to peacefully and fairly settle. The laughter echoing through my backyard as we played 'Simon Says' in the kiddie pool. The dancing and jamming we experienced while listening to a local band for a couple of hours until Luna was so tired she cried for thirty minutes. Luna never cries for that long but she slept well that night.

Yep, Jacek pulled out the sprinkler; always a crowd favorite!

My little mini-me! She loves to dance and she is such a free spirit!



The next day we went to Coney Island with our neighbors. Jacek doesn't tend to like to try new things but I quietly watched him. I knew how nervous he was hopping onto a ride he had never rode before. I could see the worry upon his face. He worked through his anxiety and not only was I shocked but I was extremely proud of my boy.

I am so fortunate to be able to spend so much time with my kids. It's not always a walk in the park, let me tell you, but I wouldn't change a thing. The long weekend work hours are terrible but the time I spend during the week with the kids is beyond wonderful. I know that these are the best days of my life. I do not take them for granted. I am living a dream that I never thought possible.

I will be home soon, babies!

Photo of the week:

Smells like gravy!