Weekly Wrap- Up: The Week We Had ALL the Heavy Equipment Out

July 14, 2017

We had all sorts of heavy equipment out this week working on our beach and the landscaping around our shed. While Ian thinks nothing of running most equipment he was a bit nervous working so close to our shed; though he did a great job. Alec even got in the excavator and had a quick lesson on what to do; he too did a wonderful job. Evan and I just ran the shovels... there's not much trouble we can get into with them. We had plenty of family fun too with a few picnics and cookouts too.

It poured on Friday so my boys spent most of the day inside staring at video game screens and TV screens. Alec did try his hand at making a graham cracker crumb crust and then both him and Evan asked to go swimming out in the rain. They had already been playing out in the rain for a bit and were quite soaked so I said sure.

Saturday Ian went to work with his grandfather. Alec got to work making the chocolate no- bake cheesecake to put in the crust almost as soon as he woke up. I was not allowed to help in any way! My husband was working on our beach and patio and asked Alec if he'd like a chance to learn how to run the excavator. After a quick tutorial on all the buttons and levers, Alec took over with my husband standing nearby shouting out orders-- he did a wonderful job! My family stopped by for an impromptu cookout and my husband kept working on the beach with the help of Ian (who had returned from work shortly after lunch). Ian ran the loader while my husband ran the compactor. Ian then helped load the truck with sand and smooth out the sand back onto our beach. He was in his glory getting to use the BIG loader. They managed to finish the job in one day. We tried Alec's yummy cake and had a quiet night at home once the family left.

He wrote Happy B-day using chocolate chips.

On Sunday we had been invited to a cookout at my in-laws house. The boys went tubing a few times during the day and enjoyed swimming at the lake, playing in the sand, and eating lots of yummy treats. Alec was often found curled up someplace in the sun reading his latest book.

Monday the boys started in on some summer workbooks. Alec and Evan each worked on two pages in a review math book and did some reading while Ian picked two pages out of his 7-8 grade summer bridge book. We then packed up some lunches and piled in the car to run a bunch of errands and meet up with friends at the park. Unfortunately, we had the wrong park in mind and we never made it to play capture the flag. We ended up inviting my sister and nephews over to play in the lake instead. That night we all worked with my husband to dig up the yard around our shed; we're putting down some stones to try and keep the rain away from the base of the shed. Ian ran the excavator, my husband ran the loader and Alec, Evan and myself used the shovels and rakes to help when we could.

We woke to lots of rain Tuesday and Ian asked if we could visit a Bass Pro shops. We headed out as soon as we were ready for the day and enjoyed a fun morning at the store. The boys got to feed the turtles, watch the fish tank being cleaned, and buy a few new lures, a new tube (since ours is breaking) and some stuffed animals. We then headed out to lunch at the Olive Garden! Lunch was fantastic! Once home Evan and I headed out for a walk and then Alec and I headed to the library. The theme for the Tween Tuesday this week was an ice cream cone challenge; each child was challenged to fill an ice cream cone with non- traditional food items and whomever could eat the weirdest cone won. Needless to say Alec did not win but he had a great time socializing with the other kids. He filled his cone with pretzels, jelly, chocolate kisses, and whipped cream (other selections included bologna, cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni, peanut butter, marshmallows, and gummy worms). Ian helped his father work on the landscaping around the shed after supper while Alec made some chocolate chip cookies.

On Wednesday the boys worked on a few more pages in their new workbooks and each cleaned a few rooms of the house. We made a deal that they could earn extra screen time; 30 minutes for each room they cleaned. I don't know why I had never of this before! My whole house will be cleaned in no time and since it's cloudy and rainy this is the perfect week for this arrangement! The boys did manage to squeeze in a quick jet ski ride each with their grandmother and Ian, myself and my mother in law played a game of rummy before a major storm passed through our area.

Thursday we woke to more cloudy skies, rain, and storms so the boys took their time getting their schoolwork done. They also each cleaned a room or two for extra screen time. We played a lot of games like Life, Guess Who? and cards to keep us all entertained. The boys also started a Keva block challenge trying to make the strongest bridge. They decided that the bridge had to allow a hot wheels car to pass over it, it had to be at least one block high in the middle, & the car has to be able to go from the ground, up and over.