After the excitement and activity of Tree House World, yesterday we stayed close to home. Even though we didn't go anywhere, the Cousin Crew had a great time playing with water guns and foam swords. I love hearing the squeals of laughter echoing through the yard as they play!
I'm going to be sad to leave, but it is time to return to reality. School is starting soon, so the Cousin Crew will have to say goodbye for a few months. Even though they chat through technology, it is not the same as when they are together.
I'm always sad when summer comes to an end, but there is something to be said for returning to a normal schedule. Robby is already bemoaning leaving his cousins, but I know that he will be happy to be home with his cats. I'm glad that we will have a week at home to get settled and ready for the school year, because 8th grade starts in a little over a week.
About Me
- Peggy
- I am a below knee amputee. More importantly, I am also Mommy to two boys, a very active 10 year old (Robby) and an mischievous toddler (Timmy). I have learned that being a parent with a disability can create some unusual and sometimes humorous situations. This blogger is available for hire! Let's talk and learn how a blog can expand your business.
Friday, August 09, 2019
Thursday, August 08, 2019
Tree House World
We had a fantastic time at Tree House World. There is little doubt that the sprawling activity laden forest now ranks as one of my favorite kid activities. There was something for everybody to do, and many times the cousins (Timmy included) were able to participate together.
From hatchet throwing and archery to tree climbing and exploring, everybody was busy from the moment we arrived. Timmy was particularly enthusiastic about tree climbing, inching higher and higher with each attempt. He is both physically strong and determined, traits which I'm sure will be beneficial as he continues to grow up.
I chose to not participate in tree climbing. I didn't abstain because I couldn't do it, rather I really didn't want to climb. I don't like climbing and I no longer feel the need to participate to prove that I can do something. I was content cheering on all of the kids and acting as the official family photographer. I didn't climb trees, but I thoroughly enjoyed hatchet throwing and exploring the tree houses.
Unfortunately storms rolled into the area in the late afternoon, forcing us to abandon our adventure earlier than anticipated. We were bummed to leave because everybody was having so much fun. I have no doubt that we will return!
From hatchet throwing and archery to tree climbing and exploring, everybody was busy from the moment we arrived. Timmy was particularly enthusiastic about tree climbing, inching higher and higher with each attempt. He is both physically strong and determined, traits which I'm sure will be beneficial as he continues to grow up.
I chose to not participate in tree climbing. I didn't abstain because I couldn't do it, rather I really didn't want to climb. I don't like climbing and I no longer feel the need to participate to prove that I can do something. I was content cheering on all of the kids and acting as the official family photographer. I didn't climb trees, but I thoroughly enjoyed hatchet throwing and exploring the tree houses.
Unfortunately storms rolled into the area in the late afternoon, forcing us to abandon our adventure earlier than anticipated. We were bummed to leave because everybody was having so much fun. I have no doubt that we will return!
Wednesday, August 07, 2019
Night Out
The Cousin Crew spent a fun day playing games, eating junk food and having fun. In the evening we packed up and headed to the National Night Out celebration, which was hosted at the municipal building about 1/4 mile from my Mom's house. Talk about convenient!
The kids love the Night Out celebration, and I have to give credit to the local community. They put on a fantastic event for the community. From the concessions to the activities to the raffle, everything is free. Timmy loved jumping in the moon bounces and eating cotton candy while the big kids strolled through the aisles of vendors, scoring more swag and just having fun.
Today our adventures will continue with a trip to Tree House World. This adventure is special because both my mom and my sister are joining us. My niece and nephews are excited about their mom coming along to spend the day playing with the Cousin Crew.
The weather is perfect, so it is time for us to get packed up to head out on our adventure!
The kids love the Night Out celebration, and I have to give credit to the local community. They put on a fantastic event for the community. From the concessions to the activities to the raffle, everything is free. Timmy loved jumping in the moon bounces and eating cotton candy while the big kids strolled through the aisles of vendors, scoring more swag and just having fun.
Today our adventures will continue with a trip to Tree House World. This adventure is special because both my mom and my sister are joining us. My niece and nephews are excited about their mom coming along to spend the day playing with the Cousin Crew.
The weather is perfect, so it is time for us to get packed up to head out on our adventure!
Tuesday, August 06, 2019
Bad Boo Boo Day
My little Hamlet was so excited to spend the day with his big cousins. We opted to go bowling followed by a quest to get another stamp on the ice cream trail. Even though our adventure's weren't overtly physical or difficult, somehow Timmy suffered a series of accidents throughout the day which led to his adventure being dubbed "Timmy's Big Boo Boo Day."
Excited for the day with his cousins, Timmy drew a picture on the sidewalk to start the day. He wore the chalk to the nub and ended up rubbing his knuckles across the cement sidewalk. Poor little guy tore up the skin on the knuckles of his right hand. I put on a few band-aids and corralled the kids to go bowling.
After selecting a bowling ball and changing into his shoes, Timmy promptly slipped and fell on his face. His face tumble resulted in bleeding gash on the bottom of his chin. Although he calmed down and continued to bowl, he spent the rest of the activity worrying about his band-aid and his blood.
At the ice cream place he jumped off the last step, slipped and skinned his knee. By this point I wanted to just put him in a bubble for the rest of the day. With all of the band-aids, he was starting to resemble a prize fighter who had lost the match.
Unfortunately his bad boo boo luck continued into the evening. When trying to break a pinata (a surprise from his Aunt Sheri) Timmy became overly excited and managed to wack himself in the head with the bat. We didn't need a band-aid this time, but it did result in a large purple goose egg bruise in the center of his forehead.
Poor kiddo. This morning he is bruised, scraped and looks like he has survived the zombie apocalypse. Hopefully he will have a calmer, less injury riddled day today.
Excited for the day with his cousins, Timmy drew a picture on the sidewalk to start the day. He wore the chalk to the nub and ended up rubbing his knuckles across the cement sidewalk. Poor little guy tore up the skin on the knuckles of his right hand. I put on a few band-aids and corralled the kids to go bowling.
After selecting a bowling ball and changing into his shoes, Timmy promptly slipped and fell on his face. His face tumble resulted in bleeding gash on the bottom of his chin. Although he calmed down and continued to bowl, he spent the rest of the activity worrying about his band-aid and his blood.
At the ice cream place he jumped off the last step, slipped and skinned his knee. By this point I wanted to just put him in a bubble for the rest of the day. With all of the band-aids, he was starting to resemble a prize fighter who had lost the match.
Unfortunately his bad boo boo luck continued into the evening. When trying to break a pinata (a surprise from his Aunt Sheri) Timmy became overly excited and managed to wack himself in the head with the bat. We didn't need a band-aid this time, but it did result in a large purple goose egg bruise in the center of his forehead.
Poor kiddo. This morning he is bruised, scraped and looks like he has survived the zombie apocalypse. Hopefully he will have a calmer, less injury riddled day today.
Monday, August 05, 2019
Transitions
After a few weeks at home, Robby became antsy and wanted to go visit his cousins. Since Scott starts back to work this week (a transition which always leaves him both grumpy and tired), I was happy to oblige the request to get away. Yesterday afternoon the boys and I packed up and headed back to Pennsylvania to reunite the Cousin Crew.
It's hard to believe that Scott is starting back to work this week. His school system is changing the school year calendar this year, resulting in a shortened summer vacation. It will be nice when he is done with the year three weeks earlier than normal, but going back to school early is a difficult transition. Looking forward to the end of May provides little solace in August.
The Cousins still have a few weeks before their school resumes, and I plan to make the most of the time. Here is to another week (or maybe two) of Aunt Peggy adventures! Let the fun begin....
It's hard to believe that Scott is starting back to work this week. His school system is changing the school year calendar this year, resulting in a shortened summer vacation. It will be nice when he is done with the year three weeks earlier than normal, but going back to school early is a difficult transition. Looking forward to the end of May provides little solace in August.
The Cousins still have a few weeks before their school resumes, and I plan to make the most of the time. Here is to another week (or maybe two) of Aunt Peggy adventures! Let the fun begin....
Friday, August 02, 2019
Captain Underpants
Although they are brothers, Robby and Timmy hold so many opposite traits. Robby is calm and analytical where Timmy is impulsive and busy. Robby was always cautious, carefully evaluating a task to determine the risks and benefits before proceeding. Timmy sees a tree and wants to climb higher than the squirrels, regardless of skill or the ability to descend. Despite our efforts to keep him safe, I worry that it is only a matter of time before Timmy's daredevil impulses result in a broken bone.
Last night I worried that our fears had materialized. After I tucked Timmy into bed, I went into the kitchen to finish the dishes. About 20 minutes later, as I was finishing wiping down the counters, I heard a loud thud, followed by crying, coming from Robby's bedroom. I found Timmy on the floor, curled up over his foot sobbing in pain.
After I put him to bed he sneaked out of his room and into Robby's, where he climbed to the top bunk. He stood at the top, and leapt down (gravity sucks sometimes), resulting in a hurt ankle. When I got him calmed down, he declared that he didn't "flap his arms fast enough fly."
His ankle was swollen and he had a difficult time walking. It looked horrible and I was worried that he had broken something. Instead of rushing him to urgent care, we decided to ice the area and see how he was in the morning. After he became comfortable he finally fell asleep for the night.
I was worried about his leg through the night, but I figured that his sleeping was probably a good sign. I woke up to a thump coming from his bedroom. I darted into his room (which took me a few minutes because my leg wasn't on yet) and saw him standing on the top of his bunk, overlooking his beanbag that he positioned below (which is lower than the one in Robby's room). With his Yoshi underwear on his head as a hat, he just looked at me and sang, "I'm Captain Underpants, ohh yeahhh" before jumping into the bean bag.
I'm trying to focus on the positive. Timmy already shows great athletic prowess. He is fearless and determined, both traits that will help him in life. More than anything, I'm glad that his ankle isn't broken and he at least learned to position cushions to soften his falls.
Last night I worried that our fears had materialized. After I tucked Timmy into bed, I went into the kitchen to finish the dishes. About 20 minutes later, as I was finishing wiping down the counters, I heard a loud thud, followed by crying, coming from Robby's bedroom. I found Timmy on the floor, curled up over his foot sobbing in pain.
After I put him to bed he sneaked out of his room and into Robby's, where he climbed to the top bunk. He stood at the top, and leapt down (gravity sucks sometimes), resulting in a hurt ankle. When I got him calmed down, he declared that he didn't "flap his arms fast enough fly."
His ankle was swollen and he had a difficult time walking. It looked horrible and I was worried that he had broken something. Instead of rushing him to urgent care, we decided to ice the area and see how he was in the morning. After he became comfortable he finally fell asleep for the night.
I was worried about his leg through the night, but I figured that his sleeping was probably a good sign. I woke up to a thump coming from his bedroom. I darted into his room (which took me a few minutes because my leg wasn't on yet) and saw him standing on the top of his bunk, overlooking his beanbag that he positioned below (which is lower than the one in Robby's room). With his Yoshi underwear on his head as a hat, he just looked at me and sang, "I'm Captain Underpants, ohh yeahhh" before jumping into the bean bag.
I'm trying to focus on the positive. Timmy already shows great athletic prowess. He is fearless and determined, both traits that will help him in life. More than anything, I'm glad that his ankle isn't broken and he at least learned to position cushions to soften his falls.
Thursday, August 01, 2019
Water park (Mis)Adventure
Our waterpark adventure didn't unfold as planned, but that is part for the course with our family. We arrived later than anticipated because packing for a one night getaway took an obscenely long time. From traffic to unplanned stops, it felt like the cards were stacked against us. I felt a huge sigh of relief when we finally drove into the waterpark parking lot.
The skies were bright blue and the air was warm, creating perfect swimming conditions. We immediately began to splash and play. Both boys were particularly fond of the wave pool and the belly flopper slide. We stayed in the pool until the waves shut off, at which point we made a beeline for the slides.
After three hours, the skies began to darken and the temperature dropped. We took the cue from the weather and headed inside to play in the indoor park until the storm blew over. Timmy and Scott set out to go on a curly slide while Robby and I were floating down the lazy river.
All of a sudden, we heard a loud crash followed by darkness. The emergency lights flickered on while lifeguards were frantically blowing their whistles. The entire park had lost power. What a bummer!
We waited for nearly an hour before we decided to leave. (Thankfully we were given passes to return another day, which was unnecessary but very much appreciated.) We had a great time, even if the day was considerably shorter than planned.
The skies were bright blue and the air was warm, creating perfect swimming conditions. We immediately began to splash and play. Both boys were particularly fond of the wave pool and the belly flopper slide. We stayed in the pool until the waves shut off, at which point we made a beeline for the slides.
After three hours, the skies began to darken and the temperature dropped. We took the cue from the weather and headed inside to play in the indoor park until the storm blew over. Timmy and Scott set out to go on a curly slide while Robby and I were floating down the lazy river.
All of a sudden, we heard a loud crash followed by darkness. The emergency lights flickered on while lifeguards were frantically blowing their whistles. The entire park had lost power. What a bummer!
We waited for nearly an hour before we decided to leave. (Thankfully we were given passes to return another day, which was unnecessary but very much appreciated.) We had a great time, even if the day was considerably shorter than planned.
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